Chapter 13:
Lou knelt in front of Aaron as he buttoned his beige coat up to the neck. He'd put him in a sweater and some sweatpants, but his fragile baby needed more protection against the cold outside, so he threw a coat on top.
Aaron didn't really react when Lou began putting on his shoes for him, because he was busy probing the foyer, scanning every inch of it. The front door was plain black and the handle was metallic, glinting against his eyes as the small chandelier hanging down the ceiling struck it. A mirror occupied the creamy white wall to his left and beneath it stood a small black shoe cabinet.
Lou finished tying the shoelaces then held Aaron's underarms, lifting him to his hip as he straightened. He opened the front door, and it was then that Aaron's last pints of hope demolished, replaced by dread as he eyed the metallic bars that formed another protective door.
Two doors. Just great.
Aaron was carried past the other door, and suddenly what was dread turned to disbelief, and what was hopelessness turned entirely into devastation. He looked around with wide eyes, taking in what surrounded the entire yard: iron fencing, a full wall of metallic grey, tall and obscuring, yet only the very top turned to short bars far too close to each other for anyone to slip in between.
The ground was strewn with mown grass, and from the doorstep spread a pathway of cracked cobblestone until it met the closed iron gates in the fencing juxtaposing the door. The cobblestone parted the yard in half, to the left a set of brown outdoor chairs and a table.
Aaron craned his neck to take a look at the front of the house, only to receive another blow right in the chest when he realized all the windows had bars protecting them. It dawned on him how the chances of escape dwindled, how the freedom he'd been dreaming of for him and Leo became near to nonexistent.
That house was pretty much designed to keep them from escaping.
"Baby, are you fine?" Lou asked, carefully raking Aaron's fringe aside. He almost regretted taking him out. "Aaron, love, do you want to go inside?"
"No. I'm fine." Aaron paused to manage his internal mess. The sight of all the bars and the iron fencing came like a series of bricks slamming into his face. "Where's Leo?"
"Mommy's dressing him. He'll come, don't worry."
Lou carried him over to the chair and placed him on it, then turned and walked to the door, peeking inside.
Aaron wanted to look further around the yard, but his eyes kept on clashing with the metallic bars everywhere, and even with distance, it felt like they were so close—inside him even—crushing his bones with terrible devastation. He screwed his eyes shut to rid himself of the horrid sight, but even through the darkness, he could see tinges of suffocating metal.
Leaning his head against the backrest, Aaron pressed his palms to his face, desperately hoping that when he'd remove them, the bars would be gone.
"Aar?" Leo mumbled behind the pacifier as Lou seated him on the same chair, worried blue eyes peering hesitantly at Aaron. Aaron exhaled, his chest lifting and dropping, then turned to look at Leo. "What's wrong?"
"Everything. Everything, Leo."
Leo didn't say anything; he just leant back like Aaron and watched the sky. It was a little dull, but not stormy, almost like it was stuck in between gloomy and bright. The wind had died down completely, and the air was cold in its stillness, but it didn't bother Aaron. He liked it that way.
"The sun looks like a lamp," Leo suddenly pointed out, an apprehensive frown creasing his brows as he stared at the sky. Aaron looked at him, and the serious expression on his face had him snorting a chuckle. "Maybe it is a lamp. For everyone. And at night, someone turns it off."
"That's one way to look at things. It's a star. And it doesn't turn off, it's the earth that turns away," Aaron said, but then he stopped and sighed. The thought somehow dragged in another: school. As much as he hated it, he really wished he were there right then. Anything was better than this shit. He felt familiar blue eyes regard him, sensed it, and he looked back at Leo, only to find him suckling slowly on the pacifier with his head tilted. Aaron stared back for a moment. Then he decided to end whatever that was. "That's scien- you know what? Forget about it."
The pacifier stopped bobbing at all in Leo's mouth as he stared at Aaron, but then it gradually regained its normal pace. Leo slowly relaxed again, gaze returning to where it had been fixed on the sky.
