Childish (TomTord Fanfic)

A Horrifying Realization

   The researcher tried leading Tom into her office, but once they got to the door, Tom simply refused to move any further.
"Is something wrong Tom?" The researcher asked.
"Hm? Oh, sorry but... can we maybe wait for Mister Tord to catch up? I wanna make sure he actually waits outside for me," Tom explained. The researcher nodded and patiently waited for her leader. The researcher was admittedly impressed with her leader for bonding with Tom so easily, now she was certain Red Leader was a master of betrayal.
"Why are you two still standing out here?" Tord frowned as he walked up to the two.
"Hi Mister Tord! Sorry, I asked the researcher to wait for you, she's a nice lady," Tom smiled.
"Mm-hm," Tord nodded. When Tom wasn't looking, Tord quickly gave the researcher a small thumbs up. Rather than respond in any way, the researcher rolled her eyes.
"Are you ready now Tom?" She smiled.
"Yeah! Mister Tord, please wait for me! Don't leave!" Tom pouted.
"Ugh, I won't, do you want me to hold Tomee bear for you?" Tord chuckled. He meant it as a joke, but Tom looked like he was genuinely considering it.
"Nah, he'll be fine with me! Besides, don't tell him I told you this, but I think Tomee bear has a little crush on you!" Tom whispered. He giggled and then followed the researcher into her office. Tord shot her one last confused look, to which she simply responded with a shrug before closing the door. Very few people in the red army got their own office. The researcher was considered a valuable asset to the army, therefore she was given one to conduct her research in. Her leader, Tord, had insisted on interviewing Tom in one of their makeshift interrogation rooms, but the researcher knew that the best way to get information from a child, was to make them feel comfortable in their environment, which was much harder to do in a cold, concrete interrogation room.
"I like some of your pictures," Tom grinned as he scanned over some of the pictures the researcher had hung up on her walls.
"Thank you for saying so Tom," The researcher replied.
"Oh! Who is this?" Tom asked. He was pointing to a picture of a woman wearing a lab coat, jokingly sticking her tongue out at the camera while holding a test tube.
"That would be the lead scientist, I'm not sure if you'll ever meet her or not," The researcher explained.
"Aw, that's too bad, she's really pretty!" Tom giggled.
"Yeah... she really is..." The researcher sighed.
"Um... researcher?" Tom waved one of his oversized sleeves in front of her face in an attempt to break her out of her trance. Fortunately, he was successful in doing so.
"Uh... my apologies," The researcher stuttered.
"It's okay! So are you good friends?" Tom asked.
"We're not exactly friends, we have more of a working relationship if anything, I only ever see her when Red Leader suggests I go down to the lab and get some assistance, sure some of our exchanges could be considered friendly, it's just... she's just so... ugh!" The researcher sat down in her chair and had put her head in her hands.
"Researcher?" Tom walked over to her, clearly concerned.
"She's just too perfect! Sure I have a high intellect, but so does she! She's smart, beautiful, nice, and I'm just... not good enough for her," The researcher mumbled. Tom put his hand on her shoulder.
"Well I think you're pretty neat," Tom smiled. The researcher took a second to look at Tom. He was so kind, how was this the same supposed monster her leader would always rant about during every debriefing?
"Thank you Tom, I'm sorry for worrying you like that, I really shouldn't be having this kind of breakdown in front of a child," The researcher chuckled, wiping a few stray tears off of her face.
"Hey! Just cause I'm little doesn't mean I'm stupid!" Tom frowned.
"Of course not Tom," The researcher chuckled.
"Hey researcher?"
"Yes Tom?"
"Is that your actual name?"
"Heavens no! However Red Leader wishes not to be bothered with matters such as remembering names, therefore we go by our titles," The researcher explained.
"That's dumb, can't I just call you by your actual name?" Tom's head tilted slightly to the side.
"You may, however I would not use my real name in front of Red Leader, my name is Caroline, and in case you were wondering, the medic's name is David," The researcher shrugged.
"Thanks, but I'd rather just call him meat shield! Like Paul!" Tom grinned.
"Oh yes, because he is such a fantastic role model," The researcher scoffed sarcastically.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's her name?" Tom asked, pointing towards the lead scientist's picture once more.
"Amelia," The researcher quietly replied.
"Oh! Sorry Caroline! I forgot, wasn't there a reason you brought me here?" Tom chuckled.
"Yes, thank you for reminding me Tom, I'm just going to ask you a few questions okay?" The researcher began.
"Then I can go back to Mister Tord?" Tom had a pleading look on his face.
"Then you can go back to Mister Tord," The researcher nodded.
"Okay! Fire away! Oh wait, these aren't gonna be hard questions are they?" Tom panicked.
"No Tom, I'm going to start by listing a few things, and you are going to tell me what feelings these things bring out in you, do you understand?" The researcher asked.
"I think so," Tom replied. The researcher dug through one of her desk drawers and pulled out one of her many clipboards, a handwritten list was clipped onto it.
