eleven
Milton wakes with a gasp, blood rushing in his ears and heart pounding in his chest. A thin layer of sweat coats his skin, drenching his pyjamas and the sheets beneath him.
He can't remember the dream, no, nightmare, as his mind spins.
He tries to make sense of the dark room around him, tears filling his eyes and spilling down his cheeks as he tries to remember where he is.
"Sweetheart?" His eyes snap to the bedroom door where Cal stands in his own pair of pyjamas. He quickly makes his way to the boy's side, flicking on the bedside lamp as he takes in the hyperventilating boy.
"Shh, it's okay. You're okay now. I'm here." Cal reaches out to him, gently patting down his sweaty hair.
Milton whimpers, gulping in large mouthfuls of air as he focuses on Callum's soft touch, muscles tense and shaky.
They stay like this for a moment longer, Callum softly murmuring to him while running his hands through his hair over and over until Milton can finally look up at the man.
"Did you have a bad dream?"
Milton nods, chewing on his lip as he looks down to his lap. The sweat begins to cool on his skin, making him feel that much worse as his clothes stick to his body.
Suddenly, Milton's breath stutters in his throat, his eyes filling with more tears as he clutches at the blankets covering the shame he only now feels beneath him, coating his legs and bum as he sits in the cold wet sheets.
Callum frowns before his expression falls to one of understanding and empathy.
"Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"
Milton nods, lips wobbling as he lifts his arms to Callum who carefully scoops him up from the soiled bed and takes him to the bathroom, gently placing a kiss to the boy's head.
Milton barely notices as he tucks his face beneath the man's chin in absolute humiliation, the shame clawing its way up his throat as more tears fall.
Callum only holds him a bit tighter until they make it to the bathroom where he sets the boy down on the white tiled floor.
Milton sniffles, wiping at his face as he tries to reel in all the emotions attempting to pour out, but Callum is quick to hold his face in his hands, guiding Milton to look up at him.
"Hey, it's okay. You're okay." He smiles, gentle as he wipes the tears from Milton's face. "We'll get you cleaned up and tucked back into your blankets, hm?"
Milton nods, letting Callum press another kiss to his head before his hands leave his face in favour of unbuckling his arm brace and gently maneuvering his sticky shirt up and over his head.
Milton watches with blurry eyes as Callum focuses on the task at hand, eyes never staring at the bruises or scars, and always being soft and gentle with every touch, whispering his every movement to make sure Milton understands what he's doing.
The bath is turned on, steam wafting up into the tiled room as Callum adds a dash of bubbles and returns to the boy sitting on the floor, carefully removing his fluffy socks and pants.
He's so gentle as he pulls Milton forward to lean on his own chest for a moment, running a hand over Milton's head as his face squishes to the man's shirt.
Quickly and precisely, Callum shimmies the wet pyjama pants and underwear from the boy's skin, quickly removing them from sight.
Milton can't help the guilt and shame and swims in his gut as the smell briefly reaches his nose before Callum tosses the clothes to the other side of the room in a pile, quickly stealing his attention as he wraps his cast in a plastic bag and seals it off with tape before gently lifting him up and placing him in the warm water.
The tub is only filled to reach just above his hips.
The bubbles obscuring his legs from view as Callum kisses his head again with murmured reassurances and gets to work washing Milton with a soft washcloth.
It's easy for the boy to get lost in the warm water and the gentle caresses to his skin as the man washes him slowly, making sure to wipe down every inch of him, including the back of his neck and behind his ears.
Every little bit of sweat it wiped away, replaced with the refreshingly lukewarm bath water scented with strawberries.
He doesn't mind as Callum lifts his arms to wash the underneath, or how he makes sure to wipe every finger with calm precision.
He doesn't mind as the man lifts his legs to clean his toes or rub the cloth across his thighs.
Every brush of skin lets his heart return to its normal pace, his breathing settling down as he sniffles.
