A/N ~New chapter for those that read this story before 1/20/21 ~ End A/N

"Squidward!!!" Emilio happily greeted him when Mateo walked back into the bathroom.  

Mateo sighed in relief. Emilio was sitting on the toilet, completely wrapped in towels, just like he’d told Mateo he was when Mateo had knocked. 

Though Emilio’s underwear was still caught on his ankles and he was still wearing his soaking wet socks.

"Squidward... Is that who you decided I am?" Mateo asked.

Emilio smiled triumphantly at him.

Mateo's smile faltered as he realized now came the hardest part, dressing Emilio.

"Up," Mateo begged for the third time.

Emilio shook his head again, pouting as he clutched onto the towels. "Don't wanna," he said through his bread stuffed mouth. 

It had been enough of a feat to get him out of the socks and get his underwear out from his ankles. Mateo had to use food as an incentive. But now Emilio was munching happily on his bread and refusing to do anything else.

"Emilio, I can't let you roam around my apartment naked."

Emilio looked utterly hurt by that statement.

"Emilio," Mateo pleaded.

Finally, Emilio relented and raised his arms, helping Mateo put his shirt on him. 

Thankfully, Emilio was able to pull on the boxers and pants by himself, with Mateo standing outside the door.

Mateo folded Emilio’s jeans and placed his socks and underwear on them— he’d wash them in the morning, along with Emilio’s shirt. He placed the wallet and phone he’d found in the jean pockets on the counter. Thankfully the phone was waterproof, and apparently so was the wallet.

“Yay,” Mateo said as Emilio stepped out of the bathroom, fully clothed. 

Emilio grinned proudly.

“Alright,” Mateo said, leading Emilio to his living room, “I’ve got a few more things you can snack on that are supposed to be good for hangovers.” He knew this thanks to his article ‘21 foods to help you get over a hangover’ he’d written a few months back. See mom, I may not be a doctor but my career does come in handy!

Emilio nodded and plopped down on Mateo’s couch. 

Mateo went to grab the food. 

When he came back to the couch Emilio looked lost in thought, his face sad again, as it had been when he’d first picked him up.

“You okay Emilio?”

“No…”

“Bathroom?”

Emilio shook his head. 

“Um,” Mateo wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t yet written any articles about how to comfort a sad hot rich celebrity when they are drunk and sad in your apartment. 

“It’s not even about patrick…” Emilio said. 

“Ginny?” Mateo wondered if that was an established codename. Celebrities usually did that, right? Gave codenames when they stayed at hotels. Could spongebob have been his and patrick hers? “Or is there an actual human named Patrick that you're talking about?” Mateo wondered out loud.

“Starfish.”

“So… Ginny?”

“It's not even about her.” Emilio nodded, he pulled his legs up onto the sofa and wrapped his arms around them.

Mateo thought back to a few hours ago when they’d been on top of his car. He’d assumed it had been her that had driven him to this state. 

He wanted to know more, know what was really going on, but Emilio was drunk and he didn’t want to ask him any questions that he wouldn't answer if he was sober. 

So instead, Mateo settled with saying, “okay,” and peeled the banana for Emilio and handed it to him as he sat down next to him. 

Emilio took the banana and munched on it.  

“It's about HER.” Emilio finally said through a stuffed mouth.

Mateo was very confused. So it was about Ginny? 

Or could there be an affair? Someone else he was with? 

Mateo felt surprised by the notion. 

The media loved to put Emilio in scandals, he was said to be dating at least three women at any given time, but any journalist worth their salt knew that all of those rumors were just that, rumors, well, and the occasional publicity stunt.

But could one of them have been true?

Mateo bit his tongue, trying to turn off all the questions and wonderings floating in his head and focused instead on opening the bag of pretzels for Emilio. 

"Marisol," Emilio said softly, chewing on the banana absentmindedly

Marisol??? There was an affair??? Mateo places the bag of pretzels down next to them.

“Marisol girasol. 15 years,” Emilio said, his voice sounded distant, “15 years today. Or,” he looked around for a clock, then seemed to remember he was wearing a watch and looked at it. “15 years yesterday.”

OH. 

It clicked for Mateo and he froze.

Emilio’s mom, Maria.

Her exact date of death had never been made public, just the month. This month, fifteen years ago. 

The privacy and lack of details on her death had caused a swirl of rumors and conspiracy theories.

Both he and Emilio had been teens when it happened, Emilio 14 and he 15. 

Everhart Industries had just started becoming a household name, and Emilio had been gaining celebrity status. Her unexpected and mysterious death had furthered them further into the spotlight.

He remembered it was all his school talked about for weeks, himself included.

The nastiest rumor he’d heard was that her death was a pr stunt, to ensure that everyone talked about the Everhart's. 

Mateo had never believed that rumor. He’d always felt sorry for Emilio and would defend him and his family, even though he barely knew anything about them, even though they lived worlds apart. 

What he did know was that Emilio had reportedly been very close to her, and he knew that he was very close to his own mom. He couldn’t imagine losing her so young, he couldn’t imagine what Emilio must have been going through. 

Mateo looked at Emilio on his couch and he looked so small and sad and Mateo wasn’t sure what to do.  

Then a tear rolled down Emilio’s cheek, then another one and another one, and soon Emilio was full on sobbing, the banana in his hand clutched tight. 

“Oh,” Mateo said, brain panicking, “um,” he looked around his living room, as if there would be something there that could help. 

“It was my fault,” Emilio muttered in between sobs, “everything’s my fault.”  

Mateo stopped looking around his living room and looked at Emilio again. 

“You were just a kid Emilio, I’m sure-”

“It was my fault.”

Author's Note - 

👀 Emilio what did you do???? 

Also, I have my first zoom party tonight!! It sucks I can't be with her in person but I'm happy we get to celebrate one way or another!

I'm equal parts nervous and excited. If I'm a socially awkward mess at parties in real life how will I be through zoom??? 😬 I have zero clue what to expect 😬

Okie, hope you enjoyed the chapter, imma go get ready for da paarty!! Also, i have to double check to see if it's themed or not, that would be really fun if it was!!!