Chapter 37:

Daddy let go of Aaron's arm in a sudden thrust. The strong impact had Aaron stumbling back a tiny step.

Aaron watched silently as Daddy, for a fleeting second, stared at his hand like it wasn't his own before finally moving again. The captor looked around him, then walked to a set of chairs thrown in the corner of the room and gripped one, dragging it over and pushing it carelessly against the wall.

"Sit." Daddy flicked his wrist towards it. When Aaron remained stoic in his place, just staring back unsurely, he sighed. "Do I need to teach you how to sit, baby boy?"

Reluctantly, Aaron plopped himself onto it, looking up at the captor with distaste in his eyes.

"Good boy." Daddy patted the top of Aaron's head, letting his hand slip from there and drop onto his shoulder. His fingers trailed along the fabric of the sweater until he felt Aaron wince under his touch, and he knew he'd gotten to the bruise. He purposely gripped his shoulder right there as he grabbed another chair and dragged it over. "Let me bring a chair for me then we'll start talking."

As soon as Daddy felt Aaron try to move, he squeezed his shoulder, pressing harshly into the bruise. A sick smile grazed his lips for a fleeting moment as he heard his baby's pained grunt and felt his fingers grip his wrist, trying to tug it off.

"Oh, sorry, baby. Is that where the bruise is?" Daddy placed the chair directly in front of Aaron. "I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry."

"No, it's fine. You're so sweet," Aaron spat under his breath. Daddy sat in his chair then dragged it even closer to him, trapping his legs in between his strong knees. "Why the hell- can you give me some personal space? I won't disappear, I'm here."

"Look here, Aaron. You better not do anything stupid right now, yeah? Just listen and don't move, because trust me when I say I can break it."

Aaron frowned. "Break what—"

The breath was stolen right from Aaron's lungs as he felt the pain of Daddy's foot stepping on his own; the captor used most of his weight and poured all the force down on it, and Aaron felt like the bones beneath the skin and muscles that throbbed and screamed with pain were about to snap. "What the hell? I didn't even do anything yet!"

Daddy stopped stepping on Aaron's bare foot but kept his own on it, ready to start again if needed. "I can go much worse than that, alright?" Daddy's breath fanned over Aaron's face. Aaron felt the heat of the pluming air as it settled on every inch of his skin, and he held his breath, refusing to inhale any of it. "Now, keep your pretty mouth shut and listen. I've had enough of you messing around. I spoiled you with all the love, Aaron. I spoiled you. We did everything for you; we cared for you and gave you the affection you never had, but then you just act like a spoiled brat and refuse to even appreciate our effort."

Aaron laughed bitterly. "Yeah, great. Except I never asked for it. I never wanted affection from anyone, and I sure as hell don't want it from you."

"I said keep your mouth shut. You're getting on my nerves."

"You've always been on mine, so I guess we're even now."

"Look at my baby boy disrespecting the man that devoted his life just to protect him." Daddy shook his head before looking Aaron straight in the eyes. "Why don't you want to cooperate? Why don't you want us to take care of you? You're my baby boy, and my baby boy has to be good."

"You kidnapped me, for one. That's a crime. You took me away from my home, and you want me to act like a baby when I'm a teenager."

"Your home?" Daddy chuckled. "Now you love your home so much? Now you miss your dad and you want to go back to him? Right."

"Understand that my dad isn't a representation of my life. I don't want to go back for him. I have my real life there."

"Oh, really? So your dad is just a little side trouble in your life. Nothing significant. Did you forget the pain of the punches? The kicks? And the belts? Don't you remember the burns on your back? Don't you remember how painful these things were to get? Did you forget all the pains your father gave you? Or..."

Aaron watched as the slightest wicked grin played by the edge of Daddy's lip as he reached a hand towards his face, his fingertips gently caressing his jaw before wrapping themselves around it and tugging Aaron closer to him. Daddy glared, then continued:

"Or do you need me to remind you of all the pain, if you know what I mean."

Aaron immediately understood that he was threatening of physically abusing him, much like his father had done to him. But instead of fear flaring in his gut, instead of fright ceasing the function of his brain and shutting the strength he'd mustered for himself, something entirely else happened in Aaron. Something odd filled him, something comforting wrapped around his heart.

Impossibly, Aaron relaxed.

He relaxed at the thought of Daddy becoming closer to a replica of his father; he relaxed when he realized that he was far too familiar with such pains and such people. He relaxed when he felt that Daddy wasn't anymore as much as the scary psycho, and now instead closer to the type of abuser he'd grown up with.

