Note: The italics at the end are not a mistake ;)
TWs: Confrontation/anger, fear/phobia, mention of death/killing/destruction of property. Stay safe :)
Edd, Tord, and Jon were on their way to the park the next day. Matt and Tom decided to stay back, mainly because the ginger was allergic to Eduardo's dog.
Once they entered the perimeters of the area, Jon stopped, quickly taking notice of his friends from across the grassland. He saw Mark sitting under the shade of a tree and Eduardo playing fetch with his dog. There was a moment when Jon thought time had frozen, looking at his friends from afar, seeing them after so long. Seeing Eduardo reel back and throw a tennis ball felt like an eternity. Noticing Mark, seeing him scrunch his nose up as a butterfly flew close to him, swatting it away.
"Jon? You still with us?" Edd asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Jon startled, peering up at him, "Oh, yeah, sorry."
"Are you ready?" Tord inquired.
"I- don't know." Jon swallowed, fiddling with his hands as he watched them.
"They're your friends, right?" Edd spoke.
"...Yes," Jon told him hesitantly. He honestly didn't know if they thought of him as a friend or someone to push around. His eyes wandered to the dog Eduardo got, remembering what Matt said. If it was true, then maybe he did mean something to them. At least, that's what Jon wants, to be something.
"Then you've got nothing to worry about." The cola lover smiled, not noticing his hesitancy, "I'm sure it'll be fine."
Jon slowly nodded as he started walking, the other two following behind him. As he got closer, he felt the anxiety and nerves start washing over him, his limbs becoming shaky as he stopped a few feet away.
"Jon?" Tord uttered, glancing at him.
"I can't do this!" He blurted as he disappeared.
"Jon!" They both yelled, catching the attention of a few passersby, including Eduardo and Mark.
Eduardo took the tennis ball from his dog's mouth, slowly standing up, "Well, well, well, if it isn't..."
He stopped once he saw Tord, his face contorting to a confused expression, his eyes analyzing every inch of his face. He frowned, then gestured to Mark, who came up beside him. They whispered something to each other, having heavy looks on their faces.
Edd and Tord glanced at each other, the latter shrugging as he figured it was nothing.
Then Eduardo's face contorted to anger, "You!"
'Or not.' Tord's eyes widened as he stepped back.
The tennis ball became as flat as a pancake in Eduardo's grip as he glared. Mark also seemed irate but appeared more calm than his friend.
"You're the bastard that killed my best friend!" He yelled, walking closer to Tord.
"Hey, hey!" Edd exclaimed, pushing himself between Eduardo and his boyfriend, "If you want to hurt him, you're gonna have to get through me."
Tord blushed, huffing at that. He could've defended himself with his robot arm. He's not helpless. Then again, it did feel nice to be protected for once.
Eduardo held a surprised look, "Really? You're protecting him after he destroyed your house and nearly killed your best friend? You're lucky your friend lived! We weren't so lucky."
"I know, Eduardo, and he's sorry-"
"Sorry!? A 'Sorry' won't bring him back. Apologizing won't fix what he's done." Eduardo's eyes filled with tears as he glared at them. Mark placed a hand on his shoulder, frowning, "Jon's dead, and he's never coming back."
Tord averted his gaze, peering at the ground. He knew apologizing wouldn't fix anything, which is why he's been trying to make it up to everyone for what he's done, even if it means being nice to Tom, which the bassist gets weirded out by.
There was a brief cough behind Eduardo and Mark. The group turned, seeing Jon standing there. Eduardo and Mark's mouths dropped, and their eyes widened as they stared at him.
"Uhm... I should explain." He spoke, smiling a bit.
"Jon...?" Eduardo muttered. Doguardo scratched himself behind the ear before getting up to inspect the new person before him.
Jon jumped as the dog sniffed at his feet, "Oh, uhm-!"
He shakily moved around to Edd, getting behind the taller, "You should... put a leash on him."
