Tomtord oneshot thingies i guess

Bridge

Breathing rapid, hands gripping the bars, the bridge was quiet during twilight. The lamps lit the paths up dimly, the distant water calm and gentle. Soft wind kissing his skin, Tom's hands gripping the metal rails tighter, eyes clenched painfully shut.

"JUST FUCKING DO IT ALREADY! GOD, WHY ARE YOU SUCH A WIMP?!"

The tears ran quickly down his face, his shouting didn't help one bit. It simply made him more fearful of what he had planned to do. Hitting the rail with his hands, he stood upright, pacing back and forth while pulling at his hair.

"Why can't you just go through with it?! You won't be missed. No one will care! Just do everyone else a favour already!!"

Another brisk wind pushed past the boy, making him shiver slightly, hugging himself. His pacing slowed down, stopping to look back at the water, elbows propped on the rails while his head hung low. He could barely see his reflection in the water, though his mind filled in the blanks.

"Heh... I look like such a mess..."

The bridge became quiet again, stars twinkling softly above him. He paid no attention to them, facing the murky sea, his tears joining the body of water. Tom's panting calmed down to quiet breaths, his thoughts trapped him in his mind, time going by slowly.

Footsteps heard from the end of the bridge, Tom paid no mind to them. Another passer by, someone who doesn't care. It's none of their business. Just let them pass and get on with their lives.

The footsteps stopped, the boy thinking whoever it was had crossed the street to avoid passing him. It wasn't until he heard a light sigh, that Tom noticed someone stood beside him.

"So you're here, too. What's going wrong in your life?"

Face stained with tears, the boy picked his head up, turning towards the man with the strange accent.

"Wh-y do you think something's wrong?"

'Stupid question, it's pretty obvious, dimwit.'

A chuckle rang through the silence, the man with caramel coloured hair giving Tom a soft smirk.

"People don't come to the bridge at midnight just for kicks. You're planning to jump off, correct?"

Stammering slightly, Tom couldn't find the right words to say. He hadn't expected someone to talk to him, much less ask about what he was planning to do. With a light sigh, Tom looked away, laying his head on his arms, the rail supporting him.

"You don't need to know. You probably don't even care."

Soft humming coming from the stranger, he leaned his back against the rail, hands stuffed into his hoodie.

"Who says I don't care? People don't jump without a reason. I'm interested to hear yours."

The strange man brought up emotions inside of Tom. Ones he had always suppressed, never being able to let out to anyone he knew.

"WHY DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?! WHY DO YOu even care!? No one cares! No one..."

'Breaking down again. Weak. Worthless. Can't even handle his own emotions.'

As Tom faced the other with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, he felt how his hot tears stung his cheeks, the grip on the rail digging into his fingers. The stranger didn't get angry. Nor did he smile sadistically, mocking poor Tom and forcing him into climbing over the rail.

No, he didn't do any of that. Instead, he stayed in his spot, looking at Tom with a sad smile.

"Because it looks like you need someone to talk to. By your outburst, it seems to me like you need to scream at someone. I'm here to listen. Talk to me."

His answer left the boy feeling confused. It didn't make sense. A stranger who happened to walk past him was there to listen to him, offering Tom a chance to finally be heard by someone. It took a battle in Tom's head to finally take in a deep breath, looking over at the other with glossy eyes.

"I-I... I came out to my family a few months ago. I thought they'd be supportive.. that they'd understand me. Heh... Maybe I was just in over my head.

Mom slapped me as soon as she found out. Told me I'm a disgrace to the family, and that I should be ashamed of myself. Dad kicked me out. Didn't even let me take a bag or anything.For a while, I stayed with friends. They let me crash at their place because I had nowhere else to go. It was alright... They seemed to be nice friends. I'd known them since I was a kid. I thought they were honest... I thought they cared about me."

A broken chuckle leaving Tom's lips, he wiped his wet face with his sleeve.

"Boy, was I wrong. I heard them talking about me earlier... Snickering with some boys from school. They made fun of me... Gossiped about how disgusting their gay roommate is. They talked about kicking me out at the end of the week. I don't even have a dollar to my name. I-f they kick me out, I really have nowhere to go. So I might as well just get rid of myself before they make me go through all of that..."

Tom looked into the distance, darkness consuming the horizon across which the moon's reflection shone.

"So now I'm here."

The wind whistled quietly, a soft breeze making Tom shiver once more, the stranger snuggling slightly into his hoodie, yet remaining calm and collected.

"You really need better people in your life."

A light chuckle, Tom nodded in agreement, facing the other with a gentle gaze.

"I've told you my story. Now you tell me yours. What are you doing out here? People don't just come to the bridge at midnight for kicks, you know."

A tired look, accompanied with a light smile. The man put his arms up lazily.

"Ok, you got me."

He dropped his arms, going back to his nonchalant look.

"Nothing too dramatic. I'm pretty alone, I guess. I live with my aunt, who's always spending the money I make on hookups and lottery tickets. A few hundred to feed the demons hiding in that powder, if you know what I mean."

Tom nodded softly, gaze on the water as he heard the man's story.

