~+After Filming: Outside the Studio+~
With his kids already in his car and Tika in Tord's car, the two adults stood across from each other. Tom with his arms crossed and Tord holding his hands behind his back.
"What do you want now?" Tom questions while trying to remain calm. "If this is about the kids-"
"It's is actually about the kids, our kids specifically." Tord looks back at his ex boyfriend seriously. "Listen, I know what I did was horrible."
"How about tragic? Tord, you left me with two babies I had to care for with no support whatsoever to back me up when you knew how financially unstable I was back then." He clenched the sleeve of his shirt tightly. Trying very hard to control his emotions like his anger.
"And I'm sorry," The CEO apologizes sincerely. "I just wanted to ask if I could help you financially with them. You know, pay half their tuition for their education and supplies. I want to make up for all this lost time."
Tom took a breath and let's it out. "Tord," He said seriously. "I've done everything for Torm and Tomi since you gave them to me. Care for them, feed them, you name it. I do not need your help, ever." He was about to turn around to open the door to the driver seat but Tord had the nerve to stop him again.
"Tom, just one day." He at least wanted one day with the boys to get to know them. How they've been and possibly what Tom's been doing since they parted. "Give me one day with them and you can have them decide for themselves if they want to do so."
Tom glances at the two teens seated in the back seat of his car. Both busy looking at Torm's phone and talking about something on the screen.
He sighs in defeat, probably going to regret this choice later. "Fine, one day. When are you able to spend time with them?"
Tord smiles and pulls out one of his private business cards out to hand to Tom. "I have to recheck my schedule, but here's my personal number to contact me by. Send me a text and I'll respond as soon as I can."
Tom takes the card and reads the info with some distaste. After copying the phone number later, he'll be sure to burn the card the first chance he gets.
"If we're done now I'm going to leave." Tom proceeds to open the driver door and take a seat inside. Tord watching him with a content expression that Tom won't give a second glance at for his own sake.
Tord returned to his own car where Tika is seated in the passenger seat eager to know what they were talking about.
"What did you and Mr. Tom talk about?"
"Nothing much princess." He buckled himself down to his seat and starts the car. "We just exchanged our contacts to talk."
Tika hums as her dad pulls out of his parking spot to drive them home. "Are you not telling me something?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Mom and you have been pretty weird lately whenever one of my friends is mentioned. The Thompson family specifically after we visited their house." Tika deduces clearly much to Tord's amusement. His adopted daughter smart and charming is a wonder itself.
Tord rolls the window down a bit to let a fresh breeze in. "I guess I should tell you since you'll be living with me from now on."
"Please do." Tika said leaning back in her seat to hear Tord out.
"Your friends, Tomi and Torm, were creations of mine back in the day. I made them for Tom who was my old boyfriend and who I chose to breakup with on mutual terms if I did something for him." He shakes his head and turns the wheel onto another road. "Me being young and stupid took his angry joke seriously and created your friends with our dna combined. So technically, Torm and Tomi are your legal step brothers? Or brothers in general?"
Tord couldn't point out for sure if they'd be step siblings. Tika is legally his adopted daughter while the boys are his literal sons in relation to Tom. Maybe it is the basic brother and sister relationship term.
Tika eyes widen when she hears that Torm and Tomi are supposedly her brothers. "So Torm and Tomi are basically my brothers?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Tord winces as he makes a stop at a red light. He looks to his daughter, "Things were sensitive at the beginning, especially with Tom. Since he's more calm now and I've taken some initiative to talk to him, I'm hoping to spend some time with the boys to get to know them more. Hopefully you three can still get a long without getting involved with the sourness between myself and Tom."
He's hopeful his daughter's relationship with his sons would not break just because of him and Tom's quiet quarrel.
"Can I come with?" Tika asks hoping he'll say yes. "I can help keep things calm between you and the brothers. I'm a little concerned Torm will leave without a moment's notice."
"What about Tomi?"
