Hey hey! :) Back with chapter 18 over here!

Thank you so much Gypsyrose98 for yet another lovely review! I really appreciate your feedback! :)

He had been scared as hell to go back to Hannigsworth, but he was even more scared to have nothing to eat. Therefore, he'd gone back two days after Aurelius had made him kneel on the broken tea set, and while he not expected Hannigsworth to go easy on him, he hoped he'd at least keep his job somehow- after he'd do lots and lots of groveling.

"You have some nerve, kid!", Hannigsworth spat at him as soon as he entered the café which was still closed for the public- he'd kept his key- and then the tall man glared at him, "what was that the other day?"

"I…I came to apologize", Tom mumbled, "I am truly sorry. The…the platter just slipped out of my hands, and…the other boy got very angry."

"These posh assholes always get angry over nothin'- bunch of pussies. He made you kneel on the shatters, eh? Who'd think of that?"

A sadist, that's who.

"Yeah- it hurt like hell for some days, but now it's better", he thought it was a good explanation for why he waited so long to come back, and Hannigsworth seemed to believe him, "I've been crazy busy without you here, after you ran off like that", he snorted, "but I believe in second chances, so here's what we are gonna do: You can keep your job, but you'll replace the tea set from your salary- and you are going to do the cleaning part now as well, I am gonna fire the girl who's doing it. It's a waste of money since I have you."

"Does…does that mean I won't…get paid for the cleaning?"

"That's exactly what that means, kid- you should be lucky I'm even keeping you around after that stunt. Those students are my best customers, and I cannot afford them taking their business somewhere else, got it?"

Cheap bastard.

"Got it."

Tom hated their agreement, but he had no choice- he needed the damn money. He had not dared to tell Gryffindor the other night that Pettigrew had stolen most of the money he'd given him, afraid it would anger the Founder.

"Get to work then- we're opening in thirty minutes."

Tom went into the small kitchen without another word, starting to clean the dishes that were piling up- it looked like Hannigsworth had not bothered to clean anything since he'd left- and then he worked on preparing the things they needed for lunch.

They got busy that day, and Tom had no time to think about his problems, rushing around in the kitchen. He was tired when they closed at six, knowing he'd spent another hour or two cleaning now- for no money.

Hannigsworth left after instructing him to clean the place until it was spotless, and Tom tiredly filled a bucket with water, wishing for a wand and a cleaning spell. He ended up taking almost three hours to clean everything, afraid to miss a spot on his first day, and when he went back to the office that night, he fell into his bed still wearing his clothes. It did not get much better the next days- they were extremely busy, the cleaning was hard work, and he barely had any time for Squirrel. Also, he was terrified of Aurelius coming back.

And about a week after the tea pot incident, he did.

Tom saw him walking in with a friend, tensing immediately. He had been collecting some used tea cups from the tables, and he now hurried to finish his task to get back to the kitchen.

Please don't say anything, please don't say anything, please don't sa…

"Still working here, boy? I am surprised you did not get fired for your insolence", Aurelius' voice was cold, with the usual hint of contempt he seemed to have specifically reserved for him, "well, since you are already standing around uselessly- I'd like to order the lunch special along with a cup of green tea. You think you can remember that?"

"Yes, Aurelius."

"I'll take the same, please", his friend added, sounding much more friendly, "and do you still have the chocolate biscuits? Those were delicious."

"We…we do", Tom replied quietly, "I'll get your order right in", he turned around before Aurelius could make another nasty remark, and while Hannigsworth served them their lunch, he stayed in the kitchen, his whole body trembling.

I wish I could just quit.

Unfortunately, Aurelius and his friends seemed to be regulars at the café, along with lots of students from St. Francis and Seymour's College, so during the next days, he had the pleasure of seeing Aurelius and his friends again and again.

"Get me some caramel cake, boy- and stop lingering. You look like a fool standing around like that."

"Yes, Aurelius."

