(REWRITE) Lost & Found: Eddsworld x Child!Reader

part XV

"Duck!"

Tord didn't even have time to react before something sharp and heavy was shot his way, straight through his hood, just barely skimming his neck. He was flung back to the ground with a grunt by the force of the projectile.

(Y/N), who had previously been right in front of him, was now in the back of the truck, hauled up by Tom. He tried to call their name, but he wasn't heard over the roaring of the vehicle's engine. It soon took off, spitting mud and earth into his face.

He half-shouted, frustrated. He looked toward the object keeping him on the ground, and it was a harpoon. Of course Tom would launch a fucking harpoon at him. Placing his hands on the thing, he pulled it up from the ground, and was able to stagger himself up just in time to watch the truck disappear into the treeline.

Not far from him, sat (Y/N)'s doll and bag, littered on the ground. His heart dropped. He knew how much that little lamb meant to them. Tord's shoulders sagged as he bent down to pick her up, something like guilt placing itself in his chest.

"Fuck." He held her in his hands, "Fuck."

He closed his eyes and sighed, the stinging of the slash on his arm starting to really bother him. He hadn't meant for this to happen. He never planned things to go like this. He had truly, honestly believed that (Y/N) would've been happy to go with him, that he would get to introduce them to Paul and Patryck, that he could've shown them how to shoot and that they would've been able to be happy again, just the two of them.

God, why did he have to do that? He shouldn't have lashed out, he knew that much. All that had done was scare (Y/N). God fucking dammit. He had hurt them. He almost couldn't believe he was capable of doing that. He felt sick to his stomach. What was he going to do now? How could he fix this, could this be fixed at all? He tossed the harpoon aside, fists clenched.

"Red Leader?" The voice of Patryck was careful. Both Paul and he stepped out of the house, cautious.

"About time you showed up," Tord scoffed, "I need bandaging."

"I know. We saw what happened." Paul took his sweet time scrambling through his first-aid kit.

All of them were silent as he cleaned the wound, the weight of what happened pushing down on Tord's psyche.

"I fucked up." He put it simply.

"Yeah, you did." Paul agreed bluntly.

"I'll never be able to redeem myself."

"Probably."

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?"

"I dunno," Paul grabbed the bandages and started wrapping them around the wound.

Tord placed his head in his hands with a realization, forcing Paul to readjust.

"I don't... I don't like who I'm becoming."

Paul furrowed his brows but stayed quiet, Patryck picked up the harpoon off the ground and swung it around like a sword.

"I'm going to go back to them."

Patryck dropped the harpoon, startled, and Paul stopped wrapping.

"What? After that whole interaction?" Patryck exclaimed, incredulous, "I don't think they'd be too happy to see you. You scared the shit out of that kid."

He was right about that much.

"And what about the rest of the Red Army? We still need you." Paul pointed out.

"Yeah, It's not exactly the Red Army without a Red Leader," Patryck added.

Tord sat with that for a few moments and shook his head in thought. Ruling the world and sitting on a high throne didn't seem so appealing to him anymore, not when he held his little sibling's doll in his hands. He squeezed the lamb and his heart ached, chest tightening. He resisted the urge to cry.

He thought back to what Tom had said that night before he left, something about 'the world doesn't need a blue or red army anymore', if he remembered correctly. Right now, he felt as though that statement had more truth to it than he felt it did the night it was said. He didn't yearn for world domination or destruction, he just wanted to be back home. He didn't want to be Red Leader.

"Sir?" Paul asked sheepishly, "You've got that look on your face again."

He considered telling the two of the plan that pieced itself together in his mind. Would they leave him? Betray him, try to overthrow him? No, he sighed at the thought, no they wouldn't. They were idiots, but they were loyal idiots.

"I'm going to disband the Red Army." He said plainly.

"What!?" Both Paul and Patryck exclaimed in unison.

"What about everything we've worked for?"

"We've come so far, do you just want to give that up?"

Tord looked to them both, trying to communicate his thoughts the best he could, "None of it's worth it. Not anymore-"

Paul and Patryck glanced at each other, knowing that there wasn't much they could do about it now.

"–This is the end. I've decided." He stretched out his arm, now completely bandaged, rolling his shoulder.

Paul took a deep, steadying breath, "Well, if that's what you want, boss, we'll go with it."

"I'm with you too." Patryck paused for a beat, "C'mon, let's head back to base."

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i did not like how i wrote this the first time so i literally rewrote all of it yesterday. i know it's a bit of a shorter chapter, so I'll try to get the next one out earlier! love you guys, and thanks for 2k reads holy shit <3

855 words

written 1/28/2023