TWs: Intense staring, Tord distracting Edd by obstructing boundaries, and mentioned death/killing/nightmares. Stay safe :)

"Remember, guys, we have to lay low, which means we can't stand out like we always do," Edd spoke as he held the arcade door open. Matt huffed at that, wanting always to be the center of attention.

Tom noticed the pouty look on his boyfriend's face. Thinking quickly, he tugged on his sleeve, gesturing towards the claw machine.

Matt nodded quickly, albeit surprised since Tom wanted to watch him instead of doing something else.

"What do you wanna do?" Edd turned to Tord.

Tord hummed, "Want to see who can beat the high score on that one retro game?"

"You're on." Edd grinned as they paced over to it.

Tord decided to go first, flexing his fingers before grabbing the joystick and pressing a button to start the game.

He was focused on the game before him, yet he started to stumble when he felt something familiar.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as a shiver went down his spine. A sinking feeling was set deep in his stomach as a fight or flight reflex seemed to take over.

A noise sounding from the arcade machine brought him back to the moment. Tord blinked, looking at the score.

"Wow," Edd spoke behind him, "That was bad."

The Norsk ignored him, taking a look around. Everything seemed normal, and nothing was out of place.

"Tord?" The brunet called, "You okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine." Tord nodded. The feeling had gone away as soon as he stopped playing anyway. There was no need to worry anyone about it.

Edd nodded, brushing past him, "Let me show you how it's done."

Tord couldn't help but roll his eyes as he stood back and watched his partner.

"Guys, look what Tom won for me!" Matt exclaimed, running up to them with a novelty toy.

"I keep telling you it's not a big deal." Tom frowned, the blush on his face hardly noticeable.

"It is to me." Matt bounced on the balls of his feet as he hugged the toy to his chest.

Edd grunted, "Guys, stop talking. You're making me lose focus."

"Oh, sorry," Matt whispered as he began to watch Tom play a shooter game nearby.

'Lose focus...?' Tord thought, smirking as he got an idea. He stepped behind Edd, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

Edd's eyes widened as he glanced behind him, turning back when he realized he lost a life, "Wha- uhm, Tord? Do you mind?"

"Nah, I would much rather see the screen this way. After all, you did want to show me how it was done..." Tord grinned mischievously as he moved one of his hands to his boyfriend's waist.

Edd let out a brief gasp as he glared at the screen, silently panicking as he lost another life, "Tord."

"Yes, min elskede?"

"I know what you're doing, and it's not gonna wo-" The taller was cut off by Tord slipping a hand under his hoodie, making Edd jolt as he let go of the arcade controls and grabbed the shorter one's wrist. Before he could say anything, the game-over noise sounded from the machine with white letters showing the scores.

"Wow, that was bad." Tord mimicked.

Edd turned to glare at him, "Ever heard of consent?"

"Remind me again..." The Norsk smiled teasingly, wrapping his arms around Edd's neck.

Moving his hands to Tord's waist, Edd hummed, "Can I kiss you?"

"I don't know- can you?"

Edd huffed, "Don't make me break your other arm."

Tord chuckled, awkwardly smiling at the threat, "Okay, okay! You can."

As they leaned towards each other for a kiss, someone spoke, "Ey, Head!"

They jerked away, letting go of each other to silently glower at the person who interrupted them.

"Oh," Edd deflated, "Hey, Hellucard."

Tord only waved, noticing that the dirty blonde was wearing a nametag and a uniform top for the arcade, 'I didn't know he worked here... then again, things have changed.'

"Wait," Edd realized something; his eyes widened, "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Tord's head turned to Edd, surprised, "What!?"

"Yeah, my future self killed him." The brunet shrugged.

Tord opened and closed his mouth, 'Did I hear that right?'

"Oh, yeah." Hellucard nodded, "I got better."

Edd and Tord looked at each other questioningly.

"Welp, this place blows," Tom grumbled as soon as he reached them.

"You're just saying that because a kid beat you at your favorite game." Matt grinned.

"No, I'm not," Tom scowled, his gaze landing on Hellucard, "Holy- it's a zombie!"

"Tom, don't be rude." Edd scolded, "He's a person."

Tom squinted his void eyes in Hellucard's direction, "Uh-huh..."

"Eyo!" Hellucard waved to them.

"Hi," Tom spoke, analyzing him.

Matt smiled, "Hello, person I probably know!"

"Hellucard." The guys echoed to Matt.

"Right, I was never gonna guess that in a million years." Matt chuckled to himself, glancing at the 'newcomer's appearance. He was in an arcade work uniform, his name clipped to his top, 'That makes it easier to remember.'

The ginger's gaze landed on Hellucard's wrist. He quirked an eyebrow as he saw a black woven bracelet with a red skull charm.

'Now that's a unique accessory...' Matt noted. He couldn't help but recognize it from somewhere but didn't know where.

"How long have you been working here?" Edd spoke up.

"Oh, a few months," Hellucard answered.

"Really? It's the first we've seen you here." The taller tilted his head.

"I've had a lot of sick days." The dirty blonde replied smoothly, "Life is hectic, y'know?"

"Mhm, mhm." Edd nodded.

"So, how are you alive?" Tom asked.

"Tom, stop being rude," Edd prodded him.

"I got better." Hellucard shrugged again.

"And by that, you mean...?" Tom ignored his friend.

"The best doctor in all of England saved my life."

Tord nearly laughed, "Best doctor in all of England? And who would that be?"

"Ah, can't say. The doctor never reveals his name to patients."

"That's not sketchy at all," Tord mumbled, starting to get suspicious of Hellucard.

"Well, it's just a part of his practice." Hellucard smiled, grabbing the broom from where it was leaning against the wall.

Tord and Tom glanced at each other, for once agreeing that this was a little bit weird.

"Well, I should get back to work now. I'm covering a lot of shifts for a guy named Pau." Hellucard said.

Pau was taking a week off from work, mainly due to a lack of sleep because of nightmares and overwhelming thoughts.

Before Edd could speak, Tord opened his mouth, "Well, we should be leaving anyway."

"But we've been here for 15 minutes." Edd glanced at him.

"Far too much screen time for us!" Tord said, "Am I right, Jehovah?"

"What-" Tom noticed Tord 'wink' at him twice, stifling a groan as he spoke, "Uh- you're r-right, commie."

Edd and Matt's eyes widened as they looked at each other, making sure they heard the same thing.

"Are you guys okay?" Edd asked, peering at Tord's face as Matt held Tom's.

'No, I think I threw up on the inside...' Tom thought, leaning into Matt.

"We're fine!" Tord grinned, "Let's just go and do something else fun."

"If you say so..." Edd still eyed him as he held the arcade door open for the others.

As they were leaving, Tord felt the same fight or flight reflex as before. A shiver went down his spine as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. His heartbeat paced in his chest as he peeked behind him.

'Oh, it's just Hellucard.' Tord realized, noticing that Hellucard was watching the group leave. The dirty blonde smiled as he waved, continuing to sweep the floor afterward. Tord shrugged it off, exiting the building.

Hellucard did have an intense way of staring at people, whether he knew it or not.

Tord caught up to Edd, looking at him, "So, what's this about future you killing Hellucard?"

Edd laughed, "It's a long story..."

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Norwegian =
Min elskede - My beloved

(Translations brought to you by Google Translate)