Chapter 35:

"Before I tell you." Daddy breathed out nervously. "So, what do you think would've ruined Aaron's entire escaping thing?"

Mommy knew the answer, but she didn't speak for a moment, wondering what that had to do with anything. "If his door was locked," she said. "He wouldn't have been able to do anything. How did we make such a stupid mistake? We trusted him too early. I didn't even know he could get out of his crib."

"Yeah, about that..." Daddy let out the slightest laugh slip; every particle of the air that was pushed out along was heavy with the worry. "I wouldn't call that a mistake, I mean..."

Mommy frowned. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean that I purposely always kept the door to his room unlocked. I wanted him to escape at some point."

"Wait. What?" Lou spoke this time, voice curling up in the end into a questioning pitch. "How... why?"

"Dominic..." Mommy stepped closer to Daddy, slowly, stiffly. Her eyes didn't carry an unsure shine, or questioning twinkles—they'd flared with flames that burnt down the forest green in her irises to ash the moment she heard what he'd said. "Say that again."

Daddy looked at the door, then focused back on her with urgent eyes. "Shhh. Careful with the names. We don't want the boys to hear! Especially Aaron."

"I don't care! Why the hell would you want him to escape!"

"Let me explain!" Daddy put his hand out in a coaxing manner. "I didn't want him to escape exactly. I mean I wanted him to, but like... to try to. Not actually do it. I wanted him to do it, and fail at it."

"What the hell? Why? Why in the world would you want that?"

"Because." Daddy leant forwards, carefully looking both Mommy and Lou in the eyes. "I wanted him to stop bottling his emotions. I knew he'd never actually let it out until this would happen. I could always see it in him; he just needed a prod and he'd burst. I left the door always unlocked so he'd actually try to escape at some point. And he did it. And when we caught him, he felt so devastated he just burst out everything he ever felt before. The breakdown was good for him, don't even deny it."

  Lou frowned to himself as he took in every word he'd heard. He wanted to speak, but Mommy did instead. Her lips pulled up into a tight smile.

"How sweet of you, Dominic." She stepped closer, almost stomping. "You care so much about Aaron and you did all this just to help him handle his emotions. Seriously, what a good father." Her smile dropped, and so did the sweet pretense. "Did you not think about the fact that he could've dropped down on his neck and cracked it when he as escaping! He could've died! Did you not see that bruise on his arm? And his shoulder? My baby jumped down the fence, with Leo too!"

  And suddenly, she lurched forwards, her hands grasping the front of Daddy's sweater and pulling him closer. "You risked both my baby boys for something so stupid. You could've helped Aaron with his emotions in another way. You don't know how to deal with kids, you idiot!"

  Daddy didn't react when she kept tugging at his clothes; he could understand that right now she was confused and hurt and worried. "I know, I know. That's where I messed up," he confessed. "Of course I didn't want to risk Aaron or Leo falling down on their necks and dying. When I wanted him to escape, I didn't know he'd do it out of the window. I didn't know he'd make it up to the fence, on top of it. I didn't want that to happen. Hell, I even forgot about it. I planned this when he first came, and he just suddenly did this shit now."

Mommy pulled back, allowing him to speak further. Daddy briefly patted the wrinkled fabric she'd gathered in her fist until it flattened. He fidgeted beneath the tension, but he went on. "I thought Aaron was going to go through the front door. Not the window. I imagined that he'd go downstairs, find the keys I left beneath the flower pot, and then he'd go out. I was a hundred percent sure he wouldn't be able to climb the fence; there's absolutely nothing that can give him a good boost. But I knew he was going to try, and he was supposed to touch it then the alarm would go off and we'd catch him."

  Daddy sighed, shaking his head to himself; it killed him just much as it killed Mommy—he had no idea things would take such a risky turn, and he had no idea Aaron had planned everything that far. "But Aaron didn't do what I wanted him to do. That boy. All what he did, it wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't know he was going to go through the window and jump down the fence. I didn't know he had this planned so far. Hell, I didn't know he'd take Leo with him. Can someone explain to me how in the world Aaron convinced Leo to go with him?

