Chapter Text
Opening her still tired dark brown eyes, the young woman shifts on the bed as she feels the familiar pressure on her legs. She runs her fingers across her black hair, taking a deep breath, the comfortable, intimate touch of those innocent hands running all the way across her thighs. Her hands caress the highest point under her covers, where she assumes his head is, it seems like he doesn’t even bother about not waking her up anymore. Realizing his presence is welcome, the figure under the sheets hurriedly tries pulling her pajama bottoms down. The woman chuckles, even after all these months she still finds his clumsiness adorable. She shifts her hips, letting the thin pants slide down her legs, exposing her smooth skin, and soon after, her panties went the same way. She shuddered as she felt the trail of kisses that followed, starting from her ankles and trailing to her inner thighs, first the left leg, then the second. A gentle warmth started heating her lower belly, making her core tingle with anticipation. She wondered when she started liking that so much, thinking back to the first time when she was still very put off by his actions,she really had come a long way. When was the moment when she started accepting his ‘affection’ again? She didn’t remember. Perhaps it was when she realized there was no malice to it, maybe it was the time he shut himself to her when she rejected him, or possibly when his awkward tongue made her come for the first time.
Regardless, that was part of the rules. She still didn’t know where they came from, even if she had her suspicions already. He already had them when she took him in, specifically written in a small notebook, and if she didn’t comply with them it was like the world would end at any moment. And the rules said she had to accept his devotion, not only that but she should demand it from him, a thing that she never had the heart to do, so she only compiled when he initiated.
A soft, shuddering gasp escaped her lips as soon as his tongue made contact with her folds, the gentle, wet flesh languidly worshipping her core as if it was the most precious thing in the entire world, as if he was happy enough just tasting it. He seemed to have his own little routine in his head, first he kissed her legs, then he started licking her slit all the way, every movement making her need grow more and more, making her core ache for attention. But she knew not to be impatient, despite his innocence, he knew very well what he was doing and the only thing she had to do was let him take his time. She shifted, pulling her pillow closer and biting it as the pleasure got more intense. She had to hold back the urge to grind her hips against his face, but she knew that if she did that, she would feel even more guilty afterwards.
Pulling her covers back, she exposed the person pleasuring her to the tender morning light. The boy was nothing more than a young teenager, perhaps eleven or thirteen years old. The color of the fluffy, curly hair that went down to his chin was the same dark brown of her eyes, and as he opened his own, she could see again that his gaze also mirrored the same shade of burnt caramel. He blinked three times, his own little way of saying ‘good morning’ while his tongue didn't relent, his lips closing around her clit as he started sucking it like a piece of candy. The woman let out a silent yelp, her hands going from his shoulders to his head, her digits combing the locks that framed his face, occasionally getting tangled. His skin was a warm beige, but he looked a bit pale since he didn't leave the house very often.
“You’re doing fine.” She whispered, her face contorted by torturous pleasure as she caressed him like a pet, reassuring and gentle as she felt her climax inch ever closer. Her fingers gripped his hair and she could feel the hum of satisfaction leave his lips at her pleasure. The boy exalted and took a deep breath before going back to work, his tongue lapping at her like a parched dog. The woman moaned loudly, that was what she was supposed to do, that was what the rules said, he wouldn't believe he was doing a good job if she didn’t ‘demonstrate’ that properly. The notebook said moans were beautiful and when two people played they shouldn’t hold back, so she decided once more, to follow those twisted set of rules the boy had brought with him.
She instinctively locked her legs behind his back, her hips bucking almost uncontrollably while all that build up finally came crashing down. She started moaning so loud not even the pillow over her face could contain the sounds. When she finally came back from her orgasm, she wiped off the trail of sweat at her temple and pulled the panting boy still in the middle of her legs to lay beside her, offering her arm for him to lay his head on. “Good morning, Liam.” She groaned as she felt the same bittersweet guilt weigh over her, a month ago she had promised herself to eventually get him to stop doing things like that. But what could she even do at this point? Those more than inappropriate exchanges had become their routine and both of them were comfortable with it. Sometimes she even did the same for him, when he was feeling restless, when the memories of that horrible place came to haunt him. Well, not that it justified a grown woman letting a teenager eat her out first thing in the morning. But Liam was a special case, a very special case. That was something he needed, maybe one of the few ways she had to connect with that boy and hopefully keep his mind at ease. She pulled him even closer, wrapping her arms around him. Cuddling after playing was also part of the rules, but she would do it even if it wasn’t. The boy buried his face on her neck and she giggled feeling his hair brush against her cheek and collarbone. Looking at the clock at the small bedside table she smiled faintly, there was still an hour until she had to leave for work.
