Mateo rubbed circles on Emilio's back, as he threw up in the toilet.

"You're such a good... sponge...bob." Emilio looked up at Mateo with eyes of admiration as Mateo gently wiped his mouth with a wet cloth.

Mateo helped ease Emilio away from the toilet bowl and sit on the floor, resting against the wall. 

He pulled out a wipe and did what he had wanted to do before Emilio had gotten so familiar with his toilet, he wiped it down and tossed the wipe into the trash.

"More," Emilio warned, and Mateo quickly helped him closer to the bowl again, kneeling down next to him and patting his back.

"Wait..." Emilio said as Mateo wiped his mouth again.

Mateo pulled his hand back.

"I'm sponge…” Emilio said slowly and, for a moment, Mateo was confused. 

“Oh, we’re still on the spongebob thing,” Mateo said, tossing the wipe into the trash can.

“Only one sponge..." Emilio furrowed his brows, determined to find a solution to the problem. 

“Were you like, really into the show growing up?” Mateo asked. 

"You're not patrick... only one patrick..." 

"Okay," Mateo said, standing up off the floor, "while you figure that out, I'm gonna go get you what we bought, okay?" 

Emilio nodded as Mateo washed his hands.

Before stepping out of the bathroom Mateo looked at Emilio again, then he looked up at his reflection and took in I can’t believe this is happening breath. He slid a hand through his hair and stepped out of the bathroom. 

When Mateo came back, he faced a dilemma.

"Emilio, what are you doing?" Mateo asked, dropping the bag on the floor again 

Emilio was standing in the bathtub wrestling with his belt, trying to take his pants off. 

His shirt was already thrown haphazardly on the toilet, the corner of it dipping into the bowl. His shoes and socks were discarded by the toilet.

"I..." Emilio said, voice filled with defeat, as he gave up on his belt, "I smell bad."   

"W-" Mateo couldn't even form a single word.

"Bathe me?" Emilio asked, hopeful eyes looking up at Mateo.

"Wh-wha-" Mateo tried forming a word again, his face turning red in record time.    

"Bathe me! Get these off!" Emilio ordered pointing at his pants, then he turned on the water.

"I-um, uh," Mateo stuttered. 

When Mateo had been a freshman in college his roommate had asked him if he was into guys. Mateo wasn’t really sure yet, but by the look on his roommate's face, he knew the answer was supposed to be no. So that’s what he’d said. 

His sophomore year roommate had had a different viewpoint. I mean, everyone’s at least a little bit gay right? He’d told Mateo. We all have someone we’d go gay for right? At least one celebrity crush. 

Mateo had shrugged in response. Is that what it was? Was he just a straight guy with so called “natural gay thoughts?” 

By his junior year, he’d stopped worrying about it so much. His new roommate was an ally and Mateo had decided that’s what he was too. He liked girls, he knew that much. And he decided that the reason he sometimes had thoughts of having a male partner was simply because he wasn’t a homophobic jerk. 

But now, as he watched Emilio get watered down in his shower, he wondered if that was all it was.  

The water was dripping off Emilio's dark curls and long eyelashes, running slowly down his jawline, trailing down his chest and tummy, pooling at his jeans, heavy with water now.  

“Take these off,” Emilio pouted again, tugging on his belt. 

Mateo took in a deep breath, his voice came out in a husky whisper, "as much as I would love to take those off of you," the words came out before his brain had fully registered them, "you're drunk, so, um, no." 

Emilio’s pleading eyes felt mesmerizing. Mateo mentally yelled at himself to snap out of it. 

He counted down from 3 in his head and when he reached 0 he let out an, “alllllrighty!” and reached to turn off the water. “You don’t smell anymore.” He said, avoiding Emilio’s gaze. 

"That was only water." Emilio protested, reaching to turn on the water again. "You have to soap me down."  

Mateo choked on air, nearly going into a coughing fit as he stumbled away from Emilio.  

"Nope!" He was finally able to say, shaking his head furiously as he cleared his throat and rested his hands on his hips. "Nope-ity, nope, nope."

“But-”

"No,” Mateo said more gently as he turned off the water again. “Come on,” he held out a hand, "I'll help you out of the tub."  

Emilio took it and carefully stepped out, but he looked confused and upset as Mateo handed him a towel.