"How did he convince our little baby boy to jump down the fence with him? How did he convince him to go out of his crib?" Daddy couldn't even put the surprise in words; he had no idea Leo trusted his big brother that much—he wasn't supposed to. He'd lived two years without Aaron and had grown to trust them very deeply, but then in a course of merely two weeks his brother snatched his trust faster than they'd ever imagined. "How did Aaron even get the key to attic? I don't get it. This wasn't supposed to happen. Aaron was never supposed to get out of the fence. I just wanted him to touch it from inside. I don't even understand how he wasn't scared of all the risks! The kid jumped from the window to the bricks, with Leo!"

"You know..." Lou's gaze caught Daddy's. "That literally shows just how much Aaron hates us, hates this. If he risked himself and Leo, if he wasn't scared of jumping around the house and down the fence, then he sure as hell wants to get out. Really badly."

"Great. Now that he failed, he'll have to accept this and stop trying to fight."

"You don't get it, Dom. You really don't get it." Lou walked closer; his eyes were flashing with clarity, and a certain determination flickered through them. "Aaron doesn't like any of this. He doesn't want it. I think it's clear he's been acting just to escape. Did you hear what he said in his breakdown? Most of it was just telling me about the pain we're giving him."

Daddy sighed. "Lou, please. Don't start this shit."

"No. You need to listen." Lou's voice grew louder, and it was like the more he allowed his thoughts to slip past his mouth in words, the more he was sure of himself. "It was awful. You weren't with him during his breakdown. You were just listening. I had no idea how to comfort him, Dom. I made stupid jokes because I didn't know what to tell him. He was just venting about how much we're humiliating him. How was I supposed to comfort him when I'm the one giving him the pain?"

"Lou, I'm pretty sure Aaron wouldn't have appreciated you comforting him anyway. I don't want to hear it." Daddy began walking away, ignoring his brother. He was in no mood to listen to his rant, especially not when he didn't agree with it at all. But Lou caught his arm halfway through, his fingers sinking into the fabric as he pulled him back. His brows drew close to each other. The anger became more prominent.

"I said you need to listen," Lou insisted. "Do you know that Aaron considers the baths you give him harassment? Harassment. He hates them. And I don't blame him about it. We're... we're strangers to him, Dom. Strangers."

"Harassment?" Daddy snorted, shaking his head. "Right. Because washing his hair is harassment. Please, Lou. If anything, it feels nice and Aaron likes it, except he has too much pride to admit it."

  Lou recoiled for a moment; confusion stirred in his gut, but then it turned to disbelief.

"You're kidding, aren't you?" Lou spat. "I tell you he considers it harassment, and you tell me he must lowkey like getting his hair washed?" His face twisted with part distaste and part incredulity as the nonchalance still gripped Daddy's expression—it irked him that right through something important he'd bring up something so stupid. So irrelevant. "What the hell, Dom! What the actual hell! For God's sake, think. Do I need to tell you every time to use your brain!"

"Lou, calm down. I simply don't see how this is harassment. Aaron just needs to get over himself and drop some pride, maybe then he'd accept that he needs someone to help him and take care of him."

"Get over himself? Drop some pride? Why are you making Aaron sound like he's the brattiest kid ever? What's wrong with you, Dom? You're talking about Aaron; don't you love him?"

"Of course I love him. He's my baby boy. I love Aaron and Leo more than myself. But that doesn't make Aaron perfect, Lou. He's kind and caring, great. But he also has too much pride, that's his flaw. It doesn't make me hate him, it just makes me want him to drop some of it."

"Dom, it's not about his pride! It's about his dignity! Did you not listen to him? He said we're humiliating him. We're hurting him, we're hurting him more than we think!"

