Archive of Our Own ^beta

It had just been a fishing trip, Matt had been begging them for months to head out for some fun out on the water. Tom had a boat after all, plus the no-eyed bassist also sold the couches for a harpoon gun, so it was the perfect chance to actually use it and also quell Matt’s excitement. 

The unfortunate part was that they ended up getting banned from ever going out fishing there when Tom used the harpoon gun and caught a fucking whale of all things… that certainly caused a minor argument in the car when they were heading home. Tom didn’t care that he impulsively sold their couches in order to even get the damn thing, promising to harpoon them new sofas instead.

He’d been going to his room to put the harpoon spears away, when he saw a shady figure picking the various locks he had on the door, after shouting at them, the figure turned to reveal a familiar horn-haired style, the very sight of him wrenched a gasp from Tom.

“Hello! Old friends!” Tord grinned as he stepped from the shadows of the unlit home. Tom could hardly believe it, the red asshole had come back?! Why? When? What did he want? Before Tom could even begin to think about stabbing Tord with the harpoon in his hands, Edd shoved him to the side with the biggest grin that anyone had seen on him.

“Tord! Welcome back!” Edd cheered, pulling the red-hooded Norwegian in for an embrace. Tom would have laughed at the uncomfortable expression from the Commie, but he was still reeling from the situation.

“Welcome back ? Edd, what the hell is going on?!” Tom snapped, glaring between both his dearest friend and the bane of his existence while trying to understand what the hell was happening. His ears perked up when he heard Matt slowly approaching and crunching away at a cookie that he more than likely stole from Tom’s sweets stash.

“Tom! Don’t be so rude! I told you he was coming last week!” Edd scolded with a look of irritation on his face, one that Tom matched with an equal rage.

“I swear to god Edd, if you were telling us about this at breakfast while you had your mouth full I will throttle you!” Tom growled, bristling up more when he heard Tord laugh while wrapping an arm around Matt’s shoulders. Matt did little to react, just stared at their red ex-housemate with a blank expression on his face.

“Well it looks like I should have waited until you guys came back from your fishing trip. Looks like Thomas minds that I let myself in, I hope you two didn’t mind.” Tord hummed as Matt laughed it off and smiled.

“Not at all! U-Uhhhhhh T-Todd?” Matt winced when he saw Tord raise a brow and look at him.

“Uh no… it’s Tord? I used to live here Matt. You really don’t remember me?” Tord frowned as Edd pulled him back a little.

“When you left, there was a little… accident with your memory eraser gun, Matt accidentally shot himself with it.” The cola loving artist explained as Matt laughed nervously. Tom scowled a little at the reminder, how helpless their friend had been and that they had to put him back together because of it. It had been Tord’s fault, had he not left the fucking thing out in the open, Matt wouldn’t have had the chance to even touch it!

Tord stood there in shock, staring at his taller friend before clicking his tongue. 

“Unfortunate… I can try to work on a fix, however it has been a long time. I can’t promise that I can fix it.” Tord admits. “Ahhh Edd? You don’t suppose I could have my old room back… would you?” Tord pointed to the locked up door leading to Tom’s new room, no. Absolutely fucking not! Tom bristled back up and growled.

“No!” “Of course you can!”

Both Tom and Edd had spoken at the same time, the no-eyed bassist quickly turning his irritation towards his best friend.

“Edd! That’s my room now!” He growled, he felt like smoke was starting to come out his eyes the angrier he got with this situation. Edd awkwardly began to fidget with his hoodie strings and smiled.

“Wellllll you could move back into your old room!” He said it as if it was as simple as changing a pair of socks. Tom couldn’t help but get exasperated and rub at his face.

“Edd… you turned my old room into a swimming pool ! What the fuck am I supposed to move back into?! Besides, my stuff is already there! Why can’t Sunshine Lollipops sleep in the living room?!” Tom asked, flinching when he saw Edd’s expression darken at Tom’s valid complaint. The way his friend looked made Tom feel small, he also knew what was coming next.

He fully expected Edd to begin angrily suggesting that Tom sleep in the cold living room and to stop being rude when Tord only just returned to Edd’s life… but it didn’t come. Before Edd could lay into him, Tord of all people cleared his throat and hummed.

“If it’s really that big of a deal to Thomas, I’m willing to compromise and share the room until we can get his room back into proper order.” Tord had this smile on his face, Tom couldn’t pinpoint it but it made the hairs on his neck stand up when he saw it. It wasn’t the best solution, and Tom couldn’t stand it in the slightest… but he just didn’t want Tord alone in his room where he could mess with his things. So once again, before Edd could say or ask anything, Tom chimed in.

“Yeah… alright then.” Tom sighed, crossing his arms and looking at the floor as his negative thoughts began to form in his head. It didn’t even matter to Edd that he wasn’t okay with Tord just waltzing back into their lives like he hadn’t caused emotional distress to them. But then again, Edd and Tord had been friends for so long… longer than Matt or him, it just made Tom feel like he was worthless.

‘And you are worthless.’ Tom sighed and pinched the brow of his nose before looking at them and seeing Edd’s look of surprise from his acceptance over Tord’s suggestion. He couldn’t help but deeply sigh and raise his hands in defeat.

“I’m tired Edd, I just want to have my fucking privacy but I know you want him to feel welcome. Until my room is fixed, I’ll just have to grit my teeth and bear it.” Tom sighed, walking past the three of them and unlocking all the security he had in place to open the door and let Tord inside. The horn-haired individual looked over the moon as he picked his bags up and made his way inside the room. 

Matt and Edd looked at each other, Edd’s brows furrowed when he took in how defeated Tom sounded when they argued and Tord made the suggestion. The fact that he’d been so quick to agree with someone he was hostile towards… just to make Edd happy, it made the cola lover feel a little odd.

“Wow! You really decorated in here Thomas! Oh you kept my photo!” Tord announced loudly, Tom could only scoff and walk inside as well, beginning to move stuff around to give Tord room for his stuff. 

“Yeah, only because I need something to throw my frustration at.” Tom grumbled, picking up scattered books and a few shirts here and there. Matt quickly rushed into the room and flopped onto Tom’s checkered blankets with a grin, it was a rare occasion for anyone other than Ringo to be allowed inside the room. Edd found himself hesitant to enter the room, but eventually he found his way to the bed as well, watching as Tom cleaned up. The shorter male tried to keep his temper quelled as he cleaned and made space for Tord’s bed and anything else he would want to move in as well.

“Oh this is going to be so much fun! Think of all the wacky adventures we’ll have with four friends instead of three! Oh Todd! Wanna see my novelty toy collection?” Matt asked excitedly, bouncing a little as he sat on the bed. Tord paused for a moment to correct Matt about his name before shrugging.

“Sure Matt! Then afterwards, let’s watch Insane Zombie Pirates From Hell 4!” Tord grinned, getting Matt and Edd to perk up even more and Edd began to smile.

“Just like old times!” Edd chirped, noting the flashing of a scowl on Tom’s face before it faded into one of defeat again. As Tord started to nod in agreement about it being like old times, Tom finally spoke up.

“I sold the sofas for a harpoon gun, so you’ll have to watch your movie on the floor.” Tord burst into laughter while Tom glared into the floor.

“Ahhh!!!! Classic stupid Thomas! Don’t worry, I have a solution for that. I learned so much while I was in the big city, I’ve invented far more fun gadgets!” Tord grinned, pulling out a cube-like device and tossing it to the open space Tom had just made, it made a few beeps before expanding into a nice comfortable bed that was ready for sleeping. The three stared in shock before Tord motioned them to follow, holding another cube in his hand as he made his way to the living room with a pleased smile on his face.

When they reached the barren living room, Tord tossed two of the cubes out onto the floor and they expanded into sofas. Edd and Matt were absolutely ecstatic about their new furniture while Tom quickly managed to snag one of the cubes from Tord’s pocket and inspect it with a raised brow. The Norwegian noticed and watched Tom’s curious examination on how the cube worked with a look of amusement.

“What… is this?” Tom asked, squinting when he noticed a little symbol painted on in red that he could have sworn he’d seen before. Tord then took the cube back and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Ohh it’s just a little something I invented, makes moving back in a breeze now.” Tord grinned and watched at Edd and Matt gleefully began to make themselves comfortable on the sofas, leaving Tom and Tord standing beside each other. It wasn’t long before the taller Norwegian settled in one of the sofas with a relaxed sigh and a motion of his hand.

“Come sit, Thomas! Let’s watch the newest Insane Zombie Pirates from Hell movie!” Tord grinned, a smile that unsettled Tom greatly.

“I’ll pass, I’ve still got to make space in… the room before I start looking up ways to remove the water from my old room.” Tom mumbled, he needed to be alone with his thoughts. This was so much to take in and get used to, he ignored Edd’s protests and concern, ruffled Matt’s hair when the taller had offered to help clean, and then noticed Tord frowning. There was a strange look of disappointment on his face… probably miffed that he couldn’t go after him and restart their usual fights.

Good.

Tom was so tired of fighting him. He just wanted some peace and quiet to offset whatever stupid situation they would land themselves in.

“God morgen, Thomas! Made you coffee, you look like you need it.” Tord’s voice seemed to only grate on the migraine Tom woke up with.

It’d been a few weeks since their red hooded housemate returned from the big city, and ever since then he was acting strangely nice to Tom. Offering him food or even asking if he could get the other anything, it unnerved Tom and even now, he stared at the brown liquid in his favorite checkered mug. Every single one of his instincts told him not to trust the Norwegian, who knows what shit he put in the coffee.

“Yeahhhhh no. For all I know, you put hot sauce into it, I’m not drinking that.” Tom grumbled, whining a little when his aching head protested the denial of sweet caffeine. Tord frowned deeply at the rejection and Edd cleared his throat with a glare, warning Tom not to be so rude to their friend.

“I made it to show you there’s no ill feelings on my end Thomas, a peace offering if you will, I want a fresh start. We’re mature now right?” Tord sighed in dejection and Tom could see Edd glaring at him like he was the bad guy, he hated this!! Ever since the fucker came back, Edd had been practically doting on the other, anything he needed or asked for was given with no hesitation… as if Tord being a little sad about Tom’s valid wary feelings towards the other man’s return would be the catalyst to him leaving again.

But even if Tom was wary and untrusting towards Tord… it didn’t mean that he couldn’t cave in and accept the coffee. Tord meant a lot to Edd, so to avoid conflict, he’d need to push back his distrust and take the so called ‘peace offering’

“Fine… fine okay, I’ll accept your peace offering. Just stop making that face, it doesn’t look right on you.” Tom grumbled, watching as Tord lit back up and offered the coffee mug to Tom once again, this time the shorter man took it and stared into the brown liquid for a few moments before he began to take it down in quick gulps.

Shockingly, it tasted…great! Something in there made it taste better than how Tom usually made it for himself, maybe Tord had used a different kind of beans or a different brewing method.. either way around it, it was actually pretty good. Speaking of Tord, the man’s silver eyes looked back at him with an excitement in his eyes when he saw Tom finish the last dregs from his mug. The sight actually caused Tom to snort in amusement.

“You make a decent cup of coffee Commie…” Tom praised a little, making his way to the toaster so he could have a little breakfast. His migraine was tamed just enough thanks to the coffee, but he’d likely need to go take a nap after breakfast so he could be rid of it. He could hear Tord quietly celebrating, speaking in Norwegian as Matt walked into the kitchen and yawned, saying that they should have a lazy day all together… Tom couldn’t help but grunt in agreement, he’d been spending the last few weeks on fixing his old room up but it was slow going and he was still rooming with Tord. Honestly, if he had to hear the man playing hentai games with no headphones again, he was going to kill him. A lazy day seemed like the perfect thing to get Tom to relax and return to working on his old room.

