#edd x reader

Sure, you coughed the next morning—so many times, and yeah perhaps your body temperature was worryingly high, but you pulled through by swallowing a crap ton of garlic.

You swore you were fine.

Your roommates didn't seem to think so.

So now you were here, strapped onto the mattress, a wet piece of folded fabric settled on your forehead.

"Tom, I'm fine." You croak out.

Tom cringed, "No. You aren't. Stop lying to yourself."

"I'm already lying against my will." You deadpan.

Tom laughed plainly, each 'ha' a flat staccato as he narrowed his eyes at you. "Wow. You are SO hilarious." He said sarcastically.

You huffed. "I know I am." You mused, unable to control a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, you stay there, I'll go get Matt." Tom said as he stood up, already heading for the door.

You hummed curtly. "Sure. Not like I can go anywhere else..." You grumbled as you turned to glare at the ceiling.

Great.

Maybe the others had finally went ahead and bought pills for you. You couldn't stand the sight of medicinal syrup. No. Ew. They all tasted horrible. Especially the vanilla ones.

...but knowing who your roommates were, you really couldn't rely on them…like at all.

And so for the first time in a long time, you started to pray to the one(s) above for patience and strength, and that you'll get this over with already. Goodness, you could already sense the footsteps of impending doom. May the lords spare you from your roommates' patronizing comments and that godforsaken syrup—!!

"Who's ready for a sticky mediiii???"

Oh god.

You gulped with dread as you watched Matt approach with a face that looked far too happy to see you in such a state. "Please no..."

"Nuh-uh-uh!" Matt tutted, clutching the syrup of despair right in front of your face, barely sparing you the terror. "Don't think we haven't noticed you wandering about so sluggishly these past few days, sister-mister. You've been worn down by that nasty job of yours no doubt."

You huffed, offended. "My job is NOT nasty, thank you."

“It so is nasty. I mean look at you!” He gestured to you—which—wow? Rude? You looked fine! Pale, perhaps, but fine.

“Hey, I look fantastic!” You retorted, “No one on earth could possibly pull off looking like a corpse like me…in a good, sexy way.”

Matt twirled the spoon. “Last I checked, you aren't Edward Collins,” he said, doubtfully.

“That's because he's not a corpse, he's a vampire.”

Matt blinked. “Oh yeah…well, nonetheless, your job sucks.”

You blew a raspberry in response.

As much as you appreciate Matt's concern, you really didn't appreciate the way he was low-key disrespecting you, or how he was waving the spoon at you like that.

Like ew.

The way it hovered over you like a slithering snake waiting to bite you. You could already imagine the syrup's rancid coppery taste, oh god. Oh god you weren't ready. OH GOD.

"Couldn't you have brought any pills with you instead—" You were immediately cut off by Matt's fingers clamping your lips closed.

"Tut-tut-tut. Shhhhhhh.. I'm helping."

You stared up at him incredulously, waiting for him to let go of your lips; but he began to open the bottle instead OH FUCK—OH GOD HE'S OPENING THE BOTTLE.

HELL NO. NO NO NONONONONONOONONONONONONONOONONO

"WAAH!! NO NO NO NO YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! RELEASE ME! NOW! HELPPP!" You began to thrash in your restraints, shrieking and screaming bloody murder. It was enough to get your other roommates to barge into your room, curious about the noise.

Edd peeked in, his expression of concern shifting into one of amusement upon realizing you weren't in any real danger.

You, on the other hand, were merged with a stress response between fight or flight. Flight and Fight…ffffff Flight (fl-ight haha).

"IT'S NOT EVEN THAT BAD!" You protested with all your might, pulling out all the strings for the slim chance of being spared from the cursed vanilla syrup. "I'M FINE! I'M TOTALLY FINE! IT'S JUST THE BLOODY NUCLEAR RADIATION FROM WORK! STOP STOP! GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!!! SCREAMS OF TERROR!!”

"AH-HAH!" Matt jabbed his finger onto your forehead, a triumphant grin settling on his features. "So it is that job of yours!"