Daddy frowned as he felt the tension and unease melt from Aaron. He felt it as his shoulders relaxed, felt it as his lips pulled up into a lazy smile. His grey eyes were filled with amusement, and he heaved in a content sigh.

Daddy's eyebrows dropped as the smile lingered on Aaron's lips. "Why are you smiling?"

Aaron shrugged.

"Don't shrug."

Aaron shrugged again.

"So now you're all chill, huh? Where did you bring all the courage from?"

Aaron adjusted slightly in his seat, leaning back. "It's ridiculous how much you're acting like my dad right now. I've lived with him all my life, I'm used to the shit people like him do. And I have nothing to hang onto anymore; I don't care about what happens to me here anymore."

"I'm not like him," Daddy hissed, the frown on his face sharpening. He looked offended. "I'm protecting you from him, okay? You are the problem here. You have too much pride to even accept help." Cupping the side of Aaron's head with one hand, he slowly twirled a thick strand around his pointer, and when it was all curled around it, he pulled at the root.

Aaron grunted and squeezed his eyes shut for a fraction of a second. "Understand? I was always good with you," Daddy said. "But you weren't accepting anything. You were the one who used us and acted. I'm just protecting you."

"Protecting me?" Aaron snorted. "You're pulling my hair right now. You're doing a pretty shitty job at protecting me, y'know."

"I'm not pulling your hair, what are you talking about?" Daddy stopped tugging at his hair, his fingertips sinking in instead until they grazed Aaron's scalp, rubbing it like he'd never even pulled the roots in the first place. "I'm not hurting you. You're the problem here. You don't want to see how we're helping you." Another wicked, tight smile twisted the edges of his mouth up as he continued; he watched Aaron stare back cautiously, and he could see the urge to move away in the uncertainty within his face.

"No one will love you like we do, Aaron. We're the only ones who'll ever love you and take care of you."

Aaron stared for a little longer before pushing Daddy's hand off his hair and pressing himself against the backrest, further away from him. "You're disgusting."

"The girl you like." Daddy leant back and Aaron's head shot up confusedly before a surge of anger filled his gut; he didn't want a psycho like him even remotely bringing her up into this sick discussion. "Do you think she likes you back? I don't think so. Of course not. I'm sure she forgot about you by now. You're so easily forgettable, Aaron. No one would remember you. She's probably hanging out with her new boyfriend now. You're surely not important to her. You're not important to anyone there."

"I wasn't her boyfriend. We were best friends. Get your facts straight before you talk. You don't even know how to stalk properly," Aaron said. "And even if she doesn't like me back, even if she likes another guy..." His heart ached at the thought of her with another boy. "I admit, I'd be jealous as hell. But I can't force her to like me. I don't force people to do things like you do."

"She doesn't like you. There's nothing to like about you, you said it yourself. There's nothing nice in you for her to fall in love with. Just like there's nothing in you for your dad to be proud of." Daddy's voice was robotic. Monotonous. "We're the only ones who'll ever see the good in you. We're the only ones who will ever love you."

"Good for you. I don't need anyone to love me at all."

The anger began building further in Daddy. He hated how nothing was working with Aaron—that boy was so stubborn, so strong-headed when he wanted to be. He hated how he wasn't submitting, how he wasn't waning to his words or craving the love he was talking about. How could he be so nonchalant?

"Leo is better than you." Daddy was hoping this would work before he'd lose it; he felt it in his boiling blood. In his itching fist. "Everyone is better than you. And it'll stay like that until you drop some of your pride. Until your ego deflates and you allow us to love you. Until you be a good baby boy. My baby boy. You're just so arrogant and prideful that you don't even want to accept that you're helpless and need someone. That's weakness. You're weak, we're strong. You need our help, you need our protection."

"I won't fall for this. I'm not an idiot."

"Are you saying your brother is an idiot?"

"No. Leo isn't an idiot; he's just way too innocent. You used him. You used the fact that he doesn't know anything against him and made him accept this. If he just went to school and actually lived before he would be exactly like me right now. He just doesn't know, he doesn't understand what you're doing to him."

Daddy watched Aaron intently for a moment, then suddenly leant forwards until they were nose to nose, grasping his wrists and slamming them down onto the armrests of the chair. Aaron tried to move them, but the captor's fingers latched around his wrists like leather belts, giving him absolutely no chance to move. "Why are you so stubborn? Why can't you just be a good baby boy? Why do you always have to act like you can do everything by yourself?"