"A cup of ginger tea- get going."

"Yes, Aurelius."

He sounded sad- not that Aurelius gave a shit. This was his punishment for destroying his family, for manipulating them, lying to them and using the deaging potion to escape from getting send to Azkaban.

I deserve this. I deserve all of it.

Today, Aurelius had come in with a group of college students, all of them talking and laughing loudly, and Tom glanced over them when he cleaned the tables nearby, wishing he'd could be part of them, be part of anything- just for a second.

"What do you think about the exam next week, Aurelius?", one of the college boys now asked, and he could hear Aurelius sigh, "I think it's ridiculous that Professor Mulroney is already letting us take another exam- we're not even done with the topic."

"I agree. He should at least have finished chapter seventeen with us."

"He barely ever cared to finish chapter sixteen- I am already thinking of complaining to the Dean about him", Aurelius sounded completely casual, like he did such things every day, "I don't need anyone wasting my time."

Tom tried not to flinch, hurrying to clean the table in front of him. He dropped a fork in his haste to get done, and the college boys turned their heads towards him, startled by the sudden noise.

"I'm sorry", he said quietly, not daring to look up, "I'll be…right out."

"Don't make promises you cannot keep, Thomas", Aurelius' voice was pure venom, "and stop lingering- this conversation is not for your ears, not that you could understand anything anyways, kitchen boy."

Three or four of the boys laughed at that, "do you know that boy, Aurelius?", one of them eventually asked.

"Of course not- I do not interact with servants", he let out a small, cruel laugh, "anyone want to make a guess why this boy is working here?"

Please don't.

"He got expelled from school."

"It's his dream job to clean tables."

"No one else wanted to hire him."

Tom was trembling, forcing back the tears again. It was horrible to stand here and let Aurelius' friends mock him without being able to do anything against it. One more stunt and he was out- and then he would have no more money to feed himself and Squirrel.

"Now, why don't you tell us why you work here, boy?", Aurelius now asked, his tone smug, "wasn't Azkaban hiring?"

"I…I…like my job", he stuttered, flushing, "for…some extra pocket…money."

"I wouldn't pay you a penny, boy."

"Good…thing you're not my boss then", he choked out, grabbing his things from the table and turning for the kitchen door. The college boys were all laughing after him, jeering at him, and once he was safely back in the kitchen, he started to cry quietly.

I hate this. I hate all this.

The same night, he went over to see Gryffindor again- knowing he was the only one who could help with the feelings of despair, sadness and humiliation he always experienced after running into Aurelius.

"Come on in, baby boy."

"Carry me?"

He did not want to talk- he just wanted to get snuggled and forget what had happened, and Gryffindor easily picked him up, just like he had the other nights when he had went straight to his penthouse after being ridiculed and sneered at by Aurelius again.

"There's my sweet boy", Gryffindor smiled at him, and Tom snuggled closer, exhaling.

I'm safe now. I am safe.

"How about a nice warm bath for you, Tommy? You look all sweaty from running."

And from working all day and cleaning without getting paid for it.

"Yeah, a bath sounds…nice", he whispered, pressing his face into Gryffindor's chest, "and…maybe a story?"

"And lots of snuggles", the Founder told him, still smiling, "and then my boy is going to eat a good dinner and go to bed, hmm?"

"Yah."

He got a soft kiss on his hair for that, causing him to smile as well, and when he sat in the bathtub covered in bubbles minutes later, his smile widened.

"You like your bath, baby boy?"

"Yah."

Gryffindor chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, watching him play with the bubbles, "I almost forgot to tell you that I got you a present, Tommy."

He looked up, startled, "a present? But…it's not my birthday."

His heart got heavy yet again, "I know, sweet boy. You are getting a present because you have been such a good boy lately."

Tom stared at him, looking shocked, "I…I am a good boy?"

"You are, Tommy. A very good boy."

There was a silence.

