"Dee, what's going on with your foundation?" Remus asked, he couldn't tell if he was so unfocused because he hit his head, because Dee was so close to him Remus could smell his shampoo, or a combination of both.

All of Remus's senses felt like they were going into overdrive. He could hear his heartbeat pouding in his ears. The rough concrete beneath him was picking at Remus's skin as he ran his fingers along it. Remus felt a taste bubble in the back of his throat but he didn't know what it was. In front of him Dee sat, he was so close, Remus smelled the flowery shampoo. He always preferred flower shampoo, but it was always strange that Dee was the person using it. Why is it so distincly his? Remus thought. Why doesn't he use normal shampoo? Why the expensive flowery kind?

Remus remembered the question he had asked and looked back to Dee for a response but saw something he didn't like in Dee's eyes. It didn't scare him, just made him uneasy to see his friend looking so petrified. Remus put his palm to Dee's jaw and looked at the pale skin that Dee had maticulously padded dark foundation over. Dee again didn't move away from Remus's touch, but his eyes were pointedly staring down. Remus looked at the skin, confused and a little worried his friend was racist, but he stroked his thumb across the exposed peach skin and past it, rubbing up some foundation. Then he moved his other hand to the other side of Dee's face, carefully stroking his thumb across his cheek, dark foundation, and under it dark skin. Remus leaned down, forcing Dee to look him in the eyes.

"Dee, what's going on?"

"I need to go." Dee stated curtly.

"What?" Remus asked.

"I said I need to go." Dee stood harshly.

"Wait, hang on, what-what do you mean?" Remus heard his words slurring a little.

"I mean that I need to get home." Dee said coldly and briskly moved to his car.

"Wait Dee, hang on I-" Remus tried to stand and follow him but his headache worsened terribly and he sat back down. "Dee, I don't-"

Remus was too late, the car was pulling out of the lot and he was alone. He could hear cars beginning to head their way and assumed news reporters of some kind were on their way. Remus tried to get up, slowly this time however, and he began a walk away. As he left he could hear cars and vans pulling up to the lot and opening and closing doors. The people shouting instructions faded, but instead of silence, a faint ringing replaced them. Remus neared his house and went to his brother's window, inside he saw Roman sitting on his bed, he had no phone so he probably got grounded. Remus tapped three times and his brother popped up and looked to him in confusion.

"Remus?" Roman asked as he lifted the window. "What the heck, you're supposed to be getting your arm fixed by Thomas."

"Yeah, uh, Dee kinda ditched me at the parking lot." Remus told him.

"What?" Roman asked and started helping his brother inside.

"It's fine, I think something's going on with him I just don't know what." Remus tried to tell his brother.

"Are you okay?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good, I don't think my arm hurts anymore, it's just a headache."

"Remus there's something-"

"It's nothing Roman." Remus said.

"Did you walk all the way here?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you text me?"

"My phone is in your car." Remus told him. "Look, Ro, can the interrigation wait until later, I'm really not feeling good."

"I-yeah, yeah sure." Roman nodded.

Roman helped Remus to his room upstairs and Remus vaguely heard his brother tell their parents something about him being sick. When Remus got to his room he shut all the blinds and used his extra pillows to cover the windows. When he finally collapsed on his bed Remus sighed and began rolling around trying to find a good position.

The next thing Remus recognized was the sounds of his phone alarm waking him up. He groaned and lifted his head, seeing the phone on his desk next to a glass of water and two pills. Roman, Remus thought and rolled over grasping the pills and swallowing. He took the water and drank it quickly. Remus, though his head wouldn't stop pounding, trudged himself out of bed and into his bathroom. There he looked at himself in the mirror and tried to get situated for school.

"Hey Remus how are you?" Roman asked from the door.

"Good." Remus croaked out to him.

"O-okay." Romas said, unsure. "Look, if you're sick or something you shouldn't go to school-"

"No!!" Remus heard his mother yelled from downstairs. "Remus is going to school!! He already missed that Tuesday and I don't want people to talk."

"Mom, Remus could be-"

"Roman I'm not in the mood!" She cut him off.

"You're never in the mood." Roman grumbled loud enough for him and Remus to hear.

