The following day was incredibly hot. The sun was beating down harshly, radiating across the city. For most, this was a nice change from the rather chilly and downcast weather. Many were excited to be able to wear shorts and tank tops again, thrilled to feel the sun on their skin.

This was not the case for Roman.

Roman refused to wear anything that did not cover his arms and legs completely. Every day he wore a pair of jeans or leggings with a long sleeved shirt of some kind. He hadn't always had this preference, but a lot had changed in the past year.

Needless to say, when Roman walked down the stairs in a pair of black jeans and a red long sleeved shirt, his parents were concerned. "Hey, Ro? I really don't think you should wear that today babes," Remy started. Roman's eyes widened before shaking his head adamantly. "Your Dad is right, Roman. It is way too hot outside for you to be wearing that." Roman shook his head again, feeling the slight panic set in. He couldn't leave without being covered. He couldn't. "Roman, I'm serious. I will not let you die of a heat stroke because of that outfit. Just go change, babe." Roman could feel the tears welling up in his eyes but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was far too focused on his panic. He can't leave the house uncovered. Everyone will see. Roman's thoughts continued to assault his mind, even as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him in a tight embrace. Roman's breathing wouldn't calm, however. He couldn't focus on anyone or anything other than his thoughts. He suddenly felt trapped. Whether it was because of his persistent thoughts or the arms around him, he couldn't tell, but he did know that he wanted it to stop. Unable to think about what he was doing, Roman pushed the person holding him away harshly. He saw the person's face reflect hurt, but he still was too  wrapped up in his panic to care. He backed away from the two people watching him until he hit the wall. Roman slid down the wall, curling into a ball on the ground and crying loudly.

Remy and Emile were scared to say the least. Roman usually responded well to their comfort during his breakdowns. However, when he had pushed Emile, they knew that they couldn't help this time. "Please go get Remus," Emile said lowly. Remy nodded and ran up the stairs to find Remus. He returned quickly with his son in tow, rushing back to his screaming child. Remus knelt in front of Roman, maintaining his composure despite the fear he was feeling. "Ro? Can you hear me?" Roman was still sobbing loudly, but he nodded before curling even tighter and trying to move away from Remus. "Hey, it's me. It's Remus. I'm not going to hurt you. Can you looked it me?" Roman shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "That's okay. Just listen to my voice. Take a deep breath with me Roman. Listen to my breathing, and breathe with me." Roman tried to take a breath, but choked immediately, causing him to panic more. "Try again Roman. You're doing amazing. Take a deep breath in with me." Roman took another breath, this time successfully doing so. "Take another deep breathe Roman. I'm so proud of you." Roman took another breath, feeling his panic dissipate slightly. "Can you look at me now?" Roman looked up slowly, locking eyes with his brother. "Good job, Ro. Can I touch you?" Roman nodded lightly, allowing Remus to grab his hand and place it on his chest. "Feel my chest moving? Try to match your breathing to mine. You're doing so well, Ro." Roman tried to breath in time with Remus. Eventually, his breathing evened out. He stood up shakily with the help of Remus, walking over to his Papa. Emile looked slightly frightened, which made Roman feel even more guilty for pushing him. However, once Roman had hugged his Papa lightly and laid his head on his shoulder, Emile relaxed immediately and ran his fingers through Roman's hair, calming him further. All that could be heard was Roman's light sniffles and whimpers, breaking the hearts of everyone else in the room. "Hey, Ro?" Roman looked up at his Dad, still clinging to Emile. "We're really sorry, babe. We didn't think about why changing would upset you. I'm really sorry for pushing it. You can wear whatever you need to." Roman pulled out his phone shakily and texted the group chat.

I'm so sorry.

Emile shook his head  "You have nothing to be sorry for, Roman. You didn't do anything wrong." Roman shook his head and typed again.

Yes I did! I pushed you and I made a big deal about something stupid. I'm really sorry.

Remy spoke up this time. "Roman, this wasn't something stupid. It was a trigger for you, and we didn't think about that when we were talking to you." Emile put a hand a Roman's shoulder, causing the boy to flinch. Emile pulled his hand away quickly and looked incredibly sad. "I'm not mad at you for pushing me Ro. I know that you didn't mean to, and that you would never do that if you weren't panicking. It wasn't your fault." Roman nodded, looking up to Remus with a guilty expression. "Hey, don't give me that look. I couldn't just leave my brother screaming on the floor. Seriously, we wouldn't want you to lose your voice or anything." Roman snorted while Remy hit his arm lightly. Only Remus would make such a stupid joke in such a serious situation, and Roman adored him for that. After the brothers' laughter died down, the severity of the situation weighed on them again. After a long silence, Emile spoke up. "Roman, you don't have to go to school today if you don't want to. You had a hard morning." Roman shook his head and sent another text.

