Hey everyone! :) Back with chapter 16, and I promise, things will get better now! :D
Thank you Gypsyrose98 for being such a loyal and amazing reviewer! :)
Hope you all like this chapter!
It was dark. Everything was dark. For a second, Tom thought Aurelius had taken his vision away again, and he was close to a panic attack already when he realized that he was able to see- once his eyes had gotten used to the darkness, he saw the moonlight shining into his cell, and he saw some kind of light coming from the hallway, too. He blinked, still groggy from sleep, wondering what had woken him up- he usually slept through the night when he was swaddled, never even stirring in his sleep.
And then he noticed he had to pee.
Of fucking course this has to happen now.
Tom closed his eyes again, forcing back the tears. He was swaddled tight enough he could not even roll over, and there was no way out of this blanket for him- unless Aurelius let him out, and that has gotten even more unlikely after their conversation the day before, and him screaming at Aurelius that he hated him and wanted him dead.
He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the increasing pressure on his bladder, and then he tried to go back to sleep by squeezing his eyes shut and by thinking of something, anything but the urge to go to the bathroom.
None of it worked, so he started to count quietly, hoping it would help him to get tired again, "twenty-one…twenty-two…twenty-three…twenty-four…"
Ten minutes later, his mouth was dry from counting, and his need to relieve his bladder had gotten urgent.
Tom knew he could not give in to that need though, Aurelius was already hating him after what had happened, and he would most likely give him the switching of a lifetime if he found him in his own piss in the morning, not to forget that he would have another reason to think he was nothing but a useless, weak little boy.
Not that I care what that piece of shit thinks of me.
He turned his head, trying to wiggle his body, but Aurelius had done a good job- the swaddle did not budge. Tom groaned, tossing and turning his head, the pressure on his bladder now bordering on painful, "why does this have to happen now?", he whispered into the darkness, hating that he was giving Aurelius another reason to punish him, after he was already in for a lot of pain for trying to escape. No one answered, there was only silence- and he groaned again, his bladder feeling like it was about to burst.
"Is…anyone there?", he called out, desperation in his voice. Maybe, if he was really lucky, Aurelius kept some house elves down here to watch over him during the night, and maybe one of them would hear him, and come help him…
Silence. Just…silence.
"I…I need out! Please!", he forced back the tears again, hating this, how vulnerable he was, that he was not even in charge of taking a piss whenever he wanted, that no one gave a damn if he peed himself now, that he was lonely, that Aurelius hated him, that he would never get out of this cell again…
"Please, I need help! Please!", he choked on his tears, his voice agitated and full of despair, "I need out!"
I can't hold it much longer, I can't, I can't, please…
"It's three in the morning", Aurelius' voice sounded raspy, like someone sounds who had just woken up, "what's wrong, baby? Did you have a nightmare?", he opened the door and walked over to him, and Tom stared at him like he was a hallucination, "I…I need…out…to…the…bathroom", he finally croaked, his bladder still screaming for relief, and for a quick, horrid moment he thought Aurelius would simply turn around now, go back to his bed, and tell him that this was what he deserved for deceiving him and trying to run away- laying in his own urine for the rest of the night.
"Of course…you did not go to the bathroom before I swaddled you…let me get you out", and then he carefully unwrapped him, and once Tom was able to move, he hastily made his way to the bathroom, the only, urgent thought on his mind to release his bladder.
This…feels…great…
He sighed with relief when he was finally able to pee, and once he was done, he flushed the toilet and automatically went to wash his hands- Aurelius had trained him well. The thought of Aurelius made him want to cry again, and then he thought of somethingelse- something horrifying.
I woke him up. I made him come down here in the middle of the night to let me go use the bathroom, something he could avoid if…
He suddenly could not move, the realization what Aurelius might do to him now to punish him for letting him come help him at three in the fucking morning too much. He sobbed, the sound desperate and sad and afraid, and he knew he had to go back, he knew he could not stay in the bathroom forever, but he was scared- scared of what would wait out there for him, scared of what Aurelius would do to him now.
