Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1 - I Shall Assist You All I Can

“Eddward?  May I speak to you a moment?” Mrs. Travers asked as the teenagers of her Calculus class gathered up their books and things after the bell had rung.

Edd looked up from his messenger bag, where he was neatly stowing his class material, and nodded.  He stood up, looping the strap over his shoulder and approached the teacher’s desk.  Curious, though not worried, as he was one of the more brilliant students in the school.  Unless it was about Eddy’s latest shenanigans.

“Yes, Mrs. Travers?” he asked in his still high-pitched and raspy voice.  Puberty had deepened it slightly, but he still sounded like a kid, in spite of being seventeen.

Mrs. Travers smiled at him.  “I need your help, Eddward,” she said.  “I have a student in my Geometry class who is struggling with the work.  He’s a good student, and is trying hard, but just can’t seem to grasp our current unit.  He came to me and asked if I knew of anyone who could help him.  I was hoping you wouldn’t mind some after school tutoring?”

Mrs. Travers was Edd’s favorite teacher, as math and science were his favorite subjects.  He had tutored before, so he wasn’t surprised that he was asked.  He grinned, “Yes, Mrs. Travers, I would enjoy helping anyone with their math.  Who shall it be that I will tutor?”

“Kevin Barr,” she informed him.  “I thought it was an ideal situation, because I believe that Kevin lives near you?”  She said this last with a questioning tone, tilting her head slightly.

Edd’s grin faded. “Kevin?”

Mrs. Travers looked surprised.  “Yes, Kevin,” she replied, narrowing her eyes.  “Is that going to be a problem?”

Edd cleared his throat, his mind working rapidly.  “No…no, I guess not.  He…he kind of bullied me when we were younger,” Edd admitted.  “I mean, he has not displayed such behavior since then, but I do not think he likes me very much.”

His teacher frowned.  “Oh, dear.  I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in tutoring anyone.  I knew you lived close to each other, so I thought it would be perfect.  Kevin didn’t mention anything like that when I spoke to him about you.”

“You have already told Kevin you wanted me to tutor him?”

She nodded.  “Well, yes, and he seemed pleased about it.”

Edd thought about that for a moment.  He supposed that it wouldn’t be too bad to tutor his old enemy.  He was truthful when he said that Kevin hadn’t bullied him in years, because the truth was Kevin had rarely acknowledged him in the five years since they had all entered junior high.  They lived across the street from each other, but hardly ever interacted.  Kevin had his own interests and friends, and the Eds had long ago given up scamming the other cul-de-sac kids, much to Double D’s relief.  He had never liked being involved in all of Eddy’s harebrained schemes, but he loved his friend, so he generally went along with the ideas.

“I suppose I can tutor him,” he said slowly, his reluctance obvious.

“Eddward, I honestly didn’t realize you boys didn’t get along.  I’m sorry about that.  If, at any time, you feel uncomfortable, please let me know.  I can arrange something else.”

Edd nodded, and his smile returned.  “I should be all right, Mrs. Travers,” he said before the door opened.  He turned his head and saw Kevin come into the room.

Kevin had not changed much since their younger days.  Taller – nearly half a foot taller than Edd, slightly more muscular from playing baseball, but not overly so.  He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a sweatshirt that looked too big for him, and still had his backwards red cap on his head.  Edd eyed him apprehensively, unsure of how to approach the situation.

Mrs. Travers, however, took control.  “Hello Kevin,” she said, and continued after Kevin murmured a greeting to her.  “Eddward has agreed to help you with your Geometry.  As I told you, Eddward is our top student, especially in math, so I’m confident you will be up to speed quickly with his help.”

Kevin looked at Edd and grinned, a pleasant and friendly gesture that, in fact, confused Edd, who was more used to sneers from the taller boy.  To be fair, that was five years ago.  He supposed that people could grow up and change.

“There’s two weeks until our next major exam,” Mrs. Travers said.  “Kevin did not do badly on his last exam, Eddward, but he came to me for help on the unit we’re currently studying.  So please go over that and we’ll see how well Kevin does then.”  She smiled again at the two boys.  “You two can work out a schedule that suits you both.  And thank you again, Eddward, for helping.”

Edd mumbled something like it was his pleasure, then he followed Kevin out of the classroom.  It was the end of the school day and the halls had cleared of students who had gone home.  Edd was already late for his yearbook meeting, and he wanted to get to that as quickly as possible, then go home.  He had chores to do, dinner to make, and homework.  However, now he had this other matter to attend to.

Before he could say anything, Kevin smiled a half-smile at him.  “Thanks for helping me, Double D,” he said, “I can’t thank you enough.  I was fine until she started us on this unit, and I’m just stumped.  I can’t seem to understand what I’m supposed to do,” he admitted.  He reached up to scratch the back of his neck.  “I know I’m not the smartest guy in school, but I don’t like feeling this dumb.”

Edd blinked a few times.  Double D?  He actually used his nickname?  Not one of Kevin’s nicknames?  Double Dweeb, Double Dork, etc.  The courtesy and gratitude completely threw Edd off.  He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t this affable kindness from someone he always thought hated him.

“It is…It is n-n-no problem, Kevin,” Edd stammered out, annoyed with himself for sounding like an idiot.  He steadied his voice with an effort and said.  “It really is my pleasure, and I like to help.  I shall assist you all I can,” he promised.  “When do you want to work together?”

Kevin shrugged, “I can anytime.  Now, if you want.  If you’re free, that is.”

Edd mentally rearranged his schedule quickly in his head.  “Yes, I think that can be arranged.  However, I have to attend a yearbook meeting, but that should be over in an hour or so.  Would you like to meet at the library after I am finished?”

“I can just come over to your house after you’re done,” Kevin suggested.  “You can text me when you get home.”

Edd thought a moment, worried that his immaculate house might have become messy in the time since he left it this morning.  “Um, sure Kevin.  That would be fine.  Can you give me your number, please?”

Kevin held out his hand, “Yeah, give me your phone.”

Edd unlocked it, called up the contacts, and gave it to Kevin, who in turn quickly typed in his info.  “There you go, Double D.  That works for me.  I’ll see you in a little bit,” he said as he handed the phone back to Edd, then turned to head to his own locker, throwing another ‘thanks’ over his shoulder as they parted ways.

Edd sighed, moving down the hall to the yearbook meeting, his pace fast.  “I must make sure the kitchen is spotless,” he said to himself.  “It would never do to have a guest in a messy house.”

Kevin waited impatiently on his couch, letting his mind wander as he sort-of watched one of the shows on ESPN, his favorite network.  He had turned the TV on to have some kind of noise in the otherwise quiet house.  He kept looking at his phone as he waited for the dork across the street to text.  He winced, then, at the descriptive he had thought.  When would he ever grow up?  So what if Edd was a brainiac?  Was that a bad thing, really?  And the kid was helping him out.  Kevin had honestly expected Edd to say no to tutoring him, once Mrs. Travers had brought it up.  He wouldn’t have blamed Edd if he had.  Their history wasn’t that great, though he had never really hated Edd, or even the big, dumb Ed.  It was Eddy who drove him crazy.

Distancing himself from Eddy in junior high had benefited Kevin greatly.  Discipline on the baseball field and basketball court, and guidance from excellent coaches, had helped him learn to control his temper and focus on important things, like becoming a better person.  He knew he still had a way to go, but he was happy with who he had become.  The population of junior high and high school seemed to be happy with him as well.  He was popular with both students and teachers, and was the captain of the baseball team.  He applied his newfound focus to school as well, and while he was only an average student, he found himself proud of that because he worked hard for it.

