Chapter Text
In the dead of the night, an inebriated woman silently stepped inside a young boy’s bedroom. Her steps were quiet and swift as she approached the bed where a piece of herself slept peacefully.
She laid beside him, hugging his back. Her fingers were looking for the hem of his shirt. When she finally found it, she couldn’t hold back a moan, the sound of her voice making her son squirm. He was awake.
She let out a triumphant chuckle as her fingernails traced the boy’s slender torso. She brushed the tip of her nose against the flushed skin of his neck. He gasped. She dragged her nails over his chest and slowly brought them down until she reached his pants. The already bulging fabric didn’t go unnoticed by her. For a second she considered touching it, but brushed the thought away.
The woman asked herself why she was doing this again, it was the third time she had snuck in his room. There was something about his body, something about him that just drew her in. Even if she hated to admit it, it wasn’t possible to deny how wet she already was.
Her breasts were pressed against his back, one hand had moved to his mouth and she teasingly felt the texture of his lips with her fingers. One of them demanded access to his mouth, which he promptly conceded. “Good boy.” She whispered, playing with his tongue. As she kept exploring her boy’s torso with her other hand, he started to quiver more and more under her touch.
She didn’t know if he was enjoying this as much as herself, but she did know he didn’t dislike it. He would have told her if he did.
Deciding it was enough, she got up, ruffled his short black hair and left the room without any other word.
Her heart was pounding inside her chest. She shouldn’t be doing this with her own child, but that only made it feel better.
Putting her back against the wall of her own bedroom, she looked at her finger still coated with her son’s saliva, and brought it to her lips, tasting the sweetest innocence of the child she had all the right to break.
***
“Ughh...” The young boy groaned, reaching for his cheek as he felt the familiar yet strange stinging pain on his skin, it had been a while since Charlie Weitzel’s last accident in the laboratory, he was the most reliable member of the chemistry club, just behind the club’s leader who was a couple of years older and more experienced than him.
Ignoring the pain he was already getting used to, the aspiring chemist started checking his lab coat. Good, it seemed like the acid hadn’t spilled on the white cotton, he’d never forgive himself if he had spoiled such a gift, after all he got if from his favorite teacher, the person who got him into chemistry at the tender age of twelve. He didn’t even care that some of his classmates called him a nerd or a teacher’s pet, since he got to have fun in the lab almost every day.
Speaking about that teacher, Charlie Flinched when he felt Mr. Null’s hand grab his shoulder.
“It’s acid in water! Never water in acid!”.
The look on the young man’s face wasn’t one of anger or annoyance, there was genuine surprise and concern in his tired dark brown eyes.
“Sorry…” Was the only thing the startled boy could stutter, his hands trembling.
“It’s okay, don't worry abou- No, I mean. What are you waiting for? Go wash your face, then come back here”
Charlie made his way to a nearby sink, turned it on and let the water pool in his hands, splashing it against his stinging cheek a couple of times.
The laboratory was empty besides him and his teacher, the other members usually only came when there were actual projects being done, unlike him who liked to help cleaning the place, organizing and preparing solutions, even when it wasn’t really necessary. His teacher would never complain about an eager student though, the extra help gave him more time to prepare lessons and grade tests.
It’s been half a year since the two of them started to spent their late afternoon together like this, almost daily from 3pm to around 5pm, with a few exceptions, like weekends and days when the lab would be reserved for other classes.
The cold water made Charlie sigh in relief. As the pain started to subside, the boy ripped a piece of paper towel from the roll and dried himself before going back to his teacher, who pulled a small bench with his feet and gestured for Charlie to sit down.
“Here.” As the boy complied, he reached his gloved hand out and tilted Charlie’s chin upwards, brushing his thumb lightly on the small darkened spot on his skin caused by the acid burn, the teacher’s brows furrowing at the lack of reaction from his pupil. “Doesn’t it hurt?”
