Chapter 36:

I don't care anymore.

It was the last thing Aaron had said before he disconnected.

For a few days, all he did was sit silently on his bed; lean his head back against the headboard and watch through the large glass pane of the window as the life outside proceeded-the sun would rise from beneath the horizon, casting waves of its soft rays across the vast fields of lush greens and thick trees. Everything glowed, but Aaron felt like darkness was coming from within him. Then the sun would dip down again, and on cue the moon would shine with all its glory up in the starry skies, preening as its ethereal luminance beat that of the thousands of stars around it.

And the cycle would continue; the life outside that psychopathic house would continue-the trees would grow and birds would chirp, the flowers would blossom and the breeze would sweep along the still air. Nothing stopped in calamity of the situation Aaron was drowning in.

Everything functioned like normal. But Aaron didn't.

It was like everything was playing but he was paused; like everything was connected but he was disconnected; like everything was moving but he was frozen. He felt like the wire connecting him to life had been unplugged, and it was like he was just existing physically, taking up space, but not quite living and not quite dead.

And even after those days, Aaron still didn't quite know what to do or how to feel. The door was locked all the time, and the only time it would be left just slightly open, he'd catch the captors' shadows looming along the threshold as they prowled behind the door, peeking at him when they thought he wasn't looking. But he'd see them. And he'd know that they were watching every breath that left his lips, every muscle that moved in his body.

He refused to eat and drink, refused to move or speak. Leo had tried to convince him to nibble on a sandwich, but he hadn't succeeded. All he'd managed to get out of Aaron was a barely-there acknowledging nod.

Mommy felt a particular ache in her chest at the loss of his interaction with anything. She missed hearing his laughter and voice, missed when he'd be mischievous and cuddle with her. Even though they'd turned out just an act, she still couldn't forget the warm feel of her baby so close to her and the sensation of his skin beneath her fingertips.

Lou missed the playful fights with his nephew as well. He missed messing with Aaron so much. He missed annoying him and watching as he'd become defensive then laugh again. And as he listened to the constant silence sticking to the air around Aaron, he began fantasizing about the moment Aaron would finally speak again; he wondered what Aaron's first word would be, and to whom he'd tell it. He imagined it to be a string of obscenities, perhaps, and he couldn't really blame Aaron if it turned so.

Daddy was trying to contain his anger.

Aaron's first words came when his mind found residence in the memories of his weakness; it lingered there, on the times he could've fled if he'd been strong enough to fight three captors. He imagined how different it would've been if he had that much strength, but then again, even if he were strong, one against three wasn't going to work, regardless of his strength or weakness. Three strong captors could take down one person, strong or not.

But it was this thought that finally had his voice ringing in the air.

Lou strolled into the room, the same gaping hopelessness in his chest as he took in Aaron still in the same position as the past few days; he'd noticed some minor progress when he'd acknowledged him the day before and even spoke a word to Leo, but he was sure it didn't mean Aaron was back to normal.

He stood by Aaron's bed. "Hey. I know how lost you feel right now, but can you like just say one word. Just one. You're worrying me so much." His hand reached out, ruffling his hair. Aaron's eyes were hooded and tired, and his pale skin was worse than usual-such a sickly yellow color.

But then, to Lou's surprise, Aaron turned his neck to look straight into his eyes. Something stood at the tip of his tongue. Lou could feel it, could see the conflict on his face as he battled the devouring numbness to speak. He waited for him to sort out the internal mess, standing there patiently with a particle of hope flickering in his heart as Aaron finally decided to talk:

"Teach me how to fight."

Lou watched his nephew in silence for a moment. It hadn't been what he'd expected out of him after all the numbness, and the odd request startled him; something felt weird. He really, really started worrying about Aaron's sanity.

Still, Lou nodded. "I mean... if you want to?"

And ten minutes later, they were standing in the gym room, both shirtless and clad in some sweatpants. Lou had secretly allowed Aaron to take off the pull-up and wear normal clothes. Anything to let him feel more comfortable and maintain this improvement.