The toaster dinged, shooting Tom’s toast up and pulling the man’s thoughts towards it… the fucking toast was burnt.

Ughhhhhhhhhhh

Well charcoal is supposed to be good for you, and Tom really didn’t want to throw out something he could still eat. So he slathered some butter onto the blackened slices and powered through the distasteful experience, feeling the rest of his housemates staring at him with a mix of amusement and/or disgust at the fact that he was eating something so not edible. Whatever, it just gave the blue member of the group time to look over the toaster and see why it burnt his food and see if it was something he could fix or if it was something he’d need to replace.

“Oh! So Edd, maybe for our lazy day, we could all go to the movies or just have a movie marathon here! I read it’s supposed to rain pretty badly today, like thunder and lightning bad.” Matt hummed, watching as Edd finished chewing on his last slice of bacon and thought about it. Tom turned his attention from the toaster and watched as their cola loving friend smiled and clapped his hands for all their attention.

“Let’s just sit inside and play video games and watch movies, no getting dressed.. Oh! And no going into our rooms, we’re going to all spend time together. Just the four of us, like old times!” Edd chirped, causing Tom to make a face and exhale slowly. He knew Edd meant well, but honestly Tom still really didn’t want to be in the same room as Tord… but they’re at ‘peace’ it seemed, so once again Tom would have to bear through the hair raising on his neck and his instincts telling him that letting the red bastard near him wasn’t a good idea. 

Besides, it was just a simple lazy day… they could relax and Tom didn’t have to talk with Tord, he was pretty sure that Edd would be doing a lot of that and taking both Tord’s and Matt’s attention as they would engage more, unlike Tom. 

With breakfast eaten, the dishes cleaned, and two acetaminophen taken with another cup of coffee, Tom was ready to face this lazy day with less enthusiasm compared to his friends. Edd and Tord practically raced to the sofa so they could reach the ‘perfect spot on the couch’ while Matt hung back to walk with his much slower companion.

“Hey Tom… are you doing okay? You don’t look like you slept well.” Matt asked, frowning a little when he poked the shorter’s horrendously dark eye circles. Tom laughed it off and swatted the hand away.

“I uh.. Was kept up last night, Com- Tord … had left his headphones unplugged while he was playing one of those Hentai games again… I barely got any sleep, so if we’re playing games then I’m not going to be my best. Actually I might just sit it out in favor of watching.” Tom explained, feeling the need to correct himself on the mean nickname if he was supposed to be nice to Tord now. He started laughing when Matt began to pout and give him puppy eyes. One thing didn’t seem to change with Matt, that he and Tom were still great friends even through the worst of times. When they walked into the living room and watched as Edd and Tord ‘argued’ over which game they should play first, Matt nudged Tom a little and smiled.

“Well, lemme know if you need a break… with Tord back, it seems like things are gonna get a little more nuts.” Tom had to agree, already knowing that bacon battles to the death would return between Edd and Tord. He just hoped that some sense of peace could be maintained, he was too tired for back and forth arguments over stupid things. 

They finally entered the living room, Matt quickly taking the spot on Edd’s right side, though to be fair it was also the taller’s favorite side of any couch he ever sits in, leaving the space beside Tord’s left side. Tom fought the urge to make a face, simply walking over to the spot and making himself comfortable, bringing his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them with a quiet chuff of air. 

Edd and Tord had been fighting over whether they should play a racing game or a group party game, Tom didn’t care, so Matt made the final choice on the party game. Making Tord cheer and poke Edd’s puffed up cheeks, it was funny to see how heated things got over something as simple as a video game. Tom couldn’t help but snort quietly, catching Tord’s attention and grinning.

“I see! You are capable of laughing! Good good! I’m glad to know that’s still a thing, you ready to have your ass kicked at these games Thomas?” Tord challenged, frowning a little when Tom began to yawn and rub his eyes.

“Mmm nah, I think I’ll just watch for a little… still kinda tired, lemme have the caffeine kick in and I’ll play.” Tom mumbled, causing even Edd to whine in protest.

“Awww Tom! C’monnnn. It’s no fun without you!” Edd begged and Tom shook his head.

“It’s not like we’re going anywhere today guys, there’s no harm in me sitting a round or two out. I’m just going to rest my eyes for a few moments.” The no-eyed bassist yawned out, rubbing the corner of his ‘eyes’ and glaring when Tord whined like a child and poked the shorter’s cheek with a spare controller. Tom felt his irritation rise with every jab and nudge Tord did. “Cut it out, Tord!” He finally snapped, batting the other’s hand away and growling when he heard the other laugh.

“Awwww c’mon Thomas! Play this game with us! Would you kindly?” Tord asked, his teasing smirk fading into a calm smile. 

Just before Tom was going to snap at Tord to leave him alone and let him sit the game out, his head went blank. A deep sigh escaped him and the rising irritation faded away, he closed his eyes and held out his hand for the spare controller. Tord’s calm expression once again became excited, though there was something in his expression that made it seem less like Tom agreeing to his request made him happy. 

Tom himself didn’t even know why he relented so fast like that. He’d been so irritated with the horn-haired Norwegian not two seconds ago, and now here he was taking the spare controller from him and preparing to play games when he just wanted a nap. With how things had been for the past few weeks, Tom simply chalked it up to just no longer being in the mood to pick a fight with someone that was staying in the same room as him… but Edd and Matt were looking at him in shock, so he’d better come up with some kind of excuse for his sudden change of mind.

“Fine. But only because you asked me nicely.” Tom grumbled, and that was it. 

After that, anytime Tord asked him for things, ‘would you kindly’ would be the three words that would follow or start the request. No matter how much Tord pissed him off, the moment he heard the phrase, a wave of calm would wash over him and he’d go do the task asked of him. Everytime he did so, he would always grumble out that it was only because Tord asked nicely, though with the satisfaction gleaming from Tord’s eyes, sometimes Tom didn’t think it was the case.

Then Edd and Matt started to get involved in saying the stupid phrase. It all started with Matt walking into the kitchen while Tom was drinking his coffee and reading one of the books he managed to get the chance to read for once.

“Hey Tom?” Matt asked, smiling when Tom grunted in response and turned his head to look at the other’s pale green eyes. “Would you kindly make pancakes for breakfast?” The ginger fidgeted for a moment while Tom processed the request, internally noting to himself that he didn’t feel that weird blanking in his head when Matt asked, but after a few moments he sighed heavily and downed the last of his coffee.

“Ask the others how many they want and if they want bacon.” Tom grumbled, snorting when Matt lit up and rushed off to go wake the others up and ask them how many pancakes they wanted while Tom looked around for the ingredients. It wasn’t long before the red and green members of the house entered into the kitchen yawning and rubbing their eyes thanks to Matt dragging them out of bed for breakfast. Tom turned to them and snorted.

“Ah, don’t you two look great. Edd, were you up late on commissions again? Seriously man, we talked about this.” Tom scolded, he knew why Tord was groggy, the man had been tinkering and writing in some book. Tom only knew this since he was startled awake to one of Tord’s tools clattering to the ground and the Norwegian man swearing in his language. Asking about it only resulted in Tord asking him to go back to sleep… So he did.

Now that he got a good look at Tord, he could see dark circles around the other’s eyes and a bandage wrapped around his right palm. Even if he didn’t entirely like Tord’s presence at this point, it didn’t stop his mother henning to rear its head at full force.

“Ugh, Tord… what the hell did you do to your hand last night? It’s still covered in grease! Please tell me that you cleaned whatever injury you have under those bandages.” Tom scolded, shooting a glare at Edd when he heard the cola-lover giggle at Tord’s bewildered expression. The Norwegian had seen Tom mother the other two, but never was he the subject of the scolding. 

The blue bassist watched with crossed arms when Tord looked down at his hands and thought on the question. Tom couldn’t help but let out a long sigh when he saw the Norwegian wordlessly shake his head, he had not cleaned his hands. He could have gotten the damn injury infected, how would he tinker then?!

“Jeez Tord, for all your smarts, you can be so damn stupid.” Tom grumbled, holding his hand out for Tord to put the injured palm into. “C’mon, we’re going to clean it up before I make any breakfast.” 

“You… making breakfast? Matt said you were but I didn’t believe it. How’d you get into making breakfast today?” Tord snorted, letting Tom take his hand so he could clean it and fix it up. Matt quickly sat Edd down and began taking the bacon out, knowing that their two housemates would certainly want the fatty cut of meat with their pancakes.

“I asked Tom! I even said ‘would you kindly’! With how often you say it to him Tord, it’s almost like it’s Tom’s version of ‘please’!” Matt giggled, Tom blinked at that comment and let out his own chuckle. It seemed to be the case, anytime Tord asked him for stuff it would be using ‘would you kindly’ instead of ‘please’ he almost wouldn’t have noticed it at all. As he finished cleaning up Tord’s injured hand, he noticed the other got a little more tense, looking up at his red housemate made him see that the other was making an indecipherable expression. The sight brought a laugh out of Tom, guess Tord didn’t notice it either.

“Yeah, guess it is my new ‘please’... so! How many pancakes did everyone want again?” Tom hummed, letting Tord’s hand go once he replaced the bandages and turned to begin making batter for their fluffy breakfast. Edd quickly shouted out that he wanted two and lots of bacon before finding himself occupied with getting Ringo her breakfast. 

Matt said he wanted four, but Tom knew to only make the other two since he always asked for more than he could actually eat. Tord remained silent however, that wasn’t entirely unusual for him to go quiet at random times… but the mentioning of food or even bacon never ceased to get him talking. It was actually concerning Tom to the point where he turned to look at Tord again and raised a brow.

“Tord? Are you there? How many pancakes did you want?” Tom asked, even making a waving motion over Tord’s field of vision until he saw the taller Norwegian shake his head and laugh awkwardly.

“Three, as if that was even a question Thomas!” Tord laughed again and sat down at his spot on the table with a yawn. 

‘Looks like he was still waking up.’ Tom thought to himself before shrugging and returning to cooking up the bacon while he mixed up the batter for pancakes. He also made sure to divide the bacon slices for Edd and Tord up evenly so there wouldn’t be a fight over who got the last piece from the package, they really didn’t need to waste time today cleaning up the mess those two would make fighting for it.

Soon enough, Tom was lost in the cooking process, the conversation Tord was having with Edd about the cola-lover’s animation projects and commissions slowly turned into background noise. Through his own deep thinking, Tom could hear the Norwegian talk about various animation phrases that made the bassist remember that Tord had once dabbled in the artform once upon a time, though he found his passion in tinkering and inventing soon after, he would still occasionally help Edd when deadlines were tight. Tom also used to dabble in animations and doodles, but according to himself, he was no good at it. Matt himself once mentioned that he wanted to get into animation, so Tom gave him his old drawing tablet and software. It made sense to give the equipment to someone that wanted to learn… better than collecting dust but now he wasn’t sure if Matt used the equipment.

Tom had to shake his head and be rid of his trailing thoughts once he pulled the freshly cooked bacon off of the pan and gently patted some paper towels on them before dividing the 16 strips of bacon onto two separate plates, it would be enough to satiate Edd and Tord while they waited for Tom to serve them fluffy pancakes. 