"Wha—wait—" You paused. You blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. "Woah- Matt, wait, That's not what I—"

"AH-HAH!" Now it was Edd's turn to rejoice.

("The hell??? Since when did you get here???" You asked exasperatedly, you didn't even notice he was by the doorway.)

Edd bee-lined straight towards you, joining Matt on jabbing a finger onto your forehead which—owie? Ow. "I was right! It was the radiation!"

You frowned at them both. "Yeah, thanks Captain Obvious, but it wasn't mainly the radiation you know? It could've been a...bunch of other things! Maybe I contracted the fever from my coworker."

Edd arched his brow at you, a smug smile on his lips. "From work?"

You nodded automatically. "Yeah from work—wait NO! Not what I meant! Gah!" You couldn't believe this issue popped up again.

Your roommates, bless their irritating hearts, seriously did not know how to mind their business when it came to your job. Sure, you GET where their concerns were coming from considering you worked at a power plant, but they've gotten to a degree where they've just been actively sabotaging your routine to prevent you from going to work...when they have no reason for doing so!

Okay. You'll admit. You're over exaggerating here. They're not ACTIVELY sabotaging, but they sure were taking your attention.

Plus, It wasn't like you were all close.

You lot were just people living under the same roof. You were not part of their odd friend group whatsoever. All the shenanigans they've gotten themselves into? You weren't in any of it. At all. (Which hurts your ego a bit.)

The only time you've maybe gotten involved was when the zombie apocalypse came; even then, you didn't join, not even when Tord became the undead twice.

So imagine your surprise when they began butting in whenever you were getting ready for work…or even during work. They were spamming your phone like crazy for odd errands and questions.

Stuff like:

Can u buy me a cola 12 pack ASAP? Thx

Have you seen my underpants? 😔

can u do me a favor and steal something for me, ill give uuuu £10

Hey I know youre busy but can I use your car pretty pls

Hey [N/n] we are going to hell, wanna come lol???

Can I use your facial cream? I'll return it I swear it's for something urgent 🙏🙏

Can I borrow ur crisps? thx

Yo we used your bed for our movie hope you dont minddd if itll get scratches or smthn

[Name] come back edd fell off the roof and we don't know what to do! 😭😭

Yo dude can you pick us up from the museum its rainingg

And many. Many. More.

Obviously, being the decent roommate you were, you complied—at first. But the more and more they spammed you with texts, each one becoming more out of context and ridiculous by the next message, the more you were starting to think that they were doing this on purpose.

Old you wasn't far off on that guess.

And now here you were, strapped against your will, but at least the syrup wasn't open…yet.

“You see,” Edd began, lifting a finger like a freaking know-it-all, “this is exactly why you should quit that job of yours… before you grow a third arm and start naming it.”

Was Edd seriously going to lecture you about the cons of being employed right now? If so, wow, that's crazy.

“Edd, seriously, it's not that serious.” You sighed exasperatedly, “So what if I—totally hypothetically—lingered around nuclear waste for hours? It's just part of the job!...and I totally didn't do that! My job is completely irrelevant to the conversation!”

“Sounds convoluted.” Tom joined in the conversation, somehow. You had no idea when he got in also.

“Your mum’s convoluted.” You retorted back sharply, only to get ambushed via squeezing of the nose.

Uh-oh.

“Justice served.” Tom whispered to you, right to your ear, all with a smirk. Your eye twitched. The bastard.

…but DAMN IT! YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!

You were forced to inhale through your mouth, a bad decision on your part since you were immediately force-fed (by Matt) with a spoon containing that DISGUSTING medicinal syrup. It wasn't like you could throw it up, not with your nose being blocked (by Edd).

You could only wrangle a nasally whine as you swallowed the slick, thick substance. Yuck.

Edd released your nose from its squeezed shackles, leaving a slight red hue on your flesh. You coughed, a few tears welling up in your eyes but you weren't gonna let them have the satisfaction of seeing you weak.

You cleared your throat, gagging slightly at the aftertaste. “That was terrible. Never do that again.” You seethed.

