Find Me [Completed]

P30: Evidence

[⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of a failed suicide attempt]

The wind shook through the numerous pine and oak trees overhead where Edd sat outside the residential building, updating one of his countless maps of the red base on his tablet. Emma loomed over his shoulder, tracking every movement of his fingers with her all-seeing eyes. Edd knew it was so she could ensure the accuracy of his work, yet no matter how many times she'd done it, it was always a bit unnerving to have someone glaring over your shoulder like a hawk.

The sharp, high-pitched scream of what one would assume to be a little girl broke the quiet ambience the wind had created, and had both Emma and Edd looking up from his work on his tablet. Of course, being a parent, Edd could easily tell the scream hadn't come from his or Tord's daughters, but rather Jake who'd been playing with the two while he and Emma worked on the maps. Sure enough, Jake rounded the corner of the close side of the residential building, quickly followed by two giggling girls wielding sticks with flaming ends.

"EMMAAAAAA!!! EMMA THE CHILDREN HAVE FIRE!" Jake shrieked, running right over to her and Edd for protection.

Edd sighed and set his tablet down beside him on the bench he'd been sitting on so he could stand up to scold the girls. Tami had only been at the base for 4 days, yet Edd had already had to confiscate a numerous amount of fire-starting items off her like matches and lighters. Yet, no matter how many things he took from her, she always seemed to have another within the next hour. If she'd just been setting little fires by herself where other people could yell at her, Edd wouldn't care at all. She was Tord and Tom's kid, not his; it wasn't his responsibility. But the fact that Mateya had hardly left the other girl's side since she'd arrived, and the two were going around setting fires around the base together, is what made Edd concerned. Tord's daughter was a terrible influence on his own, so he had to parent the both of them in the end to keep them from hurting themselves and others or doing other stupid things.

"Tamara, what do I keep telling you about setting things on fire?" Edd asked, approaching the girls whose smiles and giggles had now dropped.

"Not to. But the flames are captivating. They bring me comfort." Tami countered, seeing that as a worthy explanation. She gave Edd a large pout as she handed him the flaming stick.

Edd dropped the stick to the ground and stomped out the small flames. "Give me the lighter." He told the pouting girl, who dropped the silver object into Edd's outstretched hand. "I don't care how much you like fire, you can't be setting them whenever you feel like it, and especially not without adult supervision."

"Jake's an adult, he watched me set it." Tami said, pointing to Jake who was watching them from his hiding place behind Emma.

"Actually I'm 17... technically not an adult..." Jake spoke up, holding up a finger. "Please don't make more fires, I don't like them... They hurt people..."

Edd raised a brow at Jake. "You're 17?" He asked in disbelief.

"No, you idiot, I'm 26." Jake retorted, switching to his native tongue. "Who the fuck would be allowed to be a General at 17?" He asked with the slightest of scowls.

Edd just gave Jake a small nod, then turned his attention back to the girls, who had grown bored of talking with the grown ups and were now tossing rocks to each other. He gaze wandered to Tami's voided eyes, and they reminded him of Tom, who he hadn't seen since that fight between him and Tord.

Actually, now that Edd thought about it, he hadn't seen Tord around as of late either. To say it worried him was a massive understatement.

"Papa!" Edd's daughter's voice broke through his thoughts. "Can you get us cookies from the cafe? Pleaaaaaaase? Chocolate chip ones?" She asked, giving her dad puppy eyes for maximum cute points.

"Alright." Edd agreed to Mateya's request with a partial chuckle. "Stay in Emma and Jake's sight while I'm gone, okay?" He told the two girls, who gave him nods. He glanced at Emma, who smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

Then, Edd started to make his way across the base to the cafeteria. But only halfway there, he saw something that caught his eyes. Or rather, someone.

Tord was talking to a group of soldiers, probably giving them orders. Tom was at his side, and the two were close. Really close; arms linked and Tom's head rested on Tord's shoulder.

Of course, Edd headed over to investigate why the two appeared so friendly, also why he hadn't seen the duo in nearly four days.

"Tom!" Edd called, running over to them.

Tom lifted his head and looked over his shoulder at Edd.

"Oh, it's you." Tord greeted Edd when he reached them.

"Where have you guys been? I haven't seen you since that fight." Edd asked.

"We were making up, of course. In private. It took a while, we managed to meet in the middle. Right, Thomas?" Tord explained, and Tom gave a small nod.

"I see you changed your eye colour, Tom?" Edd asked, noticing the red pixelated eyes looking at him from Tom's visor. "Was that your idea or Tord's?"

"It was mine, of course." Tord answered for Tom. "Red is the best colour. So much better than that awful green." He snickered, clearly trying to get under Edd's skin about their colour preferences.

Tom adjusted the collar of his shirt, and Edd caught a glimpse of bruises around his neck. Either there was some really kinky bedroom things going on, or Tord had done something. Edd was thinking of the latter.

"What happened to your neck?" Edd asked Tom, trying to keep own his bubbling anger.

"He did tha-"

"I didn't ask you!" Edd cut Tord off mid sentence with a slightly raised voice.

Tord scowled. "Fine. Tell him what happened, Tom." He said, looking down at his boyfriend.

"I did it to myself. With a rope. Tord saved me. It was a mistake I won't make again." Tom told Edd with a flat tone. Almost like the virtual assistant on a smartphone.

"There, see? That's exactly what I was going to say before you rudely interrupted me." Tord scolded Edd.

"What? Why would you tie a rope around your- oh. Oh, Tom..." Edd said, eyes widening a bit. He spread his arms out to give Tom a hug, but was surprised when said man shoved him away.

"Don't touch me." Tom told Edd, the same flat tone in his voice. "I don't want sympathy from someone like you."

"What? What do mean someone like me?" Edd asked, thoroughly confused.

"I'll be blunt, Edd. I don't like you. I really don't like you." Tom told Edd, his unblinking eyes staring at the other man.

"Alright Tord, what did you do to Tom?" Edd hissed at the tallest man, a fire in his eyes. There was no way Tom would say something like that, right?

"I didn't do anything." Tord scoffed. "Right, elske?" He asked, putting his arm around Tom's waist and receiving a nod. "See? Tom agrees."

"I don't believe-"

"Shut up, Edd." Tom cut off Edd. "Can't you just accept that Tord and I made up and are happy now? Unlike you and Matt, we know how how to solve our issues."

Edd did his best to keep his cool despite the fact that what Tom just said really got under his skin. He only managed to because he knew Tom wouldn't say something like that unless someone was forcing him to. Unless Tord was forcing him to.

Suddenly, that mind control talk Tom has been spouting the other day didn't seem all that crazy.