TomTord King x Thief AU

Chapter 4

As soon as Tom arrived to his room, he let out all of the emotions that he couldn't show in front of his people. He imagined the thief's face as he punched his bookshelf, papers flying everywhere. He continued destroying his room, wishing that he hadn't thrown out his alcohol supply. The king imagined his own face as he threw a chair at the doorway. Tom was so consumed with rage that he didn't even notice his royal adviser entering the room until the ginger was dramatically jumping out of the way of the chair with a yelp.

"Matt! I uh...." Tom awkwardly said.

Matt simply shrugged, having gotten used to his best friend's temper tantrums over the years. He knew how much Tom cared about doing what was best for his people and how hard he takes it when he feels like he failed. The ginger wordlessly cleaned up the room. This was one of the rare times that Matt was serious. He sat down on the bed, patting next to him to signal for Tom to sit.

"You did the best you could." Matt comforted as Tom sat down next to him. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself."

"Matt, I let him get away!" Tom replied, his rage returning. "I'm not being too hard on myself, clearly I'm being too soft if I couldn't defeat a lowlife like him! I shouldn't be here complaining, I should be training, planning, I-"

"Tom." The ginger said as he seemed to gaze into Tom's soul. "You know what you need to do? Take a break."

The king's mouth hung open in shock. "Take a break?! Are you insane?! Think about how the people would react to seeing their king take a break when the country is in this state!

Matt smiled. "But the king isn't taking a break. Tom is."

The king only got more confused.

The ginger's smile grew at his best friend's confusion. "Hear me out. Go out to town, but take out your contacts and ponytail. Oh, and change your outfit. No one will ever recognize you like that!"

Tom was now conflicted as he considered what Matt had said. "Matt, I should really just focus on my duties as king."

"Wait, I got it!" Matt said after a moment of thinking, excited. "What if you went to the slums? I'm certain that that is where the thief lives so you could find out more about him and enjoy yourself! It's a win-win!"

After a moment, Tom sighed. "Fine, but only tonight. Okay?"

Matt cheered and ran to Tom's closet. "I'll pick out your outfit, you deal with your eyes and hair."

The king removed the blue contacts with ease, his black eyes now exposed. He removed his pony tail, causing his hair to spike up and return to it's natural form. Matt came out of the closet, carrying black pants, very different from the usual brown slacks that the king wore. He was also carrying a blue short sleeved shirt, the same color as Tom's cloak. Tom took the outfit and went back into the closet to change. When he emerged, he felt like a different person. He was not used to not having the weight of the crown on his head or having his vision being so clear. It felt.... good. 

"Well, hurry along! And make sure to tell me all the details later!" The ginger said, his excitement never leaving him as he pushed Tom towards the window. 

The king carefully climbed the window, the task being easy due to so much practice from sneaking out to play with Matt as a child. After quietly landing on the ground, he ran to the stable and got on his horse, Squidge. He then began his journey to the slums.

When Tord woke up, he was back in his shared home. He looked up, his vision blurry and pain shot through his chest as he sat up. 

"Woah there! Don't sit up yet, you need rest." It took a moment to connect the green blob pushing him back down to his roommate, Edd.

After a moment, his vision cleared and he was met with concerned brown eyes.

"Edd, I'm fine." Tord  tried reassuring his best friend. "Really."

"Tord.....-"

"I need some air." The Norwegian said harshly, cutting off Edd as he walked out of his small home.

He slammed the door shut, ignoring Edd's pleas for him to return and the pain all over his body. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice the horse coming right at him until it was too late.

The Norwegian woke up, opening his eyes slowly. He looked around, expecting to see his roommate but jumped up in panic when he saw a stranger. He grabbed the nearest object which happened to be a broom and held it out in what he hoped to be threateningly as the stranger got closer. 

"Get back! I'm warning you, I know how to fight!" Tord shouted at the stranger, now backed into a corner.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck in Tord's side. He collapsed onto the ground curling into a ball as the broom fell to the ground and he shouted in pain. Strong arms pulled him up and onto their lap. If he wasn't in so much pain he would have fought back but inside he sunk deeper into their arms. After a moment, he remembered who the person was and jumped back up, only to once again collapse from the injuries.