"Could…could you say that again?", Tom eventually whispered, his voice hoarse, "just…one more time?"

Sweet, sweet baby boy.

Gryffindor leaned closer, not bothered by the fact that his robes got wet with bubbles, and then he directly looked at the boy, "you are a good boy, Tommy. My good boy. And good boys get presents."

The boy flushed with pleasure, "is…is the present…maybe candy?", he asked, hesitance in his voice, and for a moment, it was difficult for Gryffindor to imagine that this sweet, timid boy had been the same boy he'd met in his dungeon weeks ago.

"How about I'll get you ready and you can look for yourself?", he suggested, and Tom grinned, stretching out his arms, "carry me!"

The boy had gotten more demanding in asking to be carried, but it was the only thing so far he asked for. He still blocked every question about what was going on in his life, but Gryffindor knew his patience would get rewarded- and that the boy would talk to him at some point. He also noticed that the boy experienced episodes of mental regression when he felt safe, was very tired or triggered by something, and it concerned him. Mental regression was never a good thing, since it meant there was either a heavy trauma or unresolved conflict from an early childhood.

"Let's get you dried off first, hmm?", he reached for a towel, and Tom made no attempt to protest or cover himself when Gryffindor picked him up and dried him off, confirming his suspicion of a mental regression.

Once the boy was dressed in his pajamas, he led him back to the living room, gently steering him in the direction of a big, rectangular package on the couch.

"For me, Daddy?"

"For you, Tommy", the boy was clearly amazed again, therefore calling him Daddy- not that Gryffindor minded it.

"Can…can I open it?"

"Yes, baby boy, you may open it", he sounded amused, watching Tom run over to the package and tear it open with both hands, showing that he did not had much experience in opening gifts- a fact Gryffindor was planning to change. The boy's eyes were sparkling with excitement and joy, and once he had managed to unwrap his gift, he let out a happy shout, "an art set! With pencils! And crayons! And lots of paper! I can draw the city now! And Squirrel!"

"I am assuming you like your present?"

Tom was practically beaming now, "I love it! This is the best present ever!", it was also the only present he had ever gotten- besides the toys Patty and Mike had put in his room for him. He was already setting everything up to draw the buzzing evening of Downtown London below him, and Gryffindor watched him with amusement, realizing that his episode of mental regression was already over.

"I am going to use black and gray first, and then I am adding the colors after", the boy declared confidently, sitting down on the couch, his supplies in hand, "it is going to look like Romanov's landscape paintings."

"Are you planning to sell it, too?"

Tom frowned, "it's not up for sale."

"Why's that?"

The boy swallowed hard, looking down, "no one…would buy it", he mumbled after a pause, "I'm not…an artist."

"Anyone who draws is an artist, Tommy- and besides, I would love to buy your picture."

"You…you would?"

"Of course. I'd hang it on my fridge, actually."

"Then…you would see it every time you open your fridge."

"That's the plan, Tommybear."

The boy smiled at him, "I like that", he liked that a lot actually- no one had ever bothered to display anything by him, so this was a big deal. He put his focus back on his picture eventually, quietly humming to himself while he happily worked, not even noticing that Gryffindor was watching him, an amused smile on his lips.

When he registered that the boy's yawns became more frequent, he decided that it was time for bed for Tom, "it's getting late, Tommy- you can keep working on the picture tomorrow."

"Just…need to do the corner here, almost done!"

"Alright- ten more minutes and then it's bedtime for you."

The boy quickly nodded, already shifting his attention back to the picture he was drawing, and ten minutes later, he made no motion to stop working.

"It's time for bed, my boy."

"I…I need to…there's this…"

"No. Bedtime, Thomas. You can keep working on the picture tomorrow", Gryffindor kept his voice firm, knowing how important rules and boundaries were for the boy, and Tom blinked, "but…I am not even tired! I wanna keep drawing!"