Edd flicked your forehead, “If you hate it so much, then don't get sick.” He scolded you.

“I can't help it if I get sick. It's not my fault that I've got the immune system of a goldfish.” Your lips tugged into a pout, your eyes squinted at his audacity to flick you.

Edd scoffed. “Obliviously. No one’s immune system can handle being exposed to nuclear waste.”

“Says you, green superman,” You grumbled, “—and again! My job isn't part of any of this! Why do you keep bringing it up??” You threw your head back against your pillow, as that was all you could do to express your frustration.

Edd sighed wearily. He loomed over you, his arms crossed, this time his face settled with a stern expression. “Because every time you get sick, you act like it's nothing.”

You rolled your eyes as you retorted. “Because it is nothing.”

“No it isn't.” Tom said quietly.

The room stilled.

You exhaled through your nose. You know, you would've appreciated the concern if not for the fact that you had been strapped to your bed against your will. And no, you aren't gonna stop mentioning that, they were stripping away your free will! (to lay in bed all day and rot until your sickness passes. Yes it's much worse but that's besides the point.)

Matt was the first to break the silence as he twisted the bottle cap back on with a concerned smile. “[Name], to be fair, you look like you're about two seconds away from collapsing half the time…and last week, you came home looking and smelling like a UKHSA violation.”

You blinked. You honestly didn't expect Matt (of all people) to notice your antics, let alone compare it to something like that. If you had your hands free right now, you would've applauded him.

But your pride overpowers your astonishment.

“Oh, c'mon. It wasn't that bad.” You shot back.

Tom blinked at you, unamused. “It is that bad when you come back coughing your lungs out,” Tom muttered, arms crossed. “Honestly, I'm with Edd and Matt on this one. Your job is basically a side quest designed to kill you.”

You groaned and glared at all three of them. “You're all so dramatic. I get sick one time and suddenly everyone's acting like I crawled out of a sewer.”

“One time?” Edd repeated, brows lifting. “You had a fever last month.”

“And before that, you lost your voice for three days,” Matt chimed in.

“And before that,” Tom added flatly, “you almost passed out because you forgot to eat.”

You opened your mouth.

Then closed it.

Damn it.

“That last one was unrelated,” You mumbled weakly, averting your eyes stubbornly.

Edd groaned, his hands waving and loosely gesturing at you. “See? Exactly my point.”

Edd really couldn't with you. He could hardly believe that someone was this stubborn, this hard-headed in the face of concern; but you just never cease to surprise him. Fuck, he just wants to grab and shake you back and forth to finally get you to see what you've been doing to yourself, but knowing you? You'd probably just brush him off, telling him to mind his beeswax.

He dragged his hand across his face before he went to flick your forehead again.

“Owie!” You yelped. “Stop that.”

“Be worried about yourself for once.” Edd said exasperatedly. “We're bringing it up and we're going to keep bringing it up because we're worried about you, idiot.”

For a split second there, Edd could've sworn he saw your eyes widen and soften; you immediately looked away before he could point it out though.

“You guys sure are bad at worrying.” Your glare lessened. Edd could count this as a win, no matter how tempting it is for him to bonk you on the head with a hammer to shatter your stubborn attitude.

“Well, sorry—” Matt cut through Edd's contemplation of violence with a light, joking tone, “Would you prefer if we held your hand and wept dramatically over your fragile little bird bones?”

You paused, shooting Matt a look. “Fragile little bird bones?”

“You do have bird vibes,” Matt shrugged. “Tiny—”

“—Am not!”

“—angry, always pecking at people.”

You frowned, baffled. “I do not peck at people.”

“You bit Tom once,” Edd said.

“Twice.” Tom corrected.

“That was self defense.” You quipped.

“Against what?” Tom asked. “Puns?”

“You don't do good puns, you do one-liners.”

“Excuse you, they're good one-liners.”

“Certainly not funny ones.”

“Ey!”

“Okay we're getting a little off topic here—” Edd butts in, sliding in between you and Tom, pushing both of your faces away from each other.

