room // malum au [in progress]

january 8th, 2021

"psst." tucker whispered poking calum's cheek. "daddy wake up!"

"what tucker?" calum groaned rolling over in bed.

"the light's back on." he yelled pulling the blanket's off calum's body. "get up!" calum's eyes flew open.

"no fucking way." calum muttered.

"daddy!" tucker whined.

"what?" calum asked pulling the five year old in his lap.

"you swore again." tucker stated.

"sorry." calum laughed. "let's go eat something." calum stood up with tucker in his arms and carried him the short distance to the table.

"what do we have?" tucker chirped.

"umm how bout split the last apple?" calum suggested. "does that sound okay? tucker nodded and cut the apple in half with the blunt butter knife john allowed him to have.

"are we gonna trick john today?" tucker mumbled, mouth full of chewed up apple.

"don't talk with your mouth full." calum ordered. "and yeah i think we need to try."

"okay so what are we gonna do?" tucker asked.

"let's figure it out after we eat." calum said sitting down across from the five year old. tucker nodded and continued to eat the rest of his half while intently staring down calum.

"staring contest!" tucker shouted out of no where standing up on his chair. "one, two, three go!" calum dropped his apple in shock but immediately locked his eyes with tucker's. soon enough the five year old blinked and calum whooped with glee.

"come on bud let's get you dressed." calum said going to pick him up. "no wait."

"what?" tucker asked.

"if we're gonna pretend you're sick you can't be clean." calum said.

"i don't like being smelly though." tucker whined.

"do you want this to work?" calum asked sternly.

"yes." the five year old mumbled.

"then we have to make you seem as sick as possible."

"okay." tucker mumbled. calum picked up the five year old and carried him to the bed.

"let's hang out a little and we'll make you seem sick closer to when john comes okay?" tucker nodded and snuggled into calum's chest. the two were laying in bed taking turns making up funny stories for a couple hours before tucker interrupted calum.

"do i have to pretend to be sick?" he asked. "like can you do it?" calum groaned.

"no tucker. i can't do it. it has to be you."

"but i don't wanna do it." tucker whined.

"tucker you have to." calum retorted. "this is our one ticket out of here."

"can you come with me?"

"no. john won't let me." calum said.

"why not?" tucker cried.

"because tucker." calum yelled back standing up and walking over to the table where he found a piece of scrap paper. he sat down on and began to write a note that tucker would take with him. tucker scrambled off the bed and ran over to calum.

"i don't want to leave you." he sobbed. calum ran his hand through his raven locks and looked down at the five year old. calum swooped the little boy in his arms and held him close.