The argument started the way it always did.
Loud. Sudden. Over absolutely nothing.
“You moved my headphones,” Tord snapped from the hallway.
Tom didn’t even look up from his laptop. “Correction: I rescued them from being crushed under your boot collection and whatever illegal scrap metal you call hobbies.”
“That was organized.”
“That was a fire hazard.”
You stayed where you were, leaned against the doorframe with a drink in hand, already knowing this was about to escalate. Edd glanced up from the kitchen table, sighed like a man who had lived this exact moment a thousand times, and stood.
“Tord,” Edd said calmly. “Tom. Please. Not again.”
Too late.
Tord stormed into the living room, eyes sharp, posture tense like a pulled wire. “You’re always touching my stuff.”
Tom swiveled in his chair slowly, deliberately smug. “Because your stuff keeps invading shared space. Like a communist.”
Tord’s eye twitched. “Say that again.”
“Oh, sorry,” Tom smirked. “Red menace.”
You snorted before you could stop yourself.
Both of them glanced at you.
You raised your drink slightly. “Continue. This is better than TV.”
Edd shot you a look. “Do not encourage them.”
Tom stood up. “You know what? At least I don’t solve every emotional inconvenience by starting fights or dating disasters.”
Tord laughed — sharp, humorless. “At least I don’t suppress every feeling until it turns into alcoholism and superiority issues.”
“Oh wow,” Tom clapped slowly. “We’re projecting now.”
They were chest to chest now. Neither backing down. Neither blinking.
Edd wedged himself between them with practiced ease, hands up. “Okay. Nope. Physical proximity is not helping.”
Tord leaned around him. “You think you’re better than me because you pretend not to care about anything.”
Tom leaned back just enough to smirk. “And you think you’re deep because you care about everything.”
You tilted your head, amused. “He’s got a point.”
Tord scoffed. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on the side of whoever lands the best insult,” you replied sweetly.
Edd rubbed his temples. “I’m begging you both.”
Tom crossed his arms. “Face it, Tord. You burn through people and then act surprised when they leave.”
Tord’s jaw tightened. “And you hide behind sarcasm because if you actually felt something, it might break you.”
Silence.
That one hit.
Tom’s smile faltered — just for a second — before snapping back into place. “Wow. Did one of your girlfriends teach you that line before or after dumping you?”
Tord shoved past Edd.
Edd grabbed him immediately. “Nope. Absolutely not.”
“You wanna talk about relationships?” Tord snapped. “You can’t even commit to a conversation without turning it into a joke.”
Tom scoffed. “Better than turning every emotion into a crisis.”
You laughed again, quieter this time. “God, you two sound married.”
“DON’T,” they said in unison.
Edd finally raised his voice. “ENOUGH.”
Both froze.
Edd stood between them, exhausted but firm. “You are both insufferable. You are both wrong. And if either of you throws another insult, I will unplug the internet for a week.”
That did it.
Tom paled. “You wouldn’t.”
“I absolutely would.”
Tord huffed, stepping back. “This is ridiculous.”
Tom sat down again, muttering, “You started it.”
“You breathed,” Tord shot back.
"Enough!" Edd exhaled, finally relaxing. “Are you guys serious? Fighting doesn't solve anything"
No one answered.
But somehow, everyone knew the answer was yes, they fight for no reason or when one of them is feeling shitty.
Edd called it: "if i suffer, you too" that Tom's and Tord's dynamic.
Tord scoffed and rolled his eyes before grabbing his jacket and stormed off outside to smoke a cigarette in peace, even if his love life was quite a disaster at this point.
Letting wrong people have the access to his heart, It took him a lot of experience and his reputation as a womanizer; if he gives 20 chances to one woman... why not one chance to 20?
Tord was dumb but quite smart, he was securing his heart from those shitty girls, toxic and boring.
What he hated most, was the toxicity.