"Everything okay in there?", Aurelius' voice did not sound as raspy anymore, it sounded calm and even- like it mostly did.
He'd never have anything like this happen to him- he has way too much control for that.
Tom bit his lips, hanging his head. He did not remember ever feeling more small and miserable than now when he slowly left the bathroom, dragging the hated chain along behind him. He avoided to look at Aurelius, he just went back to the mattress, but he could not bring himself to lay down- the thought alone was causing him to panic again, and seconds later, his body was trembling, his eyes filling with tears.
"You never answered my question, Tommy", and why the fuck did Aurelius had to call him that now? Here?
"I am fine, Aurelius", he replied automatically, forcing his voice to be steady, "thank you, Aurelius."
There was a silence, and eventually, he could hear Aurelius sigh, "what's wrong? Did you hurt yourself?"
"No, Aurelius."
Another silence.
"Alright- I guess it's time to get you ready then. Lay down and hold still for me."
No! Nononono!
His vision whitened, and he had not even realized he had taken a step back until he heard the chain rattling, and then he sobbed, "I…please…I know…I know you're angry, but…please…not…not…that…I didn't…mean to…wake…you", he sobbed again, "I…won't…do it…again, I swear, I promise, I…"
"Tommy?"
"Ye…yes?", he could barely speak between the sobs, his face already wet with tears.
"What do you think I am going to do to you?", Aurelius' voice was still very calm, and Tom kept crying, hiding his face in his hands from the humiliation, "I…you…I've heard…training…at night…to…to avoid…", he couldn't say it, he couldn't say it out loud, and as it turned out, he did not have to- because Aurelius finally understood.
"You think I am going to diaper you, Tommy?", his voice had gotten soft, and when Tom started to cry out loud, sobbing in misery, he sighed, "shhh…Tommy- I won't do that to you. Not now, and not ever. That's what you were crying about in the bathroom?"
"I…I heard…that…sometimes…for…training…", he was still sobbing, not daring to look at Aurelius.
"Yes, putting someone in diapers can be used for training- but that's a whole different type of training, Tommy. What I am doing here with you is obedience training- and that does not intend to break you, baby bear."
"But…I…woke you…and…I…you…were so mad…cause…I…ran…out…"
"Come here."
Tom obeyed automatically, sitting down on the mattress next to Aurelius, who was sitting with his back to the wall now, "I was very angry with you last night- and do you want to know why?"
"Because I…disobeyed you."
"Well, that too- but also, because I had this hope, this small hope that you actually would not want to run away anymore, that you would want to be my good boy now."
Tom sobbed again, the shame making him flush, "I…just…I hate the training. I hate…to be so weak."
"You are not weak, Tommy. Giving in to something you don't want to do is a sign of strength, not weakness", Aurelius told him softly, "and I was actually impressed how much progress you have made- before you decided to start your little scheme."
"Why…didn't you…say anything then, if you…knew I was…faking it?"
"I wanted to see you if I could convince you otherwise- I thought…maybe if I let you have more privileges, and let you do fun things like make your own tea…and, I thought you liked getting snuggled, and the goodnight kisses", Aurelius' voice had gotten quiet, "but I guess I was wrong."
Tom felt his stomach churn at those words, "I…I did like the snuggles", he whispered, it was easier to admit that in the faint twilight around them, "and…when you called me your sweet boy. I didn't…fake that. I was…I just…always thought you'd be glad when I was gone."
"And why would I be glad about that?"
"Because then…you can get yourself a…a…better…someone else to train. Someone who actually can be your…your sweet boy", his voice broke, and he had to blink back tears again.
"Look at me, Tommy."
He did, even though he did not want to, and when he looked at Aurelius, he was smiling, "why do you think I am doing all this, Tommybear?"
"Because…Gryffindor told you to?"
That made him laugh, "no, baby- because I know you can be a very sweet boy if you want to, Tommy. My sweet boy."