You laid your head back on your pillow, your face and temper seemed to be cooled down. But with frustration slowly fading away, a new feeling rose. Unease…and a migraine. You've never been in their presence for this long before...how long has it been since this started? A few minutes? Hours?

Either way, this was uncanny. Your weren't used to being stared at with that look of....gag...concern.

Your roommates watched as you awkwardly shuffled against the leather restraints into a more comfortable position.

Anyways, where were you? Oh right. Your job.

You looked back at them, your face looking firm. “But seriously…You guys can nag all you want, I can't just quit my job.”

The room was enveloped by silence once more. Tom and Matt shared a look of disappointment.

Edd clicked his tongue, clocking an eyebrow. “Why not?”

You could feel your nerves start to tingle with heat. Raging heat. Simmering. Was he seriously not going to give up?

“Uh? Because I need the money?” You stated the obvious—sharply, “That thing people enjoy having?”

“We have money!” Matt said almost immediately.

You stared at him.

Tom stared at him too.

Matt glanced at both of you with a pout. “What? We do!”

“You can't just say 'we have money' like you're a cartoon billionaire handing out sacks with pound signs on them,” You said in deadpan.

Matt perked up. “We could get sacks with pound signs on them!”

“Focus,” Edd snapped.

“Wow, you guys really aren't gonna stop biting my ass, huh?”

“Not until you give us a good reason why we shouldn't.” Edd huffed.

…Well fuck.

Your gaze shifted to your chest as you bit your cheek. “...I don't know. I just don't like depending on people.” You said quietly. You kind of hoped it went unnoticed, but luck clearly wasn't on your side seeing as the three shot up like meerkats.

You decided to find interest on the wall beside you as the trio glanced and murmured among themselves. Unfortunately, you weren't superhuman or mutated or possessed to have been blessed with super hearing to tell what they were saying.

It was probably something dumb and irrational.

And yeah, so what if you broke one of your walls down? You're sick for crying out loud! You can't control yourself.

Ugh! You hate this!

You hated laying here. You hated the medicine. You hated this godforsaken illness. And you hated the concern.

Tom was the first to break the silence. “There's a difference between depending on people and letting people help you, you know?”

You glanced up.

He looked as surprised as you when he said that, but he didn't back down. “... Nobody's saying you have to quit tomorrow—”

“—though that would be much preferred—” Edd piped in.

“—but you have to understand that your job is clearly the number one factor in…” Tom loosely gestured to your form, “...this. Hah. Look, all we're trying to say is that if your job's making you miserable and sick all the time, maybe you don't have to cling to it like it's the only thing keeping you afloat.”

You inhaled sharply.

Because the annoying thing was that he wasn't entirely wrong. (Oh you felt your ego cracking at the admission.)

Matt tilted his head, watching your face carefully. “Or just... let us help sometimes. You know we'd be there for you, right?” He hesitated for a second, his smile turning smaller around the edges. “I mean, we're always asking you for favors. Kinda feels unfair that you never ask for anything back.”

You physically had to reel back. Matt. Matt. Matt said THAT?! Narcissist Matt? The same Matt who'd shamelessly choose his own image over the well-being of others!? THAT MATT!?

You glanced at the others, relieved to see them share your shock.

Edd opened and closed his mouth, torn between showing his concern for you or commenting on Matt's concern for you.

Edd chose the former. He turned to you and placed a hand on your tied shoulder. “What Matt said. We’re always asking things from you, aren't we?” He chuckled, patting your shoulder. “Drives, errands, listening to us complain about stupid crap at two in the morning…You do a lot for us.”

“And you never ask for anything back.” Tom added with a huff.

Edd’s brows pulled together as he stared right at you. Those brown-eyes of his…caring as they may be, they never fail to intimidate you. You stayed silent as he clutched your shoulder.

“So maybe let us return the favor for once…instead of you know…acting like you've got your life sorted out? You and I both know you don't.” Edd chuckled lightly.

You blinked. You stayed silent, looking over all three of them. Their stares were like a weight on you, and like a beginner gym-rat, you couldn't hold it for too long.

