TW: Bl00d descriptions, described wounds.
A/n: Wow.. this story really blew up! Just before last chapter was posted there was 56 reads and we're already at nearly 80! Thank you so much for all your support, it means a lot to me that people enjoy my writing, especially since I'm having so much fun writing this story. I hope you guys continue to read and enjoy this story, things are gonna start to get good!
(Just to clear up a line coming up later this chapter and possibly in an upcoming chapter, I headcannon that Matt has heterochromia. I know this seems like random information but it'll make sense later on.)
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It was about 11:45 pm. for all Tom knew, everyone in the house was asleep, but he was laying awake thinking.
"Am I really in love with Matt?" He questioned. He thought about it. Straight or not, most people could definitely admit that Matt is handsome. It's normal to notice his charming features. Even those who hated him couldn't deny that he is attractive. However, he saw Matt differently then he assumed other people did. He gave him a strong feeling of security and comfort and he wanted to be with him forever. is this how everyone else feels about him?
Meanwhile, Matt woke up in the middle of the night, extremely thirsty. Since he wasn't able to go back to sleep, he went downstairs to get some water. He went down the stairs, entered the dark kitchen, and approached the sink when suddenly..
CRASH
He knocked over one of Tom's precious bottles of Smirnoff that he left on the counter, the glass shattering right on his hand into the sink. He yelped. Tom overheard this and rushed downstairs, turning on the kitchen light.
"Oh god.. I'm so sorry, Tom!" He cried before Tom even got the chance to process what happened. The light in the kitchen lead him to realize that there was a lot more blood from the wound then he thought there would be, dripping onto the counter and even making it's way to the floor. Tom was shocked. He rushed over to Matt.
"I'm sorry! I really am!" Matt continued to weep. Tom gave him a light hug, avoiding his injured limb.
"It's ok, really." He assured him, letting go. He was a bit bitter about Matt shattering one of his bottles, it was one of his last ones and Smirnoff wasn't cheap, but he knew scolding him when he was already upset would be a bad idea. He hated seeing him sad as is. He lead him upstairs to the bathroom, linking fingers with his non-injured hand.
"Here, I'll get you all fixed up." He said. Matt was too caught up in the moment to comprehend his words. He couldn't believe that Tom grabbed his hand, even if there was no romantic intention.
"Tom.. is holding my hand.." he thought, too focused on the thought to have any idea of his surroundings at this point.
"Ok, is that too tight?" He heard Tom ask. He looked down and saw his hand bandaged up, moving it a bit.
"No.. it's alright.." he replied, still in a haze.
"Okay, you can go back to bed, I'll go clean up the glass." Tom told him. Matt nodded in understanding and walked back to his bedroom.
He sat on his bed for a bit. He was still thirsty, but that wasn't his main focus right now.
"Tom bandaged up my hand.. he cares about me!" He thought, looking at his wrapped up hand. He was the happiest he's been since they moved into the new house about a week ago. He didn't care if he was overreacting, everything Tom has done for him in the past few minutes meant a lot to him.
Meanwhile, Tom was downstairs, cleaning up the scene. He couldn't help but think about how Matt reacted to him grabbing his hand. He was in shock and his face went red, the whole rest of the time he seemed to still be in some kind of haze.
"Maybe he likes me back.. Edd did say he thinks he does." He thought. Matt has made comments about finding men attractive, but he always thought he was joking. He's never came out to them directly or even made any super direct implications on his sexuality besides the occasional comments about men on tv, but there's a chance. Maybe he just assumed they would get the hint and didn't feel the need to come out..?
After a bit, he was finally done cleaning up. He was exhausted and couldn't wait to lay down. He went upstairs, walked into his room, and flopped down onto his bed but no matter how exhausted he was, he couldn't manage to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Matt.
A few years after they moved in together, Tom started to get annoyed by Matt. Of course they were still great friends, but he was unbearable sometimes, he'd even go as far as to say he hates him. He never saw himself thinking about Matt this way, hell, he never even thought he'd feel any attraction to the same gender. If he went in the past and told his past self about his current feelings, he wouldn't believe himself.
He got his phone to check the time. It was 2:35 am, not the latest he's ever stayed up, but it was still late. Though it was very late and he was tired, he still didn't want to go to bed. He decided to go on his phone for a bit.
As he scrolled through social media, he saw an ad that read, "Does your crush like you back? Take this quiz!".
"Pff, bull crap." He thought. He knew they were never accurate, but he still thought he'd take it. Just for fun and possibly a little extra hope.
Midway through the questions, he came to a realization.
"The hell am I doing," he thought. "This is the most childish way to spend my time, especially since it's almost 3 in the morning." He shut off his phone and shut his eyes.
"Maybe I'll tell Edd about how I feel in the morning, he'll at least help me get my mind off Matt."
It was 8:00 am, Matt woke up with a yawn. His hand was a bit more sore than it was before he went to bed, but it wasn't awful. He grabbed it for a moment, smiling as he remembered who helped him out and began getting ready for the day.
His morning routine was very specific, entirely centered around looking the best. It was very long but to Matt, every single part of it was mandatory. He started by showering until there wasn't a single speck of dirt on his body, shaving to perfection, brushing his teeth until they were practically new, doing his skincare routine, and styling his hair the same as he did every day. He did a similar ritual before going to bed to maintain his perfection.
