Work Text:
It’s one of those days.
Tom wakes up at 5am to the sound of his work phone going off full blast. It’s never on mute, never on vibrate, it's just good faith that whoever is contacting him is contacting him for a good reason.
He groans and rolls out of bed. It’s Patryk. Tom leaps out of his skin momentarily and presses the green accept.
“Hello?”
“Tom,” Patryk said, voice cool but taut. Tom knew from the last couple months of work that this was his stressed voice.
“Hey, Patryk,” Tom said waiting for the list of commands to come down.
“Alright, listen. Edd lost track of the schedule and didn’t realize we have a top level customer visiting today. Tord’s schedule also has him meeting a key supply who recently has been pretty testy about the new tariffs resulting in a price hitch. Edd has a meeting with HR over an incident with the parking lot security and I need you to go notify Eduardo as well as give a couple of new interns the run around the place.”
“Edd has a meeting with Eduardo- what does that-.”
Despite being on the phone, Tom could hear the eyeroll in Patryk’s voice, “Before you think about asking that question, it’s Edd. Why do you think he has a meeting with Eduardo.”
Tom sighed. Yeah. He had an idea. Probably a prank gone wrong or something.
“So can you get here asap because I need to go round up the docs, go make sure everyone is in proper work attire and following security regulations.”
Tom mutes the phone briefly to sigh deeply, rub his face, then unmutes it, “Sure. Be there in forty. The break room got food?”
“I’ll have Larry take a run to Matt’s bakery for you. You like your coffee black and with a cheese Danish, correct?” Tom savored the image.
“Yes, that sounds great.”
“Excellent. Thank you for this Tom. I know when Edd and Tord drop the ball you end up paying for it and I appreciate your fortitude with all this.”
Tom knew. Tom knew Patryk was purposefully ignoring the monstrous amount of stress this whole ordeal was causing him, and its part of what had led to him starting to enjoy the man’s company despite his cold demeanor. Because whatever work he was asking you to put in, he was putting in double himself already.
“No prob Pat, see you in forty.”
With that the line hung up as he could only imagine Patryk was going off to bark at people to tuck in their shirts and lock their computers if they were leaving them untended.
Tom bought a car in the months he had been working for Tord’s company. Edd had promoted him and he was getting the kind of job security and cash in the bank that, added with a company stipend, was helping him afford immense conveniences. Such as owning a car.
No more downtown sprints to smash himself into an overcrowded train at rush so he could smell a stranger’s B.O. for several stops until his came and he left in tears. No more wondering if he was being groped or if someone just wasn’t watching where their limb was going. No more time tables or being late because some jackass threw something weird on the rails.
Tom threw on his jacket and jumped down the steps two by two to wind up in front of his girl.
She was a used car, and a well used one at that, but she was his, bought and paid with his own money. Her name was Susan.
He jumped in, started the engine and made his way to work.
He parked in a spot reserved for him. “Thompson” was sprayed painted on the ground in his stall. Edd had once come by and crossed it out with red chalk and Thorgunn’s [insert HR unfriendly term here]. Tom had made sure the intern that got Edd’s coffee kept finding a box full of sugar that in reality was full of salt for the next week or two until Edd started having it delivered black in his office. Tom had smirked when he saw a new placid looking sugar bowl on his desk as he was called in for a briefing.
His stall was left largely alone after that.
He swiped his badge and all but sprinted to HR. Inside his head he hoped Eduardo would call in sick or that Mark would somehow take over the meeting instead or even Jon. Please let Jon handle it for once. Jon is nice. Jon does not have the aura of someone who has killed a man.
Jon never dented a metal chair with his grip alone.
Tom is not irrationally afraid of Eduardo. On the contrary his fear is completely rational. He knocks on the HR door in a cold sweat. Why did Edd have to do this anyway. His prank, or inappropriate comment, or whatever got him-.
“You don’t look like Edison,” Eduardo says shortly.
“Yeah about that, he can’t come and I am,” the door starts closing. Tom puts his foot in it expecting to lose it. The door is pried open by a purple sleeved hand. Oh thank god.
“Eduardo, at least hear him out, it what your paid for. Even if he is a messenger of company nepotism,” Mark smiles genuinely as he lays down the cutting words. Internally Tom winces but takes the opportunity to plant himself firmly in the room.
Jon waves a little from his desk in the corner. Tom waves back.
Eduardo blocks their view of each other.
“You’re here because?”
Tom sighs, “Edd can’t make it, I am his stand in.”
“Uhuh, and what is Edd going to learn about doing donuts with a company car in the company lot after hours if you’re here in his stead.”
“He wh-,” Tom momentarily loses his composure. A bit far this time. Even for Edd.
“You know he’s the one who signed off on lot cctv after Matt’s car got sideswiped by some random who can’t park.”