He thought about the Eds while he waited, more than he had thought about them in five years.  Of course, he had seen them around – you couldn’t help but do that when you lived in the same neighborhood – but he hadn’t paid any attention to them.  It had seemed that Edd had finally gotten it through to Eddy that his moneymaking schemes were stupid, so those had stopped.  He would see the Eds running to and from each other’s houses and still doing sort-of childish things around the neighborhood together, but Kevin and the other kids had sort of drifted away from that as they had grown older.

Kevin knew that Edd was the smartest kid in the school, and especially excelled at math and science, so he was thrilled that Edd was going to tutor him.  Kevin wasn’t necessarily ashamed that he couldn’t understand it, but he was annoyed with himself.  Math didn’t come easy to him.  He had to work hard to get it, but with time, he normally would.  This unit had him stumped, and he just needed it explained to him in a way he could understand. 

He reached up to rub his face in annoyance.  If an hour or two after school with Edd would help him, he would do it.  Kevin liked a challenge, so if he looked at it that way, he knew he would succeed.  ‘Just stop thinking of him as a dork,’ he thought to himself.  ‘That’s not fair or nice.’

The text alert on his phone finally went off.  <<“I am home, Kevin.  Please come over.”>>  Kevin laughed at the formality of the text, grabbed his jacket, Geometry book, and notebook, and left his empty house to cross the street.

Edd opened the door in response to his knock and stepped back, inviting him in.  “Shoes please, Kevin,” Edd requested in a quiet voice. 

“Oh, okay, sorry,” Kevin mumbled, kicking off his shoes, which were covered in snow.  Looking around the living room, he understood the request.  He had never seen such a spotless room.  Nothing seemed out of place, there wasn’t a trace of dust or dirt or clutter anywhere.  It was so different from his own home – almost sterile.  While his mother kept their house clean, this house looked as if no one lived in it.

“I thought we could work in the kitchen,” Edd was saying, bringing Kevin’s attention back to him.  “There is a small table in there that will do nicely.”

“Yeah, sure Double D.  Whatever you think is best,” Kevin responded, wondering at Edd’s surprised look.  Edd was surprised once again at hearing his preferred nickname from Kevin.

Kevin followed Edd into the kitchen, which was bright and large, but also as sterile as the living room had been.  Trying to think of something to say, Kevin commented, “Your house is nice.  It’s so…clean.”

Edd grimaced, knowing how his place must have looked to someone who didn’t really know him.  Wait, Kevin should know this about him; it’s not as if they didn’t know each other at all.  “Do you remember that I like things neat and clean?” Edd asked.

Kevin nodded, “I guess.  I just didn’t realize you liked it this neat and clean,” he joked, grinning at the smaller teen.

Edd just shrugged and gestured toward the table, where his own homework already lay.  Kevin put his books down and shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on the back of the chair before he sat down.

“May I offer you a beverage?”  Edd asked, “Or perhaps something to eat?”

Surprised at the formality, Kevin stared up at Edd from his seat.  “Uh, no thanks.  I’m not hungry.”

“Are you sure, Kevin?  Even nothing to drink?”

It seemed important to Edd, so Kevin nodded.  “Uh, sure.  Water’s fine.”

Edd hastened over to draw a glass of water for Kevin and carefully carried it over to the table, sitting it down on a coaster he had grabbed.  “There you go.”

“Thanks,” Kevin said, amused.

Edd sat down at the square table, perpendicular to Kevin, so that he could easily see what Kevin was working on.  “First, I guess, you should tell me exactly what unit you are working on in Geometry, and where the difficulty lies.  What you do understand about it and what you do not understand.  Once I know where you are, I can then plan out how to approach your tutoring.”

Edd’s formal tone and the fact that he just dove into the tutoring session without so much as a bit of small talk completely threw Kevin off.  It took him a moment before he pulled his Geometry book closer to him to flip it open to his class’ current unit.  He turned the book enough so that Edd could see it better and explained what his trouble was.  He noticed how Edd bit his lower lip in concentration as he listened and Kevin saw that the same gap in his front teeth was still there.  In fact, Edd looked almost exactly the same as he did five years ago, apart from being slightly taller.  He even wore that ridiculous hat still.  For some reason, that made Kevin feel better about this whole tutoring thing.

“All right, Kevin, I think I know what we can do,” Edd said, once Kevin had finished.  For the next hour, Edd patiently explained the unit – answering Kevin’s questions, demonstrating the process, and finding ways to help Kevin understand.  Kevin was amazed that the way Edd described the process made complete sense to him, as it hadn’t before.  While he still didn’t completely understand it, he was able to work through some of the simpler problems on his own by the time they were done.

“Wow, Double D,” Kevin said, letting out a long breath as he sat back in his chair.  “I sort of get this now.  I can’t believe it.”

“You have done very well today, Kevin,” Edd praised him.  “You have picked this up much faster than anyone else I have tutored.”

“It’s all because of you,” Kevin said.  “No one has been able to explain it in a way I understood.  Thanks for that.”

The praise made Edd blush a little, then he smiled his gap-toothed smile.  “You are welcome.  I am glad to help.”

“Can we maybe do this again tomorrow?” Kevin asked hopefully.  “I mean, if you have the time.  I don’t want to be a pain.  I just want to make sure after tomorrow’s lesson that I still sort of understand it.”

Edd looked away, thinking for a moment, then looked back.  “Sure.  Tomorrow after school should be all right.  I do not have anything planned.”

“Nothing with the other Eds?”

Edd shook his head.  “No.  Eddy works after school, and Ed is on the wrestling team.  I do not usually see them until after dinner, or the weekends.”

“All right, Double D.  Tomorrow it is, then,” Kevin said as he pulled his school things together and stood up, shouldering himself into his jacket.  Edd walked with him to the door and opened it for him.  “Thanks again!” Kevin said as he slipped on his shoes and left to go back home.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 – Would You Like to Stay for Dinner?

“Come in, Kevin.  Please do not forget your shoes,” Edd reminded him the following day when Kevin returned to work on his Geometry. 

“I won’t,” Kevin promised, kicking off his shoes again.  Something smelled good this time in the house.  Yesterday the house had smelled clean and fresh, but today there was a delicious food smell hovering in the air.  “Mmm, what’s your mom cooking for dinner?  It smells so good.”

Edd gave him a strange look.  “Um, I have something in the crockpot for dinner, but my mother did not make it.  My parents are out of the country.  I made it.”

“Are they on vacation?” Kevin asked.

“No, they are not on vacation.  My parents work with Doctors Without Borders.  They have been gone for about a year and a half.  Mother is currently in Serbia and father is in Croatia.”

“Oh!” Kevin responded stupidly.  He knew he rarely saw Edd’s parents around the house, but he didn’t realize that they were gone.  “I didn’t…”

“It is all right, Kevin.“

“I had no idea,” Kevin murmured, following Edd into the kitchen once again.  “That’s awesome of them, but don’t you miss them?”

“Of course I do,” Edd replied. "However, we are usually able to FaceTime or talk every week."

“You’ve been all alone since then?”

“I know they are doing important work, so I do not mind,” Edd said.  “Besides, I am not really alone all of the time.  I have the Eds.”

“Why aren’t they together?  Your parents.  They’re in different countries?”

“Doctors Without Borders does not often place couples together.  However, they are assigned to areas that are relatively close to each other and I know they see each other often.”

There was a glass of ice water already at Kevin’s spot waiting for him, and he smiled at the thoughtful gesture.  He shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on the chair just like the day before, and sat down.

“Is water still all right, Kevin?  I can get you something else,” Edd offered.

“No, that’s okay.  Water’s fine,” Kevin said.  “Thanks!  Though whatever you’re making smells so good, I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate.”

Edd’s face scrunched up a little guiltily.  “I am so sorry, Kevin.  I often make shredded chicken on Tuesday’s so that I can use the leftovers the rest of the week.”