“It does.” He answered. “Stings quite a bit to be honest.” The boy chuckled. “But I didn’t spill it so it’s okay right?” His hazel eyes finally meeting the teacher’s gaze as he backed away just a bit. The young professor released the boy and after gathering his thoughts for a bit, started explaining. “Don’t apologize. You’ll have this stain on your face for a couple days, maybe two weeks, lucky for us it’s not a permanent scar.”
Mr. Null took off his latex gloves and scratched his messy curly hair, which he refused to tie up even inside the laboratory, a terrible example for his students, but since he was really reasonable as a teacher, most students let him off with his ‘Do what I say, not what I do’ attitude.
“So… just so we are on the same page, what did we learn from this?” He had a lighthearted smile.
“Acid in water, never water in acid.” The boy repeated the mantra he heard in every practice. He wasn’t one to overlook the basics, from washing his hands, to keeping his lab shoes clean, to carefully putting on and taking off his gloves so the substances wouldn’t touch his hands.
Charlie always did everything perfectly and made sure everyone else did too, which could get a little annoying sometimes but the club members overlooked that, because it was endearing seeing how much Charlie truly cared about each one of them.
“I’m really sorry Mr. Null”.
“Don’t apologize. You’re a student, if you and the others already knew everything I would be out of my job.” He fixed his lab coat collar, which he wore over a plain black shirt. Charlie thought his teacher probably had many shirts like those since he was always wearing one.
“I’m just glad it didn’t got in your eye, we’d both be pretty screwed if that happened.” Charlie chuckled again, it was fun hearing a teacher swear, even if it wasn’t really a swear.
“Yeah, I usually double check those things, I don’t know what’s gotten into me today Mr. Null”
“Axel is fine in the lab. ‘Teacher’ if you’re feeling fancy. It’s still a bit unsettling being called Mister all the time, I was still in high School a few years ago, I’m not that old am I?”
“Okay teacher, it’s just that my mother taught me to always treat others with respect, and I feel a bit bad calling a professor by their name.”
“And she taught you well, but remember to relax a little once in a while, you’ll have gray hairs before you get to 30.” Axel got up and turned around, heading to the lab exit. “I’m gonna make some coffee, want some too?”
“No, thank you, drinking coffee makes me anxious” Charlie replied, making his way back to the lab bench to continue preparing the solutions for the next day’s practice.
“Alright, suit yourself, I’ll be right back.” The young teacher leaves the lab still wearing his coat, which Charlie registers as another bad behavior, noticing he also left his shoes unorganized, the boy promptly made his way to the door and neatly proped his mentor’s lab shoes on the proper place, skipping back to the bench once again.
“Sodium hydroxide, 0,25 moles per liter… that would be…” His right thumb touches his right index finger, then his middle finger, then the other two. “20 grams, in two litters” He mutters to himself as picks up the small metallic spatula, takes a decent amount of a white powder from a black plastic flask, and pours it inside a beaker propped on top of a precision scale. “Six point two.” He repeats the process. “Thirteen point nine” And one more time. “Twenty point five.” He uses the smaller side of the spatula. “Twenty point zero two”. He bit down hard on his lower lip, almost hard enough to make it bleed. “That’s enough”. He closed the black flask and put away the spatula, throwing the powder he weighed into a large 2-liter beaker.
He started stirring the solution when he noticed the glass was becoming increasingly warmer. He kept twirling the glass rod around the solution with his right hand and put his left one on the glass, it was hotter now, hot enough to hurt, but Charlie kept his hand there, he didn’t take it off when his hands started to sting, neither when tears began forming in his big hazel eyes.
“Any problems there?” A voice took him out of his trance, it was Axel with a cup of coffee in his hand, oh, food in the lab, another bad habit.
“Sorry it took me a while, they were out of grounds in the teacher’s lounge. And you look like you're almost done, I know there’s still half an hour till 5 but we really don’t have anything else to do, so you can go home.”
The boy nodded, paying attention to the task at hand, he didn’t want to make two blunders in a single day. After he organized everything, he reported to his teacher, who noticed that Charlie’s hands were trembling “Even the smell of it? Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have drunk it outside.”