“Here, bacon for you and Tord, no need to fight either! I divided the pack equally, and if I hear either of you wrestling for each other’s pieces, I’ll take the bacon and feed it to Ringo . Understood?” Tom grumbled, looking at the two to make sure they heard him before he let them chow down. Edd snorted and shot a playful glare at Tord, who reciprocated and crossed his heart.

“We’ll behave. So strange seeing you acting like a parent Thomas, though it makes sense… you’ve always seemed like the ‘mother hen’ type.” Edd snorted when he heard Tord’s observation, swallowing the mouthful of bacon he had while Matt perked up, ready to tell a story that would likely make Tom fluster.

“Oh! You should have seen him when we were going out to one of the Ren Faires in town! He made sure we had our stuff packed a few days before we went out and before we were allowed to leave, he did a checklist!” Matt giggled, Tom sighed heavily when he heard Tord’s laugh beginning to ramp up into something hysterical. He was probably imagining some stupid fucking imagry of Tom looking over everyone’s bags like an American TSA agent.

“Look, I live in a house with a forgetful ginger, and an easily distractible animator. Forgive me if I didn’t want to have to turn around halfway through because one of them forgot something vital like their sunblock or their meds.” Tom grumbled, glaring at both Matt and Edd just as he flipped over the first pancake. The blue bassist did admit to himself, it was pretty funny watching as Tord looked between them and laughed again, apparently the imagery got funnier to the Norwegian. 

Edd puffed his cheeks up and whacked Tord in response. “Hey, you don’t get to laugh… if you and Tom didn’t bicker all the time back then, he would have mother henned you too… now that you’re on better terms, he’s starting to do it to you too.” The cola lover countered, pointing to Tord’s freshly cleaned bandages just as Tom set down the first stack of pancakes.

“Pancakes!!!” Matt cheered, taking the stack and looking around for their toppings. The ginger started to clap like a child when Tom set out whipped cream, chocolate chips, various berries, and of course the ever important maple syrup. Edd and Tord soon began eating their bacon, docile for now as their no-eyed housemate began to quickly work on making more pancakes for them.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the food was made and set in front of the remaining housemates, two for Edd and three for Tord. Tom didn’t like an overly heavy breakfast and found that more than one pancake would make him sick, so this was the very last pancake he had made, it was also the smallest one. As soon as Tom set his plate down, Edd cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly before his smaller housemate could sit down.

“Hey Tom? Would you kindly grab me a glass of milk?” Edd asked, Tom noticing that he still didn’t react the same way that he did when Tord used the phrase, even noticing that Tord seemed to tense up a little and look at him. Tom couldn’t help but heave a sigh and flick Edd in the head before he went to get the milk.

“You guys better not make this a habit, I’m not a fucking servant.” Tom grumbled out, making a face when he heard Edd laugh. 

“Sorry, sorry! I just had to say it at least once!” Another sigh escaped Tom as he set the glass down in front of the green artist before he finally sat down to put some whipped cream on the top of his pancake before slathering it with berries and eating slowly, trying to ignore the feeling of Tord’s eyes landing on him more often than not throughout the entire breakfast. It felt like he was being studied and made the hairs on the back of his neck rise up.

Tom started to notice Tord’s stares more often after that day, his Norwegian housemate wouldn’t use the phrase as often as he had before. Which was nice, he didn’t like feeling like he had to constantly get up from the activity he was doing in order to do the thing asked of him. The phrase was still used of course, especially by Edd and Matt, who got into the habit of using it instead of ‘please’ whenever they were asking Tom for something, even though the shorter felt no compulsion to do so… it just felt right to do the task asked of him, so he kept doing it.

Currently, Tom found himself sitting on his bed, making edits to one of his many hoodies. His mother had taught him a long time ago how to make his clothes last longer even after they got holes in them, ever since then, Tom would practice and learn all sorts of new ways to improve his clothes and make them look better. The rest of the house knew of this hobby and sometimes would come to him and ask for him to fix their clothes, back when Tord was first living in the house, he would have to ask and provide some form of ‘payment’ for Tom to work on said clothes, but now Tom would just freely do it. 

Speaking of Tord, the Norwegian was sitting at his desk and muttering over some blueprints at his table. He looked pretty frustrated as looked over the schematics while writing the math down, normally Tom wouldn’t ask… but given that this started to become a thing after the whole pancake situation, the no-eyed bassist finally had to express concern.

“Uh Tord? Are you doing alright? You’ve been grumbling and muttering over those papers for weeks now.” Tom asked, setting aside his sewing project in favor of walking over to his taller roommate. He wasn’t able to see what was even on the blueprints, as soon as he got too close, Tord slapped his large workbook shut with a frustrated snarl in his throat. Tom had seen Tord get angry before, but never over his work. 

“No, Thomas… but you can’t help with it.” Tord admits, running his hands through his hair with a heavy sigh. “I’m just having… issues with this experiment I’m doing, results aren’t going the way I was hoping. It makes no sense though, I did it all right! My calculations were correct!!” Another wave of frustration hit him and Tom jumped back in shock when he saw Tord’s fist slam into the hardwood table. It wasn’t like the other to get upset over anything other than Tom purposefully getting under his skin, so seeing this made the bassist unsure of how to fix it. 

But why did he want to fix it? Shouldn’t he feel some satisfaction that the guy that waltzed back into their lives is struggling with his projects? A month or two ago, that would have been the case, he’d be over the moon and maybe would have rubbed it into the Norwegian’s face… but he’s gotten used to the other’s presence again and this newfound peace between them. It made him want to help.

So he did it the only way he knew how. Grab his house keys and Tord’s arm before beginning to yank him out of the room. “Okay, I think it’s time for a walk, you’re way too in your head.” He muttered, taking advantage of Tord’s surprise to get them down the stairs and shout to Edd and Matt. “HEADING OUT WITH TORD! TEXT IF YOU NEED AND THERE’S TAKEOUT IN THE FRIDGE!” Tom shouted out, grunting when he heard Edd shout back to buy more cola. 

The second he and Tord left the house, the taller of the two finally shook off the shock and furrowed his brows at Tom, the cold evening breeze blew through and had Tom sink further into his hoodie and curse himself for not getting something warmer before they left.

“Where are we going?” Tord asked, raising a brow when Tom shrugged. 

“I never said we were going somewhere, we’re just walking Tord. I figured this would help clear your head.” Tom admitted, the answer earned him a scoff and they fell into silence again.

The sound of the breeze passing through bushes and their shoes on the paved sidewalks were the only thing between them for a while, it wasn’t until they reached the corner of the road that Tord finally spoke up.

“I need a drink… you know any good spots?” Tom scoffed, Tord chuckled to himself as well. It was a silly question.

“As if you needed to ask, c’mon… we’re not too far from my favorite spot. You bring your wallet?” Tom asked, he knew he had his own but didn’t know if Tord kept his in his hoodie all the time. Sure enough, the Norwegian pulled his phone out and showed off his ID that was in the clear case, but there was no bank card.

“Only have my ID… would you kindly buy me a round?” Tord asked, humming when he heard Tom snort and moved his head in a way to show he was ‘rolling his eyes’ so to speak.

“Sure, I had a feeling you didn’t bring your cards anyways. C’mon, it better not be expensive.” Tom warned, motioning for Tord to follow him to his favorite bar. It’d been way too long since he’d been there, he was trying to cut down on how much he drank thanks to an intervention from Edd and Matt, prior to Tord’s return a few months ago. Though if Tord needed a drink, what better drinking companion than Tom?

They wouldn’t need to walk much further, as the Elk Skull Bar was almost exactly on the corner of the street they were on. Tom had been quite the regular and he found it to be a cozy space, not too many patrons if you went on most weekdays, but Friday was one of their busiest days for obvious reasons. Tom didn’t like Friday, but hey, he could bear it. 

He held open the door for Tord and walked him, looking at all the people that were either loudly talking about their week, playing pool, flirting for one night stands, or just drinking quietly at the bar to ease their woes. Tord made a face when one drunk person got a little too loud in their laugh, causing Tom to snort and pull Tord with him to the barkeep’s island table. Tom preferred being closer to the barkeep, they usually provided the best conversation if you were there alone. 

“So, this is your favorite spot?” Tord asked, sitting down and watching with amusement when he watched Tom have to put in a little extra effort to sit himself up onto the barstool next to him, clearly it was just slightly too tall for him to get on with ease like Tord could.

“Yeah, but I don't usually come here on Fridays or weekends, I don’t like too much noise. The bartenders here are great, they’re good to talk to.” Tom admitted, waving a little to catch their attention and nodding when he saw them hold a finger up to get them to wait. “I don’t usually see you drink though Tord.. most of the time you’re smoking those cigars. Guess this project of yours really has you frustrated.” The taller slowly nodded in confirmation, rubbing his face in stress when he was reminded of why they were here in the first place.

“Yeah… it’s- I was so sure that I did it right. Maybe I missed something.” Tord sounded disappointed in himself, jolting when Tom smacked him in the arm and glared at him.

“Well you’ll find the problem, and you’ll fix it… you’re smart like that.” The bassist sighed, his cheeks flushed when he saw the look of shock and awe on his roommate’s face. “Hey! Don’t make me regret saying nice shit about you. Now figure out what you’re ordering, I see the barkeep making his way over.” 

They fell into a comfortable silence after ordering their drinks, both looking around at the life the bar held. As the two watched various friends and strangers talking to each other, playing games and laughing at stories, it led them to make eye contact with each other and chuckle. The genuine laughter shared between them brought further ease and Tord leaned back a little in his stool.

“To be honest Thomas, I never thought we’d… be here. Just able to exist in the same spot like this.” Tom had to agree, nodding his head with a soft grunt.

“We were able to… a long time ago. So much changed Tord, we got so mean to each other… I’m uh… sorry about that. I know it probably means nothing but, I just wanted to get that out there. I’m… glad we’re able to talk like this now.” Tom mumbled, thankful that the drinks soon arrived so he could drop the topic and get over the fact that he was apologizing to Tord of all men. 

Before said Norwegian could even respond, their moment of genuine reflection and enjoyment of each other’s company was shattered when a particularly drunk man crashed into Tom’s back and sloshed his drink over the other’s blue hoodie, knocking Tom out of whatever calm he was in and into pure rage.

“Watch it, asshole!” Tom snarled, glaring when the motherfucker plopped next to him and laughed before noticing his drink was now all gone. The blue bassist grumbled to himself as he pulled off his hoodie and glared at the sight of the large wet splotch on his hoodie, he’d have to wash the damn thing when he got home, the trip back home would be cold as shit without the warmth of his hoodie though, there was no way he was going to wear it right now with it being soaked by someone’s drink. Tord clicked his tongue and looked at his shorter companion.

“Looks like we’re going after this, we needed to pick up Edd’s cola after this anyways. Should go do that before the stores close.” Tord sighed heavily, downing his drink while Tom pulled his wallet out and nodded in agreement. It was best that they left before Tom’s relatively good mood was further soured.

The stranger turned to look over at Tom and Tord, grinning when he watched Tom pay for his and his roommate’s drinks so they could head off. Seizing an opportunity, the drunk man pulled Tom in and laughed again.

“Heyyyyyyyy, you spilled mah drinnnnk, only faiiir you ge’ me ‘nother onnnne.” The drunkard giggled, squeezing a little harder when Tom tried to jerk out of his hold. Tord’s attention drifted towards the annoying man, glaring a little at the sight of him while Tom’s rage built up.

