Runaways - Eddsworld AU

Chapter 4

A/n: Just thought I'd let you guys know that the following few chapters (or at least chapter 5) are gonna take a bit longer to come out.  School's starting for me soon (august 22nd) which has been making my mental state worse than it already is, yippee.  I might even take a bit of a break depending on how things go in the first few days. As I've said, I don't have any exact schedule for this story, but it'll most likely be 2 weeks till the next chapter at the very least.  Any-who, hope you enjoy!  This one's a bit shorter but there's a lot going on.

     It's been about a week since the two resided in the park/forest.  He didn't express it all that much, but Tom was really enjoying being out of his old house.  He loved learning more about the outside world, finally feeling free, and seeing things he could never even imagine before.
      His favorite parts of the outside world had to be the sunrise and sunset.  Before running away, he only ever got to sneak peeks of them through the limited view of his bedroom window.  Even then, he hardly did so in fear of getting caught by his parents or even worse, being seen by anyone else.  He's always admired the way they'd paint the sky with their gorgeous red, orange, and pink hues, but actually being a part of it felt surreal.  It felt like he was living in a painting - the beautiful painting that Mother Nature so skillfully created known as the earth.  It made him want to cry out of pure joy and amazement.
     Today was one of those days where he woke up early enough to watch the sun rise.  Sunrise had to be his number one favorite time of day.  Not only because of the beautiful sky, he also loved how the entire world seemed to be at peace. The outdoors sure is more beautiful when it has yet to be disturbed by the earth's people.  There was also a certain smell in the air: a sweet, enchanting smell that could only be described as a new day filling the atmosphere.  He sat on a bench with his feet in the dew-coated grass as he admired the wonderful scene with tears in his eyes.
     "Hm.  You sure do love those sunrises, don't you?"  He heard Matt say.  He was leaning on the back of the bench, right next to Tom.  Tom jumped a bit out of surprise.
     "Wh- what are you doing up so early?" He asked, avoiding Matt's question.  Matt would never wake up as early as Tom did.  He usually slept until at least 9 a.m, which was a lot later than the 4:30 to 5 o' clock hours that Tom would wake up at.
      "No clue.  I just kinda woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," Matt explained.  He took a moment to admire the sky.  It was especially colorful that day, the whole atmosphere turning into an ocean of bright pinks and oranges with wispy clouds stretched all around.  It wasn't as magnificent at the moment as it was when Tom first woke up, but it was still quite beautiful.  "Wow.. I see why you always wake up so early now.  How often have you done this before?"  Matt asked.  Tom thought about all the other sunrises he's seen. 
     "Eh.. not very often," he answered.  "I used to occasionally set my alarm earlier in the morning so I could look out my bedroom window, but my parents didn't really like me opening the blinds too much.  I've done it almost every day since we came here, though."
      Matt gently nodded with understanding, his eyes still glued on the sky. "Nice.." He took a pause. "Y'know, I've never really taken the time to appreciate how lovely the world is this early in the morning.  Everything is just so.. peaceful."
     "Yeah, it all seems so untouched," Tom agreed.  "It's like the whole world is slowly unfolding as the moon ends its shift, regaining life again."  He felt a bit embarrassed after realizing what he just said.  Matt forced a slight awkward laugh, wishing he had thought of that. 
      "Yeah, like that.." he said.
     Later on, after the sun had completely risen and the world was wide awake, the two were going for a walk on the trail to pass the time.  It was one of the only entertaining things they would do considering how lifeless the park and forest were.  Everything was empty and abandoned with nobody around.  This was perfect for the two monsters, but it could get boring.
     Right when they thought they were alone, however, they came by somebody they knew.  It was Edd, the interviewer that they talked with the other day. 
     "Hey, there's Edd again!  You know, that guy that interviewed us for his show!"  Matt pointed out, excitedly tapping Tom on the shoulder.  Tom looked over.
      "Oh, that's cool," he said as Edd looked back, overhearing them from across the trail.
      "Oh, hi!" Edd greeted them, waving.  "Fancy seeing you here again." Matt waved back. 
     "Hello!" He called.  "Yeah, we kinda live here.  We ran away from home and this is where we're staying."  Tom blushed a bit from embarrassment, not sure if he was ready for anyone but Matt to know that about him.  Edd walked over to them.
