The hallway was packed—lockers slamming, people shouting over each other, that constant echo of noise that never really stopped. End of the day chaos.
Tom walked with his usual slouched posture, hands deep in his pockets, looking like the world personally annoyed him. Edd kept pace beside him, flipping through his sketchbook mid-walk like he couldn’t wait to finish whatever he’d started. Matt checked his reflection in a random locker door they passed, fixing his hair for no real reason.
And Tord—walked slightly behind them, quiet, listening.
Tom exhaled sharply. “I don’t know what to get them.”
Edd glanced over. “Your sibling?”
—
“Yeah,” Tom muttered. “Their birthday’s in like… a few days. I’ve got nothing.”
Matt immediately leaned in, interested. “Have you asked them what they want in particular?”
Tom made a face like that idea offended him. “No. That ruins it.”
“It doesn’t ruin it,” Matt argued. “It literally solves your problem.”
Edd nodded. “Yeah, at least you’d have something to go off.”
Tom shook his head. “I’m not asking. I’ll figure something out.”
Matt scoffed. “You’re gonna end up buying something terrible.”
“I won’t.”
“You will.” Edd laughed softly. “Honestly, yeah, you probably will.”
Tom rolled his eyes. “You’re all very helpful.”
There was a small pause as they turned the corner, the hallway thinning out a bit.
Then—Tord spoke.
“Imagine,” he said, tone flat, almost bored, “the look on your face if they said ‘birthday sex.’”
Silence.
A split second—then Edd lost it.
He bent forward, laughing way too hard. “No—no way—”
Matt choked, grabbing onto a locker. “That’s insane—”
Tord’s mouth twitched into a faint smirk. “I’d pay to see that.”
Tom stopped walking entirely, slowly turned his head “…What did you just say.”
Edd was still laughing. “Nah, that’s—no—that’s actually wild—”
Matt wiped his eyes. “That’s not even a gift, that’s a problem.”
“Exactly,” Edd added, grinning. “That’s like full soap opera drama.”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, your sibling’s not like that though.”
Tom stared at all of them, unimpressed. “You’re all idiots.”
Tord shrugged lightly. “You asked for ideas.”
“That’s not an idea,” Tom snapped.
“Technically,” Tord replied, “it is.”
Matt laughed again. “Worst suggestion I’ve ever heard.”
Edd nodded. “Yeah, don’t do that.”
Tom dragged a hand down his face, already done with the conversation. “I hate this group.”
They started walking again, the moment fading back into normal hallway noise but not completely, because Tord was still thinking about it.
Not the gift, not even the joke itself, the reaction, Tom’s face, the immediate shutdown, it replayed for a second in his head—clearer than it should’ve.
Tord let out a quiet breath through his nose, almost a laugh.
“…You’re still thinking about it,” Edd said, glancing at him.
Tord rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not.”
“You are,” Matt added, smirking.
Tom shot them all a look. “Drop it.”
Tord raised his hands slightly in mock surrender, but the smirk didn’t fully leave.
“Relax, Jehovah,” he muttered.
Tom frowned. “I heard that.”
“Good.”
Edd snickered. Matt shook his head.
The conversation drifted after that—back to random nonsense, complaints about homework, Matt talking about himself again but Tord stayed quieter.
Because now—there was a second layer to it, not just the joke, Tom had a sibling, he didn’t know much about you, barely anything, actually.
Just that you existed, that you were around sometimes.
And somehow—that made the whole thing funnier, Tord glanced ahead, hands in his pockets, expression back to neutral.
Because yeah—it was stupid but the idea of Tom reacting like that again? Still funny enough to stick.
"Ah don't forget, you guys are invited, i don't wanna deal alone with the full shit of their friends and my... Father crying over them for just turning one year more of existence" Tom muttered as he walked with them
"Dude, if you are overproductive of your sibling, i wonder if your dad would be as sweet with us if a guy decides to appear on your sibling's life..." Matt commented as he snickered.