Aaron hated how he couldn't move, hated how Daddy was in his face and how the frustration was boiling in his chest where it was confined. He wanted some personal space at that moment, and the lack of it along with the growing annoyance made his fingertips yearn to scratch down his own skin. Except he couldn't even do that with Daddy holding his wrists down.

"Can you, like, move away? Give me space to breathe at least!"

Daddy let go of Aaron and leant back. "Don't shout like that." He'd barely given him a second to pull in some proper air before his strong hand found his knee and latched onto it tightly, squeezing the solid bone and forcing him to stop moving at all; his fingers pressed into the small dips and gaps in the joint, and they kept adding pressure until Aaron felt like they'd perforated the bone, until he felt like his knee had been cracked.

"Holy shit, that hurts." Aaron held Daddy's wrist and tried to tug it off his knee. In vain. Daddy watched his baby squeeze his eyes shut; watched as his thick lashes drooped until they almost grazed by his cheekbones. Maybe pain would teach him to accept. But then when Aaron's eyelids relaxed again, Daddy could see that glistening sheen of amusement in his eyes just as his lips also turned to a small smile. "I didn't know knees could hurt that much. You're about to break my kneecap."

Why the hell is he smiling? Daddy thought.

"Why... why can't you just accept things!" he shouted. "Why are you so stubborn! You're ruining everything!"

And at this very moment, Daddy felt his hand slip off the steering wheel, felt himself lose his awareness entirely. He felt the the blood in his veins that throbbed and pulsed with anger cry out for a missing element in the stream; his body was burning for the effect of the medicine swarming through his blood, was screaming for it to come and cool the flames within his chest and the lava swimming in his veins. The muscles in his face, in his hands and shoulders—everywhere, really—tensed so visibly Aaron could see them stiffen.

It reminded him exactly of his dad.

And in a brief moment of awareness through the blinding anger, Daddy could recognize that he was about to lose it. He watched his own hands tremble, and he willed them to stop. Calm down, Daddy thought. Calm down before you do something. He let go of Aaron's knee, then sprang out of the chair and tried turning back, turning away and controlling the anger.

Aaron rose to his feet and moved away from the chair, watching cautiously as Daddy stood there breathing harshly. But before he had the chance to move or speak, Daddy lost the moment of clarity, and soon he lurched towards Aaron. He grasped his arms, then slammed him back against the wall. The back of Aaron's head crashed with the wall and it sent a dull throb pulsating through his skull, and another slowly creeping down his spine.

"Aaron." Daddy's voice was dangerously warning. It barely seeped out through the grit of his teeth, but when it did it came with a menacing, sharp yet muffled effect to it. "You're my baby boy, but you're making me so angry. You're not a good boy right now. Not at all."

"I'm not a good boy? Oh no. How sad."

"What happened to you? Why are you acting like that?"

"I have nothing to lose," Aaron said. "I told you I don't care anymore. I don't care about what happens to me. Do whatever you want."

The skin just below Daddy's eye twitched for a split second. His hands tightened around Aaron's arms further, and the constriction around his flesh almost shut out the bloodstream. He opened his mouth to speak, but it was at that second that they both heard footsteps pattering just behind the door, a dark shadow spreading across the floor from beneath the door as they passed.

"Everything fine in there?" Mommy asked.

Mischief became apparent in Aaron's expression. Daddy saw it. He could read it, could see how something went on in Aaron's brain and reflected in the state of his eyes; they said a lot about him, and he knew he wanted to bust him in front of her.

Daddy felt the first thin tendril of panic slither around his heart at the thought of Mommy seeing how he was treating Aaron. She wouldn't understand how stubborn he was, she wouldn't understand that it was Aaron's fault. All of this.

Aaron had barely managed to talk when Daddy slapped down a hand onto his mouth and muffled any noise he'd planned to let out. He kept it there as he craned his neck and looked at the door. "Everything's fine. Aaron isn't talking to me. Little boy is too mad at me. I'm trying to make it up for him, though. Don't worry

"Oh... okay then." Mommy's footsteps began moving again, and her shadow faded as she went further away from the door.

Daddy looked at Aaron with a smirk, but it was replaced with a frown as soon as he noticed something about him; he couldn't see his lips to confirm the smile he had on, but he could see the reflection of a smile in his eyes. And soon, he felt two sharp tips sink into he skin of his palm, canines nipping on his flesh painfully deep until he had to pull his hand away and grunt.