***
It was around four months ago. Rifle in hand, Nora walked the empty corridors of the massive facility for what felt like an eternity. Against higher orders she wanted to make sure no one was left behind, she would deal with her superior’s bullshit later. All her squad was already getting ready to leave, but trusting their leader, they gave her five more minutes to look for any remaining survivors. Nora wondered what kind of people would stoop so low to the point of raising children just to do experiments on them. It was a relief that they finally managed to crack down on the operation, almost every target was captured and the children were safe, but since they didn’t have any info of the total number of victims, she didn’t want to risk leaving anyone there. “Fuck, another dead end.” She grumbled, lowering her gun. She kept walking until she reached a metal door, she pondered if she should take a look inside since she hadn’t heard anything coming from it, but her curiosity got the better of her and she pushed it open. Flashing her light inside she gasped, it was a bedroom. and at the far corner, trembling while hugging themselves was a figure. “One more…” She sighed in relief, glad she didn’t end up leaving a child behind. Getting closer to the figure, who upon closer inspection was a boy, she reached her hand, trying to help him up. “Come with me.” She said in the most calm voice she could muster at that moment. Yet the boy recoiled, his disheveled hair covered his eyes as he pressed his back against the wall, trying to put as much distance as he could between them as he clutched a small notebook in his arms. “No, no, I’m not going to hurt you.” She let her rifle hang by it’s belt as she raised both her hands in a peace offer. “I promise.” She scanned him, noticing he looked way more tidy than the other children, his clothes were clean and besides his messy hair, he looked like he just took a shower. Sadly, the massive scar across his throat was a testament to the horrible experiments those monsters were putting him through. Nora reached for him once more, finding less resistance this time. Reluctantly, the boy took her hand, and the woman leaned closer to read the small letters on his white shirt. “Let's get out of here, Liam.”
***
Now, at 4:30 pm on a regular monday. Nora was at her desk in her office, going through the piles of emails that had accumulated during the weekend. Sometimes she asked herself why she was still doing that. Missions after mission putting her own neck on the line and what was her reward? A few nice words, maybe a mediocre bonus and some months away from field work. Thankfully she was allowed to go home before everyone else. It was all thanks to Liam, having him around made it possible for her to get home faster every single day. Not that could avoid filling the endless piles of reports, but still, two or three extra hours in her day wasn’t something she would complain about.
“How long has it been…?” She mutters, glancing at the calendar beside her computer. “Four months?!” She gasped, her hand almost knocking her cup of coffee over. “Four whole months and I still don’t even know how old he is.” She scolded herself, the guilt eating her from the inside as she reminisced.
It all began with a simple kiss. Nora, someone with common sense up to that point obviously rejected it. It was the second day since he started living with her when Liam asked for it, and when his attempt was shot down, he immediately began shaking. The boy desperately tried convincing her that they must kiss, that it was in the book, helplessly pleading, saying that it was the only way he could be sure she wouldn’t harm him. Confused and concerned, she took the notebook from him, and there it was. A list of weird and strangely specific rules simply titled “Pecora”. They explained a series of behaviors Liam had to follow, and they went from weird, to concerning to straight messed up.
‘If two people like each other, they kiss.’
That’s what was written in one of the lines. Liam mentioned that the only one that didn’t hurt him was the lady that used to kiss him, that every other adult in his life had harmed him in one way or another. ‘Of course.’ Nora thought to herself. His weird behavior up to that point was all the result of someone else abusing him, and she had a good idea of who it was, his caretaker at the facility, the woman supposed to keep him in check. Her heart clenched with anger and hurt as she realized how twisted his sense of reality had become, a reality where care and affection was only shared by sexual intimacy. The woman swore to fix that, to get back at that person one day, but for now, Liam was her priority.
And yet she didn’t manage to. Five days after the two of them were living together, Liam was pale and weak, his eyes were sunken and he looked like he would fall apart at the slightest breeze. That was when Nora’s resolve faltered, she tried bargaining with him, offering a kiss on the cheek, or on the forehead in exchange that he finally ate something. But still he refused, saying he could only trust her if she gave him a ‘proper’ kiss. The woman crumbled, finally relenting. After this episode, her determination became flawed, and as the weeks gone by, they engaged in more and more sexual acts, caresses, kissing, petting, up untill they were servicing each other with oral sex. According to him and that book, that meant gratitude, meant a person was happy to be with the other, and pleasure was the best gift someone could give.
