Hey everybody! :)

Thank you Gypsyrose98 for your ongoing loyalty, and your lovely comment!

I recently finished this chapter, I struggled for a looooong time with putting it together, and I am so glad it's finally done! :D

Now working on chapter 21, which is about halfway done. Hoping to be able to post that chapter this month! :)

"Hold still, boy", he flushed when he got a quick swat on his backside, and then Aurelius carefully placed him on the bed next to him, "you'll get your story and some snuggles, just like my boy does- but then it's back to the couch for you, understand?"

"Yes, Aurelius", the boy replied, trying to push his naked feet under the sheets, "I'll be good."

"We'll see about that- now stop squirming, or I'll make you."

Tom blinked, "I…it's hard. I'm sorry. This is just so…new", to tell the truth, he was overwhelmed- he had no idea how to act and what to do, and being so close to Aurelius was scary, and he was more than afraid to mess it up, to disappoint the older boy.

Aurelius sighed, already regretting to agree to this, "as long as you do what I tell you, you'll be fine. Now, do you like dragon stories, boy?"

"No thank you", the boy answered politely, "I'd like a vampire story please. A very spooky one."

Aurelius sighed again, "a vampire story…sure", he tried to think of a good one, since Sirius sometimes requested stories about vampires of werewolves as well, "how about the one where the vampire king has to hide in his cave from the dementors?"

"That sounds perfect!", Tom replied enthusiastically, "I did not even know there's a vampire king!"

"Well, there is- but this story is very scary, my boy got nightmares after I told him", Aurelius said, not missing the fact that Tom winced when he mentioned his boy.

"I…I don't mind scary stories, Aurelius", he told him quietly, "and…I won't annoy you with any nightmares. I can be very quiet."

Aurelius frowned, it had not annoyed him when Sirius had had a nightmare- he had actually enjoyed being able to snuggle the boy close all night.

"Anyways- be quiet now for your story, or you can go straight back to the couch", he forced his voice to be firm to mask his confusion, "once upon a time, when vampires were…"

The story was a spooky one- and unlike Sirius, who had a thousand questions and even more comments whenever he told him something, Tom stayed perfectly quiet, sitting next to him on the bed but being very careful not to touch him. Aurelius realized he was not used anymore to not getting interrupted every five seconds by a question or comment, and then he remembered he had told the boy to be quiet.

He probably has a thousand questions as well.

"Do you like the story, Thomas?", he asked him after a few minutes, not being able to stand the complete silence from the boy any longer.

"Yes, Aurelius. It's very spooky. The vampire king is my favorite. I think he's gonna get out of the cave, cause he's smart", Tom answered politely, "you are a good story teller."

"You think?"

"Yah- I like how you use all different voices for the vampires. Makes it extra spooky", Tom shot him a small smile, "and the part where the vampires met was funny. I really had to control myself not to laugh."

His confusion grew, "you…you can laugh, Thomas."

"You told me to be quiet", Tom reminded him, "and I don't wanna get kicked out before you get to the scariest part."

The lump in his throat was getting bigger, "just…being quiet as in not being annoying- if you have a question or anything, you can ask. And you can laugh, of course. I…I don't mind that."

"Okay", the boy did not look convinced- and he also looked cold, hugging his legs that were pressed into his body, only his naked feet being firmly planted under the blanket.

"Are you…comfortable like this?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

He kept telling the boy the story, but when he got to the scariest part, he could tell the boy was barely holding it together, his eyes wide and fearful, and his whole body trembling.

"Scary, hmmm?"

"I…I am not scared", Tom lied, his face as white as a ghosts, "I…I can handle it."

Aurelius had to chuckle softly, "prideful boy", it sounded amused, "do you want your snuggles now? I always snuggle my boy at the scary parts."

Lucky him.

"Uhm…I'm not sure", he stuttered, his face turning red, "I mean…if you…are okay with…with that."

"With what?"

The boy swallowed, looking down, "touching me."

There was a silence.

"Eyes up, Thomas."

The boy swallowed again, obeying instantly, though. He looked resigned and miserable, his eyes sad and without any hint of happiness.

I think he's dying to hear some praise from you.

A boy his age shouldn't be sad- he should be happy.

He's too terrified of you to even ask for anything.

"Do you want me to snuggle you?", he kept his voice calm, keeping his whole focus on the boy in front of him, and then Tom shrugged helplessly, "I…I don't think I deserve it", he eventually croaked out, "I…I've been bad, and…only good boys get snuggles, right? And…I was moving when you…when you told me to hold still", he was looking down again, his voice thick with sadness, "sorry for…being such a disappointment."

For a moment, Aurelius was at a loss for words- all he could do was stare at the younger boy who was sitting on his bed hugging himself with his feet under his sheets, trying to get some comfort and warmth.

"You…you're not a disappointment, Thomas", he finally said, sounding hoarse, "and I told you I'd treat you like my boy, and that means snuggles- it does not matter how bad or good you were."

"It…doesn't?"

"No, it doesn't."