Tika shrugs, "Tomi's more a people person than Torm but he can be cautious depending on what he hears about said person. He takes after Tom a lot since he loves him very much. Besides being much more energetic and open. Other than that, if all other options fail where he cannot make a decision, he resorts to following his older brother. Those two are so close it's hard not to find them without each other."
She remembers one visit to the Thompson house. Tom told her Tomi was working at his part time job so she went to go see him there. A few blocks down she found the diner Tom told her about.
Going in she sat down and was served by the teen who was happy to see her. However, his cheery attitude was not the same she always saw on set at the studio. It was more dimmed down but enough to pass as normal to those in the diner.
When Torm came into the building, his appearance seemed to lighten up Tomi's personality. Workers in the diner smiling knowingly at the two when they hugged each other. They also seemed to noticed Tomi's dim attitude having worked with him for sometime until Torm comes to pick him up.
Torm is the same when his younger brother is not close by. He's more with a colder attitude and closed up personality unless a Tomi is around him. His younger brother is the only one to get Torm to be social with anyone in their paired range.
"Can't have one without the other," Tord says as if he knew what Tika was trying to say.
"Exactly."
Tord soon got to their house and parked the car into the garage. The two get out and enter the house happily.
"Want pizza? I'll order some for tonight." Tord holding up his phone to show Tika sitting across the counter from him.
Tika smiles and gives him the okay sign.
She quietly hopes her dad will still take her with him when he goes out with her friends for some bonding time.
For his own sake.
~+Later at the Thompson Household+~
Tom sat down with sons at the dinner table eating their ice cream they bought from the store. His blueberry mint flavor, Tomi likes vanilla, while Torm went with a strawberry flavored popsicle.
"Okay boys, we need to talk before you go about what you need to do." He rests his free hand on his lap, his posture straightened up. "Your... father wishes to spend a day with you two. Now I won't force any of you to go but he asked so I'm passing the message. You have the right to decline."
"I don't want to," Torm's quick and straight up answer catching none of them by surprised. While it is evident that he may be curious of his father, Torm already doesn't like him because of what he did to him and his brother, but mostly to his dad. "Like you said Dad, he has no right after what he did to you."
Tomi nervously licked his ice cream. He was actually kind of curious of who his father really was besides what he heard. "I kinda want to spend a day with him..." He shyly voices behind his ice cream.
Torm looks at his brother with surprised eyes. "Tomi?"
Tomi meets his gaze equally but calm. "I don't know Tormy, shouldn't we give him a chance? He may have changed." He wanted to believe there is some good intentions from their father. "Maybe Dad feels bad and wants to make it up to Papa."
"Father is literally engaged with the woman who he threw Dad away for," Torm argues back as he tries to keep his calm. He bit the top off his popsicle out of spite. Not even wincing at the cold against his teeth due to the cover of his boiling anger towards Tord. "Why spend time with us now when he doesn't even want to help us?"
"Actually," Tom said cutting in. "Your Father also wants to help pay half for your education and supplies with me." He didn't want to take sides but he can't keep information from his children who needs to know what they're being given. "Just to add that info on the table."
Tomi pouts and it has Torm faltering in his internal brother side of himself to follow his little brother's wishes. "Please Tormy, it's only for a day."
"A day of torture."
The younger brother pouts even more and thinks of a way for his brother to agree. Finally the light bulb in his head flicked on.
"Then no more kisses and sleepovers!"
Torm jaw drops looking at his brother dumbstruck. Even Tom surprised as he raised a single brow of his. He guesses Tomi must really want to spend a day with Tord. "You can't do that!"
"I can too! Just try me!" Tomi challenges getting up from his seat and throwing his empty ice cream cup away into the trash. He then proceeds to march out of the room to head upstairs to his room.
Torm, for the life of him, looks back to his Dad with question. "He can't do that, can he?" The door to Tomi's room shut closed with a slam to answer him quite clearly.