Somehow Nora had managed to keep the final line from being crossed, it all came back to the notebook once again. “People who really love each other have sex.” Thanks to this loophole there was still a glimmer of hope, hope she could turn him into a normal child, hope he could eventually go out and make friends, play with children his age and just have a normal life. That’s why Nora never said she loved him, even if she did. Instead she just told the boy she liked him, so they didn’t need to go all the way.
“Talk about being a good mother.” Her whisper was laced with self-sarcasm, the word “mother” didn’t sit right. She was only another abuser in his life. Since she started liking those exchanges, since she started looking forward to touching him, to being touched by him, she martyrized herself, she was a monster to take advantage of such a broken boy. There must have been another way, some sort of treatment or therapy, something that would keep her from giving in, from doing all those things to a kid. Nora shook her head. Liam had a smile on his lips everyday since she started doing that, even if it was wrong, even if the way they interacted was twisted. She was still giving him love, and that boy needed love, and deserved all the love in the world. And Nora too, she was feeling better, happier, as if Liam had had filled a gaping hole in her life, and she couldn’t imagine herself going about her day without him anymore, or his hugs, or his kisses, the soft texture of his lips on hers, on her skin, on her… The alarm on her phone took her out of the trance, it was time to go home.
At little after 6pm she sat on the living room couch, taking off her shoes, unbuttoning her black blouse and leaving it open, the middle string of her also black bra exposed . Nora was wearing her hair in a bun that got messed up by her motorcycle’s helmet, so she just untied it and let it fall over her shoulders. A few seconds later, a cheerful Liam came to greet her, his fluffy hair jumping up and down with every step he took, his trustful notebook ever in his hand. Getting close to her, he leaned for their usual greeting kiss. Nora placed her hand on his shoulders and pulled him, their lips meeting in a slow, lazy dance. They have become so much better at kissing in these four months, they just fit and no words need to be exchanged, that kiss meant way more than a simple ‘I missed you.’
“How… was… your- day?” Liam’s voice was raspy and cackly. He was the subject of experimental voice restoration procedures, so his vocal chords were purposefully destroyed so the process could be run on him. He sounded like a mix of a fork scratching a metal pan, a scratched record and radio static. Nora’s brows furrow, she knows he feels pain when he tries to speak, the woman debates internally if she should stop him or let him figure out his own limits. But she remembers it was way worse a few months back, so she decides to let him practice and get used to the effort.
“Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Paperwork never ends, but hey, that’s life right?” Nora rubs his shoulders, laughing softly, taking his slender frame, the fluffy dark brown curls that rest around his face, framing him so perfectly, and those lively eyes. Yet her happiness is always poisoned by guilt. Liam is here, with her. But does she deserve him? Was she the best he could get?
Liam chuckles but immediately winces in pain as his throat feels on fire due to the sudden laugh. “-Yeah…” He coughs and the woman closes one eye as if she also could feel the pain he was in. Unbeknownst to Nora, the boy would love to talk his mind away, especially now that he was used to her, if it wasn’t for the physical aspects keeping him from doing so. And because of that he was usually trying to make her speak. “No… gossip?” He manages to squeeze out.
She wraps her hand around his neck and rubs his throat in a way she learned lowered the pain a little. “Gossip? Well, nothing too exciting. Janet tried to fake a cold to go home early, as usual. Rick got another weird package he refuses to tell us what it is. Julia’s been in a good mood - that’s something weird.” She keeps massaging his throat. “How about you, are you doing okay? Anything you need?”
The boy tilts his head, taking a deep breath like he was preparing for a particularly taxing task. “Talk… throat hurts.” He smiles. “But I- Want…” He coughs again. “To chat... with… you… Nora.” He breathes deeply once more. “Can I have-... tea?”
“Of course, sweetie.” She gets up, holding his hand and guiding him to the kitchen, “How about lime and honey tea? See if that helps soothe your throat a bit.” Liam nods, watching her fetch the electric kettle and fill it up with water. “Ah, and take all the time you need to talk okay? I’m not going anywhere, and I like talking to you too.” As she fetched the honey and the tea bag, she hummed a soft tune, and the young boy sat at the table, patiently waiting. “You know, I’ve been thinking… How old do you think you are, Liam? The records we recovered from that lab were… incomplete, to say the least. And I want to celebrate your birthday properly someday. What do you think?” He scratches his head, looking deep into his memories. “It’s fine if you don’t know.”