“It’s not a problem teacher, It’ll pass soon.” He lied.
He liked that teacher way too much to let him think he was weak, he was not weak, he could take care of himself, and he could deal with a bit of anxiety.
“Come outside”. Axel guided Charlie, who refused to leave until all his belongings were neatly organized and his lab coat folded inside his bag, to the corridor.
“I have a task for you, are you up for it?” Charlie answered affirmatively.
“Good, I want you to jog to the water fountain at the end of this corridor, and I mean jog, don’t run, drink some water and come back.”
Charlie was visibly confused at the apparently cryptic task, but complied anyway. He skipped in a light jog from the laboratory entrance to the fountain at the end, drank a couple sips of water and jogged back.
“How do you feel?” The young boy’s lips curled into a shy smile as he noticed he was trembling way less than before.
“Better”. Charlie said, picking up his backpack. “Good, water and exercise help a lot with it. I’m not saying it’ll work 100% of the time, but it’s worth a try.”
The two of them talked a little more before the clock hit 5pm, they exchanged goodbyes and Axel gave Charlie some pieces of mint candy, saying it was thanks for the help. The boy tried to refuse but Axel insisted he take them, so he put them inside the small pocket in his bag and made his way to the School’s gate.
The sun would begin to set soon, but the boy was in no hurry. He walked down the street in the direction of his home until he reached a small bookshop.
“Ah! Hey Charlie!” The clerk waved as she saw the young boy passing through the door.
“Your girlfriend is reading something back there”.
The middle-aged woman didn’t pass the opportunity to tease the usually well composed boy. “She’s not!” He protested in the typical adolescent way and ignoring the woman, who asked what the stain on his cheek was, went to the fantasy shelf. He picked up a small novel he began reading earlier that week and headed for the cozy reading area they had in the back of the shop.
Sitting on one of the sofas was a girl a couple years older than him, her straight brown hair in a shoulder cut and her blue eyes locked on the notebook on her lap.
She was holding a pencil with her lips that fell on her when Charlie greeted her.
“Charlie boy! How’s it- What’s that on your face?” She closed her notebook and straightened her back. “Hey Anna.” His voice wasn’t very cheerful. “It was an accident”. He took a seat on the armchair beside the her, taking off his shoes and putting his feet on the seat with his knees against his chest.
“You were helping the teacher again? You know you don’t need to do that, right?”
He nodded absentmindedly, opening his book, looking for the page he last stopped on. “I know, but you know I like it, and I have nothing to do anyways.”
She tilted her head trying to get a better look at him. “Really? Don’t you even want to like… go home and play games?” Charlie shook his head. “Not really, besides I have fun there.” She sighed disapprovingly.
“Don’t come complaining to me, when people come after you for being a nerd again.”
They stayed like that for a while, and then it was Charlie’s time to break the ice. “Why do you come here to study? It’s not like your home is close like mine.” He closed the book and stretched his back, raising his arms all the way up.
“My brothers are way to noisy”. Anna rolled her eyes remembering the last argument she had with one of them.
“Ah, you have two older brothers right?”
“‘Older’ he says.”. She chuckles. “Sometimes they act like literal children, always fighting and putting on loud music, and arguing with mom and dad, and leaving their dirty clothes everywhere.” Anna says in a groan.
“That’s rough buddy.” He pokes the girl with his elbow, mocking her. In response, she starts poking him under his ribs with her fingers making him laugh until the clerk yells for both of them to stay silent.
“I wish I had a brother like you, Charlie. You’re fun, and not gross.”
“That’s some low standards you’ve got there An.”
“Shut up.” She kicked him lightly. “I mean it, dummy, it’s nice to hang out with you, and you’re into chemistry and fantasy like me. If you were my younger brother we’d have so much fun.”
“You should ask your mother to adopt me then.” He joked and they both laughed, Anna told him she doubted her mother would want another child, and he said he would rather stay an only child anyways.
The two teenagers went back to their respective activities until it was around 6:30, the sun was already setting and they decided to leave before it got dark.
