Chapter Text
Matt’s memory is broken. Because of him.
Tord should start with the wall being broken and all. Which he figures out quite fast. The problem is really more of the issue of what he’s supposed to say now…
“... I think I can help.”
There’s a shout from back where Edd and Tom are.
“Please do!”
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”No you absolutely may not!”
Respectively. In that order. Tord was referring to Matt. But sure. He’d help with the wall once he clarified.
“I meant Matthew’s memories. But I will be joining you working on the wall eventually! Can’t let you have all the fun.”
He tried to make a lighthearted comment. It was met with a light, somewhat sad laugh from Edd. And, as usual, more grumbling from Tom. He finally met Matt’s gaze.
Wow. His eyes were a bit glassy from the few tears and all from when he had heard and covered it. But now… he was smiling. Again. Like last night. Tord didn’t notice himself returning the smile this time. Instead letting it fall over his face to match.
Before he could react. Matt pulled him into a hug. A very powerful one at that. More than last night. Or when he told him about the eternal thing that morning. More like how Edd jumped at him at about the same time.
“As was said before, it- wasn’t really a- guarantee…?”
Tord managed to sputter while Matt’s grip didn’t loosen. It took him a moment to realize this, and Matt took a second longer.
Matt let go of him with an apologetic look.
“Sorry about that and all… I got a little carried away. But can you?”
Tord took a second to regain his breath, hunched over, panting, before replying.
“Yeah, I believe. As long as you still have the original gun and all…”
Matt thought for a moment.
“Oh yeah! It’s in the attic!”
Tord had something to do now. Immediately, he stood up a bit taller. With all the intent of going inside while nobody was there to stop him to… get the memory gun. I should definitely be taking this shot to get the robot. Disregarding how these three may kill me if I do… Or how maybe I’d not like them being annoyed with me.
No. Tord was doing this for brownie points and nothing more. He only wanted their trust, to be used as weapons… But wouldn’t it be easier to just be- No. Quiet.
He walked to climb the stairs to the… Oh god. This place was absolutely trashed. Matt’s room. The attic. Whatever it was. He had no clue where to even start. He decided against cleaning up to figure this out, and instead just started rummaging through piles looking for the familiar faint glow of-
…Plutonium??? Why is this here?! Tord instinctively dropped the metal bottle, still with a light emanating glow to it. A metal bottle. Blank other than an owner sticker and the large capital black font. PLUTONIUM. With a hazard symbol.
“Please dispose of immediately after use”...
Why is there plutonium… in a bottle…? There was a sticker on it. Tord took a step back before taking a metal rod lodged in movie discs and unopened collectible boxes to prod it with.
He stumbled a bit trying not to trip over the chaotic piles of clothes and garbage everywhere. He managed to nudge the bottle over onto its side and squinted to read the name on it.
‘Property of Edd.’
Why does Edd have a bottle of plutonium and is it… He hesitantly prodded it with the rod again, it made a sloshing noise. So he has a bottle of melted plutonium. How great. However Edd got the bottle not to melt was a mystery to Tord. Or how the seemingly impossible temperatures weren’t transferring to anything else.
He decided to give up on the bottle for now, he had a memory erasing gun to find. The gun didn’t exactly erase memories though… Tord couldn’t figure that out. So he did something objectively slightly better, took memories. The gun would take and store past experiences of the user up to a certain point.
Some of his better handiwork in his own opinion… shame he didn’t have it all these years. Would’ve come in handy for a lot of prison wardens. And quite a few secret police members… If he had only been a bit more careful, Norway, (And eventually the rest of the world.) Would be under his command. As the Red Leader.
After poking through a few shelves of both discarded wood chips (For god knows what). And a rare marble collection scattered from the open jar on the shelf and the ground, the memory gun fell to the ground with a clank. Tord picked it up and clicked it on.
All he’d need to do is reverse the transmitter. Tord pocketed the gun and turned, stepping over a half played game of jacks on his way out. He carefully shut the door behind him. As not to disturb the spire built of unread books just beside the door inside the room. And started back for the garage. He had almost forgotten about it.
Upon stepping inside he was greeted with… a literal miniature spaceship, a half destroyed car, and three miniature kids racer cars. The kind you get that breaks down immediately, the three seemingly fitted to the three previous inhabitants. So they had literal mini carts they drove in???
