[Tom's Point Of View]

I slept like a rock last night, probably the best sleep I've had ever since my diagnosis. I don't really know why I got such a great sleep, but I wasn't going to complain. I wasn't as hungry as I had expected myself to be, but that was because I had eaten the dinner Tord sent up at 1 in the morning.

Sitting up, I took a morning shower. When I came out, I noticed that my clothes were gone from where I had left them. Confused, I looked up at my door. The door was partially open causing my face to flush as I quickly wrapped my 'parts' up with my towel.

'I could've sworn I locked the door...'

I thought to myself quickly running to the door to close it. I stopped myself from slamming the door when I noticed a basket full of clothes. Dragging it in, I noticed it was mostly just the attire I had been wearing yesterday, but there were a few other outfits such as a blue tuxedo, a white dress shirt with a checkered vest, and some other dressy blue clothing. There was even a heavy blue jacket for when it began to snow.

Digging further down in the box, I found my blue hoodie. I quickly pulled it out, burying my face into it. I took a whiff of it, reminiscing in its scent. It had a worn smell that was mixed with Smirnoff and the detergent that Edd used when he did the laundry for all of us. I cracked a grin, remembering Edd.

The cola-addict was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy who could light up any room he stepped into. He was the one who brought us together, he was the sticky strong glue that had held us 3 together through it all. I let out a soft breath, pulling away.

I bit my lip softly, feeling a quiver form. Edd... Where were you? Was Matt with you? Were you both happy, happier without me? Or was there a piece of the puzzle missing?

I breathed softly into my hoodie, pulling away. Folding my jacket neatly, I set it under my pillow. Looking back into the box, I saw a Tomee bear, which I quickly picked up and held tightly letting out a short laugh. Feeling a paper crumpled against my hands, I turned the stuffed bear over and saw a folded note attached to it. Curiously examining the note, I opened it seeing a neatly written paragraph to me.

'Here are some gifts for you. I thought you would enjoy your little bear and your adorable hoodie.... Signed, The Red Leader'

I cracked a pathetic grin, feeling my cheeks flush. I hated Tord with all my heart, but... his note was a little cute. Shaking my head, I took a black shirt and slacks into the bathroom and dressed myself up. Spiking up my hair, I slipped on my checkered vans and grabbed a checkered tie.

While walking to the dining hall, I wrapped the tie around my neck, tying it as best as I could. Walking into the dining hall, I saw Tord quickly jump up to greet me.

"Tom! I was wondering what was taking you so long!~"

He cooed, his words oozing like sweet honey. I gripped the door handle, seeing heads of dozens of high-ranked soldiers turn their head in my direction.

I felt a pair of eyes burn into my body, filled with hate and rage. Scanning the room to locate the source, I only caught a glimpse of what the man looked like.

He had long wavy black hair that fell to his shoulders. His beard was short and boxed, connecting with his sideburns. Dark circles lined underneath his eyes, giving him a more sinister look. His face was uneven and crooked, with plenty of scars and stitches. Shuddering softly, I turned to Tord.

"Yes, er... I... Had a hard time finding the dining hall."

I immediately regretted what I said, since it caused a rumble of laughter from the soldiers. I felt my ears burn hot with embarrassment, as I gripped tighter onto the door knob. Immediately, Tord silenced the laughter of his men by slamming his fist onto the table.

"Stille deg idioter, Du vil respektere din kamerat.(Quiet you, idiots, you will respect your comrade)"

The room went quiet almost immediately, an awkward silence creeping in its place. I shifted to my side, letting go of the door knob. Satisfied with the silence, Tord turned to me.

"Sit by me min lille soldat(my little soldier)."

Not sure of what Tord was saying, I awkwardly shuffled over. Taking a seat on the edge near Tord, I kept my head down.

Tord grinned, sitting back down as he leant back casually.

"Fortsett med samtalene dine, kamerater(Continue with your conversations, comrades)."

Wasting no time, the room quickly filled up with the chatter of the obnoxious soldiers.

I looked down at my plate seeing food was already set down for me. Before I got the chance to dig into my food, I felt Tord grab my chair from below pulling my closer to him. Quickly looking up at Tord, I felt my cheeks burn bright red.

"Tord what-"

Leaning close to me, Tord placed his index finger on my lower lip.

"Shush min kjærlighet(my love)... Did you enjoy your gifts?~"

I jerked my head back, clearing my throat. The affection in Tord's voice caught me off guard. "Y-Yes..." I whispered softly to Tord. He only grinned leaning in closer to me.

"Good~"

He cooed softly, rubbing underneath my chin. I let out a quick breath, slapping away his hand as I jerked away from him. Tord gave me a quick look of annoyance, before having his attention taken away by one of the soldiers next to him. Curious, I looked at the man who took Tord's attention away from me.

He had messy brown hair, with an eyepatch over his right eye. His eyebrows were thick and darker than the hair on his head. He had a faint stubble on him and wore a very neat version of the uniform keeping it buttoned all the way. Beside him was a sweet looking man whose hair parted in the middle sweeping up. He too wore a similar version of the uniform except he kept his outer coat open showing a red sweater with white straps.

Turning to Tord who was no longer paying attention to me, I studied the way he looked at these two men. He had a stern and focused face, but I could tell he cared for them. Perhaps they were the Paul and Patryk he had spoken about?

Seeing that the sweeter one was looking at me in curiosity, I quickly stared back at my plate and began to wolf down the food. Finishing up, I glanced at Tord. "I'm gonna go up to the office, okay...?" I spoke quietly, getting out of my seat silently.

I got no response from Tord who was deep into a conversation. Slipping out of the room, I made my way to his office feeling an eerie feeling I was being followed. Rushing to the office, I slammed the door shut and sat in the chair in front of the desk.

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It had only been 15 minutes since I slipped out and Tord stormed into his office, furious but worried. I heard a sigh of relief escape his mouth as I turned my head towards him. Running over, Tord hugged me tightly.

"Stupid bastard don't disappear without a warning.... Okay? You scared the-...." I grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? The all-powerful Red Leader was scared because he didn't see his little 'Tommy' next to him?" I scoffed teasingly. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find Tord's irregular change around me amusing.

Tord flushed a bright red, letting go of me quickly. "I didn't mean it like that! I- I just didn't want you running off and leaking out my secrets! That's all." Tord spat, his face turning brighter by the second. I laughed faintly, turning away. "Uh-huh, right..." Letting out a flustered breath, Tord took a seat in his chair.

"So, what now... 'boss'?" I asked, slightly curious of what Tord had in store for me. Tord's mouth curled into a wicked grin as he looked at me.

"I'm so glad you asked~" Tord quickly jumped up, placing plans onto his desk. I looked at the plans, tilting my head. It was a map of the world with red x's and dots in various placed. "Tord, what is this?" I asked gently, looking up at him. Tord grinned wickedly, pressing his hands onto the map. "Why dear Tom... It's locations I have or will conquer. And as my assistant - You're in charge of making sure everything is in order." He cooed deviously, licking his lips. I let out a soft sigh, looking up at Tord. If I was gonna be in charge with a task like this, I better know what the help I'm up for. "Mind filling me in?" Tord gave me a malicious smirk, nodding. "Of course, min onde prins(my wicked prince)~"