Gryffindor had to smile, realizing that the boy was pushing again. He calmly went over to his defiant boy, standing right in front of him, "you have two options now, baby boy- you either get up now and let me tuck you into bed like the sweet boy you are, or you'll get five smacks on that naughty butt of yours and then I'll tuck you in. Your choice."

For several seconds, Tom simply stared at him, silently debating if he was being serious, "I…I don't want a…a spanking", he finally mumbled, embarrassment in his voice.

"Then you should probably pick the first option, Tommy."

"But…my picture…"

"Your picture will be waiting right here for you when you get up tomorrow morning."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"O…okay. I…I'll go to bed", he sounded reluctant, though, but it did not matter- he had given in and had accepted Gryffindor as being in charge, and he deserved to be praised for that, "good boy, Tommy- I am so proud of you. You are my good boy, hmm?"

Tom blushed, lowering his head, but Gryffindor could see very clearly how much the praise meant to the boy, "uhm…I try. Do I get a story?"

"Of course you do. Come here", he held out his arms for the boy, and Tom smiled, allowing the Founder to pick him up and carry him to the guest bedroom. He held perfectly still when Gryffindor tucked him in, the smile never leaving his face.

I love this.

"Are you ready for your story, baby boy?"

Tom nodded, loving being called baby boy- even though he was still not sure why Gryffindor called him that, "vampire story!"

"Yes, a vampire story- about a vampire going on a very dangerous excursion, travelling all the way to…"

Tom snuggled under the sheets, enjoying his story, it made him forget everything else, all his worries, his job, Aurelius' contempt- all of it was gone, leaving him listening to the story about the vampires. After Gryffindor had finished, he got his goodnight kiss, and even though the story had been scary, he slept incredibly well. He did not spend too much time on the picture the next morning- it was too bright, and he needed to go and see Squirrel. Therefore, after Gryffindor had fed him breakfast- a polar bear pancake- Tom quickly said his goodbye and left, not wanting to drag it out. He had started to hate having to leave Gryffindor's penthouse, along with the safety of it, but he knew that it was simply not realistic for him to just stay there and pretend he was really Gryffindor's boy.

Squirrel was overly excited to see him, and Tom felt a flash of guilt when he thought of how often he'd leave Squirrel alone lately. At least he did not have to work today, so he was free to spend the day with his dog. They went outside for a long walk, had a good meal, and when they snuggled up to each other that night, Tom realized how glad he was he had taken Squirrel with him that night. It would be horrible to be all alone now.

The next week passed by with him spending time with Squirrel, buying food for them, working, getting sneered at by Aurelius whenever he came to the café with his friends, and Hannigsworth unscrupulously adding more and more work to his schedule. The man had realized how badly Tom needed the job- and he shamelessly took advantage of it now. Tom not only had to clean, serve, and organize, Hannigsworth had also started teaching him how to bake, hoping to have even more free time for himself then. Tom was so exhausted that most nights he did not even make it to Gryffindor's penthouse, he just passed out right in the kitchen of the café and slept there. He had started to leave plenty of extra food and water for Squirrel a while ago, along with securing a part of the front yard for him to always go to, which had also been an insane amount of work. He did make it to Gryffindor's penthouse whenever Aurelius came in, though- even though the older boy had started to mostly ignore him, which hurt as well. Those nights, he had to go and see Gryffindor, it did not matter how tired and exhausted he was. He needed to hear Gryffindor call him baby boy and sweet boy, he needed to know someone cared, and he needed to have Gryffindor carrying him and tucking him in. It was the only thing that helped to deal with the feeling of utter despair he had whenever he'd seen Aurelius again. He would paint for a while, fervently, not wanting to talk, and Gryffindor always let him- until he would eventually walk over to him, give him a soft kiss on his head and say-

"Time for dinner, my little artist. Go wash your hands, please."

"Just…two more minutes, Daddy", Tom mumbled, sticking out his tongue in concentration, "almost…done."