  Daddy held the bridge of his nose for a moment; the anger started bubbling deep in his gut, and he knew that he would be bursting out on his brother any moment. "Is this what you wanted to talk about? How we're hurting Aaron even though I'm sure we're not?" He laughed dryly. "I knew you were just going to throw another load of your bullshit on me. I don't want it, Lou."

  Lou fumed internally, the anger swelling in his chest. "Maybe if you take my advice and actually use your brain a little more, you would realize it's not bullshit, it's logic."

"Lou. Careful with your words."

"Don't change the subject," Lou said. "Dom, you need to put yourself in Aaron's place for once. He isn't enjoying any of this. He genuinely doesn't even like anyone taking care of him. I mean.. if... if we really love him. Shouldn't we respect his opinion?"

"Lou, kids don't know what's good for them. Leo was exactly like Aaron when he first came, and look at him now. Aaron will adapt. My baby boy will adapt. I'm sure."

"No. Don't even try to compare Aaron and Leo with each other. They're very different. Leo doesn't understand anything. He hasn't really lived before he came here. Aaron's been to school, Dom. He knows right from wrong. He knows life and he has things he wants to go back for."

"Things to go back for? Like his abusive father? He must really miss him and his punches and his belts. We saw him kick Aaron out of the house at midnight, Lou. That bastard let my baby sleep shirtless outside when it's freezing cold. That is not a life to go back for."

"Not his father. Aaron told me about his friend. He really really likes her, and she made everything better for him. And we took him away from her. She distracted him, Dom. And we ruined it." Lou's heart ached as he remembered what Aaron had told him; he'd been so attached to her, and she'd been like a beautiful cool breeze right through a blistering hot day, like the first drop of water hitting a dry throat—she'd been the only balm for Aaron midst the sorrow he was drowning in, and they ruined it. "What are we supposed to do? Kidnap her too for example? I don't think anything will make Aaron happy here, Dom."

  Daddy's head shot up the moment Lou had brought Erika into the equation; he'd heard Aaron talk about her through the breakdown. "Lou, what the hell? Kidnap her? Of course not!" Revulsion twisted his face; he grimaced in the most disgusted way possible. "We're not going to bring the girl he likes and make her his sister. That's messed up."

Lou snorted. "Oh, right. So messed up. We're all about logic here."

"Lou, why do you sound like you want to kidnap her? We're not doing that. End of it. This is our family, the three of us and Aaron and Leo, and that's how it's staying."

"What the- of course I don't want that!" Lou frowned sharply. "You're not getting the point. I just mean that I genuinely don't think Aaron will ever adapt. He clearly hates it, and I don't like seeing him so upset—"

"It's only been two weeks. He'll adapt. He'll love us."

  Lou shook his head. "But he hates us like hell!" The loud roar in his voice died down until it was left with weak remnants: low whispers that were barely enough for the other captors to catch. For a moment, Lou paused and his mind churned—he knew what he was starting to think was wrong, or at least that was what he'd been told was wrong, and he knew voicing it would cause nothing less than another fight. But it was there, swirling around his brain, meandering about in his skull, and somehow, it felt right. "Maybe... maybe we should stop this, Dom. If we love him, we should stop this."

Silence.

  The same exact silence that engulfed the place thickly the last time the captors had talked; back to when Lou had shouted out that Aaron wasn't a baby. Everything lapsed to such nerve-wrecking silence that for a sickening second Lou felt like the world had been muted. And he knew, as he watched Mommy and Daddy's incredulous expressions, that he'd crossed a line.

Lou knew that, for the second time, he'd messed up.

And he was slightly worried about the consequences.

  The patter of Daddy's feet advancing slowly towards Lou was the first sound to break the silence; he kept moving forwards until he stood, with eyes that flared angrily and throbs that pulsed in his temples, in front of his younger brother. His strong hands gripped Lou's upper arms tightly and pulled him closer; they were nose to nose, and through the proximity Lou could see the anger he'd brought to the brown in his eyes. Anger that dampened their color until they bordered at black, that same dark shade that would fill his eyes every time the untamed fury in Daddy conquered.

