Glass Half Empty (MattEdd)

Chapter 1

(Alright, so 1. These are the characters from the show, and I don't ship the real people irl and

2. This has slight swearing and a little bit of some depressing thoughts so just a heads up.

Stay safe everyoneee !!

Also this is my first fanfic so don't judge it too hard lol)

It had been about a month since the 'Tord incident,' as it was called between Edd's group of friends. All three of them - Tom, Matt and Edd - had escaped with only a few bruises, a couple bloody cuts and some scratches along their faces. Fortunately - miraculously - these had healed on their own accord, leaving nothing more severe than a light scar. But while the physical scars had mended themselves, the mental ones ran deep. No one wanted to recall what had happened to their old house, to their town, to their neighbors...

... To Jon.

And for Edd, those cuts were etched into his mind deeper than they were for the others - poisoning his brain with thoughts of regret and blame, anger and sadness. And the longer they were left, the more the thoughts seeped into his head. And unfortunately, Edd did just that. He left them to be.

"It's your fault," began Edd, sitting on the floor, back pressed against a wall. "It's all your fault." A tear tracked its way down Edd's face, falling onto his green hoodie to join the same spot where the others had landed just before, creating a dark patch on the cloth. The lights were out and the shades were drawn. Empty Cola cans and glass bottles were strewn about the floor. Some under the table, some by the couch, and 2 of each sitting half empty beside Edd. "You did this. Jon's dead because of you. You trusted Tord a-and now Jon is dead. Y-you trusted him and you let Tord into your house, back i-into your life. And when you did, n-nothing good happened." Edd laughed, thinking about how ridiculous it was that he was voicing his thoughts to an empty room. "It's your own damn fault." He whispered.

Edd wiped the tears from his face and made to get up. He grabbed the Cola can and headed towards his bedroom, socked feet making little noise as he shuffled across the kitchen. Edd stumbled on a shirt that had been left on the floor, and he looked back to the sink on the other side of the room. Dirty dishes had been left on the countertops and in the sink itself. Edd stared at them blankly. "I'll do them tomorrow." Muttered Edd to himself. That was just what he had said the night before, and the night before that. With a quick sigh, Edd trudged to his bedroom. 

--

"You said that Edd was going to be here, right?" Inquired Tom. "Yeah, I asked him a couple days ago," Replied Matt. "He said sure and that was that." 

Tom sighed impatiently. This was not his idea of a movie night, and he missed the way they used to be - full of alcohol, bad movies and Edd's horrible puns. And lately, he's missed them more than ever - Edd never even showed up anymore. "You're sure he just didn't shrug and say: 'I'll get back to you' and leave?" Asked Tom. Now it was Matt's turn to get impatient. "Yes! I told you he said yes." 

Matt looked at the clock on Tom's wall. 8:19pm. Edd was supposed to be here at eight pm, and Matt started to get a little anxious. "Why do you think Edd hasn't been joining us for movies lately?" He inquired, leaning further back into the couch. Tom gave Matt an exasperated sideways glance. "Oh, well, let me just check my crystal ball and see." Matt frowned, his curiosity growing. "You have a crystal b-" "No! No, I don't have a- oh my god, Matt!" Tom let his head fall into his hands. He mumbled a couple things into his palms which sounded a lot like "stupid" and "why are you like this."

Matt crossed his arms. "You're just mad because Edd isn't showing up." Tom scoffed, lifting his head. "Damn right I am! He promised to come and I got everything ready, only to be met with him not even bothering to stick his head in the door and apologize for not showing up!" Matt sighed. He knew how that felt. Matt tried to make an effort to hang out with Edd, but Edd frequently zoned out and made no attempt at conversation, even when he did turn up at all. 

"...Do you want me to go and get him?" Matt asked. Tom sighed and nodded. Matt got up and slipped on his shoes. He walked towards the door and turned the knob, then stepped through the doorway into the hallway, then proceeded to make his way to Edd's room. His footsteps seemed to echo off of the walls as he approached the door. He knocked twice.

"...Edd? You there?" No response. "Edd, it's Matt. Tom and I are waiting for you. Remember? You said you wanted to watch a movie with us." The silence remained. Matt glanced at the bottom of the door, looking to see if there was any light shining out from it. Nothing. "Edd? Are you even here? Are you home?" Matt swallowed, horrible thoughts circulating around in his head. Maybe he was sick, or dead. What if there was a murder and- 

Matt's hand flew to the doorknob and turned it. His heart jumped into his throat when the door swung open. "...Edd?" Squeaked Matt. He took a cautious step inside and gasped. The ground was littered with bottles and cola cans, shirts and hoodies. Used dishes were left on the countertop, and the whole room was dark. Matt knew he hadn't been in Edd's apartment for a while, but he knew it hadn't been so long ago that Edd had allowed it to get this messy.

Matt took another step into the apartment, then another. His feet seemed to be moving on their own accord, dragging him further into the room while Matt's brain screamed at them to stop.

"What happened here?" Matt breathed. The silence seemed to grow, only being broken by the air from a vent and - what was that? The sound of someone crying? Matt breathing hitched as the thoughts of murder filled his head again, and he took off towards the noise at what was almost a run.

"Edd? Edd is that you?" Said Matt, concern lacing his voice. The crying got louder as Matt drew closer to the bedroom. "Edd?" Matt rushed around the doorway into the room.

He stopped. Matt's eyes met Edd's red, puffy ones as the green hoodied man looked up in surprise. Matt's heart shattered as he looked at his broken friend. "...E-Edd? Are... are you okay?" He asked. Edd blinked a couple of times before tears filled his eyes again.

"It's my fault."