“Buy you a drink?! You’re delusional, I think you need water instead you prick .” Tom growled, struggling more as the bartender took notice and raised a brow at the disturbance. The drunk man whined, leaning on Tom more despite the growls he was getting in response.

“Awwww c’monnnnnnn, would you kindly buy me one palllll?” The phrase had both Tom and Tord tense up, Tom’s inner rage finally cracked and his fist went flying right into the man’s face. A cracking sound indicated to anyone close by that the drunkard’s nose was broken.

“How’s that for an answer? Sober up you fucking moron, go to hell.” Tom snapped, looking at Tord and noticing the wide-eyed expression. It was strange, maybe the Norwegian wasn’t expecting Tom to get so violent? Though, he had seen Tom get unreasonably violent before… aw well, maybe Tom was overthinking it. In any case, it was time to go, so Tom motioned for Tord to follow him out while he tied his soiled hoodie around his waist and prepared to make one last stop at the store for Edd’s cola. 

Tom found himself tipping the bartender as an apology for getting violent, said bartender nodded in appreciation before helping the stranger out with his newfound broken nose while those that were paying attention either returned to talking or watched them walk out. Tord halted for a few moments to observe the stranger and followed Tom out the door with a smile and a chuckle building up in his chest as he watched Tom begin holding his arms and growling in frustration over the situation.

“The nerve of that prick right?! Thinking I’d get him a fucking drink when he spilled it on me ?!” Tom huffed, soon being knocked from his ranting when a cold breeze brought a shiver up his spine. Tord laughed at the sight, patting the man’s back to motivate him to start moving.

“The audacity, but I think you taught him a lesson. He’s probably going to stare at his broken nose and reflect on his choices… great punch by the way, glad to see that you still pack a wallop!” Tord grinned, watching as Tom smiled through his shivers and chattering teeth.

“Y-Yeah, I gotta be able to help get Edd and Matt out of whatever silly adventure they throw us on fffffuck! It’s so cold!!” Tom growled out the last bit, quickly rubbing his arms and trying to warm his icy palms with his breath to no avail.

Tord halted them in their walking when he noticed how cold Tom was getting, sliding his red hoodie off and dumping it onto Tom, who stared in shock when his Norwegian companion did this. His questioning gaze caused Tord to roll his eyes and mess with Tom’s spiked hair just because he could.

“Can’t have the house’s mother hen get himself sick. Now put it on quickly, would you kindly?” Tord hummed, smirking when Tom’s curious gaze morphed into a calm acceptance of the hoodie. The bassist slipped it on, noting how warm it was and sighing with relief.

“Won’t you be cold? You didn’t have to give me this.” Tom mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed when he noticed how much smaller he was in Tord’s hoodie. Though on the upside, he was so much warmer now.

“Don’t sweat it Thomas, I’m used to far colder! You can give it back when we get home. Now c’mon, we’ve got to hurry before the stores close, wouldn’t want to return without cola, Edd will kill both of us.” Tord jokes, smirking when Tom snorted out a laugh. They began to walk again, a quiet stretched between them on their way to the store.

Tom thought to himself as he buried his face a little underneath the red hoodie so he could warm up his face. He never thought that he’d ever go back to this calm enjoyment of the Norwegian’s company, they had been friends once in high school… but something had happened that Tom couldn’t quite remember anymore, all he remembered was that it had to have been his fault and he irreversibly destroyed their friendship… right? Whatever happened in the past though, Tord seemed to just let it slide and now they were here. Walking together to the grocery store to get Edd cola.

Without really thinking, Tom took a deep breath in to collect himself from his thoughts of the past, catching the cold night air mixing with the smell of cigars and oil from Tord’s hoodie. It was a smell that the bassist wouldn’t have thought he’d like, but he did, and honestly he really didn’t want to think about it. They weren’t ten feet from the store before Tord halted in his tracks and looked at Tom seriously.

“Hey, I wanted to thank you for dragging me out here Thomas… you really helped me see some things about my project. I was too in my head, you were right.” Tom almost couldn’t believe that he was hearing Tord thanking him for something. The very words almost didn’t register in his head, when they did, he fumbled out on his reply.

“O-Oh.. y-you’re… I.. You’re welcome!” Tom sputtered, turning red when Tord laughed and patted his head. He really got soft didn’t he? Normally Tom wouldn’t let this happen, he wouldn’t let Tord near him or even offer a hoodie… he normally would have punched the man for trying to touch him, but now he was here, and just letting it happen. 

It didn’t seem like such a bad thing though, it brought peace in the house and Tom got to thinking that maybe Tord wasn’t as bad as he’d been thinking before all this. 

With that thought in his mind, Tom followed Tord into the store and picked up cola for their housemate. They didn’t talk much to each other, the silence between them was good enough.

After that day, Tom and Tord found themselves in each other’s company more often than not. The progress Tom had been making to fix his old room had all but entirely ceased due to being more preoccupied with helping Tord out when he asked, going on wacky adventures with Matt and Edd, or just decompressing on his own. Even now, Tom found himself on the living room couch, idly scrolling through his social media and laying on the couch when he felt a tap on his forehead. Looking up from his phone, he could see Tord looking down on him with a journal in his hand. The bassist made a quiet hum of acknowledgement to the other before his attention drifted to the book, it looked like the one Tord wrote and drew his ideas in.

“Hey, would you kindly scoot your head so I can sit?” Tord snorted, watching as Tom blinked for a few moments. The bassist complied, although he whined about having just gotten comfortable on the couch. Tord laughed a little at the sight of Tom whining a little as he complied with Tord’s request, the Norwegian sat in the space his blue roommate’s head once was and carefully opened his journal to start reading over what he had and adding to it periodically. Silver eyes drifted towards Tom, who had shifted to sit up and look at what Tord was doing, he didn’t try to lean over to look at what Tord was writing, the chance that it was written in English was slim anyways as Tord usually preferred writing in his native language. A clearing of the Norwegian’s throat knocked Tom from his thoughts and returned his gaze from the book to Tord’s face, which held a deeply amused expression.

“Can I help you Thomas? You were staring for a while.” Tord chuckled, Tom could feel his cheeks warm in embarrassment at the knowledge of his blatant staring being pointed out.

“Oh… I-I was just surprised you had your journal out here. You don’t like people looking into it after all, and this is the most used space in the house.” Tom pointed out and Tord laughed, nodding in confirmation before shutting his workbook.

“I know, but Edd and Matt are out of town for two days, remember? Plus I needed a new environment to think in, what better place than the living room?” Tord explained and Tom blinked in shock, he’d totally forgotten about Edd and Matt’s trip. They were leaving town for family visits and then getting some shopping done before coming home. Tom even made sure that the two were fully prepared and packed before they left… they must have left while Tom slept or he was distracted by something, he found himself more distracted lately and with Tord’s nightly tinkering, he still found little sleep. It was one thing that he still didn’t get used to.

“I… totally forgot that they left today… I guess I’m just tired.” Tom sighed, rubbing his face when he realized that he’d forgotten. Tord hummed, shifting in his seat and making a motion towards the sleepy bassist.

“You’re more than welcome to nap here Thomas… you look exhausted.” A long yawn escaped Tom, inky tears beaded in the corners of his ‘eyes’ before he nodded.

“Yeah… guess I’ll just…” Tom didn’t even finish his thought when he shifted on the couch to get comfortable without being in his roommate’s space. Once the spot was found, Tom quickly embraced the sweet call of rest. Just before he slipped into slumber, he heard Tord let out an amused chuckle. Part of Tom wanted to ask what was so funny, but it was too late and he fell asleep curled in a tight ball with his head resting on his knees.

…

When Tom woke back up, he was no longer curled up and instead was laying down fully on the couch, his head slightly elevated with what he began to think was a pillow. The bassist’s eyes were still heavy with sleep, he wondered what time it was now, hoping that he didn’t sleep for too long. The more awake he became, the faster he realized that there was a hand gently carding through his spiked hair and remembering that Matt and Edd weren’t in the house, there was only one person it could be.

His eyes finally cracked open, and Tom could see Tord above him, reading through a book with intense concentration as he gently petted the bassist’s head. It didn’t even look like he’d noticed Tom awake and now staring up at him with wide eyes until a yawn escaped the shorter’s mouth. The book snapped shut, and Tord looked down at Tom with an amused expression.

“Sleep well there princess? You were out for hours.” Tord hummed, chuckling when he saw Tom’s eyes widen in shock. The bassist slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and looking around to see if he could look at the time, another long yawn escaped him while he stretched.

“Mmm yeah actually… I didn’t realize how tired I was. When the hell did I move my head onto your lap?” Tom asked, realizing that he had been laying on Tord’s lap instead of the curled up position he’d been in when he first went to sleep. Tord stood up from the couch, setting what looked to be one of Tom’s mystery novels down onto the coffee table in favor of stretching.

“Mmm like three hours ago, I got up to put my journal away and sat back down to read something you had laying on the table when you started to lean on my shoulder. It was fine for the first hour, but after a little I got stiff in the shoulder, so I moved your head onto my lap instead… you started purring, which was an interesting reaction, I didn’t know you could purr .” Tord teased, grinning when Tom flushed like crazy and laughed nervously. Tom’s monster attributes were hideable for the most part, but the one thing that the bassist never seemed to be able to hide were the various animal sounds. Purring was one of the things he often tried pushing off as people imagined it, but Tom had a feeling he couldn’t get away with that one on Tord. 

“Ah yeahhhh weird genes… guess that’s what happens when your dad’s a pineapple and your mom’s a bowling ball yeah?” Tom’s laugh came out so forced, especially when Tord looked at him with a raised brow, showing that he wasn’t buying the excuse. They sat in silence, staring each other down for a few moments before Tom groaned and rubbed at his face. “Fine! I’ll tell the truth, but you can’t tell Edd or Matt. Got it?” Tom glared.

Tord laughed at the bassist’s attempt at a threat, raising a hand up while crossing his heart. “No one will know Thomas, now would you kindly tell me: Why do you purr like an animal?”

Tom shifted in his seat for a few moments, sighing heavily when the compulsion to express his secret to Tord became overwhelming. Finally he let out a groan and brought his hands to his face not wanting to see any potential crazy reactions or freakout, but it was Tord! He wasn’t exactly one to react like that.

“...I’ve got a monster form…” Tom mumbles, peeking through his fingers to gauge the Norwegian’s reaction. Said Norwegian raised a hand to his ear and a raised brow, he couldn’t hear him, so with a small growl of discomfort, Tom snapped out. “I’ve got a monster form, okay?! So I get the purring from it as some kind of residual effect of the form… It’s embarrassing.” 

Tord went quiet at this new information, humming with a spark of interest in his silver eyes. Tom felt his anxieties begin to build up the longer that the silence between them grew further. Eventually the anxiety won over Tom’s rational thinking, and the bassist quickly began to mutter that it was a mistake telling Tord and that he should go make something to eat. Just as he got up from the couch, he felt Tord’s hand grip his wrist to keep him there. The action shocked him just enough to look at his red-clad roommate with white eyes. 

“Hey hey, it’s alright. I think that’s pretty cool that you have a form like that, you’re not exactly normal… so a part of me wondered if that was the case.” Tord admitted with a chuckle, pulling Tom back down onto the couch with a smile that if Tom was paying attention to, would have looked just slightly off. Instead, Tom was distracted by the return of Tord’s hand in his soft, spiky hair; the pleasant sensation of Tord’s nails ever so slightly scratching his scalp caused the puring to return far louder than before; it likely had to do with Tom being more awake. Whatever the reason was, it had Tord chuckling at his roommate’s reaction and Tom couldn’t help but lean into the touch like a cat.

