#sleep sanders
((Yo yo yo! Spacey here! Big shout out to @sanders-trash-4ever for helping me so much with this! Please head the warnings! This chapter depicts a flash back, and an abusive scene! I won’t be upset if you can’t read it, take care of yourselves!!! Also! Drayke is the dragon witch and the section in the middle that is all italics is the flash back))
Warnings: Child abuse, depictions of child abuse, flash backs, bullying, swearing, yelling, fighting
Words: 1813
Patton did not enjoy school. Now, he wasn’t one to say he ‘hated’ anything, but he was getting pretty close to using the h-word when it came to school. He was a freshmen, which wasn’t too fun, and most people didn’t exactly enjoy his sunny disposition, which was also okay! He didn’t need people to like him, but he would appreciate if they wouldn’t be so mean because of it!
In middle school it had been easier to hide getting picked on. Roman only saw him when he picked him up, but now he saw him everyday in the halls. He knew he could just join his brother and not have to worry about it, but that felt so invasive. Roman didn’t get much of a life outside of him and their younger brothers, so it felt awfully mean to take away his only time free of them.
He almost wished he could be more like Roman. Roman had several friends from the theatre department who had been his friend since middle school! Patton just didn’t have the easiest time making long term friends with people. He did what he could whenever anyone asked, but after that they were done. He couldn’t blame them, he couldn’t exactly hang out much or have people over without stressing Roman out, so he tended to just not. It was easier, everything he did that kept him from home or brought more people home made it more difficult on Ro.
Which is why he hated that he was stuck in mandatory after school tutoring.
Not only did he feel dumb, but it meant Roman had to come back to school after picking up Virgil and Logan, which wasn’t fair to any of them. It usually took Roman until four to come get him, which was fine! He didn’t mind waiting, but since tutoring ended at three-thirty, his bullies had plenty of time to tease and taunt him. Patton could handle that, their words weren’t anything he hadn’t heard before, but sometimes they wouldn’t attack him and that’s when he couldn’t handle it.
“God your just as stupid as your brother,” one of the juniors snapped, “Don’t even know when someone is insulting you.”
Patton tried the best he could, but he couldn’t stop the anger rising in his chest. No one insulted Roman! Roman was an amazing;y smart person who did a lot for everyone he met! He jumped from the bench he was sitting on and glared at the taller boy in front of him, “I don’t care if you’re mean to me, but don’t you dare be mean to my brother you-you witch!”
He could feel his rage growing as his outburst was met with laughter from the older kids around him, before the ring leader raised his hand and Patton was suddenly thrown into the past.
Virgil was standing in front of their dad, tiny fist clenched with Logan right behind him. Patton desperately wanted to run out there, but fear kept his feet rooted in place. He was fighting against everything in him he could, while silently begging for Virgil to just shut up and for Roman to please just get home.
“Logan’s just little leave him alone! You’re just mad ‘cause he’s smarter than you!” Virgil screeched with all the power his small eleven year old body could muster.
Everything froze when their dad started laughing, quietly at first before erupting into a massive roar. Patton rushed forward, feet finally un-frozen, and scooped Logan up as their dad’s eyes were closed. Just as he was about to grab Virgil’s hand, their dad stopped and everything froze again. Only to come alive when Patton felt their dad’s hand on his wrist yanking him forward.
“Did you teach him how to joke? I know you used to like those stupid puns,” their dad mused, before pulling on Patton’s arm again, “Well?”
Patton bit back a whimper, gaze focused on the hand locked around his wrist, “I-I-”
“Spit it out!”
A yelp escaped Patton’s throat as his dad yanked his arm up, causing him to drop Logan, “Sor-sorry! I-I guess I did-”
Another cry escaped his throat as their dad tightened his hold and hoisted him up so he was stuck on his tiptoes and staring him the eyes.
“I don’t want to see any of you for the rest of the night got it? And don’t think I won’t be telling Roman how you couldn’t handle watching your helpless baby brothers for twenty minutes.”
With that, he dropped Patton’s wrist, allowing him to crumple on the floor by his little brothers, before he stormed away towards the living room, not sparing a glance back at his crying son who could only think of the kind man he used to be.
Remy couldn’t believe what he was seeing, a group of kids were surrounding the cute flighty kid from his math class who was laying on the ground and- was he crying?! Oh no, this was not going to be a thing at all. He’d go get a teacher and- Wait. Did Drayke just kick him?! Crushes aside, Remy was not going to let this go on for another second. Besides, teachers were next to useless at this school.