“Why does he even come to you guys, he’s head of the company?”
Mark looks up blandly from where he’s leaning on his desk, watching the two of them. “Because Tord got tired of trying to discipline him himself so he passed babysitting duty off to us.”
“When in reality he should just fire him,” Eduardo grumbles.
“Yeah fire the guy who has all the ins with with the DOD, single handedly forged half the patents, and who’s name alone does a majority of the marketing,” Mark snorts. “He’s immature but he’s not an idiot.”
Tom sighs.
“Alright I didn’t eat, so what do I need to get you to sign whatever slip I am supposed to sign that says Edd’s real sorry and won’t do it again.”
“Nothing,” Eduardo shrugs.
Tom looks at him incredulously.
“Nothing…?”
“What you don’t want me to do is sign,” Eduardo says. “Because I have a little slip here mandating Edd go take driver safety courses at the dmv for two months and pass a series of eight tests to prove he can be a responsible and dutiful driver.”
“Alright so, what do you want?”
“Mark, Jon and I’s cars are in the lot that menace did donuts in,” Eduardo said, slowly losing composure as he spoke, anger seething into his words like lava out of a crevice.
He stops a minute. Breathes. Continues more even toned. How did a guy desperately in need of anger management courses end up in a delicate job like this?
“Move our cars to lot three and give me the number one spot.”
Ah. Tom’s spot. Tom sighs. A spot trade it is then.
“You got it,” Tom says without a second thought. Eduardo relaxes even further. Seriously the guy is literally always on edge and him dialing it back is moving a millimeter or two back from the precipice of homicide.
Tom is about to leave when Jon catches his eye in the corner, silently waving at him. He comes over.
“Hey, hey! Tom! I got a puppy, want to see pictures?”
Tom wants to eat. Tom wants coffee. Tom also cannot stand to see Jon’s face look even a little put out when he looks so genuinely excited. To be honest he reminds him a bit too much of Honey.
“Sure thing.”
Jon does some sort of squirmy wriggle in his seat before pulling out his phone and showing Tom the lock screen. It’s a dopey looking pug, tongue lolled out looking happy as could be with a beaming Jon next to her.
He looks up to see the same expression displayed on Jon’s face currently.
“Her names Lana and she’s three months and yesterday I taught her to shake.”
Tom smiles in turn. “She’s a cutie. Honey- er Mr. Thorgunn’s daughter got a kitten a week or two ago and he’s about as big as that now.”
Suddenly Jon’s face is a cold mask and a sly smile creeps across it.
“Ah so the rumors are true,” Mark’s voice comes from behind Tom and he doesn’t have the balls to turn around and face him.
“Yeah, so you’re the new,” Eduardo raises his eyebrows twice. Tom opens his mouth to respond hotly. He realizes the atmosphere in the room has hit subzero. Jon’s hand rests gently on his on the desk.
“Mr. Thompson I’d like to advise you of letting anymore… unsavory details slip. We are here for the good of the company above all else, if you remember?”
Tom remembers Jon is his age and apparently as much as a snake as everyone else here is. People survive at this company because they have a unique skill. Unfounded nepotism does not. Many relatives with a leg up in the interviews got chewed and spat out without mercy.
“Ahah. Excuse me for forgetting,” Tom says, moving his hand from under Jon’s and drawing up to his full height. Which is… not that tall. Both Mark and Eduardo have a few inches on him and Jon’s presence in the room is making him question his perception of reality at the moment.
Mark claps him on the back. “No worries, we’re all friends here,” he simpers, propelling Tom towards the door. “And friends keep friend’s secrets, right? So be a dear and get our spots moved by the end of the week,” Mark says with a wink. And the door to human resources is shut in his face.
Human Resources. About half of that title was a lie.
Tom makes his way to the break room. Pat’s there with a carton of coffee and a cheese Danish in hand. Tom looks at it. Looks to Pat. Pat gestures to the box on the table and Tom reaches in and grabs one, ripping through it as Pat speaks.
“So what did they ask as a trade?”
Tom looks at him half startled he already knew and then it occurs to him that Pat was probably the one to negotiate for them before Tom arrived on scene. Did Edd even go to HR ever?
Tom swallows his bite.
“They asked for parking spaces away from Edd’s lot. Give Eduardo mine and put Jon and Mark somewhere in the same lot. Just bump a few of the interns, they can deal with street parking.”
“Huh, they let you off pretty light.” Pat said as he took a sip of his coffee.
Tom winced a little, “Well thing about that is… they know about me and Tord. I accidently let it slip.”
Patryk’s expression flickers a moment before he recovers. “Alright. Not a huge thing. Just. Don’t get on the wrong side of them.”
“Yeah, I guessed,” Tom said, staring into the black pit of his coffee, feeling it about reflected his emotions right now.