“Cute… though you mentioned something about being hungry, it is pretty close to dinner.. I was just going to order take-out from that one Chinese place… you want anything?” Tom nodded quietly, tilting his head to look at Tord.

“Yeah.. jus’ gimme a few moments and I’ll look over the takeout menu..” Tord laughed at how Tom’s voice sounded trying to talk around the purring, it sounded akin to talking through a fan. Normally the bassist would fluster at the sound of his voice and the laugh, but not this time, he was actually feeling relaxed.

That was until his stomach growled and he had to come to terms with standing up to find the takeout menu. 

At least when they ordered their food and waited for it to be delivered, Tom and Tord decided to watch some movies and idly chat. They talked about their interests, things they wanted to do in life, and eventually Tom went quiet as Tord explained the complexity of biomechanics, he understood none of it… but he liked listening to Tord talking about something that wasn’t hentai, or violence. 

When their food arrived, the chatter died down and the only thing that filled the silence was the characters on tv talking about their drama. Tom was busy slurping up noodles while Tord sat quietly and occasionally nibbled at his dumplings, something seemed to be on his mind. Before Tom could ask about it, the Norwegian finally spoke up.

“Tom… Do you believe in changing the world? That we’re capable of uniting the world and making it better?” Tom jolted at the question, covering his mouth to quickly chew his food and think on the questions. Were people really capable of uniting to that scale? What would it take to actually do that? What even brought this up to Tord?

The longer that Tom thought on it, the more counters he could think of. So with a frown, he looked to Tord and shook his head.

“No… maybe it’s possible for a little, but there’s always going to be someone that believes themself superior, there’s always going to be people that follow them. Someone will always believe themself as oppressed by the ‘unity.’ We all think differently, all have different upbringings, religions, beliefs… The last guy that wanted to ‘unite the world’ ended up throwing it into war because he only wanted certain people in the ‘perfect world.’” Tom frowned as he talked about it, the idea of unity and peace was appealing, of course it was! But realistically, it just wasn’t possible… human’s natural and selfish desires proved to Tom time and time again that they weren’t capable of being one equal body. 

Tord hummed, nodding and leaning back into the sofa. “I suppose that’s where we disagree, Thomas. I believe we’re smarter than that now. I believe if we put a system in, make sure things have fall backs and support, unity can be found… people from around the world are more able to unite now thanks to technology. We can make it work. I want to make it a united world.” 

The passion in Tord’s voice once again took Tom’s attention, the dedication Tord showed to this idea of unity made the bassist wish it could be possible. Oftentimes, Tom would wonder what the world could do if it was united. Perhaps life would be better, perhaps when they died they could leave it better than it had been for them. 

Tom took in a breath, resting a hand on Tord’s arm and offering nothing more than a tired smile and a few words. “If you can unite the world… I just hope I’m alive to see it come to fruition. I may not think it’s possible, but I would love to be proven wrong here.” 

Tord stared for a few moments, the passion in his eyes never once vanishing as he gave Tom a huge grin.

“I will make sure all three of you will be able to see it. I promise.”

It had been a few months after that day, checking the calendar on Tom’s phone showed him that it was now a year since Tord moved back in… it had really been a year since he began sharing his room with his once enemy. He almost couldn’t believe it, but it was the truth and Tom was shocked that he and Tord were now on good terms with each other. Tom trusted Tord with his monster form, even showing part of the transformation to the other so he could study it and see how it worked, but he never fully shifted after an explanation that he wasn’t in control of that stage of his form.

Tord in turn would occasionally explain his various inventions, how they worked and what duties they would serve if he eventually mass produced them. They would sometimes even discuss their ideas on what a perfect world would be like, sometimes they disagreed and would argue their side but now, they didn’t start throwing fists at each other.

Edd and Matt were pleased by Tom and Tord’s newfound bond, sometimes catching moments where they talked about books or Tom would be napping against Tord and the Norwegian would be idly carding his hand through the bassist’s hair while reading or watching tv (sometimes even shushing Edd or Matt when they’d get too loud.) Over all, the house was so much more peaceful than they had ever thought it’d be. Sure, they went out and had wacky adventures, but their home life was so much more at ease.

“I have to say Tom, I really didn’t think you and Tord would ever get along! Now look at you!” Edd grinned, idly swishing around the cola he had remaining in the can he was holding. Tom was busy giving Ringo love and attention on the floor when Edd began talking, the artist’s comment made Tom hum in agreement. He didn’t think he’d ever get past the ‘fuck you asshole’ phase with Tord, nowadays he found himself pretty much always in Tord’s company if he didn’t plan days out with Matt or Edd.

“Me neither… I mean, last year I could have sworn he was up to something. Now I’m just thinking that I was on high alert, he’s just existing and… I guess I was getting too anxious about it.” Tom admitted, shifting a little when Ringo curled up in his criss-crossed legs. Edd soon joined him on the floor, cooing at Ringo briefly before frowning at Tom’s admittance. 

“I get it, looking back on it, you were just looking out for Matt and I. I should have thought about that, you were the support I had when Tord just suddenly left, so I should have talked to you about Tord coming back. I’m sorry for that, Tom.” Edd looked to his friend, Ringo’s happy meow being the only thing between them for a few moments. Tom sighed softly, shrugging with a small smile. 

“Well… no use dwelling on it, right? It’s been a year now Edd, I’m over it. You have a tendency to be impulsive, we know this, it’s evident to everyone whenever you pack up the whole car to drive into Wales for a cola sale. So in hindsight, I really shouldn’t have been too shocked.” Tom laughed, recalling the farthest they went once had been to the very north of England once.. It was quite the car ride. Edd laughed as well, a bashful smile on his face as he nodded in agreement.

“Well I’m glad you’re not mad about it still. I’m glad you and him are finally friends, I was so sure you two would be friends back in high school… but I don’t know what happened there, Tord just stopped talking to you and never explained why.” Tom blinked and hummed, part of him was curious about that detail.

“Maybe I said something, it doesn’t matter now though. We’re friends now… I think.” The bassist honestly still didn’t know where he stood with Tord, the taller male hung around him and pulled him close on the couch, started lending Tom his hoodie and over all made Tom feel very comfortable around him. Tom wasn’t sure that could be called friendship though, he didn’t do those things with Edd or Matt as far as he knew. “He’s still a little hard for me to read…” 

Edd grunted and nodded in agreement, it was pretty hard to get a feel on their Norwegian housemate at times. Sometimes Edd would have to stare at his long time best friend and wonder what was going on in the man’s head, he thought that often when he’d catch Tom napping against Tord’s shoulder. He wondered if Tord liked Tom romantically, or he was being affectionate towards Tom because he felt like he could. 

Before Edd could comment on how he felt about the relationship between Tom and Tord, the red-clad member of the house walked in and raised a brow.

“Why are you two on the floor when there’s a perfectly usable couch not two feet from you?” Tord snorted, crossing his arms and smirking when Tom stuck his tongue out and pointed to his lap.

“I’ve got Ringo too comfortable, I refuse to disturb her slumber because I’m on the floor.” Tom countered, smiling slightly when he heard Tord chuckle and nod.

“Fair enough, and I’m guessing Edd sat down so he could talk to you without looking down at you. Oh Tom, when you’re freed from her majesty Ringo, would you kindly head to the hardware store and pick me up some more screws? I’d get them but my car is still being fixed.” Tom’s smile faded into a neutral expression when he nodded.

“Yeah, just text me the size you need so I don’t buy out the stock at the store when you’re only going to need one size.” Edd looked between them and offered Tord a smile while Tom gently pet Ringo, waiting for her to wake up and get off his warm lap. Tord stared back at Edd and offered a toothy smile, and a motion towards the tv.

“Hey Edd, you want to see if we can beat that one boss?” The cola lover squealed in excitement, startling Ringo from her slumber and making her run off. Tom whined a little at the loss of his feline friend before he remembered Tord’s request and sighed. The Norwegian laughed a little as Tom picked up his keys and ran up the stairs to grab his hoodie and wallet. He couldn’t follow after since Edd took his arm and sat him on the couch so they could play.

While Tord and Edd got their game prepared, Tom made his way into his and Tord’s shared room. All he needed was to grab his hoodie and his wallet. His wallet was an easy find, but for some reason he couldn’t find his hoodie in its usual spots.

He started to look around, thinking that maybe he had it in the hamper, when he looked high and low for it and came up with nothing Tom just shrugged and resorted to temporarily using the red hoodie Tord left on his desk, it wasn’t like he’d be out for long or keep it. He needed to get those screws and some snacks for himself while he was out, so he grabbed the hoodie and slid it on; of course Tom probably should have paid attention to what was on the desk, since a clattering of pens papers slipped, he even heard the thump of Tord’s journal hitting the ground.

“Ahh shit… I better clean this.” Tom sighed, hating the weird itch he started getting the longer he stayed in the house, but Tord would be pissed if he just left this mess. 

So he started cleaning, gathering up the papers and making sure they were straightened out, they were all written in Norwegian so Tom couldn’t understand a thing, the pens were also easily gathered up and put back into their proper space. Then came the journal, it was entirely opened, the written pages face up for anyone curious to peak into. Tom figured that these pages would be in Norwegian as well…

But he caught the glimpse of English on the page just as he reached over to close it and put it back. 

Brain recognition experiment

Tom didn’t know Tord did experiments like that, he didn’t even have rats or animals to experiment with in the house, was this what he’d been doing back in the big city? The bassist’s curiosity overpowered any request that currently stewed in his head, he had to read this, who knows when he’d have a chance like this again. If he didn’t now, he’d be thinking about it for weeks.

So after looking around to see if anyone was looking into the room or standing behind him, he sat down on his ass and began to read through the first entry.

…

May 9th

In theory, this experiment should work. My math has proven correct and the lab animals seem to take well to the serum and obey the activation phrase with minimal hiccups, the next course of action is to see if the serum and phrase works on a human subject… So far I can’t get the generals to approve of my project getting volunteers from the troops. I’ll need to improvise then…

On another note, it’s been a long time since I’ve talked to Edd…

I think I know how to solve my problem… I needed to retrieve the giant robot anyhow, may as well kill two birds with one stone.

…

Tom’s stomach dropped to the floor, they were being used for some sick experiment? His throat tightened as his mind tried to reason with what he read. Tord hadn’t been in the ‘Big City’ as they originally had been told, he was apparently in some military operation. He lied from the very beginning on where he was going, and what the hell did he mean by ‘giant robot’? Where the hell has he been keeping a giant robot? Wouldn’t they have noticed that? Tom was still getting more hung up over the fact that Tord was thinking of using them in an experiment.

“No… no I’ve seen Edd and Matt, they haven’t acted any different… maybe he changed his mind, just one of those stupid impulse thoughts that he wrote in.” Tom swallowed, flipping a few pages to see another entry.

…

May 11th

The whole purpose of this is to see if it’s possible to get someone so used to the activation phrase that they don’t require it. Passively obedient at that point. So naturally, to see if the effects work, it would make sense to have someone combative and strong willed…

Even if the generals had approved of my experimentation on volunteer troops, I wouldn’t be able to test the full extent of the serum as my troops will obey me. I would have hit a problem, so naturally it makes sense to find other people. My old friends would be good candidates…

Edd, while he was friendly and kind to me, who’s to say how he’ll take me re-entering his life. He’s also prone to violence, especially over the last can of cola or the last piece of bacon. He’s not hesitant to commit murder and he’s not as sane as many believe him to be, having once gone so crazy in a day when myself and the others were out of the house all at once. So Edd is a good possible candidate for the test… though if he is warm and accepting towards me, that could prove to be a problem as there would be a possibility that he’d become too willing to bend over backwards for my requests. 

