Chapter Text
Eduardo entered his house, running up to Jon and Mark.
“Hey, guys! You HAVE to come with me to see the idiots next door, they’ve done something pretty dumb this time,” he laughed, practically dragging Jon and Mark with him.
When they arrived, Tom and Tord had once again were at each other's throat in a petty argument, but to Mark and Jon it looked as if Matt and Edd were the ones causing mayhem.
Tom was mad at Tord for throwing the amulet across the room, blaming the norwegian for getting them into this messy situation.
Jon had a visible frown planted on his face, “Erm, those two rarely ever fight though…” The shy man looked up at Eduardo, confusion becoming more visible as time passed.
“Well Jon, here’s the best bit: That’s actually Tom and Tord!” Eduardo laughed to himself, really trying to keep it on the downlow, so as to not upset anyone.
Mark and Jon looked back at the four men, watching as they saw “Tom” angrily waltz over and pull “Edd” and “Matt” apart. This didn’t last long though, the two soon continuing their bickering.
Jon raised his hands up and shook them, “Okay so let me get this straight, you all switched?” He paused for a moment collecting his thoughts. “Cause if those two are actually Tom and Tord…” He pointed at the two feral men. He had a look of worry as clear as day on his expression, he started to turn himself in the direction of the other boys. “Then you guys are Edd and Matt?”
Edd nodded his head.
“Yup, got that right.” The soft spoken man perked up, “Let me explain it for you, Tom is Matt, Tord is me, I’m Tom and Matt here is Tord”
Edd gesturing to his closest friend, that being Matt in Tord’s body, the cola lover crossed his arms as he leant against a nearby wall.
The neighbours stood in absolute confusion, trying to process what Edd had just said. Their brains are turning like clockwork doing their best to note down who was who as of right now.
“Of course these fools managed to do something like this.” Mark chuckled, Eduardo laughing aloud and approvingly patted him on the back in response.
Both Tom and Tord stopped and swished their heads in unison to the other men, Tom’s grasp not faltering on the collar of Tord’s jumper.
The two both glared in the direction of the two making fun of them. Both yelled practically at the same time, “Oh, shut up!” It was almost comedic.
This caused the three neighbours to stop in their tracks, a nervous sweat beading down Mark’s forehead and Jon physically flinching at the men’s loud screams. Eduardo simply rolled his eyes in response, he wasn't impressed.
Tom grimaced, realising his tone was a bit more intense than he had meant for it to come out. He let go of Tord’s- or, he supposes, Edd’s hoodie in a violent fashion that makes Tord stumble back for a second, and dusted his hands down as if he had just touched something dirty.
“Alright,” Tom spoke, mentally adjusting to the sound of Matt’s voice coming from his vocal chords, “We need to figure something out; and preferably as fast as possible. Any ideas?”
Edd put his hand to his chin, “I suppose I could go find the guy I got it from-” He glances outside to the dreary weather, “It hasn’t been too long, he’ll still be there.”
Tom nods, going to respond before being cut off by two overlapping voices.
“I’ll come with you!” Both Eduardo and Tord speak in unison, Tord seeming more excited about the expedition than the former.
Eduardo, if just for a moment, shoots a glare in Tord’s direction before turning to Edd with a huff.
“If you want my help, that is.” Eduardo speaks bitterly.
“Of course!” Edd beams. “It’ll help to have three pairs of eyes looking around rather than one- Or, uh… None, more like.” He chuckles at his own joke, Tom rolls his eyes, which he has now.
“Well, that takes care of three of ‘em.” Tom says, “So that leaves… Uh…”
Tom surveys the remaining three other men, realising none of them would be particularly good company. Jon didn’t seem like the type to lead an investigation, he typically followed whatever was happening like a leaf in the wind, and wouldn’t be of much help. Matt was… Matt. They never really got along, and when they did, it was momentary and far too intimate for Tom to deal with. So that left Mark- The blonde kept his distance, Tom didn’t know much of him past his smug façade. Weirdly enough the best option. Best of the worst, at least.
“Mark, you’re with me.”
“Huh? Do I have to be?” Mark said, aloof.
“Yeah! We can come with you, too!” Matt interrupted, a hopeful smile on his face.
Tom winced, “No, you can’t. And yes, please.” He answered both the men, looking at Mark with pleading eyes.
Mark shrugged his shoulders with an “Er, sure.” and settled down on the arm of the sofa. Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
“So that leaves me and Jon?” Matt said, a little disappointed.
“Jon and I,” Jon corrected, earning a fist-bump from Eduardo. “And yeah, I have no qualms with that.”