"I've been needing to take long shifts at work to help keep up with paying the bills. My aunt doesn't take kindly to when I keep some cash away from her, even if it's for something we need. I guess a main part of me being here is because of what happened on social media...

I won't go into too much detail, I'm sure you've seen it, too. This guy filmed me when I was in a public shower. I had my back turned and hair down, so it looked like I was a girl. He slapped my ass and made me squeak... then I turned around and he laughed when he found out I was a guy."

The stranger paused his story for a bit, turning around to face the water. The abyss below made him get lost in a trance, the surface showing his uneasy expression.

"He uploaded the video and it went viral pretty much overnight. I can't go online anymore without thousands of messages being sent to me about it. Some people even thought it was funny to visit me where I work and strip me in front of everyone there.

...I got fired from my job earlier because of the video. Too many people coming there to harass me about it. My boss just had to let me go, I guess. I'll be gone before my aunt finds out we don't have any cash for booze or bills."

Tom couldn't help but glare at the water, though staring at nothing in particular. He was disgusted. The people responsible for this didn't even think about how the man beside him would feel. They probably wouldn't even care that they're driving him to suicide.

"Why don't you just move away?"

Their eyes met, the stranger letting out a soft chuckle.

"Why don't you?"

Crossing his arms, Tom gave him a dull look.

"No money, genius. I'm stuck in this goddamn town until I die. But you could still scrounge up whatever cash you can get and leave. Go somewhere better..."

A small shake of the head, the man gave Tom a sad smile, patting his hand softly.

"It's not that simple."

Another silence took over, the air crisp and cold. Staring down at the water, it looked freezing to the two men, both wishing they wouldn't have to feel the cold before their untimely deaths. Though, neither of them stirred, quietly taking in every breath while their thoughts peacefully simmered down to nothing at all.

"Thank you."

Facing Tom with a questioning look, the man was slightly confused.

"For what?"

A light smile took over the boy's lips, staring off into the depths of the sea beneath him.

"For listening to me. And for telling your own story. You're the first person who's ever done that. So... thanks for being there for me."

Nodding lightly, the man gave Tom a soft smile, himself feeling lighter after talking to the person beside him.

"You know, I never caught your name."

Tom smirked, giving the other a light giggle.

"I never threw it. But if you wanna know, it's Tom."

The stranger held his hand out to Tom, beaming warmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tom. I'm Tord."

The two shook hands, sharing a small moment of happiness. The first piece of joy they'd had in a long time. As they let go of each other's hands, silence returned to the two, Tom going back to facing the water. A moment of joy can go far, though the negative greatly outweigh the positive.

"Well, Tord..."

Tom grabbed the other's attention as he placed a foot on the rail, getting ready to hoist himself up.

"It's nice to know there's at least one nice person in the world. Thanks for being the last person ever to make me smile."

Tord's eyes went wide, mouth going dry as he grabbed Tom's arm, right as he was about to push off.

"W-AIT!"

The boy stopped what he was doing, the hand on his arm leaving a red mark, though it wasn't something he was overly concerned about. The look on Tord's face was quite different from the others he'd worn in the night. It was full of concern, fear, pain in his eyes. It made Tom stop and listen to what he had to say.

"T-om, surely you're not going to give your life up at a young age? Just because of some homophobic assholes!"

Eyes beginning to gloss over again, Tom looked at the other with confusion and shock.

"Weren't you going to do that, too?!"

A slight pause, Tord looked troubled. He glanced down at the water, seemingly calculating his next words and steps.

"I may not know you, Tom. I may not understand the full story of your life. But there's some part of me that feels drawn to you. I don't know why. I don't know what it is that makes me grab your arm and hold you back...

But I won't let you do this, Tom. And if you do, I'll jump with you."

Letting his grip soften, Tord looking the other in the eyes with a gentle expression. His leg still pushed onto the rail, the boy couldn't help but stop and wonder what the other meant.

"...I feel the same way. Like I'm drawn to you, too.But what other choice is there...? We can't move away, we can't stay with anyone...What other option do we have?"

His eyes flickering quickly as he thought, the man in red took his hand off of Tom's arm, taking a step back. Slowly, he raised his hand, stretching it out to the boy in blue.

"I don't know, Tom. I don't know what I'll do if I ever leave this bridge. Maybe start walking and see where it takes me. But I know one thing's for sure. I'm not leaving this bridge alone. Whether it's down the street or into the water, I'm going wherever you're going, Tom.

So we can either go and live our lives, get a job far away from here and start a new life together, or we can end everything we have here, on this bridge, tonight. I don't know about you, but I'm leaning towards a fresh start, even if it's rough.

Will you come with me?"

Tom stayed silent, head hanging low and breath unsteady. Death seemed so easy. A way to get rid of your troubles, never pester anyone else again. Though, he had the chance to spend his life with someone new. Someone who listens, who cares about what he has to say. Someone who could bring joy into his life, make Tom smile and laugh like he hadn't in so long...

A small smiled painted over his face as he grabbed Tord's hand, pulling him along as they walked down the street, off of the bridge.