Note: Matt and Tord are in Year 10, and Edd is a year ahead of them (Year 11). Tom lives somewhere else at the moment/going to a different school.

TWs: awkwardness, tension/intimidation tactics, referenced/insinuated eating disorder, Matt the doormat, spoilers for an anime movie from 2006/8, "emotions are for the weak" Tord. Stay safe :)

Matt sighed as he opened his locker. He grimaced as he saw his face in the mirror. How he hated acne; he needed something to cover it up. He could nab his mother's foundation. He hummed, keeping the idea for later and grabbing his books for the next class.

History.

He didn't mind History, keeping his grade at a 5, which was the equivalent of a B or C in the US. It was the same for all of his subjects, except for maths. He sucked at maths.

Matt walked into the classroom, sitting in his usual chair beside the window in the middle row. The ginger loved sitting next to the window.

Just as the bell rang for class to start, someone strolled in, prompting the teacher to say, "Ah, you're just in time, Mr. Valen."

Matt looked up, his eyes widening as he saw that it was the same kid from the day before, his caramel hair, black coat, and mismatched eyes. Matt wished he could show off his heterochromia without fear of judgment.

"Right, sorry." The teen muttered, walking to the back row.

Matt's eyes followed him, averting his gaze once he noticed Tord glance in his direction. He heard Tord sit somewhere behind him.

Turning to focus on the lesson, Matt flipped open his textbook to take down the notes on the board. He sat up to get a clear view, his elbow knocking his pencil off the table.

'Ah, no!' His eyes widened, following the pencil to where it rolled. It stopped under the desk behind him. He was about to lean down to get it, stopping when he noticed it was next to someone's foot, 'Blimey...'

He let a small sigh escape his lips as he bent down to pick it up. As he did so, the person's foot propelled forward, making Matt reel back in shock as his head hit the table's edge.

"Ack!" He yelped as he held the back of his head.

"Mr. Hathaway, do we have a problem?" The teacher spoke, her eyes peering over to where he was.

"Ah, no, ma'am- just dropped my pencil." Matt gave an awkward smile as he picked up his pencil again and returned to work.

As he flipped his book open, he couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching him.


History was over before he knew it, and Matt went to pick up his resources for Chemistry. It wasn't his best class, but it wasn't his worst class. He was always a "hands-on" type of person, so he thought the experiments were cool.

As he walked to class, he noticed the boy before him, the mysterious teen from before. Matt thought it was just a coincidence they were going the same way; perhaps they had classes near each other. Whatever the case, he didn't let the boy deter him from going to his studies.

Although, it seemed Tord had other plans for him. He turned the corner and waited...

Then, he pounced.

Yanking Matt by his collar, he pushed the taller into the locker. Red and silver eyes met greenish-blue.

"Hey, what the-!?" Matt yelled but lost his voice as he noticed who it was.

"Are you following me?" Tord scowled.

"What? N-No, of course not!" The ginger tried to get out of his grip but found the shorter surprisingly strong for having such a slim stature.

Tord rolled his eyes, "I don't believe you."

"Really, I'm not!" Matt fumbled through his hoodie pockets for his schedule, "Look!"

The foreigner grabbed the paper from his hands. He hummed, letting the ginger go, "I see."

Shoving the paper back at him, Tord walked away quickly. Matt furrowed his eyebrows as he watched him leave, 'Rude; he didn't even apologize!'

Huffing, Matt grabbed his things and continued to his class. As soon as he entered the Chemistry classroom, he paused.

'Oh, great,' He frowned, 'Scrappy's here too.'

Ignoring the foreigner sitting in the corner of the classroom, Matt decided to sit across the room instead.

The teacher cleared his throat, "Mr. Hathaway, need I remind you again that it's assigned seats?"

Oh, right. Matt always seemed to forget that. Sighing, the ginger stood up and reluctantly sat in front of the foreigner. For the first time in a long time, he couldn't wait for lunch.


Matt picked at the homemade food he brought from home. It wasn't much, just a sandwich he made with the cheapest ingredients he could find in his kitchen and a Gala apple.

Only one bite was taken out of both, but that was enough for Matt, even if his stomach said otherwise.

"Is this seat free?" A voice spoke.

Glancing up, Matt found himself staring into a familiar mismatched gaze.

"Uh-" Matt opened his mouth, and that's all it took for the other to claim the spot across from him, "Hey, I didn't-"

"Everything is free if you take it." He spoke, "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly. So I can sit here for as long as I need to."

Matt watched as he took out a notebook and started doodling something. Matt couldn't see what it was; the other was doing a good job at hiding the page.