"Lou, don't ever say this again," Daddy warned, his hands clenching further around Lou's arms. "This isn't stopping. And Aaron is never getting out of here. Ever. My baby boy is too fragile to go back to that cruel world. He's staying here, under our protection. There is no way in hell I'd ever let my baby boy go back to that bastard of a father."

"But Aaron doesn't look happy to me, Dom," Lou said.

"He won't be happier with the abuse either."

"Look, I love Aaron too. And at first, I always though he'd become happy at one point, but he still isn't. And he doesn't seem like he's ever going to. Why don't we just let him go—"

"Lou." Daddy's hands tightened further until his fingers sank even through the fabric deep into his skin. For a moment, Lou felt like the blood in his veins was cut off. "You need to understand this."

"What?"

"I'd rather kill Aaron with my own hands than ever let him go back."

  And Lou saw it at that moment; the possessiveness Daddy had over Aaron and the unreal protectiveness he had on him from anything other than himself. The absolute honesty and truth in his eyes scared Lou to an extent—Daddy did not hoard a particle of exaggeration anywhere in any corner of his eyes, and he looked like he'd actually kill Aaron if he had to.

"Dom... what are you saying?"

"Yeah. You heard me right. We talked about this before, remember? I can't imagine my baby going back to that torture. Death would be better for him."

"I don't understand you anymore." Lou tried to squirm away from his brother's clutches, but vainly. He couldn't slide out so he surrendered at one point, leaving himself there as he spoke. "You wanted all this escaping shit because apparently you care about Aaron's emotions, but then when he tells you with his own tongue that he doesn't like anything of this you don't listen to him. That makes zero sense."

"I care about Aaron. And I know what's best for him. He's just little kid. He doesn't know."

"Stop underestimating his strength, Dom," Lou said. "He lived all his life with an abusive father and he managed. He isn't weak. He's strong. I... I don't think he needs us. I don't think he needs our protection."

"You're being selfish," Daddy suddenly taunted, his voice a poisonous low whisper. He watched Lou's gaze shift as he'd heard him; he tilted his head unsurely, narrowing his eyes at the sudden accusation. "You're already tired of Aaron? You just want to get rid of him, right? It's not that you care about what he wants, it's just that you are tired of carrying him around and taking care of him. You're tired of him, and that's selfish."

  Lou's face dropped immediately; it was when Daddy spoke those words that it hit him how much it did sound so close to that. But that wasn't his point—he wasn't tired of taking care of Aaron, or carrying him, he was just tired of seeing him upset. He opened his mouth, remaining silent as the jumble of words stumbled together at the tip of tongue. He felt misunderstood, and the haste to fix the situation had him flustered.

"No! Of course I'm not tired of Aaron! What- what are you talking about?" Lou shook his head frantically, as if trying to prove the disapproval as much as possible. "I'm not tired of taking care of him. That's not the point. I'd carry him and take care of him as much as he wants if he likes it, but he doesn't like it. He doesn't want it. He doesn't want me, or you or her, taking care of him. That's why I'm talking."

"He doesn't like it yet. He'll adapt at one point. But you're just too impatient to even get there. That's selfish, Lou, that's very selfish." Daddy jabbed a finger in his chest every time he said it; he watched as Lou's face filled with shame, how his brows dropped worriedly and how his eyes glistened. And that was what he wanted—he needed to bring Lou back before he'd completely go off lane, before he'd turn completely to Aaron's side. His heart was pricked as he watched his brother suffer from the confusion and the uncertainty and shame he was purposely planting in him, but it had to happen. He wasn't losing Lou. "Lou, you're forgetting the purpose. You're being selfish. You're forgetting that we promised we'll always protect him. Always. You can't just throw him out just because you're tired of him."