Kevin laughed.  “I’m only kidding.  Don’t worry about it.  Well, I wasn’t kidding about how good it smells, but it’s okay, really.”

Seeming relieved, Edd asked how Kevin’s geometry class had gone. Kevin was pleased to tell Edd that, for the most part, it went well, though he was confused at some of the things Mrs. Travers had gone over, and that there was homework that he didn’t fully understand.

Edd looked over the homework assignment and the pages in the book that covered the day’s lesson.  While he waited, Kevin took a gulp from his glass and looked around the kitchen.  That smell really was delicious and he had trouble believing that Edd was the reason behind it.  So the kid could cook, but he supposed it made sense, if he technically lived alone.  How sad that was, he thought to himself.  While he viewed his own parents as a teenager typically does, as pains in the neck, he knew he would be lost without them.  He loved his parents and besides, Kevin barely knew how to boil water, let alone know where to start if he wanted to cook a chicken.

His eyes finally rested back on Edd, who was turning the pages in the geometry book, avidly reading them.  Kevin shook his head and wondered how anyone could find the dry subject exciting.  He could understand being enthusiastic about science – there was a lot of cool stuff to discover there – but numbers and formulas?  Too boring.

Yet, Edd seemed thrilled to be reading the geometry book.  His mouth had fallen open a little and Kevin noticed that he poked his tongue through the gap in his teeth, and for some reason this made Kevin smile.

“All right, Kevin.  Hopefully I can explain this well,” Edd said, turning the book back to an orientation for Kevin to easily see it.  He began to explain the principles of the problems and how to reach the solution.  Kevin watched, a little fascinated.  Edd hadn’t been like this the day before.  It was almost as if he felt more comfortable lecturing Kevin, and his enthusiasm for the subject showed.  He explained everything earnestly, perched on the edge of the chair, gesturing with his hands while his blueish-green eyes shined.  Kevin found that he had to force himself to listen to Edd, not just watch him.  The other teen had lit up as he talked and Kevin found that even more distracting than the smell of Edd’s dinner.

‘He’s cute like this,’ Kevin mused, then was appalled at the thought.  Cute?  Why would he think that?  Guys don’t think that about other guys.  But he couldn’t help thinking it again.  Edd was cute all excited about geometry the way he was. 

“Uh,” Kevin said aloud, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, “Can you go over that again?”

“Am I going too fast for you, Kevin?” Edd asked, concerned.  “I know I can get carried away talking about math.”  The boy looked contrite.

“No no no,” Kevin assured him.  “I just got thinking of…something else.  I’m sorry.  Sometimes my mind wanders.  Maybe that’s my problem,” he said lamely.

“Oh, all right.  It is no problem,” Edd said, smiling in relief.  He repeated what he had said, only toning it down a little.  They worked quietly then on their homework, Kevin interrupting occasionally to ask a question, and were almost finished when the buzz from a timer broke into their concentration.

“I am sorry,” Edd murmured, jumping up to rush over to the crockpot on the counter.  Kevin stretched as he sat upright, working out the kinks in his back from being hunched over the table.  He watched Edd take the chicken breasts out, place them on a cutting board, grab a couple of forks, and proceed to break them apart. The delicious aroma intensified and Kevin found his mouth watering.  Edd worked quickly and soon had placed the now shredded chicken back into the pot and had washed his hands.  When Edd returned to the table, he noticed Kevin’s expression and laughed.  “It is just cooking,” he said.

“But I couldn’t do that!” Kevin blurted, then laughed.  “I can’t make anything that doesn’t involve a microwave, so I’m really impressed.”

Edd’s cheeks turned pink and that ‘cute’ word floated into Kevin’s mind again, frustrating him.  ‘Why do I think this?’ he thought silently to himself.

Edd chewed on his lower lip for a moment, before asking hesitantly.  “Would you like to stay for dinner?  It should be ready in approximately an hour.”

“Seriously?” Kevin asked, grinning when Edd nodded.  “Sure, if you really want me to.”

“Kevin, I would not ask if I did not want you to stay,” Edd responded, a slightly annoyed tone coloring his voice.

Kevin held up his hands, laughing.  “Okay, okay.  Just let me call my mom and let her know not to pick up any takeout for me.”

Kevin phoned his mother and they both continued to work on their homework for the next hour.  When the timer sounded again, Edd got out place settings for two and checked on the dinner.  "Are tacos all right, Kevin?"

"Like I'd say no to tacos!"

Edd laughed, "Well, it is Tuesday, so tacos sound appropriate.  It may be easier to assemble your tacos here and bring your plate back to the table."

Kevin got up and joined Edd at the counter, after washing his hands (when Edd gave him a 'look').  Edd had tortillas, sour cream, and cheese at the ready, so Kevin quickly made a plate and returned to his spot at the table.  He pushed his homework aside to make room, smiling at Edd as he did as well.  They ate silently for a few minutes until Kevin spoke up.

“This is just amazing!  It’s so good!”

“Thank you, Kevin,” Edd responded simply.

“No, really.  Thanks for letting me have some.”

“It is my pleasure.  I like to cook.  It is nice to share it with someone.  I sometimes cook for the other Eds, but not that often.”

“I hope they know what they’re missing,” Kevin laughed.  Edd just smiled.  “So, Double D, what other secrets are you hiding?”

Edd looked up at the other teen.  “Secrets?” he asked faintly.  “I-I do not have any secrets.”

“We all have secrets,” Kevin said.  “But, no, I don’t mean deep, dark secrets.  I guess, just what do you like?  Movies?  Music?  That kind of thing.”  Kevin had realized he knew very little about Edd in spite of living so close to him for most of his life.

“Oh,” Edd said, looking down at his plate.  “I do not know.  I mean, I like movies and music, of course.  I like to read, too.”

“You have a favorite movie?”

Edd thought about it for a few moments.  “I like a lot of things.  Documentaries, foreign movies, indie films, action movies.  It is hard to pick a favorite.  I like the Marvel movies.”

“No way!  The Avengers and the MCU that’s been coming out?  I love those!”

Edd grinned, his eyes lighting up in that distracting way again.  “You do?  They are awesome and so much fun.  The other Eds and I make sure to go see them the minute they come out.”

Kevin smiled at Edd’s enthusiasm.  “I do too.  I make Rolf and Nazz go.”

“What is your favorite one?” Edd asked.

“So far?  Guardians.  But Captain America a close second.”

“Guardians is my favorite as well.  I cannot wait for the sequel.”

“But here’s the important question, Double D,” Kevin said, his expression settling into a very somber and serious look.  “Are you Team Captain?  Or Team Iron Man?”

Edd suppressed a giggle.  “I have to say, Team Iron Man,” he said, knowing how serious this question was and how Kevin had every right to judge him by his answer.

Kevin groaned, “Nooooooooo.  And here I thought you were actually cool!  It’s Team Captain all the way!” he declared.

Edd sat back, setting his third taco on his plate and said thoughtfully, “Well, I do think that I would probably, on principle, agree with Captain America and NOT sign the Accords.  I also agree that none of the Avengers should be forced to be controlled by the government.  So on that score, I suppose that I am Team Captain.  But,” he added, noting Kevin’s smirk of victory, and wanting to tease Kevin, “Iron Man is just so much cooler than Captain.”

Kevin had to laugh at Edd’s serious analysis and final statement.  “No way, man.  Cap is the coolest one.”

“I have to disagree.  Tony Stark’s inventions make him the coolest one, and Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant as Iron Man.”

“Okay, I will agree on that.  Chris Evans is a cool Captain, but Iron Man is much funnier,” Kevin conceded.  “But can we agree that Starlord is the coolest of them all?”

“I can agree on that.”

