Hello again! :)

Thank you Nimphxdora and Gypsyrose98 for your awesome comments! Really appreciate you! :)

The next chapter might take a little longer, since I am still working on it. Sorry about that!

"Any reason why you are still working this late, Thomas?"

Tom flinched, trying to catch his balance and failing. He fell to the floor, not wanting to believe that Aurelius of all people had just casually walked into the café.

"What…are you doing here?"

"It's quite rude to answer a question with a counterquestion- but I guess I shouldn't be surprised, hmm?", Aurelius walked closer, and Tom scrambled to his feet, "we…we're closed!"

"Precisely- so why are you still working?"

"I…I am mopping the floors", the boy avoided to look at him, keeping his gaze firmly on the ground, "I am busy, and the kitchen is closed, so if you want some tea, you…"

"I do not want any tea, Thomas", Aurelius interrupted him, "but I would like to know how you got that bruise on your face."

"Why? So you can laugh at me some more of how clumsy and reckless I am?", the boy sounded bitter, "just…just leave."

"Answer my question and I might just do that."

"I banged…my head on the bathroom door."

"How interesting- Olivier told me you said it was the kitchen door."

Tom flushed, hating himself for making such a stupid mistake, "so? It was a door. Happy now?"

"Watch your tone, boy."

"Or what? You wanna put a bruise on the other side of my face?", he was glaring at him now, "leave me the hell alone!"

"Who punched you?"

Tom let out a short laugh, "seriously? Why the hell do you care?"

"Answer my question, Thomas."

He turned his head, "go away. I have to work."

"Where's your boss?"

"Left."

"When?"

"Don't know. Half an hour ago."

"He left you here to mop the floors?", Aurelius sounded disbelieving, "aren't your parents waiting for you with dinner?"

"They…went on a trip for the weekend, they'll come back tomorrow", Tom lied, "so…I thought I'd work some extra hours to make some cash. I want…to buy some…uhm…candy."

"Candy."

"Yeah."

Aurelius sighed, "and the bruise?"

"Told you- you know how clumsy I am."

There was a silence.

"You shouldn't be working this late, Thomas."

"And you shouldn't stop me from working, Aurelius."

"You are seriously going to mop this whole café now? You can't even move the tables, boy."

"What's it to you?", Tom spat out, his whole body trembling with shame, sadness, and humiliation, "did you get so bored at your fancy school that you had to come here to mock me again? Just fucking leave already and bother someone else!"

"I'll leave whenever you have told me the truth about that bruise on your face, Thomas."

"I already told you."

"That wasn't the truth, boy- and I do not appreciate being lied to."

Tom bit his lips, deciding he was done with this bullshit- he had no reason to tell Aurelius anything, it wasn't his damn business anyways. He had a job to do.

The anger gave him fresh energy, which he used to push the table again, and this time, it even moved- a few inches.

Clenching his teeth together, he tried again, just to lose balance one more time, falling to the floor, hard.

"Pathetic."

"I didn't ask for your opinion!", he was almost screaming now, not that he cared, "get the fuck out of here! You…you always have to ruin everything!"

"That's rich coming from you- the boy who ruined my whole family."

Tom forced back the tears, "I…I didn't…mean to", he eventually croaked out, "not that…it matters", he went over to grab the bucket, not caring about the tables anymore, "please, I…I am so tired, could you please leave? I need to get this done or…"

"Or he'll punch you again?"

The boy did not respond, he just stood there, in the middle of the room, holding the bucket in one hand, and he seemed so helpless, so young, and so full of despair that Aurelius suddenly had to swallow.

"He did, didn't he? That bruise on your face?"

"Yeah. I…I work so hard, but…it's never…good enough. I am never good enough", he thought about all the times he'd been so desperately trying to get Aurelius to like him, to be good for him, and he'd failed- he'd failed every. single. time.

"You should look for another job, Thomas."

