Chapter 7:
The second time, Daddy thought as he walked out of the room. This was the second time his baby looked like he was about to have a breakdown, but held it back. Aaron's ability to contain himself was impressive, except Daddy found it concerning.
Lou sat on the armchair with Aaron on his lap, deathly silence dominating, yet their steady breaths were still distinctly audible.
Aaron suddenly exhaled as he fished for his voice. Partly, he was afraid of putting his thoughts into words, but he knew he was helpless in front of his curiosity. "How... How old is Leo?" he asked, earning a surprised look from Lou. The question was oddly random, and it caught him off guard, but Lou decided to answer nonetheless. He wanted his baby to feel as relaxed as possible; he didn't want him to feel like a prisoner-confined and forbidden to speak. "He looks almost my age, but I just... I just wanna make sure."
"There's a reason he's your little brother."
"No, I mean, like in reality, not-"
"Baby, what I said is what you want to know, trust me."
Aaron frowned, unsure of whether Lou really understood what he meant with reality-the one where him and Leo were teenagers, not babies. If he did, it meant that Leo was around fifteen maybe, and he looked like it, but Aaron still couldn't be sure about Lou's understanding of the question. "How long has he been here?"
Nope. Lou decided he'd rather not answer that. "I'm bored, and I'm sure you are, too. Let's go see what Mommy and Daddy are up to," he said, dodging the question shamelessly as he stood up and walked out of the nursery, only to meet Daddy halfway through the corridor.
"What's with the sour face, baby?" Daddy asked, chuckling as he tapped Aaron's nose. Lou passed Aaron to Daddy's open arms, and Aaron grunted silently when he found himself helplessly caught in his hold. He would've gladly stayed with Uncle Lou, only because Daddy's grip on him was much firmer. "Relax, love. How about you put your head on my shoulder, wouldn't that be better?"
Aaron was smart enough to notice how the command came in the form of a sweet offer. He hated being in further physical contact with him, but the glare he received gave him no chance but to do as told; he docilely rested his head against Daddy's shoulder.
The new position was much more comfortable for Aaron, even if he hated to admit, because it had been undeniably exhausting to keep his neck and shoulders straight and rigid-his past attempt to maintain personal space with the captors. But even so, Aaron didn't exactly like it. He'd rather feel tired than be so close to Daddy that he could smell his cologne well, nostrils flaring as the scent hit him. Aaron suddenly sneezed, and then all he could hear was soft coos and titters from the captors.
"Bless you, baby. Now let's go cuddle with Mommy."
Daddy carried Aaron to the master's bedroom; it had a modern aura to it, with a king-sized bed that cradled a white mattress and a velvety grey quilt that dripped down the edges. Daddy climbed onto the bed, leant against the headboard and pulled his baby along, positioning him so that his back was pressed against his chest.
Aaron breathed out shakily when Daddy's arm slung around his shoulders, pulling him closer, his fingers caressing the top of his arm where his hand landed.
Aaron's personal space was wailing. Slowly, the proximity to the captor pulled at the frayed threads of his composure. Don't focus on it, Aaron reminded himself. Desperate for distraction, he probed the creamy beige walls that contrasted against the blackhole darkness of the nightstand beside him and the closet opposite him.
The observation ended when Aaron's eyes fell upon the grey curtain that dripped down the window to his left, and he stared longingly. Freedom is so close yet so far, he thought.
"Heard my baby is upset, so I thought these would make it better," Mommy chimed as she ambled into the room, brandishing two highly undesired objects in her hands: a pacifier and a blue teddybear. She climbed onto the bed and sprawled by Aaron's other side, squeezing him between her and Daddy along.
Aaron's chest tightened as their hot breaths rammed against his neck from each side, both ticklish and blood-curdling-an odd combination. Of all abuse he could've been subjected to, they chose this, triggering his touch-aversion. A nightmare coming to life.
Mommy tried giving him the teddybear, and Aaron accepted it reluctantly when he felt the weight of Daddy's watchful eyes on him. Holding it to his chest as commanded, Aaron maintained a straight expression whilst wishing he could chuck it in her face.