They chatted for the rest of dinner about the Avengers, happy that they had found some common link to talk about other than Geometry or schoolwork.  Each of them had some plausible and some wild theories about where the story line was going and it was fun to hash them out with each other.  While Edd had the other Eds to geek out with over the film franchise, Kevin didn’t have anyone.  Nazz and Rolf went with him to see the movies only to humor him, just as he went to foreign films with Rolf and rom coms with Nazz.  It’s what you did for friends. Kevin was a closet geek and didn’t have any friends who were into the same types of films he was.

Their talk branched out to other movie franchises they each liked and into television as well.  They found they were both into the fandoms of quite a few of the same things.  Before they knew it, it had gotten late and Edd realized he hadn’t cleaned up dinner, packed up the leftovers for the freezer, or finished his homework.  He jumped up from the table to clear it, startling Kevin.

“If you want to finish your assignment, Kevin, I can check it before you go,” Edd offered, carrying the plates to the sink.

“I should help you clean up, first,” Kevin protested.

“Oh, no, it shall not take me long at all.  It is all right,” Edd said.  “Just ignore me, I will be done before you are.”

After Edd wiped the table clean, disinfected it, then wiped it again, Kevin pulled his homework back towards himself and worked at his problems, a little guiltily as he listened to Edd working on the cleanup.  Edd was right, however, as he was back at the table to work on his own homework before Kevin finished.

After a quick check over Kevin’s problems, Edd grinned at him and said that there were no mistakes.  Kevin was relieved, because he hadn’t quite understood the lesson until Edd made it clear for him.

“Thanks again, Double D.  For this and for dinner,” he said as he put his shoes on at the front door.

“Did you want to do your geometry homework here tomorrow?” asked Edd.

Kevin found that he did and nodded.  “That would be great!”

"All right, see you tomorrow then!” Edd said, closing the door behind Kevin.

The rest of the week went along similarly to the first two days.  Kevin brought over not only his geometry homework, but the rest of his homework as well, and spent the afternoon at Edd’s kitchen table working on it while Edd worked on his own.  It was a quiet hour or two as both of the teens concentrated on their schoolwork.  Something about Edd influenced Kevin to try harder at his studies.  The other boy never said anything to Kevin about it, but Kevin wanted to be better.  While Kevin did work hard in school and had worked on his homework every day before he had started tutoring with Edd, he found himself taking school more seriously.  He chalked it up to hanging out with a true genius.  And, if he really had to admit it to himself, he wanted Edd to be proud of him.

Edd happily checked over Kevin’s homework every day, offering corrections and suggestions in a diffident manner intended to not offend the other teen.  This amused Kevin, because he wouldn’t have been offended no matter what.  He knew how smart Edd was, so he welcomed anything the other teen could tell him.

Edd had not offered him dinner again, which was all right with Kevin.  He only stayed until it was close to dinner time before heading home to his own dinner with his parents.  Their study sessions would usually devolve into animated discussions about every conceivable topic imaginable, from silly to serious.  Kevin found that he loved to listen to Edd, especially when the boy was excited about his subject.  Kevin grew used to thinking Edd was cute and he never gave it a second thought when the word appeared in his mind as he listened with his chin propped in his upraised hand.

He often felt pity for Edd being alone, but he also noticed over the next couple of days that Edd had been right – the other Eds often showed up to hang out after dinner.  Kevin was glad to be gone by then, because he didn’t want Eddy to turn his own mood sour.

The weekend flew by.  He was dragged to a boring rom com by Nazz, he and Rolf went and played at the arcade, and he hung around at home with his parents on a sleepy Sunday.  Involuntarily throughout the weekend, he would catch himself looking out either his bedroom window or the living room window across the cul-de-sac toward Edd’s house, trying to catch a glimpse of the other boy.  He saw Edd quite a bit, a few times through Edd’s own bedroom window, but on Sunday night he saw more than he expected.  Edd in only a towel coming into his room, obviously fresh from a shower.  Kevin couldn’t see much - their houses weren’t that close to each other - and he could only see Edd from his hips to his jawline, but it was enough to freeze him at his window and stare.

Edd pulled a t-shirt on, removed the towel, and bent down slightly out of the window frame to do what looked like pulling on some sort of sleeping shorts.  Edd moved out of sight and after a few minutes the light switched off and Kevin turned away only to realize his cheeks were burning and his mouth was dry. 

He wondered why he was blushing, as he lay down on his bed.  Kevin played sports, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen another guy naked, or in this case almost naked, in his life, but Edd seemed different.  Purer, almost.  Still, why did it make his stomach feel funny?

He thought back over the past week and making friends with the small, dorky boy across the street.  He liked Edd – the guy was funny, great to talk to, smart, and enthusiastic about the things he liked.  Kevin liked to watch Edd talk about something he really loved.  The smaller boy got so excited that his face flushed, his eyes shone, and he smiled that goofy, gap-toothed smile.  It was cute.  No, adorable.  Kevin smiled, not noticing his hand had traveled down his stomach and before he knew it he was massaging himself through his boxers while thinking of Edd and how he just saw the other boy.

Then he realized what he was doing and snatched his hand away, sitting bolt upright in bed with a rush of shame.  What the hell was he thinking?  No no no.  No.  Just no.  He shouldn’t think of Edd that way!  Edd’s a guy!  Kevin wasn’t gay.  He didn’t like other guys.  Just…no.

He propped his elbows on his drawn up knees and buried his face in his hands.  No, this can’t be happening.  He couldn’t get the image of Edd’s eyes out of his head.  That beautiful shade of blue and green mixed together.  Kevin groaned.  He was hard and he ached for release.  His mind was a confused mix of thoughts and images.  Is this why he was never interested in dating any of the girls that threw themselves at him?  Being popular and a high school sports hero, there were endless offers of dates, or more, from the girls at school, but he wasn’t interested in any of them.  He had dated a couple of the girls, but they bored him.  Kisses from them did nothing, so he had never gone further with any of them than that.  He just assumed he was concentrated more on his sporting career and on working so hard to do well in school.

He never thought it could be this, but then, he guessed he had never met any other guy at school that sparked his interest either.  So to be honest, no one had stirred any sort of romantic feelings up in him.  Until Edd and his damn cute smile, his damn beautiful eyes, and his damn adorable ways.

Kevin groaned again into his hands.  He knew what this meant – if he was gay.  The potential for teasing, taunting, and humiliation, even though Peach Creek High prided itself on being an accepting school.  Besides, he was a jock.  Jocks weren’t gay.  Logically he knew that wasn’t true – he had seen enough news stories about athletes coming out, but still.  For high school, he knew it was something that might not be easily accepted.  What would Nazz and Rolf say?  Nazz actually was a member of PFLAG and volunteered for gay youth groups, but it was different if it was your best friend, wasn't it?  He didn't even want to think about what his parents would say.

What was he thinking?  He didn’t even know for sure if he was.  Then the thought of Edd came into his head again, and he took note of how his breathing changed, how his cheeks warmed, how the feeling of butterflies in his stomach appeared, how his heart beat faster.  This was always how it was described.  He had to admit it, he was attracted to Edd and it felt so right.  Things made sense to him.  His own body showed that when he had unconsciously touched himself as he thought about the boy across the street.

Kevin couldn’t help himself.  He lay back down on his bed, his hand creeping into his underwear to stroke himself to relief – all the while thinking of that cute, gap-toothed grin.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 – You Think I’m a Good Catch?

Kevin’s awareness made him feel awkward at school on Monday.  He felt that everyone knew – everyone who looked at him was secretly judging him.  Kevin knew this was completely illogical, but he still thought it.  When he spotted Edd passing in the hallway, laughing at something Eddy was saying, he felt his stomach clench because he had realized another problem that was as big as realizing he might be gay.  He had no idea what to do about it in regards to Edd.