     "Really?"  He asked.  "Sounds rough.  I suppose this isn't the worst place to be, though."  He looked around.  "I really love this park.  It's not as lively as it used to be, but it's still a nice place to go."  He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath until he quickly perked up.  They could tell by the gleam in his medium brown eyes that he had some kind of special idea. "Hey, I've been looking at this house that I plan to get!  It's a really nice place.  Low price, too," he explained.  "The thing is, there's enough bedrooms for an entire family in the thing.  It would feel odd owning such a house all by myself, but the price is far too much of a steal for me to turn down. That being said, if it's not too forward.. would you guys like to... move in with me..?" He asked nervously.  "You seem like great people - or.. non-people.  Whatever you would prefer to be called.  I'd be glad to help you in this rough time you're going through."
     "Move in with you..?"  Tom questioned in disbelief, raising an eyebrow.  "But.. we've only really talked one time before.  No offense, but we hardly know you."
     "None taken.  You do have a point," Edd agreed.  "However, it would take a while for things to get all set up.  Even after that time's up, you can move in at any time. That should give us plenty of time to get to know each other a little more.  It's all up to you guys, though."  Tom and Matt quietly discussed it for a bit until they made their decision.
     "Eh, why not," Tom settled.  "I mean, we'd do anything for somewhere to live.  Plus, you seem pretty cool."
      "Awesome!" Edd responded, grinning widely.  "I'm glad I can help you guys out, your situation sounds awful."
     Matt nodded.  "Yeah, it's been tough.  Thank you for your consideration," he sighed happily.  "You're a great guy, Edd. Wanna stick around and hang out with us for a bit?"
     "Ah.. I'd love to, but I've got some things to attend to," Edd told him, checking his watch.  "I'll most likely be coming back some time tomorrow, though.  How about we hang out then?"
     "Alright, sounds good," Matt settled with held-back excitement.  "See you then!"
     "See ya, guys!"  Edd hopped on his bike and rode away as Matt and Tom resumed their walk.  Matt couldn't be happier about everything, while Tom was still a bit unsure.
     "Eek!  I can't believe we're gonna be living with Edd Anderson himself!" Matt squealed.  "I don't know which part I'm happier about: the fact we're getting a nice house far away from our problems or the fact that said house is with the host of my favorite show!  Ah, it's all so surreal!  Am I dreaming?"  As Matt kept bubbling with joy, Tom just walked beside him in silence.  Of course he was grateful to be getting a place to live, but he was hardly able to see himself going back to a house so quickly. 
     He loved the park and forest, it was the first time he's ever had any sense of freedom.  His trauma led him to see houses as cages of some sort, unsafe places that do nothing but harm.  The only times he's ever felt genuine happiness were when he was walking through the park, watching the rising sun from the picnic table he called his bed, or anything else outside of his house.  Who knows, maybe this upcoming house could show him life from a new perspective.  Maybe then he can finally live somewhere he can call home.
     Matt looked over at Tom, pausing his ramble and calming his burst of joy for a moment.
     "You alright, Tom?" He asked.  "You seem like there's something on your mind."  Tom snapped out of his thoughts.  Boy, was Matt good at reading his emotions.
    "Sort of," he told him.  "It's just that I don't know how I feel about living with Edd.  Sure I'm grateful, I know how thoughtful it is of him, but I just don't know how I feel about houses in general considering my childhood.  I sure will miss being outside like this, too."  Matt thought about what his friend was saying.
     "Well.. maybe this can help you out," he suggested.  "I mean, not all houses are like your old one.  You can still do anything you'd like when it comes to going out and stuff."  Tom thought about what a normal home might be like.  He's seen them before on tv, but he still couldn't wrap his head around the concept of one.  That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though.  Being able to finally experience one was actually another reason for him to move in with Edd.
     "Hm.. you're right," Tom agreed.  "It was my biggest childhood dream to live in a normal house, or at least see one for myself.  You know what, maybe moving in with him isn't a bad idea."  Matt wrapped an arm around him, his usual fanged smile spread across his face.  Tom didn't express it, but he really appreciated the physical affection Matt would show for him.  He was very touch-starved for most of his life, if not all, so physical affection was something he really needed.
     "That's the spirit!" Matt cheered, giving him a pat on the back as he moved his arm away.  Tom stayed silent, trying not to seem like he was enjoying it too much.  He never really received much affection, so it sure felt weird.  He didn't really know how to respond to it; should he show it back?  Should he say thank you?  Should he act like it's nothing?  Most of the time he went with the last option.  It seemed the safest, after all.  He dropped these thoughts and did what he could to go on with his day.