TWs: Mentions of killing/stabbing, jealousy, worrying, a threat, not understanding feelings, failing to remember something, crying, and a panic attack.
"Come on, Tom! Please!?" Matt pouted as he looked at the shorter with a puppy dog stare.
"Why can't you go by yourself?" Tom grumbled, crossing his arms. It was too early to be harassed by the cute idiot standing in his doorway.
"Because I need company." He whined as he hopped in place.
"And you decided to come to me instead of Edd or Tord?" Tom quirked an eyebrow.
"Oh, Tord said he needed more parts to upgrade something, and Edd went grocery shopping." Matt looked at Tom, waiting for an answer, "So?"
Tom hesitated. He didn't want to go, but if he was the only one left by default, he guessed he had to go, "Fine."
"Yay!" The ginger grinned, "Let's go!"
Tom barely had time to close his door before Matt grabbed him by the wrist and towards the elevator. It was a good thing he had darker skin, or else the ginger might've seen him blush.
He didn't even know where they were going.
"Matt, where are we going?" Tom asked as soon as they entered the shopping area.
"Oh, I forgot to say- we're going to my favorite shop." He said as if the bassist was supposed to already know what it was.
"Which is...?"
"It's an antique shop." The ginger smiled, eyeing a shop across the way that had feminine outfits in the display window, "Ooh, those are quite pretty..."
Despite whispering the last sentence, Tom heard it, silently agreeing that the outfits looked nice but were too bright for someone like him.
"What's at an antique shop that you wanted so badly?" Tom questioned.
"A mirror."
Tom huffed, "Of course."
"It isn't just an ordinary mirror, Tom!" Matt frowned, "Only two of these mirrors exist in the entire world, and they are said to be enchanted. This mirror was imported last night, and if I don't get my hands on it, I will start killing."
The bassist rolled his void eyes, "Don't make me grab the emergency garlic and stake."
Matt recoiled and scrunched his nose at that, "Ugh, garlic... and as long as you don't stab me in the heart with the stake, I'll be fine."
They arrived at the antique shop momentarily, Matt walking straight up to the clerk with Tom in tow.
"Excuse me, but I was wondering if you recently got any mirrors that have been, but not for certain, may be- enchanted, hexed, jinxed, or charmed; in any way, shape, or form?" Matt grinned.
"Uh, if you mean that one over there, then yeah." The clerk said, pointing to the mirror in the corner of the store.
The ginger thanked him as he skipped over, seeing his reflection in the mirror.
Matt gasped, "It's true, this mirror is enchanted...! Time to start measuring."
He pulled out a measuring tape from his pocket and started to measure.
Tom smiled fondly as he watched the taller measure the sides of the mirror. Thinking to himself, 'Wow... how did he ever find himself attracted to this guy of all people?'.
It was a long story.
"You come here often?" A voice asked, making Tom jolt out of his thoughts.
He glanced at the clerk behind the register, then around the shop area, seeing only him and Matt in the store. The clerk seemed to be awaiting a response from Tom, in which the bassist felt something bubble up inside him.
Meanwhile, with Matt, he found the mirror to be the perfect size for his walk-in closet. He grinned in ecstasy as he continued looking at the mirror, delighted it was an ideal fit for his room.
Then he heard a sound that always made him feel jittery inside and his palms clammy. His face felt warm, and he was suddenly nervous.
He turned towards what was making such a noise, seeing that it was Tom. The bassist was crying with laughter as he leaned against the counter as the shop clerk watched with an eyebrow raised and a smirk.
This was new. Tom was laughing at a stranger's joke. It took him ages to get Tom to laugh, and this clerk does it in one go.
A new feeling was bubbling up inside of Matt. An emotion that felt bad to feel. He didn't like this new feeling. It made him feel nauseous, anxious, and bitter about what he was looking at. There was a tightness in his neck that made it hard to swallow and a weird tingling somewhere in his stomach area that made him want to throw up.
"Wow," Tom coughed a bit as he composed himself again, "Is that really what you start with, cause trust me, it won't get you anywhere."
"So, you're taken?" The clerk asked.
"Oh no, I'm single; that was just a horrible way to start a conversation," Tom said.
"How would you start it then?" He crossed his arms.
"Start with a simple greeting, then your name. Don't be straightforward like the guys in those cliche chick-flics; those won't turn out the same in real life."
"You sound as if you have experience." The clerk sounded cynical.
"Two past relationships, so clearly more than you." Tom frowned, then went to check on Matt.
'Is it the hair? What I'm wearing? Maybe my personality, perhaps it's too much for him?' Matt contemplated whether or not Tom liked him by going over things with himself in the mirror.
"Matt?" Tom spoke, causing Matt to freeze and look over at him, "You okay?"