"I believe he can if he puts his mind to it," Tom assesses judging from how hard his little one shut the door.
Torm looks scared and panics while trying to get out of his seat to rush upstairs to Tomi's room. He manages to stumble out of his seat with his popsicle still in hand.
"Either eat your popsicle here or throw it away! No treats upstairs!" Tom reminds as he sets his empty ice cream cup on the table as Torm rushes out of the kitchen. He shakes his head when he hears the fling of a popsicle stick hit the trash can.
The freelancer chuckles to himself before pulling out his phone. Then taking the card holding Tord's number out to copy it onto his phone.
Tom:
You're gonna have to wait a few days depending on the boys for that father and son bonding day. They're both on opposing sides at the moment.
Commie:
Thomas?
Tom:
Who else Commie?
Commie:
Wait, can you explain the situation?
Tom:
Tomi doesn't oppose to spending the day with you but Torm surly does. Tomi isn't having any of Torm's attitude right now so he locked himself in his room. Torm's trying to coax him to come out at the moment.
"Come on Tomi! Stop being stubborn!"
"No!" Tom heard the loud muffled reply of Tomi behind his bedroom door.
Tom:
It should blow over into Torm giving into his brother's demands as usual.
Commie:
Is it always like that?
Tom:
Torm literally does anything for his little brother. Quite protective should I say, which for advice, don't mess with Tomi if you want to be on his good side.
Commie:
Giving me advice now Witness?~ How awfully kind of you 😏
Tom:
I'm only doing this once so you don't whine shit to me later Commie! 🖕
Tom sets his phone down with a frustrated sigh. If Tord even thinks things could go back to the way it used to when they were friends, he's got another thing coming his way. He was only doing this for his sons.
His phone vibrated in the table, picking it up he expected it to be another text from Tord. However, it wasn't from Tord. The text came from his boss at the strip club.
Boss Man:
Hey MidRift! Think you can make it to tonight's show as a fill in? I called my other contacts but they're all busy with their other jobs to fill in.
I'll give you three times the amount you're usually payed since we got a big group and a party coming in.
Tom's black eyes widen at the triple pay amount he would be getting. It would be enough to treat his boys to something nice, have a grand old day together doing whatever. Maybe even take a trip if they weren't so busy.
Tom texted back.
Tom:
Sure, I'm free. I'll be there the usual time.
Boss Man:
Great! See you there!
Tom got out of his seat and threw his empty cup away into the trash.
"Guess I should get ready for tonight."
~+A Week Later: Studio 7 set+~
The father daughter pair looked at Torm as if he met death. He had dark circles around his eyes, his posture telling others he was indeed tired and worried.
"What's going on with Torm?" Tika questions as she looks around. She sees Tomi getting his make up put on by Matt not too far away. If anything he looked okay as usual.
Tom approaches them, she knew he had the answers to her questions so she asks. "Why does Torm look like that?"
Tom looks at his oldest son worriedly, "Torm hasn't gotten any sleep as of late. He and his brother are still fighting about if they should spend a day with Tord." He crosses his arms and looks at a Tord like he's to blame.
Tord scratches the back of his head awkwardly.
"But what's that got to do with how he looks like?" Tika further asks for more detail of the situation.
"You know how Tomi typically sleeps with his brother right?" He gets a nod from the girl. "Well, Tomi threatened his brother with no more kisses and sleepovers until Torm agrees with him."
"Really?!" Tika knew how much Tomi's kisses and sleepovers meant to Torm.
Tomi's kisses on the cheek essentially just brighten Torm's day while sleepovers between the two were more for Torm to get a good night's sleep knowing his brother is safe near him. No kisses meant a down right depressed Torm. No sleepovers meant Torm's slight insomnia because he worries about his brother's and Dad's well being at ungodly times.
Now, one might think it's over the top, but this was Torm being paranoid for being a overprotective, coddling brother.
Tom looks at his son again and shakes his head. "I was on my way to see the director to talk to him about Torm. There is no way he can do a scene in that state."