“Those three are smart, way smarter than they look. They constantly use that to their advantage too. And they’ve been here since this company went legitimate from a hole in the wall startup. Some of the oldest staff here, and you know how they did it?” Patryk says, looking at Tom, holding his coffee cup in front of him, letting the room fill with the question and the billowing steam from his cup.
“How?”
“They have dirt on everyone and everything that has worked in this office for over six months. The janitors, the interns, the CEO’s especially. Who do you think is the emissary to clean up Tord and Edd’s little tiffs if you or me don’t get to them first?”
Pat takes a sip of his coffee.
“They’re our last line of defense and they’re damn good at it, but they’re after a salary and their own interests at their core. So just be careful about letting anymore of your cards fall in their deck.”
Tom nods, once, sharply. He feels embarrassed now that he let himself get so chummy so quickly but eased off himself a bit realizing these three had loads of practice and had probably gotten over on Tord and Edd quite a few times.
His lips twitched upward almost reflexively at the thought of Tord looking intimidated by the likes of Jon.
“Alright, the new interns are coming in through the lobby at eight or so and I just want you to give them the runaround,” Pat said as he glanced at his phone.
“I forwarded you an email with the itinerary for their orientation. I have to go hassle a department for the docs for today’s meetings so you have about fifteen before I need you in the lobby for a meet and greet,” Patryk says as he knocks back his cup of coffee. God.
Tom swears that man drinks coffee the way he sees vets drink in bars. He’s pretty sure they could swap war stories.
Tom gives him a thumbs up as he checks his work email on his phone, “Yep, got it.”
“Thanks again, good luck,” Pat says as he tops off his now empty cup with more coffee and jets out of the break room.
Tom idles in the break room a bit longer. To his surprise Edd meanders in. For once he isn’t in his sloppy green hoodie and loose khakis. Instead he is in a fitted suit with his hair combed back and Tom would almost say he looks sharp if it weren’t for the lazy grin and lidded eyes that made him look like an absolute con no matter what clothes he was in.
“Do you not have a meeting to be at?”
Edd looks thoughtful for a moment, “Do I?”
Edd’s phone dingles. He looks at it nonplussed.
“I do.”
Edd meanders out. Tom looks skyward and thanks whatever entity watches over this godforsaken company for not letting Pat see Edd potentially arrive late to a customer briefing.
He enjoys a bit more of his small peace and then starts on his way to the lobby. For a room he is largely sprinting through every morning in a desperate dash to get to his desk and get whatever overnight memo and slog of emails is waiting in his inbox, Tom has rarely had the time to contemplate how nice and well put together the room is.
A nice babbling fountain on a stacked stone wall with a rippling pool of surrounded by leafy ferns gives the room a sort of zen ambiance. The floors are smooth marble tiles that are spotless and adorned every so often with nice geometric patterned rugs.
It is the pretty lie that tells visitors and future victims that this place is a nice unstressful place to work and Tom’s smile quirks up at the bitter irony of that thought. What fresh hell is he introducing the new meat to?
He glances around the room to see three girls sitting politely in leather chairs. They’re really the only ones under forty and not turning through a newspaper in the room, so he guesses they must be it.
“Hello I am Mr. Thompson, are you the intern group here for the tour?”
The three girls look up. One has blue hair and a very relaxed but still lively demeanor. The other two are blond. One with her shoulder length hair held loose and the other with her hair worn tightly back in a ponytail. He notes briefly the two blondes are holding hands before the one in the pony tail drops the others and pulls her hands into her lap.
Their name tags read Laurel, Kim and Katya, respectively. They’re all dressed sharply, especially for interns. Tom couldn’t could the amount of times they’d gotten interns looking like some silicone valley slobs in a hoodie and raggy jeans. Not their work culture. Not even close.
“Alright good, come with me,” Tom said smiling gently at them. They stood and followed him.
He swiped his badge and as he held the door for them to go through he asked, “So how did you girls hear about this company.”
Katya pipes up, “Our school introduced the program but we hear about it on the news all the time. New testing and all that.”
Kim nods. “I’ve seen a few of the public company shows.”
Laurel smiles slyly, “I like to follow the legal battles.”
Tom smiles wryly. Tord and Edd got through things as best as they could but the contracting business was messy and sometimes that mess spilled out into the press in an inevitable mess of scathing articles and sound byte news segments.
“Yes its quite a big company with a lot going on,” Tom said. “So it’s good you girls are here to get a close up perspective of how it works.”
The tour starts pretty simply. He takes them to the security department. Larry is back with Bing and the two are standing expectantly as they head in through the doors. Bing greets them and quickly begins his run down.
“We here at Red Armory view security with the utmost importance. Should anything leave these facilities unpermitted our company could be fined by the government in millions of dollars.”
He looks over to his partner.
