(Tord's POV)

I look down at the now sleeping Thomas. His warm body, curled up in my lap, rumbles with low purrs. I smile slightly before I hear an audible click of a camera.

My head shoots up and I see Edd fumbling with his phone. I glare at him and continue to pet the small figure in my lap. He looks relaxed. I feel like he never looks relaxed anymore. That's a sad thing to note.

I inspect him a little longer. His small and soft lips are parted slightly, his eye lids are gently closed, and his skin is a fair paleness(does that even make sense? probably not). I continue to stroke my hand through his soft tufts of hair, staring out at the now dark night sky. The window was small, but I could see the moon peeking out between wispy clouds.

Edd and Matt are in the kitchen and Tom is obviously sleeping. Now I have time to think. Think about what I saw that night. Think about how fucking bipolar Tom can be. Think about how cute he is. Yes. Cute. No use in denying it now.

The monster I had seen in the alleyway didn't sound like Tom, not really anyway. Yes, it sounded demonic, but its whole demeanor was completely out of character for the small alcoholic I've grown to hate. It sounded sadistic. Insane. Not down-to-earth like usual.

It also spoke as if it was a different entity from Tom. I know it was teasing me when it started to laugh. It wanted me to be curious. Of course I couldn't help but wonder why this was happening. When did this start? How long has Tom kept this a secret?

I feel Tom shift a bit in my lap. I look down at him again and only now do I notice everything. He had the darkest eye bags I'd ever seen. His face didn't look healthy. In fact, I could feel his bones through his hoodie on my thigh. I pause the petting and reach for his arm to check how skinny he was. As soon as I barely touch him, he pulls away.

He wakes up with his usual empty sockets looking wherever they're looking. He stares at me for a second before making a small squeak and getting off. How pure.

"T-Tord! W-what happened?" He yelped.
"You were having a panic attack, dipshit," I responded sassily.
"How long have I been out?" He asked me.
"Like 3 hours. I've been stuck with you for a while." I said with a roll of my eyes.
"S-sorry," he responded shakily. I sigh and get up, my legs feeling like jelly from no use. He gets up as well and starts to walk to the kitchen where Edd and Matt are.

I easily catch up to him and call the other two.
"Hey! Tom's awake!" I hear nothing for a moment and suddenly Edd crashes into Tom's fragile body. Tom let out a small hiss and tries pushing Edd off to no avail.
"TOMWEWERESOWORRIEDABOUTYOU!WHATHAPPENED?!" Edd shouted in one breath. Tom groans as he struggles to push the other male off.

"Edd! Get off! I'm fine!" He insisted while Edd kept a tight hold on him. I sigh and pull Edd off the poor Jehovah's witness. Tom sighs in relief and brushes himself off as he stands. He starts to walk away, muttering a quick excuse to go to his apartment.

"No, Tom, you're gonna stay here and at least eat dinner with us." Edd said while grabbing his arm. I notice Tom flinch and tense up at the contact. He pulls his arm away quickly and turns around to face Edd. Edd looks at him with pleading eyes. There's a bit of confusion there as well.

"Ugh, fine," Tom grunted.

~Timeskip~

(Tom's POV)

I pick at my food, not taking a bite. There was so much on my plate.

"Tom,"

I look up in alarm and am met with a concerned Edd.

"Why aren't you eating?" He asked, worry lacing his voice.
"Not hungry," I replied.
"C'mon. Just take a bite," I grumble before taking a small nibble at the spaghetti. Okay, I'm feeling okay. I take a bigger bite and swallow. I'm oka—

I feel the bite of pasta rush back up my throat. I stand up quickly, looking away from the other three and covering my mouth. I run to the bathroom once again and empty my gut into the porcelain toilet. Today just has to be shitty, doesn't it? I hear footsteps behind me as my stomach starts to calm down.

I cough, my throat feeling like it's being slashed at. Isn't that lovely? Once my hacking died down, I look at what I threw up. Relatively normal for once. I flush the toilet and shakily stand up again.

"TOM, WHAT THE HECK?!" Edd yelled from behind me. I wave him off and go to wash my hands. Immediately, once I finished, I feel two hands turn me around to face the taller, green hoodied man.
"Are you okay??" He asks with what I think is genuine concern. He probably doesn't care though.

"You know what? No, you're not okay! Tell me what's wrong!" Edd exclaimed before I could respond.
"Oh, just- y'know, depression," I answer in a joking tone as to stop his suspicion. It backfires.
"WHAT?!" He screamed.

I wince at the sudden volume change. The other two roommates finally arrive, looking worried as well. Actually, Tord seems even more worried than Edd, surprisingly.
"Just so you know, I was joking," I replied calmly. Edd gives me a skeptical look before sighing and releasing me.

Good, you've relieved him of having to pretend. You're good for something after all.

I shove my hands in my pocket and play with the knife to ignore the- my voice.
"Okay...so are we gonna get out of the bathroom or...?" I asked the other three.

Edd sighs and replies with a:
"Yeah, okay. But this conversation is not over!"

A/n:

Writer's block is a bitch. Thank y'all so much for being patient, and I hope you enjoy this crap chapter.

Happy Christmas to those who celebrate, and merry new year!