I can't keep missing school. I'll be okay.

Emile nodded and looked up at Remy. "Well, then you boys better be ready in 5 minutes, GO GO GO!" Emile chuckled at his husbands antics. Remus walked over to Roman with a grin. "I'll race you to get ready and into the car." Roman nodded and the boys took off, grabbing their bags from their rooms and running to Remus' car. By the time Remus made it to the car, Roman was already leaning against it and smirking. "First off, how dare you. Second, how are you so fast?" Roman shrugged and got into the car, chuckling as Remus slammed his door shut behind him as he got in. "What are you laughing at?" Roman stuck his tongue out in response, causing Remus to playfully roll his eyes. Once the car ride started, Roman's exhaustion caught up with him. With this came his guilt. He knows that his family says his breakdowns aren't his fault. But Roman knows that the scared look in their eyes and their constant worry about him was entirely his fault. He knows that they would much rather have a normal son that spoke and wouldn't freak out when asked to change his shirt. Remus' voice broke him from his thoughts. "Now don't start with that." Roman looked up in confusion. "Don't start overthinking the situation and convincing yourself that you're a burden. Me, Dad, and Papa all love you exactly as you are. Nothing that has happened has been your fault. We just want to help you." Roman nodded, his tears returning. He felt like such a baby for crying, but he couldn't help it. He was an emotional wreck when they pulled up to their school. Roman wiped his eyes quickly and took a deep breath. I can do this, he thought. With that, he walked to the front doors of the school with his brother and best friend by his side.

Roman changed his mind the second he stepped through the doors and people looked at him. I can't do this. I can't do this. "Listen, I know I'm hot, but it's rude to stare," Remus announced. Everyone either chuckled or made a sound of disgust, but Remus' goal was achieved. Nearly all eyes had left his brother. Roman looked at Remus, silently thanking him. Then he heard his name. "Roman, hey!" Roman looked up to see Patton smiling as wide as ever. His smile dropped when he saw Roman's current tearful and disheveled state. "Oh no, what happened? Did someone bother you again? I swear I'll-" Remus cut him off. "No, he just had a rough morning." Patton nodded. "Well, Logan and Virgil are over there if you want to come hang out with us until class starts? Remus, you're more than welcome to join as well." Remus whispered in Roman's ear, "Are you going to be okay without me?" Roman nodded, even if he wasn't too sure himself. "I actually have some people I need to catch up with, but have fun Ro. Text me if you need me." With that, Remus walked down the hallway, leaving Roman with his newfound friend. "Come on, the other two are waiting." Patton smiled lightly before grabbing Roman's hand and pulling him to the others.

"Hello, Roman." "Yo." Roman waved weakly, the others immediately noticing his red eyes and miserable expression. Patton looked to Roman, who nodded, before explaining the situation. "Ro had a rough morning." "I'm really sorry, Roman. Is there anything we can do?" Virgil asked. Roman shook his head. "Well, I believe that it could possibly be beneficial for our planned outing to be modified," Logan stated. Roman quirked his head in confusion, causing Virgil to laugh. "He always talks like that, you get used to it. But I agree with Lo. Basically, he was saying that we should change our plans from going out to a movie to something else since you're having a bad day." Roman's eyes widened and he texted the group quickly.

You guys really don't have to change your plans for me. I can go.

"It's all four of ours' plans, and we want you to be comfortable. We're just thinking that since you're having a rough day, something like going to one of our houses and hanging out may be better than going out to do stuff. More relaxed," Patton explained. Roman smiled lightly.

Thank you guys so much.

"It's no problem, Ro. We just want to hang out with you," Patton continued. "Feel free to come to my house, my parents are shockingly not home so we can have the place to ourselves," Virgil stated. Roman felt his breath catch in his throat. They'd be home alone? The last time that happened, Roman was- "Roman!" Roman's head snapped up in the direction of the voice. Logan looked at him sympathetically. "Are you alright? You were shaking." Roman nodded quickly.

He didn't need another person worrying about him.