“Alright so that works for everyone then!” Tom said, quickly setting it in stone.
Edd hummed and headed towards the door, which was still ajar, and gave a little wave to the rest of the gang before heading out with Tord and Eduardo in tow. The other two didn’t care for formalities and went without a word.
As the door closed, Tom turned his attention to the other team, toying with his current body’s ginger locks. It was soft.
“Alright, you two… figure out how to help-”
“Already on it!” Matt yells, a smile on his face as he’d come up with a not-at-all-thought-through idea in an instant. “C’mon, Jon! To the jewellers!” He says, grabbing Jon’s wrist and leading them both outside.
“H-huh?!” Jon protests, “The jewellers? What for?!” But that’s all that gets out before the door is slammed behind them, leaving the house quiet aside from Tom and Mark.
“Soooo…” Mark starts, still catching up mentally. This was a lot to take in, he could roll with the punches, but just needed clarification. “It’s Tom, right?”
“Yeah. Me as Matt. It’s as hard for you as it is for me.” Tom complains.
Mark shrugs, already used to it, and starts to question him further.
“So how exactly did you get into this… this?”
“Ugh,” Tom grunts, “Edd brought home this necklace thing- said it was magic. Turned out the one time we didn’t want it to be, it was. The moron in red throws it aside, bada-boom, we end up body-swapped.”
“That’s all you know, then?” Mark asked.
“What are you now, a detective?” Tom sighed, this guy was already getting on his nerves. “But… Let me think- No, Edd said something about how it was going to fix our relationship. Understand each other, all that.”
The blonde snorts with a smug grin, “Relationship troubles, eh, Loverboy?”
Tom grits his teeth in response, but decides to swallow the angry retort he had brewing and continue with his explanation.
“No, Edd just cares too much. He wants us all to get along… I can’t say I blame him, but that seems a little fantastical if you ask me. Guess this was his best idea yet.”
Mark hums, looking to the ceiling. Tom watches in silence for a moment.
“What is it?” Tom asks.
“Well, it’s supposed to get you to understand each other, right?”
“Yeah?”
“What if we, ya know, try that?”
“Understand Matt?” Tom barely contains his laughter, looking to his hand and flipping it over to see the pale skin and freckles of his housemate. “Yeah, good luck with that. That guy’s mind is in another dimension half the time.”
“Well I’m not the one that has to understand him,” Mark says, “Just you do. You probably have a better shot at it, anyway.”
Tom’s face flushes, head snapping to Mark. “What the hell does that mean?” He jabs defensively.
The man in the turtleneck hears this and returns the stare, raising a confused eyebrow.
“Because you’re housemates? You’ve been friends for years. What did you think I meant by that?”
“Oh. Yeah, no, you’re right. Nothing.” Tom replies, clearing his throat. “But how am I even supposed to start with that, anyway?”
Mark hops off the arm of the sofa and starts to wander towards the stairs, not looking back to Tom as he takes a step up them.
“Matt’s room is up here, yes?” He checks.
“Uhh… Yes. Why?” Tom anxiously plays with his hands, walking behind him.
Mark turns his head to the side with a wide smile plastered on his face, making strong eye contact with Tom.
“Let’s go snoop!”
Down the street, the team of three had begun their edd-venture into town and were making awkward small-talk- Or more accurately, Edd was making awkward small-talk and the other two were refusing to engage.
Edd cannot help but let a small sigh escape his lips from the awkward tension building, luckily the alley they were heading to was just on the next street. That would definitely get the other two to forcibly engage in some conversation.
“So, let me tell you about the weird guy who gave it to me.” Edd started to go on about how the guy had a strange air about him, and he barely uttered many words. “He just had a looong coat on with the box hidden in there, and he also smoked a cigarette. Just one. Uh…” He wanted to continue his description, but realised his memory was failing him and he couldn't quite remember any other details from the interaction.
Eduardo huffed, “God, there really isn’t much to go on, is there?” He rolled his eyes.
Edd scratched the back of his head. “Sadly, the whole conversation wasn't too long. If I had known it would have gone like this, I would have made sure to ask more questions.” Edd frowned.
“Are we almost there?” Tord interrupted, he was growing irritated with every passing minute, wanting to get this situation over with.
Edd chuckled, realising his friend was growing impatient and pointed in the direction of the alleyway.
“It’s just over there, so we can investigate soon!”
The blue-hooded man cheerfully made his way over to the dreary alley, the two other men following close behind.
Edd stops and peers into the alley and Tord pushes past him.
There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, it was just a normal alley in London.