He stared at him, "but…I thought you…you hate me, and…all the things I said yesterday…"
Aurelius sighed again, shaking his head, "oh, Tommy…I don't hate you. You were angry yesterday, and I was angry, and I think we both said things we did not mean, hmm?"
"Was mad at you for…putting the chain back on", he mumbled, "I…hate that thing."
"I know, Tommy."
"And cause…you called me a…a bad boy. That sucked."
"I know, Tommy."
"And…because you did not…you did not snuggle me", he whispered, his voice thick with shame, "and…you…you always snuggle me at bedtime."
"I know, Tommy", Aurelius' voice was soft, "I was so upset yesterday what you said about…my parents, and…I did not want you to see how much that affected me."
"I'm sorry", Tom said quietly, "I did not…actually mean that. I was just…so angry. Are they…really…getting a divorce?"
"It looks like it, yes", Aurelius tried to keep his voice even, but Tom could hear the underlining sadness, "but…that's not your fault, right? I mean…they need to figure that out with each other."
Aurelius let out a small laugh, "easier said than done- I know it's not my fault, but I can't help to feel guilty about it. I just…want our family to be happy again, so that I can be happy."
"I never had a family- and I was happy", Tom stated, but when Aurelius raised an eyebrow, he blushed, "uhm…I mean, I was mostly happy. Still don't see the point in having a family, though- just a bunch of people bossin' you around. I am fine on my own."
"Mmmmhh…", Aurelius was smiling, "family is not just to get bossed around, little bear- it's also to get loved. And snuggled."
Tom turned dark red, glad that Aurelius was unable to see that in the fading darkness, "and…and trained?", he asked quietly.
"That as well, yes", Aurelius replied, his voice just as quiet, and then he gently started to caress Tom's hair with one hand, and Tom blinked, carefully resting his head on Aurelius' shoulder.
"Aurelius?"
"Yes, Tommy?"
"I didn't…I didn't mean it. When I said…that I hate you."
"That's good to know, baby bear", Aurelius sounded amused, still caressing his hair, "are you ready to lay down and get swaddled now, Tommy?"
"You…you really won't…put me in diapers?"
"No, Tommy, I won't. I promise."
"But…what if…I am…different…and…I…I need them?"
"You mean when you regress?", Aurelius asked softly, and Tom nodded, flushing again.
"So far, you were still a big boy when you regressed- but if you ever regressed to a baby boy, I'd most likely put you in training pants, Tommy- just to keep you safe."
Tom's flush deepened at that, the thought alone utterly humiliating, "why…why is that even happening to me?", he whispered, the shame making it difficult to speak.
"You regress because you are feeling safe enough to do so now- and because I think you never were really happy as a little boy, hmm?", Aurelius' voice was full of compassion, "and now you can be."
"I don't…like it. It's…not normal."
"Mental regression is actually quite normal for someone who has experienced some trauma or neglect in his childhood, Tommybear", Aurelius told him softly, "and you are the sweetest little boy when you regress- making me so proud, and so happy."
"You don't…think I am annoying? With all…my silly questions, and…the stupid stuff I say?"
"You are curious, Tommy, not annoying- and I think your questions have always been very thoughtful- well, maybe expect for the one about the bat peeing while hanging upside down", he sounded amused again, a huge grin on his face, and Tom could not help it, he had to smile, "I've always wondered that", he eventually admitted, "I sometimes…when I felt different before, I just…I got really drunk, drunk enough to forget everything, and then…when I woke up again, the…the feeling was gone."
"You suppressed it", Aurelius said softly, "that can work for some time, but not forever, Tommy."
"So…it's gonna happen again?"
"Yes, Tommy."
"And…when is it going to stop?"
"Whenever your subconsciousness thinks you are stable and happy enough to act your age, but you might still have little episodes of regression when you act like a much smaller boy."
"But…you'll be there when that happens, right?"
"Of course, baby bear- someone needs to answer all those questions of yours, remember?", Aurelius sounded like he was smiling, and Tom carefully nuzzled his head into his chest, yawning quietly, "then…maybe…I can…I don't need to…stop it now?"