The normal rumors that floated around the school about various people – none of them had ever suggested Edd was gay.  He was not one of the ones suspected through gossip or anything.  Kevin didn’t remember if Edd dated anyone, but then Edd hadn’t been on his radar for years, so he wasn’t sure.  Then again, Kevin had gone on dates with girls, so even if Edd had, that might not mean anything.  This was so confusing.  Asking a girl out would be so much easier.  If she turned him down - no big deal; but if he asked a guy out and the guy wasn’t gay, the humiliation would be incredible.

Besides, they were developing a good friendship, and Kevin didn’t want to wreck that.  He looked forward to hanging out with Edd during their homework sessions, because their conversation would drift away from schoolwork to other interesting topics and Kevin loved to hear Edd’s opinions on everything.  He knew he would miss that if he fucked things up by coming onto Edd if Edd wasn’t interested.

Kevin knew that if he came onto him, Edd would handle it graciously and never mention it, but it would definitely put a stop to their developing friendship and Kevin didn’t want that.

So after school on Monday, Edd texted Kevin that he was home from his yearbook meeting and Kevin shortly found himself at the now-familiar spot at the table, his glass of water next to the homework in front of him, feeling completely awkward with no idea what to say.  Edd didn’t seem to notice Kevin’s awkwardness, though, as he spoke to Kevin as if nothing monumental had happened the day before.  It hadn’t for him, it only had for Kevin.

Edd did notice that Kevin was acting strange.  Kevin was usually just as talkative, if not more so, than Edd.  Today, Kevin quietly settled into his homework, barely looking at Edd, or speaking to him.  Edd wondered about this as he worked on his chemistry homework.  He hadn’t even seen Kevin over the weekend, just a few times as Kevin left to go out somewhere, sometimes giving a wave to Edd as he left.  Edd knew nothing had happened - he couldn’t have done anything to make Kevin upset - but the other boys’ quietness bothered him.

Edd also saw how nervous Kevin looked.  Kevin was unconsciously tapping his pen against the table, he kept bouncing his leg up and down, and he kept taking his cap off to run his hand through his short, red hair.  All this movement was distracting to Edd, who was used to silence and stillness while he worked.  Edd gave up trying to work on his own homework and watched Kevin fidget.

“Is everything all right, Kevin?” Edd finally asked, his voice sounding loud in the quiet kitchen.  It startled Kevin, who looked at Edd with a guilty expression that set Edd to wondering even more.

“Yeah, Double D,” Kevin said, his voice stressed.  “Everything’s good.  Why?”

“You just seem a little nervous,” Edd said.  “I hope everything is all right in your geometry class.”

“Oh, it is.  I think Travers is happy.  Um, my homework has been good.  I mean, we’ll see after the exam Monday, but it’s good.”  Kevin mumbled all of this, as he looked down at his schoolbook.  Edd barely made out what he said.

“Oh, okay Kevin, if you say so,” Edd said.  He thought a moment, before saying a little hesitantly.  “You know, if you need to talk about something, I would be more than happy to listen.  I know it can help to talk things over with someone if something is bothering one.”

Kevin kept his eyes on his book, then propped his elbow on the table in order to palm his forehead.  “It’s nothing, really, Double D,” he muttered, then an idea struck him.  If he carefully approached this, he might just test the waters for both Edd and himself.  “I guess, I don’t know.  There’s just someone I’m interested in and I’m not sure if they like me back.”

“Ah,” Edd said, sitting back in his chair.  “This is a common problem for people, from what I understand.  A crush, appropriately named, because the uncertainty – and often even the knowledge of the other parties’ feelings – can often cause the sensation of the heart being crushed.”

In spite of his own nervousness, Kevin lifted his head from his hand and looked at Edd, amused at the serious tone Edd used. 

Edd continued, “Unfortunately, until you reveal your feelings to this other person, you will never know how they feel.  It can be considered an example of a Catch-22.  On one hand it hurts to not know how they feel, because if they do return your affection, you could have a wonderful relationship.  If they do not, your heart will be broken.  Yet, if you reveal your feelings and you find out they do not return your affection, you are stuck in the same boat, so to speak.”  As he mentioned each possibility, he lifted alternate hands as if demonstrating a scale out of balance. 

Kevin was surprised at the simple way of describing it, yet the way Edd said it was so dry in tone, that Kevin wondered if it were possible for Edd to feel affection at all, but he quickly dismissed that thought.  Edd obviously cared a great deal about the other Eds, and showed a lot of care toward Kevin by the thoughtful things he had said and done the previous week.

“Have you ever had a crush?” Kevin asked, thinking maybe Edd would tell him a name or something that would give Kevin a clue as to which gender Edd preferred.

Edd shrugged.  “I have not had any sort of crush on anyone since we were younger.  I think everyone had a crush on Nazz back in elementary school.”

Kevin laughed at that.  It was true.  Nazz was the focus of many pre-teen dreams.

“We all did,” Kevin agreed.  “But really?  There’s been no one you’ve liked since then?”

Edd shook his head, “No Kevin.  I guess I am just more concerned about my grades and getting into college and earning a scholarship.  I believe that it is possible for me to find someone in the future, but I guess I have just not thought about it.”

Kevin nodded, though he was frustrated.  No clues there.  He was about to try another question when Edd broke into his thoughts.

“May I ask on whom it is that you have a crush?  Maybe I can help you with wooing the object of your desire.  I may not be personally experienced with romance, but I have read a lot and have watched a good many movies to have a general idea.”  Edd then seemed to realize what he had asked and hastily added, “If you do not want to tell me, that is fine.  You do not need to confide your secret with me.”

“I don’t want to tell you.  Yet,” Kevin said slowly.  “I hope I can sometime soon, though.”  He smiled a small smile at Edd.

“You should feel confident in approaching your crush Kevin,” Edd assured him.  “You are the most popular guy in school and I have heard many girls talking about how they would like to date you.  I do not think you would be turned down.”

“You think so, Double D?  You think I’m a good catch?”

The question flustered Edd, more because of the expression on Kevin’s face when he asked it.  Kevin’s eyelids had half-closed and his smile had softened to something suggestive that Edd couldn't interpret.  The tone of his voice also gave Edd pause. 

“Um, yes, Kevin.  I think you are.”

“Good looking enough?  Funny enough?  Smart enough?  Nice enough?”

“Yes, Kevin, all of those things,” Edd said confusedly.  That cheeky smile and little drawl to his voice that Kevin was giving Edd as he asked gave him a small fluttery feeling in his stomach.  He didn't understand what this conversation meant.

“All of them?  You think I’m good-looking?” Kevin asked, his smile morphing into a grin.

Edd just stared back at Kevin, unsure how to answer.

Kevin saw the effect on Edd and decided it was enough for today.  He still wasn’t sure about what Edd thought or felt, but Kevin didn’t want to flirt too much and scare Edd off or freak him out.  “Thanks Double D,” he said in a more normal voice as he sat up straight.  “You make me feel a lot better about things.”

“Oh, good, Kevin,” Edd said with a certain amount of relief, though he wasn’t sure what he had done.  “I am happy if I have helped you.  Please let me know if there is anything else I can do.”

“Oh, I’ll be sure to let you know,” Kevin couldn’t help but add in a light tone, shooting another little grin at Edd before turning his attention back to his homework.

Edd got out of the shower and toweled himself off, then went through his nightly routine of getting ready for sleep.  He was soon tucked into his bed, stocking cap hanging on the bedpost, nightlights on, and soft, classical music playing from his tablet.  Sleep never came right away.  He always lay in bed for almost an hour, thinking over the day he had just had and planning out the following day in his mind.  As he went over the events of the day, his thoughts lingered on the strange conversation he had with Kevin.

