TW: Self Harm
"Me."
Both men froze upon hearing those words leave their child's mouth. "Why would we be scared of you?" Patton asked with a slightly shaken voice. Remus just shook his head. In the silence that followed, Logan recalled a specific thing that Jennifer had told them about the boy.

"When these occur, special precautions must be taken, as he can become rather self destructive."

The reality of the situation hit Logan like a bag of bricks. He let out a slightly choked gasp. Both Patton and Remus look up at him quickly. "Lo?" Patton asked with a slightly fearful tone. "I believe that I have figured out the problem." Remus' eyes widened as he shook much harder than before. "What is it?" Patton asked with urgency. Logan just shook his head, looking to the boy. "Remus, come here," He whispered. Remus cowered away. "Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry," Remus whimpered. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," Logan said softly. Remus looked at him for a moment longer before walking toward him slowly. Logan opened his arms, prompting Remus to bury his face in Logan's chest. They stood still for a moment before Logan leaned down and asked Remus if his suspicions were correct. Remus just nodded, hiding in the man's arms. Logan tightened his grip on the boy, holding him as close to his body as he could. Finally, Patton couldn't take it anymore. "Can somebody please tell me what's going on?" Patton asked, attempting to keep his agitation to a minimum. "Is it alright if I tell him?" Logan asked the boy in his arms. Remus slowly nodded, refusing to move from his position. Logan beckoned for Patton to come closer when he revealed the problem.

"Remus self harms."

Patton felt his heart shatter upon hearing that. Their child hurts himself on purpose. "I'm so sorry, Remus," Patton said, choking up slightly. Remus looked up at him in shock. "Why would you be sorry? I'm the bad one, not you," Remus replied. "You're not bad at all. I just feel bad that I pushed you to try on that shirt so much. If I would've known, I never would have tried to get you to do it," Patton said, his eyes tearing up. "It's okay," Remus replied. "Why didn't you tell us?" Logan asked in a soft voice. "Didn't want you to take me back," Remus muttered. "Back where?" Patton inquired. "The orphanage," Remus mumbled. "We will never take you back, Remus. You're our child. We want to take care of you and help you," Logan assured. "Why don't we go home? I think it would be best. You can borrow some of my clothes for the week and then we can come back another time," Patton offered. Logan and Remus both nodded. "I'm sorry," Remus whispered. "You have nothing to be sorry for, darling. Nothing at all," Logan reassured, holding Remus' hand tightly. The three walked toward the car, both men holding onto their son's hands in a reassuring manner. Remus held his breath almost the whole time the were walking, attempting to suppress his whimpers. Upon arriving to the car, the three slid into their seats quickly, wanting to get home as fast as possible. The car was silent as they began the drive home. The silence was broken by a small whimper from Remus. Both men felt their hearts break at the sound. A few more broken whimpers followed, the boy unable to suppress them any longer. Patton reached his hand back and let Remus hold his hand tightly. "We're almost home, bud. Hang in there," Patton said softly. Soon, they pulled into their driveway. The three walked into the house quickly, relieved to finally be in the privacy of their home. A tense silence hang in the air. It was eventually broken by Logan. "I'm going to get a glass of water. Would either of you like one as well?" Patton nodded, following his husband into the kitchen. Remus stood frozen in the hallway, his mind running wild. You not only got caught, but you made a scene in the mall. They have no choice but to punish you. You deserve the pain, you were bad. You're bad. Remus didn't notice the tears streaming down his face until he was pulled into a tight hug. "Shh, it's alright buddy. You're okay, I'm here," Patton whispered. Logan entered the room upon hearing Patton's words, rushing to his side. Logan reached out to touch Remus' shoulder. However, when he made contact, Remus flinched harshly. He pulled away from Patton, attempting to distance himself slightly from the men. "Please," Remus said softly. "Please what?" Logan replied with guilt and confusion evident on his face. "Please do it quickly."

Logan and Patton shared an alarmed look. "Do what quickly, Re?" Patton asked. "Punish me," Remus said softly through his tears. "Remus, we are not going to punish you. You have done nothing wrong," Logan reassured, keeping his voice steady. "We would never physically punish you, either. You're safe with us," Patton added. Remus nodded, unsure of how to feel. He knew that he was relieved that he wouldn't be beaten today. But he felt guilty. He did something bad, so he deserved to be punished. He was broken from his thoughts when Logan spoke again. "I know you may not want to, but I feel that we must discuss what happened today." Remus nodded. They deserved to know after all they've done for him. They walked into the living room, sitting on the couch with Remus on one end and the couple on the other. "I apologize if this upsets you, Remus, but we need to address the issue that was brought up today in the mall." Remus looked down. "I know," he whispered. "Is it okay if we ask you a few questions?" Patton asked softly. Remus nodded. "How long have you self harmed?" Patton asked, his voice threatening to crack. "Five years," he whispered. "Why did you start harming yourself?" Logan asked, his tone much softer than usual. "I don't know...I grew up getting hurt every time I did something wrong. When I didn't have that anymore, I guess I felt like I still needed to get hurt when I was bad or I would be a bad kid." Both men's hearts clenched. God, they really wanted to help this boy. "It is alright if you do not want to, but could you show us?" Logan asked with a kind voice. Remus thought about it for a moment before answering. "I-I trust you. Both of you," He said, voice cracking, as he pulled up his sleeves. Logan and Patton gasped at what they saw. They had expected some cuts, but nothing like this. His arms were absolutely covered in cuts, both healed and new. Remus couldn't bare to look at their horrified faces, so he stared at the wall. If he looked at the cuts for too long, he would get trapped in his mind and most likely do something he would regret. "Re..." Patton started in a broken voice. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't want to do it. I haven't done it since I've been here either. I want to get better for you. It's just really hard." "I know it is, darling. But we will be with you the whole way," Logan replied. Remus nodded, finally looking down at his arms. "Ugly," he said under his breath. "Hey, Re? I think I may possibly have an idea to help," Patton said. Remus looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I draw. I was thinking maybe if I drew some pretty pictures on your arms it would help cover your scars a bit and make them less triggering for you? Only if you want though!" Patton offered. Remus grinned and nodded. "Thank you, Patton." Patton just grinned before jumping up in search of a permanent marker. "I'm very proud of you, you know," Logan said with a soft smile. "Why would you be proud of me? I did something bad." "While I cannot condone it or approve of your behavior, I am proud of you for telling us something that was bothering you. It was scary, but you trusted us enough to tell us the problem so that we could help." Remus just grinned in response, crawling over and leaning against Logan. "Thank you guys for being so understanding. I promise I'll try to get better," Remus said.

"I know you will, love," Logan replied.