"Alright, let's start with something simple, the medic," The researcher grinned.
"He makes me angry! I don't like him," Tom pouted and crossed his arms dramatically in order to get his point across.
"Unfortunately young minds do tend to hold grudges for a longer period of time, however worry not, I'm positive that you will eventually learn how polite the medic really is," The researcher sighed, scribbling down notes next to the medic's name.
"Doubt it," Tom mumbled under his breath. The researcher looked down at her list and then back up at Tom. She sighed and flipped her paper over to the blank side.
"I made an entire list of words, but you know what? I'm not going to use them, for once I'm going to wing it," The researcher chuckled. Tom grinned up at her and nodded.
"Alrighty!" He exclaimed. The researcher saw the stuffed bear Tom had clutched to his chest and thought back to what her leader had called it... Tomee bear?
"Alright, let's try another easy one, Tomee bear,"
"That is easy! Tomee bear is one of my best friends! He's nice to me, he's soft, he makes me feel safe, and he agrees with everything I say! See?" Tom forced Tomee bear to nod.
"You two do seem to be partners in crime," The researcher laughed.
"Mm-hm!" Tom agreed.
"What about Paul?"
"Paul is the coolest! He doesn't care about anything, and he's a total rule breaker! Well... no, he does care about me and Patryck, so if anything he makes me feel cool as well!" Tom explained.
"I'm sure, speaking of Patryck, let's do him next,"
"Okay, well he follows the rules for the most part, but he seems to let himself relax a little when he's with Paul, and I know he totally cares for me, in fact he sort of reminds me of my mother! So basically he makes me feel nurtured? Is that the right word?"
"Either way, I still get what it is you're trying to describe,"
"Good!" Tom smiled. The researcher silently tried to think of more words, when the rain pounding against the walls gave her an idea.
"What about rain?" She asked.
"Eh, I actually kind of like the rain,"
"Lightning?"
"It's pretty cool looking,"
"Tornadoes?"
"What's a tornado?"
"Okay, well what about thunder?" The researcher sighed.
"Oh... Um... I'm kinda scared of thunder..." Tom replied, barely above a whisper.
"Really? Well I suppose that isn't too uncommon for someone your age," The researcher nodded thoughtfully and jotted some more notes down on the blank side of her list.
"We actually got stuck in a building during the storm," Tom began.
"By 'we' I assume you mean you and Red Leader?" The researcher guessed.
"Yeah, but there was all this thunder and I was super scared! Then Mister Tord... he let me hug him, and he comforted me, and I felt all better again," Tom had a happy look on his face. The researcher saw this as the perfect opportunity to finally drop the bombshell.
"Tom, how do you feel about Red Leader?" She asked.
"Mister Tord? Where do I begin? Well... he makes me happy but scared at the same time, be makes me feel all warm inside but sad at the same time... He makes me feel a lot of different things, but in the end I love Mister Tord! He's my best friend in the whole wide world, and I never want to leave his side!" Tom declared with a warm smile, not an ounce of hatred in him... wait... Oh no. The researcher had just come to a horrifying realization. Based on what her leader had told her, Tom was once a very hateful man who did nothing but drink whenever his anger got too out of control. Most of that hate was actually directed to her leader in some way, shape, or form. The one emotion the time reversal potion had taken from him, was true animosity towards her leader. They had to recreate that animosity, in order to turn Tom back to normal, they would have to get Tom to hate Tord again. However, something told the researcher that the only way to do that at this point, was for her leader to completely shatter poor Tom's heart. She was scared. For once she didn't want to give her findings to her leader, but deep down she knew she had to.
"Caroline? You alright?" Tom asked.
"What? Oh uh... Yes Tom, I'm fine... just fine," The researcher wanted nothing more than to burn every written piece of information she had on Tom so that her leader could never find any of it and use it against him... but she'd be executed if she did so, she knew that. Then she'd never see Amelia again... she was hurting, so why did she still want to do it anyways?

Extra long twenty thousand reads special engaaaaaaaage!!!! Yep, I managed to write an extra long chapter specifically for this occasion! I never in my right mind thought that this book would get so much as a second look, and yet here we are, we've come so far, and god no I didn't mean to rhyme right there! Anywhoooo Caroline is pronounced "Care-Oh-Lynn" in this book, sorta like in Portal. Being 100% honest here, it was never my intention for any of Tord's background soldiers to become main characters in this, it just happened, I'm really not in control of what my brain decides it wants to do, so I'm so sorry if that bugs any of you in any way! (Also if you notice any errors, sorry! I'm not used to writing such long chapters! And I know this was a fast update but wow we hit twenty thousand fast) Thank you all so much, none of this would've been possible without you, and I hope to continue this series with pride and vigor, your support is always a highlight in my day and I couldn't ask for much more. Thank you all for reading.