The tender care that Callum shows is enough for Milton to grow glassy eyed and distant, his mind quite happy for someone else to deal with the consequences of his nightmare.
Perhaps he should have protested or tried to wash himself, but with Callum here, Milton didn't have to.
He didn't need to try and be strong or independent.
He could just let himself be cared for as his mind wandered away from the shame and the fear and focused on the soft fabric washing his skin – washing the nightmare away.
By the time he blinks back into the present, Callum is draining the tub of water and lifting him out to sit on the bathmat, a warm fuzzy towel quickly wrapped around him.
Another obscures his vision as the man dries his hair, a soft hum filling the silence as he works.
He didn't remember Callum washing his hair, but he was thankful the man had.
Not a single drop of sweat was left on his body and for some reason, that made it much easier to simply let the panic and fear and pain from moments ago be washed away with the bath water as it gurgles down the drain.
Milton sighs through his nose, eyes falling half shut as he's carefully picked up in the towel like a child, head cradled to Callum's chest as he's lifted from the bathroom and taken back out into the hallway.
Rather than take him back to his room, Callum continues until they're in his and Al's, carefully placing the boy on the bed.
A fresh set of pyjamas already sits beside him, and Callum begins to dress him, leaving briefly to retrieve his brace for his shoulder before returning and fastening it back in place.
As he does so, Milton catches Al walking past the open bedroom door with a bundle of sheets in hand, the man dressed in only a pair of shorts as he no doubt goes to throw the linen in the wash.
Heat rises to Milton's cheeks again, but he quickly turns his eyes away, instead focusing on the man now kneeling in front of him with a fresh pair of fuzzy socks, sliding one over his foot while the other is carefully shoved over his toes and cast.
No words are said as Cal lifts him back into his arms, peels back the bed covers and tucks both himself and the boy into the sheets.
Milton blinks lazily as he's cuddled into the man's side, head resting on his chest as Cal hold him close, his other hand reaching to rub his back in soothing circles.
Surely this was just a dream. Would they not be yelling at him for messing the bed?
Would they not be scowling at him as they scrubbed his own filth from his body with disapproving eyes?
Why did Calum show him such love when he didn't even know who Milton was?
Why did Al, the ever stoic of the two, strip his bed and wash the sheets rather than make Milton do it?
It baffled him how kind these men were. How easy it was for them to whisper sweet words and tuck him into their own bed as if that is where he was supposed to be from the beginning.
Aldric comes back into the room, eyes half lidded with sleep as he holds a bottle in his hand. Milton sucks in a breath, waiting to hear the reprimand, but none comes. Instead, Al simply climbs into the other side and hands the bottle to Cal with a kiss to the cheek.
He snuggles in beside his love, cocooning the boy between them as he replaces Callum's hand in rubbing the boy's back in calming strokes.
Cal presses the bottle to Milton's lips, who, still in disbelief, lets himself be fed the warm formula tasting of vanilla and something else he can't quite place.
The crying had worn him out, his eyes puffy and mouth dry.
The warm drink welcomed as it soothes any last knots of nerves in his belly, the sweet taste lulling him back into a daze as he rests in the arms of his carers.
Watching him relax, Cal bites his lip as he tries not to cry for the boy, making sure to keep his breathing even as he holds him close, listening as Milton swallows each mouthful of the drink.
The formula was the one the doctor suggested, filled with vitamins and nutrients with an added dash of something to help the human sleep.
Al rumbles beside him, trying his best to sooth his own mate with the noise as he shuffles a little closer, the boy now perfectly squished in the middle of their bed. No, their nest. Safe. Where he's meant to be.
Neither wolf thought Milton was really aware of what was going on, the sharp scent of fear and piss having woken them both with a fright.
Finding the boy in tears and barely able to take in a breath of air was enough to send alarm bells ringing through Callum's body, instinct taking over in the need to care for and protect the pup. His pup.