"I tried. No one will hire me", it was embarrassing to admit this out loud, "and…I like this job. It's gonna be okay, he was just mad, everyone has a bad day once, and if I work harder, if I…"

"There is no reason to defend him, boy- he's abusive and you should not work for someone who hurts you."

Tom just shrugged, "I am used to being hurt."

There was another silence.

"Come over here, Thomas", Aurelius finally said, "and drop that bucket."

Tom wanted to ask why, and why Aurelius was here, and what this all meant- but he was tired. So damn tired.

Whatever. Do what he says, and he'll leave.

He dropped the bucket, and then he walked over to Aurelius, keeping his gaze on the floor. He had no idea what Aurelius was going to do, and when he saw the older boy taking out his wand, he had to flinch, "please, I…"

"Shhh…you are not in trouble, boy", he sounded amused, and then he pointed his wand at the bucket- and Tom's eyes widened in amazement when he realized what spell Aurelius had casted.

A cleaning spell!

Within seconds, the café looked better than ever before- the floors were mopped and shining, the tables cleaned, the chairs polished, and the curtains washed.

Ohmygod!

Tom could not help it, he had to grin. He'd been so worried about getting this job done, and now Hannigsworth would not have a reason to complain- everything looked perfect.

"Uhm…thank you, Aurelius", he said hesitantly, "that…saved me a lot of time."

"I'd say so", Aurelius remarked drily, putting his wand away, "now, you said your parents are away on a trip?"

"Yes…Aurelius."

"So you are home alone?"

"Yes, Aurelius."

"You are too young to stay by yourself, Thomas."

Tom would have laughed if he could- too young? He had been taking care of himself and Squirrel for weeks now, not to mention all the responsibilities he had at the café.

"It's…uhm…I can handle it, Aurelius."

"I just observed you handling it, boy- and I cannot say I was impressed. Get your stuff, we are leaving."

"We?"

"Did you really think I was going to let you walk back to an empty house this late by yourself? You are going to come back to St. Francis with me, Thomas."

What?

"What?", he blurted out, "you can't…be serious! I won't go with you, that's crazy!"

"No, it is crazy to walk through the rain and the cold at night when you are nothing but a little boy", Aurelius corrected him, "it's a scary world out there for boys like you, Thomas."

"The only scary thing here is you", Tom muttered, "you…you hate me, so why the fuck should I come with you? Maybe you just want to kidnap me and torment me somewhere where no one can hear me scream."

"Dramatic much, Thomas? I certainly have no interest in kidnapping you- I doubt anyone does."

"Still not going with you."

"You are- I am not going to be held responsible if something happens to you on your way home since I am the last one who saw you. Let's go."

"No."

"Do I need to spank you first?"

Tom snorted, "you are really doing a great job convincing me that it's a good idea to go with you."

"I do not need to convince you. I gave you an order, and you are going to follow that order."

"Why? I am not your boy, I don't need to follow any of your stupid orders."

"Try me, Thomas- and you'll walk back to school with me with a very warm backside."

"And how is that different from Hannigsworth punching me? You are just as abusive."

"A spanking is for discipline, silly boy- and that is quite different from just hurting you for the fun of it."

"Pretty sure it's fun for you to hurt me."

"It is not."

Tom bit his lips, avoiding to look at Aurelius, "don't you get in trouble if you sneak me into your posh school?"

"Every student is allowed to have one guest over at night, as long as that guest is on the list."

"I am not on any list."

"I'll add you."

"I don't want to be added."

"Stop being stubborn, Thomas. It's just for one night- you come with me, sleep, and tomorrow, you can leave right away."

"What about…dinner?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Maybe."

"There will be dinner."

"And…I get to leave first thing tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, Thomas- trust me, I have intention to keep you around much longer than that."

"Cause you hate me."

"Because I have to study, boy. I have some very important exams coming up."

Tom rolled his eyes at that, but did not comment on it, "fine. Whatever. Let me get my jacket, and then we can go."

"I'll wait."

