Remi took a deep breath to calm himself down. But despite doing so, he couldn't. He was freaking out. Why, you may be asking. Well, it all started with one little request that little Elio sent out.
"Mama, wann go DuhDuh's house."
The house that Marcelo had to take a few days to clean since it was all dusty and disgusting on the inside and outside from being left abandoned for nearly three years.
But anyway, that simple request was the cause of all of Remi's current turmoil. Of course he would never object to Elio's request since Marcelo is the father of Elio, and Elio has the right to stay with him whenever he wants to. Besides, it's been months since Elio first met Marcelo. Remi could trust him.
But, it was Remi who was uneasy. This would be the first time that he goes a day, even a simple hour without Elio since before Elio came into the world. Elio was his everything. His heart and soul. His flesh and blood. Remi didn't know if he would be able to be without Elio.
But he had to. It was only fair.
Tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, Remi took another deep breath and made sure that he had everything that Elio needed packed inside of his bag.
All too soon, there was a knock at the door. Remi exhaled and stood up before he zipped Elio's bag up and put it over his shoulder.
"Come on, Eli. It's Dada." Remi said to Elio who was sitting on the floor, scribbling on his coloring book with a red crayon. It was a bit late in the evening. Remi'd just given him a bath so that Marcelo wouldn't have to worry about doing so.
Standing up, Elio walked next to Remi as Remi walked to the door. Remi slowly opened the door, stalling as best as he could. Marcelo was standing on the other side, his hand raised mid-knock. "Oh, sorry. I didn't think you'd heard my knock." Marcelo said as he stepped in. Remi smiled as best as he could and nodded in understanding.
Then, he immediately remembered something that Elio would not be able to go without. He put his index finger up, telling Marcelo to wait a second before he turned around and scurried to his room. He reached into Elio's crib and grabbed his stuffed elephant. He then ran back to the living room where Marcelo and Elio were waiting. He held the stuffy out to Elio. Elio gasped and grabbed it, hugging it to his body.
"He would've thrown a fit once he realized that he didn't have it." Remi informed.
"Ah," Marcelo nodded. Then, he observed Remi's body language and his expression. He was anxious. "Are you alright?"
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine," Remi reassured. "Uh... I already bathed him so he should be ready to go straight to bed when you want him to. If he wakes up at anytime and gets kind of whiny, just give him a cup of milk. It should knock him right out. And he's... I've been trying to get him on a restroom schedule so every now and then, check to see if he has to use the restroom. And—"
"Remi, Remi, relax." Marcelo said as he placed his hands on Remi's shoulders. "You're worrying. I promise he's gonna be okay. I might not be infallible, but I've had enough siblings to know how to take care of him. He'll be okay."
Remi bit the soft skin of his lip as he nodded, wrapping his arms around his torso. Marcelo's eyes softened. His hands tightened their grip a tad as they rested on Remi's shoulders.
"Look, he doesn't have to sleep over with me yet. I can wait a while until you're comfortable."
"No, that's not fair to you. Or him at that. I just have to get over it." Remi then took a deep breath.
"I'll text you and update you about him whenever I can. He'll be okay."
"He'll be okay." Remi repeated, releasing his breath.
----------------
Biting his now raw lip, Remi looked around at his spotless apartment. He'd cleaned the entire apartment out of anxiety until it was squeaky clean.
He wanted to keep himself busy. He had to. If he was distracted, he wouldn't be thinking about whether or not Elio was okay. He wouldn't focus on how much he missed Elio. It was a perfect plan.
Needing a refresher after all of the cleaning he'd done, Remi went to his room and picked out a fresh set of pajamas before he went into the bathroom and started up the shower. The bathroom fogged up quickly from the heat of the shower. Perfect.
Remi hopped in and washed his body and his hair thoroughly. He didn't get out until his skin was all pruny. At least he smelled good though.
As usual, Remi moisturized his body, put his pajamas on, which just included a pair of shorts with an old t-shirt, and he wrapped a towel around his hair. As he was walking out of the bathroom, he heard his phone buzz on the nightstand. He went over to it and grabbed his phone, turning it on.
It was Marcelo.
Remi opened the messages. It was a video of Elio sleeping, snoring softly with his mouth slightly open and his stuffy held tightly to his chest.
Marcelo
Marcelo: We took a short walk
through the neighborhood.
When we came back, he ate
dinner and played with his
toys for a while before he
climbed into bed and got
knocked clean out.
Remi: Yep, he's an early
bird when it comes to
bedtimes. Mostly my fault
though because of my
schooling lol
Marcelo: No, no. That's
good that he has a set
schedule like this. You're
perfectly fine!
Marcelo: He looks like you
to me in the video.
Remi: Really?
Marcelo: Definitely. He's
adorable.
Remi: Yep, he's the
cutest! :)
Marcelo: What about me? Hm,
hm?
Remi: No, just him :)
Marcelo: 💔
Marcelo: I can't handle this
heartbreak, Teo.
Remi gasped as his eyes ran over the last message that Marcelo sent him. He couldn't believe it. Teo. Marcelo called him Teo again. Marcelo called him Teo again! A smile spread across Remi's face as he typed up his next message.
Remi: I didn't expect that.
Marcelo: ?
Remi: You calling me Teo.
Marcelo: Oh!
Marcelo: I didn't even realize.
It was just a natural reaction.
Are you okay with me calling
you that again?
Remi: I don't necessarily
have a problem with it.
Marcelo: Okay. Nice to know
I didn't blow things up.
Remi: :))
Feeling butterflies in his stomach, Marcelo closed his eyes. He was conflicted. He wanted to be friends with Remi again, but he didn't want it to seem like he was coming onto Remi too fast.
Marcelo mentally cursed and looked over at a sleeping Elio. Out of all of the mistakes that he'd made in his life, leaving Remi and Elio was the worst one he'd ever committed. Marcelo wanted to do whatever he could to fix things. Therefore, he swallowed his pride and typed up a message.
Marcelo: Can I take you out?
Marcelo: On a friends' date, perhaps.
Remi: Mmm.
Marcelo: We don't even have to
call it a date. Just a friends night
out.
Remi nibbled at his lip. He could tell that Marcelo was trying to fix things. His efforts were genuine. Maybe this night out could be a good thing. It could steer the two in a positive direction.
Remi came to this conclusion in the end, and a night out didn't sound too bad.
Remi: Sure.
Marcelo: Awesome! I'm free on
Saturday anytime after 4.
Remi: So am I.
Marcelo: Alright, then 5:00?
Remi: Sure.
Marcelo: Great, can't wait.
Remi: Can't wait.