Aaron took the chance. "Lou—"

His voice had barely managed to slip past his lips when Daddy's hand on the back of his head quickly turned him and slammed his face into the wall behind him; his nose crashed the most, and a sharp pain sank through the skin to the muscles and reached to the bones, slowly sending expanding twinges up the gentle slope of the bridge until it settled in a pounding pressure in his forehead.

Daddy had done it to startle him enough to make a move; the panic at the thought of Mommy and Lou finding him being so violent with Aaron started expanding further, and now he needed to shut him up. Aaron had barely recovered from the pain when he heard creaking then scraping of wood against wood; there was some brief shuffling in the background before he found a rag Daddy had brought from a drawer suddenly ambushing his face—he thought he was going to be drugged again, but he was wrong.

Instead, Daddy shoved the rag roughly in his mouth.

Aaron felt like it was just an inch far from touching his throat, and he gagged, quickly trying to reach over and pull it out. And when Daddy tugged his hand away, Aaron tried spitting it out; alas, that didn't work with how far it was shoved in, and he almost choked on it instead.

Footsteps hurried forward again and someone stood behind the door. "Uh, are you sure you're fine in there?"

"I said it's all fine." The growing fear of exposure in Daddy began taking down the anger and gradually replacing it with nerves; it was like Mommys authoritative voice had managed to breakthrough the shell of anger around him, and suddenly, he felt another moment of clarity—but instead of realizing his mistake towards Aaron and hurrying to fix it, he settled on hiding it as much as he could. He looked at Aaron, leaning in towards his ear and whispering directly into it.

"Don't make any noise, understand?"

How am I supposed to talk with a rag in my mouth you idiot? Aaron thought.

Aaron whimpered around the fabric and tried to remove it again; Daddy saw him reaching up and sighed at his determination, before suddenly grasping his arm, then quickly turned him, capturing him in an armlock without giving Aaron even a second to register until he was completely helpless with his arm held tightly behind his back and his shoulder slowly beginning to complain at the pressure pulling it at an awkward angle

Back to the armlocks, Aaron thought.

Aaron immediately remembered two things: one, that Daddy was a professional kick boxer, and two, what Lou had said that there was no way out of an armlock with a pro doing it. And connecting the two together, he quickly concluded that trying would not even be remotely effective; the moment he even moved his free hand back to pull down at his wrist as Lou had instructed, Daddy quickly slammed his other shoulder against the wall.

A muffled cry of pain rumbled from his throat and pressed against the rag in his mouth as the bruise on his arm was slammed into the wall; all the pain suddenly mixed together—the pain of his shoulder as his arm was pulled beyond his back, the pain of his other shoulder as it was pushed and squeezed further and further against wall, the pain flaring through the bones of his nose from the previous crash; they were all ringing together at the same time.

It all reminded him of his life with his father.

Aaron's hearing registered the words that were being said above his head as nothing more than annoying muffled murmurs; he couldn't quite comprehend them with the pain engulfing him and the chaos in his head rising—memories, memories, memories; they were so awful, and it was like what was happening now was a tiny glimpse back to the situation at home; he felt like Daddy's face was occasionally morphing into his father's, and it hurt.

There was a rapid, panicked exchange of sharp words again and then a strong thump against the door; this, Aaron's ears had managed to catch. Then another thump. And then, the door flung open with a loud squeal of creaking wood; first came a crack, then a disturbing crunch.

And then Lou barged in, wide-eyed and alarmed as he held his shoulder in pain.

His jaw dropped as he took in the sight: the rag in Aaron's mouth, how Daddy had him in an armlock from one side and had his other shoulder squeezed against the wall. Aaron was squirming and struggling but in vain.

Just as Lou made a move to go in, Mommy barreled in as well and pushed past him, taking a second to absorb the horrible scene before her. Daddy stopped moving, keeping Aaron in his clutch and unable to let go as he realized he'd been busted. The shame gripped him, and the anger slowly started fading away.

Mommy walked closer and ripped Aaron away from Daddy, then quickly pulled the rag out of his mouth. Aaron coughed a few times until his breath evened out again. A burst of air slipped down his throat. It felt refreshing after the restriction, but almost overwhelming.

Mommy caught Aaron's arms, turning him towards her as she took in his state: two red marks stood at both sides of his jaw where Daddy's fingers had pressed against. And as her eyes trailed down his front and dropped to his bare feet, she noticed the red mark on top of one and the white scratches on his toenail.