Lou cautiously eyed Aaron as he stood there silently. He still didn't understand why this had been the first thing he'd want, and for a moment he suspected there was something Aaron had in my mind out of this.

So Lou cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, look, Aaron. I don't know why you want this now, but like... I feel you want to learn how to fight me or my brother or something to get out. I don't want to crush your dreams, but he's a professional kick boxer, and this one time won't make you a great fighter. Even I can't take him down in a fight. Yeah. I just had to clear this up, okay?"

Aaron's eyes widened momentarily when he heard that Daddy was a professional kick boxer, but he also knew that regardlessly, he had no chance at fighting him. That wasn't his point of this, and he didn't even know what was. His brain was so scattered and cloudy, like he was too drunk to make any sense to himself, let alone to Lou.

"I know."

"So why do you exactly want this?"

Aaron frowned for a second. His voice came out low and unsure. "I don't know."

Lou narrowed his eyes. "Oh... okay." He understood how confused Aaron was. After running a hand through his hair, he stood directly in front of Aaron. "So I'm going to teach you the basic thing: punching. You'll need it the most, and it's effective if you do it right."

Aaron nodded slowly. Lou continued, mentally noting how he disoriented he looked. "Okay, so first, posture. Which, by the way, you're generally terrible at. I see the way you sit, and it's really bad for your spine."

"Erika used to say this all the time," Aaron absently mumbled, his brain drifting back to the blissful times he'd spent with her; when they'd both listen to the crashing waves by their feet at the beach, when they'd have lazy days and stay at either's home.

"Well, it is pretty obvious-"

"Can we go back to punching?"

"Right. So your posture for a punch. First you have to open your legs shoulder width, and bend your knees slightly. Try to keep your shoulders relaxed, and since you're a lefty, your right shoulder and hip should be pointing towards the opponent." Lou watched as Aaron tried to do the exact same thing, and when he had the posture right he continued, "Make relaxed fists and put one just by your chin and the other up by your face. Great, now-"

Lou couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Aaron in complete position. He looked so concentrated, with a serious frown on his face that was partly veiled behind his fist. "You actually look very adorable right now." He smiled, but Aaron just shook his head like he didn't give a shit. "Anyway. Now the punch. It's a complicated thing; you have to start from your feet for power and whatnot, but I'll just make it simple for you. Bend your wrist so it's aligned with your forearm; that way you won't break it. And now punch with your knuckles, not the flats of your fingers. I'll show you once and then you'll do it."

Lou did exactly what he'd said, then swung a punch to thin air before gesturing Aaron to show him. "Use the punching bag if you want."

Aaron's arms dropped as soon as he said that, and he shook his head. "Not the punching bag."

"I mean, you can try to punch the air if you want, but using the bag's better." Lou frowned when Aaron simply shook his head again. "So not the air, and you don't want to use the punching bag. What then?"

"I want to punch you."

Lou recoiled for a moment, brows dropping uncertainly but then a breathy laugh parted his lips as he watched how serious Aaron was about it. "Me? Uh... alright, I guess. If you want to. Go for my stomach. Take position again."

"Wait," Aaron whispered as he looked around him; there were red boxing gloves on the floor right by the punching bag. He strolled over to them, grabbing one. "Can I use this-"

"No no no." Lou took a quick stride towards Aaron and snatched the glove away from him. "You're not about to punch me with that glove. This shit hurts like hell. Come on, with your fist." He patted Aaron's shoulder, gesturing him to take position as he put the glove back down. But then he caught Aaron from the corner of his eyes dusting his shoulder off where he'd patted him, and he chuckled to himself.

Aaron straightened his back again as much as he could, bringing his arms up like a shield. He peeked through his knuckles at Lou, narrowing his eyes as he aimed for his stomach. And soon his fist was swinging forwards. It caught Lou's stomach.

Lou grunted but maintained himself in his spot, taken aback at the unexpected pain. Aaron's punch wasn't too strong, but definitely more than what he'd imagined. He put a hand on his six pack for a moment, his lips slowly parting in a smile as he watched Aaron's reaction.