Aaron did too, except he found interest in the iron fence. It was high, high enough that he wouldn't be able to climb it, but not to the extent that falling down from top to bottom was dangerous—it could be slightly painful, bruising perhaps, but possible. The only problem was that he needed something to give him a boost up, and of course, he needed to get out of the house in the first place. With Leo.
That didn't sound easy.
A pounding ache gripped Aaron's head again, and he quickly stopped thinking about escaping all together. His mind was still wooly with the shock and dread of all the bars, so he decided thinking more right then would only torment him further, and definitely wouldn't bring him to a coherent solution.
Both boys were distracted again when Lou appeared with a small plate in his hand. He brought a spoonful of chocolate cake to Aaron's mouth. "Take it, baby. I don't think I'm supposed to give you this, but let's just pretend it didn't happen," he said, smiling as he waited for his baby to accept. It never happened. Aaron refused to eat it and stared at Lou skeptically instead, unrelenting to his hurrying gestures. "Come on, love. I'm pretty sure Daddy wouldn't be happy if he catches me—"
"Lou, I really hope you're not feeding the boys cake before lunch!"
The voice was distant but strong as it echoed from inside the house, and all three quickly recognized it to be Daddy's. Aaron watched—amusedly, dare he admit—as Lou squinted and mouthed shit.
Lou smiled nervously and glanced at the door. "Um, of- of course not! I- I wouldn't do that!"
If anything, Aaron was now sure Lou was a terrible liar. He let out a low, humorless snicker. "Even you're scared of him. No wonder."
Lou opened his mouth to speak, because he knew he had to be offended, but it just didn't happen; he didn't feel that way. Instead, he found himself laughing, one hand on his hip as he shook his head. "You've got a good sense of humor, baby."
"That wasn't a joke."
"But I like to think of it as one. And just to clarify, I'm not scared of him. He's not as mean as he looks."
"Yeah. Right." Aaron bit his bottom lip when he registered what he'd said. Since when did he even have the courage to object right in the face of a captor? It surprised him how he hadn't really thought of it, how it just came naturally out of him, but he had a bad feeling he was going to regret it.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Lou asked, raising an eyebrow as he bent forward, one hand gripping the armrest and the other behind his back. At first, Aaron froze, a grappling fear tightening around his throat when realized he must've accidentally triggered the psychotic sadist inside Lou. But his face didn't read angry, and instead there was a playful, challenging expression dominating, one that in no way seemed intimidating to Aaron after looking properly. He relaxed a little. The tension faded away. "People say I'm sweet, but I'd call myself... a tickle monster."
Aaron frowned, but then his sides were suddenly ambushed by Lou's fingers tickling them. He caught him right in his weakness; Aaron was very ticklish, especially on the waist.
"No, don't! Stop!" Aaron yelled, laughing without quite wanting to as he brought his knees to his chest, a desperate attempt to protect his waist. Alas: Lou found a way around.
As he tickled him, Lou managed to glimpse at Aaron's face, and suddenly all he wanted to do was watch him being happy, something he deserved to be. He slowed down with the tickling, but Aaron was still consumed with uncontrolled laughter, smiling fully: his entire set of teeth exposed and eyes compressed into crescents. Lou watched, but then his ears whined when Aaron's melodic laughter pettered out, so he found himself tickling him again, wanting nothing but to maintain the smile.
Aaron cheek's were aching at this point. "Lou, stop!"
Lou stopped, but it wasn't because his baby called him Lou for the first time—which would've been an achievement otherwise. It was actually because he heard helpless distress in Aaron's voice. He quickly retreated, gasping when he saw that his baby was no longer smiling. Now he was frowning as he stared down at his lap. What happened?
"Oh, I'm sorry, love. I thought you like it. I went a little too much, didn't I?" Lou said, kneeling down before Aaron. Aaron stayed silent. He would admittedly choose Lou over Daddy, but that in no way meant he was a hundred percent comfortable with him. Even with him appearing and behaving like the least mentally distorted of the three, he was still one of them, and he still contributed in kidnapping two boys. "I didn't mean to upset you—"
"Lou." Daddy's voice echoed again. "I know you gave them cake. Now forget about it and come here a little, can you?"