“...Fine.” You said, begrudgingly.

The three cheered.

“But if I ever do get sick again, I do not want that bottle anywhere near me.”

“That's negotiable.”

That night, you managed to convince them to free you from the leather prison. You wanted to jump the moment you felt the fresh air embracing your skin as soon as you felt the clasps click open.

You weren't even gonna ask how they managed to strap you to the bed in the first place.

Freedom mattered more at the moment.

And for your first act of freedom? Laying on your bed with your phone of course! Like hell you were walking around with a migraine. Fuck no! You'd rather worsen it with blue light instead, the right way.

As you scrolled through your endless feed of content slop, a notification broke your trance. It was a…cash payment?

You opened the notification and was met with £100 to your bank account. It even came with a little note too.

Get well soon.

- T.

You stared at the screen for a full minute, trying to figure out who the hell even sent this gift. You only knew a couple of people with a name that started with a T, one of them being Tom. But you knew Tom enough to know that he wasn't the type to give people money outright. The opposite actually.

But going back to this sender, you wracked your already throbbing head because you just loved to torture yourself, trying to find out who this fella was.

It wasn't your coworkers (with whom had the initials of T), you don't even talk to them.

…So who else?

Tord?

…

…Nahhhh.

There's no way. You weren't even close to the guy. You barely got to speak with him face-to-face before he left…maybe a couple texts here and there, but that was it. Purely transactional, as all roommates should be.

Well, whatever. Whoever this mystery sender was, you mentally thanked them as you immediately went back to scroll. Oblivious to the red dot on the corner of the status bar.

It starts small.

Too small to notice.

Edd comes home from an adventure.

Grabs a cola.

Drops onto the couch.

The clock hits 11.

Brush teeth.

Shower.

Sleep.

Then again.

Edd comes home from an adventure.

Grabs a cola.

Drops onto the couch.

The clock hits 11.

Brush teeth.

Shower.

Sleep.

Again.

And again.

And again.

At first, it's just routine.

Then it becomes… wrong.

The timing is too perfect.

The movements feel forced.

Like his body already knows what to do before he thinks, Like hes not choosing anything.

So one day he stops.

Mid-step, mid-breath.

the world doesn't like that.

Something pulls.

Hard.

He moves again.

Not because he wants to

but because something made him.

Thats when it breaks.

Edd doesn't follow the script.

He runs.

Straight to the window.

And jumps.

For a second it's felt like freedom! but then Everything tears the sky folds like paper The ground glitches the world flickers into lines. Flat. Color. Frames.

And behind it

You.

Not a voice.

Not a god.

Just… a person.

At a screen.

Drawing.

Then everything resets, edd is back on the couch Cola in hand, The clock hits 11...

But now he knows You do this.

At first, its horror.

Every movement isn't his every word isn't chosen, He tries to fight it, Break the fourth wall.Ban, against it scream even!

yet you don't react, Because simply you can't hear him To you, its just… weird animation glitches Maybe a coworker messing around?, So you fix it Rewrite the scene. Reset.

Again.

And again.

Each time he gets closer

you erase it.

Until he realizes something you cant hear him But you can read.

So he writes.

Small at first.

Hidden.

Between frames Inside background objects Quick flashes you almost miss a weak attend of his Until one day you dont miss it, You freeze the frame, Zoom in

Theres text...Not part of the script not... something you wrote?..

"You're watching me."

Thats when everything changes You respond Not with voice but through the only thing you can control the animation.

And somehow it works?

Communication.

Slow. Broken. Impossible.

But real.

You learn he's aware, He learns you're real.

....till one day

He asks to leave To come into your world,you shut that down immediately Because thats insane That's not how anything works this isnt some sci-fi fantasy.

And thats the moment it hits him, Hes trapped. But still he keeps talking to you.

And you…start staying longer.

Working overtime.

Not for deadlines.

Not for the show.

For him.

You always liked Edd, He was your favorite, But this?, This is different, This is real.

Then something changes again.

Edd stops resisting the script

At first, you think he gave up.