Selfish. Tired of him. The familiar words came like bricks rammed into Lou's heart, and for a moment he did feel selfish; he felt like his brother was right, that he'd indeed lost the purpose and was straying, wanting Aaron to go back to his miserable life.

"But I'm not selfish," Lou mumbled weakly. Aaron was his nephew, and he loved him so much; he'd never be tired of him. But it hurt to see him so upset—he'd heard him confess just how much they'd been humiliating him, and he didn't want to cause him pain. "I'm not tired. I just- he isn't happy like this."

  Daddy wanted so desperately to shake the idea out of his brother; he had no idea when something like that had settled—he'd always been in with them, always eager to protect Aaron and Leo forever. But here he was now, walking off the path they'd promised they'd always walk on. "If you're not selfish and tired of him then never bring this up again," Daddy hissed as he pushed Lou back against the wall; his anger was rising and soaring through him until it filled his eyes entirely, blinding him. "Never." He squeezed his arms further, and Lou almost couldn't even feel them anymore beneath his fingers.

"Hey, hey!" Mommy finally intervened, stomping forwards until she was standing by their side. Her hands gripped Lou's arm and Daddy's wrist, and she ripped Lou away from his grasp; her eyes had been scrutinizing her husband harshly, and as soon as he felt the weight of her gaze he'd immediately begun writhing as the shame she brought to him rose. "I was waiting for one of you to have some shame and stop this!" She looked at Daddy, and the disappointed sheen made him cringe. "Especially you. You better not be harsh with Lou like that again, understand?"

"Cara, please, did you not hear what he said?" Daddy defended. "He's almost giving up on Aaron!"

"I heard what he said. But instead of shoving him against the wall like you did, you should've talked to him like a proper human. Clearly, you're not a proper human." She turned to Lou, smiling briefly at him. "Look, Lou. I know that you don't like seeing Aaron sad. But he'll accept things at one point, yeah? We struggled with Leo too, but he's happy now. We just want to protect him, remember. You're saying all that about letting him go just because watching his breakdown so close shook you. I know it's hard, but don't let it get to you."

  Lou didn't exactly nod, nor did he shake his head. He just looked down at the ground as the same sense of disorientation swallowed him whole again; he felt so scattered, so lost and confused—a part of him was developing (or redeveloping) his own point of view about the situation, but the one that had been planted in him was interrupting everything. Every time his own brain functioned, gathering all what he'd heard from Aaron, he'd be so sure letting him go was better. But then the other part would come and break it back down.

  And when he looked up, his eyes crashed with the silent apology lodged through the darkness in Daddy's, hidden underneath the masses of exploded anger.

Lou left the room without another word.

Mommy turned to Daddy. "Why can't you control your anger at all anymore?"

  Every inch of Daddy's anger melted as her eyes remained sucking out his strength and filling him with shame. "I don't know," Daddy whispered weakly. She had power over him, and he knew one look from her could change a lot. But she noticed something in him; something that flickered in his eyes nervously, and she frowned at it.

"What's wrong with you, Dom? What's happening? Why are you being so harsh with Lou? Do I always need to remind you that he's your brother? Why are you ripping apart? Why is everything going downhill?"

Daddy didn't answer, remaining silent instead. And it stayed like that for a long moment; no one spoke, nothing moved. But then he opened his mouth, and a word finally slipped.

"Aaron."

Mommy looked up at Daddy, alarmed. "What's with him?"

"This is all Aaron's fault."

"What? What has Aaron to do with you and Lou?"

Daddy stood up impetuously, his eyes locking with Mommy's. "Don't you notice how many things happened ever since Aaron came? So much shit happened, Cara."