The Norwegian scans the area in hopes to find anything that could help lead to some kind of clues to what Edd was talking about.
“There really isn't anything here.” Tord is blunt with his observation, shrugging his shoulders in the direction of Edd who was biting at his fingernails, visibly anxious.
Edd begins to feel guilt swell up inside of him, his brain beginning to panic as his idea bears no fruit.
“Oh jeez… This is all my fault.” The man begins to sweat, stress making his body feel tense and like he was unable to move. Edd looks to his hands, that are unfamiliar and just not right- which makes it worse. He reaches his hands up to his face, holding himself as he begins to breathe heavily.
Eduardo furrows his brows, watching closely as Edd begins to shiver; He worries that if he gets too close to Edd’s personal space he could make the situation worse- Eduardo wanting to reach his hand outwards and comfort the other but hesitating.
“Oh, god-" Edd says, voice barely above a whisper. "What if none of this is real?” Edd brings his hands from his face, questioning his reality. He looks to Tord- who doesn't look a thing like Tord, but a reflection of himself. The panic starts to really overtake him.
As he starts to try and reason with himself, it only makes things make less sense- He starts questioning everything. Edd's mind was utterly overwhelmed, being overcome with too much guilt, stress and paranoia. He felt so awful that he'd been the cause of the body-switch. His eyes started to water, breathing becoming sparse.
Tord shifts his weight anxiously, watching helplessly as his best friend goes through a panic attack. He looks to the floor averting his eyes from Edd, not knowing what to do.
Tom was usually the one to help Edd through this sort of thing, Tord was far from the best option to go to. Looking over the pavement, his gaze made its way to a small cigarette that had been left on the muddy ground, and he remembered Edd had mentioned something about the mysterious figure smoking.
“Oh, ehh- Look, Edd! It's all okay, um...” Tord quickly squatted down near the small cigarette and picked it up.
Edd's attention drew immediately to Tord and watched his friend closely, small tears were pricking at the corners of his eyes, but his breathing was calming down slightly.
Tord quickly placed the dirty cigarette between his teeth, mimicking how he'd act in his own body with his cigars. He wanted Edd to see that what was happening was real in an attempt to ground his friend. Tord knew they had all been through a lot weirder, but nonetheless Edd was... mentally fragile after his last breakdown.
“Look, see? It's all good.” He gestured towards Edd cautiously, extending his arm so that the cigar was in front of him.
Eduardo scrunched his face up in disgust at the other, “Man, I feel like you only needed to touch it and Edd would have got the message.”
“Thank you, Tord,” Edd smiled. His breathing had calmed but he was still a little shaky. He wiped his face into his hoodie sleeve and offered a hand to the other, helping him stand from his crouched position.
Tord smiled up at his friend, making direct eye contact with him, a small tint of pink creeping up onto his face. The kind gesture of Edd reaching his hand out to him after having a small episode really touched him. Tord always appreciated the little things the other did so naturally, whether his state was good or not. Tord knew he cared.
“I'm- Uh…" Eduardo started awkwardly, placing his hand on Edd's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright now." He looked away from Edd's gaze, his attempt to be comforting flustering himself. "If you need me to grab you anything, let me know. I know that panic attacks and whatnot are no joke.”
Eduardo, being entirely genuine and vulnerable with Edd, gave him an awkward smile and a gleeful smile grew on the other's face.
"No worries, guys- I'm alright now!" Edd quickly made a peace sign to confirm he was alright. "Thank you both for… being there with me for that.”
"Mm." Tord hummed, grasping Edd's hand affirmatively. "It's fine." He was glad Edd felt better, even though he still worried, knowing that Edd's anxieties would be plaguing the back of his mind until everything was fixed.
He also wasn't a fan of Eduardo being so physical with Edd, even when he was in Tom's form. Tord didn't like Eduardo one bit and was surprised to see Edd be alright with it; It wasn't in Edd's nature to overlook his rivalry with Eduardo, and Tord usually found solace in that, so this ticked him off slightly. He took a breath and brushed it off, focusing on Edd and the situation he still wanted rid of.
"Alright," Edd breathed, "So this was kind of useless. Hopefully the others had better luck than we did…"
"Giving up already?" Eduardo jeered.
"I don't know what else we can do…" Edd said defeatedly.
"Let's at least look around a bit more, you may not have good ideas but you're not a total idiot."
"Hmm… You're right!" Edd grinned, galloping away from his position between the two men and back out into the street. "Surely there's something else going on- That stranger can't have gone far!"
Right back where they began, Tom and Mark are making themselves useful by rummaging through the vast and disorganised collection of junk that Matt had accrued. So far, they had turned up nothing useful.