Once he was done his routine, he went downstairs to eat breakfast. He was always the last one downstairs due to how long he took to get ready, but today was different. Edd was the only one in the kitchen, frying bacon.
"Uh.. Edd? Where's Tom?" Matt asked. He was hoping he didn't keep him up last night with the mistake he made. Edd shrugged.
"Not sure, I think he was up late last night." He said. Right as he got done speaking, Tom came down the stairs, bags under his dark half-lidded eyes.
"Tom! Good to see you!" Matt cheered. "How'd you sleep last night?"Tom ignored him at first, instantly resorting to filling up his flask for the day.
"I was up until like, 3 am." He finally said, taking a long sip from his flask before closing it and putting it in his hoody pocket. "Oh, by the way, Edd, can we talk in private after breakfast?" He added.
"Yeah, sure." Edd said. He knew it was about Matt, there's no way it wasn't.
Matt was confused. Why did Tom need to talk to Edd privately? Were they hiding something from him? He didn't want to invade Tom's privacy by asking, so he held the thought.
After breakfast, Tom and Edd met in his room as planned. Edd shut the door and locked it, sitting on his beanbag and Tom on his bed.
"So, what were you wanting to talk about?" He asked. Tom was hesitant to tell him, but he knew it would be a good idea. He'd do anything for some help getting with Matt.
"Well.. I realized I do actually like Matt, romantically." He said, his face growing red. "Do you.. have any tips on how I could possibly get with him?" Edd smiled.
"Thanks for telling me, I've been waiting to hear that." He told him. "When it comes to ideas on how to get with him, I'd recommend being a little kinder to him. No offense, but you could work on that and it can take a big toll on how he feels about you."
"None taken," Tom replied. "I've been working on that, I'm just looking for how I could confess to him and possibly even ask him out." He never thought those words would ever come out of his mouth, especially about Matt, but he was done denying it.
"Oh, I'm not the best with that kind of advice, but I'll try to help you out." Edd assured him. "I'd say you should drop hints until he says something about them, but he probably wouldn't understand the-"
"Edd, that's the best idea you've ever given me!" Tom beamed, cutting him off. "I'll hint that I like him for a whole day and if he doesn't say anything about it by the end of said day, I'll tell him straight up, and THAT'S when I'll ask him out!"
"Great idea!" Edd commented. "So, where's the date gonna be?" Tom paused. He's been wanting to ask him out ever since he came to terms with his feelings, but he never really thought of where they could go.
"Oh, uhm.. I never really thought of that.." he admitted. He suddenly remembered. "There's a restaurant that just opened a few weeks ago, maybe I could take him there!" A restaurant was the most cliche place to take someone for a date, but he felt Matt would enjoy it. Plus, it's the thought that counts.
"So, sorry if this is a difficult question, but what sexuality would you consider yourself now?" Edd asked. Tom thought about it. He wasn't entirely sure. He was currently in love with a man, but he's liked women in the past. At the same time though, the last woman he was attracted to was over 10 years ago, so would he be gay? He also didn't care about gender in relationships though, Pansexual? He was unsure.
"Hm.. I don't really know." He said. "I think I might be pansexual." He was still unsure, but he thought he'd use the label for now.
"Ah, alright." Edd replied. He soon heard Ringo clawing at the door. "Ringo's scratching the door, she must need something. Good luck with Matt!" He beamed.
"Thanks." Tom replied as they both left the room. Right after leaving Edd's room, Tom went straight to his. His room was his favorite place to go to think. It was quiet and desolate, the perfect place to go when there's something on his mind or even when he simply wants some alone time. He often just went in his room for quality alone time which he cherished, though he loved his friends, but he had something big on his mind this time.
"How am I supposed to hint my feelings at Matt? He wouldn't even get the hint if I had a huge arrow pointing at me saying 'this person is in love with you, Matt' " he thought. Though Matt wasn't the brightest, he could still tell when something is out of the ordinary. It would be easier to get his point across if he wasn't already unusually nice for the past week. Even if he did drop the most obvious hints, Matt would still probably think he was drunk or something.
"Oh, boy. This would be much easier if it wasn't for my current reputation." He thought. He decided to wait until tomorrow until he begins hinting his feelings. He needed the day to think about how to execute his plan.
"Maybe I should sleep on it, getting a good amount of rest is important, especially since I hardly got any sleep last night." He pondered. He sat his head on his pillow and covered himself with his blanket, shutting his eyes and not planning to nap too long.
Meanwhile, Edd and Matt were downstairs watching tv. Since Tom was up in his room doing who knows what, Matt thought it would be a good time to say something he's been wanting to.
"Hey, Edd," he said. "Do you think Tom likes me back?" Edd paused. He was gonna tell him the truth and quote exactly what Tom said about him, but he would kill him. It would make Matt very happy, but him and Tom wouldn't be. Plus, Tom was planning to confess anyway so he'd learn soon enough.
"I'm not sure, but I think you definitely have a chance!" He encouraged. Matt's two-toned eyes sparkled with hope.
"Really? You're the best, Edd!" He cheered, hugging him. Matt was very physical when it comes to showing affection, especially in times like this when he's really happy.
"Aw, thanks." Edd responded, hugging him back the slightest bit.