Moonstruck ; Tomtord

Bite the Bullet

Tom froze at those words. He didn't even have to look to see that it was Tord who'd said them. The actions around them stopped. All eyes were on him now, and of course the beloved red leader. Tord's hand moved down to his wrist, and in a matter of seconds he was being pulled toward the door. But for once, he wasn't interested in being obedient.

"Wait-!" Tom gasped out, his feet firm on the ground.

"Let's go." Tord eyed him, his gaze cold and his voice stern. When Tom made no movement he decided to speak again. "Do I have to repeat myself?"

Tom raised his head, and for once looked Tord dead in the eyes. He didn't care anymore. He'd seen too much, he couldn't handle it. There was a line and Tord had crossed it, way too many times.

"No."

The silence around him was maddening. The tension in the air was thick. Nobody moved, nobody breathed.

No one said no to the Red Leader. The leader of numerous countries, the soon the be ruler of the world. Such disobedience was unheard of. But out of the corner of his eyes, or what was left of them, he could see Edd and Matt. They were staring at him. They needed him. He would do this for them, he'd do anything-

"No?" Tord questioned, an eyebrow raised. He seemed almost amused. A subtle sort of smirk could be seen on his lips.

Tom's gaze shot back to Tord as he noticed him push a button on his mechanical arm. In an instant his brain turned to mush, his body so weak he stumbled and could barely stand up straight. What had happened? Just a moment ago everything was fine, but the sudden weakness he felt all over was something he couldn't seem to shake.

This time when Tom felt himself pulled, he didn't resist. He couldn't. His brain was screaming at his body, but his body wouldn't move. Slowly that desire died out, and all that was left to him was a single thought.

I need to follow orders.

Tord leaned close to his ear as they exited the room. He could hear chatter erupt from behind them, but his head wouldn't turn to see who was talking. It didn't matter, anyway. The door had closed and he was left alone in the hallway with a monster of a man. "Ah, Thomas. You're too funny." He chuckled, still pulling him along.

His blood boiled with rage. He kept telling himself that he hated this, he hated Tord. Tom needed to do something about all of this. Edd and Matt were in danger. He needed them to be safe. He opened his mouth weakly to respond. It closed again. It was like he was possessed, unable to do things on his own free will. Yet he pressed on, doing his best to fight the urge to just shut up and listen.

He couldn't push the thoughts away. The more he tried to, the more he would slowly start to lose touch with reality. Everything around him was becoming blurry. He couldn't breath, could hardly move. Yet despite this, he still knew where they were going.

Tord dragged him all the way back 'home'. He sat Tom down on the couch, going beside him. He whimpered. He'd only got to have his vision back for a few hours, and it was already being taken away from him. All he could pick out was vague shapes of things in the living room. He teared up, causing his visitors to glitch.

"Hey now," Tord spoke, his voice a lot softer than it had been previously. He may be a sadistic piece of shit, but he hated to see Tom like this. "Don't cry. It'll all be over soon. You just have to cooperate, alright? Can you do that for me, honey?"

Despite his gentle tone, Tom could sense excitement in his words. This time his mouth opened, words flowing out without thought. "Yes sir." He agreed. Tom's eyes widened. He didn't want to say that, he didn't try to. But when he attempted to protest he couldn't utter a word.