Remus groaned as he pulled himself together and tried to look good enough for the brief moment when his mother would see him. Remus quickly washed his face and fixed up his hair like Roman's. In his room Remus pulled on ripped washed black jeans and a green sweatshirt that he had cut into a crop-top himself. He went downstairs to the kitchen and was greeted by Roman who threw a big jacket at him and grumbled something about mom not going to like the crop-top. Remus put it on knowing his brother was right, and entered the dining room. A spread of breakfast food was strategically placed around the table, looking ever so formal. Remus reached across to grab a piece of toast, but at that moment his mother walked by and smacked his hand.

"No touching the food, it's not for you. We're having some friends over for brunch."

Remus rolled his eyes and walked away. Roman motioned for him to head to the garage and the two hopped in Roman's jeep. Once they got to school the two split up. Remus walked down the hallways as they began to fill with other students. A group of freshmen walked by and said 'hi' to Remus who greeted them back. Then the ringing in his ears slowly began returning and soon it was almost all he could hear. The school bell rang three times as usual but it only made Remus's headache worsen. The lightheadedness began to overwhelm him and Remus moved to a close wall and leaned against it, trying to get his bearings.

"Hey Remus," Someone cheery beside him greeted. "are you okay?"

"What?" Remus turned to see Patton looking at him very concerned. "Yeah I'm fine Pat."

"You, uh, you don't look too fine." Patton put a hand to Remus's forehead, likely trying to find a sign of a fever.

"Pat 'mm fine." Remus pushed the hand away.

"Patton, Remus, good to see you both. I-" Logan walked up to the two but stopped quickly and looked at Remus closely. "Remus are you sick?"

"What?" Remus put a hand to his ringing ear.

"Is your ear okay?" Patton asked.

"Yeah." He grunted, his vision began blurring slightly.

"Remus you certainly don't appear to be alright." Logan stated. "You seem-"

"I'm gonna throw up." Remus choked out.

"What?!" Patton moved to Remus's side. "We've gotta get you to a bathroom."

"Ohh, I'm gonna throw up." Remus whined.

"Lo can you-"

"Yeah here." Logan began helping Patton move Remus to the nearest bathroom.

They reached the bathroom and Remus raced to the nearest stall. He got on his knees and promptly threw up in the toilet. Patton sat next to him and rubbed a soothing hand along his back trying to help him.

"I'm gonna call Roman." Logan told Patton.

Remus finished and sat back on his heels. Patton nodded to Logan and continued to try and sooth Remus by pulling out a napkin from his bag and wiping his mouth. Remus sank into Patton's chest and tried to calm himself.

"Logan why the heck are you calling me?" Roman asked from the phone when Logan put it on speaker.

"Patton and I are in the bathroom with Remus right now, he's just thrown up." Logan explained.

"What?!" Roman yelled and they heard shuffling over the phone.

"It's not a lot-"

"Probably because I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

"Remus!" Patton scolded a little.

"You what?!" Roman yelled over the phone.

"Roman, I think your brother may have a concussion." Logan stated.

"Oh god no, okay um, which bathroom are you in?"

"The science wing."

"Got it, I'll meet you there. Can uh, one of you get Thomas please. I'll drive Remus to the clinic in town. See ya in a sec." Roman hung up.

"Remus can you stand up please?" Logan asked.

"No, no, no." Remus shook his head. "I'm not listening to you."

"What?"

"I'm not listening to you Brainy." Remus slurred. "I'll do what Patton says and only Patton."

"Okay then." Logan rolled his eyes and stood. "Patton can you please-"

"Yep." Patton nodded and started adjusting so Remus could stand easier. "Remus can you stand for us please? I know it hurts but we've gotta get you to a doctor."

"M'okay." Remus nodded and started moving.

The other two were able to shuffle Remus out of the bathroom to Roman just as the final bell rang. The hallways were mostly empty and they rushed to the front. Remus's grip on the things around him was going in and out and he barely recognized when he was being loaded into the car. The started up and began driving away. Patton sat next to Remus in the back and was talking to someone on the phone, but Remus couldn't focus on what he was saying.

"Ro Ro." Remus called.

"Yeah?" Roman asked from the driver's seat.

"I'm so tired." He said.

"Okay, we'll be at the clinic soon so just hang on." Roman stated.

Remus was fading in and out the entire ride and the faint ringing wouldn't stop. When the car stopped he could feel the others helping him out of the car and getting him inside. A few patients were already in the waiting room so Patton and Logan sat Remus down while Roman went up to the receptionist. They sat and waited, until Thomas came in and told them to get up and get Remus back there. They were confused but Thomas simply told Nurse Iona something and they were rushed to a room.