"Dom, don't blame it—"

"Wait. Think about it. That little devil. That sneaky little boy. He looks so harmless and innocent but he's done so much. First, he pretends he loves us like a pro. He had us all wrapped around his finger like idiots. We were doing everything for him, but it turned out he's just acting. Then, he freaking plans an entire escape and somehow convinces Leo to go with him. And then he jumps down the fence and actually runs away, risking himself and Leo. But nope, no worries; Aaron had even that planned and he threw down pillows and quilts to land on! The last time Lou and I fought, it was because of Aaron. And now, he is legit making Lou go on his side. Did you not hear Lou? Aaron is making him change his mind about everything."

  He let out a short breath, holding the bridge of his nose as he thought of how much Aaron had done. "All this shit never happened with Leo. We never fought with each other with Leo. But when Aaron came, look at what happened. I swear, Aaron won't move a muscle anymore without us watching him. There's no way I'm letting him make one more move. I still love him so much, I can't hate my baby boy. But he has to learn now."

Daddy plopped back down on the couch, and it was when his own voice ceased that he realized Mommy hadn't spoken a word about all he'd said.

She stood there silently, her arms across her chest as she stared at him. But then her feet carried her forwards, thumping against the floor tiles until she was standing in front of the couch, just by her husband. She pressed her knee against the edge of the couch, leaning in towards him as her hands extended before her torso and grasped his sweater tightly; she pulled him into the space she'd left between them, closing it until their noses were just an inch apart

"Look, Dominic," she hissed, her smooth voice now marred with the thorny edges of anger, disdain. She adjusted her grip on his sweater; her fingers unclenched then clenched again around a bigger part of the fabric, and the fury in her rippled from the top of her arm to her hand until it sparked at her fingertips, transferring to Daddy. "First, you hurt Lou, and now you're talking shit about Aaron. You're messing with two of the most important people in my life."

  She breathed tensely, her chest barely moving along. "I'm also hurt Aaron was just acting, but don't forget that he suffered in his life like Leo. He had an abusive father yet he had to act like he was fine to everyone. I watched that bastard fracture my son's rib in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to help him. And now that Aaron's with me, I won't let anyone hurt him or say a bad word about him. Not even you, Dom. Not even you."

  Mommy let go of Daddy's sweater in a sudden thrust, making him jerk back. He watched her leave with a gaping a hole that slowly expanded through his chest; he hated how he'd feel every time he'd wake up from the burst of anger that would consume him entirely—he hated how he could barely control himself when it came to anger.

  She left the living room and walked upstairs to the room her boys were in. She inched the door open, then slowly edged forwards until she crouched by Aaron's bed where he was sprawled on his side right by the edge, his back to her.

When she leant over, pressing a kiss to the back of his shoulder, something shifted beneath her lips. The muscles in his shoulder suddenly tensed, stilling from the slow breaths.

  Aaron ripped himself away from her hand. He turned to her with wide, revulsed eyes and a frown. This look made Mommy's heart constrict.

"Stop touching me for the love of God!" Aaron shouted. He was so sick of it, sick of her. He was sick of her touching him all the time, whether in his sleep or when he'd be awake. He scooted away from her. His voice dropped to a low whisper. "Just go away, please, get away from me."

"Baby," Mommy whispered as she got up to her feet. "I love you so much." She left the room, heart in tatters.

  Aaron watched her lock the door behind as she disappeared into the corridor, and his eyes remained fixed to the strong wood of the door a while after. He scooted back, slumping tiredly against the headboard of the bed; he barely had the energy anymore to speak to anyone, to shout or to talk—he felt so drained, like everything that happened now started taking a toll on him. Aaron knew he had to do something, do anything about the situation, but he was just too tired to exert any effort anymore. He'd poured every pint of his determination and patience on his plan, and it had shattered over his head, fell in dusty particles to his feet that swirled around before settling. And as those settled so did the fact that there was no way he'd be able to breathe without being watched.

  And now, he was too tired to even try fighting off the numbness that gripped his heart, slowly forcing itself through the bloodstream in his veins and spreading through his entire body like a drug. His body slowly began to accept the presence of such numbness in it, almost about to surrender to it but still not quite—he still had a grip on reality.