The boy's mouth curled into a small smile, "okay then. I'd like some snuggles, please."

"Come here."

Tom slowly came closer, crawling over to Aurelius, who silently opened his arms, pulling the boy close. As he had expected, Tom made himself completely stiff, not even daring to breathe loudly.

"Shhh…you need to relax, Tom", he held him tight, the same way Sirius liked to be held, "I won't hurt you, I promise…just relax…"

"I…don't…want to mess it up, I mean…"

"You won't mess anything up, Tommy", he assured him, using the nickname on purpose, "you are being a very good boy right now actually."

"I…am?"

"Yes, you are", he had the feeling the boy would need to hear that about a million times more often before he believed him, "come here now."

Tom came even closer immediately, and Aurelius had to think of their encounter in the dungeons when he had made the boy crawl for him, and how responsive the boy had been even then.

"Shhh…all good, little boy", he had picked Tom up and placed him on his lap now, causing the boy to squirm in distress, "shhh…you're safe, Tom. I'm here…I'm here…"

Tom kept squirming, whimpering, the situation overwhelming, until Aurelius held him tighter, slowly starting to rock him. The boy stilled, calming down, and Aurelius had to smile, "there's my good boy", he treated Tom how he'd treat Sirius, and it seemed to be the right thing to do.

"More story now?"

"Yes, now you get the end of your vampire story", the rain was still loudly splashing against the window, with Quentin snoring in the background. Olivier was probably still awake, but he was smart enough to realize that they needed this moment to themselves.

And Aurelius kept telling Tom the story in a low voice, one hand in Tom's hair, the boy firmly placed in his lap, his face snuggled into his chest. The story finished with a happy end for the vampire king, and Tom yawned softly when Aurelius eventually ended, "that…was a great…story", he yawned again, "but so scary!"

"You were so brave- not even hiding under the blanket once", Aurelius tickled his naked feet, causing the boy to giggle, "tell you somethin', Relius?"

"Hmm?"

"Wanted…to hide when…they came to search the cave", Tom whispered, "but…wanted to be brave for you more."

"My brave, brave boy", Aurelius hugged him closer, "time to sleep now, hmm? We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay", the boy made an attempt to get up, but Aurelius pulled him right back, "you are going to stay right here with me, little boy", he said into his ear, "where I can make sure you don't spend the rest of the night getting into trouble."

Tom blinked, unsure what to think of that, but when Aurelius pulled him down next to him in bed, he instantly snuggled closer.

"Sleep tight, Tommy- quiet time now."

The boy snuggled even closer, not making any sounds, but Aurelius could sense that he was still not calm enough to sleep since he kept kicking his legs, wiggling around.

"Stop squirming, boy", he got a quick pat on his butt, causing him to squirm even more, "sorry, Relius."

"Shhh…quiet time for little boys."

For a few minutes, Tom was perfectly still, but then he began squirming again, even though Aurelius' grip on him was already tight. He knew Tom was not disobeying him on purpose, he was just still too agitated and confused about what had happened, and he had no idea how to process any of it.

And then he suddenly remembered what Quentin had done with that unruly cousin of his after he'd been crazy from too much sugar and being overtired. It was a risk, a big one, but he decided to take it.

"Such a squirmy boy, hmmm?", he slowly sat up, lifting up his shirt, "let's get you nice and quiet again, little boy", he gently moved the boy on top of himself, covering him with the shirt, which allowed the boy to rest his head on his exposed chest.

As expected, Tom struggled even more at first, but once he had tightened the shirt around him, the boy became very calm, staring at him in wonder, "I can…hear your heartbeat, Relius!", he whispered, clearly amazed, "can hear it very loudly."

"Hmmm…", he had to smile, "good to know I even have one."

Tom looked at him silently for a while, his head still resting on his chest, which he seemed to enjoy quite a lot, "tell you somethin', Relius?"

"Go ahead."

"Didn't…tell you about…my plans cause…I thought you…were gonna laugh", the boy said quietly, "I didn't…want to lie. Only bad boys lie."

He blinked at him, looking as cute as could be with his tousled hair and oversized clothes, laying on his chest with his arms holding on to him from the sides, one cheek pressed into his chest.

Quentin had told him that this was the only method to calm his younger cousin when he was cranky and overtired, and he said it was used for newborns and babies as well, and that they called it kangarooing as a medical term. The name made perfect sense to him, especially since Tom really looked like a little kangaroo now, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact and warmth he was radiating.

"I think I owe you an apology, Tommy", he began caressing Tom's hair again, "it was unfair of me to accuse you of lying to me- and I should not have sent you to bed earlier without telling you goodnight. I…I made a lot of mistakes I am afraid."

"Made…mistakes, too", Tom mumbled, not moving an inch, "tell you somethin' else, Relius?"

"Go ahead, little roo."

That caused the boy to smile broadly, obviously loving his new nickname, "promise not to get mad?"

"I promise."

"Didn't…attack you back then", Tom whispered, "really didn't."