Aldric had let him be, knowingly keeping out of the way as Callum whisked the boy to the bathroom and cleaned him up, his sweet scent oozing out of every pore as he tried to calm the little human down. Not that Milton would have noticed the scent bomb that still even now permeated the air.
He had been happy enough to strip the bed of the blankets, covers, and sheets, taking them to their little laundry and immediately setting them to wash with a hefty dose of detergent.
The smell of fear and pain mingling with the sharp smells of sweat and piss had made his eyes water.
It was far too potent for such a little human to be producing.
It made him sick to the stomach imaging what horrors the pup had been through to cause such a terrifying reaction.
Sighing, both wolves watch the boy with tired eyes as his drinking slowly stops and his eyes fall shut in sleep. He'd managed to empty the entire bottle, his mouth seemingly still trying to suckle in habit as he fades away in sleep, face squished into Callum's chest.
Cal doesn't remove the bottle immediately, waiting until he deems the human well asleep before he pulls it from his mouth with a gentle pop, handing it to Al who leans over and places it on the nightstand beside him.
The larger man looks at his mate in the dark, a hand coming up to wipe the lone tear from his cheek that had managed to sneak out.
"He's okay, my love."
Callum nods, lips wobbling as his eyes stay trained on the boy in his arms. He somehow managed to pull him even closer, one arm wrapped around Milton's back, hand supporting him under his bum, keeping him tucked in as close as possible to the wolf without being uncomfortable.
"I know," Cal whispers, voice thick with emotion, "I just – he's so small, Al. Who would have hurt such a precious child?"
Aldric sighs, thinking back to his conversation with their Alpha. "I don't know. Not even Henry knows what really happened."
Cal takes a deep breath through his nose, letting it out quietly through his mouth as he tries to calm down. His instincts are still in hyperdrive, his brain telling him to do a million things at once to ensure the boy is safe and warm and not in any pain despite being fast sleep in his arms.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you today." Callum whispers into the night, finally peeling his eyes away from Milton long enough to look at his mate, guilt bringing tears to his eyes.
He hadn't meant to pour the blame onto his mate's shoulders earlier today. It wasn't fair to do that.
Aldric smiles at his husband, leaning over to press a thankful kiss to his lips. "I'm not mad, my love. It's been a tough week, but I promise you, I am doing my best to keep both you and Milton safe."
Cal smiles, leaning his head against the propped-up pillows, gently adjusting Milton in his arms. "I know you are. I – I know I get overwhelmed sometimes; I'll try to be better."
Aldric shifts, tucking the blankets over the boy's shoulder a little. "We all get overwhelmed, my love. Don't feel bad about how you feel, just... talk to me. Let me in so I can help you."
Cal nods, sniffing back his tears as he lets out a sigh, cheeks turning pink. "I'm sorry for dousing the house in my scent."
Aldric snorts in mirth, rubbing his face into his pillow as he tries not to wake the boy with his laugh. "I'm pretty sure the entire building will smell like you for the next week."
Callum scowls, tucking himself down into the bed so he can sleep more comfortable with the boy still curled into his side like a newborn. "It wasn't that bad!"
Aldric huffs another laugh. "My love, Duncan has already messaged me to ask if everything is okay."
Callum's cheeks flush brighter. Duncan was their neighbour two apartments down. If he had been able to smell Callum from there, well... the rest of their floor would too.
It wasn't really a bad thing, if not a little embarrassing.
It was instinct for wolves to use their scent to communicate.
For a pup, their mother's scent is what let them know that they're safe and loved.
When Milton didn't calm down immediately, Callum kept releasing his pheromones, his body naturally trying to appease the pup despite the fact that he has human and had a much weaker sense of smell.
Looking down at the boy in his arms, Callum's heart squeezes. He was dead asleep now, mouth still partially open as he rests against the man, hands tucked close to his chest.
Al settles down into the bed, letting out another soft rumble as he looks up at their shadowed bedroom ceiling, tracing the outline of the fan blades with his eyes.
"Goodnight, love."
"Goodnight."