(An/ translations at the bottom of the page)

Toms pov

Tord left me on the bed, and went to shower. My face was still hot from his touch.

I could hear him on the other side of the wall, the wall doing nothing to help conceal his moans.
He was most definitely touching himself, there was no denying it.
And, oh god, what I would give to have the confidence to walk in there and be with him. Explore his body. Make him feel good like he did me.

I tried my best to not listen in. It made me feel pervy.
But it's not like he'd be creeped out if he suddenly caught me listening in on him. Knowing Tord, that would only turn him on more.

I could still feel his swollen lips against mine.

I completely ignored the problem in my own pants and attempted to read a book.

•••

Tord finally set up the tv he had in the closet. He set it up on a dresser and we watched cartoons.
Two grown men watching spongebob, totally normal.

We had been cuddling for the past hour, him curled around my body.
I had yet to say anything since he laid down next to me.
                    "Tord?"

No response.
I rolled around onto my other side to face him and he was sleeping. My heart swelled.
I caressed his face and traced his freckles.

He has the sweetest sleeping face. I'm usually the one who falls asleep first, so I rarely get to see it.
When he is sleeping is when he looks the calmest.

Given it was only 4 in the afternoon, I couldn't let him sleep long. He had people to boss around.

I eventually shook him awake.
He stretched his arms out and wrapped around me. 
                    "Another nap short lived. What gives babe?" He chuckled and curled in closer to me.

•••

Tord went to a small meeting with he parents later on, and I decided to walk around the base.
It wasn't the smartest idea, but I couldn't help myself. Being in that room every second of every day got really boring.

I didn't really no anyone personally here, so I didn't talk to them.
Instead I went to the training room at the back of the base, where Tord took me to the most. The only reason I came here was because it's the one place I know I can be left alone in, if I stand up by the rails.

I watched pairs of soldiers throw punches at eachother down below me. I sat criss cross on the tile and leaned against the railing, listening to the grunts and groans that came out of all of them.

I was startled when someone kicked my shoulder.
                    "Å se, det er lederne kjæledyr!" (2) a gross blonde stood over me, with a familiar ginger behind him. The girl from the kitchen was to his left.
Just my fucking luck.

I tried to stand up but the ginger kicked me back down.
                    "Don't even try. You won't be pulling anything on us this time."
What was the deal with everyone wanting to pick on me here?! I'll never understand the motivation.

The girl leaned over and got into my face.
                     "You cannot take care of him like he needs to be. I fucking know it." She spat.

I leaned against the rail.
                     "What is that even supposed to mean?!"

She smirked.
                     "The three of us have got it down to a science actually. Eyes are the windows to the soul. And from my point stance, you have none." She flicked my forehead and I flinched away. "Therefore, you are incapable of loving our leader. You are in the way."  She stood back up and kicked me in the shin.

How could someone even think that? Who goes out of there way to find a reason to hurt someone?

Tears welled up in my eyes. They began to laugh at me. Spitting at me, too.

They could be right. I might just be in the way. A distraction.

All three of them continued to spew mean nothings about my strange features, and continued telling me that I was distraction to their leader. They were completely right.

I full on sobbed. I was humiliated.

                 "Hey, what are you crying for?" Patryk approached us, seemingly appearing from thin air. His face was stern.

The three corrected themselves, straitening their postures and losing the sick smiles.

Patryk raised an eyebrow at me and offered a hand.
                  "I don't know what's been going on over here, but I'm not happy with any of you. How would you feel if I told Leader about this? Hmm?" He was mostly directing himself at the others.
I took his hand and he helped me stand.

                   "Tord has been looking for you, and he doesn't seem to happy with you right now." He looked over at me as we walked back out into the hall.
I made sure to keep a distance.

•••

Tord was inside his office, flipping through papers. Patryk let me in and pushed me aside.
                  "I found him out in hall sucks fighting with other soldiers. You should keep a better eye on him." He put his hand on my shoulder.

Gosh, it wasn't even a fight! They were clearly harassing me, and I know he saw it too. But I wasn't about to say anything out of turn to Tords parent.

The moment Tord and I locked eyes I knew I was in deep shit.

Tord frowned and nodded his head. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but instead got up and came over me.
                          "Fine. Hvis du ønsker å opptre som et barn, vil jeg behandle deg som et barn." (3) Tord grinded his teeth and gripped my wrist. He dragged me out of his office and back to the room. He never even gave me a chance to explain myself.

I started to cry again. I bet I look pathetic right now.

Of course he'd go on to believe his own father over me though, that's not what I'm upset about. I'm upset about the way Tord got set off so quickly. He got angry too easily.