But no hes helping!

Hitting poses perfectly, Following timing, Making scenes easier to animate!, and hes cooperating.

Not because he wants the story.

But because it gives him more time with you.

And slowly you both start to forget this isn't normal.

Until one day edd leaves the scene not in the script but the fact He walks Off-frame Through the edges of the animation Into something else Your screen glitches then hes there Inside your laptop!,

Moving between windows Tabs, Apps Watching and Learning, He finds videos of himself,Fan edits, Clips, People laughing and people loving him.

It should feel good But it doesn't Because none of them are you. And yet out of all of them you're the only one he can reach The only one who sees him.

Any position really- he’ll find your hand and just place his on top of it. I think it would be like sacred to him so feel way closer than just being inside you. It’s sentimental and earnest of him.

*+*

“Ohh fuckkk…” Edd groans from above you as your legs are thrown over his shoulders and your dignity long gone. His length stretches you to unfathomably good— it’s enough to rip moans out of you so easily, even if he goes hard or soft. Your body is on fire as his hips rock methodically back and forth, making it look like light work for him even at his most vulnerable. Your hands clenching at the sheets until it’s covered by his own hand— large and gentle, holding you- grounding you. Your eyes finally look up at him after closing them in bliss, his stare is right into your soul, showing his out in the open.

“Good god baby… just keep feeling it— just keep reaching that heaven baby. I’ve got you…” He’ll lean his head to the side, his sweaty forehead hitting your knee before his leans his lips up and kisses your inner thigh. It’s sticky- it’s hot, it’s so pleasurable that you don’t know if you can handle it. You’ll cry, mewl, moan, you’ll feel him. The air is so heavy, it’s almost hard to breathe from how much you’ll cry out into the air. His body stuttering for a moment, letting you know that he’s so so close. He’s holding on for you, just for you.

“Eddie…” You squeak out as your head leans back in the pillow.

“I know- ohh I know sugar.”

And he’ll do all that and more.

In my opinion, he seems like a girl dad

SO MANY dad jokes... you will absolutely be sick of it

I think he would want two or three kids. He's the type of person who says "one more wouldn't hurt"

He spoils your child rotten with affection

He's not a very stern parent, so you often have to be the one who disciplines the children

He loves doing arts and crafts with them and teaches them how to draw!

Your kid is the light of his life and he would do anything to see them smile, and he makes sure that they know that!

Matt 💜:

He is also such a girl dad to me

He would always be playing dress up with your kids, and he would get very much into whatever game they want to play with him

I can picture you walking into them in the middle of a very intense tea party with Matt fully immersed in character

As we all know Matt is a mess so you end up doing most of the cleaning...

But he will have no problem taking care of the kids while you're busy! He loves spending time with them in any way he can

Probably loves going to the playground more than your children do

He will make sure your kid has such a fun childhood!

Tom 💙:

He's never been the best with kids, so he was a little nervous about being a dad at first

He read every parenting book he could find so he could know how to be a good father

But from the moment he first laid eyes upon your child, he loved them!

He cuts back on his drinking so that he can be there for the kids and you more

I can see him going either way in terms of boy or girl dad

Loves singing lullabies for them and playing songs for them on Susan

He'll even let them touch Susan, even though he's a bit cautious about it...

Just goes to show how much he cares about them, though :)

Tord ❤️:

Like Tom, he's also nervous about being a dad at first

Especially with the army, he's very concerned about their safety, so he'll do anything he can to protect them

I can see him raising a couple of boys or a boy and a girl

While he can be a bit strict as the leader of the Red Army, he still makes sure to have fun with your kids and remind them how much they mean to him

When they're old enough, he'll take them to the shooting range and teach them how to shoot (after thoroughly convincing you it was safe)

He's a very proud father and loves showing off his children's achievements

He works hard but seeing you and your children makes it all worth it for him in the end!

Edd sought you out one fine and sunny morning to help him tidy up the attic, considering that everyone else is out or busy. You’ve liked him for quite a while now, so how could you say no to such an opportune moment? What you didn’t expect was the unconventional contents you’d find in the mess and the sheer mass of them.