Obedience. Mommy smiled before bringing the pacifier forward and forcing it into her baby's mouth. But as she watched it hang motionlessly between his lips, her grin failed and a demanding frown found its way to her brows. "Baby, you have to suck the pacifier," she said. "Why aren't you doing that?"
A piercing edge blemished Mommy's soft voice, and it quickly reminded Aaron of Daddy. Even she can be aggressive sometimes, he thought. At first, he hesitated a little, but then he remembered how they had the freedom to begin physically abusing him if he didn't obey. So he sucked begrudgingly at the rubber.
Both captors watched, their mouths curled with fondness and admiration as they took in how adorable he looked with the pacifier bobbing against his lips.
Grimacing inwardly, Aaron swallowed down the bile that rose up his throat as he watched their loving expressions. The idiots found a teenager with a pacifier cute. Cute. The level of derangement in this could make Freud haters quake.
"Why's my baby so sad?" Mommy cooed, placing a hand on his bare leg. Aaron froze, his throat closing up on his breath as her smooth palm rested atop his bare skin. And then, just when he thought things couldn't have gotten worse, she began stroking, her soft hand gently strolling along the length of his shin.
Every muscle in Aaron's leg stiffened beneath Mommy's touch, but he didn't dare push her off even with the desperate need to do so. Especially not with Daddy just inches away. All but triggering that guy.
It was painfully suffocating for Aaron: the way he was squeezed between the two, Daddy's arm around him and Mommy's hand on him, his personal space long forgotten. He suddenly felt too constricted, and his breath hitched and his lungs strained like they'd been filled with cotton.
He wanted space. He needed it, for his sanity.
Daddy watched warily as his baby struggled in silence, heart aching at how tense and uncomfortable he looked. But then again, Aaron needed to learn how things worked; he needed to understand that they were going to touch him, that he shouldn't be scared of their platonic, parental gestures.
The door edged open and Leo's head popped through the gap, his ecstatic facial expression dropping suddenly. At first, he looked confused-almost like a lost puppy-but then he frowned slightly, lips pressed into a straight line, and Aaron felt that he seemed offended in a way.
"Come here, baby," Mommy said, patting the space beside her. Leo stomped to the bed and clambered over the edge, squeezing himself between Aaron and Mommy, his back facing her. Aaron watched warily as Leo removed the teddy from his arms and placed it away, then curled his arm around his abdomen and snuggled his face into Aaron's shoulder. "Oh, I guess you don't want to cuddle with us, just with Aaron."
"Angry, Mommy," Leo clarified, huffing with furious certainty. "No one called me for cuddle time."
Daddy removed his arm once Leo clung to Aaron, and Mommy had scooted away to make space, the pressure fading slightly along. Aaron would rather have Leo hugging him like a koala than the captors, and he wondered if he'd intentionally done that to help him out. He appreciated it regardlessly. Even with the strange behavior, Aaron found the presence of another victim slightly comforting-at least he wasn't alone in this, but then his heart sank when he thought of how it must've been for Leo at the beginning. He'd gone through all this crap on his own, and he was younger, too. That poor boy.
"Family gathering without me?" Lou mocked as he stepped into the room, gasping inaudibly and imperceptibly-he hoped-when he registered how Aaron was squeezed between everyone. He loved that they were bonding with him, but still, the way he looked so tense hit a raw nerve in him. Lou didn't like the adapting process, he just wanted to skip to the blissful part, the one where Aaron would become happy and acceptant.
"They forgot me too, Uncle Lou," Leo said, lifting his head from where it had been laying on Aaron's shoulder, his thin lips formed into an apologetic pout. "That's not nice of Mommy and Daddy."
Weren't they going to punish Leo for saying that? Insulting them? Aaron didn't want them to punish him, but he just still didn't quite get how the rules worked, or what they were at that.
"Somebody's grumpy today." Mommy reached out to ruffle Leo's hair, but Leo whined and tilted away from her touch. Aaron caught the subtle playful grin on his lips, though. "Maybe you're hungry. I'm sure Aaron is; he barely ate anything. I'm gonna start with lunch earlier today, how about that?"