She closed her eyes and her hands slipped off his arms. "Take Aaron out, Lou," she demanded, turning to look at Daddy, whose eyes had planted themselves on the ground, never once leaving the comfort of avoiding the gazes he knew would be filled with disappointment. He tried not to think of what he'd done to Aaron, of what he'd said and how he'd hurt him; he didn't want to think about how far the anger had driven him.

Lou cautiously stepped forward and caught Aaron's arm, urging him away towards the door as Mommy glared at Daddy. She willed herself to wait until Aaron was out, but the longer she looked at Daddy's downcast lashes and his silent lips, the more the urge grew. And then, before Aaron was out, she did it.

She slapped Daddy.

She slapped him hard.

She'd pulled her arm far behind before swinging it forwards, her hand flying with such power that a sickening loud noise rang though the room as the flat of her palm crashed with Daddy's cheek; it left a large red mark right in the middle of the wide surface of his skin, and Aaron could see it clearly from his spot at the threshold.

Mommy tried stopping herself, but at this point she was too angry to even care that Aaron was still in the room. She grasped Daddy's sweater and pushed him against the wall, jabbing an accusing finger in his chest. "Monster," she spat. "You're just like his dad. Just like him. If you ever even touch him again, I'll break your hands one by one. Try me."

Daddy remained silent for a moment. He stared at his hands intently again, and for a second he couldn't believe what he'd done. He'd abused his own baby boy. Sure it was still his fault, but he knew he shouldn't have gone that far. "I messed up," he confessed. "I said a lot of shit to him. I was so angry because he's just so stubborn, I wasn't even thinking, I was just angry because he's ruining everything."

Mommy leant to his ear. "Too angry? Because you haven't been taking your medicines. I checked now, don't even try to deny. Why, Dom, why?"

They talked in covert whispers; only they could hear themselves. Daddy sighed. "I didn't know it would be that bad. I thought I was doing better."

"You were doing better because of the medicines, idiot! Now trust me when I say that I'll attack anyone who hurts my son, and you aren't an exception. If you hurt him one more time, just one more time..."

As Mommy continued shaming, Lou turned to check on Aaron. "You fine?" He asked as he gently caught Aaron's chin and assessed his nose.

Aaron nodded. He wasn't really shaken at the physical abuse he'd undergone, because he'd never really trusted Daddy when it came to hurting him in different ways and he'd known he could do that at some point. It was more what he'd said that came like venom to Aaron's heart; the thought of himself being really forgettable, being nothing to anyone—those were what slowly clawed at his soul, and the wounds bled out the remnants of what his father used to say; his words had fallen far back in the shadows of his mind, almost forgotten with how everyone here made him sound important. But now they all rose again at once.

You're worthless, Aaron. No one wants you. No one loves you.

"I'm so sorry I didn't come earlier." Lou's heart ached at Aaron's lack of emotion; he hated how never really showed when he was hurt or upset, only keeping it to himself.

"No. It's fine." Aaron looked back at Mommy and Daddy, watching as they still bickered.

And everyone was so caught up at that moment either watching or shouting angrily or squirming in shame, that no one noticed Leo standing in the background just behind the threshold, watching the scene unfold.

His heart had dropped as he'd heard the crash of the door, and he'd battled himself with fear until he'd finally pattered over to the room, and when he'd come he wished he never had; every part of his being cried, his bones cried, his muscles cried, his cells and nerves—they all wept as he watched his family fall apart, as he watched Mommy shout like she'd never done before, her voice like knives to his ears. He'd been hidden by the door and he'd seen how Daddy had caught Aaron, squeezing him against the wall. And that had been what had angered him the most.

"Why can't you all be nice to each other?"

Everyone turned to Leo once they'd heard his voice. Leo trudged in, standing in the middle and eyeing everyone.

"Oh, goodness, Leo—" Mommy tried, but Leo interrupted her.

"Why did you hurt Aar, Daddy?" Leo narrowed his eyes at him, and for the first time in so long, malice flooded them; the anger was vivid, almost appalling. Eyes that were once so large and innocent, filled with passion and hope, now lockets that cradled disappointment. "I saw you. You were hurting him like you hurt him when we were outside—"

"Leo, I was so angry. I didn't know what I was doing—"

"I'm talking. Don't talk when I'm saying something important, Daddy." Leo scowled at him. "We both have brothers, right? Uncle Lou is your brother, and Aar is my brother."

