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A rumble escapes from his throat, but other than that he does not acknowledge the sound of his apartment door opening.
Tom lays there in pain. The quality of his bed being better wouldn't help the burning of his muscle anyway.
But in a way, he wished he was somewhere more comfortable. Only a tub of ice could really soothe the level of aches he's experiencing. And if he'd bother to deal with a cold later, he'd do it too.
The bedroom door is cracked opened. Although he is not bothered by the light shining through, he squints his eyes. Seeing the figure come through the doorway with a push of his hips.
Edd meets his gaze with a frown. Quietly coming over, he brings a cool blanket over Tom. As if he was some kid needing tucked in.
He wouldn't admit it was nice. He'd kind of rather punch Edd in the throat than do that.
Tom closed his eyes, leaning into the pillow beneath his head. The relief is almost immediate. At least for a second. It's cool..
"Sorry if it sucks." Edd shrugs. Despite the other man not being loud, he can overly hear every movement he does.
Around his room, he hears a can being placed onto his nightstand. "I don't have a whole lot other than for me." Edd leans back, placing his hands into his pockets as he stares into the wall.
Tom know that actually means the rest have been claimed by Ringo. Though through the pain and just the general lack of caring, he will not fight the cat for something better he decides. Not today.
"Eh, I don't have anything really better.." Edd has noticed he has a lack of anything in his apartment besides a gun and some bread.
But it's only been a few months.. And Tom is probably broke. He hopes. At least it isn't his findings anymore, but still..
Tom is waved off. "Don't feel too bad. One is enough, right?"
". . ."
"Edd.. I feel like I'm kind of dying right now."
Edd's mouth quirks up as a snicker escapes him. He takes a causal step over, bringing a hand from his hoodie pocket to reach out to Tom.
"I doubt it's even a fever- oh good Christ." He bites back a bit on his tongue.
Almost immediately after making contact with Tom's skin, he reels away. Flapping his hand as if that'll make him forget the feeling.
He turns his back to him, taking a step away towards the door.
"Hold on a minute, Tom. I'll be back."
And than the door shuts.
And he isn't back.
Tom doesn't move much. A soft groan escapes him as he tilts his chin upwards. The slight grimace spreading across his face allows some of his teeth to peek out.
They feel too big for his mouth. Kind of like his old braces but somehow worse. Maybe chewing on some ice would help..
Actually ice sounds amazing about now.
Edd makes his way down the stairs of the complex. Eventually he meets the bottom, and gaze of a friend.
Matt slips his phone into his coat's pocket after giving Edd bit of a smile. They walk out and on the sidewalk, Matt notices a lack of someone by the corner of his eye.
"What's up?" Edd questions. The ginger looks to the side almost shyly.
Matt's smile is almost awkward as he presses a finger onto one of his canines. "Oh uh, nothing." He laughs a little under his breath. "I just thought Tom would be with you."
"Yeah.." Edd casts his gaze away from Matt as he tries to think of a proper answer, his words trailing away from him as they turn the corner.
"Think he caught the flu." He finally answers with a slump of his shoulders. Matt's eyes widen a bit as a frown spreads across his face.
The vampire crosses his arms. A huff from his lips blowing up his bangs as he brings his chin high.
"Of course that arse decides he's sick now out of all times. We just watched a movie at his flat yesterday. Not a big enough deal to tell me or anything he caught cooties."
"Maybe he thought you were too stupid to notice.." Edd drops his expression with a murmur. The sharp gaze from Matt stirs a laugh out him tho, causing the deadpan to drop immediately.
He grins, patting the taller man on the shoulder. "C'mon, was just a tease."
Matt seems to tense up on the touch, reeling back to grumble under his breath. Edd blinks watching him straighten his posture as he runs a hand over his hair.
"I have a date tonight." Matt pouts.
Everything clicks to Edd. He offers a reassuring smile, even if it's a bit forced.
"Hey, if it doesn't end well. You can just have a date with the sickly again." He holds up his hands with a little shrug. Leaning over onto Matt, he smiles up to him.
Matt's eyes narrow. With a smirk, he buds his knuckles off of Edd's shoulder.
"Ow, you jerk." Edd grins. It was a bit painful, even if it was playful in nature. He rubs the side of his arm, not breaking eye contact.
"Tho I doubt he's actually sick." He rolls his eyes to the side. His smile dropping along with his arm.
Looking back to Matt, he blinks. His expression falling to confusion. "What?"
The man in purple pops his hip to the side before placing his hands on the sides of it. "You implying he's faking?" Matt smirks.
Edd huffs in amusement. With his hand, he waves him off. "No no, he's definitely out of commission." The artist sticks his tongue out a bit as he bites onto it.
"Aw." Matt tilts his head over as he deflates. He chews a bit of the inside of his mouth. A bad habit, he knows.
"Do you think he'll eat..?" The nature of his voice catches Edd off. Glancing over, its clear to see the realization of his friend being ill has truly kicked in.
