Axel's POV
My dad glares at me from across the table, silently gesturing for me to give Hazel some of my food.
I sigh as mouth to him, "She already ate."
He shakes his head at me angrily. "Hazel, sweetheart. Come here." He calls her for over and I sigh, shaking my head.
Why can't he just let her be?
I said she's fine.
Hazel stirs under the table and crawls out on the other side by my dad. "Here, Doll." He rips a piece of bread off of his piece before dipping it in his soup and bringing it down to her.
Her face lights up in delight as he offers it to her and she reaches forward, grabbing his wrist, so he can't move it away as she leans down to take it from his hand.
She pauses though, it almost in her mouth. Her eyes go to me and I see uncertainty brood. I'm about to just tell her to let my dad eat in peace, but the welling up tears in her eyes make me pause.
"Axel," my dad snaps.
"Go ahead." She wastes no time, taking the food from his hand. A soft moan leaves her lips as she chews on the soft bread. I silently curse, feeling my pants getting tighter at the sinful sound.
She closes her eyes, her features softening to show pure bliss. I pause in my own eating, watching at tears start to drip down her face.
"More?" My dad asks her, seeing her tears as well. She opens her eyes and nods vigorously, not even caring about her tears as she greedily takes the bread my dad offers her again. "Good girl," my dad praises her, gently patting her head as she finishes off another piece of bread. "Do you like it?" She nods her head, finally wiping her tears away.
He gently brushes the last away with his hand and she sniffles, "Do you want to try some soup?" He asks her and she looks to me.
I nod my head, too embarrassed by her starved reaction to do anything else.
My dad gives her his bowl of soup and gets up, pouring himself a new bowl.
She pounds it all down, not stopping for a second. Even once it's all gone, she doesn't give up. She lifts the bowl up and licks the inside. "More?" My dad asks her, us both seeming surprised with how much she's eating.
She nods and my brows rise. I never knew such a small person could eat so much.
My soup has gone cold by now. I've been to infatuated with Hazel to even bother tending to it. Me and my dad have forgotten our own dinners by now, just watching Hazel guzzle down soup like her life depends on it.
"More?" My dad asks her once she's done with that bowl and she nods. My dad gets up to get her another bowl and I stop him.
"Hazel, you're going to make yourself sick." I know she's had way too much soup in a short period of time for this to be healthy. She pouts, but doesn't argue. "Let your food sit and if you're hungry later, you can have more."
My dad places her bowl in the sink and nods, silently agreeing with my verdict.
"Can I please have water?" She asks me and I nod. My dad gets her a water glass while he is up and she takes it, thanking him.
We eat the rest of dinner in silence.
————
I sigh, opening up the linen closet. "Is that your mom?" Hazel asks me, leaning against the side of the sofa, examining a photo of my mom which sits beside the sofa.
I clear my throat, tearing my eyes from the old photo. "Yes," I say, going back to getting out the blankets and sheets for her since we will be staying the night here due to all the snow.
My mother passed away when I was very little, so I don't remember much of her, but my father still can't stand the loss of her.
"She's pretty," Hazel says, picking up the frame from the table.
"Hazel," I say, making her look up at me, "Don't touch, okay?" I don't want my dad to come in and see her with my mom's photo. He can barely stand when someone says her name, I don't want him to get choked up when Hazel starts asking questions.
"Oh...sorry, Master." I nod, bringing over the blankets and sheets to set her up on the small sofa. "What was she like?"
"My mom? Like any other I suppose," I say, wanting to end this conversation.
Hazel hums, sighing as she looks at the photo. "I never had parents." She absentmindedly goes back to tracing over my mom's photo.
I watch her for a second, pausing in making her bed. "She died when I was really little. I don't remember a lot," I tell her, feeling like I owe her more of an explanation.
"Do you miss her?" She asks me, glancing at me before going back to looking at the photo.
"Well... I never really knew her. It's just been me and my dad since as long as I can remember pretty much."
"I think about my parents a lot," Hazel says.
"You do?" I never thought that would be of interest to her. She never knew her parents, so why would she think about them a lot?
Hazel hums, "I always wonder what they look like, or what they're doing. I used to play a game with myself when I was little. We weren't allowed to talk to each other or play, so I'd play it a lot, but I'd try to guess what they were doing. Like on Christmas, I'd image their whole day and how they got up early and made hot coco before curling up in front of the fire and reading. I'd imagine myself there with them and try to think of what it would be like. Would we play a game? Would they have me come play with them? Would they have me read with them?" I sit quietly, listening to her.
