Laddi knocked on the door, her sunflower tote bag hanging over her shoulder. Her hair in a pony tail, she was in a rush to come over.

she looked down to the small jar she had in her right hand. She frowned and then looked up to the now opening door.

"Hi Tom." she smiled .

"Laddi." Tom opened the door all the way. allowing her to walk in.

" Wheres... " she started, looking around, her shoulders went up at the loud sound of a pan crashing to the floor, Tom seemed unfazed by it.

Tord came running from the left hallway to the right, he ducked as a plastic bucket flew over his head, how he knew about it while having his sight disabled, Laddi didn't know. she guessed he knew by the swift of air, but many people could not react fast enough by that. Maybe it was human instinct.

or some type of sixth sense Tord was able to achieve.

None of this currently mattered as a little boy screamed.

"You stole a flower from the secret garden!" he said, gripping a plastic fork.

" Did not! " Tord screamed back.

Tord had heard Toms voice, he couldn't make out what he said because he was trying to escape Soke.

He looked to his left, where he had heard it.

"Tom tell him I didn't steal a flower!"

Tom chuckled. "Did you Tord?"

" you FUCKER-"

Tord didn't finish because Laddi had dropped everything to run and hug him, Soke was about to attack but one glare from Tom sent him to retreat back to base with Asha.

"I didn't want to believe it when Matt told me what happened!" Laddi said.

Tord had regained his balance and now Laddi was grabbing him by his shoulders as Tom picked up her stuff by the door and Tord repeatedly said, "I'm fine."

Laddi frowned.

" 'Fine' ?!?! Tord we may have been friends for 5 years but I will not hesitate to rip you to shreds till I find the truth!"

Tom walked over and patted Laddis shoulder.

"1. Please dont. 2. It's the truth. He'll be back in school Tuesday."

Laddi let go of Tord, she kind of shoved him which ended in him falling backwards and over the armrest of the couch.

He re-adjusted himself to sit up, but everything below his knee still hung over the armrest.

Laddi looked at him, finally noticing what made him look different during his brawl with the 6 year old.

"Why do you have Toms hoodie?" She said, kind of in a judging way.

Tord crossed his arms. " because I'm blind and I get what I want. "

Tom rolled his 'eyes' and handed Laddi her stuff. "He's colorblind."

Laddi snickered. " He's fully blind. "

"Tom do I need to get the bandages?" Tord hissed from the couch.

Tom hummed and took a nearby pillow, he threw it at Tords chest causing him to fall back.

"No. You dont."

Soke came running over and started proding through Tord's hair.

"Tom get your dog to back off." He whined.

" don't call him and dog, and Soke, what did I tell you? " Tom frowned at the little boy.

Soke looked up to him, he seemed to be deep In thought. He paused what he was doing

"You didn't say anything. You just looked at me."

Soke continued against Tords swats and low level threats as Tom crossed his arms.

" what did my eyes tell you? "

Soke paused again. "nothing."

Tom nodded. "exactly. Now go ahead. "

Tord screeched as Soke poked his finger behind Tords neck and started to ruffle around.

Soke immediately pulled out a small blade of grass.

Laddi have an unamused expression. "Its a leaf."

" He's a theif! "

"no, no I'm not." Tord groaned.

Tord pushed off the couch, shooting a unimpressed glare at soke, who was inspecting the grass.

Tord slowly yet accurately maneuvered through furniture till he got to the kitchen, where Tom was. Laddi was again, impressed.

Tom grabbed the milk carton from the fridge, Tord could tell by the sound of something sloshing around and something lightly landing on the table. He guessed it was milk.

"what are you gonna do Tom?" Laddi walked over, she rested her elbows on the counter as she stood to the left of Tom, who was taking out the blender.

Tord was still, trying to understand the noise and what Tom was doing, Laddi had given a small look over to him, he had sat down on one of the kitchen island stools.

Tom put the base of the blender down on the counter, than the glass, than the lid. Followed by a few small cases of fruit from the fridge. and a banana.

"I'm gonna make a smoothie."

" For what? " Tord yawned, somehow, still tired. Laddi guessed he was just bored of being blind.

"For you guys, and me if there's enough. Mostly you guys though." Tom smiled .

Tom took out a small knife, than Laddi got an idea.

"Hey...Tom." She started, in a cautious voice.

" Yeah? " Tom responded, while taking out a white cutting board.

"You should verbally say what your doing, Tord can listen to the sounds and maybe it'll help him know what's going on."

Tom smiled. "That's a good idea. How about it Tord?"

Tord hummed and have a small nod in response.

Laddi took out a small black notebook and pen. "While your at it I should steal your recipe." She chuckled. When in reality that's not what she was going to write down.

Tom rolled his 'eyes' and went to the sink and turned on the water.