Matt, now he was quite the character! He can be quite cunning and aggressive when it matters… Though that’s the problem, he can be a bit too smart sometimes. He’s also easily distractible and easy to frighten, his heart is actually quite weak and I haven’t tested the effects of the serum on people yet, for all I know this could give him a heart attack or give him some nasty unintentional side-effect.

Then there’s Thomas… headstrong and hates my guts, perfect to see if the serum works. Problem comes when administering said serum, it’s not like I can get him to willingly take it and it can’t be injected, it must be willingly ingested (flawed design I know, but I just don’t have much time to fix it currently.) There’s no way he’ll take anything from me, I’m also concerned about my robot retrieval… he’s prone to suspicion and already has little trust in me, so my sudden return will be very hard on him and put his distrust in me immediately.

I admit, I’m quite nervous to see them again… my heart hasn’t stopped pounding since I sent Edd that text on the 9th… I’ve hardly been able to sleep or eat, Pau and Patryck have been at my side almost 24/7 to make sure I don’t lose it. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them. Edd seems to be excited about my return, I told him to warn Thomas and Matt before I arrived… I just hope he doesn’t fuck that up and I end up getting jumped by Thomas the first chance he sees me.

…

Tom swallowed, okay so this wasn’t a one-off thought Tord had involving them. He had genuinely been considering using this fucking serum on them, even listing the reasons why each of them would be good for the experiment and then giving complications. The more Tom sat and flipped through the next few days, the more he wanted this to be some sort of elaborate prank. 

If this proved to be true, and Tord was going to be using them… Edd would be heartbroken, Matt was taking a liking to Tord now, Tom himself didn’t even know what he’d do now that he would actually consider Tord to be a friend. 

The next few pages were just Tord talking of other experiments, occasionally he’d mention feeling nervous the closer he got to the 16th, the day he would return to their lives. Tom knew that there was a higher chance he would be caught by Tord, he’s been sitting here for too long. But no matter how hard he told himself to put the book down, his intense desire to know what Tord was writing about overpowered him. He had to know, damn any fight that would come of it!

…

May 16th

Well… this return could have gone better. The three had gone on a fishing trip and were still out when I got to the house. I figured that it could be a good chance for me to check on my hidden lab and make sure that the robot was in peak condition for when I took it back to the Norway base. Pau and Patryck dropped me off and let me know to talk to them or text them as often as I could so I wouldn’t become too anxious and have a mental breakdown over being back here.

Anyways! I shouldn’t be talking about that, this is an observation journal, not a personal diary! When I got to the house, I noticed my old room door was covered in locks… so I started picking them one by one and these were some hard locks to pick! In hindsight, it makes sense why they were hard to pick, Thomas chose them to keep anyone and everyone out of his new room.

Speaking of Thomas, he would have totally stabbed me with a harpoon had Edd not said something. It looks like Edd hadn’t properly warned them of my return to the house, Thomas was reasonably pissed to see me and Edd was just as joyful as I remember… but Matt…

Matt is entirely different, he doesn’t remember me at all, according to Edd, Matt got a hold of my memory eraser gun and it backfired on him. He didn’t even remember his own name or anything, so Edd and Thomas had to rebuild him from the ground up. I feel terrible that he can’t remember himself, but it has been six years since he lost his memory and even if I can create something to bring memories back… it’s been too long since the event happened, he’s made too many new memories since. Who knows what kind of ramification it would have on his mind now.

But besides that, the most interesting thing to come out of today was Thomas. He was ready to scream and howl and have me sleep in the living room (which I later learned had no couches thanks to him) due to his old room being turned into a pool by our dear cola loving companion, but Edd looked livid at Thomas’ suggestion… I don’t think I remember a recent time where I saw the Witness so scared before. I then offered for us to share the room before Edd could start yelling back at him, strangely enough… Thomas agreed to it! He admitted to being exhausted and just wanting his privacy, he’s willing to bear through being my roommate if it makes Edd happy…

Quite fascinating, I really wanted to have him spending more time with us tonight, but he ended up staying inside our room to clean and research ways on getting the water out of his old room. It was disappointing to say the least, I was hoping to observe him and confirm my suspicions.

If Thomas will fold on his defense towards me to keep Edd happy, perhaps I can test the serum after all. Edd was very accommodating to my arrival back, to the point where he was prepared to berate Thomas for even thinking of letting me not sleep in my old room… of course I’ll need to test that a little before trying to give Thomas the serum. 

Things seem to be looking up for this experiment!

…

Tom barely registered his hands shaking until he struggled to turn the next page. His fingers fumbled and sliced against the delicate edge of the paper, he didn’t even react when he noticed a faint welling of blood on his index finger.

To avoid blood on the page, Tom stuck his finger into his mouth and skimmed through the entries. He had to know, Tord wrote that he thought Tom was now the best candidate for this experiment. He needed to know how this played out, when did Tord attempt to give him this serum? Finally his eyes landed on the entry and Tom’s blood ran cold…

He really had ingested the serum.

…

June 4th

THOMAS DRANK IT! I am over the moon!! I made him coffee and placed the serum inside, at first Thomas refused it but after I looked dejected Edd only needed to glare before Thomas folded. He drank the whole cup and even complimented it for being decent in his eyes.

I waited about 15 minutes before utilizing the activation phrase and it worked like a charm. He didn’t want to play video games, saying he was tired… which was fair since I may have left my headphones unplugged when I was playing one of my games. I would have let him sleep, but this was the perfect chance to test the phrase, so I started to irritate him more before using the activation phrase. His look of irritation melted into a more blank expression before he sighed and took the controller from my hands, he didn’t even question it! He just wrote it off as me ‘asking nicely.’ 

I am so excited!! Now if I need something, I can use the phrase and Thomas will do it! If my formulas are correct, he will only obey me using this phrase. Let’s see what I can do with this newfound control.

…

“I think I’m going to be sick…” Tom wretched, clamping his hand over his mouth as he rocked back and forth a little.

That’s why he’d been blanking, it hadn’t been because he was just tired of fighting! He was being… brainwashed, or used, or manipulated, whatever word it was! He hadn’t been in control of his own mind and here Tord was! Relishing the control he had over Tom! The bassist’s stomach churned and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He continued flipping through the pages, reading as every moment he had with Tord interacting with him had been nothing more than a gleeful experiment on the Norwegian’s end… and like a fool, Tom started to trust him.

He started randomly flipping through pages, unable to fully look at the glee Tord was writing about being able to control Tom. Void-like eyes skimmed over every page until he spotted the word ‘problem’ and stopped to read it.

…

September 20th

There’s a problem.

Edd and Matt are using the phrase now and Thomas has been doing what they’re asking. The joke they’re running with is that it’s his new please… Matt had asked for pancakes using the phrase and Tom complied, making it for everyone, then Edd also used the phrase to ask for a glass of milk.

This shouldn’t be happening. Thomas isn’t supposed to be doing that, I don’t understand! My formula has been correct, is this an error? Have I made it wrong? 

Fuck… Fuck fuck fuck, I never thought of a reversal serum! What if my enemies find out and use the phrase to make him do worse things? 

This is bad.

Fuck!

…

“Fuck so other people can control me too? But that makes no sense, I haven’t been blanking at other people… wait a minute…” Tom quickly flipped forward, reading briefly about Tord panic writing and that he can’t focus on the robot retrieval at this point because of his screw up.

Tord didn’t know that Tom just started using the phrase as interchangeable as ‘please’ for Edd and Matt, the entries after this one were talking about reversing the effects! 

But then he landed on the October 5th entry, his hope for freedom of whatever serum Tord had him ingest was dashed when he remembered what had happened that day, and with how excited Tord’s words were… Tom knew that the revelation had come.

…

October 5th

I am an idiot.

Why did I not think of it sooner?? Thomas wasn’t reacting to Edd or Matt’s use of the phrase because he was being controlled by the phrase! He was doing it because he cares about them and will do things for them more willingly! 

This revelation came to me after Thomas and I went out together. He’d been seeing me getting frustrated over my work and decided to take me out for a walk to clear my head. It was shockingly nice of him to do so, he’d been warming up to me these past few months and I guess wanted to help.

I needed a drink, stew in my perceived failure, I used the phrase on Thomas and while he didn’t react with the same blank face as he would when he was first being told the serum, he still obeyed. I’m unsure if the blank face means that he was unwilling to obey the order and now that Thomas is more comfortable with me, he’ll do the things I ask of him more willingly, thus not making that face.

Something I’ll have to test out later.

Anyways, we went to a bar and someone I recognized as one of my generals, spilled his drink on Thomas. He was furious and my general said that Thomas owed him another drink, after being rejected, the general used my activation phrase. I had never felt more angry towards someone, no one knows the activation phrase on base except Pau and Patryck and they would never tell my generals without my approval. This general had to have been going through my notes or listening into any conversation I had with Pau and Pat when I was lamenting on my ‘failure’.

I thought for sure Thomas would obey, and I would just have to beat the general up later… but no. Thomas instead punched him in the face and called him a moron, I was floored… that’s when the revelation hit me.

It was a good night after that, had Thomas not taken me out for a walk, I likely would have believed this to be a total failure and I would have been working on a reversal now rather than later. Now I understand better, and Thomas is to thank for it. I’ve been occasionally looking over at his sleeping body while I write this entry. He's still wearing my hoodie from when I gave it to him… I quite like seeing him in it, maybe I’ll start leaving one of my spares out in case he ever needs it again…

It’s such a good night now.

…

Tom felt warmth sliding down his cheeks, gently touching his face revealed that he’d begun to cry. 

This whole time, he’d thought that he was starting to just get used to Tord’s presence and they were at peace. But it was fake… manufactured because of some stupid serum and Tom’s desire to keep some sense of peace in the house. Sure, Tord eventually stopped using the phrase as often as he had in the beginning… but the point was that Tord robbed him of his ability to even make choices.

What was to stop Tord from fully controlling Tom? From turning him into a mindless slave?

Tom couldn’t stop himself from choking on a sob, this whole year… it was just a lie and Tom fell into the lie. He stopped questioning it and just went along with it.

Tom couldn’t continue reading anymore, the truth made him want to puke and wail loudly. He could feel his monstrous form threatening to emerge the longer he remained in emotional distress, Tom’s response was to start chanting in his head to hold it together while clamping his mouth shut with his own hand. Nothing felt real, it all felt like lies… and now he could hear footsteps making their way to the door, Tord’s voice loudly calling out to Edd before he began to open the door.

“I’ll be back down in a few moments Edd!! I just need to get something!!” Tord called out with a laugh, walking in with his smile faded away in an instant when he saw Tom sitting there in front of his opened journal. “Thomas… what are you doing?” Tom couldn’t help but look at him with distress clear on his face.

“T-Tord… what have you done to me ?” Tom shakily stood up and tried to breath, holding the journal like it was his only tether to sanity at the moment. Tord made a face and shut the door behind him so the others couldn’t hear them. The Norwegian began to approach and Tom began to stumble back to get away. “Y-You stay back! I-I’ll scream for Edd…” 

Tord raised his hands up and looked into Tom’s fearful gaze with furrowed brows and a softness in his silver eyes. It was meant to be soothing, but Tom could only see it as Tord attempting to lull him into another false sense of security. The bassist found himself pressed into the corner of their room trying to keep distance between himself and Tord, not wanting to get too close to the other in fear that something could happen.