"You are feeling different right now, baby?"
"Yah."
"Come here", Aurelius pulled him even closer, and then he made him put his head on his lap, "how about a story, Tommybear?"
"About…bats?"
"About one naughty little bat who took a wrong turn on the way home- and when he got all scared, his brother came to help him."
"His…brother?"
"Mmmmhh…brothers can be useful for those kind of things, Tommy", he had a feeling Aurelius was not only talking about the story anymore, but he was too sleepy to think more about it.
"Want my story, please", he mumbled, snuggling closer to Aurelius, "and more…snuggles."
Aurelius laughed softy, "getting quite demanding there again, baby bat?", but he did not sound upset and Tom's lips curled into a smile at the nickname, "Relius?"
"Yes, Tommy?"
"I…like it when you call me that", he whispered, "you can…call me that all the time. If you want."
"Baby bat you mean?"
"Yah. I did not…I was just so embarrassed when I told you not to call me that, but…I liked it. I like…all the things you call me."
"Even when I call you naughty boy?", Aurelius teased him, and when Tom grumbled something, he had to laugh, "alright. Ready for your story now, my little sleepy bat?"
"Yes, please."
Sweet boy.
Aurelius bent down and gave him a soft kiss in his tousled hair, and then he started to tell Tom the story of Briegel the Bat who got lost in the woods one night, and Tom listened quietly, and by the time Aurelius got to the part where Briegel was asking an owl who was passing by for help, Tom fell asleep, his head still on his lap.
"You're my sweet boy, Tommy", Aurelius told him quietly, "and that will never change", he gently lifted Tom's head, causing the older boy to whine in his sleep, and it made him chuckle, "shhh…just a second, sleepy bear", he carefully stretched himself out on the mattress, pulling Tom next to him, and the boy instinctively nuzzled his face into his neck, breathing evenly.
"Goodnight, my little bat- have some wonderful dreams."
And then Aurelius fell asleep, too, holding Tom in his arms all night, and they both slept peacefully, and both of them slept with a smile on their face.
Remus sighed in defeat, staring at the door to Snape's office, which, seconds ago, had been slammed into his face again. He had tried several times within the last days to talk to Snape, and every single time Snape had informed him shortly- and rudely- that he was busy.
Gryffindor had asked him about his progress with spying on Snape at their last meeting a few days ago, and Remus had been embarrassed to admit that he had nothing. Absolutely nothing. Snape's role in the war was still a mystery, and with the Dark Order destroyed and Voldemort gone, it was basically just Dumbledore's army against Gryffindor's army now, which had recruited more and more Slytherins after Dumbledore had announced that all of the Death Eaters were in Azkaban now.
Snape would be a powerful ally in case he really was supporting Dumbledore- but Remus had been too afraid to ask him that directly since he did not know for sure what side Snape was on. He had been lucky that he had not been spotted during their failed attack on Dumbledore that had turned out to be a trap, otherwise, he'd be sitting in Azkaban now as well.
He knew that Ginny and Hermione were keeping track on the Muggleborn students, and he knew that the Weasley twins were spying on Dumbledore, and he knew that Neville and Luna were constantly working on recruiting new members by talking to the other students, and he knew that Harry and Ron helped with coordinating the meetings and also supported Hagrid in reaching out to the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, a task that was necessary since they could be a strong ally for them- it was just a shame that most of them still had loyalties to Voldemort, who was now also in Azkaban- at least that was what Dumbledore claimed.
Remus walked back to his own office, his head hung in defeat. He felt useless- and it also frustrated him that another letter to Sirius, where he had asked him for advice, had been left unanswered.
"How do I get you to trust me, Snape?", he murmured to himself once he was in his office again, pouring himself a cup of tea, "how do I get you to spill your secrets?"
And then, suddenly, he got an idea- a risky one, and a quite…unethical one, but he was at a point of true desperation now. He was going to try and seduce Snape.