“We are in a competitive field and any info can and will be used against us not only by competitors outside the country but especially by domestic ones. No one, your friends, your family, your spouse, should have unchecked access to company docs or equipment.”
The spiel goes on. Tom has heard it a million times himself. The short version is, don’t take pictures, don’t take anything outside without permission and if something goes wrong, report it. Mistakes happen but they are only recoverable if you let the right people know in a timely manner.
Next they move on to talking to the head of engineering and he runs them through a short bit of company history and as he is flipping through some of the landmark company inventions he lands on one of a giant robot.
He looks at it puzzled and flustered.
“Er, uh not sure how this one got here.”
Tord’s scrawl is unmistakable in the bottom hand corner. Tom wants to burst out laughing because that’s so Tord to put such serious effort into something so outlandishly childish.
Kim looks at it amused, “Do you really make those?”
Tom winks, “Company secret, come on board full time and find out.”
She gives him a grin back. Tom really hopes whatever department gets these girls, it will treat them kindly. Scratch that. He’ll pull the kind of strings that ensure it.
“So what departments are you guys in?” Tom asks as they head to the cafeteria. Its about the midway point for the tour and he is ready for another cup of coffee and to rest his feet again. About noon the lack of sleep starts to hit him extra hard and he wants to put off the crash a while longer.
“Legal,” Laurel said.
“Software” Kim said.
“Mechy,” Katya said.
“Oh wow looks like we have the future department heads lined up,” Tom says as he leads them over to the counter. The menu looks good today. A couple different types of wraps, sandwiches, and salads.
The company may overwork its employees and throw out crunch time projects like free candy, but Tord and Edd aren’t dumb enough to think they can offer mediocre meals on top of all that without a full-scale mutiny.
They settle down for lunch and Tom watches as Kim and Katya split a wrap and Laurel enjoys a salad. He sips his coffee and relaxes as they chatter amongst themselves.
It was an early day but its really not going that bad so far. He can’t imagine how stressful things must be for Patryk. Edd and Tord seem to have this deadest finality dealing with customers, they were attuned and used to the ways of striking a deal and holding firm on their ground. But Patryk was the linchpin behind that.
“So,” Kim says, breaking into Tom’s train of thought, “all the rumors on glassdoor about office drama true?”
“What?” Honestly, it never occurred to Tom to check up on their company’s online reputation, but he can’t imagine it’s exactly stellar.
“Ooh, yeah, that one guy that said he got fired because the CEO didn’t like his tie.”
Tom facepalmed internally. The real reason the guy got fired was because he was selling classified docs to third party customers, pedaling company emails to set up phishing schemes and a host of things, so when Edd fired him and he asked why, instead of giving the laundry list he just gave him that smartass response.
“Or the like, fifteen angry secretaries that say their boss-,” Katya began and Tom could already finish the half of that sentence with each one of those stories because those were rote enough among company gossip circles.
Tom sighed.
“The company has high turnover yes, and not everyone is exactly satisfied with that, but hard work is rewarded.”
“So nonanswer it is,” Kim said. Katya elbowed her while Laurel looked between Tom and her with a relaxed little half smile. Tom didn’t mind the insolence. The girl had balls and that would get her pretty far in her field.
Tom shrugged and looked at her dead on, “Look, I never read the reviews so I can’t confirm anything but what I can tell you is this, everyone has drama at this company but the ones that tend to stick it around the longest are the ones that know how to keep their drama at home.”
He’s aware that he’s inadvertently labeled himself as having an expiration date at the company, but well. As nice as things are at the company for the moment, when the writings on the wall….
Kim’s eyelids lower a little and she seems content enough with that answer to go back to eating her wrap.
The rest of the afternoon goes by pretty peacefully. Tom goes out of his way to get them into the legal department and tries to get them into one of the labs. Just as the lab manager looks ready to say no Diwi comes up from behind, takes a look at Tom.
“Sup Tom!” He says, looking cheerful as ever.
“Not much just trying to show a couple interns around the place,” Tom says and he knows he’s in.
“Awh no way, hey dudettes,” Diwi says with a friendly wave. “Come on in, I’ll show you around!”
Tom tries not to look too smug as he looks past the lab tech but he’s short on both sleep and self-restraint today.
Diwi spreads his arms grandly to a largely empty white room with skeletons and structures of half build projects.
“Alriiiight. We have a lot of stuff here but we don’t really test here, its just for show when VIP’s like you little ladies come around,” Diwi says with a grin. “We have an actual testing site off premises and that where a lot of the big testing goes down and where we find out if our stuff actually works.”
Katya looks especially excited at the contents of the room and as Diwi leads them around she peppers him with questions about the projects, the process, the manufacturing. Tom admittedly has no clue what they’re talking about but the excitement on Katya’s face makes him wish he did. Then he catches sight of Kim staring at her friend’s face with a dopey look and a few things click together for him.