He went and grabbed his jacket- the jacket Gryffindor had given him- and minutes later, they were out in the cold, foggy night of Downtown London. The rain had mostly stopped, but the wind had picked up, and it was just one of the nights that was best spend by a fireplace with a cup of hot tea.

"How far is it?", Tom asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, "damn cold tonight."

"Language, boy", Aurelius said automatically, "the school is not far- ten minutes, I'd say. The Muggles believe it is a factory building due to the protection spells."

They walked down the empty street in silence, both not knowing what to talk about with each other, until Tom eventually broke the silence, "I thought you were in college already."

"I am taking classes at Seymour's College, and next year I'll probably transfer."

"Are you…still wanting to be a lawyer?"

"That's the plan, yes."

Tom swallowed, not knowing what else to say, so they kept walking in silence for a few more minutes.

"What about you?", Aurelius suddenly asked, "what do you want to be when you are older?"

An artist. An architect. Having my own gallery. Writing books about art.

"I don't know."

He could hear Aurelius sigh, "there's nothing that interests you, Thomas?"

There is. Painting, reading, baking, playing with my dog…

"No."

"I find that hard to believe, boy."

Yeah, cause it is.

"Are we almost there?"

Aurelius sighed again, "yes, it's right down this street. What would you like to eat for dinner?"

"Pizza?"

"Is that a question?"

"I was just…trying to be polite. I mean, I'd eat anything."

"Oh yeah? I can get you some sushi in that case, Thomas", he sounded amused, and Tom flushed, "your…he told you?"

"My father tells me basically everything, Thomas."

Tom winced, hoping Gryffindor had not told Aurelius about all his pathetic visits and his neediness, and the fact that he had demanded to be carried and snuggled by the Founder.

He'd never stop taunting me if he finds out about that.

"We're here", Aurelius' voice interrupted his thoughts, "come on, I'll show you the apartment."

Tom followed Aurelius into the school in a daze, fascinated by the huge building and the expensive interior. They ran into some other students, all of them greeting Aurelius respectfully and ignoring him. He stayed close to the older boy, not wanting to get lost in the maze of the hallways.

Eventually, they made it to the apartment, and when Aurelius opened the door, Tom was more than glad to see Olivier's friendly face smiling at them. Finally someone who did not hate his guts.

"Welcome, welcome!", Olivier said, stepping to the side to let them in, "looks like we'll have another sleepover tonight", he winked at Tom, and Aurelius snorted, "if you think I'll let him stay up all night and eat candy like Quentin did with that undisciplined cousin of his, you are mistaken. He'll eat and go to bed, isn't that right, Thomas?"

"Yes, Aurelius."

"Hang your jacket up here, and then go sit at the table. I'll get your dinner ready."

"Yes, Aurelius."

Tom quietly walked over to the table and sat down, nervously examining the apartment. It was certainly very nice- they had a big, comfy looking couch in the living room, flanked by two armchairs, and there was a huge bookshelf full of books by the wall. He was tempted to go and check them out, but Aurelius had told him to sit down, so that was what he was going to do.

Aurelius appeared five minutes later with a plate with pizza and a bottle of ginger beer, placing it in front of Tom, "eat up, boy- and don't you dare make a mess, understand?"

"Yes, Aurelius."

"I am going to be in my study- let me know when you are done."

"Yes, Aurelius."

It should not have surprised him that Aurelius did not care to sit down at the table with him to keep him company while he ate, but it still hurt.

He carefully picked up a slice of pizza, making sure he did not smear sauce anywhere while he ate. The pizza was delicious, and he enjoyed the feeling of filling up his stomach with something warm and tasty.

"How is it?", Olivier had walked closer, sitting down in the chair opposite from him, "good?"

Tom made sure he had swallowed everything before he spoke, afraid to spill something, "it is very good", he told Olivier, "pizza is my favorite."

"Mine too", Oliver was grinning, "I like mushrooms and red peppers on my best- what is your favorite topping?"

Tom smiled back at him, delighted to be asked, "I like pepperoni on my pizza- and lots of cheese", he informed Olivier, "and some tomatoes, but not too many."