Aurelius sighed, the guilt back in full force, "I know, little roo. My father told me it was Dumbledore- he told me right away. I was so…angry with you though, so very angry, blaming you for…the divorce, the war, everything…", he sighed again, "I did not want to believe what my parents said about you."

"What did they say?"

"That there is a very sweet, funny, and smart little boy underneath all that Lord Voldemort demeanor."

"Not…sweet."

Aurelius laughed softly, "you are very sweet, Tommy. You actually remind me of my boy in Hogwarts, Sirius- he's a sweet little boy as well."

He could sense Tom stiffen at the mention of Sirius, "is…is he a really good boy?", Tom finally asked, worry in his voice, "that's why…he's your boy?"

"Sirius is a sweet boy- when he's not a demanding little brat", Aurelius had to chuckle, "and he is certainly not my boy because he is such a good boy- he's my boy because he is funny, and wild, and because he needs me to snuggle him, discipline him, and teach him how to be a good boy for me."

Tom stayed silent, and when Aurelius carefully entered his mind, unnoticed by the boy, he immediately got hit by the overwhelming feeling of sadness- mixed with jealousy, longing, and helplessness.

Satisfied with what he'd seen, he pulled back, using both hands now to secure the boy on his chest, "you know, when I saw you back then in the dungeons, Tommy, I was actually thinking of training you", he told the boy, causing him to flinch, his eyes widening in surprise, "you…you did?"

"I did- but I was still so angry with you…and when I did do some training with you the time we met at the penthouse, I treated you horribly. You were being such a good boy, obeying so nicely, and I did not even praise you for it", the guilt was obvious in his voice now, "I am so sorry, Tommy. I would do it all differently if I could."

There was a silence.

Aurelius knew all he had to do was wait now- wait and trust his instincts.

"You…you can, Relius", Tom's voice was soft, but with an edge of firmness in it, "I…I'd let you."

He could not stop himself from grinning, knowing this was his chance to help the boy, to make amends, and to build a relationship with him, "you know what that means though, right?"

"Yah."

"You'd be my boy, Tommy- just like Sirius."

"Just like Sirius", Tom repeated, clearly liking the sound of that, "are you…training Sirius, too?"

"A little- but not to the extent I will train you, sweet boy", he was caressing his hair again, "it will not be easy, make no mistake. I do think you have great potential though, and I think being trained is going to help you quite a lot."

"Help…with being a good boy?"

"Help with having structure, rules, and boundaries, little roo. I obviously will have to talk to that foster family of yours first, and to my own parents."

Tom swallowed hard, he'd been so excited to be Aurelius' boy, but what he was saying now did not sound good. All his lies would crumble down like a house of cards once Aurelius realized he had run away, was homeless and had to work at the café all day to support himself and Squirrel.

And then he is not gonna want to train me anymore.

"It's too late to talk about that now, though- we will have plenty of time to talk tomorrow, and I think my boy is pretty tired, hmm?"

My boy. I'm his boy.

Tom curled his lips into a small smile, "stay…like this, Relius?"

"You can stay like this all night, my little kangaroo", he got a soft kiss on the top of his head, "or snuggle up next to me later on when this position gets too warm- it's entirely your choice."

Tom yawned, he loved laying on top of Aurelius with his face on his bare chest like this, listening to his heartbeat, even though he had an idea it would get pretty warm later on, since Aurelius had covered them both with his shirt and the sheets.

"Goodnight, Tommy- sleep tight, my boy."

And what a difference that was to the cold go to bed he had ordered him to do earlier. It now seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Night, Relius…", he mumbled back, closing his eyes. He did fall asleep fairly quickly, the warmth and safety Aurelius provided clearly helping, but his dreams were not safe- they were full of nightmares of Aurelius calling him out on all his lies, of Sirius protesting against having to share Aurelius, of Hannigsworth punching him again…

He woke up hours later covered in cold sweat, his heart racing. He had rolled off Aurelius a while ago since it had become too hot, and Aurelius was sleeping peacefully next to him now, not knowing what kind of liar and runaway he had offered to train.

This is a mistake.

Tom forced back the tears, knowing deep down this had been unrealistic from the start- the Founder's son, the Ice Prince, the perfect, brilliant future lawyer Aurelius, training him, the criminal who had once been Lord Voldemort?

Maybe he just said that cause he felt guilty for being so mean to me.

Tom stared into the darkness for a few more minutes, the only sounds Quentin's snores and the wind howling outside, and then he made his decision.

This isn't my life. None of this is. I have to leave.

Very slowly, he crawled out of Aurelius' bed, and went quietly to the door. His shoes were by the front door, and Tom put them on. He had no time to grab his jacket or any other clothes, he just left the apartment as quickly and quietly as he could, which turned out to be easier than he had thought.

Minutes later, a lonely little boy was walking down the empty streets of nightly Downtown London, wearing only an oversized shirt and pajama pants that were way too long for him.

I'm sorry, Relius. Sorry I can't be your good boy.

yep...but don't worry, things WILL stay good. The Happy End is near! ;)

I'd love feedback from you all!

xoxo,

Antonie :)