Before they parted ways, Anna commented about craving something sweet. “Yup, me too, I heard they’re opening a new ice cream place next to school”. He remarked. “Summer’s starting soon, for sure it will get crowded as soon as it opens.”
They finally arrived at the street, the two of them usually said their goodbyes. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?” She thanked him and said it was fine since she was older, and that she didn’t want to make his mother worry.
That said the students parted ways.
The lampposts started turning on over Charlie's head, he didn’t want to go home yet, but there wasn’t anything else he could buy time doing and justify it somehow.
After walking for ten more minutes, he finally saw the not so modest two-story house where he lived alone with his mother.
He didn’t even remember his father’s face and honestly that didn’t even matter to him anymore, it was better to think he never had one to begin with.
For as long as he could remember it was him and his mom, only the two of them, but he couldn’t remember when it was that she began changing.
Nothing else he could do now besides getting in. He searched his pockets for the key, and grabbing the small metallic object he put his hand against the door, slid the key in and slowly turned the knob.
With calculated movements, he closed the door again, locking it behind him.
Charlie took off his shoes, neatly placing them near the door, and started tiptoeing along the corridor that passed the living room and ended at the stairs to the bedrooms.
“Charlie? Is it you?” A dragged, tired voice catched the boy’s attention, he stepped back until he wass at the living room’s door again.
“I’m home, mother.”
Leaving a half-emptied bottle of wine on the floor, Erika puts herself on her feet with a groan. She was in her early 30’s but no one would bat an eye if she said she was 28.
Her platinum hair fell over her slender face. She was a beauty through and through, not enough to be a world-class model, but enough to score some modeling gigs here and there, so she’d still reluctantly try to stay in shape and keep a pretty face.
Her baby blue camisole rested on her braless torso, shaping the curves of her medium perky breasts, ones she always complained weren’t big enough even in front of her son. Not that she would restrain herself in front of her child, he didn’t deserve that after all.
“Fucking finally! I was wondering when my useless son would come back. At least warn me when you’re going to spend time outside.” She stopped in front of him, looking down on him in contempt, he muttered a quiet ‘sorry’ and made a futile attempt at leaving, but she grabbed him by his wrist and pulled the boy back.
“Hey, hey, wait there…” A mischievous grin appeared on her face, “What do we have here?” Erika forcefully held Charlie’s face and leaned down, pulleing him closer.
The strong smell of alcohol mixed with a faint scent of shampoo invaded his nostrils, making him cough. He winced and closed his eyes as her grip tightened.
Meanwhile his mother’s smirk swiftly changed into a predatory smile. “What’s this?” She asked in a mocking sultry tone “Did someone perhaps punch you in the face? That’s what you get for being so annoying all the time.” She giggled rubbing his bruise with her thumb. “Who was it?” Her voice took a serious tone.
“It was a lab accident” Her smile faded a little, but not completely.
“Is that so? Well, that’s more boring. But still pretty hilarious.” She laughed this time, releasing the grip on his cheeks and finally letting him breathe. “I thought you were at least decent in that, but I think that’s what I get for trusting you. Maybe I should keep you from doing these extracurricular thingies.” The woman spat.
“Mom, please no, that never happens, it was just once. Please let me go.”
Erika burst into laughter seeing her son plead like that, her hands briefly squeezing the fabric of her camisole.
“Of course you can go. I’m not that mean, okay.” She sniffed him for a second. “I need you to help me with work, but go take a shower before that, you reek of cleaning products.”
“And you reek of alcohol.” Charlie barely finished whispering what he would regret a single second later as his mother’s hand smacked his face.
“Shut the fuck up you insolent kid!”
He contained a whimper as he brought a hand to his stinging skin, a tear trickling down his face. “And don’t you fucking cry. Go wash yourself, now!” She commanded.
Inside the bathroom Charlie took off his uniform, exposing his bruised adolescent torso to the cold air. On his back were red lines, purple and yellow stains from previous times his mother had corrected him. He still wasn’t sure why she always kept going even when he’d tell her he had learned his lesson. It was better not to think too much about it, she was his mom, she knew what was best, and she even said that countless times to him.