“Hey!” He yelled, adjusting his shades and sauntering forward, “Don’t know if you guys care but there’s a teacher headed this way and frankly y’all look a bit guilty of putting the biggest teacher’s pet on the ground. Don’t think I’d stick around if I were y’all.”
He watched, feigning uninterested as Drayke’s cronies booked it around the side of the school, leaving just him and the asshole who started it all.
“I’m not as stupid as them,” Drayke spit, throwing his thumb back to gesture to his ‘friends,’ “I know the teachers never come over here, not matter what.”
“Next time you might wanna tell that to your buds, ‘cause right now this is reminding me a lot of a highschool cliche,” Remy went on, trying to ignore the boy whimpering by his feet, “Bully gets taken down a peg by the much more handsome protagonist, that’d be me by the way, who then kicks the bullies ass for fun!”
Drayke snorted, rolling his eyes, “You used to be my friend, but now it’s like you think you’re so much better than me.”
“Oh sweetheart, that’s cause I am better than you,” Remy laughed, before booping Drayke on the nose, “Shouldn’t you be lettin’ your ‘crew’ know how you bested me by now?”
A growl rumbled from Drayke’s throat, reminding Remy of a dragon, before he turned around and stalked off, no doubt thinking of how to make this whole encounter seem like he won.
Remy shook his head before turning to see two big brown eyes staring up at him. Shit.
“Oh uh, glad you’re awake.”
Smooth Remy! Now all you have to do is actually shove your foot into your mouth.
“You stopped them,” Remy watched in horror as Patton’s bottom lip began to wobble and fresh tears fell from his eyes, “You helped me.”
“Um, yeah?”Shit, no, don’t make him feel bad like it’s obvious you’d help! “I mean, Drayke’s a real piece of work, and not one you’d find in a museum.”
Patton’s hand shoots up to cover his mouth as he giggles, and Remy can’t help but notice how his entire face lights up at the lame joke.
“Wow,” Patton grins, rubbing at the tears making their way down his face, “You came up with that with ease-el!”
“Was… was that another pun?”
“Uh huh, sorry it was a bit sketchy! I’m not sure I framed it right,” Patton’s smile grew even wider as Remy began to chuckle.
“You just got beaten up, probably forced into a flash back, and here you are making jokes. I can’t even top that,” He went on, crouching down beside the lower-classman, “Honestly, where have you been all my life? I need some sunshine.”
Remy smirked as a blush covered the other boy’s face and he pulled his knees up to his chest, “I mean, if I can make you laugh after you saved me I think it’s the least I can do.”
“Hey, hun, look at me. I look great, so it shouldn’t be hard to for just a second,” Another lame joke, rewarded with a small smile from Patton as he turned his head, “There yah go, now listen. I helped you because I wanted to. I’ve honestly wanted to talk to you for a while, but I never could find a reason that didn’t seem weird, so in reality I should be thanking you for not making me actually have to work up the courage to talk to you.”
“You-I- you wanted to talk to me?!” Patton squeaked, face turning beet red.
God, how much cuter could this dude be?
“Of course! Look at you! You’re nice and funny, and god people are so mean to you and girl let me tell you, you do not deserve it, but you take it anyway. Hell, I’d say I admire you for everything you do and I bet I don’t even know the half of what you go through.”
Now, normally, Remy is pretty good at predicting what’s gonna happen when he talks. He thought that after this little speech Patton may be a little creeped out, but he’d still say thank you and offer him another million dollar smile because he’s a gentleman god dammit, but no. Instead, Remy ends up with this freshman practically tackling him into a hug.
“Hey! Not that I am not loving this, like seriously you give amazing hugs, but take it easy. I don’t want you getting hurt anymore today.”
“Sor-Sorry,” Patton sniffled as he pulled away, causing Remy to wince internally, he didn’t mean to make him cry again! “It’s just been a bit since someone who wasn’t my brothers complimented me. I didn’t realize how much I needed a friend.”
“Well, I hope you don’t mind cause you’re stuck with me now,” Remy vows, throwing an arm around Patton, “Sucks if you do cause I’m like a parasite.”
“Don’t call yourself a parasite! You’re much cuter than a parasite!” Protested Patton, lightly swatting Remy on the arm, much to his amusement.
“Okay, okay, but um,” Remy coughed, nodding his head to the front circle where cars were showing up to pick up their kids, “Do you know that angry guy stalking towards us? Cause if not we may need to book it.”
“Oh! No that’s just Roman! He’s my brother,” Patton grinned, lifting his hand and waving, leaving Remy to wonder in mild horror about how he had managed to get a crush on Roman Sanders’ little brother and not realize it. No way was he gonna survive Sophomore year at this rate.
Goodnight Remy appreciation <3