"Holy shit." Aaron scowled as he shook his hand, his own knuckles hurting from the impact. Lou's stomach was far from flabby, meaty skin, and the hard surface of the six pack had actually felt like a brick against his fist. "That hurt my fist."

"It actually wasn't bad," Lou encouraged. "Do you want to try the punching bag, or what?"

"Can I punch your face now?"

"No!" Lou shook his head frantically. "Try the punching bag."

And Aaron did; he practiced punching a few times on the bag with Lou's guidance. Lou helped him improve the posture, reminding him to keep his knees bent and his hip and shoulder slightly forward.

They were done when Aaron spoke again, one hand running through his hair unsurely. "Um, Lou?"

Lou turned back to him. "Yeah?"

"How do I get out of an armlock? I mean, I used to kick, but what should I do if every time I try to move he'd pull my arm more, and it really hurts my shoulder?"

The way Aaron's voice was low and shameful broke Lou's heart; flashes of it happening to Aaron, of his nephew struggling as someone forced his arm far behind his back until it pressured his shoulder flickered in his mind.

"Who used to do that to you? Your dad, right?" Lou asked, watching carefully as Aaron nodded. "He could've dislocated your shoulder that way. If I can get my hands on that bastard, I swear..."

"How do I get out of one?"

Sighing, Lou gestured Aaron closer. "Come, I'll do it to you, and I'll tell you what to do."

He locked Aaron's arm behind his back, careful not to pull too hard. "Okay, so first, grab the wrist of your locked arm and pull down a little, so he can't pull too much anymore. Then step on his foot hard, and while he's distracted a little with that quickly elbow him in the face or neck. Then run. Now do it to me."

Aaron did as told, pulling down at his own wrist, then stepping on Lou's foot and elbowing his face. He managed to free himself yet with quite some struggle, and a part of him was sure Lou had gone easy on him.

As soon as he turned, he found Lou grimacing as he rubbed his jaw, mumbling something Aaron couldn't quite get; it sounded like a quick ramble of foreign words, almost like in another language. He frowned, then gave him a questioning look. "What did you just say?"

Lou laughed quietly. "I cursed in Spanish. Your elbow came right in my jaw."

"Why Spanish?"

"I speak fluent Spanish."

"Do you have Hispanic roots or something?"

"That's a secret." Lou grinned. "Now for the bad news about getting out of an armlock thing; this doesn't work with a pro. Basically, if it's a pro doing it to you, there's no getting out of their armlock unless you just chop your arm and leave it with them." He watched as Aaron shrugged, like he'd known this. "Anything else you want to learn?"

Aaron shook his head.

"Great. This was fun, by the way." Lou smiled down at Aaron, reaching a hand over to ruffle his hair; it was too late when he remembered he'd probably flinch away, but he remained calm instead. "Go get changed."

Aaron walked to the door, but there he stopped and turned back to Lou, staring unsurely for a moment as he fished for his words. "Do I have to, um, can I not put-"

"Don't put the pull-up back on, if that's what you're asking about."

"But your brother, he's gonna get mad about it. I don't care, but you..."

"Don't worry." Lou gestured him to proceed. "I got you."

The tiniest, most fleeting smile gripped the edge of Aaron's lips, but it never managed to turn into a full one. A sense of worry filled his eyes again. "I hate it," Aaron finally said. Lou pursed his lips; he didn't understand how he'd just recently begun acknowledging how horrible everything was-he'd always felt a sense of it loom over in his brain, but now it was settling heavily. "So, thanks, seriously."

"No problem."

It ended there. Lou let Aaron go back to his room to change and rest. Mommy had been there but she didn't know what they'd been doing. She locked the door on Aaron then went down to Daddy in the living room.

After Lou had changed himself, he went to the living room as well and plopped down onto an armchair, leaning his head back lazily. But as he'd walked past Daddy, he noticed something odd; even with that fleeting glimpse he'd taken at him from the corner of his eye as he made his way to the chair, he'd sensed the tension in him, the anger.