Maybe she was right, maybe if she didn’t punish him properly he would forget. Maybe the accident that happened today was because his teacher didn’t punish him when he deserved it. He wouldn’t forget if he was punished, he would look at the bruise, at the cut, he would feel the familiar comfortable sting, and he would remember.
He would remember the exact reason it was there. A broken plate, a breakfast not made in time, an answer that made his mother think he was being snarky. He would never do any of those again, at least not in the exact same way. He’d learn and he’d adapt, and he was happy as long as the things he did didn’t make the people around him mad, that was enough.
The boy got under the shower and easily endured the agonizing few seconds before the water started heating. It was warm, and cozy, too cozy perhaps. His black hair fell over his eyes, but not enough to cover them.
He turned the knob for the hot water a little more. A little warmer now, if he closed his eyes he probably could fall asleep. He couldn’t have that.
He turned the knob a little more. It’s hot now, really hot, it makes him lightheaded, his legs weak. He looked into the abyss.
He turned the knob a little more. It hurts, it burns, he held the wall so he didn’t fall over. He gritt his teeth and started counting up to ten, in his head he needs to accomplish at least that. He stepped out of the stream before he could count to seven and turned the water off. He lost.
He looked at himself in the mirror, his mother’s hand was imprinted on his left cheek.
After drying himself up, Charlie went to his own bedroom and picked a new change of clothes from his wardrobe, a plain long sleeve, deep blue shirt and shorts.
When he went down the stairs he heard Erika yell, asking him how long would he take. Entering the living room, he said he was done already. The woman had changed clothes too, she was wearing a purple dress and had put on some light makeup, a pearl necklace and matching pearl earrings.
“The camera is there, be quick.” The boy held the camera with both his hands and as his mother posed in front of a green curtain, he took different angles and positions to capture Erika’s face and figure. He wasn’t professional yet but if he continued it wouldn’t take long.
After seeing some catalogs, he kind of learned what he must capture to make his mother’s employers happy.
Flash after flash he watched the woman change positions, it was one of the few times the two of them actually did something together, even if it was just work, it was the closest he got to spending quality time with his mother. Well, that, and when she took him shopping for clothes, those days she was always particularly happy because her company paid for most of her things. Sometimes she even let him chose something for himself, and on rarer occasions, she would buy him ice cream or popcorn while he waited for her.
“A few more, we’re almost done”. She said turning her back to him and her face towards him to show the back part of the dress. It didn’t even seem like she was drunk anymore. When she started posing, she adopted a persona that would leave only after the photoshoot was over.
“Okay done, let me see.”
She took the camera from him and started scrolling through the pictures, the unreadable expression on her face turning into satisfaction.
“Nice, better than last time, who’d know you’re not that useless after all.” She let her body fall on the sofa. “Now I just have to submit that tomorrow afternoon and this month’s work is basically done.”
She put the camera aside and grabbed the wine bottle and hands it to her son, who’s looking confused. “Let’s celebrate! Come, take a sip, boy.”
“Do you want me too…?”
“Yeah, drink a little, I’m not telling your mother” Erika encouraged him, smiling. He relaxeed a bit and chuckled. “Okay then, if you don’t mind, mom”
He sipped the red liquid carefully, the expensive alcohol going to waste on his still childish taste buds. He hated it, but the feeling of being allowed to do something he shouldn’t spoke louder. He gulped down once, twice, the third time his mother held the bottle, taking it for herself again.
“Slow there, little drunkard, leave some for your dear mother.” She drunk a bit more. “Tell me boy, how has school been?”
“It’s going alright.” He fidgeted a little before continuing. “Those subjects I was finding difficult, like history… I’m beginning to understand them.”
“Good, awesome! You’re at least getting passing grades right?” Charlie nodded enthusiastically. In truth, his Chemistry teacher had asked the other teachers to make extra homework for him, so he was practicing a lot. “That’s what matters.” She groaned. “You know, I really hate when our neighbor starts bragging about her son.”
