Find Me [Completed]

Unfinished Chapter

P29: Refusal

"Psi-84..." Were the first words to leave Edd's mouth after the awkward silence that had filled his crowed room after he'd entered it with Tom.

Tami instantly let go of Mateya's hand which was still holding onto hers. She physically recoiled from Edd, taking a couple steps back from him. Only the scientists from the lab when she was little called her by that codename, and not all of them had been as kind as her father had been to her. It was a shame she'd been too young to remember who was good and who was bad.

Mateya took note of how her new friend backed away and her breath seemed to catch. Her friend looked scared. "Papa, you're being scary!" She scolded Edd, and went over to lightly smack a small hand against his chest. "Stop scaring Grey."

"Welcome back, Muffin." Matt cooed at Edd with a smile, having quickly gotten over his previous shock of finding out Tord having a daughter. Well, either that or he'd completely forgotten about it. "And hi, Tom!"

Not liking the silence that had fallen over the room once her dad finished talking, Mateya went to Tami and dragged her over to her papa by the older girl's wrist. "Papa, this is Grey! I bumped into her in the halls and she's really nice!"

"For the dozenth time, it's Tami." Tami corrected Mateya with a huff. She then dared a glance up at Edd. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" She asked.

"Yes, Tom told me what happened." Edd only half lied.

"Oh, of course she's in here." Tom growled from where he was pretty much hanging off Edd's side. "Can't you just babysit me in my room?"

"Don't be rude, Tom." Edd told his friend. "Tami is your daughter too, isn't she?"

"No." Both parties immediately responded.

"Okay, I see you two don't get along." Edd said.

"That's an understatement." Tom grumbled.

"So Tom, you can hang out on the couch, and Tami and Mateya, you two can go find somewhere to play, okay?" Edd suggested, gently adjusting Tom's weight since his arm was getting rather sore holding him up. "That way everyone is happy."

"Okay!" Mateya chirped before Tami even had a chance to protest. "I want to go hiking! Papa, will you take us?"

"Depends. Tom, Matt, would you two be okay here by yourselves?" Edd asked, glancing between his friend and husband.

"Yup!" Matt chimed. "I'm bringing the whole series of The Children on Netflix. Tim can join me!"

"I'd rather be stuck with Matt than you. Matt wouldn't push me into a booby trap." Tom joked to Edd with a hint of a smile.

"Tom, that was over a decade ago!" Edd chuckled, helping the slightly taller boy onto the spot beside Matt on the couch. "Everyone behave." He said, going to the front door and holding it open as the girls made their way out.

"Don't be too long, Edd! I miss you when you're gone." Matt told Edd with a smile and a childish tilt of his head.

"I know. I love you." Edd responded with a smile for his adorable-looking partner.

"I love you too!" Matt exclaimed, then Edd gave him a final smile and a small wave before leaving.

...

Edd returned after only an hour, the kids having spent most of that time playing with a cardboard box they'd found in the forest. He went back alone, since the girls were now busy playing together just outside the residential building. He returned to both Matt and Tom still watching TV, with Matt glued to the screen and Tom preoccupied with tugging at the bandages over his eyes.