"There's no pepperoni on this pizza", Olivier pointed out, and Tom shrugged, "that's…okay. I eat any pizza."

Aurelius obviously had not bothered to ask him what his favorite toppings were, but beggar's couldn't be choosers- he was lucky Aurelius even fed him something.

They talked a little more, Tom losing more and more of his anxiety. Olivier was nice- and he did not even make fun of him when Tom eventually told him he wanted to be an artist.

"I am drawing a picture of London right now, London at night. It's all black and grey, but there will be some color added after by painting dots- that's an art technique called Pointillism", Tom went on to describe the picture in detail, with Olivier listening attentively.

"That's fascinating", the other boy remarked, "you know a lot about art, Tom. That picture sounds really cool."

"It's fun. I love painting. One day I want to have my own Gallery, full of my art."

"Do you now, Thomas", Aurelius' tone was sardonic, "didn't you just tell me you have no idea what you want to do when you are older?"

Tom had gotten pale. He had almost forgotten Aurelius was here, enjoying his conversation with Olivier, "I…that was just…I didn't think…"

"Spare me your stuttering, Thomas. I guess you have gotten so used to lie to me that you don't even have to think about it anymore", and now his voice was cutting, "get up. Since you've been talking the whole time, you can't be that hungry anymore. Bathroom's down the hall, you'll find clothes to wear on the chair by the door. I want you to take a shower and brush your teeth, there's an extra toothbrush under the sink. You have fifteen minutes to get done, or it's a spanking. Do you understand me, Thomas?"

Tom blinked back the tears, "yes…Aurelius."

"Get going then. It's late and you should be in bed, not wasting Olivier's time with your nonsense."

"I…I didn't…"

"Fifteen minutes, boy."

"Yes, Aurelius. Thank you for…the pizza."

Tom stifled a sob, slowly getting up. He had not even managed to eat the last two slices, but there was no point in arguing- Aurelius would spank him or worse, and he had no desire to get kicked out into the cold night right now, either.

He walked over to the bathroom, hanging his head, Aurelius and Olivier watching him leave.

"You are being unfair, Aurelius", Olivier said once the bathroom door had closed behind the boy, "Tom did not waste my time, we actually had a really nice conversation. He knows a lot about art."

"Good for him- just too bad he does not know how to behave himself."

Olivier frowned, "what are you talking about? He's been nothing but polite and quiet since he got here, obeying every single command of yours. Why are you being so cruel to him anyways? You never even praise him."

"There's nothing to praise him for."

"That's not true. Just now, when he went to the bathroom so quietly, you could have at least called him a good boy. And look at how nicely he ate his pizza, he was so careful not to make the tiniest stain."

"I doubt he'd care about any praise from me. The boy cannot stand me- which is mutual."

"Why don't you try it? I think he's dying to hear some praise from you. He's such a sweet boy, I really don't understand why you dislike him so much."

"I really have other worries than Thomas and his little feelings."

Olivier glared at him, his irritation growing, "you know, just until now when we were talking, I've never even seen him smile or laugh- never. He's always sad, especially when you are around. A boy his age shouldn't be sad- he should be happy."

"Should he now?", his tone was arrogant, "I really don't understand why you care so much about Thomas. He's a nuisance."

"He's a little boy", Olivier corrected, "and you care about him too- otherwise, you would not have bothered to bring him here."

Before Aurelius could respond, the door to the bathroom opened and Tom walked out, dressed in an oversized T-shirt and pants that he was stepping on, "I…I am done, Aurelius", the boy said softly, "I went as fast as I could. The fifteen minutes are not up yet, right?"

He was looking at him expectantly, dressed in his clothes that were way too big for him, "time's not up yet, no", Aurelius answered curtly, hating the fact that he could not help but finding the boy adorable standing there like that, "but it's time for bed now- it is late."

The boy swallowed, looking down in defeat, "yes…Aurelius."