"You say that every time, Tommybear. Come on now, dinner's waiting."

"Not…even hungry!"

"Eyes up, my boy."

Tom groaned, but he obeyed, looking at the Founder, who had raised an eyebrow in a silent warning, "now, let's try this again- go wash your hands, please."

Or it's a spanking.

Gryffindor did not need to say it, Tom had already experienced the humiliation of getting his bottom smacked by Gryffindor when he had refused to wash his hands and come to eat dinner before. He got up without another word and walked over to the small guest bathroom to wash his hands, Gryffindor praising him for it like he always did when Tom gave in. They had a good dinner, and then he got tucked in, snuggled, and Gryffindor read him a story.

The next day, he went to see Squirrel and then he went to work- already dreading another day of pretty much being in charge of the café without having the salary to show for it. On top of it, Hannigsworth was in a terrible mood- apparently, he had spoken to the owner who planned to come by within the next days, and it was clear that Hannigsworth feared not only having to explain why he employed an underage boy who should be in school, but also why he had fired the lady who'd done the cleaning. He let his frustrations out on Tom, who was forced to work even harder- but when Tom dropped a small plate in his haste to clean it, Hannigsworth lost it.

"You idiotic kid!", the punch to his face was a hard one, and Tom had to bit his lips to prevent himself from screaming out in pain.

"That will be cut from your salary!", Hannigsworth sneered at him, not bothered by the fact that there was already a bruise forming on his left cheek, "back to work now, those dishes won't clean themselves!"

Tom wordlessly picked up the pieces of the broken plate, forcing back the tears. The whole left side of his face was stinging with agony, but he knew better than to complain. He had a job to do.

I'm doing this for Squirrel. I need this job.

For the next few hours, he did the dishes- tea cup after tea cup, plate after plate. The café was busy with a big group of businessmen who had come in for lunch, so Hannigsworth mostly stayed in the main room, sucking up to them for tips. It died down after it had been raining for some time in the afternoon, but Tom was still not allowed to leave the kitchen, not that he minded it. There was a huge bruise now on his left cheek, going all the way up to his eye, and he'd rather not explain that to any guest. It would be difficult enough to lie to Gryffindor about this- since the Founder had no clue about his job, Pettigrew, the stolen money, his homelessness…

"Are you done finally? Workin' as slow as a snail today", Hannigsworth eyed him with disgust, "and you better cover that bruise up, it's not Halloween yet kid."

The bruise you caused? Bastard.

"Yes, Sir. Will do", Tom mumbled, too drained and sore for an argument with his boss, and then he bent over the sink to scrub some dirty tea pots.

"You are going to stay a little longer today- the floors have to be mopped again", Hannigsworth now announced, "and I want every corner to sparkle tomorrow, understand?"

Whatthefuck?

Last time, they had done that together- it was an awful job to mop the main room since all the chairs and all the tables had to be moved out of the way first, and then arranged exactly how they had been right after. The tables were heavy, and when they'd done it last time, Hannigsworth had moved them, and Tom highly doubted he was even able to do it. Still, he'd rather move furniture all night than endure another one of Hannigsworth's brutal punches, so he just nodded, "yes, understand."

Hannigsworth snorted, mumbling something under his breath that sounded like a curse, and then he left the kitchen again. He stayed out for a while, serving the guests and making small talk, while Tom tried to cut the slices of the fruit cake in front of him as evenly as possible.

"Almost empty now- damn weather", his boss had come back, "the fruit cake still not ready? What am I even paying you for, kid?"

To do your job, my job, and the cleaning lady's job?

Before Tom could respond, he had already moved on, "since it's not busy anymore, go collect the dishes. I need a break from the bullshit."

The bullshit of being nice to your guests?