“March… twenty-seven.” Nora pours a piping hot cup of water and starts mixing some honey in it. “I’m twelve.” Twelve huh, not hard to see, but it’s nice to finally know for sure. She didn’t even know for how long he was put through those experiments, to do something like that to such a young, adorable child. The woman prepares the tea with extra care, and when It’s done she brings it to the table, taking the seat in front of him.
“There you go, sip it slowly okay?” The boy nods and holds the cup with his two hands, blowing on it. ‘Twelve’. The number echoed in Nora’s head. After a couple minutes she finally spoke again. “Liam, I know we never actually talked about it this much but, you’re safe now, okay? You’re with me, and I won’t let anyone hurt you like that again.” Liam nods, tilting his head, a nonchalant expression in his face, he didn’t seem to pay much mind to the horrors he faced, and that in itself left Nora feeling uneasy.
He sipped on his tea, his eyes meeting hers, considering every single word he would say. After all, for him every word did have a price. “I know.” His eyes softened, apparently the warm tea had somewhat dulled his pain. “Nora is nice.” The woman’s heart melted on the spot. Yes, she did doubt herself, a lot, but since she found him in that room, alone, scared, her heart tightened every time she thought about being apart from him. There wasn’t a single day where she regretted taking him in.
“Thanks.” was the only thing she could say, of course there were more but she didn’t want to overwhelm him, so instead she just cupped his cheek and placed a gentle, tender kiss upon his lips, and just like magic he immediately understood her feelings, smiling back at her. That was his way of expressing himself, and she didn’t know if it was a good thing that she had gotten used to it. Every time he wanted to say ‘thank you’ he gave her a kiss, every time she would come exhausted from work and still cooked for him, he would sneak his way into her bed to please her. Every time he did something nice he also expected a kiss, and every time he would diligently do his chores, when she got back he would offer himself to her, for Nora to touch, for her to show how happy and proud she was with him. It was hard for her at the beginning. Even when she made up her mind about following his rules. She felt sick, disgusting, the worst person in the entire world. But now those quirks had grown on her. Perhaps she was letting herself become twisted like him, like the horrible person that made Liam turn like that. It was too late to go back, she couldn't just take all that from him now. Especially when he showed her such a precious smile every single day. Taking that away from him, his main source of solace and comfort, she would be an even worse monster if she did that. “Well…” She decided to keep making conversation, her boy was finally opening up to her. “Liam, What kinds of things do you like? What makes you happy?” Asks with gentle curiosity.
“Candy, rain… -games… bath- you.”
“Mhm mhm.” She reaches for his hand. “I like you too sweetie. More than you think I do.” She pauses, this was the perfect time to encourage him to talk a bit about his time at the facility, she just had to find the right subject to bring it up.. “Ah, just remembered! Do you have any nicknames you like to be called? One the other kids at that place used to call you by?” Her heart sank at the sight of him opening his notebook, he smiled as his finger pointed at one word at the first line. “Pecora.” She said dryly. No, no, no, that wasn’t supposed to go like that. One more thing tying him to this… person. Nora took a deep breath, he was opening up, and she wasn’t making him go back to his shell. “It's… cute.” She did her best to conceal the disgust in her voice. 'Pecora' the apparently nnocent nickname echoed inside her head. That nickname was probably given by the same person who abused him, if not they at least called him by that. Why did he seem so fond of it? The way he immediately brought it up, it just didn’t sit right with her. “What does it come from?”
“Means… sheep.” He fidgets with his hair. Nora feels her chest tightens with his shy admission. Yet she still observes him, an awkward silence stilling between them until he speaks again. “I like them.”
Nora shakes her head, scolding herself for her selfish thoughts. “I can see that.” She reaches for his hair, ruffling it. “You’re just an adorable walking storm cloud aren’t you?” Nora fixes a stray strand that got in front of his eye. “Maybe I should take you to the zoo some of these days, I suppose you never saw an animal up close. They didn’t have cats or dogs there, right?.”
“I saw… a dog once.” he nods excitedly. “But it was just one time. And they didn’t even let us pet him.”
“Maybe next month then.” She lets him go.
Liam slowly finished his cup of tea. “Do you… have a nickname -too?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. I don’t think you could make a cute one with my name. Besides, people at my work don’t open up easily.” Then her expression softens. “But you, Liam… well, you can call me whatever you like. Though I think if you suddenly called me something like ‘mom’ I’d probably short circuit.”