You watch as Edd rummages through the piles, seemingly looking for something. He throws items behind him. A few of them being a literal skull, a hamburger, and one of the many photoframes of Matt in a certain angle.

“What are we looking for exactly?”

“I had an old sketchbook I never used. I hid it in the attic for the one day I might use it but then Eduardo and I got powers, we fought, and amidst it all, messed up the attic.”

“What?” You pause. Surely, this must be one elaborate joke he’s setting up. You look up at him to make sure. He looks sincere but ultimately so casual about it like said shenanigans are the norm in their household.

“I know. It’s crazy, right? I mean, why would he drag the attic into it?” Oh, he’s dead serious. You opted to not comment nor reply and instead, simply continued to scavenge alongside him.

An hour has possibly passed and you both have only cleared out one section of the room, yet there’s still no sight of the aforementioned sketchbook. You’re both huddled in the corner, sitting amongst the piles of trinkets and memorabilia in a shared fatigue.

“Wow. We're never finding it.” Edd chokes out a sheepish laugh, slumping. “Sorry for dragging you into this. Seems like I wasted an hour or something in your life.”

Now, this isn't exactly the most appropriate time to be thinking about it, but the sun has descended at a very specific angle that basks him in a warm hue. His cheeks are flushed slightly red and he's got the cutest grin plastered on him right now. It would be criminal if you didn't at least try to cheer him up right now.

“No, definitely not. In fact…” You paw at a random space in piles, pretending to look through them. Edd seems to shuffle closer, hovering and trying to figure out what you're trying to do exactly.

You turn around to face him, holding your empty hand out. “Here, can you hold this?”

He blinks. “There's nothing there.”

“Exactly. I'm offering you a helping hand.”

It's pure silence, before his face twists into genuine amusement. “Pfft.”

“What? No loud ‘Hahaha'? No standing ovation?”

“It was pretty terrible.”

You scoff, feigning offence. “That's a lot coming from you!”

You're about to pull your hand away, but Edd intertwines it with his just in time. You look up immediately with wide eyes as Edd stares back with a soft smile and knowing eyes.

“Don't worry, in jokes, terrible is basically equivalent to perfect. You really know the way into my heart.” Edd snickers, as if that sentence alone didn't make your heart skip beat in milliseconds.

You don't notice how the door to the attic was left slightly ajar, letting the rest of the boys catch a peek of your shared moment before they sneak away.

“Why didn't he ask us for help? We were just out getting gas–” Matt whispers when they're out of earshot.

“Please, he probably wasn't even looking for actual help in the first place.” Tord snorts.

Whether it was luck or suave, strategic planning on Edd's end, the boys couldn't tell, but what they do know is that the sketchbook ‘of utmost importance’ had been long forgotten afterwards, replaced with the comforts of Edd and his presence like it was meant to be.

------------------------------------

TOM (Established relationship)

“Jeez, it’s freezing.” Tom grumbles through gritted teeth, rubbing his hands together like a simple housefly.

It was the first week of December. By cruel coincidence, according to their ‘chore’ rotation at the house, It was Tom’s turn to head out and buy groceries for the entire gang. Tom took the liberty to take his partner with him.

“It’s so you can suffer with me.” He said, dragging you out and towards the nearest grocery market. ‘Nearest’ being at least 30 minutes away by foot due to the fact that the car they share as a group is in repairs. Well, that wouldn’t have been the case if Edd knew how to parallel park.

Tom loathed December, not only for Christmas, but for how inconvenient the weather is. Not even his usual blue hoodie could fight against the raging power of zero-degree weather.

“We could buy you some gloves.” You nodded towards one of the aisles as you both entered the grocery. Tom continues to shove his hands into his pockets, shivering slightly as the cool, air-condition breeze greeted him.

“I had gloves, but Tord hid them.”

“Are you sure it was him?”

