Painting the Ocean [BxB]

Chapter Four

Almost an hour went by, and Remi finally quieted down. They both sat down with Remi's head on Ezra's shoulder. The man didn't mind Remi's bawling, in-fact, he embraced it.

"Do you want to call your brother?" Ezra asked after a while. Almost instantaneously, Remi shook his head and brought his thumbs together. They rubbed in circles as the boy tried to ease the stirring in his stomach.

"Why not?" Ezra frowned.

"I-I just don't want to," Remi replied, his eyes dropping to his thighs as he bit the inside of his cheek. Ezra peered down at him and tilted his head to the side.

"You can't just stay here," he told him. Internally, Remi whined, his thumbs now furiously fighting each other. Silence coated the air, and realization slapped Ezra.

"You want to stay here."

"I-I-"

"You can't." Ezra cut the boy off, looking back at his unfinished piece. His eyes ran over the sentences, but he couldn't swallow a word. He felt the corners of Remi's lips droop as the boy frowned up at him.

"Why not?" Remi questioned in a baby tone. If it weren't for the situation they were in, Ezra would have laughed at his behavior.

"I can't keep you here. That's kidnapping," Ezra replied bluntly, his thumb gently tapping the space button.

"But-"

"You need to call your brother," Ezra cut him off once again. Remi childishly shook his head and clenched his fists.

"I don't want-"

"I won't let you stay here, dammit!" Ezra shouted, his anger getting the best of him. His fists balled, and his eyes wandered to the ocean, hoping the waves would calm him down.

"Fine, then I'll go somewhere else!" Remi stood from the bench and proceeded to walk away.

Ezra sucked his teeth and got up as well, grabbing hold of the boy's hand. Remi grimaced and struggled to move away, but Ezra held onto both his arms, spinning him around. After seconds of struggling, Ezra managed to pin the boy down onto the bench, both of them drinking bottles of air. The only sounds roaming the air were their heavy breathing and the crashing of waves upon the shore. It wasn't long after the struggle that Remi began breaking. Through watery eyes and trembling lips, he looked up at Ezra.

"Please . . . Please, let me stay. I-I won't be a bother," he pleaded, his voice tearing apart the man's heart-strings.

Shutting his eyes, Ezra gulped down the lump in his throat and whispered, "Alright."

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You look pretty good wearing that smile :]

How are you?

What do you think about Remi staying over at Ezra's?