“Okay- mom.” There was a mischievous smile on his lips.
“Liam!” Nora covered her face behind her hands in a playful gesture, then she got up and circled the table, placing her hands over his shoulders.
“Do… you really like… it?” Instead of an answer, he got another peck on his lips. That had become their way of understanding each other. “I… see… I’m glad.”
“Can I… ask something a bit more serious now?” Her voice turned a bit more firm as she rubbed from his arms to his neck. “It’s about the experiments. I know you probably don’t want to think about them but I want you to feel comfortable talking to me if you feel like it since I’m y’know… your ‘mom’ now.”
“Is there… something… you want to know?”
“I was just wondering how much you remember.” She twirls a lock of his hair around her finger, trying to keep the lighthearted mood. “And how you feel about it. About what they did to you.” Her voice was gentle, yet there was still a small hint of fear in her tone. Fear of the answers she might get. Nora knew what Liam and the other children went through, and even now that he was far away from those people, she still felt the urge to protect him from them. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. But if you do, I’m here.”
He leans into her touch, letting her digits bury into his hair, her fingertips massage his scalp. It was something that had grown into him, something that helped when he felt restless. “I don’t think- they’re bad… people.” Liam muttered absent-mindedly. “The scientists they… played with us. Lots of- games.” He cleared his throat. “Never, yelled… at us. Even when… it hurt… they still were- nice.” The boy wasn’t looking at her anymore, his eyes were glued to the ground, the memories coming back to him. Nora nodded slowly, her nails gently grazing his skin. They brainwashed him, she had seen the records. The main objective of the ‘games’ the researchers played with the children was to keep their mental faculties in check, they wanted their victims in a good physical and mental state.
“What kinds of games did they play with you, sweetie?”
“A lot!” Liam coughs. “Puzzle games… board- games… dodgeball, hide and seek-” A tinge of nostalgia washed over his eyes. Did he miss the other children? It’s been four months since he talked with someone his age, that must be bad for a child.
“Listen, sweetie.” Nora starts carefully. “What they made you endure… It was not okay. No matter if it was fun playing games with them, what they did to you, and to the others, it was very bad. Do you… understand that?”
The young boy nods, his eyes still somewhere far away. “I know.” He turns to face her, his tone pleading underneath the broken raspiness of his voice. “I wonder how-... Sophia and- Ophelia are now.” Nora’s hands froze in place. Yes, Ophelia and Sophia. His caretakers, the only people who stayed alone with him for long enough to… to do whatever they had done. Nora had to know more, but she didn’t know what questions to ask without putting him off, after all he sounded fond of the two.
“It’s complicated, Liam. I know they took care of you but, on the other hand they were still part of it. They came from the same people.” She prodded. “So even if they didn’t want to, they still hurt you.”
“They didn’t- choose… to be there.” He backed off just a little, making Nora’s heart sink. “They were hurting… too-” At least he gave her an opportunity to ask more.
“Why do you say that, sweetie?”
“Wanna know- about them?” He looked a bit distressed.
“I do. I can’t say much about them since I didn’t meet those women, but you can.” She plucked a stray curl from his forehead, tucking it behind the boy’s ear. He was getting warmer. Suddenly he seemed lost in his own little world.
“Sophia.” He took a deep breath. “Liked- stories… told me many- of them.” Liam holds Nora’s hand, pressing it against his own cheek. “Fake stories, real… stories. She wanted to… make medicine… new medicine… medicine to help- lots of people…”
“Stories huh? Did she know about… your rules? About the notebook?”
“No!” The boy flinched. “She couldn’t- know about… it.” He shook his head. Nora leaned her face closer to his, she could feel the angst in his voice. Liam got up and hugged her, seeking comfort, seeking warmth. “Nora… Mom…” He whispered, needy.
“What is it, sweetheart?” She knew what was coming. She really wanted to keep questioning him about those women, but she would have to bring it up later. Now she would give him what he needed, that’s what a good mother does. After all she needed it too, that contact, that intimacy, it was the only way to soothe both their hearts.
“Can you… ‘help’ me? With- that?” He pleaded, his stiff member pressing against Nora’s thigh from under his clothes.
“Of course I can Liam, you’re doing a good job asking for it.” She kisses his forehead, her hand cupping the growing bulge in his pants with care. “Let’s go to your room, okay?” She whispered into his ear.