Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter Thirty Eight

When Monday finally rolled around, Remus was actually excited to go to school. After his rather emotionally tolling weekend, he wanted nothing more than to see his beautiful boyfriend.

He all but jumped out of bed, getting dressed as quickly as he could before descending the stairs. As he slid into the kitchen, Patton let out a snort from where he was cutting strawberries. "Someone's excited," he teased, causing Remus to flush slightly. "It's alright, bud, I'm just messing with you. I know how excited you are to see Dee," Patton added, secretly smirking as his son began sputtering out an attempt at an excuse. Finally, the boy paused and muttered, "Maybe I am." Patton giggled. "You two are absolutely precious. I'm sure he's just as excited to see you too." Remus smiled softly at that.

After far too long of a morning, Remus finally arrived at school. He internally groaned when he realized that he had to wait until his fourth class to see his boyfriend. He deflated slightly at the realization, but continued forward nonetheless. Fourth period would be here soon enough.

Dee didn't show up in fourth period. At first, Remus just thought that he was running late. He began getting concerned after ten minutes of the class had passed with no sign of the blond boy. Thirty minutes had passed when Remus reached his limit. He raised his hand quickly, gaining the attention of his teacher. "May I go to the restroom?" Remus asked, wanting to take a moment to calm himself down in order to think rationally about his boyfriends potential whereabouts. The teacher nodded, allowing Remus to leave the classroom, much to his relief. He walked down the empty hallway, taking steadying breaths as he approached the bathroom. As he pushed the door open, he heard voices from inside. He stepped in silently, staying out of sight yet listening intently. "Aw, are you gonna cry?" a deep voice asked. Silence followed, only broken by the sound of a slap. Remus flinched slightly. "Answer me when I'm talking to you, Snake Face."

Remus didn't like to make assumptions. But everything seemed to be connecting in his mind, and he was almost certain that his boyfriend was the other person in the room. Remus' blood began to boil as he processed that his boyfriend must have been the one who had been slapped. He tried to remain calm, grinding his teeth in frustration. He snapped when he heard an almost inaudible sob from the other side of the bathroom. Remus stormed forward, his eyes darkening as he took in the sight before him. There stood his boyfriend, dripping wet, pinned against the wall by another boy that he didn't recognize. Remus didn't hesitate to move forward quickly, ripping the boy off of Dee. "What the hell?" the boy asked. "Get away from him," Remus growled, standing in front of Dee's now shaking form. The boy laughed. "Why should I?" Remus nearly punched the boy, only stopping when he felt Dee grab onto his shirt tightly, clinging to him. Remus looked back at his boyfriend, sighing as he turned back to the other boy. "Listen. I don't want to get into a fight with you. Just get out of here," Remus said firmly. The other boy chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Just know that I'm not finished with you two yet," he said before leaving the bathroom. Remus immediately turned toward his boyfriend, examining him intently. "What happened? Who is he?" Dee let out a shaky sigh. "That's Jaden. H-he cornered me and started messing with me. He shoved me into a stall and pushed my head into the toilet. The w-water make my makeup come o-off. He kept calling me a s-snake and he h-hit me," Dee sobbed harshly, his breathing becoming labored. Remus immediately pulled his boyfriend close, his heart clenching as the smaller boy clung to him tightly. "It's okay, Ive got you," Remus whispered.

When Dee's sobs subsided, Remus pulled back and studied him carefully. "You're soaking wet," Remus muttered. "Thank you Remus, I hadn't noticed," Dee chuckled, wiping his eyes. "Glad to know you're okay," Remus responded with a grin. "I was going to say that you could borrow my hoodie since your shirt is soaked," Remus explained. Dee's eyes widened slightly. "You don't have to," he muttered. "I know. I want to. Come here, let's rinse off your hair first," Remus offered, leading his boyfriend over to the sink. Remus turned on the water, waiting until it was warm before guiding Dee's head under the stream. Remus ran his fingers through the boy's blond hair, effectively rinsing it. A few minutes later, Dee stood up, ringing his hair out as best as he could. Once he was somewhat satisfied, Dee pulled his shirt off, throwing it in the trash. "You don't want that?" Remus asked incredulously. "After it was covered in toilet water, not really," Dee admitted with a sheepish smile. Remus rolled his eyes playfully before pulling off his sweatshirt and handing it to the shirtless boy. Dee stared at him in shock for a moment. "How on Earth do you wear a sweatshirt over a long sleeve?" Remus shrugged, "Just get cold," he offered quietly.

Dee didn't press any further, pulling on the sweatshirt and looking at himself in the mirror. He ran his finger over his scar lightly, his expression hardening. He looked up as he felt Remus wrap his arms around his waist. Remus looked down at him, a warm look in his eye. "Don't let your brain trick you. You're beautiful, scar and all." Dee blushed as he leaned back in his boyfriends embrace. "It just makes me feel really... vulnerable," Dee admitted quietly. Remus let out a soft sigh. "I know, babe. I'm sorry that this happened." Dee turned around, wrapping his arms around Remus' waist tightly. "Thank you for helping me," Dee whispered. Remus kissed his forehead as he held him close.

"Anything for you, baby."