Then the tour of the lab and the whole company is largely over and Tom is leading them back into the lobby. He collects their name tags and shakes all of their hands.
“Hey, feel free to say hi to me in the break room or cafeteria if you get the time, I’d love to hear from all of you how your internships go.”
They all nod and turn to go but Katya lingers behind a bit and comes up to Tom looking sheepish.
“Hey Mr. Thompson I really appreciate you showing us around today and I am sorry if Kim came across as rude.”
Tom snorts, “Don’t worry about it, trust me, she is by far the least intimidating person I have had to deal with today.”
Katya smiles warmly, “Well I think if all those stories are true and you still manage to be as nice as you are, it will be a pleasure to work with you.”
And with that she is trotting off, pony tail bobbing behind her. Kim is leaning on the door watching the two of them and she smiles excitedly as her friend approaches. They head off into the parking lot holding hands.
Tom smiles after them before returning into the now empty lobby. He stares contemplatively at the fountain for a bit. Looks at the soft green plants, the soft rasping talk of the fountain. He finds himself at ease, at peace for the moment.
He couldn’t have ever imagined that he would be feeling this way in his private life, much less at his work. He realizes he feels satisfied and invested in his job and with his coworkers. He wants to see himself succeed as much as he wants to see the people around him succeed.
“And thank you for visiting us today, it was a pleasure,” Tom’s ears prick up as he hears the familiar rehearsed tone of what he liked to call Tord’s “business voice”. He looks up to see the way the soft afternoon light catches the tufts of Tord’s hair that always seem to stick up despite gravity’s plans. They are their own universal constant. He looks handsome and elegant coming down the steps into the lobby with two other suits in tow.
Customers by the look of them, Tom decides to seat himself by the fountain and pick up a magazine to look busy while he waits for Tord to finish up. Some polite snippets are traded, promises that don’t make sense out of context of the full conversation are exchanged and the suits are strutting out through glass doors and a finger is tearing down his newspaper.
“Hey I was reading what was happening in Burma today,” Tom said in mock disappointment as Tord smiled down at him.
“Well Burma can wait because what happened here today was I secured a contract with one of our biggest suppliers and just moved us up the food chain massively.”
Tom dropped the mocking façade and gave Tord a genuine, beaming smile. He returned it and the two of them enjoyed the comfortable silence in the lobby. Honestly. After the day he had had, he just wanted a moment to really be present in and enjoy and the fact that Tord was there, in his fitted grey suit with a little red handkerchief peeking out of his pocket, it just added to the feeling of being at home and at ease.
“You look good,” Tom said with a nod towards the suit.
Tord looked down at himself, surprised.
“Oh this? Thank Pat. He saw Edd and I arrive one too many times looking uncoordinated with weird tie colors, I think it was Edd going to a meeting with a rubber duck tie that that was the final straw. He had us go get professional wardrobes. Pretty sure he made Edd give him the tie.”
“Jeez that guy really is the glue of your company,” Tom said, rubbing the back of his head. He hoped Pat had an alright day and had found the time to catch his breath among all the madness.
“That’s funny, he said about the same thing about you a while ago,” Tord said, sitting down next to Tom and tossing the newspaper aside.
Tom looked at him startled, “Me?”
“Yes you. I don’t think we’ve had all the docs getting where they need to go, had this many deadlines hit, this many departments working in unison together ever in the history of the company as we do now and you’re as much as a contributor to that success as Pat or me or Edd.”
Tord looked him dead in the face as he said this and Tom could feel his breath catch in his throat and his chest seize up. He really didn’t know what to say. When he fucked up he had all the words, or when he was sarcastically defending himself against all the witty criticism. But here was Tord being genuine with him about his hard work paying off and he was absolutely bereft of things to say.
“I gave up my parking spot because HR knows we are dating,” is what he finally lands on.
Tord’s eyebrows shoot up and the peaceful look is dispersed.
“What.”
“It was the deal I struck to not have him go to drivers ed.”
“Oh that was the punishment? You should have made him go,” Tord said, waving him off.
“Are you worried that HR knows?” Tom said, brow knitting together at Tord’s blasé manner.
Tord laughed, “Them? No they… they’re used to this sort of thing by now.”
Shame, pain, and regret flicker across Tord’s face before he recovers and turns to Tom again, gaze intent.
“So you’ve been here, what, almost twelve hours by now? Want to go grab dinner at my place?”
Tom shrugs, “Sounds like a plan.”
Tord nods and together they head off to the lot.
“Hey about the spot thing, we’ll move someone over. Hell, I’ll put Edd out on the street. He can stand to walk a bit and think about the stupid stuff he does,” Tord offers. They arrive at Tom’s car and he opens the driver door for Tom. Tom smiles and gets in.