Edd frowns. "Eh, you know how Tom is.." He shrugs. But as he meets Matt's eyes, he sighs. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."
Matt seems to visibly brighten at this. "Oh then, don't get him the tacos this time."
"Yeah I would rather not vomit that up myself." Edd deadpans. Stepping ahead, he presses a hand against the door to the dinner. Opening it for the both of them.
"Or clean it." Matt grimaces.
Stepping to the side as he holds onto the door, Edd takes a slight bow. "Ladies first." He smiles. Without even looking, he can sense the ginger's eye twitch.
"More like royalty." Matt's expression falls into a deadpan. Edd laughs, following in after the ginger does.
"What would you even do? Execute me?" Edd humors.
They walk near the back of the restaurant, since most other booths are taken. Neither like to sit with someone behind them.
Although Edd can barely catch it, as Matt turns his back on him as they walk. He almost seems conflicted with the question.
He does not frown, but looks in his eyes seems.. Guilty. Without even really doing something. As if he's considered it in the past.
Sitting down, the waitress eyes them from afar. Matt taps his finger on his leg. Yeah.. He's not really her favorite. But she waits on them anyway.
Edd gets a ridiculous amount of cola, as always. And Matt, well. Edd watches as he makes his own tea with the lemon and sugar at the table as if he's 50 and divorced.
"You should text Tom if you haven't already." Matt pipes up. Glancing over to Edd from across the table.
"Wow, I'm surprised you even remembered that." Edd jeers. Matt's eyes narrow with a little 'hey,' but Edd doesn't pay it mind.
Instead he directs his attention to his phone.
'hey you want something from bobs'
And then he waits.
While waiting for Tom's message. He casts his attention back to Matt.
He's.. Doing a crossword.
"Isn't that a kid's menu?" Edd questions. Gaining him another glare from Matt as the man halts his crayon from creating anymore scribbles.
"Hey. Give me one."
Matt's shoulders untense as the numerous phrases of defense and resentment become blank.
Edd sticks his tongue out as he begins to color in his page with multiple terrible cat drawings.
The text from Tom becomes unnoticed until they finish their meals.
. . .
Matt goes to his probably non successful date, while Edd is all alone. Getting popsicles instead of food for Tom. He sighs while in line.
He thinks he saw Eduardo while walking through the store. He doesn't know what he would say after everything.
'I'm sorry,' maybe. That doesn't really make sense. There's a heavy feeling on his shoulders.
He stares out the window. Barely registering it's his turn in line as he's instead focused on the tape stuck on the glass.
A paper was there once. Now it's gone. There's barely a trace of it now. Heh. Yeah. He knows that feeling.
Edd stares to his shoes as he pays. Walking down the streets, he feels almost tired.
The bag around his wrist as his hands are in his pockets. Having his hands hidden, is usually a way of saying he's comfortable. But he feels so stiff.
He knows after he puts the ice pops in the freezer, he'll be alone in his flat. Maybe that's okay. He can just draw and go to sleep. With Ringo probably sitting on his face.
Yeah. Ok.
. . .
He doesn't knock as he comes in. Placing the key to the side, he'll leave it after he's done. It's Tom's anyways.
He drops the bag by the sofa. The hair's on his neck stand up. Something isn't right.
He silently makes his way rather quickly, but still walking, to Tom's bedroom.
"Tom?"
Creeking the bedroom door open and slipping through. The door shuts behind him as he presses him self into it. An instinct to get away seems to back fire.
'Shit..'
His breath is light as he stares across the room. It's dark, but he can see it.
Curled in the corner is a somewhat humanoid figure. It's teeth bare, and inside it's mouth is an odd almost unnaturally pigmented violet. Edd feels frozen.
A hiss escapes it slowly, a warning similar to an alligators. It's claws underneath it hold onto the ground almost in a desperate manner.
It's scared.
The two are locked, staring into each other. While it seems to awaiting his next move. Edd takes the moment to flash a glance over it.
It's dark in color. It's almost like obsidian. How it's dark in color, but shimmers as you look among each scale.
The spikes among it's elbows and back are uneven and jagged. Curved on its head, is similar formations. But two are more distinct than the rest, seeming to act as horns.
But Edd isn't really staring at the horns, or the claws, or even the point of it's butt that seems to be its tail bone.
The spikes.. It's kind of like..
"Tom?"
The creature's mouth is no longer gaped. It seems to lift it's shoulders up with the mention of the name, almost in a dog like manner.
Edd seems taken aback. He takes a step forward. Keeping his hands to his sides, bracing himself. Readying to book it like a Scooby-Doo chase scene if he has to.
He takes in a breathe, and holds it. He is staring into it's sockets. The more he stares, the more familiar. He frowns.
"I.. Brought the popsicles-" He tries, to have the life force almost sucked immediately from him as slender fingers wrap around his arm.
It's face is obscured as it stares towards the floor. It's body is slumped over as it uses Edd as support. Edd is petrified in a rabbit like manner. His eyes wide as he watches.