"So, are you new here?" Matt questioned, picking at the brown paper bag he had.

"What do you think?" Tord quipped.

"Right." Matt cleared his throat, getting up to throw his food away.

'Either he wasn't hungry, or he has the stomach of a platypus.' Tord noted as he watched him closely. The ginger swiped his hands on his black hoodie as he sat back down, continuing to take out a Game Boy Advance. Tord quirked an eyebrow at the gadget. He had no idea what it was.

"Uh, do you need something?" Matt asked, noticing the caramel-haired loner was staring at him.

Tord shook his head, "What- uh... what is that?"

"This?" Matt gestured to the GBA in his hands, "It's a Game Boy Advance."

"Ah," The shorter tipped his head in acknowledgment as he returned to his blueprints. He had heard of Game Boys before and had asked his father if he could have one.

He said no, like always.

'Focus on your training, Tord.' 'There is no fun on the battlefield, Tord.' 'You should know better, Tord.'

Tord sighed. His father was right. He was sent to England for a reason, whether he liked it or not. He was going to accomplish his mission.

His mismatched eyes landed on the ginger across from him. A smile crept up on his face. He could effortlessly learn more information by talking to people.

And he knew who his first target was going to be.


A few days later, Tord was sitting in Chemistry class again. He kept an eye on the clock and studied the other students from his spot at the back of the class.

"Alright, class, as you may or may now know, we do a lot of projects in Chemistry." The teacher spoke, gathering a pile of papers, "Group projects."

A hand was raised.

"No, you cannot choose your partners."

Sighs and groans echoed around the room while Tord smirked in his little corner. He knew this was coming.

The teacher started calling out various groups in surname order. Matt noticed his last name wasn't called. He perked up, about to speak on it.

"Huh, it seems we have an odd number of students in this class." The teacher noticed, "Hathaway, you're with Valen."

"Uh, who-?" There was a tap on Matt's shoulder.

"That would be me." Tord grinned.

Matt's eyes widened as he turned to the teacher, "Mr. X, sir, surely there's been a mistake-"

Mr. X blinked as he looked through his papers, "Nope, no mistake."

Matt inwardly groaned as he faceplanted his desk.

"Uh, anyway, the project is a simple one, really; a matter of theorem and hypothesis." The teacher continued with his lesson. Tord leaned back in his chair, resting his arms behind his head.

This was going to be a piece of cake.


"What do you mean we can't do it at your place?" Matt frowned.

"Ah, we would, but unfortunately... my parents don't allow guests." Tord lied, rubbing the back of his neck.

If he told anyone he was currently living with two of his soldiers, he would be the talk of the entire country and UK military force.

And that would ruin his Father's plans; whatever those were.

Matt huffed, taking a part of his sandwich, "That's just great..."

Tord quirked an eyebrow, "What about your place?"

The ginger paused, "My place...?"

"Yeah, can't we just go to yours?" Tord tipped his head.

Matt bit at the crust of his food, "I mean, we could, but..."

He averted his eyes as he sat up, adjusting his position in the chair.

"The house-! It's getting renovated." Matt smiled.

'Wow, averting eyes, nervous disposition, fidgeting... he's a terrible liar.' Tord thought. He had been watching Matt for days now. He knew how the ginger acted generally, and this was not it, "Right, well, guess we're failing then."

Matt froze in place. Him? Fail? His mother would be disappointed in him. His family would disown him. All alone. Humiliationof the family name.

"Well, I, uh-" Matt stuttered, trying to collect his words as he thought about what to do, sighing as he caved, "W-Well, I guess we could... go to my house."

"Great," Tord uttered, silently wondering why the ginger was tentative in letting him come over.

Matt picked at his sandwich, dreading what was going to happen once Tord found out he was well off. His demeanor would change, and he'd let Matt pay for everything, and he would take without giving back.

It was an ongoing cycle that led Matt to be the loner that he was.

He glanced at Tord, who focused on the football practice outside the windows beside them. The light reflected in his heterochromia eyes, the constant dead-eyed look he held. Tord was a mystery to Matt, a wild card. He doesn't seem like a people person, but he could be friendly, right?

"Tsk, what kind of a pussy ass kick was that?" Tord snarked as he watched the practice. Matt frowned.

It would be nice to have a real friend.


"Why don't you take the bus?" Tord asked, stuffing his hands in his coat as a harsh wind rushed through.

"Ah, uh, it's a hassle," Matt replied.

"Taking a bus is a hassle...?" The Norsk raised an eyebrow.

"Yep." The ginger nodded.

"O...kay." Tord uttered, observing his surroundings, "These houses are beautiful."