“Thomas… I know this looks bad. You must understand, you’re helping me create a better world! You have helped me understand the human mind far better than I could have ever hoped. With your contributions, my soldiers and I can unify the world, make it better like I promised to show you.” That gentle smile returned and Tom choked on a sob, with what he knows now, Tom was positive it was only there to make Tom think everything would be alright when he was in this seriously fucked up situation! Tom couldn’t take it, this attempt to make things look alright when they weren’t

“And how do you plan to make the world better? Huh? Rob people of their choice and free-will? That’s not making the world better! That’s creating slaves that will always obey!” Tord took another step closer, Tom found himself trying to press himself further into the corner he put himself in. He had to get away, he had to scream for help! Show Edd and Matt what Tord’s done to him! Just as Tom opened his mouth to scream, Tord was there, pressing firmly against him and keeping Tom’s mouth shut with a desperate expression on his face.

“You forget Thomas, I have barely used the phrase since you’ve ingested the serum. I had only been doing it those first few weeks to see if it could work on humans. I do not abuse the use of the phrase, you’ve surely noticed that… it’s the others that have been abusing it Tom.” Tord’s smile widened a little more when he saw Tom stop fighting and look up into his silver eyes, he had the other’s attention. “Think about it Thomas… in the right hands, this serum and phrase usage could help those deemed unruly to society! We give it to them, use the phrase often at the start and get them used to behaving appropriately and they’re free to rejoin society! We remove the serum’s effects without them knowing and then let them go out into the world, ready to provide! It’s only when in the wrong hands that this serum proves to be a problem.”

Tom began protesting through Tord’s hand, gasping a little when the Norwegian let go and allowed him to talk. “Edd and Matt don’t know the truth about the phrase… th-they wouldn’t be using it if they knew what it does!” 

Tom tried to protest, his heart sunk when Tord scoffed out a laugh.

“Thomas… you’re truly a good friend, you are… but you’re sorely mistaken when you think that they would stop. Matt, maybe… but Edd ? Thomas you remember that Edd didn’t even listen to your concerns about me being back in the house, he was willing to scream at you and berate you when you didn’t agree to give me my old room back. He’s broken your bass several times even after you told him not to touch it, thrown you head first at doors, and let you be his human meat shield a few times.” Tord took hold of Tom’s shoulders, looking at him with a soft expression that only seemed to make Tom hiccup and gasp for more air.

That couldn’t be right! They had their ups and downs… but Edd wouldn’t do that to him right?! Matt wouldn’t use the phrase on purpose, his memory problems unfortunately would likely make him forget many times to not use the phrase. Tom was so confused now, the memory of all the things that his friends put him through in the past, was it really indicative of how they would treat him if they found out about the brainwashing? The bassist didn’t know what to believe, his own memory of his friends, or the words of Tord… who was gently pulling him away from the spot in the corner he had been pressing himself into. 

Tom found his face gently pressed into Tord’s chest, the Norwegian’s arms wrapped around him and providing stability. There was a voice in the back of Tom’s head screaming that this was wrong, that Tord was using him… but who would save him? Who was to say his friends wouldn’t just go along with it?

“E-Edd cares about me… He does. He wouldn’t let you-!” Tom attempted to protest, jolting when he felt gentle hands carding through his spiky hair. There was no aggression or annoyance towards Tom’s attempts to protest, but Tord was also able to counter with ease.

“Thomas, you do recall that the only way I would have been able to give you the serum in the first place was because of Edd?” Tom froze at the calm counter Tord provided, as it settled in, Tord continued on. “He cares more about making sure I’m happy, than letting you warm up to me on your own time. You saw how he was when I first came back, he is desperate to make sure I stay. Even if it means that yours or Matt’s comfort is sacrificed.” 

He wasn’t sure why that was the final nail in the coffin for Tom, why he broke down and finally began sobbing into Tord’s chest. Maybe it was the way Tord was holding him and soothing him, maybe it was his mind unable to find a counter to Tord’s comment, maybe… maybe he’d always known that he didn’t really matter to Edd the same way that Tord did. The revelation that this situation came from the fact that Tom was so set on making Edd happy, it left him open to being used like a puppet. 

Tord gently shushed Tom, swaying side to side with a gentle hum. “There there… it’s going to be alright Thomas, I’m here. I care. We’ll make things right, we’ll unify the world together… so there will never have to be another Thomas that gets manipulated, never another poor soul being used or treated poorly.” 

“...This isn’t right.” Tom protested weakly, unable to stop from gripping the red fabric of Tord’s jacket, the smell of cigars and oil filled his senses. “Why are you… why are you doing this? You hate me, why are you comforting me?” 

A heavy sigh escaped the taller and he gently pulled away from Tom to look at him properly. 

“I didn’t hate you Thomas, truthfully I liked; and still do like you a lot. Back in high school, I was just too afraid to act on my feelings… so I started being mean. By the time I figured myself out, the damage was done and we were enemies. I wasn’t lying to you when I gave you that coffee Thomas, I want a fresh start with you… I want you to come with me, back to Norway! You won’t feel like you have to make others happy! It will be a fresh start for both of us!” Tord lit up, his hands holding Tom’s cheeks with a possessive glint in his eyes. It felt like so much information thrown onto him at once, it was too much to handle.

Tord could see Tom was spiraling a little more and hummed gently, offering tender patience that Tom took to like a moth to flame. “Hey, how about we get out of here, head to the store and get those screws I need… then we’ll head to the shops and I’ll get us some snacks while you sit in the cart, sound relaxing?”

Right… Tord had asked him for screws, part of Tom kicked himself for getting so sidetracked. On the other hand, he needed to know this. He needed to know what was happening to him, and Tord was more than willing to tell him the truth here… he was more than willing to provide comfort to Tom when he didn’t even need to. With Tord’s question in mind, Tom nodded and exhaled a slow and shaky breath.

Tord wasted no time in picking up the keys to Tom’s car, and making sure he had his wallet and anything else before offering his hand to Tom and smiling when he watched the shorter wipe his face clean of tears and take his hand. They made their way down the stairs and Tord called out to Edd that they would need to put their game on pause since Tom needed some help with the store, the bassist did feel bad when he saw the look of disappointment on his face, but Tord paid no mind to it and they were out of the house before Edd could even register the fact that Tom was wearing Tord’s spare hoodie. 

Their drive and walk around the hardware store was pretty uneventful, Tord was quick in grabbing the needed screws and they were out of there in no time. Tom had been quiet the whole time, calming himself from his breakdown and grounding himself to reality by holding Tord’s hand. It helped keep him from getting lost as well, as he really wasn’t paying attention to where they were going and was staring off into space more often than not. 

Their drive to the grocery store wasn’t any different, with Tom being quiet and lost in his thoughts and Tord occasionally looking over at him to check if he was okay. The radio was the only thing that filled the silence between them until they were pulling into the parking lot. 

“Thomas…” Tord finally exhaled.

“Mm?” 

“You still have that blanket in your trunk right?” Where is he going with this? Tom raised a brow, but nodded slowly to confirm as Tord parked the car and smiled. “Wait in the car for a few, okay?” 

Of course Tord didn’t wait for a response, shutting the door before Tom could even ask the Norwegian what he was doing. He could hear the trunk being popped open and Tord pulling something out from it, likely the checkered blanket that he had asked about. It wasn’t long before Tord opened Tom’s side of the car and unbuckled him, wrapped him tightly in the blanket and carried him to a nearby cart to sit him in. Tom stared with shock, the warmth of his blanket brought him comfort and let him bury his face a little when he saw Tord’s reassuring grin. 

It was comforting to be wrapped up in this, to be cared for after an intense spiral. He found himself finally being calm enough that he could think on what had been told to him before they went out. Tord had been wanting to make the world better with this serum, he was looking into ways for those that could keep from abusing the control people had on those under the serum effects… and Tord wanted Tom to come with him back to the Norwegian’s army base so they could make the world better together . It was still a lot to take in, but Tord remained patient with him as he got his bearings. Edd would have started to get frustrated with him if he ‘took too long’ thinking about something, the thought of his cola-loving friend was sour now… the reminder in his head rang out that he mattered less than Tord in Edd’s eyes, and Matt was more focused on himself lately to notice, but he didn’t blame the ginger for that, he was still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered memories.

“Would you like to talk about the thoughts rattling around in your head min blå kjære?” Tord asked, slowing down in the soft drinks aisle and looking through the various options. Tom wrapped himself a little tighter into his blanket and shifted in the basket before answering.

“I’ve just been… thinking about what you said, about Norway?” Tom swallowed, watching as Tord’s patient expression shifted to one of hopeful excitement. “I was… I was wondering what you’d even have me do? Would I be fighting or..”

Tord was quick to laugh that off and hand Tom the selected soft drinks before pushing the cart along towards the snacks. “Oh no no I wouldn’t be having you there as a soldier. No, I'd rather keep you close! Think of it as a… secretary/bodyguard job.”

A soft short escaped Tom at the mention of ‘bodyguarding’ Tord of all men. It sounded like a whole ass joke, and Tord joined in the laughter, agreeing that the wording was silly.

“Bodyguard? Heh, last time I checked Tord, you don’t need one.” The Norwegian nodded in agreement, he really didn’t need one… not entirely.

“Yes yes, you’re right… but my right hands have been pestering me to at least have someone around to watch my back, who better than the man who can still shoot a bullseye with a sniper rifle absolutely plastered?” There was still pride in Tom when Tord pointed that out, he was always a crack shot even when totally wasted. During their times of animosity, it was the only thing that Tord ever complimented Tom on and genuinely meant what he said. Even now, it madde Tom happy to be complimented for something as simple as his aim.

“Well… I guess I’m your guy… but what about Matt and Edd? If we both leave… they’ll be heartbroken.” His pride was overshadowed by the creeping return of his anxiety, Tord leaned against the cart handle, occasionally looking at Tom while also watching out to make sure he didn’t hit anyone with the cart as he talked to his blue companion.

“That’s just how life is Thomas, people leave eventually. No one has asked you to be at their side forever, and we can still stay in contact with them using letters or our phones… I can also see if we can do an occasional visit but I can’t promise that’ll work out.” Tom curled up a little tighter, his concern for his friends was a powerful force, even Tord’s logic was slow to break through it. Tom knew that leaving their side didn’t mean the loss of their friendship, it still left him feeling scared.

“I… I suppose you have a point. I guess I’m just, fuck… I’m scared Tord. I’ve never just left them on their own like this.” Tord nodded, slowing down in front of the chocolate aisle and bringing a hand through Tom’s messy hair. The touch grounded the bassist and even if it was from the man that put him through this mess, it was more affection and attention that Tom had been given in such a long time. The Brit leaned into the touch and sighed softly when he saw the smile on Tord’s face, it held that possessive glint to it… but he found that right now, he really didn’t care.

“If it brings comfort, I can have someone watch them and give you updates on how they’re doing. They’re grown men Thomas, they can take care of themselves.” He was right, Edd and Matt were grown ups, capable of being independent. Maybe Tom just got so used to parenting them that the idea of not being around them to take care of them was the scary bit. 

