Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter Twenty One

TW: Past Mistreatment
Logan didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort the boy, but he didn't want to trigger him if he was reliving a particularly intense memory in his mind. He settled on simply sitting next to him, being present if he needed him. Logan had never needed Patton to come home so badly.

After an excruciatingly long hour, Patton finally arrived home. He could feel the tension as he walked through the front door. "Hey, boys. What's up?" Patton asked, attempting to mask his concern. Remus didn't even look up at the man, causing his worry to grow. Patton looked to Logan for an explanation. "Remus has something from his past that he would like to share with us," he said lowly. Patton nodded before sitting on Remus' other side. "Do you want to talk about it now, bud?" Patton asked softly. Remus hesitated but nodded nonetheless. He didn't want to hide this anymore. He took a breath to speak, but no sound came out. His breathing sped up slightly. "Would...would it be okay if I held your hands?" Remus asked in a whisper. Both men nodded as they each grabbed one of his hands, causing him to calm down enough to speak.

"I was adopted before you two found me," Remus began, causing Patton to gasp lightly out of shock. Remus swallowed before continuing. "When I was placed in the orphanage, I wasn't alone. I was put there with my twin brother," Remus had to pause at the thought of his brother. Logan squeezed his hand reassuringly, prompting him to continue. "His name was Roman and we were just about as different as any two people could be," Remus chuckled sadly at that fact. "He was my best friend. After everything we went through together, it would be impossible to not be. He was by my side through everything. He was my whole world." "W-what happened to him?" Patton asked with a choked voice. Remus sniffled slightly, willing his emotions to stay contained. "We were adopted. A young couple took us in only a few months after we had been put up for adoption. Roman and I were so excited at the idea of having parents who didn't hate us," Remus chuckled bitterly. Logan and Patton looked at him with concern. "They seemed to notice the differences between Roman and I very quickly. I had a lot
more issues than he did. They said that I was a difficult child, but they adored Roman. He was outgoing and happy while I was scared and closed off. They decided that I was too much work and that they didn't want me anymore. Said I was unlovable," Remus choked back a sob as he finished his sentence. Patton rubbed the back of his hand lightly, silently comforting the boy. "T-they took me back. They didn't want to deal with me so they took me back. They kept Roman. They took my brother away from me," Remus cried out, reliving the pain that he felt when he watched the couple drive away with his brother. "Oh, Re, I'm so sorry. Thank you for trusting us with that," Patton said softly. Remus looked up at him with teary eyes. "Wait. The story isn't over yet," Remus said with a cracked voice. The couple looked at him with confusion but let him continue. "That happened when I was ten. I sat in that orphanage for five years, thinking that I was unlovable. Then, one day, a couple came in looking to adopt. Against all odds, they ended up choosing me. They took me in and accepted me despite all of my problems. They showed me that I was capable of being loved," Remus finished, his eyes gleaming with tears. Patton couldn't take it anymore. He wrapped his arms tightly around Remus' small frame. Patton couldn't stop his tears if he tried. Remus sniffled as he hugged the man back. "We're so lucky to have you as our son," Patton said through his tears. Remus shook his head. "I'm the lucky one. Thank you for choosing me." Patton chuckled. "It was never a choice, Re. From the moment we met you we knew you were our son." Remus choked out a sob as he buried his face in Patton's shoulder and gripped his back tightly. Logan reached out and placed his hand lightly on Remus' back. Remus pulled away from Patton and turned, wrapping his arms around Logan. "I feel so incredibly honored to call you my son," Logan said lowly, causing Remus' to grip onto him tighter. "Thank you for not taking me back," Remus said softly, causing both men's hearts to clench. "We wouldn't be able to survive without you, bud. You're our family," Patton said. Remus sniffled, leaning his head on Logan's shoulder. "I miss Roman," he whispered. Patton reached out and combed his fingers through the boy's curls. "I'm so sorry, buddy. I can't even imagine how difficult that must be," Patton said softly in response. Remus just sniffled before smiling lightly. "He was the best brother I could've ever asked for. He was really funny and dramatic. He liked to pretend that he was a prince. He would act out dramatic scenes in which he had to save me from a 'dragon witch' or some other huge monster. We never left each other's sides," Remus smiled fondly at the memory, even if it hurt his heart to think about it. Both men smiled softly as they listened to the boy recall his times with his brother. "We would watch Disney together every night in the orphanage. The orphanage only had three movies, but we didn't care. It became our favorite thing to do together. The magic and the wonder was so exciting for us. He would act out all of the scenes and sing along with the songs," Remus chuckled lightly. "He sounds wonderful," Logan whispered. "He was. He would stay up with me when I would have nightmares and comfort me until I fell back asleep. God, I miss him so much," Remus said, letting out a sigh. Patton and Logan silently comforted the boy, knowing that no words could help ease the pain of being separated from his brother.

The family sat on the couch for hours, Remus retelling stories of his experiences with Roman, leaving him both much happier and sadder than he had been before.