Mommy straightened in her spot beside Daddy. "What were you doing with Aaron?"

"I was teaching him how to punch," Lou said. "He asked if I could teach him out of the blue."

There was silence for a long moment, all to be heard the awkward shifting of bodies against the cushions of the couches and their quiet breaths. But then Daddy spoke:

"So Aaron finally talked? He woke up from his coma?"

Lou found his shoulders lifting and dropping stiffly at what he'd heard. He contained himself even though he didn't like Daddy's attitude about the situation.

"Is this supposed to be a joke? Because it's stupid."

"No, it's not." Daddy shook his head. "I'm just surprised. The boy doesn't speak a word and acts dead for a few days, then he suddenly asks you to teach him how to punch. And you agreed on top. That doesn't make sense. It's suspicious of him."

"Yeah, I know it doesn't make sense. You know why? Because we broke him with all the pressure and now he doesn't exactly know how to act. Instead of joking about the situation, thank God he at least improved. Did you not see him those past days? He was completely devastated."

"I honestly can't trust him anymore. He acted like he loved us and we all fell for it, and I'm not letting him play me around again. What if he's acting now? He had us all wrapped around his finger, Lou. Especially you. And now he's doing it again. And you're letting him use you."

Lou straightened in his seat impetuously, turning to Daddy. "I'm not letting him use me if I agree to something he asked for after days of complete silence from him. He's confused himself about what he's doing, and I'm trying to help him. I'm being a good uncle, unlike you. And by the way, he never really acted with me, he was being his genuine self around me. You know why? Because I wasn't forcing him to act exactly like a baby in front of me. I gave him space to breathe when all you were doing is pressuring him."

Daddy shrugged. "Lou, talk as much as you want, but I'm not about to believe him anymore. He's probably just acting again right now. Everything he's doing doesn't make sense. Teach him how to punch? Where did that come from?"

"Can you acknowledge the stress he went through in just less than twenty-four hours? He probably didn't sleep the night he wanted to escape. And imagine how nervous and scared he must've been trying to get with Leo up to the attic. And when he found the window locked and had to break it. Then making sure that he and Leo made it to the bricks safely. And then when the alarm started, how scared must've he been? And then he actually jumped down and ran away but we caught him last minute. Imagine the horror of us chasing him and catching him. And then his breakdown, and then Leo tells him about his mom."

Lou had said it all too fast, and it almost rendered him breathless. "Don't you think all of this is enough to break him? Don't you think that was enough for him to stay these past days completely silent and not knowing what to do? He put all his energy into that plan but he failed. He probably thinks it's because he's weak and couldn't fight you when you caught him, that's why the first thing he wanted was to learn how to fight."

Lou leant back again, sinking into the cushions. "But no," he drawled. "All the weird behavior isn't because of all the stress and the pressure we're putting on him. Definitely not. I'm sure it's because Aaron's just a bratty kid trying to boss us around. That makes perfect sense."

"So he's finally talking again," Daddy absently mumbled to himself, as if he hadn't heard a word Lou had said. He hunched forwards, pressing his elbows into his thighs as he nibbled at his nail. "Great."

Mommy and Lou glanced at each other when they noticed how angry Daddy looked; the tension in him filled the air around him. Mommy cautiously reached a hand to touch Daddy's knee coaxingly, but he sprang up to his feet, startling her with the sudden movement. He stayed silent and his eyes remained fixed to the ground. Then he finally spoke:

"Now it's time for a little father-son talk with Aaron."

Lou's head shot up at that; worry replaced the anger-he could see how furious Daddy was, and talking to Aaron in this state would be possibly the worst idea in history. Lou quickly jumped to his feet, grasping Daddy's arm just when he made a move to go upstairs. "Dom, no. Not now. You're too angry."

"I'm not angry, look, I'm fine." Daddy smiled tightly, but the muscle of his jaw twitched and his lips fought to drop back down to a straight line. "I just need to talk to him. That's all. It'll be fine. I gave him enough time to rest. Now It's time for things to go back to normal."

