Eddsworld Future AU

Chapter 13

"Alright..." Tom closes his "eyes" and took a deep breath, filling up emotions in his head to trigger something within him.. and within just less than a minute, a dark purple color crawled up parts of his arm, head, neck, legs, and parts of his torso, turning into claws or just scaly. Two medium-sized horns poke out his head, his ears becoming purple and pointy, his teeth sharpening out two fangs. Lastly, his tail shot out from his lower back, under his, poking out into the back of the chair where there would be an opening.

He opened his eyes, letting out a huff and looked up at Edd. "My god- You look damn tired-" Edd's eyes widened, initial shock hitting him, then the happiness that his friend could see being clearly displayed on his face. "You can see!!" the green male chirped. "Ah yeah- and you look like you hadn't slept- get your ass back in my bed and get some rest!-"

"But Toooom!-" Edd whines "Nope. You, in bed, lay down and get some sleep. Now." Tom speaks in an angered, motherly tone, clearly wanting the cola lover to get some rest, unaware of the reason why he couldn't sleep.

"But my spaghetti!-" Edd complains. It wasn't the real reason he wanted to stay up, but it was a passable excuse at the moment. "Fine, eat. But you're going to bed next. I will drag you myself." Tom looks pointedly at the exhausted male, getting his point across firmly.

Just then, the microwave beeped. Moving slowly to stretch the time he has before he goes to bed, Edd retrieves his spaghetti and sits at the table. Once there, he eats even slower, all the while watching for Tom's reaction to his movements.

The void eyed male grumbles, giving Edd his well-known cold stare, his arms crossed as he watched him. Although he ate slowly, Edd eventually finished, sighing as he put the fork down. "Do I have to? I'm not even tired!"

"Oh reeally?" Tom melted his sarcastic tone in his statement, his eyebrows raised. "Don't start yawning when we do things later then. And either way, you do need it."

"No, I don't!"

Contrary to his statement, Edd releases a heavy yawn, after which he claps his hands over his mouth. "Th-That was me just popping my ears!"

"Mhm.." Tom rolled his "eyes", smirking. "For what?"

"Uhhh... Just because!" Edd began to realize that he was arguing with Tom much like a child would argue with their parents before bed, meaning that there was no way that he was going to win.

"Come on, you know you want to sleep, so go do so." Tom urges.

Edd looks down, sighing. Guess it was time, to tell the truth. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Matt in my arms, bleeding out. I can't stand it.. I don't want to sleep."

Tom frowns and immediately feels a wave of guilt crash into him. He hardly liked it if someone made him talk about something sensitive, but he id think what had happened would've been the cause. Guess he was just to focused on trying to make him get some rest rather than why he couldn't. "O-Oh... Edd, I'm sorry.. I shouldn't have pried, I-"

"N-No, it's not your fault. You didn't know, mostly because I wouldn't tell you.. We all have our nightmares, and Matt's death was mine... I'll go to sleep, but only because I know I need it." Edd gets up as if he's going back to the bed, the chair scraping on the floor.

"Wait, Edd, hold on..-" Tom slid his chair back and walked over to Edd quickly, grabbing his wrist gently but firmly.

"What is it, Tom?" Edd drops the cheerful act he'd been holding up and lets his exhaustion and pain enter his eyes. He lets them meet Tom's voids, showing that they were deVOID of any other emotion apart from pure sorrow and heartbreak.

Tom's own "eyes" filled with sorrow and pity, growing concern building in the blue male's chest. "I changed my mind... Stay out here with me instead.." Tom's voice was pleading, having seen what Edd was really going through. Edd looks away, his eyes downcast and watery. "I'm not gonna lie; I am kinda tired. Don't worry about me.. I'll be fine. You've got more important things to worry about. Later, Tom." Gently pulling his wrist out of Tom's grip, Edd continues making his way to the bed.

"But Edd, I- " Tom groaned, rubbing his face as he watched Edd leave without stopping again. He walks back to the kitchen and looks at his food, being impassive and uninterested. He didn't have the proper appetite to eat it as he once did when he woke up, so he looked away and stood there awkwardly by himself.

Upon entering the bedroom, Edd gently shuts the door behind him, hearing it click as he does. Not wasting a moment, he lets loose the torrent of silent tears he'd been holding back in front of Tom. Sliding down the door, Edd buries his head in his hands, a wave of guilt, and remorse crashed over him. Through his muffled sobs, he repeated the same phrase over and over. "I'm sorry, Matt... I'm so sorry..."

Edd tried his best to keep himself quiet, but he was going into full panic attack mode. His cries got louder as he tried to conceal them with his sleeve. Somewhere in his mind, he was aware that Tom might hear him, but he was too far gone to care.

Slowly, the waterfall of tears turns into a stream before stopping altogether. Edd leans back on the door, his eyes closed while he sniffled. In his head, he replays every moment he'd ever had with Matt up until the moment he died. It was painful, yet it gave him a sense of peace and reality as well.

Gulping down any remaining tears, Edd wipes his face clean of any streaks on his face. He was determined not to break down any further. He was here for Tom, not himself. "Get it together, Edd..." He forced himself to get up, despite the weakness in his arms and legs. Dragging himself over to the bed, Edd collapses wearily onto it, letting his fatigue wash over him.

A few tears still fell from Edd's eyes as he lay there, but as he drifted off to sleep, a small smile overtook his face. At least he still had Tom...

Meanwhile, in the kitchen

Tom felt guilty leaving Edd alone, but it felt right for him to give him some space.. He himself can't really handle the situation of Matt's death, so who is he to be the one to talk..? If he can't feel at ease, at least slightly with the news, how can he help Edd? It's pretty useless to try if you've tested it on yourself. Tom felt his "eyes" swell up with black liquid, feeling them grow heavy as he thought of how Matt died.. He slowly sat himself down onto the chair and rested his head back..

Tom's ears perked up, attentive in hearing a distant sound. They folded back once he realized that the sounds that he heard were cries of his closest friend, mourning for the other.. He closed his eyes, letting the liquids fall.. Shoving the bowl out of the way, letting it hit the floor as he folded his arms on the table and hid his face in them.

Tom whimpered quietly in his arms, his tail lowering all the way down through the crafted space in the backrest of the char, till it touched the floor. He gripped his forearms as they felt numb due to the weight on them from his head.

Tom huffed, his breath shaking, and stood up, leaving the half-eaten bowl on the floor. He walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Tom sighs, looking up into the mirror and seeing himself. He touched his scaly parts of him, watching himself in the mirror. He sighed once more and looked down at the faucet, turning it on. The brit cupped his hands under the water, letting it fill up and splashed the water onto his face. He rinsed it a couple of times, huffing once more.