Strawberry Panic {TomTord}

From the depths

How blind can one man be?

Heart fluttering, he could feel his pulse thumping hard in his throat, echoing loudly in his chest. A shaky nervous sensation hovered over him, quivering agonising close, and he felt the need to tremble, even though he didn't necessarily know why.   

"Tamara?" Tord whispered faintly, thumb rubbing slow, gentle circles into the reddened flesh of his wrist. He sounded concerned, voice low- almost tender in nature, eyes slanted and brow furrowed in silent worry. 

Chewing at the inside of his cheek, Tom winced mutely, face flushing a bright red, millions of different emotions battling to take the dominant spot.

"We need to leave." He muttered quietly, the large stretch of silence finally ending.

"Don't be like that, princess! You can't let this-" Ivan paused, scrutinising Tord with cruel, smug quirks of the lips, "Degenerate waste of space ruin our time together. I'm sure I can take your mind off of your uncle."

Ivan matched the repulsive statement with a long, drawn-out leer, eyes half-lidded as he dragged his hand downwards slowly, digging in his nails just the slightest bit, leaving a hot trail of red lines that burned on his pale skin, marking him openly as he sensually stroked the subtle curve of his naked thigh. 

A growl met his ears, deep and enraged. Tord's lips were curled into an unpleasant sneer, teeth bared in a primal display of aggression. Hand loosening on his bony wrist, Tord sidestepped past him, creeping closer, faces hovering inches from each other. Moving closer threateningly, he hissed, "Let. Her. Go-"

Tom coughed

Then snorted.

Before long, a small quiet giggle slipped out the side of his mouth.

Hysteria bubbled up in his throat, and moisture collected behind his eyes, seeping out to trickle heatedly down his bunched, grinning face. Doubling over, he wrapped his arms around his shaking stomach, wheezing hoarsely. Gasps interrupted his dry laughter, sniffling wetly as a tidal wave of long-repressed emotions spewed out of his gaping mouth.  

It was funny.

It was so, so fucking funny.

"How blind can one man be? " 

Between the miserable wreck of his life, the completely ridiculous position he had unwittingly put himself in and the absurd notion that a Russian Drug Lord was trying to kidnap him on the under the guise of a sloppy, cloakroom blowjob was so comically sad that he couldn't help but laugh.

What else was he supposed to do?  

Tears staining his flushed cheeks, an uneasy cocktail mix of rage, apathy and cosmic despair rolled within him, leaving him off-balanced; uncertain for future action. 

Something burned within him, scorching his insides in a roaring, fiery whirlwind that fizzled harshly in his veins. A snarling beast of mockery and chaos writhed in boundless energy, squirming restlessly, begging to be released. 

What if he let it?

Not being fully sure if he was, in fact, laughing or sobbing at that point, he gave one last shuddering breath, smacking his lips as he blinked rapidly. A shaking hand reached up to gingerly wipe away some of the tears that blurred his vision, still openly heaving in amusement as he gained the awareness of the fact that he had the attention of the entire cafe on his hysteric form. He could feel the exact moment the two other men paused in their hostility, pushing themselves away in outward confusion.

"Tom?"

"Ivan." Completely ignoring Tord's questioning troubled speech, he ploughed through, black voids narrowed in an angry grimace, "If you don't get your hand off of me, I'll personally make sure that you can no longer use that hand ever again."

Chuckling nervously, Ivan gently squeezed the meat of the thigh he was currently groping, "Awh, c'mon, Baby Girl-"

There was a sickening crunch. 

Tom released the broken limb, letting it fall away limply. Bones crushed to a near fine powder, shards poked out of the ripped flesh grotesquely,  the skin stretched around the deformed frame, contorting the appendage hideously. 

Clutching at his ruined hand, Ivan howled, face scrunched up painfully as he hissed and screamed. Sinking to his knees, he whimpered muffled Russian curses, heaving his large chest as the agony and panic settled in. 

Gasps of terror filled the air, along with the loud screeching of scrapping chair legs against tile, a blend of alarmed mutterings leaking in and completing the confusing cacophony of sound. Cherri immediately descended on the scene, grabbing the injured man by the meat of the bicep, whispering soothing phrases that didn't seem to help in the least bit. Talk of ambulances and police were thrown around, all barked in a clipped, authoritative tone.   

Tom watched on in mute horror and disgust, a sickly acidic pressure sliding up his throat the longer he gazed at the scene. Smacking his lips, he stood numbly, wiggling his fingers in silent disbelief. Tuning the chaotic world around him, he zeroed his gaze on his bandaged hands, flexing the individual digits experimentally, half expecting something to snap.

Had he really done that?

And more importantly; how?

Feeling a hesitant palm tap lightly on his shoulder, Tom tilted his head in Tord's direction, eyes vacant and mind fuzzy. 

"We need to leave." Tord echoed his earlier words, his face blank; devoid of any external reaction.

Not having the mental strength to croak a verbal reply, Tom nodded dumbly instead.

Together, they headed towards the front entrance, dodging the meagre swarm of rushing patrons. From his peripheral vision, he could see the image of Ms Sinclair, arms cross and leaning leisurely against the doorway of her office, mouth pressed into a slight frown. 

Holding eye contact for a few seconds, he watched as the frown grew deeper, wrinkles faintly outlining the expression, making it more pronounced. Eyebrows pinched, he watched as she mouthed a simple phrase silently to herself.

Brain whirling, the words jumped out at him.

"He didn't imprint..."   

--

A/N: Fuck Ivan, man. 

Also: Hello?? Yes?? I have a beautiful wife whos art I'd like to show off-

This was drawn by an absolute babe known as @OliverFlores01 (this is currently my phone background, ngl) and I love it so much??

Thank you again for drawing it for me!