“Yeah… you’re right, you’re right.” He exhaled, and before Tord continued to push the cart into the crisps isles, Tom leaned out of the cart and swiped some of his favorite Swiss chocolate. Tord snorted and continued to push the cart along, occasionally looking over a snack or two before either throwing it into the cart or putting it back. Their conversation was on hold for a few moments before they rounded into the cereal aisle and the conversation started back up again because of Tord.

“So, was that a yes?”

“To what?”

“To you joining me in Norway?” Ah right, Tom never actually gave Tord a response to his invitation. A part of him didn’t want to go at all, just wanted everything to go back to normal, but the louder part of his mind reminded him that things would never go back to normal. He would never have that ignorant normal again, but he could have a new normal… one where he was provided with purpose, affection, and patience.

With a soft exhale of breath and a shifting his head fully out of the safety and comfort of his makeshift blanket hood and letting the excess fabric loosely land on his shoulders. Tord stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes, hoping that the other would agree to join him. Tom found himself nervously scratching the back of his neck, clearing his throat and trying to form his words just right while hoping that he would be making the right choice.

“Ah uhhm… Yeah? I guess so, but you need to make sure Edd and Matt don’t get hurt, AND you don’t use the phrase on me, I want to be free and be able to make my own choices without the intense compulsion to get you… you, I don’t know, paperclips or something stupid like that! And certainly don’t use the phrase to have me murder someone, got it?” Excitement radiated from Tord’s body once he heard that Tom would go with him, he wasn’t even reacting to the conditions. It was as if he expected them to be his exceptions, which to be honest, they weren’t exactly a surprising set of conditions.

“Well that’s not in my plan to put them into danger Thomas, but you have my word. I will no longer use the phrase either, I’m pretty sure I don’t even need to at this point. I will need to make a reversal serum anyhow, all the equipment I need is back in Norway. So you grab what you wanna take with you to the base, I’ll make the final checks on the giant robot and we’ll begin the trip.” With that said, Tord set a box of cereal into the cart and hummed when Tom choked on air and stared in shock.

“Wait, we’re leaving today?” He wasn’t expecting to be leaving immediately, to at least let Edd and Matt down easy with the news before he left with Tord to a new fucking country. The Norwegian nodded in confirmation, continuing to push the cart through to the beloved crisps aisle while Tom choked a little trying to protest the decision. 

“Well it’s for the best, I’ve actually been out here longer than I should have been… I know it’s a lot to spring up on you, but this is for the best Thomas, trust me.” Another touch to Tom’s head, another small smile, a simple request of trust that had Tom thinking.

Trust. It was such a simple request, to put faith in Tord after all that happened between them. The act of trusting the man who put him into a situation where he’s now technically an experiment, it was a lot to ask. The desire for trust brought an anxiety to Tom, a concern for what would happen if he gave the Norwegian his trust. Would he simply abuse the trust? Take a mile after Tom allowed him an inch? Trust was starting to get hard to hand out, the blue bassist was unsure of who to put trust into. If Tord asked this question a year ago, he would have laughed at him and punched him for good measure.

But looking at Tord here, now… he felt at ease. While the man put him into this situation in the first place, the Norwegian gave him an explanation, countered Tom’s protests with facts that made sense. And when he broke down over the revelation that his friends weren’t great to him? Tord provided comfort, safety, and patience… something that Tom desperately needed all of long before all of this happened. Now Tord was offering him all of that, and a chance to possibly make the world better? A chance to do more than float through life and doing nothing but strange adventures?

He took a deep breath, nodding to himself before looking into Tord’s silver eyes and swallowed thickly. This was it, the moment where he would either immediately regret his choice, or feel like it was the right one.

“... Okay… I trust you.” 

A long pause drifted between them, Tord stared at Tom with an awestruck expression, such a face made Tom fluster and bite the inside of his mouth. Suddenly, Tord was practically flying through the aisles grabbing various treats and snacks with a childish grin on his face while Tom was holding the sides of the basket a little anytime Tord made turns. The genuine awe and excitement the Norwegian expressed towards the simple act of the bassist putting trust into him made him ecstatic. Such a reaction of bliss made Tom believe that it was a true, non malicious, reaction to his act of putting trust into the red-clad member of his home. 

After that, their trip in the store went by a lot faster, the two talking in between Tord gathering up treats and snacks for their journey to the taller’s homeland. Tom still had some nerves about the trip, and about leaving so soon… but it was for the best according to Tord, and so he trusted him.

…

There wasn’t much to remember about the car ride home other than Tord basically giving Tom the run-down of how things would go when they arrived at base. The bassist did his best to remember everything, but Tord was talking too fast and sometimes flipped to Norwegian without knowing. 

“You’re probably going to need to give that again on the way there, you’re way too excited for this so it’s hard to tell what you’re saying.” Tom chuckled, watching as Tord laughed and scratched gently at his cheek.

“Apologies, I will explain it again after I funnel all this excitement into the robot checks and diagnostics. I’m just so glad to have you come with me Thomas, I’m excited for you to meet my right hands, Pau and Pat are going to love you. They’re just as odd as Edd and Matt can be, but they know when to be serious… they help keep me balanced, just as I keep them in check.” Tord explained as they pulled up to the house and noticed that the lights were out and Matt’s car wasn’t there. They blinked at the sight, Tom couldn’t even see the faint glow from Edd’s room that he was working on his tablet. 

“Mm… well I hope they like me then, I think Matt and Edd went out. At this hour? They’re either at the movies, or they’re at the rebuilt arcade together.” Tom clicked his tongue, taking a deep breath before getting out of the car with Tord to help him get the snacks out of his car and heading to their room so Tord could begin making his last minute checks over the robot. As they walked in, Tom saw a note written in Matt’s handwriting that he took Edd out to the movies and they’d be back pretty late. Tom smiled a little, knowing that he and Tord would likely be gone by then… so he flipped the note over and carefully started to write while Tord rushed up the stairs.

Edd and Matt,

By the time you read this, Tord and I may be gone. I can’t really say where we’re heading, but I think this is going to be good for us.

Edd, please remember to drink water, not just cola. I’ll try to check in when I can and make sure you’re doing that. You’re a good guy, and I know that this will hurt, but I think it’s time I leave the house and have new adventures. Remember that I am still and always will be your friend.

Matt, try not to fill the extra space with your novelty toys :) and please remember me. You are a messy, goofy, bighearted friend and I will never forget that. I know I’ve yelled and mocked you a lot, but truly Matt I think you’re swell. You’re a good man, watch after Edd for me and most importantly, watch after yourself. I’ll try to check in as much as I can with both of you like I said before, just please be good.

Thanks for the memories, this house will always feel like home to me. I’ll miss you and I’ll miss Ringo so much.

Later,

Tom

Just as Tom finished the last words in his note, Ringo mewed softly, rubbing her head against his leg and purring like crazy. Tom couldn’t help but gently pick her up and purr in response. “I’m going to miss my purring buddy… you watch over them Ringo, okay? Make sure they don’t get hurt.” 

A happy mew was all he got in response to her before Tord came back from their room and cleared his throat.

“Thomas… I don’t mean to pull you from her highness Ringo, but you need to grab what you wanna take to Norway.” A sad sigh escaped Tom, but he nodded and pressed a kiss to Ringo’s head. The gray cat nuzzled his cheek, hopping out of his arms to run off and sleep in Edd’s room. He was going to miss her night-time visits when insomnia struck him, he was going to miss this place. 

But it was time to go. To join Tord in Norway and make the world better, Tom really hoped that the situation he went through, the serum running through his body had to be good for something. He had to be good for something… right?

The packing was quick, there hadn’t been much that Tom really wanted to keep. His father’s glasses, his mother’s pearl necklace, a photo of him with Edd and Matt, and his beloved bass. There were also a few other knick knacks that he grabbed, but the rest were just changes of clothes and other simple things like that, he still couldn’t find his favorite blue hoodie, so he continued to wear Tord’s spare. 

The Norwegian began to open up the entrance to his hidden lab, Tom wasn’t too shocked by it, having found it on his own while drunk as shit and leaving the picture frames over the lever so he didn’t mess with anything in there and get hurt or blow the house up. Once the lab was opened, Tom finally saw his hoodie, right there on the table with a bunch of test tubes and a microscope. Tord noticed the hoodie too, laughing awkwardly as he picked it up.

“I thought I put this back.. I was just trying to see if I could figure out how your monster form worked by looking over various hair samples, I thought I could get the needed samples from your hoodie. Guess I forgot it was still in here.” Tom scoffed, rolling his eyes as he folded the hoodie up and packed it away. He planned on hopefully washing it when they got there, who knows what chemicals could have accidentally spilled onto the fabric?

“Well, I don’t think you’ll get much information about it… not even my family knew why I have my form. It’s some kind of folktale that we’ve passed from generation to generation.” Tom explained, not too keen on letting Tord know that his cousins also had monster forms. Their privacy came first and even though he trusted Tord, there was no telling if his family would do the same. 

“Well, some folktales are based on truth. I’ll try to figure out how it works, maybe see if there’s a possibility to tame the final form.” Tord did one last look over everything, packing up what he wanted to keep and smiling when he saw the diagnostics on the robot’s systems were showing that all systems were optimal for travel. “We’ll figure it out when we get to my proper lab, some non-invasive tests and blood work should give us a start. For now, let’s get going. Ready?”

Tom nodded, no turning back now. His grip on his bag tightened and Tord smiled, motioning him closer.

“Perfect, now then… this part is going to be a little intimate, you need to press against me, back to my chest. I swear I have a reason.” Tom furrowed his brows and made a face, but still he complied and pressed close to the taller Norwegian, feeling his arms wrap around him securely. Just as Tom was going to ask, Tord hit a button and a tube shut around them before opening the floor below them and sliding them into the head of the robot. Tom thought a fair warning would have been nice, but Tord was way too giddy for that.

The system went through the boot-up process, giving Tord time to shift Tom around to make sure his smaller companion didn’t get hurt in the cockpit meant for a single pilot. The bassist let the other move him around as he pleased, more focused on looking around at all the displays and tech that Tord made with his own hands. 

“Comfortable Thomas?” Tord checked in, shifting some of the controls and flipped some switches while Tom hummed in thought.

“Yeah, I’m just… still reeling that you had this under the house. And I guess I’m a little nervous about the trip to Norway.” He admitted, jolting a little when the platform below the robot lifted them up towards an opening hatch above them so they could prepare for takeoff. The sound of the robot’s chassis rattled slightly and didn’t inspire much confidence. Tord rubbed his back and offered a confident smile, it brought some comfort to the bassist’s worries.

“It’s going to be alright, it’ll be a short-ish flight. You should get some sleep, you’ve had a long day. I’ll wake you up just before we land or if something happens. It’s going to be fine, trust me!”

Tom wasn’t sure when he started to feel the exhaustion, but the mention of him having a long day reminded Tom of all the events that happened that day. He couldn’t even fight the long yawn that escaped him, Tord chuckled at the sight while he hit the ignition to the robot and it started up, beginning the countdown to ignition just as Tom yawned again and leaned against Tord.

Ignition for lift-off T-minus 10

9

8

“… okay, I trust you. Don’t let me sleep too long.” Tom mumbled, putting a pair of headphones into his ears so he could dampen the sound of the robot’s noises, it was just like an airplane…

7

6

5

A really… really scary first generation airplane, he had to trust Tord’s design, trust that he wouldn’t get them killed. As he drifted to sleep, he felt a pair of soft lips press against his forehead, a tender kiss that gave Tom the final push into sleep.

4

3

2

1

“God natt Thomas.” 

Lift-off achieved. Destination: Red Army, Norway base.