"Uh- uhm- yeah! Of course! I've never been better knowing this mirror fits in my closet." The ginger fumbled over his words, "Let me pay for it, and we can leave."
"Alright, cool." The bassist wandered the shop, looking through other antiques as Matt strode to the register.
"I'd like to buy the mirror- do you take cards; it's my only form of payment," Matt said, glancing to see if Tom was looking over.
"Uh yeah, we do." The clerk said, holding out his hand for the card. After the guy scanned the card and held it out to Matt to take, the ginger grabbed hold of the clerk's wrist and gripped it firmly.
"If I see even the tiniest scratch on that mirror, there will be a lawsuit for your pathetic ass to take care of. Understand?" Matt's eyes glowed red as he whispered the threat to the clerk, him nodding quickly with wide eyes, "Good."
Matt quickly let go, taking his card. He turned around and waltzed over to Tom as if nothing happened.
"I'm finished now; we can leave." The taller smiled.
"I just remembered I needed new strings for Susan, so we have to stop by the music shop," Tom mentioned, messing with his cuff bracelet.
"Okay, lead the way!" Matt followed Tom, almost forgetting the unknown feelings he experienced. He'll have to ask Tord about it later.
Tord was working on his arm, trying to add a flashlight to it. He had to take the arm off, so he could get into the main wiring without hurting his flesh. He was almost done; he just had to switch a few wires over. When he got to moving the last wire-
"Tord!" The door flew open, revealing Matt looking all sorts of nervous.
The Norsk jumped, accidentally shocking himself on the arm and nearly dropping the tweezers he had into the wiring. He barely caught it, sighing in relief, then looked at Matt.
"How'd you get in?" Tord asked.
"Door was unlocked." Matt shrugged. Huh. He would have to ask the other two about that, "Huh, I've never seen you without your bandages."
The light brunette tensed as he quickly grabbed the eyepatch on his desk.
"Oh, that's new too." Matt pouted, "It's only been a day since I've seen you; why wasn't I informed?"
"I lost track of time, I guess." Tord shrugged.
"A day, Tord. A day!" Matt expressed.
"I know, I know." He rolled his eyes, "Why are you here again?"
The ginger gently closed the bedroom door; and then sat on Tord's bed. He thought of what to say. Tord doesn't particularly like Tom, and vice versa.
But he doesn't have to specify who it was...
"You know that mirror I showed you, the one in our texts?" Matt started.
Tord nodded, remembering the mirror with gold edges, which probably cost more than an organ on the black market. He decided to go back to where he was moving the wire on his robot arm.
"Well, it just so happened to be imported last night to my favorite antique shop, y'know, the one where you got me my bracelet?" Matt rambled. Tord smiled softly as he nodded, focusing on his work, "Well, I decided to bring- a friend along since I like to have company when shopping."
Tord frowned at the hesitation from that sentence but let it slide.
"We got there, and I examined the mirror while he- they decided to talk to the shop clerk. After I inspected the mirror, I heard a sound that always seemed to make me feel all kinds of things that I don't know where to begin on describing them."
Tord quirked an eyebrow, stopping what he was doing to listen to Matt's story.
"Then I saw they were laughing at someone else's joke. It took me forever to get them to laugh and this guy is apparently a natural at it. I started to feel something I didn't like, and I even threatened the clerk with a lawsuit if anything happened to the mirror." Matt placed his head in his hands.
The Norsk began smirking as he found out what made his friend distressed, "Matt?"
"Yes?"
"Have you never felt jealousy before?"
"Of course I have. During a French competition, I was jealous that Mark won and I didn't." The ginger recalled.
Tord sighed, shaking his head, "Not that kind of jealously, Matt."
"What do you mean?"
"Your- relationship with this friend is platonic, yes?" Tord asked. Matt nodded, not knowing where he was going with this, "Can you describe the sentiments that you feel whenever you hear that certain sound?"
"Uh- nervous, but in a good way? My hands get sweaty, and my body feels warm, despite being a vampire." Matt chuckled.
Tord jolted a bit, shaking his head as he thought he heard that wrong since he was going deaf, "What was that last part?"
"I'm a vampire...?" The ginger looked confused, and then his eyes widened, "Oh yeah, we never did tell you."
"No, you didn't." The Norsk restrained himself from tackling his friend and asking him millions of questions he had for vampires, but he decided to continue, "Anyway..."
Tord cleared his throat, pausing for dramatic effect.
"It sounds like you're in love with your friend and jealous that a stranger could make him laugh easier than you." The light brunette spoke as he stared at Matt.
The room was silent as Tord let Matt process this. And process Matt did.
Thirty seconds went by, and Matt uttered, "What?"
"Yep," Tord nodded, "Don't worry, I've been there, done that. Or at least, something similar."
