TWs: Blood, injuries, slight panic, past self-harm scars, and neglect to eat/drink. Stay safe :)
"Dad!" Matt's eyes widened as he raced over to Arthur and Larry, Bing and Clay lagging behind them, "What are you- What happened!?"
Matt held his nose, trying to contain himself as best he could as he peered at his father's wounds.
"Ah, just got into a little scuffle with William, that's all," Arthur grunted as Larry set him down on a crate.
"Right, right, just a scuffle... totally." Matt rolled his eyes.
There was a rumble within the Earth as Pau slammed his head into a few buildings, putting him in a daze.
"Pau!" Pat yelled, running over as he noticed Pau de-transforming, getting smaller and smaller. Tord followed him, blasting away the rubble with his metal arm to get easy access.
There was a groan as Pau pushed a wooden pole off him. He sat up slowly, his limbs shaking as he perspired in sweat, a cut on his forehead visible.
"Pau..." Pat frowned, kneeling beside him.
"'M fine... don't worry." He grunted, his body trembling slightly as he leaned against his partner.
Placing a soft kiss on the cut, Pat slowly wrapped his arms around him, "Stop being so reckless, idiot..."
While everyone was distracted by what happened, no one took notice of Tom's movements faltering. He looked to be in a daze, his Cyclops eye focusing on nothing in particular as the monster seemed to take in where he was.
Tom stepped back, noticing the buildings around him had been destroyed. He let out a small trill as he noticed everyone had gathered at the loading docks.
Everyone took notice, turning to the giant monster. They were weary, choosing to stay away from Tom.
Except for Matt.
The ginger looked into Tom's Cyclops' eye, noticing that Tom was now looking at him. Matt's eyes filled with a tiny bit of hope as they looked into each other's eyes.
Tom was scared, afraid of what he had done. He didn't know what he was thinking. He hurt Pau; he didn't want to hurt Matt.
Tom stepped back when Matt walked forward.
"Matt-" Edd spoke, worried.
"Let him go." Pau interrupted, hanging off Pat's shoulder, "He might be the only one to get through to him."
Edd nodded, watching as Matt continued forward.
"You guys look dead." A voice spoke, startling the group.
"Katya!?" Edd and Tord exclaimed.
The blonde smiled softly, holding a medical bag, "Need assistance...?"
Tord glared at her uniform, "Does your girlfriend know you're working with them...?"
"Ah- uh- fiance, actually." Katya corrected, averting her gaze as she flushed slightly, "And it was her idea."
"Wait, so you're both working in the Black Army...?" Edd's eyes widened.
"Yeah, basically." Katya shrugged, then glanced at Arthur, "Your friend needs medical assistance. He's going to get an infection if it's not treated soon."
"Why should we trust you? You're working for the enemy." Tord huffed.
"It's either me or call the nearest hospital, which is a few hours away. I doubt an ambulance will be quick enough." Katya frowned.
Tord was silent momentarily, then sighed, "Fine. Go ahead."
Katya smiled, walking up to Arthur. She noticed Larry watching her like a hawk, his eyesight never leaving her.
Matt stood a few feet away from Tom, reaching a hand towards him, "Tom?"
The monster shuffled back, letting out a low whimper. Matt froze, trying to think of how he could approach him.
"It'll be okay, Tom... everything's alright; just take a deep breath." The ginger spoke, breathing in and out to show him.
Tom watched him for a moment before breathing in, the air shifting slightly as he did it. Breathing out, Matt felt his hair ruffle in the breeze, his face scrunching up as he smelled his breath. He watched Tom crouch low, huffing a bit as he eyed Matt.
"There we go... you're alright now, Tommy." Matt reached over again, "I'm right here."
Tom blinked, hesitantly leaning forward, allowing Matt to touch him. The ginger ran his fingers through his dark fur, noticing the coarse texture.
Tears pricked Matt's eyes as he stared up at the monster, "I missed you so much."
Placing his head against Tom's muzzle, Matt tried his best to wrap his arms around the demon as he buried his face in his fur. He placed a soft kiss on his nose, hearing a small whine from Tom.
Matt felt everything shift before him. He blinked as he saw Tom de-transforming, his limbs falling back into place as he grew smaller. Tom stood before him in ripped-up clothes, a few cuts and bruises along his body, and a drained expression. He tipped forward, Matt quickly catching him in his arms as he guided them to sit on the ground.
"Tom!? Are you okay?" Matt exclaimed.
Tom hummed, burying his face in the taller's shoulder, sighing, "Now I am..."
Matt smiled softly, pulling away as he held Tom's face, "I love you."
"I..." Tom flushed as he wrapped his arms around Matt, freezing as he averted his gaze to his bare arms and ripped-up hoodie.
"Tommy...?" Matt raised an eyebrow.
The shorter one quickly pulled away, stuffing his arms through the sleeves of his torn hoodie and hiding them. Matt knew what he was hiding but decided to play dumb, his specialty.
"Tom, what are you doing?" He asked, tilting his head. Tom didn't budge, looking at the ground, "Tommy? Tommy bear...?"
He noticed Tom wincing at the nickname, shuffling to himself as he shook his head.
Matt picked his head up, softly caressing his cheek, "I love you so much."
The bassist looked into the ginger's eyes as he slowly unraveled his arms from his hoodie. Matt grasped his wrist, holding it gently as he peered at the faded scars. He hummed, then gently kissed along the past marks.
"I'm not going to leave you; I promise," Matt muttered, "And I never break my promises."
Tom frowned, "Didn't you promise Edd something and didn't do it?"
"I've changed a lot since then."
"Since a few months ago...?" Tom quirked an eyebrow.
Matt smiled awkwardly, "Uh, yeah, anyway, let's get you cleaned up."
The taller suddenly picked Tom up in his arms, making his voids whiten as he held onto him, "Woah! Matt!"
"What? Can't be too careful." He spoke, carrying him over to the others. He carefully set Tom down, sitting beside him to keep an eye on him. Tom folded into himself, holding his arms out of view.
Matt saw Katya's medical bag, noticing something red inside. He leaned forward, seeing it was a few blood bags.
"What are those for...?" Matt asked, suddenly realizing how hungry he was.
"Emergencies; in case a patient were to lose a lot of blood, I would need to have those handy." The blonde replied, bandaging Arthur's leg.
"Did you pack extra?" Matt hoped silently.
"That's not... why are you asking?" Katya looked at Matt, a confused look on her face.
"When's the last time you drank blood, Matt?" Tom questioned.
"Like... a week ago, maybe." The ginger shrugged.
"Matt, you're supposed to drink every other day." Tom gazed at him worriedly.
"Right, I know..." Matt uttered.
"Katya!" A voice yelled, interrupting everyone and what they were doing.
Katya hummed, glancing behind her as she saw Kim, "Kim, you're alright!"
"Mostly..." Kim held her injured arm, then peered behind her, "Hey, J- huh?"
Kim frowned as she noticed Jon had disappeared.
"Ugh, not this again." She muttered.
"What is it?" Katya asked, stepping closer.
"It's Jon; he disappeared like always." Kim huffed, "After everything I told him too..."
'Jon...?' Tord thought, gazing around at the debris around them. He frowned, the guilt bubbling up in his chest again.