But do I really look like one to fight with people?
No.

Tord opened our door and locked us in.
                  "I don't know why you have act like this! We were having such a good day today, what happened?" He looked down at me, disappointment written all over his face.

I thought about speaking, but opted not to.
It was bad enough that I cried in front of everyone like that, I don't need Tord laughing at me for letting some assholes pick on me.

But what they said really hurt.

                   "Nothing. Nothing happened." I looked to the floor.

                   "If nothing happened, then why did my father have to drag you back to me like a damn lost dog? Honestly Tom! What the fuck is going on?!" I flinched back at his tone and covered my face with my arm. A reflex.

                    "I'm telling you! Nothing happened!" I threw my hands up in defeat and stomped over to the bathroom locking myself in.

•••

Tord pov

I feel awful. I never meant to yell at him, I forget that he is sensitive.
It all had happened so quickly I didn't have time to process how badly what I was saying was hurting him.

And now he's hiding from me in the bathroom.

It's the most embarrassing thing in the world to have your parents correct you in your own work place.
And I feel like that's all they've been doing lately. Always correcting me on what or what I'm not doing with Tom. Everything that they had to say about him and I was always negative.

I waited for him to get out of the bathroom. I was sat up against the back of the door, listening to the shower run.
I could hear his cries from where I sat, and it made my heart break. They were soft at first, and got louder with the minute.

I tapped on the door.
                "Tom? Will you let me in please?" I tried to speak gently.
He continued to sob, and had probably not even heard me.

I stood up and went to my last option; coming in anyways. I picked the lock with my nail and let myself in.
                "Tom?"

He hiccuped at me.
                   "Plea-please go away." My heart shattered even more at the distress in his sobs.

I opened the curtain and there sat the small man that I am so deeply in love with, sitting with his knees to his chest in the tub.
He didn't even turn to look up at me, just continued to whimper into his knees.

I kneeled down on the floor and cooed at him.
"Min kjærlighet, hvorfor er du sårer?" (4) I ran my hand up and down his back, tracing his spine.

He only got more hysterical, so I began panicking.
"Tom! Tom, my love, please don't cry! It hurts me too." I reached for the shampoo and lathered it into his hair. His cries only calmed in the slightest. "I don't like when you hurt."

I took the shower head down and rinsed his hair, watching the suds fall down his back.

My hands shook the whole time. I'm really nervous.
Tom was so exposed right now, physically and emotionally, I felt like I've seen all of him, yet so little.
There was a lot he wasn't telling me, and I needed to know what cut him so deeply. I really hope it wasn't anything I did, because fuck, I'd kill myself if it was.

Toms cries echoed of the tile and it stresses me out even more, so I moved quicker. I grabbed his rag and body wash and scrubbed him down. Which took effort, because he wouldn't uncurl from his ball of shame to let me get to him. But he did eventually, and he let me scrub him down head to toe.

I wrapped my arm around his waist and made him stand up with me so I could rinse him off with the shower head. I tried my best to not make him uncomfortable in any way, I only wanted to comfort him.
He refused to look up at me the whole time.

I pulled his towel off the hook and turned off the shower. I gave him a hand and helped him out of the tub, then proceeded to towel him dry.

I wrapped it around his shoulder and made him sit on the toilet, I kneeled down in front of him.
"Do you feel better now?"

His chest heaved and he continued to hiccup. Tom shook his head and I sighed.
We stood up together.

My poor Thomas.

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him close to me. I felt him shiver against my chest.
"We can talk about it when you're dressed and warm, yes?"

•••

I helped him into his pajamas and wrapped him up in our blankets.

He finally stopped crying, and had looked me in the eyes. His eyes were swollen and he face looked tired.

My poor Tom...he wore himself out.

I curled in next to him under the covers after hanging his towel back up.
"I love you a lot Tom, and I can't stand to see you cry." I placed my arms around his small waist and pull him to lay on top of me. "Seeing you hurt like this is so hard on my heart. I wish I could rid of what ever is hurting you." I let him relax against me, the cold in his hair dampening my shirt.

"Can you promise me that?"

I was startled when he finally spoke for the first time that night.
"Can I promise you what?"

"That you'll rid of what hurts me."

I pulled him tighter against me.
"Anything for you, min kjærlighet." (5) I slipped my hand under his shirt and drew hearts on his skin.

I'll make it my life goal to protect Tom from whatever evil is hurting him. God be damned if I let him hurt any longer.

(1) "god you are just delectable"
(2) "oh look, it's the leaders pet!"
(3) "if you want to act like a child, i will treat you like a child."
(4) "My love, why are you hurting?"
(5) "-my love."