“Miss Mathews?” The young boy inquired.
“Yes, that bitch. Every time I try having the decency of making small talk it's always her son this, her son that. I don’t give a single fuck your son is good at soccer, or how much he looks just like you. Can’t she take a hint?”
Charlie felt a bit amused listening to his mom ranting about someone who was not him for once. “It seems like her son goes to the same school as you, have you ever seen him?”
“I don’t think I have, he’s two grades above me, I think”
“Good, don’t go near him, or his mother.”
Erika kept ranting about her neighbors, and her job, and her boss, and the men who hit on her. She would also pretend she was interested in her son’s life and friends, perhaps she wasn’t pretending, Charlie was too young to know for sure.
It was already eleven when she got a message on her phone. Suddenly the air got heavy again. “Damn it!” She exclaimed. “Guess what? They asked for pictures of one more dress. Shit, I’m getting sleepy. Make some coffee for me would you?”
Charlie didn’t drink coffee, but he learned how to brew it because his mother didn’t seem to live without it, so it was a good way to stay on her good side when her mood wasn’t the best.
He boiled some water and after waiting for it to cool down for a bit, he started pouring over the filter, It was like filtering suspensions at the lab, so he had a bit of fun with it, even if the smell made him agitated.
When he went back to his mom, she had already changed again, this time she was wearing an elegant one-piece black dress.
Erika sipped on her coffee and gestured for her son to get the camera while she fixed the lighting. Once they started and she began posing, she noticed that the boy’s hands were shaking. She sighed deeply.
“Oh yeah, I forgot you’re so problematic.” She mocked, rolling her eyes. “Let me take a look at it.” Her annoyance quickly turned to anger. She reached for his cheek and pinched it hard between her index finger and thumb. “Why are you so useless?” She tightened her grip.
“Mom… stop.” Charlie whimpered as he felt his skin almost being peeled off his face.
“That won’t do Charlie.” Erika twisted her wrist making him yelp, and then she finally let him go. “Drink it. Everything.” She pointed to the still warm cup of coffee.
“But… But I’m gonna…” He tried to protest.
“You’re going to get used to it. This is what you’re going to no. Now drink it.” She held his collar and pulled his face closer, her warm breath brushing his still stinging cheek. “You’re not going to disobey me, are you?” He shook his head. She smiled sadistically. “That’s it.”
Charlie sheepishly took the cup into his hands and let his tongue touch the tar black liquid, it tasted terrible, his mother always drank her coffee without any sugar in it.
Deciding the best course of action would be to just get over with it as fast as possible, he held his breath and chugged all down at once. He put the cup back on the table and looked at his mother, waiting for what she was going to do next.
“Good boy.” She approached him and cupped his cheek. Her eyes were hazy as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, and then another on the corner of his lips.
Erika pulled him close, tilting his head sideways exposing his neck. “Please don’t resent me, I only do these things so you don’t grow up spoiled.” She said in a sultry voice and her teeth sunk into him softly.
She didn’t want to make him feel pain this time. It was a thing she was doing for herself. Seeing the boy’s body tremble a little, she pressed her body even more against his, her hardened nipples brushing on his chest. “Do you hate it? When your mom does that” She licked the bite mark she left on him.
“I don’t” He answered in a timid tone, his voice a soft whimper and his hands on his mother’s shoulders.
“I see… So adorable.” She took a deep breath, “Now go to your room, we’ll do the photos tomorrow”. He nodded and headed to the stairs, going to his bedroom.
He could already feel his heart beat faster and his breathing become ragged. He laid down on his bed but even after several minutes, the anxiety hadn’t gone down the slightest.
He bit down on his own hand, maybe the pain would help a bit. It didn’t.
Now he was anxious and his hand hurt. He felt like running and at the same time staying in place forever.
His breathing started getting steadier. The boy considered picking up a book, until he heard the door of his room creaking, a figure walking towards his bed.
Charlie smiled as he muttered to himself. ‘Mommy finally came.’