He did not say anything though, he left the kitchen without another word, walking into the main room. It really was not busy anymore- there was one table with a group of three elderly ladies chatting and drinking hibiscus tea, and a table with a gentleman reading a newspaper and finishing a slice of caramel cake. Tom hurried to collect the dirty dishes, looking up when he heard the door open again. A teenager had come in, and the closer he came, the more familiar he looked, until it finally dawned on Tom. It was one of Aurelius' friends.

Shit.

Tom felt panic rising inside himself again, hastily grabbing the dishes to make a run for the kitchen, but the boy's voice stopped him, "relax. It's just me this time, the others have to study", he offered him a friendly smile, and Tom suddenly remembered his name: Olivier. He had been the boy asking so politely about the chocolate biscuits a while ago.

"Good…evening. What can…I get you?", Tom asked quietly, hanging his head. He was ashamed of the bruise on his face, and even though Olivier had been one the boys never participating in Aurelius' taunts, he could not be certain he would not mock him now.

"Just a green tea, please. Your name is Thomas, right?"

"I prefer Tom."

Olivier had to chuckle, sitting down at a table, "well, Tom, may I ask you something?"

"Uhm…yeah?", he had no clue what this strange boy would want from him, though.

"That bruise on your face…what happened there?"

"Oh, that- I…banged my face against the kitchen door. I'm clumsy like that."

"You are not clumsy", Olivier's voice had been quiet, but with an edge of firmness to it, "I have no idea what Aurelius' issue is with you, but I can assure you that you are always doing a great job whenever I come here."

"Uhm…thanks", Tom smiled awkwardly, holding on to the dirty dishes in his hands like a lifeline, "let me…get you your green tea", he practically fled to the kitchen, unaware of the fact that Olivier was watching him, frowning. He really had no clue why Aurelius seemed to hate this boy so much- and when he'd asked him, Aurelius had simply brushed him off.

He was still thinking about that when he walked back to St. Francis about thirty minutes later, the rain slowly drizzling down on him. He entered the small apartment he shared with Aurelius and Quentin- all students at St. Francis shared a bedroom, study, bathroom, and living space with either two or three other boys.

Aurelius was- no surprise there- studying in the study they shared, and Olivier walked right in after he'd taken his coat and hat off, "I saw your boy tonight", he began without an introduction, "had a green tea."

Aurelius did not bother to look up from his book, snorting, "you mean Thomas? He's not my boy."

"Yep, Thomas- even though he prefers to go by Tom."

"I could care less about his preferences."

"Just like you could care less about the fact that he has a huge bruise on his face?"

Olivier stifled a smile when Aurelius' head instantly shot up, "what bruise?"

Not your boy- yeah, right.

"He told me he banged his head on the kitchen door- but I call bullshit on that. The way that guy treats him, he probably punched him straight in the face."

There was a silence.

"Was he still working when you left?"

"Yep- he was actually getting ready to move the tables and chairs out of the way, it looked like he was going to mop the floors."

"Mop the floors? Now?", Aurelius glanced at his watch, "why the hell is he even still working? It's going to take him hours to…", he stopped when he got aware of the amused smile on Olivier's lips, and then he snorted again, getting up, "I'll be right back."

Olivier was smart enough not to make any comments, but he grinned when he watched Aurelius putting on his coat, getting ready to leave.

Aurelius rolled his eyes at him, "this does not mean he's my boy", he informed him, not sure if he was trying to convince Olivier- or himself. The walk to the café was a short one, and since it had gotten cold and dark and was still raining a little, the streets were mostly empty. The lights inside the café were still on, and Aurelius had no problem spotting Tom through the storefront windows, desperately trying to push a table against a wall.

Silly boy- don't you realize that's too heavy for you?

Aurelius sighed, and then he waved his hand to unlock the door, entering the café. It was about time the boy answered some questions.

sooo...there will be a rather intense interaction between Tom and Aurelius in the next chapter...but, there is a happy ending here ;)

I would appreciate some feedback from y'all! :)

stay safe! :)

xoxo,

Antonie