"First you wash your hands, and the fruit. But mostly your hands. you don't want any trace of yourself on the fruit." He said, quite casually .

something about what he said seemed, off, to Tord. In a way.

"After that, you take your fruit, I'm using a strawberry," Tom handed a small one to Laddi, which she popped in her mouth to chew on, while Tord denied the one offered to him.

" You slice it into manageable pieces. Easier for the blender to handle. saves time. "

there it is again.

'okay...That was...Weird.' Tord thought.

Tom said this, just, fluently, every word came out in the exact same tone and volume of the other, yet...

some seemed to stick out more.

Laddi scribbled something down.

Tom pushed off the sliced strawberries into the blender with the knife, he looked at his hands and went to the sink again.

"Accidentally got strawberry juice on my hands." He nudged the faucet with his elbow . "wouldn't want to leave stains on everything."

Tord straightened immediately.

"Tom can you run that by me again?" he said, blandly.

Tom gave a confused look. "I got strawberry juice on my hands." He shrugged . "I just don't want red handprints on everything. it'll look like blood." Tom stuck his tounge out in disgust. " oh that's unpleasant. "

Before Tom could continue, Laddi asked:

"Tord are you okay?" she said, somewhat concerned .

He gave a nod and told Tom to continue. Though this just confirmed that maybe his ears were messed up.

Tom sliced a few more fruits, no big deal, the same words came by but they didn't stand out as much as they did when Tord first heard them today.

Tom finally added in the milk. "It kind of makes the chopped fruit hard to see. "

Laddi noted something small and Tord hummed in automatic response.

Tom perked up. "I almost forgot."

he reached into a small cabinet and pulled out a small jar and a little shaker.

"cinnamon and sugar do a good job at covering up the sourness of the fruits, their usually sweet though. " Tom tapped the shaker and eventually placed the lid on and put it to blend.

Laddi took the time to scribble more notes as Tom left to put on his shoes, the loud blender covering up Tord's mumbling.

Tom returned and turned off the blender.
"If it's too hot or watery add ice and blend." He said, he took a small piece of paper off the table by the door.

" Laddi if you sell my smoothies I want 75% of the profit. " he joked.

Laddi whined and Tord just smiled after Tom said goodbye. Laddi started to pour some of the light purple drink into small cups.

Tord sighed.

"When he was talking, it was completely normal, right?" He said, the side of his hands resting on the table as his fingertips faced Laddi.

" completely ordinary. " She shrugged.

"why?"

Tord shook his head.

"no reason."

after several sips and sticker vandalism. Laddi stopped writing in her notebook, she put it away and took out the small jar she had. She was going to give it to Tord today, but, she had expected him to have his sight. Because he didnt, she postponed giving it to him.

for now, she would just enjoy watching Asha comb his hair while he took a well deserved nap on the couch. Soke had interrogated the fuck out of the poor boy.

She liked to be with the kids, even if she was jotting down small things about them most of the time. It was nice to know about your friends or other people, when needed, you'd have more access to facts and previous situations if you write them.

strange but functional.

She swung her feet on the kitchen stool. Tord's light snoring provided a nice background noise.

3:24 Tom hasn't come back yet.

The kids looked at her with worried faces.

"You kids hungry?" Laddi asked. they had the smoothie but that couldn't be classified as food right now.

The gave a small nod as Laddi walked to the fridge to see what she could make.

after a small plate of sandwiches was set in the kitchen table, The front door open.

"I'm back." Tom announced . "I brought lunch."

" Your late on that last bit. " Laddi smiled proudly, admiring her sandwiches.

Tom placed the bag of food in the table with a hint of salt. He glanced around.

"Where's Tord?" he asked.

Laddi pointed a thumb to the couch.

"Sleeping?"

" You bet. "

Tom groaned. "I wouldn't want to wake him up but I have to."

Laddi pushed her plate of sandwiches closer to the kids after seeing them eye down the fast food. "Why?"

" apparently I got the damn pills a bit late. lady have me a lecture on my timing and he had to take one of these now. " Tom shook a tiny orange bottle and went off to the couch.

"fill up a small cup of water for me." He called.

arriving to the couch, Tom really didn't want to wake him up. Looked too peaceful. Even if he was facefirst into the cusions..

it had to be done.

Tom tapped his shoulder.

nothing.

Tom frowned and softly pushed the same shoulder. Tord whined.

"Tord get uppp."

The boy mumbled into the cusions and only nudged his nose into the crook of the couch. "jeg ønsker ikke å"

Tom sighed. "Tord it's me, Tom. and I dont understand what your saying."

"get up, you need to take a pill."

Tord shuffled his face to 'look' at Tom. "The doctor never said they were necessary to my sight." He frowned and hid back into the cushion .

"Tord you've slept well yesterday you shouldn't be tired."

Laddi came walking over, Tom looked at her, defeated. He noticed what was in her hand.

