Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter Twenty

TW: Slight Panic Attack, Slight Mention of Past Abuse
Patton didn't stop singing until Remus had fully relaxed in his arms, slipping in and out of slumber. "Come on, Re. Let's go get some sleep," Patton whispered as he picked the boy up, slightly concerned with how light he was. Remus wrapped his arms around Patton's neck, relaxing in the man's hold. Once they were up the stairs, Patton stilled and whispered to the boy in his arms. "Do you want to sleep with us tonight?" Remus nodded sleepily, clinging to Patton. The man walked into his room and laid the boy lightly on the bed, sliding in after him. Patton pulled the sheet over them both, smiling slightly when the boy wrapped his arms around his waist. "Goodnight, Re," Patton whispered so as not to wake his sleeping husband. "Night Dad," Remus sleepily mumbled, causing Patton's heart to leap.

When Remus woke in the morning, Patton was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on his shoes. "Dad?" Remus asked sleepily. Patton turned with a smile. "Hey, bud. Sorry if I woke you! I'm getting ready for work." Remus furrowed his eyebrows. "Shouldn't I be getting ready for school?" the boy asked with confusion. "Normally, yes, but yesterday was really intense and scary, so Logan and I decided that it would be best if you stayed home today." Remus' chest felt warm. They care about you. "Thank you so much," Remus said with a smile. Patton walked over to the boy and ruffled his hair lightly. "Get some rest, kiddo. And please look after Lo. He's going to say that he's fine but he's actually sick. Just please make sure he gets some rest and drinks a lot of water, okay?" Remus nodded. "I'll take care of him," Remus said, causing Patton to grin. "Such a sweet boy," Patton said softly, causing Remus to blush. Patton looked at his watch and gasped lightly. "I gotta go, I'll be back this evening! Bye, Re," Patton said, hugging the boy before hastily making his way down the stairs and out the front door. Remus chuckled lightly at his dad before turning back to the man next to him. Remus crawled over to him and brushed his hair lightly out of his face, feeling his forehead. He furrowed his brows when he felt how warm Logan was. He made his way out of the bed quietly, attempting to not wake the sleeping man. Once he was out of the bed, he made his way to the kitchen in search of aspirin. After digging through random cabinets for a few minutes, Remus found the small bottle of aspirin. He grabbed the bottle and a glass of water before making his way back up the stairs. Upon entering the room, Remus quietly set the cup of water and the bottle of medicine on the bedside table before shaking the man awake softly. Logan stirred slightly before opening his eyes. "Re?" Logan asked with a sleepy voice. "You were really warm, so I brought you some aspirin and a cup of water," Remus said, grabbing the bottle and pouring two small pills into his hand. Logan smiled softly as he sat up. "Thank you, my love. You're so kind," Logan said as he took the pills from the boy and swallowed them with a sip of water. "It's no problem," Remus said sheepishly. Logan scooted over and opened his arms for the boy, who crawled into his embrace. "Seriously, thank you Re. That was very nice of you," Logan said softly. Remus just hummed in contentment, allowing himself to fall asleep once more in his papa's arms.

Remus woke again, shocked to see that the clock on the bedside table read, "1 pm." He slowly slipped out of Logan's arms and made his way to the kitchen to make some food for his papa and himself. Remus dug through the pantry until he found a loaf of bread. After placing the bread in the toaster, Remus grabbed two glasses for the pair. Right as he turned to fill the glasses, a voice behind him said, "What are you doing, Re?" Remus jumped in shock, accidentally dropping the glasses. They shattered on impact, causing the boy to flinch. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I'll clean it up," Remus rushed out as he bent down, reaching to pick up the shards of glass. "No!" Logan shouted as he moved forward to grab to boy and pull him away from the mess. Remus struggled in his arms. "I'll clean it up, I'm sorry," he stuttered out as he tried to reach the pieces. Logan held onto him tightly. "Remus, stop. It's okay. You're not in trouble, it's completely okay," Logan said softly. Remus stopped fighting despite his panic remaining. "Please don't send me back," he whimpered out. Logan looked at him with a pained expression. "Re, we will never send you back," he said as he held the boy closer. "Wouldn't be the first time it happened," Remus muttered under his breath. Logan looked at him with shock. "What?" he asked in disbelief. Remus' eyes widened as he realized what he had said. "N-nothing. Please drop it," Remus begged. "But Re-" "Please, Papa. Please," Remus whispered. Logan nodded, allowing the boy to lean against his chest. Logan had so many questions, but his son's wellbeing came before his curiosity.

When Remus finally pulled away from Logan's embrace, he was very conflicted. He wanted to tell Logan about what had happened. But he didn't want him to realize how worthless he actually was and get rid of him. He knew that logically that probably wouldn't happen, but his thoughts always seemed to get the better of him. Even so, he didn't want to hide anything from his parents.

"Papa?" Remus said quietly. "Yes, darling?" Remus took a deep breath. "I...I'll tell you what happened. But is it okay if we wait for Dad to get home? I don't want to talk about it more than I have to." Logan looked shocked for a moment before answering. "Yes, yes of course. My goodness, I'm so proud of you," Logan said with a soft but undeniable smile. Remus didn't return the smile, though. He couldn't. Not with the memories running through his head right now. Logan noticed his discomfort, and ran his fingers through the boy's hair in an attempt to ease his worries. "Shh, it's okay my love. Only tell us what you're comfortable sharing. We won't push you," he said softly. Remus nodded but was quite obviously still upset. Logan sighed before standing and offering his hand to Remus. The boy grabbed his hand, allowing himself to be pulled up. Logan lead him into the living room, nudging him toward the couch. "Just sit here for a moment while I clean up the glass, okay?" Logan said softly. "I promise I can do it," Remus replied, a hint of fear remaining in his tone. "I know you can, love, but I would much prefer if I did it. The pieces are sharp, it can be rather dangerous to clean up glass shards. I don't want you getting injured." With that, Logan turned on his heel in search of a broom and dust pan.

Remus' head was pounding. Flashes of painful memories tormented his mind, leaving him feeling disoriented. He just wanted them to stop. "Papa," Remus whimpered out. "I'm in here, my love. I'll be there in a few moments," Logan responded from the kitchen. Remus took in a shaky breath, willing himself to not pull at his hair. He didn't want to have an episode today, but it was getting increasingly harder to stop it. Just as he thought he couldn't take it any longer, Logan entered the room and sat next to the boy. "Is everything alright?" Logan asked in a soft voice. Remus shook his head, digging his nails in his palms. Logan took notice of this action and grabbed Remus' hands, softly willing the boy to relax his fingers. "There you are. Now, what seems to be bothering you, darling?" Logan asked as he rubbed his thumbs comfortingly on the back of the boy's hands. "Thoughts," he whispered. Logan furrowed his eyebrows. "Bad thoughts?" the man asked. Remus nodded. "Memories." Logan looked at the boy with a saddened expression. "I apologize, Remus. I did not mean to bring up any unwanted memories," Logan said lowly. Remus shook his head. "Don't apologize. It...will be good for you and Dad to know," Remus responded. Logan took a breath. "Pat will be home soon." Remus nodded, both excited and terrified for the man's return. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Logan asked with concern. Remus shook his head.

Nothing could change the past. He knew that all too well.