"Aren't they?" Matt smiled awkwardly. They continued down the sidewalk, Tord glancing around at the brick walls with vines growing on them.

'This is a fancy neighborhood.' Tord thought, peering through a few gates. He nearly bumped into Matt, not seeing that he stopped in front of one.

The ginger seemed reluctant in his actions as he fiddled with his hoodie strings, "Here we are."

He pressed the doorbell. The silver barred gate opened instantly. Tord let out a low whistle at the mansion before them, "Wow."

Matt cleared his throat, "Come on."

"You're later than usual, Mathew." Someone spoke from the stairs leading to the entrance.

"Yes, I know, Mr. Karson." Matt huffed.

"Who's this?" The butler turned his attention to the foreigner.

"Oh, he's just-"

"A friend from school," Tord spoke for him.

Matt paused, looking at the other with wide, sparkling eyes, 'Friend?'

"Is that true, young Mathew?" Karson looked at the ginger with concerned eyes.

"Uh- I guess so." Matt shrugged, then smiled as he looked at his butler, "Yeah. He's a friend."

Karson nodded, letting them inside. Matt slipped his shoes off, Tord following. Matt glanced around the entryway, peering into the living room, "Where's Mother?"

"Upstairs, like always." The butler got busy with cleaning a few portraits.

"Do you mind waiting?" Matt turned to Tord, "I need to let my mom know you're here."

"Not at all." Tord smiled, stuffing his hands in his hoodie. He watched Matt go up the stairs, two at a time.

"Make yourself at home, guest," Karson spoke, making his way to the kitchen.

'I will...' Tord walked his way into the living room, inspecting every piece of furniture in sight. He stopped at a picture frame placed on the side table.

There was a ginger-haired woman and a boy who looked to be her son, about 12, both smiling. Tord hummed, turning to the frame next to it. A family portrait, in which the son looked to be the same age.

Inspecting it further, the Norsk didn't find anyone who could be the father. The mother and son seemed to keep their distance from the rest of the family.

It was safe to assume the father wasn't in the picture. Tord wasn't going to ask why; he didn't want Matt to get emotional. He didn't know what the purpose of having emotions was; it only made things more complicated.

He huffed, sitting on the couch and liking how he fell into it, the cushions nearly engulfing him. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table, earning a glare from Karson. He ignored it, of course.

Matt knocked on his mother's door, opening the door slightly to see his mother picking up a few scattered drawings of all the dresses and outfits she'd drawn over the weeks.

"Are you busy, mum?" Matt asked, opening the door further.

"No, not at all, dear!" She answered, albeit rushing around the room to get all sorts of threads and needles in place, "I just have a deadline. Winter Collection and all. I have to get these made by the 22nd, and then I'll be free to take you ice skating if you still want to go!"

"Sure, but... what about the 21st?" Matt held his arm awkwardly at his side.

Cynthia hummed, "What about it?"

'Winter dance...' Matt sighed inwardly. He wasn't surprised his mother forgot, just disappointed, "It's nothing- but uhm, is it okay if I brought a friend over?"

"Sounds fine." The older shrugged, pushing her ginger locks out of her emerald eyes, "Don't hassle Karson too much."

"I won't." Matt stepped out of the room, closing the door gently.

His heart was aching, but he wasn't going to lash out at anyone, especially his mother. She tries her best to care for her son while meeting deadlines and talking to other employees and employers. He wasn't going to ruin her stride.

"Tord, are you- oh." Matt stopped upon seeing his friend in the living room, his feet on the table before him, "Uh, you're not allowed to do that. It gives more work for Karson."

Tord huffed yet did as he was told. He wasn't going to get on Matt's bad side.

"My room is upstairs; come on." The ginger grabbed his bag and led the foreigner upstairs, "That's my mum's room, and a few doors down is mine."

Turning the hall, Matt stopped at a door painted lavender with white stars. The letters 'M A T T' were spelled in a bubble font on the door in a fancy shade of forest green.

'What have I gotten myself into?' Tord asked himself, finding himself cringing at the sight of the door.


'Join us for the Winter Dance - on December 21st from 7 PM to 11 PM.'

Matt looked at the blue poster covered in snowflakes. His contact blue eyes glanced at the details. Formal attire, of course. He wondered if his mother would mind if he borrowed an outfit from her. She had an unregistered list, and the clothes not bought or sold usually went on there. He didn't think any were his size, though.

"Lame." A voice uttered next to him.

"What?" Matt glanced at the Norsk.

"None of these clubs sound interesting." Tord rolled his eyes, setting his gaze on the poster for the dance, "You're not considering going to that, are you?"

"Well, why not? I've never been to a school event, mostly because my mum is busy." Matt shrugged, staring at the poster longingly.