"I think that would be a good idea," Tord agrees, finally speaking up. By the way his son is swaying slightly he doesn't think Torm will be able to remain in character at this rate.
Tom leaves them to go find the director to take scenes with the characters he has today besides Torm.
Meanwhile, Tomi finally done with getting his makeup on. He thanks Matt who pats him lightly on the head for doing a good job staying out for the time being.
He sees Tika and Tord upon heading out of the makeup section of the studio. Tomi was about to go greet them when he felt someone wrap their arms around his neck from behind.
"Huh?!" He looks about and noticed the person wore Storm's costume, meaning the person hugging him is none other than his brother. "Tormy?"
"I'm sorry Tomi... I'm sorry..." He heard his brother repeat next to his ear sounding exhausted. The weight of his brother coming down on him slowly. "We can hang out with Father together if you want."
"Really?" Tomi asks as he turns around in his brother's embrace. He hugs him back carefully and smiles at his brother's embrace which he had missed since their fight.
"Yeah, just don't avoid me anymore." The older brother defeatedly says.
Tomi giggles against his brother's shirt. "I would never avoid you!" He puts some space between them, then grabs the top of his brother's vest to pull the tired teen down to his level. "Just because I'm mad didn't mean I'll avoid you completely." He pecks a couple of kisses on his brother's cheek.
Torm felt relief enter his system as his little brother held him close and kissed his cheek. He missed his little brother's warmth that melted his cold heart.
"So you'll come sleep with me in my room again?" Torm asks.
"Of course!" Tomi replies happily.
Torm's eyes started to flutter as the lack of sleep was finally getting to him. "That's... great..." The taller teen finally said as he started putting his tired weight on his brother who caught him just in time.
From Tika and Tord's view, it looks like Torm was about to crush his brother with his tired body. But in reality, Tomi was doing just fine and holding his brother without a sweat.
"What?" Tord questions, not believing what what he's seeing.
"What indeed..." Tika replies.
Tomi looks over to them when they make eye contact, he carries his brother over to them. "Hey Dad, Tika!"
"Hey Tomi..." Tika said as she still couldn't get over her astonishment of Tomi being able to carry Torm.
"Isn't he heavy?" Tord asks pointing to the sleeping Torm his youngest is carrying with ease.
Tomi looks to his passed out brother before looking to his dad and shaking his head. "No, but then again nothing I've carried before hasn't been that heavy."
The youngest Lawson brother doesn't know it, but after doing so many different jobs before landing himself with the diner, Tomi's improved his stamina and strength way more than an average kid his age. Before he worked at the diner, he worked for a storage unit worker, apprentice at a small carpentry company, and an art manager at a quality craft store.
Even before those jobs, it was mandatory for the kids of the Thompson family to pull their own weight when they were finally able to help out slowly. No one, in Tomi's belief, would ever believe he had to stop his brother so many times to let him do his own work and that he would be fine doing so.
Torm may think Tomi is helpless but he fully aware of the younger's surprising strength. Tomi doesn't need others to fight for him either for the fact he knock three of his used to be bullies unconscious. His older brother and Papa still unaware it even happened.
So Tomi can handle his own just like Tom.
His older brother is stubborn but Tomi is far more stubborn when he wants to be.
Tomi looks at his dad with a proud smile. "Anyway, about spending the day with you..."
"Oh, yes?" Tord replies looking back at his son.
"Torm and I are free this coming Saturday if you're able. You can bring Tika a long as well so she can spend time with you as well." He looks at Tika with support. "She is your daughter now after all."
"Of course," Tord said causally with a fond tone. "I'm sure I don't have anything planned that day so we can spend the whole day together."
Tomi's dark eyes seem to lighten up with excitement. He really is looking forward to spending a day with his Dad. Slightly he glances at his unconscious brother he's carrying.
He smiles.
Hopefully Torm will be cooperative for a better experience.