Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter Twenty Two

Remus was shaken awake the following morning by Patton. "Good morning, bud. Time to get up," the man whispered as he pushed the boy's hair out of his face. Remus rubbed his eyes as he sat up, mumbling out a quiet, "Good morning." Patton looked at him with a conflicted expression before speaking. "Re, it's 90 degrees outside today...I don't think you're going to be able to wear pants and a sweater," Patton said, gauging his son's reaction. "But Dad-" Remus started. "I know, bud. It's really up to you. I would never force you to show your scars to the world. I just don't want you to faint from overheating," Patton explained. Remus nodded, thinking over his options. "Can we compromise? I'll wear shorts if I can wear a long sleeved shirt," Remus said, looking at Patton with a pleading glance. Patton smiled and nodded. "That's perfect. Would you like to borrow some clothes?" Remus nodded, following Patton into his parents' room. "Good morning, Papa," Remus said as he caught sight of Logan brushing through his hair in their connected bathroom. "Oh, good morning Remus," Logan responded before turning his attention back to getting ready for the day. Patton dug through the drawers before handing Remus a pair of blue jean shorts that rested just above the knee and a thin light pink long sleeve. "Is this alright? I know some people think it's a girl color, but I-" "I love it," Remus cut him off with a smile. Patton grinned back before handing the boy the pile of clothes, prompting him to go to his room to change. He pulled on the clothes, admiring the way he looked in them in his mirror. He grinned before turning to pull on his shoes and continue getting ready for the day. When he was finished, he made his way downstairs with his backpack on his shoulder, sprawling out on the couch. When Patton caught sight of the boy, he snorted. " Comfy?" the man teased. "Very." Patton shook his head fondly as he made his way into the kitchen. Remus followed him, jumping up to sit on the counter. "Please be careful, Re," Patton said sternly, unable to hide his grin. "I will," Remus responded with a soft chuckle. "Do you want cereal or toast?" Patton asked. "Cereal would be great, thank you," Remus replied. Patton grabbed a bowl and filled it with cereal and milk, handing it to the boy with a spoon. Remus thanked the man before eating his breakfast. Patton leaned against the counter opposite of the boy, making light conversation as his son ate. Patton treasured moments like these. So simple, yet so important to him.

Just as Remus finished the last of his cereal, Logan came down the stairs. "It is time to go, Re," Logan said as he made his way over to Patton, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you this evening, love," Logan said softly. Patton grinned and nodded. "Have a good day, Re!" Patton exclaimed as Logan and Remus made their way outside to the car. The drive to school was comfortably silent, the only sound being Remus humming along to the music on the radio. As the pair pulled into the parking lot, Remus' mind went a bit wild. "Papa?" he asked quietly. "Yes?" Logan replied. "Do you think people will make fun of me because of the scars on my legs?" Remus looked down at his scarred legs. Logan looked at the boy sympathetically before placing his hand lightly on Remus' arm. "I can not guarantee that people will not stare or make comments. However, I can guarantee that they do not define you and that you are so incredibly strong. You'll be just fine, my love." Remus smiled up at the man before grabbing his back and getting out of the car.

The first portion of Remus' day went by without issue. There were a lot of people who stared at his legs both in concern and disgust. However, Remus just kept Logan's words in his mind and continued through his day, attempting to disregard the looks he received. When he walked into his fourth period class, he was nearly tackled in a hug. "Oh my god, thank god you're okay," Dee said as he held onto the boy tightly. "Yeah I'm alright, what is this all about Dee?" Remus asked in confusion, hugging the boy back. "Your dad hadn't picked you up yet when I left on Monday and then you didn't show up to school yesterday. I thought something bad happened to you," Dee whispered out. Remus hugged the boy tighter. "I'm sorry, Dee. I didn't mean to scare you." Dee looked up at him. "No, it's okay, I'm just so happy that you're safe." Remus smiled down at the boy, who returned the grin.

"Remus and Dee, can you come up here please?" Mr. Sanders asked. Both boys nodded as they walked up to the man's desk. "Hi, boys. Today we're going to be watching a documentary all of class. It has some rather...graphic scenes. I highly recommend that you don't stay in the room, Remus," Mr. Sanders explained. "Thank you for telling me," Remus responded. "No problem! Dee, make sure to take some really good notes," Mr. Sanders said with a smile. Dee nodded before pulling Remus to the side. "Would you want to hang out after school today? I could teach you what you missed in class today and yesterday," Dee offered. Remus chuckled. "Are you sure it isn't because you missed me?" he asked with a grin. Dee's face flushed but he smirked nonetheless. "Would it be a bad thing if I did?" Now it was Remus' turn to blush. "N-not at all," he stuttered out, unable to hide his smile. "So, yes or no?" Dee asked. "I'll go ask and let you know at lunch, okay?" Remus asked. "Perfect. I'll see you in a bit," Dee said before turning toward his seat. Remus' gaze lingered for a moment longer before leaving the room. He made his way through the hallways until he knocked on a familiar door. The door swung open, the man behind the door looking slightly concerned. "Hey, Re, is everything okay?" Logan asked. Remus smiled. "Yeah. I'm great actually. But they're watching a violent documentary in my class so Mr. Sanders let me leave. Can I stay in here until it's time for lunch? I'll be super quiet." Logan smiled in relief. "Of course, love. You can come sit with me at my desk. I'll pull up a chair." Remus followed the man inside, sitting in the seat next to his desk and pulling out some of his homework. He could feel the eyes of the student's on him, making him shift nervously. Finally, a girl's hand shot up. "Yes, Anna?" Logan asked. "Who is that?" the girl asked as she gestured to Remus. Logan snorted at the girl's forwardness. "This is my son, Remus." "Wait I thought you were gay," a boy yelled from the back of the classroom. "Yes, well, luckily adoption is a thing that exists," Logan replied, unable to suppress a chuckle. Another girl raised her hand. "How old is he?" Logan smirked. "Why don't you just ask him?" Logan said. Remus flushed slightly at the attention. "Um, I'm 15." He heard a group of girls whispering and giggling in the back of the room, urging one of them to ask a question. "Do you have a girlfriend?" the girl asked, causing Remus to turn bright red. "And that's the end of question time, get back to work," Logan said, laughing softly at his son's expression. "Are you okay?" he chucked out. Remus hid his face in his hands but nodded. Logan smiled fondly as he sat in his seat, beginning to grade a stack of papers. Remus hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and speaking up. "Papa?" he said softly. "Yes?" Logan asked, turning toward the boy. "Would it be okay if Dee came over after school? He has the notes from yesterday and today and said that he would teach me everything I missed," Remus said quickly. "I don't see why not. Besides, I would love to meet the famous 'Dee'" Logan chuckled. Remus grinned. "Thank you, Papa." "Of course. I can drive the pair of you to the house if you'd like," Logan offered. "That'd be awesome, thank you so much," Remus said with a genuine smile.

Logan couldn't help but smile widely in return.