“Don’t worry about it, wherever I end up, it’s really not a big deal.”
Tom turns the key. And let’s go. And turns the key. His engine makes an ugly sound. He tries again. No dice.
Tord knocks on his glass and Tom cracks the door.
“You got an issue?”
Tom closes his eyes and moans, “Susan.”
“Want me to try and jump it?”
Tord does try. By the time they’re done trying Tom is getting a headache and his can-do attitude is starting to crumble under the fact he has been at work for thirteen hours and badly wants to go home, eat, and sleep.
Tord opens his door and puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, let’s go in my car and we can call someone to deal with this tomorrow. I’ll let security know,” he says, tone soft and soothing and it hits Tom that he has also been at work for thirteen hours and his disposition is infinitely better.
He tries to shrug off his bad mood and instead nods in gratitude. He follows Tord to his car and appreciates the sound the car makes when it starts cleanly and the hum of the engine as Tord shifts and pulls out. They sit in silence for a few as he makes his way out of the parking complex.
The sun is quickly setting and the sky is a flamboyant shade of pink and Tom leans back and closes his eyes for a brief moment until Tord speaks.
“Thanks for today, by the way,” Tord says. The headlights cut through the dark streets and Tom watches lamplights swish past faster and faster as they hit the dead stretch that runs straight out of the heart of the town into the more relaxed, sprawling ‘burbs.
As a shitty kid Tom always thought the suburbs were where old people went to die after they had their midlife crisis and settled down into the mediocrity that was modern life. He was, in part, right. But years of couch surfing, getting kicked out on a whim, getting stuck in low cost, high issue housing….
The excitement he always craved and desired out of life hit him broad in the face and Tom came around to the idea that he quite liked the idea of actually owning the room he slept in. Of having a little lawn, getting to know your neighbors for reasons other than a noise complaint or domestic dispute.
Tom’s heart does a full out stutter stop as he grasps the side of the car in desperation when the thought swamps him from out of nowhere. The path he’s on with Tord right now. That’s where their headed in a few years. Maybe even less. He’s going to sleep at Tord’s house after all, maybe this is the chain event, the first domino-
Tom wants to stop this train of thought because the pessimism in him tells him that that is far too nice a dream for the likes of him to ever aspire to. It’s going to lead him off a cliff and he’ll be at rock bottom with no house, no job, and his emotions in tatters and Tord will always be able to walk right back to his nice picket fence and pretend he’s none the wiser.
“Hey,” Tord’s face turns to him, “I get you’re tired and all but are you alright? You’re pretty quiet tonight.”
The big looming terror that was the Tord in his head, vindictive, petty, not far from the guy he first met actually, disperses as he looks into the calm slate eyes that give him a momentary worried glance before turning back to look at the road.
Tord is. Well. He’s a hard guy to like. He’s an ass and he’s petty and cutthroat. But Tom looks at him and he looks so indescribable, his eyes staring ahead with the same sort of intense focus he had at work when talking at a meeting or reading a contact.
“I’m good” Tom says and he lets the silence linger before he picks up again, “Are you ever nervous?”
Tord’s mouth quirks up. “No Tom, I have the least stressful job in the world, why would I ever feel nervous?”
“About us.”
“Oh.”
Tord glances at him again and Tom looks down at his hands in his lap and the heavy weight of silence gets a pound added to it every second that ticks by.
“I’d love to tell you I’m not, that I am sure what’s going to happen in years or even months from now, but yes, I am nervous.”
Tom’s heart sinks and he feels the dismal long term exhaustion of feeling like his life is never going to quite come together into a stable, incorruptible whole. When he was younger he used to cry over this sort of thing, but after years and years it just settles down into a heavily compressed sediment of desolation.
“But,” Tord said, and he holds out a finger for emphasis. “I’d be nervous dating anyone. You’re no exception. But you are exceptional.”
“Tord if you’re trying to sugarcoat, its fine, I don’t need it,” Tom sighs.
Tord pulls into his driveway. Tom is slightly startled to note their arrival. Maybe it’s the time of night but his perception of time seems a bit wonky.
Tord turns off the engine and sets his keys down in the cup holder, putting his hand in Tom’s.
“Hey. Me being nervous doesn’t say anything about you. It says a lot about me, but that’s my deal to sort out. As far as things go with you, I’m just not secure in my inability to screw things up so massively you’ll just walk out the door and never speak to me again.”
“That’s not-,” Tom begins.
“They all say that Tom, some of them even mean it too,” Tord says and they look at each other and Tord’s eyes look so sad and open. Tom feels like he’s holding Tord in the palm of his hand right now and if he were to close his fist, no matter how softly, he feels like he’d break a piece of him in the process.
Tom closes his eyes and reigns in his emotion, or tries. He can’t keep it from his voice when he speaks.