Tord tried his best to ignore it as he went to find a screwdriver. He dug through the toolbox, which, coincidentally, only had screwdrivers as they had already taken all the hammers outside.
It makes sense why their awfully constructed walls were failing now. Well, more sense. If that’s even possible with how expected it was. He fumbled to find a fitting screw tip.
Upon finding and assembling the needed screwdriver. He took out the transmitter and hastily turned it, to be sending a connection rather than receiving one. “One instance in storage”. Yeah. No shit. Matt’s entire life up to the point Tord left. He walked back to Matt, still watching the spectacle outside as the duo failed to build a working wall.
“I got this figured out if it helps. It should, theoretically, get you your memories back. I reversed the transmitter so-”
He was cut off by Matt’s somewhat called for bear hug. A second time really. Is this what butterflies feels like? So that’s why all those girls back in middle school were so damn hyped…
“Thank you, Tord.”
He barely manages to get out the words through the shaky sobs. Considering how emotional he’s getting over this. Tord decides it might be time to test his theory.
“Ok, do understand. It still may not work. Now. Just. Remain calm and…-”
Tord, without hesitation, after slowly pulling away from Matt, puts the barrel to his head. Matt doesn’t flinch, but does glance up at it. Before giving a silent nod.
Three, Two… One-
A voice from across the yard, Tom’s… Fucking Tom. Can’t he keep his nose out of anything?
“What are you doing?!”
Matt puts up a hand to quiet him. And Tord only scowls in return to the interjection.
“It’s fine, it’s the memory gun, he’s gonna reverse it… I think.”
Tom turns his gaze to Tord and glares at him, before signaling that he would be watching him. The opposite of what he promptly does. Tom goes right back to… pulling out a hacksaw.
What did Tord even expect? Tord turns back to Matt and nods to ask him. He nods in return. Weird how versatile nods can become when the author is sleep deprived eh?
Three, Two, One-
He forgot about the recoil. Typically it should’ve been a pulling thing. Unfortunately. Force was reversed with the transmitter direction. A flash of bright light and… he is flat on his back on the ground.
The grass smells like grass. He catches himself thinking. Of course it does… what else? There’s also the faint smell of... ozone in the air.
He guesses the spark that was there as he fired did something. He immediately remembered. Matt. Holy fuck is Matt ok?
“Matt!”
He jolts upright, and his vision gets colored spots as he does. Though when they clear… Matt is standing over him. Holding out a hand to help him up.
“C’mon, you somehow alive gun obsessed dictator.”
Matt clearly remembered him. He looked at him almost the same. But with a flicker of recognition.
“Missed you y’know.”
He had missed Matt too. That stupid pretty face. And how he always looked sweet, and how… weirdly. He was snarky…? He remembered Matt as being snarky. Wait… was the recent lack of… well. Intellect to say the least, also his fault?
A flash of green light caused the two of them to pause, Tord closed his mouth. Which he had half opened as if to speak.
“Damnit! Out again? I guess I gotta go back to the plant…”
Edd sighed. It’s a shame Tom can’t roll his eyes for the lack of pupils. It really is now that Tord thinks about it. He’s the kind of guy to love that. Whatever Edd was saying about a plant is probably gonna be important. Tord bet on it being a nuclear plant. Out of everything. It’s the most feasible.
Tord turned his attention back to Matt. And accepted his hand, brushing the grass off himself as he stood.
“Missed you too-”
He was cut off. At first he didn’t realize it entirely. But a moment later he registered his mouth pressed to another. And he was back in a bear hug again. It was cold. He took a second to realize, yeah, it’s probably Matt. The faint smell of lavender and soft hair tended to tip him off. Not to mention he was still freezing.
“You have no idea how long I waited to do that.”
Matt was right. Tord did have no idea. He felt his face flush again as he stared back at Matt, making mostly incoherent squeaking noises. I’d tell you what was running through his head, but it’s mainly jumbled thoughts. A mix of theorizing and fantasizing really. A couple instances of both.
Tord stood there for a second just staring and muttering before clearing his throat very dramatically.
“I uh- don’t.”
Tord mentally facepalms again.