Darkness strips away from the figure as it straightens it's posture. Eventually it looks up, and Edd is greeted with his friend's exhausted face.
"That's cool.." Tom breathes out. Edd perhaps would be laughing to the pun if his eyes weren't popping out from his head.
He pushes himself back, forcing himself from Tom's clawed grip.
"Wh- What the hell was that??" Edd confusion is almost like a grimace. He locks eyes with Tom, watching as he blinks in a frog like manner.
Suddenly something clicks once again. Before he shifted.. Those horns.. Fangs..
Edd points out to Tom as he struggles to force out his words.
"You broke my freaking ribs!"
. . .
Tom sits on his bed, feet dangling off the edge as he eats the Otter Pop like it's a banana. Edd cringes overhearing the sound of the ice crunching under his teeth.
"Do you even know how it happened?" Edd blinks. Frowning as he stands in the middle of the bedroom.
Tom doesn't reply before he finishes chewing. "Nope." He emphasizes, before taking another bite out of his treat.
"You're such an arse." Edd huffs, gaining a glare from Tom across the room.
"It wasn't on purpose!" It wasn't like he was aiming for Edd..
Edd slumps his posture as he takes in a deep breath. Meeting Tom's eyes, he seems he has washed away his anger.
"I know.." He begins. "Why didn't you tell us it was you?" He raises an eyebrow.
After the question is asked. He sees Tom's sockets visibly roll. (Gross.)
"Yeah, and be hunted by the government. Fat chance." He brought his gaze to the floor. After one final bite, he threw the plastic the ice pop was held captive in to the side.
Edd's deadpan was obvious he didn't buy that at all. "Tom you stole Zanta's slay and blew up the entire city."
Edd was right to know that wasn't the explanation. But the refresh of the memory. The cola addict saw how the eyeless man's lip curled up a bit. Almost making his eyes narrow further.
Tom repositioned himself in bed, drawing his legs up. He brought his knees to his chest, and propped his arms up on them. Looking to the side. There was silence shared between them.
"I know that Matt acted as if it was cool and all.. But you guys see me as human. And I kind of didn't want that to end. I didn't want to relive primary school." He rests his head on his arms, casting his gaze towards.
The words are almost a mumble, but Edd listens. He sees how Tom holds the emotion back with silence. Quiet words. Not daring to meet his eyes.
Edd remembers how it was for Tom. And in a way he also remembers, he technically was never human.
Edd approaches him. Silently, he reaches a hand out and tilts Tom's chin upwards. Staring into those empty sockets, it's almost shocking how much emotion they can hold even without eyes.
Tom has always tried to hide from everyone who he has ever met. To him, to Matt.. God, not even his mother knows somethings.
He tries to hide, but sometimes it comes out.
"I know, it's not any of our business. I trust you Tom. Er, sometimes.. But those sometimes.. Where else is a monster held then a cage?"
He holds his eyes shut briefly as he sucks in a breath. His hand rests onto Tom's shoulder. He still burns with warmth.. He wonders if it was that all along that was off.
"How long has this been going on?" Tom looks down as he pulls at his button lip with his teeth. Not to avoid his gaze anymore, but just to think.
"Uh, I dunno.." He peels the skin off his lip, a nervous habit. Edd sighs, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.
He looks back to Tom with a tired smile. Patting his back. "That's, okay I guess. I don't know. We always figure it out right?"
Tom looks up to him with an expression that reads as 'what? no the fuck we don't.'
Edd pokes him where his nose should be. "Hey. Don't give me that. We totally survived our futures selfves, right?"
Tom does not move to the touch as he is used to it as if he a cat. He stares blankly at his friend, listening. Until blinking. "I don't really remember how we escaped actually?"
The man in green blinks. His arms meeting his eyes as he realizes there's a blank in his memory as well. "Huh. That's weird."
"Those assholes probably erased our memory or something." Tom huffed, bringing a silent laugh out of Edd.
"That wouldn't be surprising. Maybe it was all a dream." Edd smiles.
Tom casts his deadpan up to him slowly. "Yeah, and maybe I'm not even real."
Edd stares at him with blank eyes and a smile. "Tom that's not an excuse for breaking 13 of my ribs."
Tom reels back, actual surprise flashing within his eyes. "Damn how skinny are your ribs? No wonder they got broken."
Edd's mouth begins to drop. His brow furrows. "Tom. Tom what does that mean. How many ribs do you have."
"8."
Edd turns on his heel. "No. I'm going to lay with my cat and think about how Eduardo owes me money instead of your lack of ribs to nod myself to sleep."
Tom sits up within his bed, it creeking with the movement. "How many ribs do you have? Edd?" He raises his tone just a bit more as he watches him retreat.
"No. Bye Tom." The flat door closes.
Tom makes a silent laugh in confusion over the interaction.
. . .
Edd lays into his bed, and closes his eyes. Thinking of the events.. Of course he is some lizard of being actually sick. Of course it's that.
Ringo rotates herself, to get into the most comfortable position.
To then lay directly on his face.