"You are going to sleep on the couch in the living room", Aurelius went on, ignoring the lump that was forming in his throat, "and I am expecting you to stay there all night. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Aurelius."

"I am going to have to study for a little longer- so I expect complete silence from you. Any noise coming from you, and it's a spanking. Are we clear on that as well, Thomas?"

"Yes, Aurelius."

"Go to bed."

The boy flinched like he'd been slapped, but he did not backtalk- he just walked over to the couch silently, laying down and covering himself with the blanket, turning his face away from him immediately.

Aurelius could feel Olivier's disapproving glance on him, and once they were both in the study with the door closed, Olivier could not help himself any longer, "you didn't even say goodnight to him! What the hell, Aurelius? You don't think the boy would want a story at least?"

"How am I supposed to know what he wants? It's not like he said he wants a story!", he had to think of Sirius, always demanding and asking for what he wanted- which had made it incredibly easy to take care of the younger boy.

"He's too terrified of you to even ask for anything!", Olivier hissed back, "it's abusive how you treat him!"

"He's not terrified of me- the boy is as rude as it gets", Aurelius replied, his voice hard, "besides, I really have to study now if you don't mind."

Olivier just shook his head, "you're hopeless", he sounded almost angry now, "and you know what? If you don't care to read him a story or tuck him in, I will."

Aurelius snorted, "knock yourself out- read to him all night for all I care, but don't come complaining to me later if he's being an ungrateful, cheeky little brat."

"He won't be", Oliver replied curtly, leaving the study, and Aurelius sighed, shaking his head. Thomas being terrified of him- sure. The boy was a criminal, and his meek little Yes, Aurelius bullshit earlier had been nothing but an act. Olivier was too naïve to realize that of course.

While Aurelius bent over his books to study, Tom was laying on the couch, his body tense. He had tried to fall asleep, but he'd been too miserable to close his eyes. Aurelius' cold order to go to bed without even telling him to sleep well or to tuck him in had hurt- but it was his own fault for still hoping and waiting for something that would never happen. He thought again of how he'd left the bathroom, how careful he had been to make Aurelius proud. The used towel he had hang with the other used towels behind the door, the toothbrush he had put back under the sink, and his clothes were in a neat pile on the chair. He had made sure to clean the sink from any toothpaste after he'd brushed his teeth, and he had even gotten on his hands and knees to check for any water on the floor after he had gotten out of the shower. And for what?

He hates me- and he's always going to hate me.

He sighed, trying to get more comfortable on the couch. He really needed to let go of the idea that he'd be anything else than a nuisance to Aurelius.

"Hey Tom, are you…asleep yet?"

Tom instantly had to smile, turning around, "nah, not really. Are you not…studying, too?"

"Me? At this time?", Olivier had to laugh, "not everyone is as ambitious as Aurelius- I actually came to ask if you wanted to hear a story."

Tom's face immediately lit up, "yes, I'd love a story! Did Aurelius…", he bit his lips just in time, but Olivier seemed to understand anyways, "he told me it's okay to tell you a story", he assured the boy softly, upset yet again about Aurelius' cold disregard of the boy. He was clearly still trying to be a good boy for him, even though all he got was rejection.

"Come on then- we'll go over to the bedroom. The couch is too small anyways."

"Too…small?", the boy repeated, not understanding.

"Too small for me to really snuggle you", Olivier winked at him, "a story always comes with plenty of snuggles."

Tom's smile widened, hating himself for still wishing it was Aurelius who'd offer him story time and snuggles now.

Stop dreaming! He'll never snuggle you, you should be grateful to Olivier!

He followed Olivier into the bedroom the three of them shared- Aurelius was not there, obviously still studying, but the third boy, Quentin, was already in bed, softly snoring.

"Don't worry about him- he'll sleep through anything", Olivier said when he saw Tom looking over to the boy, "now, what kind of story would you like?"

A vampire story!

Tom had already opened his mouth to tell Olivier that, when Aurelius' cold voice interrupted him, "a short one, preferably. Some of us have to get up early to study tomorrow, Olivier."