Eyes to the ground, Lou listened to Daddy then straightened and turned back to the table where he'd placed the plate. He cut a piece and gave it to Aaron, gesturing him to share some with Leo. Then he left.
Aaron looked at the cake in his hand and he decided he'd give it all to Leo, but when he offered it to him, Leo just shook his head and turned his face away with a sigh.
"Leo, come on. I don't want it, you can have it all," Aaron insisted, putting it between Leo's fingers. But Leo only stared sadly as the chocolate crumbled in his hand, smudging it. Aaron frowned. What was wrong with him? Didn't he like chocolate? "Leo, look at your fingers. Don't you wanna eat it?"
Leo didn't answer. He just shrugged, barely even.
Maybe he's afraid of Daddy, Aaron thought. He removed the pacifier and gently led Leo's hand to his mouth, urging him to eat it before it'd fall apart in his hand even more. And as soon as he did that Aaron slipped off the chair to grab a tissue off the table. When he turned to Leo again, he froze.
Leo was leaning over the armrest of the chair, trying to spit the cake out, his face pinched with some form of disgust. Fast, Aaron grabbed a couple of tissues instead and hurried over to Leo, then pressed one over his mouth so he'd spit into it. "Leo, why?" Aaron said. "Do you hate chocolate that much?"
When Leo spat the cake out, Aaron wiped his fingers off. Leo's strange behavior began to worry him; he'd been doing better just a little before.
Both boys suddenly heard footsteps scurrying forward, then they stopped all together. "Wait, why- oh, right. I'm so sorry, love. I forgot," Lou said, sounding apologetic. Aaron frowned, eyes darting between the captor and Leo as both exchanged glances. There was clearly something he didn't know about going on. "Did you spit it out?"
Leo nodded. "Go inside, Uncle Lou?" he asked, holding his arms out. Lou smiled and picked him up, then dangled his free hand for Aaron to hold.
Aaron stared at it with a raised eyebrow, then looked back at Lou, who gestured at it again expectantly. "Why do I have to hold your hand?" Aaron asked quietly, still refusing to make a move. "I won't get lost on my way to the door, I promise."
"I'm sure you won't get lost, baby," Lou said, his voice tinged with a playful undertone. He turned to face Aaron, bending down while still balancing Leo securely on one arm, his amber eyes shining with mischief. "It's just in case you accidentally end up trying to climb up the fence, love."
Aaron glared at Lou, resisting with all his power the urge to scoff in his face. "Trust me, that wouldn't be an accident," Aaron mumbled under his breath, flicking a nervous glance at Lou when he realized he'd said it a little louder than intended, but to his surprise, Lou wasn't angry—instead, he was laughing yet again, head thrown back with fond amusement.
Lou knew he should feel offended or angry, but he also already knew that his baby probably wanted to escape. Where was the surprise in that? Aaron needed more time to adapt, to love them all back. And aside from that, how could he be angry with him when he looked so adorable? The sharp frown seemed hilariously harmless to him.
"You win this time, baby," Lou said, his index reaching out to tap his nose. "But I won't let you next time."
Wait, so he liked this? He didn't mind?
Both Aaron and Lou were distracted when Leo whined quietly, one hand tugging at the collar of Lou's coat. Lou looked at him and smiled softly. "What is it, baby?"
"Stop talking and go inside, please, Uncle Lou," Leo said as he rubbed his eye with his fist, leaning his head against Lou's shoulder. "Cold."
Aaron was surprised at how deathly straightforward Leo could be, but then Lou's expression distracted him: eyebrows arched, but lips pulled into a fond smile. Aaron partly appreciated how Lou didn't take offense at everything. "What's wrong with him?" Aaron asked. "He was fine just this morning, and then he gets punished and everything changes. What did he do to him?"
Lou saw how a spark of disdain ignited in his baby's eyes as he spoke, and even though it wasn't particularly directed at him, he felt horrible. He pursed his lips, sighing. "Don't worry, love, he just needs a nap. He woke up too early, and I told him to go back to sleep, but he didn't want to. And then the punishment added up, and that's the outcome; he won't stop the attitude until he gets some sleep. Trust me, when he does, he will be back to the energetic little sunshine he is."