Guilt twists my heart hearing her because I know there are so many submissives like her that will never have a childhood, or ever get the chance to know their parents.
It seems silly really for me to complain about loosing my mom when Hazel never had any parents at all.
"Do you image what it would be like if your mom was with you?" Hazel asks me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I clear my throat, this conversation getting way deeper than I had thought it would. "I...I mean... I did when I was younger. It was a short period of time. All my friends still had their parents and I saw how my friend's moms always did stuff like make them snacks or something stupid and I would be jealous of them. I grew out of it though."
Hazel nods, "Do you think my parents wanted me?" Hazel asks me, finally looking away from my mother's photo to stare at me.
I open my mouth to reply, but nothing comes out.
"I don't think they did either," Hazel admits with a sigh, looking down at her hands. "Thanks for the blankets." She changes the subject before crawling into her half made bed.
I nod my head, ignoring her last question. "So do you need anything else?" I ask her awkwardly, clearing my throat.
"I'm okay, Master. Thank you." I pat her head, watching her get all settled. I play with the cuffs in my hands, waiting for her to settle down.
I don't even have to ask her, she extends her hands out to me and I motion for her to sit forward. If she is gonna get her cuffs off, it will take her longer if her hands are behind her back.
She sits up, putting her hands behind her back and I gently cuff them together. I test them for her and she smiles at me. "Are you going to bed now, Master?"
"I think so," I say, not sure what the follow up question to that one will be.
"Will you stay and cuddle with me for a bit?" She asks me and I sigh.
"Hazel..." I say with a sigh.
"Just for a minute, Master."
"It's not a time thing, Hazel. You wouldn't want your dominant snuggling up to someone else, would you?" A frown passes over her face.
"No... but you're my dominant for now, Master..."
"No, Hazel... I'm sorry" I stand up and head towards the door. I look over my shoulder at her and see her deflated look. I click the light off and wait for her to lay down. "Night, Hazel."
"Night, Master." I slink back to my room. The floor creeks down the hall, making me look up.
"Did you put Hazel off to bed?" My dad asks, looking down the dark hallway behind me.
"Yeah, she's not asleep yet or anything. Did you need to grab something? She just went down."
"Oh, no. I just thought you may have her sleep in your room with you," he says, glancing down the hall.
"She's alright. I cuffed her," I assure him.
"...I meant because it might be hard for her to fall asleep by herself... being in an unfamiliar place."
"Dad, she's perfectly fine."
He purses his lips and nods, "I think you have too much faith in her sometimes," he says, starting to go off to his room again.
"Because I think she's a big girl and can fall asleep by herself?" I ask him skeptically.
"Axel... I... I don't even know what to say to you." He sounds completely baffled. "I... did you even make sure she'd be warm? I know she's a 'big girl', but if she's cuffed, she cant get up to get another blanket or anything." His voice raising slightly as he starts to get upset.
I huff and push us both into his room, blocking the sound off from down the hall. "First off, yes. I made sure she has blankets, and secondly, don't ask like you were the perfect dominant," I snap.
I regret my words instantly, seeing the wounded look come across his face.
"I'm just trying to help you, Axel. I know you're not trying to be cruel, but don't you see that's what you're being to her?" He asks me, his voice cracking a bit.
"Dad..." I sigh, not knowing what else to say. Hazel is fine, perfectly fine.
"I mean... how is she supposed to go to the bathroom or get water if she wakes up in the middle of the night?" He asks me.
"It won't kill her to wait till the morning."
"Axel! I...What has gotten into you?" He asks me, seeming completely shocked.
"What do you mean?" I ask him in confusion. I'm being perfectly nice to Hazel. I feed her, clothe her and shelter her. What else does he want from me? "Dad this isn't like you and Mom. She's not my submissive. I'm not keeping her," I say, not sure what he is failing to understand.
"I had one wish for you in life, Axel. It wasn't to be rich, or famous, or smart... I just wished you wouldn't end up just like me... I guess it was too much to ask," he says starting to leave.
I blanch at him, "Dad... I'm not. She's not my submissive... I'm not keeping her." I won't make the same mistakes as my dad. I know I won't. I'm a good dominant.
"You see... you are just like I was with your mother. I never wanted to see what I really was. You're more like me than you can even allow yourself to see." He shakes his head before leaving me alone in his room.