“Hey. I am always going to want you Thorgunn, you’re a hot commodity, and I’ll drag you through hell in HR before I let you or Edd get rid of me.”
Tord laughs, genuine and rich, there’s a melodic beat to it and the way his eyes crinkle up makes Tom want to pepper his face with soft kisses.
“Oh god,” he says, coming back down into reality and looking at Tom with a steady, warm gaze.
“You’re the best thing to walk into my life through the company, and I didn’t even know it at first. I’m pretty sure I nearly scared you right back through those doors a few times.”
“Yeah well, lucky for you I don’t scare easily,” Tom says and to prove his point he leans in closer to Tord over the console. Tord’s eyelids lower.
“That so Thompson?”
“Indeed it is Thorgunn.”
Tord looks like he’s ready to say more before his eyes dart to the window upstairs which slides open.
A high pitched voice calls out, “Hi Daddy, hi Tom!”
“Honey?” Tom and Tord say in near unison.
“Hi,” Honey says with a giggle. Pistol jumps onto the sill with her and meows impatiently down at them. Tord and Tom look across at each other and pull back respectively. Tord shoots him a look at seems to say the conversation will be bookmarked to continue later and Tom tilts his head toward the house.
Tord nods and sets off and Tom follows after. By the time they are inside Honey is down the stairs barreling into her dad’s arms.
“Honey what are you doing up?” Tom asks while Tord is distracted with the giggling pink and brown ball of excitable daughter in his arms.
“She wouldn’t sleep until her dad got home, sorry Mr. Thorgunn, you know how she is,” Kim appeared from within the house.
“Hey, you’re the intern from this morning!” Tom said surprised. She sees Tom and for a minute he sees her eyes dart between the two of them in a way not unlike Tom’s had between her and her friend this morning. They meet eyes, she smiles slyly and looks to Tord and back to him. He nods.
Kim laughs heartily, “Yeah actually, Mr. Thorgunn is the one who got my foot in the door for the internship to begin with.”
Tord turned to smile warmly at her, “It’s really no problem at all, I known you’re a competent employee already from the glowing reviews Honey gives you.”
Kim chuckles again. Tord lowers Honey to the ground and takes out his wallet and hands a few bills to Kim.
“Thanks Mr. Thorgunn, nice seeing you again Mr. Thompson,” Kim says and Tom thinks he sees a bit of mischief to the smile she shoots him but she’s tossing her hair over her shoulder and turning on her heel to head out the door in the next moment so he can’t really be sure.
“Hey,” Tom feels a tug at the back of his shirt. He turns around to see Honey grinning up at him.
“Hey Tom are you sleeping over with us?”
“Yes I am,” Tom says, smiling warmly.
Honey bounces up and down excitedly “Yay!”
Tord smiles, “I know this wasn’t really planned but you can borrow some of my clothes to sleep in and Honey can get you an extra tooth brush if you need one, right Honey?”
Honey looks at her dad wide eyed and then to Tom, “Mhm!”
She grabs Tom by the hand and with one look back at an amused Tord, Tom is being lead upstairs. Honey leads him down the hall and into a bathroom and opens a draw to rifle through it and comes out with a sparkly pink toothbrush still in its wrapper.
“Here you go,” Honey says, and then pulls out a small tube of toothpaste. “Daddy always brings back a bunch of the small ones when he goes on travel.”
Tom lets out a puff of laughter, “Of course he does.”
Honey grins at him and Tom notices she has a gap he didn’t remember being there before.
“Hey you lost a tooth since the last time I saw you!” Tom said.
She giggled, “Yeah I got five dollars.” She holds out five fingers to emphasize the number.
Tom’s eyebrows shoot up, “Wow seems like the tooth fairy knows what a good business woman you are, you’re as sharp as your dad.”
Honey grins proudly, gap tooth on display. “Come on Tom you gotta brush your teeth so you can go to bed.”
Tom laughs, removes the toothbrush from its wrapper, unscrews the cap and spreads a bit of paste on his brush.
“Has the tooth fairy got all your teeth?” Honey asked after Tom finished brushing.
“Yep, but mine weren’t worth as much as yours because I wasn’t as smart about brushing when I was a kid.”
Honey looked at him aghast, “Did you get cavities?”
“Unfortunately,” Tom said as he walked out of the bathroom, Honey following after.
“That’s my second biggest fear,” Honey said, slipping her hand in his and taking the lead again as they walked down the hall.
Tom smiled warmly as he watched the little head in front of him bobble as she talked.
“Oh yeah? What’s number one?”
“That Daddy won’t come back someday,” Honey said. “I don’t like sleeping alone and when he’s gone a long time sometimes I get really scared.”
Tom frowns and stops in the hallway, stopping Honey with him and kneeling down to get on her level, “Hey Honey don’t ever worry about that, my job is to look after Edd now but my second job is always going to make sure you and your dad are okay, okay?”