Tord tsked, "It's just a school dance. I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities to go to one."

The shorter walked away, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He was right. It was just a school dance. There'll be others that Matt can go to. He sighed, walking away from the poster.


"You want to dye your hair...?" Matt asked as he closed his locker.

"Yep, any other color besides this boring shit." Tord gestured to his messy caramel locks. It beat looking like a replica of his old man, and the police kept an eye on the area; they were sure to catch up to what Tord was doing eventually.

"I think it looks fine." The ginger tilted his head.

"It's not fine!" Tord snapped, then realized where they were as he felt the gazes of many, "I mean, it's not fine. I need something new, and fast."

Matt hummed, "I can dye it."

"You...?"

"Yeah, I've been messing around with hair dye and make-up since I was little. I can try to dye your hair."

"That doesn't-"

"Just let me try!" Matt gripped him by the shoulders, "Please...!"

Tord tensed, not used to physical contact. His face flushed as he tried to pry Matt's arms off of him, "Ugh, fine! But if I end up bald, it's on you!"

They were at Matt's house once again. The ginger practically dragged the other into his bedroom's bathroom, sitting him down on the toilet seat. Matt went through his cabinets for the hair dye.

"Uh, what color do you want?" Matt peered up at him from the sink cabinet.

"Something darker." Tord shrugged, "Do you have black?"

"No... used too much of it on a wig. It definitely can't be used to cover a full head of hair." Matt uttered, "How about... chestnut?"

"What's that?"

"Brown, only darker."

"Works for me."

Matt got a towel and covered Tord's torso with it. He got out a brush and started to detangle his hair.

"When was the last time you washed your hair?" The taller frowned.

"Ow- uh, this morning." Tord winced.

Matt huffed, "And you just left it like this?"

"I don't bother with it," Tord spoke.

After combing, Matt poured the dye into a bowl. He gazed at Tord's hair, analyzing where he should go with it. Matt hummed as he rifled through it.

"What are you doing?" Tord asked.

"Inspecting." The texture was rough, although it was washed recently.

Matt put on a pair of gloves and began applying the dye.

The result was confusing, to say the least.

"Uh..." They both looked at Tord's newly washed hair in the mirror. It had some dark patches, but it was the same color as before.

"Maybe you did something wrong." Tord spoke, "Now it looks like a cheetah, only with reverted colors."

Matt frowned, not knowing what he did wrong. He grabbed the package from the trash can, reading the label. Nothing seemed out of place until he looked at the brand.

"Oh- oh..." Matt hissed, almost in pain as he realized, "I used the wrong brand! This is the cheap stuff. Ah, damn it..."

"Cheap stuff?" Tord asked.

"Yeah, cheaply made, cheap ingredients." Matt tossed it back in the garbage, "Sorry bout that; we'll have to try again, I guess."

Tord lifted the bowl containing leftover chestnut dye.

"It's close to 7, you should be- Tord?" Matt turned from looking at his bedroom clock to where Tord stood holding the bowl of dye.

"I'm not leaving with my hair looking like it belongs in the stables as horse shit!" He yelled, "And my sol- parents, especially, can't see this!"

Now that was a nightmare. Pau and Pat would tease him for sure. He could just feel Pat's judgment from a mile away, and Pau would have to bring it up since it was noticeable.

"But it's late and we don't want to miss our curfew-"

"Only you have a curfew. I do not." Tord tilted the bowl.

"Don't; you're gonna get dye on the tiles!" Matt's eyes widened.

"I won't; calm down," Tord smirked, placing it on the sink's edge.

"Wah-" Matt's hand flew out, his reflex kicking in as he hit the bowl upwards with his hand. The bowl nearly did a 360, Matt missing it as it fell into the sink, dye splattering everywhere.

Tord watched as the dye got on his clothes and the tiles. He glanced at Matt, seeing that the same thing happened to him. The ginger was frowning, and he didn't look too happy as he puffed out his cheeks.

Looking at the other prompted something in Tord. He couldn't help but grin as he felt a sense of pleasure well up inside of him. Something tickled at the back of his throat as a mixture of laughing and coughing came out of him.

Matt froze, looking at Tord. The Norsk was... laughing? At him? He never got the other to laugh. He didn't remember doing anything funny. What made him laugh so hard he was coughing?

Whatever the case, it was contagious. Matt smiled as he began to chuckle. He got out his phone, a Sony Ericsson. It was made for better-quality pictures. He tapped Tord on the shoulder and gestured to his phone.

Tord whipped a tear from his eye, looking at the phone in distaste, "Uh..."

Matt grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in for a side hug. Tord's limbs froze as he took in his situation.