"At least let me come with you."

"No," Daddy said, pushing Lou back. "Just me and Aaron. Alone. I need to talk to my son alone."

He pushed past Lou and stalked up the stairs. Lou prepared to go after him but Mommy held his arm, pulling him back. "Lou wait,"she said. "You noticed how angry he was, right? And he's been so angry lately. You saw how he fought you, and how he's been struggling to control his temper much more than usual. He was legit burning up right now with all the anger. I used to be able to calm him down easily, but it's not working anymore. Don't you feel there's something wrong?"

"You don't think he's..." Lou trailed off, worry deep in his eyes. "He's skipping his medicines, isn't he?"

"I don't know. I haven't checked yet, but I think. I'm really worried about Aaron with him right now."

Lou's heart dropped for a moment, but then he quickly calmed himself down. "No. We know Dom. I know. He used to get so angry but he never hurts someone he loves. He wouldn't hurt him. Threats, yeah, but he wouldn't touch him."

"I know, Lou. But now it's different." Mommy shook her head sadly. "When we were talking, and you left, Dominic said that this is all Aaron's fault. He blamed everything on him and he said he has to learn. I don't think he loves him right now. He's too mad at him, way too mad at him. And anger is blinding."

"So, basically..." Lou swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Dom is super angry, he's possibly not taking his medicines which makes it much worse, and he thinks everything is his fault. And Aaron is stuck in a room with him. That doesn't sound good."

"Exactly."

"Shit."

Lou turned to run up and stop Daddy from talking to Aaron, but Mommy pulled him back. "I know what you're thinking. No. We'll have to wait. Maybe, maybe they can sort this out. Maybe Aaron will cooperate. I hope. But if anything happens, we'll go in."

*_*_*_*_*

Daddy opened the door to Aaron's room, then slipped inside. His gaze fell upon Aaron sitting on the windowsill, and he turned to look at him with his eyes suddenly uncertain yet filled with distaste. Daddy closed the door, locking it as well-there were two clicks, and Aaron heard them clearly.

Aaron slipped off the sill and stood cautiously staring back. A thin tendril of fear crept into his gut-he didn't like the idea of being locked in a room with Daddy, let alone the fact that he looked furious. Aaron couldn't take his eyes off the veins that snaked tautly down his strong arms and neck, pulsing with anger.

"I heard you just suddenly decided to talk again, Aaron." Daddy smiled, but it was wicked. Goosebumps exploded along Aaron's arm, slithering to the back of his neck as he registered how terrifyingly calm Daddy's voice was. It was so calm, but the anger beneath it had its own discreet sound as well-Aaron could recognize it. "I hope my baby boy is feeling better now."

He stepped closer to Aaron until he was just in front of him, reaching his hand forwards and caressing his cheek. Aaron turned away, but Daddy's fingers trailed down and curled around his chin tightly, forcing his face towards him again.

"Now that you escaped and it didn't work, you should know there's no way out. So guess what, sunshine? Now Daddy wants you to stop fighting and be a good baby boy, yeah? You have to cooperate, you have to accept this."

Aaron let out a breath. He was tired of this; tired of always submitting to the shit they were forcing on him, sick of always staying silent and taming his anger. He'd had enough of this. Of their bullshit.

Instead of recoiling, Aaron frowned, his eyes blazing with anger that matched Daddy's. He didn't try to step back. He leant forwards, shoulders tense, almost nose to nose with the captor. Then he finally spoke:

"There's no way in hell I'm ever accepting this shit. No way in hell."

Daddy looked away and chuckled to himself angrily, then grasped Aaron's upper arm tightly, his fingers locking like iron around it as he pulled him closer.

"It looks like being gentle with you isn't working."

*_*_*_*_*_*

Get ready for Aaron vs Dominic! How do you think that'll go? Next chap is my fave one.

[also, about the punching/armlock part. I have no personal experience with it and had to do a quick research on the internet. It's possibly not authentic, so correct me if I'm wrong and I'll edit. Thank you :) ]