"Good morning, baby bat. Time to get up, Tommy."
Tom grumbled something, trying to hide under the blanket, "no…sleepy…"
"It's already ten thirty in the morning, little bear- time to get ready now", he felt a soft tap on his backside, which made him groan, "go…way…sleep!"
"Up you get, baby bear", the next tap was not as soft anymore, and Tom blinked groggily, his eyes heavy with sleep, "no…spankies."
Aurelius just smiled, realizing that Tom was still somewhat regressing, "get up and get ready then, Tommy", he told him calmly, "and then you'll have some breakfast, hmm? I know you must be starving."
Tom nodded, he was starving, and then he slowly got up, and walked over to the wardrobe to get his clothes out, like he had done for the past two weeks. He whimpered when he felt a tug on his leg before he even got there, he had completely forgotten about the chain again, "want out!"
"Not right now, Tommy", Aurelius replied softly, "right now you are going to behave and go to the bathroom- there are clothes waiting for you in there."
"I chose!", tears were welling up in his eyes, "I want chose! Not Relius!", he stomped his foot, causing the chain to rattle, "mean Relius!"
"Come here, Tommy."
The boy instantly flinched at his tone, taking a step back, "no!", he stifled a sob when he saw Aurelius' expression darkening, "so…sorry, Relius!", he started to tremble, and Aurelius sighed, walking over to him, and Tom started to whimper, "'m sorry!"
"Shhh…you are not in trouble, baby bat- thank you for apologizing so nicely", he told him softly, "can you hold still for a second?"
"Yah."
Aurelius smiled, and then he gently put a hand to Tom's forehead, proving to him what he already had suspected: The boy had a fever.
"You're a little warm, Tommy", he said quietly, "is your head hurting you?"
"No. Head is fine."
"Mmmmhh…and are you maybe a little dizzy?"
"No", Tom tilted his head, "I…am fine."
"You're sick, baby bat", Aurelius looked at him with sympathy, "I think you have a fever, Tommybear."
The boy instantly shook his head, "no. I'm not sick. Never sick. I…fine."
"Everyone gets sick once in a while, Tommy", Aurelius began, but Tom shook his head again obstinately, "no. Not sick. I'm not sick."
"There's nothing wrong with being sick, Tommy."
"Not sick!", the boy insisted stubbornly, "need to go…dressed, and then…I can do chores! I can do…everything!"
"The only place you are going is back to your bed, baby bear- after you went to the bathroom. Come on", he led the protesting boy to the bathroom, made him use the toilet, wash his hands, comb his hair and brush his teeth, and the whole time, Tom kept telling him he was not sick, he was fine, and asked him for chores to do.
"There won't be any chores for you today, Tommy- just resting and snuggling until you are feeling better", Aurelius was holding his hand now, something Tom did not even seem to register, and led him back to his mattress, "let's get you comfortable, hmm?"
"Need…chores!", the boys' eyes were filling with tears again, and Aurelius sighed, "why do you want to do chores so badly, Tommy?"
"Relius…mad if I…don't work! Never…sick! Sick…being weak…and…and scary!"
Poor, sweet boy.
"Why do you think it's scary to be sick, baby?", Aurelius asked softly, making Tom lay down on the mattress again, and Tom sobbed, "cause…can't…no one will…help me…can't…be…weak…"
"I am here to help you, sweet boy- and I'll make sure you feel better in no time, baby bear", Aurelius told him softly, his heart hurting for the boy who had to grow up thinking he was not allowed to be sick, was not allowed to be weak and did not deserve anyone helping him, and then he suddenly got an idea, "this is going to be a special how to be sick training- and I know you are going to be my sweet boy and obey, right, Tommy?"
The boy's eyes lit up, "yah. I can be sick, then", he sounded relieved, like he had needed the permission, and Aurelius stomach clenched at that, "alright- the first thing you need to do is drink some juice, Tommy", he waved his hand, making a glass of orange juice and some breakfast appear, and then he waved his hand again, and some healing potions appeared right next to the breakfast tray.