Not that it was strange that Kevin had a crush on someone.  Edd didn’t even think it was strange that Kevin didn’t want to tell him who it was.  Romantic feelings were a highly personal thing, after all, and it wasn’t as if they were good friends or anything.  Edd hoped they were becoming friends, but that sort of intimacy wasn’t something that was developed over a week.  Edd wondered, however, why Kevin chose to tell him about the crush in the first place.  Kevin had good friends, Rolf and Nazz, so why tell Edd and not his other friends?

Maybe it was Nazz?  That made sense.  Star athlete of the school and head cheerleader.  It was too cliché, of course, but Nazz was a nice girl, as well as beautiful.  Kevin wasn’t lying when he said everyone had a crush on Nazz at some point. 

Edd then thought about the other thing Kevin had asked – if Edd thought Kevin possessed those certain traits: good looks, humor, intelligence, compassion.  He never pegged Kevin as someone who should be insecure.  At least, Kevin appeared self-confident and self-assured, but Edd knew appearances could be deceiving.  Everyone had insecurities to deal with, and what was more insecure than navigating the waters of a romantic relationship? 

Edd did honestly think Kevin possessed all of those traits and he supposed that it wasn’t strange for Kevin to be seeking confirmation that he possessed them.  The confusion in Edd’s mind came from the way Kevin had asked.  Kevin didn’t sound insecure or unsure when he asked the question.  He sounded almost flirty, but that didn’t make sense.  Who was Kevin flirting with?  Surely not himself. 

That strange thought disturbed Edd’s mind and he lingered on it.  No, it couldn’t be.  He was sure Kevin did not ‘lean that way’, and even if he did, Kevin would never be interested in a goofy little dork like him.  What surprised Edd, then, was that he was more concerned that Kevin would never be attracted to him than the fact that it was him on whom Kevin had a crush.  If that were true, what would Edd want to do about it?

Would he want to return that affection?  He wasn’t sure.  Yes, he had discovered that Kevin was a genuinely nice person with an unexpected intelligence and quiet humor.  And yes, Edd could objectively agree with every girl in school that Kevin was quite good-looking.  Anyone would have to admit that.  He had a great smile, lovely green eyes, a brush of freckles that added to his attractiveness, dark red hair, and a toned body.  But Kevin was a boy and if Edd returned his affection, Edd understood what that meant for himself.

Once that thought entered his head, he couldn’t get it out.  Would that explain why he never went on dates?  Why he turned down the very small number of girls who had shown interest in him?  Why he was able to tell Kevin he had never had a crush?  Why no girl in the school had interested him?  Why the only times he had thought someone was good-looking, it was another boy? 

‘Am I gay?’ he thought, rolling over onto his back, his eyes wide and staring at his dark ceiling.  ‘Oh no, please, no.  What will my parents say?  What will the Eds say?  Will they ever talk to me again?  I cannot lose my friends!’  He felt tears come into his eyes and he wiped them away as they coursed down his temples into his hair.  ‘Why, oh, why did I think this?  I know Kevin did not mean me when he talked about his crush, but now I cannot get this out of my head.’

Edd turned onto his side, curled into a ball, and cried himself to sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 – It’s a Date!

Tuesday and Wednesday passed with little incident, though Edd was quiet and mopey each day.  Kevin didn’t come over for a homework session on Tuesday, much to Edd’s relief.  Kevin made excuse that his mother had scheduled his dentist appointment that afternoon.  Kevin approached Edd while the smaller boy was at his locker before the start of classes.  He leaned against the locker next to Edd’s and smiled at him.

“Hey Double D,” he drawled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.  “I forgot to tell you that I have a dentist appointment this afternoon, so I can’t make it over to your house.”

Edd darted his eyes at Kevin and he smiled a little nervously, “Oh, that is all right Kevin.  I understand.”

“You gonna miss me?”

“Beg your pardon?”

Kevin shrugged, “Well, it almost seems like I’ve become a permanent figure in your house.  Won’t it be weird if I’m not there?”

“Um, yes, I am sure it will,” Edd said shakily, turning his attention back to his locker to retrieve the books for his first class.

“We’ll make up for it tomorrow.”

“Yes, we will,” Edd said, now turning his eyes more directly at Kevin, as opposed to his quick sidelong glance before.  Kevin noticed how red the boys’ eyes looked and wondered if Edd had been crying.

“You okay, Double D?” Kevin asked, concerned.

“Yes, Kevin, I am fine.”

“Your eyes are a little red.  You don’t have allergies do you?”

“No no, nothing like that.  I, um, had trouble sleeping last night.”

The last warning bell rang and both boys said their goodbyes, with Kevin urging Edd to get more rest before they went their separate ways.

With the geometry exam coming up on the following Monday, Kevin and Edd spent Thursday focusing on studying his geometry notes, which were augmented by additional items in Edd’s neat and compact writing.  The unit was complete, so the homework was review of the entire chapter, giving the class ample time to study.

Wednesday’s study session had been a gloomy affair, with Edd barely saying a word other than what was required of him for the tutoring.  Thursday was no different.  Edd doodled on his paper as he stared down at his history book.  Kevin watched, being as covert as possible, but he knew Edd wasn’t paying any attention to him.  Edd never turned the page of his book in the entire hour that they worked, so Kevin knew he wasn’t actually reading it.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Double D?”

His voice startled Edd, who jerked up as if from a daze.  “Okay?”

“Yeah, you seem kinda down.”

“Oh, no, I am all right,” Edd responded slowly, then decided to trust Kevin, just a little due to the circumstances.  He certainly wasn’t going to tell Kevin everything.  “I think, I guess, I think I realized some things about myself and I am still trying to process them.”

‘Interesting,’ Kevin thought. ‘I wonder what he’s realized?  I haven’t exactly come on to him, but I have flirted a little.  Does he like boys too?  That's probably just wishful thinking on my part.  Hoping for something isn’t going to make it so.’  Aloud, Kevin asked, “Anything I can help with?”

“No, thank you, Kevin.  It is something I need to work out for myself.  I do appreciate your concern.”

Kevin put on that lopsided smile, and closed his eyes halfway, “Anytime, man.  I’m always here for you if you need me.”

The way Kevin said that and the way Kevin looked at him made Edd’s heart speed up, which was, to him, further proof of his attraction to the other teen.  Edd tried to respond, but his mouth had gone dry.  He cleared his throat and managed a faint, “Thank you.”

They returned to their work, or at least appeared to return to it.  Edd was getting nothing done as his mind was racing with thoughts tumbling over each other.  Kevin, too, was thinking hard and telling himself not to read too much into Edd’s actions.  Kevin’s feelings for Edd had grown each day.  Their time together the previous week had won Edd a place in Kevin’s heart, but once Kevin acknowledged that he felt more than friendship, his crush had strengthened, in spite of Edd suddenly becoming a bit more turned inward.  He found Edd endearing and vulnerable and just wanted to protect him. 

If Edd didn’t know he was gay, or if he suspected that Kevin had a crush on him, that could account for his melancholy.  To be honest with himself, though, Kevin knew it could be a dozen other things that happened in the course of a normal teenagers’ life that could cause Edd to act this way.  The poor kids’ parents were in another country and Kevin also knew that Edd was sometimes subject to ridicule and bullying from some of the other school kids, though with the Eds around to protect him, Edd was usually safe from that.  Or Edd could have his own unsuccessful crush on a girl. 

“How is your quest to win the affection of a certain special someone going?” Edd asked suddenly, snapping Kevin out of his musings.

“What?” Kevin asked blankly.

“You told me that you have a crush on someone.  I wondered if you had revealed your feelings yet, or if you have made a plan for wooing this person.”

