Work Text:
“Tobias, luv, it’s time for bed.” Mrs.Lovett informed him while he was playing on the floor.
“Yes, ma’am” he replied, getting up off the floor and off to bed.
Toby’s bedroom used to be the supplies closet of the shop, but after he moved in, Mrs.Lovett’s been using up most of the supplies to make new pies, so it became his room, with a nice bed in the corner and a chest of his toy trains, it was small, but much better than what it was like with Pirelli.
When he was under Pirelli’s rule, all Toby had when it came to sleeping arrangements was a small blanket and the hardwood floor, and Pirelli would never help Toby get to bed by any means either, he would just yell at the boy to go to sleep and Toby would do his best to oblige.
Mrs.Lovett lifted up the blanket as Toby crawled into bed and then tucked him in “goodnight Toby” she whispered.
“Goodnight mum..I mean ma’am! I’m sorry, I’m sorry” Toby sputtered, what had he just done? Calling Mrs.Lovett mum? Was he mad? He would have never done that with Pirelli, what happened to his since of manners? That level of disrespect, what was she gonna do to him? Yell at him, Beat him like Pirelli, do both, make him sleep on the floor, or worse, leave him in the streets? No, no, no, that can’t happen! But he had just called his employer “mum”, there’s no going back, he’s as well as dead at this point, oh no, oh no, oh,
His spiraling was interrupted by Mrs.Lovett shushing him, he wasn’t even aware that he had continued talking, he looked up at the one person who was ever this kind to him, unable to read her expression he just waited for what she was going to do him, and whatever it was, he knew he deserved it.
“Goodnight, son.” Was all she said, as she closed the door to let Tobias sleep.