Remus was so extremely tired. He was sat on the bed and he fell back against it in a huff. He sighed and promptly fell asleep.

When he woke up his brother, Patton, Logan, and Thomas were around him. Not watching him, just talking to each other with worried faces. Nurse Iona stood close by observing Remus carefully.

"The next time something like this happens you go to Nurse Iona and you tell her the color of the hurt Ranger and the last time of attack." Thomas stated.

"Okay." Roman nodded. The other two also showed that they understood.

"What's going on?" Remus asked.

"Remus." Roman looked down to his brother. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, yeah." Remus nodded. "Mom's gonna kill us."

"You bet she is." Roman laughed.

"Oh god how much is this gonna cost?" Remus groaned. "This is why we need free healthcare."

Roman laughed and shook his head.

"Remus, what were you doing going to school? And why didn't you show up at my house to fix your arm last night? I could have checked you for a concussion better there and you must have been feeling this bad at least since then."

"Remus walked home and our mom made him come to school 'cause he already missed that Tuesday." Roman explained.

"You walked home?" Patton asked.

"Yeah, Dee ditched him in the parking lot."

"He did what?" Patton looked to Remus for confirmation.

"It's fine, something happened with him-"

"Are you kidding me?" Roman scoffed.

"Remus, you were clearly not okay after being thrown on the ground." Logan stated.

"I don't care about that guys. Really. Dee wouldn't just leave me there, something happened. I'm just not sure what." Remus sighed. "What I am worried about is mom getting pissed."

Nurse Iona cleared her throat and turned to the boys. "Roman, correct?"

"Yes." Roman nodded.

"Great, can you and I talk for a second?" She asked. Roman nodded and stood. "I'm gonna have to ask the rest of you to leave the room and I suggest soon you boys get back to class."

Thomas, Patton, and Logan left the room and sat outside, closing the behind them.

"What does he mean your mother is gonna kill you?" The Nurse turned on Roman. "Does she not know? Why would she be angry?"

"Um, yeah no our mom doesn't know, I haven't called her."

"She made your brother go to school with a concussion?" Iona asked apalled.

"She-she really didn't know." Roman tried.

"And she's going to blame your brother for this?"

"Remus gets into a lot of trouble, she-uh," Roman looked away. "she's trying to keep us out of trouble 'cause my dad is running for congress in like a year or something. She'll just be a little mad."

"Okay." Nurse Iona didn't look convinced but she didn't say anything else.

"Is Remus okay?" Someone asked from the door.

Remus and Roman turned to see a frantic looking Dee in the doorway, staring right at Remus.

"What are you doing here?" Roman grumbled, striding over to Dee.

"I called him Ro." Patton said, also stepping into the room.

"Why would you do that, he's the reason Remus got this bad."

"Roman I'm sorry, I-I didn't know he had a concussion. I thought-"

"Dee shut up! It doesn't matter whether you knew he had a concussion or not. You still left him in a parking lot, with a busted arm, after he was thrown on the ground by a lunatic! He walked all the way home!" Roman gestured to Remus.

"I'm really sorry Roman. I-"

"Don't say sorry to me. I'm just pissed at you! Say sorry to Remus!" Roman pointed a finger at Dee's chest. "You've been saying sorry to my brother a lot lately you know. First you say all that stuff about him a couple months ago-"

"Roman." Remus interrupted.

"then the other Tuesday, he couldn't come to school because Kayley set him back so far with the shit she said to him and you let her get away with it-"

"Roman." Remus attempted again.

"now you leave him in a freaking parking lot with no phone to walk home by himself after-"

"Roman, that's enough." Patton put a hand on Roman's shoulder. "Please, just look at Remus."

Roman did and saw his brother staring up at him, begging him to shut up.

"Can I talk to you outside Thomas?" Nurse Iona asked.

"Yeah." Thomas nodded.

"How about we go out there too Roman?" Patton asked. "You need a break."

"There's a vending machine down the hall with M&Ms." Logan stated. "I'll buy."

"Fine." Roman grumbled.

They left Remus and Dee alone in the room. It was quiet.

"Remus I'm really sorry I just-"

"Dee, we literally had just gotten done with fighting a red He-Man lookin' asshole." Remus started. "And yet, the second I said something about your face, I had never seen you so scared."