Lou caught Aaron's hand and urged him to follow. To Aaron's surprise, it was pretty warm compared to the cold air. But he hated it anyway, and if he had the choice, he'd yank it away.
Lou led him inside and to the living room, where much to Aaron's luck, Daddy was sitting on the couch, reading a book, and he glanced over the edge when he noticed them enter.
Aaron quickly felt a boiling rush of hatred bombard his insides and fill his veins, but then, the first tendril of fear crept in and gradually overpowered. He felt himself waver, the flames in his eyes flickering. He was angry with him for whatever he'd done to Leo, but there was a lingering sense of fear that loomed a little further than the fury itself. That creepy psychopath.
Lou felt how Aaron's hand tensed in his own, and turning to look at him, he realized it wasn't just his hand; it was his entire body along. His shoulders were squared up and his neck looked painfully stiff. His tense posture, his worried glances, his dulled eyes—everything about his body language screamed uncomfortable. He hated how much it changed when they entered. Aaron had looked a lot more relaxed outside, but Lou knew very well it had nothing to do with the place. It was Daddy's presence that altered the atmosphere.
And it really was. Aaron himself wasn't even aware of it until that moment. He wasn't aware of how different it was with Daddy's presence and absence. That man was the source of the tension, Mommy gave him the creeps with all the affection, and Lou... Aaron didn't know where to classify him yet.
Smiling, Daddy set the book aside and stood up. He approached them, and Aaron unawarely stumbled back a tiny step. He didn't want this psycho anywhere near him, or near Leo even.
Lou felt Aaron's hand tremble slightly, and it broke his heart. His baby looked angry, but he was sure he was scared just as much.
Daddy walked to them and lifted Aaron to his chest, but Aaron refused to let go of Lou's hand. Not because he wanted Lou, but because he'd rather stay away from Daddy. He looked back at Lou with pleading eyes, but all he received was a helpless look in return.
Lou knew that his baby had to get used to Daddy, but he hated how that process wouldn't include his melodic laugh and genuine smile, how it broke the clearness of his eyes and darkened them with dread. He'd do anything to go back to when Aaron was at least just slightly, partly happy.
Daddy moved away with him, and as he did, Aaron's hand was forced away from Lou's. Lou felt a little prick in his heart at the departure; he wanted to spend more time with his baby, to devote longer periods building his relation with him, but then he mentally slapped himself at thought. Stop being selfish, he mused. He wasn't the only one who wanted to spend time with Aaron.
Daddy sat with Aaron on the couch, back to chest, one sturdy arm curled tightly around his stomach. He reached out for the book he'd been holding and continued reading, occasionally bouncing his knee for Aaron's pleasure, which was actually far from that.
Aaron found it annoying—really annoying—but he didn't protest, and just sat there, trying hard not to be bothered by the hot breath tickling his neck incessantly. But it did bother him. A lot. And it scared him, in a way, when he thought of it as a reminder of how close he was to Daddy.
The arm slung around his stomach somehow managed to magnify a certain pressure there, one he had been feeling slightly before but had tried to ignore. Eventually, it began to bother him more intensely, and it was then that he had no choice but to accept that he needed to use the toilet. But this time he was sure it was a goddamn number two.
The worried look on his pale face gave it out. Daddy remembered the expression he'd made the last time he needed to have a wee, but somehow, he knew this time was more than just that. He pressed his lips to Aaron's temple chastely, then moved his mouth so it was nearer to his ear and whispered, "I feel like you need to do some business. But don't worry, I'll take you to the bathroom. And as long as you use it without nagging like the good boy you are, you'll be happy. Otherwise, you should worry."
Every cell, every fiber in Aaron's body tensed, and his spine chilled to ice with the effect of Daddy's calm voice. He never thought he'd actually say that, but he'd much rather be with Lou right now.
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hi! Tysm for reading<33 quick question for silent readers: are some of you new readers or have you read this before it got deleted? (pleaseee don't ignore me lol)