Eduardo slowly clipped the leash on his dog, not believing what he was seeing. He guided Doguardo to sit down beside his feet. He peered at Jon, his mouth opening as he saw the state of the... ghost? He was visible, yet see-through, a blueish hue surrounding his body as he stepped out from behind Edd.
"You're..." Eduardo's voice wavered.
"A ghost, I know." Jon nodded.
"How can we see you?" Mark uttered, examining him.
"It's a long story..." Jon sighed, "But I'm back now, and that's all that matters, right?"
"Is this a dream?" Mark asked.
"I can pinch you to find out." Jon smiled as he didn't hesitate to pinch his arm slightly harsher than necessary. He had always wanted to do that.
"Ow! That hurt!"
"Not a dream." He let out a small laugh.
"Is this a joke?" Eduardo decided to ask, frowning as he glanced at Edd and Tord.
"I'm not that cruel!" Jon glared, then sighed, "I'm not like you guys, who seem to joke at everyone's expense or are bold and intense or are a natural at being mean. I'm not... any of that."
Eduardo and Mark shared a look.
"Maybe I went about it the wrong way..." Eduardo started, "Honestly, I didn't mean to- to wish that you were dead. I thought, maybe... maybe it would get you to understand."
Edd, Tord, and Mark looked confused, though Jon seemed to understand.
The shorter hummed, "I do, but I don't need you to push me around and cut me off because you think I'm incapable of handling myself."
Eduardo was silent, his gaze averted to the leash in his hands.
"This isn't high school anymore, Eduardo... you don't need to protect me, and I don't need protecting," Jon spoke.
Eduardo gave a nod, a tear falling down his face, "I know, Jon."
Jon smiled, walking up to his friends and embracing them. They both crumpled in his embrace, Mark nearly sobbing.
Edd and Tord watched them, the shorter slipping his arm around the taller's waist.
"I love you," Tord whispered, nuzzling his head in the crook of his neck.
"Love you too." Edd hummed, kissing his forehead.
"Tord, please come to bed."
"In a minute..."
As he was looking through his magnifying glass, he felt arms wrap around him, "Please?"
Tord squirmed in his seat, "Can't you wait, like- five minutes?"
Edd sighed, "Five minutes will turn to ten minutes, and ten minutes will turn to thirty, and thirty will turn to-"
"Okay, okay, I get it." Tord huffed, getting up begrudgingly and turning off his desk light. He followed Edd into the bedroom. He watched as Edd got into the bed immediately.
Tord took off his metal arm, setting it aside as he got under the covers. He felt Edd pull him closer. The Norsk didn't mind, placing his head on Edd's chest, feeling the way his chest rose and fell.
"Tord...?" Edd muttered; Tord responded with a hum, "Do you think we'll still be together in the future...?"
"What makes you say that?" Tord asked.
"Y'know, seeing my future self and all..." Edd clutched Tord closer, "I assumed he- or I would be married at that point, but I didn't see a ring."
Tord's face grew aflame at the thought of marriage.
"Then again... I didn't see Matt or Tom's future selves with rings." Edd spoke mainly to himself at this point, "Maybe something happened, or they're still dating, but you'd think Matt would get Tom a promise ring or something of the sort, right?"
Tord was half-listening to Edd as he was getting quite giddy at the thought of marrying his best friend.
He pulled himself together, taking a deep breath, "Edd, I think you're overthinking a bit too much about it."
"What?" Edd seemed a little discouraged once Tord said that.
"I- I mean, of course, we'll be together in the future." Tord grabbed one of Edd's hands, squeezing gently, "I can't think of any other way to spend the rest of my life."
The taller blushed, grinning tiredly as he squeezed back, "I wouldn't mind putting up with you forever."
"Oi!" Tord grinned, as Edd chuckled. The ex-leader rolled his eyes, "Goodnight, min kjærlighet."
"Goodnight."
Still holding hands, Tord placed his head back on Edd's chest, noticing the slower movements.
'Jeg lover.'
TO BE CONTINUED...
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Norwegian =
Min kjærlighet - My love
Jeg lover - I promise
(Translations brought to you by Google Translate)