"Rem-"

"You don't have to explain. You didn't know about this," Remus gestured to his head. "and I don't care. You-you're a bitch, but you don't just leave people like that unless something happened."

"Remus stop giving me excuses." Dee sat in the chair next to him. "Roman's right. I did a shit thing to you and it's not okay."

"Dee, I seriously don't care." He stated.

"You should, I'm an asshole like you said."

"No, I said you're a bitch. There's a difference."

"Of course." Dee rolled his eyes.

Remus gave his friend a smile and let out a long breath. Dee leaned closer to him and began moving Remus's bangs out of his face and toying with them. Remus's senses overwhelmed again, but a little bit easier than before. Still with that freakin' flower shampoo. He didn't realize Dee was staring at him until he started staring back. Dee didn't stop playing with his hair when the two locked eyes, he only smiled and continued on.

"Hey Dee," Patton said from the door. "Logan, Thomas, and I are heading back to the school. Thomas said you should come too."

"Okay." Dee nodded. "I'll be out there in a sec."

Patton nodded back and walked around the corner.

"I gotta go Remus."

"I know."

"I'll talk to you later. Is that cool?" Dee stood up and pulled his hand back.

"You know I wouldn't say no." Remus smiled.

. . .

That next Friday night Remus sat up in the tree house behind their home pillows and blankets surrounded him, a small wireless tv in front of him, and Netflix playing on it. He wasn't paying too much attention to what was playing, instead he was sketching in the book he had stolen a year ago. Remus was almost at the end of it, and it was more than full of crude drawings and designs. Most of them punk, lots of chains, flannels, and jackets.

Currently, he was using reference pictures he had taken of his mom's latest buys from M.M.LaFleur. Her high-end, strict, expensive clothing made Remus want to gag. It was so uptight. He had decided to make his newest design a play on the formality of the clothing by tearing it up, adding patches, chains, and fishnets. He wasn't a big fan of what he had drawn so far, but it was really only the beginning.

Remus heard someone climbing up the ladder and assumed it was Roman, so he quickly shoved the sketchbook and utensils under the nearest pillow.

"Hey." Dee's head popped up from the trap-door and he looked over to Remus.

"You're here." Remus said, a little surprised.

"Yeah." Dee smiled, and helped himself up into the tree house with one arm, a grocery bag in the other. "Should you be watching tv?"

"As long as I don't throw up all over the place I'm fine." Remus shrugged pausing the movie.

Dee laughed a little and walked over. "What are you doing in a tree house?"

"You saw the cars in the front." Remus shrugged. "My parents are having their 'friends' over. And I can't exactly be in there. With or without a concussion."

"So they stick you up here?"

"Better than down there in a sea of people with sticks in their asses." Remus chuckled. "I actually think Roman's got it worse."

Dee sat down in front of Remus and moved the grocery bag to him. "I-uh, brought you this."

Remus opened it and found a McDonald's bag inside, two bags of Flaming Hot Cheetos, a container of something Remus couldn't see because the lid was pearly white, something pink, and a stuffed animal. Remus pulled the stuffed animal out first. He looked at it not really understanding, until the memory struck him.

"You still have Gerald?" Remus looked over to Dee smiling in question.

"Yeah, I-I need to talk to you. I kinda figured he would help me start."

"Okay." Remus nodded, and placed Gerald the octopus down next to him. He grabbed the McDonald's and opened it, inside an oreo flurry and a medium fries. "You got the McDonald's."

"Mhm." Dee replied.

"I'll eat this while you talk." Remus stated, pulling out the fries and motioning to Dee.

"Good idea." Dee nodded. "Remus have you ever heard of vitiligo?"

"Is that a type of STD?" Remus asked before going for the flurry.

"What? No! No, no, no, it's a skin condition where people lose the pigment in of their skin in patches."

"Oh, I think I've seen that." Remus said.

"Yeah, Remus, I um, I have vitiligo." Dee stated.

"Huh?" Remus looked at him."

"Hang on." Dee rached into the bag and pulled out the pink thing. He opened the lid on it and pulled out a wipe.

Remus watched as Dee wiped off the makeup, from the top of his face to the bottom. When Dee looked back up at Remus, his makeup was mostly gone, with just a few smudges around the frame of his face. From the middle of his right eye to his jaw down the cheek was a pale peach, and almost in the center of his face another smaller white patch on his hairline. Remus stared in awe.