"Tomorrow is Sunday", Tom remarked quietly, "don't you ever take a break?"

"I do not see how that is any of your business, Thomas", Aurelius' voice was basically icy now, "I am letting Olivier tell you a story, and then you will go back to the couch and sleep, understand?"

Tom could feel the anger rising up inside him. He was getting sick and tired of Aurelius bossing him around without ever praising him- he'd been on his best behavior since he'd gotten here, and all he got in response was more orders and threats.

"Yeah, I understand", he did not even try to sound polite, "any other demands, Your Highness?"

He knew he'd taken it too far when Aurelius' face darkened, but instead of grabbing him and hauling him off for a spanking, Aurelius merely snorted, "if you were my boy, you'd get an hour of command training for that."

"Good thing I am not your boy then", he had to force his voice not to tremble, knowing he was lying.

"You'd be a disaster", Aurelius pulled back the sheets, getting into his own bed, "no one wants a boy who constantly backtalks, Thomas."

"I don't want to be anyone's boy", another lie.

"Because you know you couldn't do it", Aurelius reached for the book on his nightstand, "you are way too undisciplined."

"I could do it, I just don't want to."

Aurelius laughed softly, opening his book, "keep telling yourself that, Thomas."

Tom balled his hands into fists, "why does it matter to you anyways?", he spat out, "I feel bad for anyone who has to endure being your boy- since you are as cold and distant as an ice cube, Ice Prince."

Aurelius' face hardened, not wanting to admit how much Tom's words had stung- they reminded him too much of what Sirius had accused him of some time ago.

"You better not talk about things you know nothing about, Thomas", he kept his voice low and threatening, "you have no idea how I treat my boy, so I'd be careful with making any assumptions, understand?"

Tom did not respond, he just stood there, his hands still balled into fists, a miserable, sad expression on his face. Olivier, who had listened silently to their conversation stifled a sigh, an idea forming into his head. He'd seldom seen two people who needed each other more than Tom and Aurelius did- it was a shame they were both too prideful and stubborn to admit it.

"Why don't you show him?", he eventually suggested, "show him how you treat your own boy- that you are not the Ice Prince he just called you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Olivier", Aurelius shot him an irritated look, "I need to finish this book for the exam on Wednesday, I have no time to show anyone anything- especially not a rude little brat."

Tom's eyes started to sparkle with anger, but before he could open his mouth to tell Aurelius he was not a brat, Olivier raised his voice again, effectively cutting him off, "why not? You could show him that it's not a punishment to be your boy, and Tom could show you that he can behave if he wants to", his tone had gotten sly, but neither Aurelius nor Tom seemed to notice, "that's what you both want, right? To prove each other wrong?"

Aurelius sighed, his gaze never leaving Tom, who was still standing in front of Olivier's bed, looking resigned and helpless, with that huge bruise on his face…

"Alright, fine. You get to show me you can be a good boy for me tonight- and I'll treat you accordingly", he finally replied, "I find it quite ungrateful of you anyways to call me cold and distant after I've been letting you stay over and feeding you pizza, Thomas."

The boy just shrugged, still not making any attempt to talk. He was hanging his head now, his whole body tense.

"Come over here, boy. You want to show me you can be good? This is your chance."

Tom swallowed hard, unable to move. He knew this was a bad idea- he was not a good boy, not really, and Aurelius treating him like he treated his own boy also sounded quite terrifying- what if he snuggled his boy? Kissed him, and carried him and let him hug him…and, even worse, what if Aurelius noticed he actually liked being snuggled by him? It would be mortifying.

Still, having Aurelius pretend to care about him even for a second would be worth all the humiliations in the world- so after hesitating for a little longer, he slowly walked over to Aurelius' bed, standing right in front of him now.

I'm ready to be your good boy, Relius.

yep...there will be plenty of H/C between Relius and Tom in the next chap ;)

I appreciate your feedback! :)

xoxo,

Antonie :)