Tom tiled his head. "I only said one-"

Laddi splashed the closest cup onto the head of Tord, she quickly scrambled off before setting the other one down on the floor next to Tom.

"Gul rotte!" Tord screeched. Immediately sitting up.

Laddi giggled as she ran off and the kids ushered to hide her.

Tom shook his head. After Tord shook off the water from his hair, he took the pill Tom had forced him to take.

sipping on the water with a grumpy attitude, Tom tried to start conversation.

"What language were you speaking."

Tord paused the small sips, chugged the rest of the water, then said:

"Norwegian"

Tom raised his eyebrows. "What did you say?"

Tord hummed. "Better if you don't know what I say half the time."

Tom frowned. "Swears?"

" Maybe. "

Tord heard soft footsteps, immediately looked behind him to his right, he hissed.

"dum jente."

Laddi smiled in pride as she went off to steal some fries.

Laddi eventually got ready to leave after continuous hiding from Tord, until she let her guard down and walked right into a room who's door held a bucket full of water on top.

she opened it cautiously, but that didn't stop from it falling and her getting drenched in the liquid.

she didn't fight back though, was instead impressed how Tord managed to do it.

"I recorded it too see later." he chimed on the sofa .

"clever." Tom sighed. Wringing out a towel he used to clean up water from the door and floor.

The front door opened as Laddi snickered while the kids stood on both sides of her. She bent down and shook her head ferociously, Asha and Soke giggling from the stray droplets.

Namki walked in, just enough to see Tom talking to someone on the couch and a girl's hair suddenly poof up .

"Hi Laddi." Namki smiled.

" Hiii! "

"You two met before?" Tord called from the couch.

Laddi nodded. "I visit her shop."

Namki frowned at Tord on the couch. She looked to Tom.

"Is he okay?"

Tom have a unamused nod. "He's just been really tired for no exact reason."

Namki hummed and left her stuff on the kitchen island. The clock read 6:23. she usually closed around 9. But business was slow and she had kids to feed. Might as well get started on dinner.

she looked over, two kids and three teens to feed. Plus herself. She wasn't used to the extra two months but she could take it.

Laddi headed for the door, right as she was going to put her hand on the doorknob, Tord tossed a spoon at it.

the loud clatter startled her and she looked in the direction of where it came from, sitting on the stool, as watchful as a cat. was Tord.

"Are you even blind?" She questioned with squinting eyes as if it helped.

" stay for dinner. " was all that she got as an response.

"I thought you were on the couch."

" were. Past tense. "

Namki turned around. "YOU should stay though. I don't mind.

Laddi hesitated, she really wanted to get home, but for Tord to throw a spoon at her to not leave, something was up.

might be something important enough to write down.

She drew back her hand and sighed.
" Alright. "

she glared at Tord.
"But why the spoon."

"it was the nearest object."

" no why'd you throw it. "

"so you don't underestimate me even if I'm blind."

Laddi blinked

'that's not important therefore I have no reason to stay-'

her thoughts were cut off by a fork hitting the doorknob.

"my hand didn't even go to the doorknob why did you throw a fork? "

" I didn't have a chainsaw. "

clearly, not gonna get a answer out of him, Laddi slumped over to the couch. Tord left to Ashas room.

Tom walked over and stood by Namki as she cooked.

Namki frowned. "I thought they were friends."

Tom sighed. " their not on good terms right now. "

"whys that? "

"Laddi threw water at Tords face."

Namki have a surprised questioning look, Tom nodded in confirmation.

"I had to change his bandages and apply more of that pain ointment or whatever."

" speaking of which, He really wanted to open his eyes, like really wanted to. I didn't let him, of course. " Tom frowned, remembering how Tord pleaded, it was weird that he didn't just open them, he asked for permission.

it was unexpected.

Tom shrugged. "Don't worry. They'll be all buddy-buddy in no time."

Tord sat in Ashas room, it's occupant, no where to be seen, probably playing with her brother.

Tord thought about avery. He hasn't in a while.

he tested the thought of hating her.
he could. It was there.
he did indeed, hate her guts.

his eyes didn't sting though.
they felt nicer, actually.
free.
better.

it was strange.

Tord walked out the room, Tom groaned.
"Your still wearing my sweater."

Tord responded with a hint of attitude.
" you still smell like roses. "

Tom cringed at the memory of Tord finding that out, he wasn't disturbed. He just didn't expect it.n It made him flustered. "I can't change that!"

" you can." Tord huffed.  "don't though. I like it. " that was said in a calmer tone, as he casually walked away and left Tom to see Laddis subliminal messaging through a smirk.

gosh dinner was going to be interesting.

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Notes
It's not that much, but the title and the music wouldn't match what's nexttt.

if a chapter uploads, and you don't see the second line of = in the notes, it means the chapter isn't done.

k?

I think that's all I really have to say.

thank you for reading and following the development of this story!
cya next chsoter!
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