"You look so hot." Remus said to himself, but Dee had heard and laughed a little. "Seriously, you look badass."

"Yeah okay." Dee looked away before turning back to Remus.

"But you cover it up." Remus said, almost sad.

"Yeah." Dee looked down.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Remus," Dee wouldn't look up to him. "I've been doing this since sophomore year and I can't-it's just-she's-"

"Kayley." Remus deadpanned. Dee looked up to her.

"She has a look that she wants and-and this doesn't exactly go with it." Dee motioned to his face.

"Jesus, Dee." Remus looked at him appalled. "I can't-how do you just let her do this to you?"

"When I first got here in sophomore year she told me she could get me instant popularity and immunity in this school. How could I say no? I knew no one and she was the only one offering. I just had to follow her rules." Dee shrugged.

"And what are her rules, huh?! Be the most stereotypical gay best friend from a Netflix film or my minions will destroy your rep?!" Remus didn't really know who he was yelling at. "That's bullshit!! It's total bullshit! I mean that's-

"Not good. Not good at all." Dee shook his head.

"No, it's not." Remus sighed.

"Remus I got myself in this mess." Dee stated. "I can get myself out."

"Dee-"

"I don't want you to do anything." Dee stated. "Please. Don't try to help me. I've been living like this for over two years. I've just gotta make it these next few months. Please for me, don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Remus said. "But I'm still gonna kill the bitch."

"I know you'll try." Dee gave him a smile, but his face turned more serious. "Remus can you tell me what happened that Tuesday?"

"What Tuesday?"

"You know when I'm talking about. That Tuesday." Dee said. "In the hospital, Roman said Keyley said something that set you back. Please tell me what happened."

"Dee I don't really think you want to know-"

"I mean it Remus. I want to know what she said to you."

"Okay." Remus grabbed Gerald next to him and queezed. "Kayley told me to get to the meeting spot early so I filled the usual bag with some oregano 'cause she's stupid. I got there early, and she wasn't there. I waited around, and I started thinking. Pat had asked me about college and I told where I wanted to go. He said he wanted to help me get in, and we talked for a while."

"Yeah you kinda told me what he said." Dee nodded.

"I was gonna leave. Then she finally showed up and I told her that I didn't want to give her anything and that I had to go." Remus swallowed. "But then she started yelling. She just went on and on about. . . Dee I had a crush on you in like sophomore or junior year and I thought that she didn't know. That I kept it from her. But she knew and she started talking about how you're so smart and wonderful and good to me and how I don't deserve you. How I'll never be good enough for you and how I'm terrible and-"

"Remus." Dee put his hand over the one that covered the stuffed animal. "No spiraling."

"Right." Remus looked to the hand. "She just kept yelling and yelling and I hate it when she yells and I don't know why, but I hate it." He practically sneered. "I didn't feel good about it so I told her something about her hair I think and I just ran. I had to get home."

"And it set you back?" Dee asked, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"I've been dealing with the whole self-hate thing since seventh grade. It's not a big deal but it's been a while since someone like her said that stuff about me to my face." Remus shrugged. "I couldn't go to school."

Dee told Remus he didn't have to go any further. He moved over next to Remus and put an arm around his shoulders.

"This is the deepest conversation we've ever had." Remus laughed.

"God it's so sad." Dee laughed with him.

"Let's never do this again." Remus shook his head.

"Mmm agreed." Dee closed his eyes and leaned into Remus who leaned back.

"You never told me about Gerald." Remus whispered.

"Right." Dee noted. "I don't want secrets beween us, okay?"

"You got it."

"Okay, to be honest I don't know why I kept Gerald for so long. You accidentally left him with me and I tried to give him back to you but it just never worked out, something always came up." Dee put his head on Remu's shoulder and dropped his arm. "Then you told me to just forget about it. I guess I didn't want to throw him out or anything so I put him on my bookshelf in my room. Sometimes, when I felt all alone, I would just hold him. I haven't done that in a while now that I think about it."

"You're such a softie." Remus put his chin on the side of Dee's head.

"Hey, you used to have a crush on me. Who're you to call me a softie?" Dee retorted.

"Mmm you're still a softie."

"Maybe." Dee said. He reached forward and pulled out the container with a white lid. "Care to indulge this softie by eating the cookies his mom baked for you after I told her everything besides us being Rangers?"

"Oh hell yes." Remus opened the lid and pulled out a cookie.