Tom could hear the oddly relaxing sound of rain tapping on the windows of the red army base. He knew he had to go back to Tord, but for some reason couldn't. Instead he let himself walk over to the window and watch the rain slowly fall. It was as if the rest of the world didn't exist while Tom rested his hands on the window sill and stared out at the endless forest beyond him. What a shame it was that he'd never truly be able to enjoy it.

On an impulse, he opened the window and climbed out. He was literally on the roof of a military base, just standing there. Tom honestly didn't care if something bad happened to him. If he fell off the roof, if someone shot him down. In all honesty, death would be better than life here. It felt like everyday he just delved deeper into his own loneliness and sadness, despite being surrounded by people.

Tom kept walking until he spotted a fire escape latter. Sighing and not really caring, he climbed down it until he reached the ground. He hid behind a conveniently close tree, wanting to stay out of view just in case. Out of the corner of his eye, Tom spotted some strange people not too far away from him. He looked closer and noticed that they each wore different green colored masks, seeming to be trying to break in. Tom watched them curiously. He didn't bother to alert anyone or try to stop them. He knew that Tord would be furious with him and would think he was trying to escape. He wasn't really trying to, in a sense. Tom was just wandering.

One of the masked people signaled to another who was currently trying to pry off the window. The window was quickly put back into place as if it was never was moved at all. They all quickly ran off somewhere in the distance. Not a single thing hinted to the fact that they were even there in the first place. Instead, some red army soldiers came into view. Each of them brandishing guns. They spoke to each other in Norwegian and Tom didn't try to translate what they said. Soon enough, they were gone again. Tom took the opportunity to start to walk into the forest so if anymore soldiers came, he would be less noticeable.

But soon enough, Tom felt a rough tug on his uniform. Before he knew it, he was being forcibly dragged back into the base by multiple different soldiers. Tom struggled and tried to scream, but they only silenced him by tying cloth around his mouth. He was shoved into Tord's office and roughly dropped to the ground, despite trying so desperately to get away.

"We found him outside, sir. He was struggling like a little baby!" One of the soldiers exclaimed wryly.

Tord gave the soldier a firm glare, "Very well then. All of you are dismissed." They nodded obediently and the sound of a door slamming filled the otherwise quiet room.

Tom's gazed was completely focused on the ground, as usual, "What's the meaning of this? Were you trying to get yourself killed?" Tord questioned angrily. He undid the cloth around Tom's mouth and kneeled down to his level. No response was uttered.

Tord sighed in frustration, "I knew I couldn't trust you on your own like that. You knew where you were supposed to be, so why didn't you come here?" He cupped Tom's cheek, making the male wince slightly.

He wasn't going to explain a thing, if he could help it. Tord knew it was futile to try and get any more information out of him. Instead, he picked Tom up and put him over his shoulder, not a word being said between them. Tom watched silently as they walked to what he guessed would be Tord's room and was disappointed to find out he was correct. He shivered, mostly because the combination of his wet body inside the freezing cold red army base wasn't exactly ideal but also out of fear. Tord laid him down on his bed and gently wrapped a blanket around Tom's shaking shoulders.

"I'll be right back." He explained and walked out of the room.

Tom cuddled into the blanket. It was, of course, bright red. The blanket smelled faintly of cinnamon and cigarettes, just like Tord. Tom would never admit how relaxed he felt in the moment, at least out loud. Moments later, Tord came back holding a fresh uniform.

"Change into this. I don't want you catching a cold." The tone of his voice was still laced with disapproval, letting Tom know he had royally fucked up. He had a history of running out into extreme weather, making Tord both worried and angry.

He took the uniform from Tord's hands and walked into the bathroom connected to the room. He peeled off the wet clothing and paused. He forced himself to look in the mirror at his appearance. It was dreadful, really. Tom's body was painfully malnourished. His ribs were extremely prominent and his legs looked like sticks. He hadn't really done anything to his hair in so long. It had become almost curly and hardly stuck up anymore. He was so, so pale. Tom forced himself to look away from the mirror and put on the dry uniform. He wondered what Tord even saw in him. He was pathetic, unattractive, worthless, and a fucking mess.

He walked back to Tord's bedroom and was immediately greeted by a tight hug. Tom was startled, but didn't care enough to pull away or hug back. Of course it was Tord hugging him and wrapping his arms around the shorter's waist, "I'm sorry." He whispered lowly.

Those very words made Tom's skin crawl with anger. He tried to keep the sudden rush of emotion hidden, but he couldn't do so anymore, "You're sorry? Sorry for what? Murdering the people who care about me, kidnapping me, destroying everything I love.  The list goes on, Tord." Tom spat viscously.

Every emotion he had pushed away, all the grief and anger, had began to come undone. In that moment, he was no longer an obedient little servant who would do anything Tord wanted.

"T-Thomas I-" Tord looked incredibly hurt. A glint of tears in his usually cold eyes was visible for just a moment.

"I don't want to hear your bullshit excuses. You aren't protecting me, you're just making everything worse." Tom pushed Tord away from him with strength he didn't know he had. He ran out the door, slamming it behind him without a second thought.

-
i was originally going to make this a cute fluff chapter.

whoops, my hand slipped.