Kevin tapped his pen against his lips, thinking fast.  Edd had asked in such a sad tone of voice.  “Uh, no.  I haven’t told them yet.”  Kevin told himself not to read too much into this.

“You should, Kevin,” Edd encouraged him.  “I believe that not knowing will hurt worse.  I know it can be frightening, but I think it would be better to know if there is a chance for you.” 

“True,” Kevin said, stalling as he thought.  If Edd suspected he was the object of Kevin’s crush, then was he baiting Kevin to just say it?  What if he didn’t suspect it though?  What if Kevin just blurted it out now and Edd freaked out about it?  He suspected that Edd was fairly innocent in a lot of ways.  “There’s...it’s complicated.  I can’t just come out, you know,” Kevin chose those words specifically to see if they got a reaction from Edd, but it didn’t seem as if they did.  “Come out and say it directly to them.  Because of who they are.”

“Oh,” Edd said, frowning as he thought that over.  “I suppose I can understand that.”

“But,” Kevin added, “I kind of have a plan.  You know, to kind of let them know.  There’s something I want to do, but I’m still working on it.”

“I do hope it is not a hare-brained scheme like Eddy used to come up with.”

Kevin laughed, happy that Edd was at least able to joke around with him, and that Edd had brought his humor back into their conversation.  “No.  At least I hope not.  I hope this one actually works!”

“Any plans for the weekend, Double D?” Kevin asked on Friday afternoon, pushing his homework away from him as he sat up straighter in his chair and stretched a little.  “Doctor Strange is out tonight.  You guys planning on going?”  Kevin looked at Edd curiously as he roused from his reverie.  The smaller teen had been listlessly staring at his homework again, much as he had done the last couple of days.

“Yes, Kevin.  The Eds and I are planning to go see the movie tomorrow afternoon,” Edd replied, looking at Kevin with his sad eyes.  “Would you like to join us?”

Kevin was surprised, but he was suddenly determined to not let this ideal opportunity escape him, though he was not thrilled to spend the afternoon with Eddy, and he already made plans to see the movie on Saturday evening with Nazz and Rolf.  His brain worked fast, thinking of how he could rearrange his plans.

“Do you mind if Nazz and Rolf go?” he asked Edd.  “We planned on going tomorrow night, but I can see if they’d like to go earlier.”

“Oh, you should not interrupt plans that you have already made, Kevin.”

“No problem.  At least I don’t think it will be,” Kevin grinned.  “I mean, it’ll be fun to go with you, since you’re a fan.  And the other Eds too.  But I’d already convinced Nazz and Rolf, so I don’t want to ditch them.”

“I think it would be nice to have them join us, if they do not mind.”

“Nah, they won’t.  Nazz and Rolf like you guys.”

“They do?”

“Sure!  Let me go call them and let them know,” Kevin said, eagerly jumping up and grabbing his phone off the table to go into the living room. 

Edd leaned back into a slump in his chair, rubbing at his face for a moment before stilling with his head bent and his hands covering his eyes.  The daily study sessions with Kevin for the past couple of days had taken an emotional toll on him.  His mind was still a mess with trying to cope with his confusion.  Days spent thinking late into the night and crying himself to sleep left him exhausted.  He had no one to talk to about this.  Even if his parents were around, he wasn't sure if he could talk to them about it right now, in spite of their acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals.  Ed and Eddy were out of the question, too, which made him more depressed.  They were his best friends, but how could they understand his anxiety. 

Edd didn’t have the heart to cancel these study sessions with Kevin, though they stressed him out so much that he wasn’t able to concentrate on his own work at all.  Kevin seemed to be happy coming over, though Edd knew that Kevin couldn’t find him to be great company at the moment.  Last week they had spent each day talking excitedly to each other about many different things, but this week, after Edd had the thoughts on Monday night, their afternoons were quiet and tense. 

Edd looked forward to the weekend in order to put Kevin at a distance.  Kevin’s presence served to keep Edd’s doubts about himself at the forefront of his mind.  Now that the thoughts were there, Edd found he had strong feelings for Kevin and they only grew every day.  Edd had no idea why he had asked Kevin to come to the movies with them.  He had hoped to spend time with just the Eds and get some normalcy back into his life – if even for a day.  The offer jumped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Kevin paused at the entry to the kitchen, frowning at the sight of Edd with his hands over his face and in a defeated posture in his chair.  He saw a different Edd this week, starting on Tuesday.  Last week Edd had been his normal, cheerful, enthusiastic, gregarious self, but that had disappeared.  Kevin hadn’t even seen him smile that goofy grin in a couple of days and he missed it.  He had asked Edd a few times what was wrong, but the other teen insisted he was fine, but Edd obviously wasn’t.

Kevin coughed before coming in, in order to let Edd compose himself, which he did.  When Kevin sat back down in his chair, Edd had leaned forward with his forearms on the table.  “Here’s the deal, Double D.  Nazz said that since I was able to find someone else to go with, she would pass.  Rolf said the same.  But they wanted to know if we all wanted to meet up for pizza after the movie.”

Edd nodded, sliding his own phone closer to him.  “I do not think the Eds will object.  I will let Eddy know and I am sure he will tell Ed.  Pizza afterwards sounds like a nice plan.”

Edd keyed in the text for Eddy, informing him that Kevin would be joining them, and that Nazz and Rolf wanted them to go out for pizza.  Edd was pretty sure that Eddy would go along with it, if for no other reason than he would be able to spend time flirting with Nazz. 

When Edd’s phone dinged with Eddy’s response, Edd quietly informed Kevin that Eddy, and therefore Ed, were good for the plans.

“Awesome!” Kevin exclaimed happily, pulling his books back toward himself.  “It’s a date!”

As Kevin returned his attention to his history book, Edd stared at him, his mouth dropped open.  That statement did nothing to calm the confusion in his mind.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 – I Think I Like Kevin

“I can’t believe you invited that jerk, Double D,” Eddy complained as he and Ed pushed their way into Edd’s house. 

“Salutations Eddy, Ed,” Edd said in a monotone.  “Shoes, please.”

The Eds kicked off their shoes and thumped themselves softly onto the couch.  “Well?” asked Eddy.

“I think it’s fun to have a new friend,” Ed said, grinning.

“This is Kevin we’re talking about, Ed.  Not a ‘new friend’,” Eddy growled.

“I am sorry Eddy, but I told you before.  Kevin is as much a fan of the Avengers movies as the three of us.  I did not plan on inviting him, it just slipped out before I thought,” Edd said as he sat down in the living room chair.

“And now we get to spend our afternoon with him,” Eddy said, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms.  Then he looked at Edd, his eyes narrowed.  Eddy came across as a selfish person who focused mainly on himself, but Edd and Ed were his closest friends and he loved them more than anything.  He hadn’t missed Edd’s personality change this week, nor did he miss the lack of enthusiasm his friend normally displayed on an Avenger movie day.  “Come on Double D, talk to us.  What’s eating you?”

Edd turned his eyes on him, surprised, and Eddy could see the redness in them.  “What, Eddy?  Whatever do you mean?”

“You’ve been sad for almost a week now.  Your eyes are red.  You’ve been crying,” Eddy said.

Ed frowned.  “Double D is sad?  Double D?  Don’t be sad!”

Edd held up his hands, “I am not sad, Ed.  Do not worry.”

“Then what are you crying about?” Eddy demanded.

“It is nothing.  Really, Eddy.  It is nothing.”

“Bullshit, Double D.  Is Kevin doing this?  Is he picking on you, or threatening you?”

“No!” Edd exclaimed, appalled at thought.

Eddy studied Edd, his lips pressed together.  He took note of Edd’s flushed face and flash of anger, which was rare in his usually happy friend.  “It has something to do with Kevin,” he said.

