Tord stood up, offering his hand to Tom. He took it, and Tord pulled him up, smiling. "We'd better go back down before they suspect something." Tord said with a wink. Tom sighed, playfully sticking his tongue out before walking out the door. Tord chuckled, walking to one of his drawers and pulling out something wrapped in an old shirt. "Now~" He walked over to the door and closed it before sitting back on his bed and unwrapping the mystery package. …

Tom walked down the stairs, picking up his shoes that were sitting by the door, and slipped them on. He stood, grabbing the keys that sat on the small table beside the door. "Where are you off to?" Edd asked, peeking over the side of the couch. "Just going for a drive." Tom said, opening the door. "I'll be back in a few hours." Edd nodded, turning his attention back to the T.V. Tom closed the door and walked to the car. He hopped in, starting it. "Alright, let's go then." Tom muttered to himself, pulling out of the driveway. He turned on the radio, scrolling through a few stations before finding one he liked. He smiled, replacing his hand to the steering wheel as he drove down the road. About fifteen minutes later, Tom pulled into a bar. He got out and closed the door, smiling as he looked at the building.

"Ah, old memories." He sighed. Locking the door, he put the keys in his pants pocket before walking inside. The old bar was styled to look like a western saloon. The usual dusty floor creaked as Tom stepped on it. A few people turned their heads to watch Tom enter. "Tom? Is that you?" The bartender asked. Tom gave him a little wave, and was immediately greeted by about half of the people inside. Having come here often, most of the people knew him. Walking to the front, Tom ordered his usual Smirnoff. He joked with the guy beside him - who's name was Jim - about old western movies that the bar reminded them of. As Tom finished off his second Smirnoff, he gave a sigh. "Well, I'd better get home." He stood up, laying down his payment. "See you around, Jim." He walked to the door, and as he opened it, he ran into someone. They fell down in front of him with a grunt.

"Oh, my ba-" Tom looked at the small boy, and immediately recognized him. "Jon?" Tom murmured. His blue hoodie was misted in dirt and what Tom presumed was blood. His face showed fear as he looked up at Tom. "I-I'm sorry... I..." Jon tried to scoot away. "No worries." Tom put his hand out to help Jon up. "Don't hurt me!" Jon threw his hands over his head, quivering. Tom gave him a look. "Uh... I wasn't planning on it...?" Jon looked back at Tom, embarrassed. He took his hand and stood up. "What are you doing out here?" His voice became quick. "And where's Eduardo and the gang?" He spat his name out, as if worried it would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Jon flushed.

"Er- they're not here..." "Well, where are they?" Tom crossed his arms. Jon looked away, his eyes glittering. "I..." Jon whimpered, wiping his eyes. Tom sighed. "Come on, you're not gonna go in there. You're too soft for that." Tom grabbed his arm, causing him to yelp in fear and pain. Tom quickly let go, looking at him. "What-? I hardly touched you." Even over his stern voice, Tom's eyes portrayed worry. Jon didn't respond, but simply put his hands over his arms, as if hugging himself. "I'll go with you, just..." Jon murmured. "Don't touch you, got it." Tom pulled out the keys and unlocked the car. Jon got in the back.

"Uh... you're not gonna sit in the front...?" Tom was slightly confused. "E-Eduardo said that I'm not allowed to." Jon whimpered. "Well, Eduardo is an ass, and also, I'm not him. He's not here." Tom said, looking at Jon through the rearview mirror. When Jon didn't move, Tom sighed. "Look kid, he's not here, so he can't hurt you. Sit up here with me. I drove here by myself. I'm helping you, so the least you can do is give me someone to talk to." Tom gave him a little smile that Jon returned. He got out and circled around the car before coming to the passenger side seat. He got in and buckled his seatbelt before looking at Tom. Tom started the car and began to drive off. "You don't have your seatbelt on." Jon said worriedly. "I know." Tom said, looking behind him to make sure there weren't any cars. "W-well, that's dangerous!" Tom sighed, turning back to face Jon. "I'll be okay." He said with a smirk. He drove away from the bar, turning on the music again and letting Jon choose the station.

"So, you wanna tell me what's going on?" Tom asked gently. Jon sighed, shaking his head. "I... I don't want to relive it right now..." He said, looking out the window. "Well at least tell me why your hoodie's all messed up and bloodied." Jon sighed before pulling the sleeves up. His arms were cut up and bruised. "Did you get into a fight?!" Tom asked. Jon gave a little half shrug and nod. "How did-?" "Can we not talk about this right now?" Jon muttered. Tom nodded, and the rest of the drive was silent.

When Tom pulled into the driveway, Edd was sitting on the steps. "Tom! There you are! I thought something ha-" Edd looked at Jon. "Edd..." Tom gave him a warning glance. "But why is he-?" Tom cut him off. "Jon, let's go inside, see what we can do for you." Tom said, leading him in. Edd watched them go with a bewildered expression. Matt jumped up off the couch as they walked in. "Hi, Tom! Who's that?" The ginger said. "It's our neighbor...? Jon, remember." Tom gave a sigh when Matt didn't respond. Jon blushed slightly as Matt stared. "Matt-?" Tom chuckled. "H-huh? Oh, right- Jon, hi." Matt said, looking away. Tom smirked. "Jon, go sit on the couch. I'll see if we can get you cleaned up." Tom said. Jon nodded, walking over to sit on the couch.

"Matt, go get the first aid kit and help him." Tom said. "You're leaving that to him?" Jon said with a worried glance at Matt. "Hey! I'm not all good looks. I'm actually very good at health and... stuff." Matt said, walking off and coming back a few seconds with the kit. He knelt down in front of Jon with a smile. "Now, what's going on?" Matt asked. Jon pulled off his hoodie, revealing his bruised and bloodied skin. Matt gave a little gasp but tried not to show his worry. "That's not all..." Jon said, blushing as he pulled off his shirt. It was worse than his arms by far. His back looked like it had taken a bunch of daggers to it, and his chest was turning purple. Matt blushed, and an angry glare set in his eyes. "C-can you...?" Jon asked tentatively. Matt nodded and pulled out a few things before grabbing Jon's arm gently and cleaning the wounds. …

After Matt had cleaned Jon up a little, he walked into the kitchen and made a cup of green tea. "Here." Matt said, blushing as he gave the mug to Jon. "O-oh, thanks." Jon smiled, taking a small sip of it. "So, ready to tell us what happened?" Tom asked, sitting down beside him. Jon sighed, nodding. The three of them waited patiently, and tension hung in the air heavily. "Mark... and Eduardo..." He muttered. "Yes?" Edd leaned in, his eyes full of curiosity. "They tried to kill me..." Jon said, not making eye contact.

He is baby