"Ugh," Tom grimaced, his current whiney voice annoying him more than it usually would from Matt. Tom held up a pair of shoes, some glitzy customised trainers that Matt had started working on and clearly not finished. "This guy…"
Mark laughed to himself at Tom's disgust. He was currently looking through the pages of posters, printed out selfies, and haphazard notes pinned to the walls.
"He sure does like himself, doesn't he?" Mark says, flipping up a page of nearly illegible scribbling save for the times Matt's name is written in purple glitter gel pen, which is written about five times bigger than the other words.
Tom huffed, "Jeez, what made you think that?" He speaks sarcastically.
"The mirrors are… A lot." Mark mumbles. He was rather narcissistic himself, but much preferred to show his superiority through shows of intellectual ability than attention to his appearance.
Tom wanders over to Matt's bed and sits down, exhausted and trying to figure out what to do to actually help him out of his current flesh-vessel. He watches Mark closely as the man in the purple turtleneck traces his hand across the walls before reaching the chest of drawers.
"Ooh, what fun!" Mark started, squatting down to slide open one of the drawers and look inside. Blue jeans of various fabrics, Mark could easily tell which ones had been worn frequently and which had been abandoned- it seems like Matt had quite a sensitivity to the texture of his clothes. Noted.
Tom gave a hefty sigh, shuffling across the bed towards Mark and peering inside as well. It was nothing notable, but the average (bad) organisation skills of Matt's wardrobe.
He watched as Mark reached a hand towards the top drawer and begin to pull it open before Tom smacks him over the back of the head, causing Mark to snap his head to Tom with an offended look, rubbing the back of his head.
"Owch! What was that for?"
"That's his underwear drawer. You don't need to go through that. Have some tact." Tom scolded, pushing the drawer shut to respect Matt's privacy; and also to avoid having his eyes scarred by whatever Matt might be keeping in there.
"Alright, but if we've missed something that's on you, you prude…"
Mark rolls his eyes, dejected, and goes to look at some of the papers laid across the vanity instead. There were a couple manila folders that were stuffed full of various coloured paper. It was clear by the way that, of all the items, these were pristinely kept and important to Matt. Mark raised an eyebrow and picked one up, opening it up to the front page and quickly skimming through.
"Found something good?" Tom asked, walking over and looking over Mark's shoulder to see what he's looking at.
"I mean it's certainly interesting…" Mark responds with a sly smile on his face, flipping back a couple pages to show Tom a collage. It's cut-out images of Tom from group photos, the centrepiece of a detailed mood board with various outfit plans. The corners were dated with each update that Matt added to it. He'd been working on it for a few months by the looks of things.
Tom's face flushes- he didn't even know Matt had that many pictures of them. Or, for that matter, that some of those pictures of the group even existed. He wasn't much for keepsakes himself, but he supposed it checks out that Matt would keep everything. Nonetheless, it made Tom feel special that Matt had dedicated a considerable amount of time to coming up with outfits for him. He wonders why he never talked about it.
"He's not bad, eh?"
Mark flips backwards to show similar pages of the other boys, and then back to the front page. It's covered in doodles of Matt and his friends. There's one drawing of Matt, Tom and Edd with stick arms and legs holding hands with little hearts around them. Sickeningly sweet.
After looking through both folders, Tom huffs with disappointment. As flattering as it was to see Matt fawn over his friends nearly as much as he does himself (and secretly, at that-) it wasn't turning up much on how to turn them back. Or at least, if it was, Tom certainly wasn't feeling any different.
Come to think of it, Tom wasn't really complaining too much about being in Matt's body- It was definitely much less achy and much more well groomed than Tom's was. It's a surprisingly pleasant change, as much as Tom might not ever admit it. He doesn't need Matt to have any more of an ego than he does already.
"So this was a bust, then." Tom spoke with a scowl, feeling mentally tired from all of this.
There were a lot of repressed emotions– anxiety, anger, and whatever else– that were threatening to spill from exhaustion, and as this particular method of changing back was showing no promise, Tom just wanted to take his mind off of it.
"Afraid so, my friend…" The blonde agreed, following behind Tom as he made his way back downstairs.
"We're… Not friends." Tom starts, still not pleased by having to stick around the neighbour, even if he was the best option. "I wanna do something else." He says plainly.
Mark tilts his head, watching as Tom subconsciously navigates to the kitchen; assumedly grabbing something to drink.
Nothing much came from that except stressing the both of them out more, and Mark getting to know his neighbours perhaps more intimately than he had expected.
And then there were two…