“Who else would love to make my life unbearable?” It was a common habit for Tom to blame Tord for any inconvenience in his life– Partly in jest, and other times, in total seriousness– but, truthfully, Tom couldn’t care about who or what has responsibility over his misery right now.

“Well, can you hold this for me? Just for a minute.” You instead asked as you picked out some cans from the shelves while Tom held a basket in his other hand.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

It was warm. Familiar– Like how it would feel to loiter on his bed, wrapping a blanket over his shivering body and relishing in the smell of its cotton. It’s like all sense of crisp chill in his body left the moment he grasped whatever it was he’s holding.

Tom began to furrow his eyebrows together as they circled different aisles. ‘I still need a carton of milk, some bacon but not the brand with the green text–’

You stared at him as he’s deep in his contemplation. It’s been 10 or 15 minutes since you’ve slipped your hand in his. Tom doesn’t even notice how he squeezes it from time to time like a stress ball when he’s trying to recall which specific facial cream Matt asked him to buy at Aisle 7.

This continues even when you’re past the cashier. By the time you’ve reached the doors of the mart, you think Tom still hasn’t noticed until he looks down. Others may mistake that flat, assessing look for indifference or boredom, but you see how the tip of his ears and nose go red, and it’s certainly not from the cold.

“Real smooth of you.” He murmurs.

“I figured it would warm you up.”

You don’t miss how the sides of his lips quirk up, ever so slightly. Then, he gives your hand three squeezes, like a finality that ends the trip on a good note. Even on the walk home, he doesn't let go, and suddenly, the Winter season doesn’t seem so bleak anymore.

------------------------------------

MATT (Established relationship)

“I’m telling you, it has to be that man in a yellow hat! He’s the killer!”

“No way. He was in the kitchen, he has an alibi! It’s gotta be the purple guy.”

Movie nights with Matt were fun, especially if it came with a little bet. Thursday nights are often reserved for Mysteries and Thrillers where the both of you were snuggled, sides pressed together on the couch with the typical bowl of popcorn in one hand and some drinks on the other.

“--Oh! Okay, if I’m right, you have to hold my hand!”

“Well, I propose… that–” Matt says slowly, looking around the room as if scouting for some kind of leverage to use on you. You can see the exact moment the invisible light-bulb above his head lights up.

“Is that supposed to be a bad thing?” You snort.

“It’s supposed to be a consequence. If you win, then.. Well, I’m at your mercy!”

Matt glances at the bottom right, eyeing the remaining time left for the movie. They were already 30 minutes in and every second felt excruciatingly painful on his end. At some point, Matt simply stopped paying attention for good, opting to daydream about how good it would feel once he gets to clasp his hands onto your own.

“Come on, Matt. You lost.” You say, shifting around to face him.

The movie was decent, mayhaps, a little predictable on your end as the Purple guy ended up being the culprit. Matt spent at least a good 5 minutes gawking at the credits before waving his arms around, trying to come up with some flimsy arguments as to why the movie was wrong and that he totally won–

“Nonsense. Honestly, I think I was a little misguided that’s all, and besides, I had pretty good suspicions and intuition, it just so happen to be slightly misplaced–”

“Hey, can you hold this for me?”

You let him continue his tangent– After all, he has a fairly lovely voice– but primarily do so to catch him by surprise. It was the one thing everyone in the group knew about Matt: When he’s focused and totally zoned in, he lacks awareness for anything else, as if tunnel visioning with fervent passion.

“Yes, of course–” He holds his hand out, “Anyway, back to what I was saying…”

“I was hoping you’d do that!” He laughs, running his thumb over your knuckles. “I knew it. You would never have passed on an opportunity to hold my hand.”

You put your hand on his, giving it a slight squeeze and it’s as if you’ve snapped him out of a trance. Matt blinks once, then twice, before his expression breaks into one equivalent of pure glee. His grin stretches wide, as he tugs you closer.

Matt moves your arm closer before pressing a firm peck on the back of your hand, all while staring into your eyes with an easy confidence screaming that he knows you don’t mean it. He may not be a super sleuth of some kind, but he certainly knows how to navigate the mysteries of your own heart like breathing.