"Open wide, baby bat."
Tom obeyed instantly, allowing him to hold the glass while the emptied the juice, his head hot and feverish. Aurelius made him drink some healing potions after, and then he fed him breakfast, and Tom, whose hands were shivering, made no sign of protest at being fed.
"Now…wh…what…Relius?", he asked him once he had finished eating, his teeth clattering.
"Now we are going to get you nice and cozy, Tommy", Aurelius told him, putting the soft blanket around him, "and then we snuggle."
"And…then?"
"And then we snuggle some more."
Tom's lips curled into a happy smile, and he sighed in content once he was safely snuggled into Aurelius' chest, "this…nice. Like…being sick."
Aurelius laughed softly, "we are going to snuggle when you are feeling better, too, baby bear", he told him, and Tom blinked at him groggily, "pro…mise?"
"I promise."
"Relius?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Can…I have…ice cream, too?"
"Ice cream?"
"Yah. Like…the boy…in the book."
"What book, Tommy?"
Tom blinked, "book…I read", he mumbled, a long, carefully hidden memory coming back, "read it…once. About…a boy, and…he gets sick…and…his brother gets him…ice cream", he secretly loved that book, and even though he was embarrassed about it, kept it hidden under his bed, and when he felt especially lonely, he would sometimes carefully take out the book, and read the chapter where the boy got sick and his older brother got him ice cream over and over and over again- and he always felt better after reading it, even though he did not understand why.
"What kind of ice cream did the brother get him?", Aurelius asked, gently caressing his hair.
"It was…chocolate ice cream with colored sprinkles on top and some gummy bears on the side and whipped cream and a little bit of chocolate sauce", the boy recited instantly, and Aurelius had to smile. There was no way the boy would remember this part that well if he really had only read the book once- but Aurelius was not going to comment on that, grateful that Tom finally allowed him to get that close to him, "hmmm…that sounds very chocolatey to me", he replied, and Tom nodded, "yah, but…it helped the boy. He was not so sick anymore after he ate the ice cream, and…he was smiling. He…told his big brother he loved him, and that was for giving him chocolate ice cream."
Aurelius secretly thought that the boy had probably been telling his brother he loved him for taking care of him while he was sick and cheering him up with a treat, but he knew it was too early to tell Tom that- he would have to show him what he meant.
"Tell you what, if you are my good boy now and take a nap, maybe you can have some ice cream later", he told Tom, "and if you are a very good boy, I'll make sure there are tons of sprinkles on the ice cream."
Tom's eyes went wide, "like…in the book?"
"Just like in the book, yes."
The smile on Tom's face was basically radiant now- and it made Aurelius smile, too.
"Naptime now for sick little boys", he gave the boy a soft kiss on his hair, "close your eyes, baby bear. Time to sleep."
"And then…"
"Shhh…quiet time now, sweet boy. No more talking", he pulled the boy closer, and Tom yawned softly, obediently closing his eyes. Seconds later, he was asleep- the sleep helping him to feel better, and when he woke up an hour later, Aurelius was already waiting for him with some juice- and some medication.
"That's yucky, Relius", Tom eyed the healing potion suspiciously, remembering all too well how nasty it had tasted when he took a spoonful of it this morning, "don't want it."
"It's going to help you get rid of that fever, little bear", Aurelius calmly replied, carefully dropping some of the potion on a spoon, "open wide, Tommy."
"No."
Aurelius raised an eyebrow, "do you not want ice cream, then?"
"I want ice cream, but not this yucky stuff!", Tom exclaimed, crawling back to the end of the mattress, "won't take it!"
"Naughty boy", Aurelius sounded displeased, "now open wide, Tommy- or there won't be any ice cream for you."
"That's not fair! You're mean!", Tom kicked his legs in frustration, "you're nothing but a big bully!", he kicked his legs again, and Aurelius realized what was happening- the boy was feeling safe enough to push the boundaries now while he regressed, and he was trying to see how far he could go with him.