Honey nods firmly. Tom smiles and pulls her into a hug before letting go and walking down with her.
Tord is at the bottom of the stairs looking up at them expectantly.
“Tom’s all clean!” Honey says proudly, Tord smiles at her and hands Tom a pair of folded clothes.
“Here you go, I can wash your work clothes or we can stop by your apartment tomorrow.”
Tom nods appreciatively, “Thanks.”
He trots off to the bathroom and in there strips down and changes. It’s just a pair of loose gym shorts and some old band tee but it makes him a little bit flustered to realize yes, these are the clothes Tord has worn a time or two. It’s once again, that feeling of too much too quick. Tom sits down on the toilet and puts his head in his hands a moment.
This is okay. Not okay this is good. This is great. This is the best his life has ever gone and he is scared he is going to trip in the homestretch and everything will be up in smoke.
He hears a soft knock on the door, “Tom you okay? Daddy says we can watch a movie on the couch when you get out.”
Tom smiles to himself. This isn’t the time to freeze. It’s the time to get up and get out and affirm the person and the future he wants.
“Alright I’ll be right out.”
They end up watching little mermaid. Honey squishes herself between them on the couch and before Sebastian can sing for the first time, she’s out like a light.
“It’s only nine and I feel like its three,” Tom groans to Tord as he puts the tv at half volume.
“Yeah it was a long day, but everything turns out well, so I have you and Pat largely to thank for that. Edd and I really dropped the ball.”
“Hey it’s what we’re here for,” Tom said and he leans his head onto Tord’s shoulder.
The silence between them is comfortable and Tom finds a piece of himself coming loose.
“Hey Tord, I know I asked you the question but I didn’t really answer yours. I am nervous and it gets to me sometimes,” Tom says and he just focuses on keeping his head on Tord’s shoulder.
He feels a soft hand in his hair and he realizes Tord is waiting for him to continue.
“I dunno. I keep expecting this to all fall apart and for me to end up on my ass looking for a job, and it’s not even that that I am most afraid of. It’s just ending up alone trying to get through to pay rent being the only thing I have going for me again. I don’t want to backslide into that.”
Tom feels like he could cry, but he doesn’t because if he’s honest, the low level stress and terror of the past few years has kind of shell shocked him into numbness.
He feels a warm hand on his shoulder rubbing tender little circles.
“Hey first off, I couldn’t fire you if I wanted to, its out of my hands, and Edd likes you so damn much, I mean, its really out of my hands.” Tord laughs a bit to himself. “Second of all, you’re not going back anywhere. You’d be fine without me. Patryk could get your foot in the door anywhere else and you know he’d be more than willing to.”
Tord leans in and kisses Tom softly on the cheek and pulls back, “Lastly, I’m not sure about much of anything, but the thing I am least unsure about is that I would love to see you every morning when I wake up and I know Honey would too. I can’t tell you what it means to have someone so genuinely invested in not only me but my daughter. You’re one of a kind and I knew it since the first time I saw you meet Honey and how she was around you.”
Yeah that’s it. That’s the one. A tear trickles down Tom’s cheek, just one because that’s all he can eek out and it lands on Tord’s shoulder and he just squeezes him tighter and they sit through the night watching the rest of the movie. At some point they both pass out.
Tom wakes up to the smell of something burning.
“Daddy I told you to watch them.”
Tom cracks his eyes open to see the hellbeas- Pistol curled on his lap and to be honest he is a little too afraid to move or do much upon seeing him. While age had made Pistol sweeter to Honey, it had not made him any more of a pleasant soul to anyone else.
Fortunately he leaps off Tom as Honey rounds the couch plate in hand. On it is a little black circle with syrup on it and cut fruit next to it.
Oh boy.
“Good morning Tom!” Honey singsongs cheerfully as she sets the plate on his lap along with a fork and knife.
“Good morning,” Tom says and he accepts the embrace Honey gives him little time to brace for as she hurls herself into his arms. She then totters off.
Tord rounds the couch and gives Tom a quick peck on the cheek before Tom notices he brought a waste basket along with him. He picks the black circle off Toms plate with little comment and flicks it into the waste basket. He holds a finger to his lips as he looks over towards Honey.
“She made that one and I saw her crack the egg put the yolk in and throw the shells in after,” Tord says in a hushed tone. “I love her, but not enough to put you through that.”
Tom gets a plate of tan circles this time, topped with more syrup and butter and he eats them appreciatively.
“Thank you two for breakfast.”
In a few minutes they are going to have to hustle Honey out the door with her backpack, drive her to school, truck halfway across town for Tom’s clothes and then hit work for a full day of chaos.
But this moment here? It’s nice. It’s peaceful. It is what it is and that’s perfect.