'In love? With Tom? How did that- when did that happen?' Matt asked himself in his mind, trying his best to remember. He couldn't. He just couldn't remember. His head hurt whenever he tried to force it to remember.
Tord saw the lost expression on Matt's face, frowning a bit, "You have been in love before, right, Matt?"
The ginger perked up, "O-Of course I have! I'm the best when it comes to love, practically a connoisseur!"
"It's alright to not understand," Tord said, "Don't force yourself to understand immediately, take time to evaluate and reflect on your feelings and figure yourself out before moving forward."
Matt looked at him with teary eyes, then let out a chuckle, "Is that what you did for Edd?"
Shrinking into his swivel chair a bit, Tord's eyes widened, "How- uh- what-"
"I can hear your heartbeat a mile away whenever Edd talks to you as well as your body heat; it's like feeling a toaster."
The Norsk blushed, "Don't tell him."
"I won't, so long as you keep this conversation a secret."
"Deal." Tord nodded, then eyed his friend, "Do I know him?"
"Who?" Matt asked dumbly.
"Y'know, the guy you're in love with."
"H-How'd you know he's a guy?"
"You fumbled on your words."
"Dang it..."
"Anyway, do I know him?" The shorter questioned again.
The taller hesitated, speaking slowly, "Only in passing..."
'Insults to each other.'
Tord nodded, wondering who it could be. Then he wandered to a new topic, "So..."
Matt quirked an eyebrow when Tord got up and skimmed through his bookcase, getting a particular book. It was a thin black notebook that looked old.
Tord flipped to a page, Matt peering over his shoulder to see what it was called.
"Questions to ask a vampire? You still have this?" Matt laughed.
"Uh, of course." The Norsk smirked, "Anyway, question one..."
The ginger sighed; they wrote a lot of questions down to ask a vampire, and he wasn't expecting to be the one on the receiving end. This might take a while.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧FLASHBACK...✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
17-year-old Tom was practicing bass in the empty music room. He had previously asked his teacher if he could, and she replied yes, not before being shocked that it was coming from Tom, of all people.
Tom, was previously known as a delinquent by all the teachers and the principal. He takes up an art form called spray painting or graffiti, he skateboards, and he plays bass. The school board finds his 'attitude' to be 'not up to par.' Tom doesn't care either way. He lives his life how he wants to.
He was finishing a song he composed when one of his strings snapped, causing him to recoil when it almost hit his wrist.
"Damn, it..." He muttered, 'Guess that's all for today. That was a shit practice...'
"That was amazing." A voice spoke from the entrance, startling Tom. He turned around to see a person with a black hoodie, ginger hair, and blue-green eyes, "They say you can tell when a person is into their music, and you were more in tune with it."
Tom felt flattered at the stranger's compliment, "Really?"
"Yeah, composing music is an art form all in itself. It takes time, practice, and effort to be able to get it just right." He smiled a bit, "I would say you're on the right path."
The shorter flushed a bit, embarrassed at the compliments. The stranger walked over, holding his hand out, "I'm Matthew; call me Matt."
Tom took his hand, "Tom."
The bassist was glad to have met the handsome stranger.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ANOTHER FLASHBACK...✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
Matt was well-liked in school. He took piano and violin lessons to please his mother, as well as French. He never told anyone he was rich- that was a mistake he made in Year 10. He did tell Tord since, for some reason, he didn't want to let Matt see his house.
The ginger decided to walk through the park after school, passing by the skatepark that had graffiti in some places when he heard the sound of crying by one of the ramps. He peered over, seeing Tom with tear stains down his face and a spray can in his hand.
They had only known each other for a month, even exchanging numbers at one point. He had never seen Tom cry before; then again, he'd never seen him laugh.
"Tom?" Matt approached him slowly.
The bassist whipped his head to face Matt, surprise covering his features, "Wha- What are you doing here?"
"I was taking a walk. Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm perfectly fine; I haven't been crying at all!" Tom snapped, laughing a bit.
Once Matt was close enough, he could make out what was graffitied on the wall; It was an eye staring down at whoever passed.
"What's the message?" Matt asked quietly.
Tom sniffled, "Those people know now, and soon probably everyone will know..."
Matt was about to ask what he meant when Tom broke down, grasping at his hair, and choking on his tears.
The taller quickly tried to calm Tom down with breathing exercises.
"Breathe in," Matt spoke, "and out."
Tom tried to match the ginger's breathing as best he could, nearly choking while doing so.
"You don't have to rush; we have all the time in the world," Matt spoke softly as Tom nodded.
After a few minutes, when he was calm enough, Tom spoke, "Thank you."
"For what?" Matt quirked an eyebrow.
"Being here..."
Tom looked up at Matt.
"You're alright."