"Last warning, my boy- either open your mouth now, or you'll be in big trouble", he forced his voice to be firm, "and then there definitely won't be any ice cream for you- only good little boys get to have ice cream."
Tom had started to cry, but he was too far gone now to give in, "I won't! I won't!"
"Alright", Aurelius calmly went over to the boy, and then he easily flipped him over and gave his butt a quick swat- not a hard one, the boy was still sick after all, but one that would remind him who was in charge. He ignored Tom's howl of protest, turned him back around, and when Tom opened his mouth to scream at him, he quickly shoved the spoon with the medication in.
"GGGRRFFNN!"
"There- all done", Aurelius stepped back, leaving Tom squirming on the mattress in defeat, "now, do you have anything to say to me, naughty boy?"
"I…I hate you!", tears were streaming down Tom's face, "I…I am never gonna talk to you again! Ever!"
Aurelius had to stifle a smile at the outburst, showing him that the boy was still deep in his regression, "very well then- let me know when you change your mind."
"Won't change my mind!", the boy replied stubbornly, and then he crawled back under the blanket, demonstratively turning his head away from Aurelius.
Naughty little boy.
Aurelius just smiled, and then he walked over to the kitchen area, making himself a tea. He'd let Tom tantrum for a while, waiting for him to calm down. After he had made his tea, he decided to also have a quick snack. He fixed himself a sandwich, and then he carried his tea and sandwich over to the table and started to eat, Tom still steadfastly ignoring him.
Let's see if I can get you to talk to me again, baby bear.
He took his plate and cup back to the kitchen, "time for dessert now…mmmhh, what should I have?", he murmured to himself, seeing Tom's ears perking up at the word dessert, but the boy still wouldn't look at him. He waved his hand, and just like that, everything he needed to make ice cream appeared on the kitchen counter- buckets with different flavors of ice cream in them, small containers with sauces, and lots and lots of jars with toppings- sprinkles, and gummy bears, and smarties, and peanuts, and marshmallows, and whipped cream.
"This is going to be delicious…", he quietly said to himself, "which one should I try first? Oh, I know- the caramel one."
He could see Tom turning around slowly out of the corner of his eyes, and he could see the pure misery on the boy's face when he realized what he was doing. Tom watched silently how he took a scoop of caramel ice cream out of the bucket and added some tiny marshmallows on top of it.
"You…you're having ice cream", the boy sounded heartbroken, even though he tried to make his voice sound casual, "and…sprinkles."
"I am actually going to try these little marshmallows first- and then when I have my second helping, I might have some sprinkles", Aurelius told him calmly, not commenting on the fact that the boy was talking to him again, "there are gummy worms here, too- those look really tasty."
There was a silence.
"Relius?", it was merely a whisper, but Aurelius had no problem understanding him, "yes, sweet boy?", he saw the boy flinch at being called a sweet boy, and then Tom started to sob, "sorry for…being bad! Sorry for being…rude! I want…I want ice cream, too! With sprinkles!"
"What a good boy you are, apologizing so nicely", Aurelius sounded practically proud, and Tom could not help himself for blushing at the praise, a warm, happy feeling spreading in his stomach, "your…your good boy?", he asked tentatively, and Aurelius smiled, "yes, you are my good boy, Tommy- and good boys get ice cream, right?"
"Yah", his eyes lit up with happiness, and then Aurelius let him off the chain so he could walk over to the kitchen, and then he made himself a huge bowl of ice cream, with tons of sprinkles on top, and he managed to eat half of it, and when Aurelius put him down for another nap after, snuggling him close, he smiled at him, his mouth still showing traces of chocolate ice cream, "you…gave me ice cream…like the brother…in the book…you…you are like…my brother…now…", and with that thought, he fell asleep, the smile never leaving his face.
yep...things are getting better from here on out ;) and next chap will have more Tom/ Relius, Snape, aaaaand Sirius again! :D
I'd love some feedback from you!
stay safe!
Antonie :)