Light hit my face which caused me to lazily open my eyes. I blinked a couple times, letting my eyes adjust to the brightness of the room. I felt something shift beside me. Carefully I turned my head to see Tord who was sleeping. For a second I thought I still dreamt but soon enough I'd remembered the events of last night. His head leaned against my shoulder while both of his arms loosely wrapped around my right one. Soft snores could be heard. It brought a smile on my lips, seeing him so peaceful. In fact, I found myself not able to stand up, fearing waking up Tord.

Quite suddenly his grip on my right arm tightened while the look on his face changed. Immediately I knew he had a nightmare of some sorts. He began shaking, the grip on my arm tightening even more. I heard some gibberish mumbles leaving his lips. I lifted my other arm, reaching for Tord's head. Then I softly poked his cheek to wake him up. His eyes shot open as he jumped up and let out a rather loud shriek. This caused him to fall backwards off the couch we had been sleeping on. Feeling guilty I instantly apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Tord took a few deep breaths to calm him down. After that he responded with: "You, you don't need to." He then looked at the wooden floor.

"Did you have a nightmare?" I asked him despite being almost completely sure it indeed had been. Without raising his head he hesitantly nodded. "Want to tell me?" A sigh left his lips before he shook his head. Even though I wanted to know what he had dreamt about I decided not to push it.

I stood up while Tord continued sitting on the floor. "It wasn't... that bad." He said, his voice slightly shaky. Now he looked up at me, his bright gray orbs nearly pierced my soul. I noticed the dark bags under them, telling me he hadn't slept all that well. "It's okay", was all I had to say. I knew I had to go out and get groceries since there wasn't anything in the fridge anymore. I should go now. Since it wasn't even 8am yet there wouldn't be many people at the store, and I'd be back quickly.

"Are you okay with me leaving to get groceries", I asked him, to which he nodded his head, a quiet "yeah" leaving his mouth. From his facial expression I could tell how nervous he was. Tord then lowered his head again, scratching his scarred right arm. Feeling the need to help him calm down I said I'd be back in less than an hour. He once more nodded his head, staring at the floor.

After I felt an awkward silence descending over us I went to my room, getting changed to some fitting clothes. Looking out of my window I noticed the nice weather. Only a few small clouds could be seen on the bright blue sky.

When I was finished I made my way to the front door. I threw one last look at Tord who now sat on the couch, fixating the small desk in front of it. "I'm back soon!" With that I left my apartment, closing and locking the door behind me. I did that so Tom wouldn't rush in. He tended to just come in after he knocked and if that happened while I was away he'd see Tord. It would end in disaster.

I walked over to the grocery store, getting a few things to eat as well as drinks. After all I needed to restock my cola cans. It was pretty uneventful, but I was happy about that.

Once I entered the apartment building I saw Tom leaving it. He noticed me too, walking towards me. "Heya Edd!" He lazily lifted his arm, greeting me. I returned the gesture and asked him how he was. "Fine, just a little bit tired. And you?" A yawn left my lips, answering his question. Tom then focused on the two full bags of groceries I carried with me. He asked me why I needed so much food. A lump build up in my throat. I had to carefully think about what I answered him since I didn't want him to know. So I simply told him that my fridge had been empty. "Oh. Okay." Because I thought this conversation was finished I said goodbye and went to the elevator. That's when Tom stopped me. "Hey Edd. I just wanted to know if you'd like watching movies tonight with Matt and me?"

That caught me some-what off-guard. Not wanting to worry him I quickly said yes. After I had done so Tom exited the building, a hardly visible smile on his lips. Now I went over to the staircase because the elevator wasn't working, at least that's what the sign said. I was used to taking the stairs though.

Soon enough I stood in front of my apartment door. I put the bags down and searched my pockets for the key. Once I had found it I unlocked the door and entered my apartment. I walked directly into the kitchen, putting most things in the fridge. Then I went to the living room. As soon as I got there however I saw Tord sitting in the corner, hugging his knees and shaking like crazy. Wanting to help I rushed over to him. He didn't react when I called his name. Instead he just sat there, trembling and mumbling incoherent things. He looked up though his eyes weren't focused on me. "P-Please", he begged, his voice breaking, "Please d-don't k-kill me." At that my eyes widened. I had to help him calm down but no matter what I said, Tord continued to shake and mumble. He suddenly brought up his arms to his head, shaking it vigorously. "N-No", he stuttered, looking he'd lose it right then and there, "It hurts. P-Please s-stop." Nothing I said worked on him so I resorted on the one thing I for sure knew would help Tord.