No definite answer. Still, she tickled her boys' waists then slid off the bed, brushing past Lou as she headed out.
Once this burden vanished, Aaron felt his throat open up, fresh air finally gracing his lungs again. It felt so much better with just Mommy gone, and he desperately willed Daddy to move away as well.
Lou saw it, felt it, how his baby was pleading somebody to help him out of the situation, and it burnt his heart to ashes. When was he going to adapt? He sighed. "Well, the boys look like they don't wanna cuddle with us. I'll have to take Daddy for a little, is that okay?"
Daddy shot Lou a questioning stare, but Lou mouthed just a minute in response. Scooting off the bed, Daddy kissed his babies on the crown of their heads then followed Lou out.
Aaron let out a long and shuddering breath. Every tense muscle in him relaxed. When he felt himself calm down completely again, he carefully pried Leo's arm off him and pulled himself into a sitting position; the action made Leo huff.
Aaron frowned for a second, then whispered, "Leo, I just need to ask you some questions, but you can't tell anyone. Secret, okay?"
"No," Leo mumbled, leaning against Aaron's chest again. "Cuddle."
The captors weren't there. Couldn't he at least stop acting? This meant two things: either he wasn't acting, or he was aware of some sort of monitor.
"Leo, answer me first," Aaron tried as he forced Leo away from him then gripped his arms to keep his back straight. Leo whined with childish annoyance, staring at him through his thick lashes, brown brows brought together in a distraught frown. Aaron felt horrible for bringing distress to him, but he had to. "Do you know where we are? Like where we're living right now?"
Leo looked quite apprehensive for a moment, but then he tilted his head unsurely. "Mommy and Daddy's house?"
It took every inch of Aaron's power to keep control of his reflexes and refrain from face-palming. Was Leo messing, or was he actually oblivious? But then again, Aaron breathed and calmed his nerves, silently chiding himself for even expecting an answer. What kind of captor would tell the victim where they were? "Okay, never mind. Do you know what Mommy and Daddy's names are?"
This time, Leo didn't even waste a second to think, choosing to stare at Aaron like he was an idiot instead. He giggled. "Silly, Aaron! You just said them. They're called Mommy and Daddy."
Aaron sighed, eyelids fluttering shut with the strained attempt to keep himself calm and collected. He wasn't exactly mad at Leo; he was just frustrated with how nothing was working out correctly for him. He reminded himself that captors wouldn't tell their names either, but why was Lou the only one with half of his name revealed?
"Uncle Lou, do you know his name? It has to be Lewis or-" Aaron was cut short when Leo scrambled onto his lap, arms curling around his neck and face snuggling into the crook of his neck, whispering along want t'cuddle almost incomprehensibly.
Sighing, Aaron let Leo cuddle with him a little in case he wanted to whisper something to him. He leant towards Leo's ear, angling his mouth in a way he hoped a camera couldn't catch. "Do you wanna tell me something?
Leo shook his head. "Nothing."
There went this possibility. Aaron pushed Leo off a bit, heart sinking at his disappointed expression. "Please, think for me then we'll cuddle as much as you want-"
"Meanie!" Leo roared, his angry voice marred with distinctive vulnerability. He managed to maintain a frown for a second, but then his bottom lip quivered and his eyes welled, his thick lashes suddenly long and defined as tears began shedding. Aaron briefly wondered how he could even produce tears so quickly, but then again he had a bigger problem: too much noise. "Meanie."
Leo's voice cracked the second time he spoke, tense shoulders dropping, hands pressing against his face as sobs tore his throat and echoed through the silence. Aaron was frozen for a second, but then he quickly spread his arms around Leo's trembling frame and brought him to his chest, desperately wishing that he'd calm down. Alas, that didn't work; Leo only struggled helplessly against his grip. "Shh, Leo, forget about it, you can cuddle with me, just please stop-"
The door flung open and three sets of eyes watched, but Aaron didn't even have time to comprehend whether their stares were filled with anger or shock, because his own vision blurred with fear of how wrongly the scene could be grasped, and how horrendous the consequences could possibly be.
"I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset him. I just- I'm really sorry."