Everybody in the room subconsciously nodded.

Leo let the sentence sink in before continuing. "You don't like anyone hurting your brother, right, Daddy? Would you like it if I hurt Uncle Lou?" His voice held within surprisingly effective shaming accusation; Daddy cringed as his own son chided him, and he knew he deserved it. Leo's shoulders tensed, and he shouted out angrily:

"And I don't like it when you hurt my brother either!"

This pricked Daddy's heart, but then a tiny figment of the remains of the anger ignited again.

And now my son hates me because of Aaron, Daddy thought. Well done, Aaron.

Leo stood there for a moment, glaring at Daddy, before grasping Aaron's arm and towing him behind as he suddenly stormed out. Aaron didn't find it in him to let him down after he'd just tried to protect him, so he just moved along silently.

But then Leo stopped before going too far, turning back to the adults who stood stunned in the room.

"Daddy, you need to stand in the naughty corner for a lot, like five days."

All the captors didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

And it was when Leo declared his own judgement and punishment that he felt satisfied enough to keep moving until he brought Aaron to a small cozy living room he'd never seen in the second floor. Aaron didn't even care enough to take in the furniture, the color of the walls and floors—all his blurry eyes could make out was a couch, and he hurried towards it, plopping down and curling up as he rested his pounding head on the armrest.

Leo climbed up, sprawling down across the space left and resting his head on Aaron's leg. They both remained quiet, and they closed their eyes as they tried savoring the silence that settled upon their skin. After all the time they'd spent together, they could understood each other through looks only, they could converse with their eyes without a single word slipping. Leo was the only thing Aaron didn't hate about this place.

Erika and Leo—the only people he cared about.

Aaron and Leo drowned in the silence, saying nothing, doing nothing, just laying with their eyes closed as they felt each other's pain. Until a soft thump against the door had them both jerking their heads towards it, alarmed.

Leo prepared himself to attack and protect Aaron if it turned to be Daddy. But it was Lou who slowly opened the door and slipped inside, trudging closer with his eyes downcast. "Can I join?" he asked with a sheepish half-smile.

"No," Aaron mumbled as he buried his face in the armrest tiredly before turning again and resting his cheek on it.

"Grumpy cat." Lou messed with Aaron's hair a little before patting his head, gesturing him to make space. Aaron reluctantly pulled himself up, and Leo did so as well, both scooting aside to make space for Lou.

Lou threw himself down lazily with a sigh, then leant back and stared at the ceiling. "I'm sorry about what happened," he whispered to Aaron, making sure Leo wouldn't hear. "And honestly, it shocked us all. No matter how angry he gets, he usually never flips out that violently on someone he loves."

Aaron shrugged. "So he doesn't love me. I'm glad he doesn't, really."

Lou didn't say anything, and so did Aaron for a moment before something sparked in his mind. He gave Leo a quick glance; he was already beginning to slip into a nap, curled up on the other end of the couch with his lashes gathered together. He could sleep so easily. "Did he ever do that to Leo?"

Lou shook his head firmly. "Never." They both appreciated that; Aaron could handle what happened, but they weren't sure Leo could—the person he thought of as his savior and father figure hurting him so violently would shatter him. "You should be thankful. As horrible as what he did was, I'm honestly relieved he didn't do anything worse. Trust me when I say he can get real crazy when he gets angry. I mean it."

"Like when?"

Lou smiled bitterly. That night.

"One night. Shit happened. I'll never forget that day. Never."

"What did he do?" Aaron pressed. "What happened?"

"I love you and all, but you're not about to make me tell you this kind of personal shit." Lou gave Aaron a playful grin, tapping his nose mockingly before raising an eyebrow. "Comprende, hermano?"

"Alright. I get it. You speak Spanish. I don't."

Aaron knew he wouldn't get anything
out of him, so he just dropped it. Lou relaxed back into the couch, his eyes carefully tracing every edge and corner in the ceiling. A bitter smile made the edge of his lips twitch; awful times, yet it reminded him of when Daddy was still fully Dominic, the person he was with all his flaws yet not a kidnapper.

That night.

*_*_*_*_*

So how was Aaron vs Dominic? Did you worry he'd actually surrender to Daddy and accept?

(Also—i completely forgot i had to upload a chap today lmao. I edited it super fast last minute so i didn't get the chance to cut out more of the dumb meaningless descriptions/fix typos. Sorry about that!)

Thank you for reading/voting/commenting!! And get ready for the captors' flasback❤️