I lifted my arms and enveloped him into a tight hug. At first he tried to push me away but soon enough he just gave up. I heard him whimper and sob while he burrowed his head into the crevice of my shoulder.

For a while I just held him in my arms, soothingly rubbing circles on his back. I asked myself what Tord had experienced that made him so... afraid. Over and over he apologized, seemingly coming back to reality. Tears now stained my green hoodie, but I paid no mind to it. After all I could wash it.

I continued holding Tord even when it looked like he had calmed down. However, I slowly tore myself away from him. Then I cupped his face with my hands, wiping away the last tears that ran down his cheeks. "It's okay Tord. Everything is okay." He stared into my dark eyes, not saying a word for a while.

After a few moments he brought his hands up to mine, grabbing and moving them away from his face. I was a little bit surprised when he did this. "Are you alright?" Internally I slapped myself for this question. Tord obviously wasn't alright. Nonetheless he answered, hesitantly nodding his head. His eyes were puffy and red, a soft pink dusting his cheeks. "Y-Yeah. It's j-just..." "Just what?" Tord sighed before continuing: "Flashbacks."

Without thinking I knew what he meant with that. He had flashbacks of what had happened a few months ago. The memory of his giant robot exploding crossed my mind. The thought alone was painful enough. Like I stated before, this scene haunted my mind too. "About... the incident?" "Mhm." It hurt more than it should to remember this but re-living it was another level of pain.

"Tord", I said. He looked at me, tilting his head. I stopped, thinking about what I should say. "I can't even think of how it feels to re-live... this event, but", I hesitated with my words, "no matter what, I'll be there for you." His gray eyes were as wide as saucers when I finished my sentence. "Really?" His shaky voice was hardly audible. I nodded. A barely visible smile tugged at his lips while he wiped his tears away.

A few moments passed by in which neither of us said anything. To break the silence I asked Tord if he wanted to eat something. He said yes. Then I slowly stood up, offering Tord a hand. Hesitantly he grabbed my hand and I pulled him up. "How about I make us something to eat?" It wasn't really a question though it sounded like one. Tord seemed to be okay with that. I told him to wait at the dinner table and that I'd be there soon enough. A quiet sigh escaped my lips when I entered the kitchen.

Since I was too lazy to cook I simply made us sandwiches. At that I realized, Tord hadn't eaten the one I had made him last night. If he really was hungry why wouldn't he eat much? I should ask him later.

When I finished making breakfast I went over to the dinner table where I gave Tord his sandwich. He started eating it while I just watched him intently. His arms were so thin I was surprised that he could even lift them up. He didn't eat all that much of the sandwich. I was really concerned.

Tord seemingly noticed I was staring at him so he asked me, if everything was alright. I sighed before replying. "Yeah. It's just... You're not eating much." He looked at me with an expression I wasn't able to identify. After a few seconds he responded, explaining why he couldn't eat. "I had no real food while living on the streets and because of that my stomach has shrunken. So, even if I'm hungry, I can't eat more than three bites of any food." I nodded my head, signaling I understood what he said. Now it made sense. But one thing was nagging at me. "How.. long haven't you eaten?" "Well", he answered, still looking at me, "For a few weeks I think." I hadn't really expected that. Out of surprise I nearly choked on my food.

When I stopped coughing I stared at Tord, my brows slightly furrowed. Inside or me I felt how sadness spread through my soul. "That's why you're so thin, right?" He hummed in response, confirming my theory. I wanted to ask him another thing when my phone rang. Quickly I took it out. I looked at Tord who seemingly paid no mind to it.

I accepted the call. A familiar voice greeted me. It was Matt.

"Tom told me you'll watch a movies with us tonight."
"Yeah, that's right. Why you asking?"
"I didn't ask, I just stated facts" he answered, "I called you since he hasn't told you when to come over." Matt then proceeded telling me that I should be at his apartment at about 7pm. Almost automatically I turned around, looking at the clock. It showed 11am. "Okay, I'll be there." He replied that he was excited for it and then said goodbye.

Tord looked at me as if he wanted to ask me something. Before he was able to do so I answered, telling him that Matt had invited me over. A quiet "Oh" escaped his lips. "Are you okay with that?" "Y-Yeah." I could see it in his face that he wasn't alright with that. For a while I pondered about the possibilities. Sure, I'd really like to watch movies with Tom and Matt but on the other hand Tord needed someone at his side for the time being. Also, I had a bad feeling, leaving him alone in my apartment. "I'll stay with you."