"Get this death trap off me!" Emilio commanded, pointing at his belt. 

Mateo looked down and took a deep breath, trying to separate his other brain from this situation, not allow it any think or talk time.  

"I'm waiting," Emilio said impatiently, which helped because it made Mateo roll his eyes at him.  

"It's not like I can leave you in wet clothes all night, right?" He asked.  

"Hippothemia," Emilio nodded in agreement.  

"Hypothermia," Mateo helpfully corrected.  

Emilio made a face, and it was obvious that he absolutely loved  being corrected. 

Mateo smirked. 

"Okay," Mateo said, looking around his bathroom. "Let's have a game plan though."  

“A game plan,” Emilio repeated, nodding firmly, brows scrunching and fists clenching around the towel he’d been handed. He looked around the bathroom, though he wasn’t sure what they were looking for.

Mateo couldn't help but grin at him. Emilio looked so damn adorable.

"Um," Mateo said, trying to focus once again, his eyes landed on the towel Emilio was still holding in his hand. “The towel." 

"The towel!" Emilio repeated, then added, "for what?"

"Okay, I'll help take off your belt, but first, can you wrap the towel around yourself, please."

Emilio grabbed the towel and managed to drape it over his shoulders, he held it tight, covering his chest and tummy.  

"Okay," Mateo sighed, glancing down at the belt again.  

I'd say never in my wildest dreams, Mateo thought to himself, but that would be a lie.  

"Why are you taking so long?" Emilio asked, "Do you know how many people would have undressed me by now?"

Mateo knitted his brows at that comment, wondering the extent of it. It snapped him back and drove away all feelings of lust, leaving him with displaced feelings of anger and resentment towards anyone who had ever taken advantage of Emilio.  

"Okay," he announced, slowly reaching out his hands to touch Emilio's belt. He undid it as quickly and gently as he could.

He looked up at Emilio with a proud smile on his face, as if he had just unarmed a timed bomb.  

Emilio nodded approvingly.  

"You can handle it from here?" Mateo asked hopefully.  

Emilio shook his head, he looked down again and wiggled his waist, Mateo quickly averted his eyes.  

"Zipper, button." Emilio announced.

Mateo looked at him, jaw tense. "Aren't you supposed to be really really good with your hands? Uh, I mean- really dexterous? You're always building robots and stuff. Are you really telling me you can't unbutton and unzip your pants yourself?"

Emilio pouted and Mateo resisted the urge to roll his eyes again.  

"Okay, okay," he said, then he glanced down again at Emilio's jeans and noticed the slightest of bulges underneath the zipper. 

He cleared his throat and considered downing the water bottle he’d brought for Emilio.  

"Okay,” he said, running a hand through his hair, he looked up at Emilio. "Ready?"  

Emilio nodded and Mateo ignored the thrumming in his ears as he took Emilio by the jeans and unbuttoned him. He grabbed the zipper and averted his eyes as he pulled down, careful to not snag anything that was behind them.

Mateo let out the breath he’d been holding as he pulled his hands away from Emilio, feeling hyper aware of Emilio's eyes on him.  

"Okay," he whispered, struggling to meet Emilio's eyes, fearing he would melt into them.

He took a step back away from Emilio, nodding, his voice still coming out at a whisper. "You've got this from here right?"  

Emilio considered it for a moment, then nodded.

Mateo looked around the bathroom, noticing once more Emilio's shirt in the unflushed toilet bowl. He pulled it out, careful to not let it drip to the floor as he placed it in his sink.

"You can throw it away," Emilio told him, "I have many."   

Mateo nodded as he closed the toilet lid and flushed, he grabbed another towel and placed it on top.

Looking back at Emilio, he asked, "you've got your balance?"  

Emilio shrugged.

Mateo nodded. 

"You can sit here to take off your pants," he said, patting the towel covered toilet lid, then he grabbed a third towel. "Then wrap this towel around your waist. I'll bring you some—NOO!!!" 

Mateo quickly spun around to face the wall as Emilio began pulling down his jeans.

"WHEN I'M GONE Emilio NOT NOW!!!"  

"Oh," Emilio said, pulling his jeans back up.  

Mateo didn't risk it, he stayed facing the wall. "So, I'm gonna go, um, get you some clothes, some boxers. Okay? Um, don't fall, call if you need anything."

"Okay.”

Mateo stepped out of the bathroom, leaving the door the tiniest bit cracked open in case something happened and Emilio needed help.  

"Emilio Fucking Everhart is naked in my apartment," Mateo whispered to himself in disbelief as he went through his underwear drawer, opening a bag of new ones for Emilio and picking out the nicest one. 

Author's note - poor Mateo, he is on a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions right now 😳