"Just one picture, Tord," Matt spoke, noticing his friend's distress.

"Mmh, alright." The shorter replied as he leaned into the camera's view.

Matt took the picture, a grin on his face as Tord awkwardly smiled along. It was printed and given to the Norsk the next day. Tord placed it in a drawer, hidden from everything.


"What are you watching?" Tord asked, looking at the animated video on the television.

"Oh, hey, Tord!" Matt turned to him, patting the cushion beside him, "I'm watching an anime. It's called Ouran High School Host Club."

'Anime...?' He's heard of anime from You plenty of times before, but he's never seen one. Tord sat down, watching with him.

"This is episode one." Matt spoke, "I'm in the middle of it already. That person, the brunette, is named Haruhi. She's a girl despite wearing a boy's uniform. She broke a priceless vase, and now she has to pay it off by... serving the Host Club? I think."

"Interesting..." Tord mumbled, watching the show. There were subtitles at the bottom to make things easier. Tord had no problem understanding right away. He knew the basics of multiple languages, Japanese being one of them.

When the episode ended, Matt smiled, "Aw man, I loved that! Can't wait for the next one, right Tord?"

Tord looked at the credit screen, "Are there... more like that?"

"I'm pretty sure there's a movie up next. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, I think." Matt checked the channel previews, "Yeah, it starts in a minute."

Tord nodded.

"Karson, can you turn off the lights? It's too bright." Matt asked, turning the lamp beside him on. Within seconds, the overhead lights were off, "Thank you!"

The premise of the movie confused Matt, but he slowly eased into it as he got what was going on. It was basically time travel, only with traveling to the past.

Tord understood what was happening. The main character, Makoto, leaped back to the past to undo what she thought were mistakes. Every human makes one; it didn't mean she had to go back in time to fix all of them. To him, the main character was selfish, only doing things for her benefit.

Then it changed. The aunt told the main character about the 'consequences of her actions' and how time leaping might affect those around her.

It was interesting when it got to the climax of the movie. Makoto stumbled down the road, out of time leaps, as she tried to get her friend to stop a bike with a broken brake on it.

Everything stopped, and it faded to black. A red line becoming clearer showed numbers upon numbers as Makoto's voice cut through, yelling for it to 'stop.' Time was frozen as Makoto appeared right before the train barrier, the light on red, and the train barely passing through.

'Interesting...' Tord thought, his eyes widening as he saw Chiaki, the love interest, standing behind her. He could also leap through time.

He went on about how he was from the future and was supposed to return, how time flew by, how it was already Summer, and how he had so much fun with Makoto and Kousuke. He had never seen so many people before, and he had longed to see this one painting.

Tord looked at the illustrations shown throughout his speech. Plants, the city, birds, the water...

He heard a quiet sniffle beside him, spooking him out of his thoughts. He had forgotten the ginger was there.

'Ridiculous.' Tord thought, glaring at the screen.

It ended on a bittersweet note. Makoto had one more time leap since Chiaki used his last one to save Kousuke and the other girl, so she used it to go back in time, found the device used for time leaping, and explained everything to Chiaki. He left to return to the future, and everything was right again.

'If he's from the future, how can Makoto see him again?' Tord found himself wondering.

"That was sweet," Matt mumbled.

"Sure..." Tord muttered.

They ended up watching anime throughout the night, even the provocative ones. That reminded Tord of something the blonde rookie had told him about as well.

"Hey, Matt." Tord spoke, "Do you know what hentai is?"

Matt raised an eyebrow, "No, what is it?"

"Mmh, I'll show you in the morning. It's really... neat." Tord hummed, lying on the couch and placing his feet near Matt.

"Mmkay." Matt slid off the couch, opting to sit on the floor as he grabbed a blanket and made himself comfy, "Goodnight, Tord."

He didn't get a response, peering up to see Tord asleep already, his chest rising steadily and barely making any noise. Matt smiled, knowing his friend needed it.

'Friend.' Matt realized, his eyes widened as he covered himself in the white fluffy blanket, 'I finally have one...'

Matt smiled, turning the TV down low as he closed his eyes, an emotion sparking inside him he hadn't felt in a long time since Preparatory School. He wasn't alone anymore. He had someone to speak to and hang out with. He had a friend.

His first friend.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧NOTE✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

September is when I started writing this... and what month is it now?

DECEMBER :(

I wrote 2,297 words today. It was all on this one chapter... that's more than I could ever write. It was in ONE sitting. For 6 hours, I was writing this.

That animated movie is really interesting though. Also, I just had to add OHSHC, it's one of my favorites-

Comments are appreciated 3