  Lou was next to stalk cautiously into the room, and he moved closer until he was standing beside Aaron's folded figure against the headboard. "Aaron?" he called, frowning to himself when he never received an answer. He tapped his arm lightly, then shook his shoulder gently and even tried to ruffle his hair—all to which Aaron was not even remotely responsive; he remained staring at the ceiling, completely ignoring, or perhaps not registering, Lou's presence.

   Lou found this worrying. He knew there was something wrong when Aaron, the subtly defiant, rebellious nephew who'd just been in the middle of an escape, wasn't even reacting to anything after he'd gotten caught.

"Aaron, look at me," Lou urged as he patted his cheek in a final attempt to bring him out of his trance. "Please, you can do whatever you want. You can punch me if it makes you feel better, but please don't stay silent. Why aren't you doing anything?"

Aaron finally turned his neck and met his eyes with his own. But they were dull and distant: so far, so dead.

"Because I have no idea what to do, Lou. I have no idea what I should do now," Aaron finally said. "But punching you sounds like a good one."

  Lou almost smiled to himself. He decided to leave and not bother Aaron. But just as he was about to vanish through the door, he heard his nephew talk; his voice was small and unsure.

"Lou?"

"Yeah."

Aaron shifted in his place uncomfortably; he hated how something like that hit him at the most inappropriate time ever, yet he couldn't even stop it. "I need to use the toilet. The normal one. Alone."

  Lou gave him a sad look, and his heart shattered when he realized that even after everything, Aaron still had hope he'd help him. He didn't know whether he was supposed to be happy, or saddened at the pain in his nephew's eyes; the desperation that made him ask that even through how overwhelming things were for him.

  There was silence for a long moment as Lou battled himself; he knew he'd be crossing another line if he'd agree, but he couldn't bring more pain to Aaron. Lastly, Lou heaved in a breath, then held his hand out, gesturing him over. "Come. I'll let you use my toilet."

  Aaron didn't even smile or anything. He just simply slipped off the bed and followed Lou to the threshold where Lou stood cautiously peeking left and right; Aaron could tell he was trying to avoid crashing with Mommy and Daddy through the way. And soon enough, when he'd made sure the coast was clear, he led Aaron to his room and allowed him to use his bathroom. He waited for him on the bed.

  In a matter of barely minutes, Aaron was out, but he hadn't thrown the pull-up even though he wanted to; he didn't want to put Lou in trouble further, and for a brief second he wondered why he even cared about it. And as he closed the door to the bathroom, the briefest, lowest thanks slipped from the tiny sliver of space between his barely parted lips, and his eyes dropped to the ground.

That little thanks brought some hope in Lou that his nephew hadn't completely lost his grip on reality yet. But he didn't know how long the weak grip could last.

  Aaron walked out of Lou's room first, and as soon as he stepped out, a hand gripped his arm and pulled him back. He spun forcibly around, his eyes falling squarely upon Daddy's frame towering above him.

"Where were you, baby?"

Aaron steadied himself. "In the bathroom."

"That's what the pull-up and your bathroom is for, baby. That's a rule."

"Well, I broke that rule," Aaron deadpanned. "Punish me. Do whatever you want. I don't care anymore."

Both Lou and Daddy caught that lifeless look in his eyes; that utterly emotionless expression deep in his face.

Lou looked at Daddy. I think we broke him, Dom, he thought.

Daddy understood without even a word.

*_*_*_*_*

Sooo adult conversation took A LOT more than I expected. I'm sorry it was that long. What did you think about it? Also I just realized there's no Leo in this chap lol.

The fanart in the media is by @Maddieereads !! I'm in love with it!! Ahh I just love the idea so much. thank you for taking the time to do this, and for being an amazing reader❤️

Thank you so much for commenting/reading/voting! Your support means the world to me.