‘Curse Eddy and his astute observations!’ Edd thought in frustration.

“Is Kevin hurting you, Double D?” Ed cried.

“No!  No!  Kevin is not hurting me!” Edd insisted.

“Double D, we’re your best friends.  You can tell us anything.  We can’t help you if we don’t know,” Eddy said in a gentle voice that only Edd and Ed ever heard.

Edd was torn inside because Eddy was right.  He unconsciously pulled his knees up to his chest and reached up to pull his hat further down on his head, something he often did when he felt cornered.  Once he had done this, he realized that it would only prove to the other Eds that he was hiding something and he put his forehead on his knees.  “I do not think you can help me with this,” he said faintly.

Eddy looked at Ed, his expression troubled now.  He had thought that maybe Edd was crushing on someone who didn’t like him back, but he understood now that whatever was bothering Edd was more serious than he had guessed.

Eddy leaned forward, his hands on his knees.  “Edd, just tell us.  I can’t send Lumpy here to bash any heads in if I don’t know what the problem is.”

Eddy achieved his goal of getting Edd to at least chuckle faintly, though he still kept his face hidden.

After a quick glance at his phone, Eddy said, “Kevin isn’t supposed to be here for another half hour, so…”

Edd was silent for a few minutes and the other Eds waited patiently, looking often at each other.  Ed, surprisingly to Eddy, was also quiet, but then they never gave Ed the credit he deserved.  While slow, he was often more aware of things than he appeared. 

“I think I like Kevin,” Edd’s voice startled the other two, mostly because it was followed by a cry as Edd wedged his hands up between his knees and face to cover his eyes.

Within five seconds, Ed’s arms were wrapped around Edd and squeezing him tight.  “Don’t cry, Double D!”

His plea only made Edd cry harder.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry,” Ed chanted, rocking his friend.

Eddy sat back on the couch, stunned.  Edd was right; Eddy had no idea how to help him.  This wasn’t something he could scheme about or that Ed could use his muscle to intimidate.  This was serious and Eddy had no idea what to say or do.  It was a crush, but this was complicated.  Eddy had no illusions about why this stressed Edd out.

He got up, crossed to the chair, and hugged Edd on his other side, he and Ed cocooning their friend between them.  Soothed by the other Eds, Edd calmed down his crying somewhat.  “You-you guys do not h-h-hate me?”

“Why would we hate you Double D?” Eddy asked, a slightly irritated tone coloring his voice.

“We love you Double D!” Ed exclaimed.

“Y-y-you are not creeped out by that?  By me…maybe being…?” Edd still could not say the word.

“Yeah, I’m creeped out!” Eddy said.  “Creeped out that you like Kevin!  If you’re gonna like guys, Edd, you’d think you would pick out someone better!”

Edd choked out a laugh, immediately feeling a surge of relief.  Eddy’s sarcastic response reassured Edd in a way nothing else would have.  Eddy wouldn’t have said that to him if he were truly disgusted that Edd was gay.  He lifted his head, looking first at Eddy, who was grinning crookedly at him, and then at Ed, who had his normal, affable smile on.

“You like boys, Double D?” Ed asked.

Edd sighed.  “I think so.  I do not know.  I have been so confused.  I do not know what to think.”

Eddy sat back on his heels, while Ed still clung to Edd.  “What happened?  Start from the beginning.”

Edd summarized the last couple of weeks to the other Eds.  Talking it out, along with Ed’s comforting arms around him, made him feel better.  “I may just be reading too much into our conversations and into Kevin’s body language.  I am positive he does not mean me when he refers to his ‘crush’,” Edd explained. 

“Why not?” Eddy asked.  “You’re a pretty good catch, Double D, with those brains and being so cute and all.”

Edd rolled his eyes, feeling his sense of humor – or at least the desire to laugh – returning.  “And Kevin is the star jock of our school who can get any girl he wants.  He is straight and even if he was not, why would he like someone like me?”

“Cause you’re awesome Double D!” Ed assured him.

Eddy nodded in agreement, “Don’t shake your head, Sockhead, because you are.  Kevin has spent almost every day here for two weeks, right?”

“That is correct, Eddy, but that is just for tutoring.”

“Yeah.  Tutoring in the subject of Eddward Vincent,” Eddy teased.

Edd blushed.  “Hardly, Eddy!  His geometry!”

“You told me he does other assignments too, not only geometry.  Are you tutoring him in those?”

“No, but…”

“But nothing.  I think you,” he said, pointing his finger at Edd, “are his ‘crush’.  Think about it, Double D.  Kevin has never had a girlfriend that I know about.”

“He has dated girls, Eddy,” Edd pointed out.

“Dated, but never anything serious.  At least never that I heard.”

“And you have never heard it rumored that he is, you know,” Edd said.

“Well, no,” Eddy admitted.

“Does Kevin like boys?  Does Kevin like Double D?” Ed spoke up.

“I think he does,” said Eddy.

“I hardly think so,” said Edd, both at the same time.

“I’m confused,” Ed said.

“Ed!” Edd said, somewhat panicked as he realized Kevin would arrive soon.  “Eddy!  Neither of you can say anything to Kevin.  Please!” he begged.  “Ed promise me, everything you just heard, please do not repeat it to Kevin!”

“I understand, Double D,” Ed said, squeezing his friend again.

“You either, Eddy,” Edd pleaded.

“You know me better than that, Double D, come on!” Eddy said in an offended tone.  “But look, I’ll watch Kevin today and see if I can pick up anything, okay?”

Edd nodded sadly, though he now felt better than he had in days.  He was still sorting out his feelings about Kevin, and still coping with the certainty he was gay, but having his friends’ support meant everything in the world to him.

“Now,” Eddy said, matter-of-factly, “let’s get Lumpy off of you, get you into the bathroom to wash your face, and get this grueling ordeal over with.  At least I get a Marvel movie out of it.”

Eddy’s joking manner warmed Edd and his gap-toothed grin appeared for the first time since Monday.  Ed let go of him and he stood up, as did his friends.  Edd looked back and forth between the two of them, before pulling them in for another hug.  “Thank you guys.  You are the best friends one could have.”

“Salutations, Kevin!” Edd said as he opened the door in response to Kevin’s knock. 

Kevin’s eyes widened as he looked down at the shorter teen in the entryway.  There was that adorable smile, and while Kevin noticed that Edd’s eyes were again red, his stomach couldn’t help but twist at seeing Edd smiling again.

“Hey, Double D,” Kevin said, looking past Edd into the living room and seeing Ed smiling a big smile back at him and Eddy glowering at him.  “Hey, Eds.”

“Hi Kevin!” Ed called.

Eddy just grunted, and then mumbled out a “Hey, Kev” after Edd shot him a look.

“We are ready to go Kevin.  We do not want to be late for the Doctor!” Edd said enthusiastically.  “Come on, Eddy and Ed.  Let us get our shoes on so we can go!”

Kevin smiled, stepping back onto the porch, feeling better.  Edd seemed almost back to his old self.  That dullness that had been in his voice for the past five days was gone, and his…sparkle…was back, though Kevin winced at that word.  That made Edd sound girlish, when he wasn’t.

The three Eds soon joined him on the porch, where Edd turned and locked the door.  “Who wants shotgun?” Eddy asked as he stumped down the porch, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

“Oo, I do, I do, Eddy!” Ed said, waving his hand.

“You always call shotgun, Ed,” Eddy complained.  “And always change my radio stations.”  Eddy was actually glad Ed volunteered, because he wanted to run his first test with Kevin.  Eddy looked over his shoulder, “Either of you two want front seat?”

Edd shook his head, “No Eddy, you know that I am quite comfortable in the back.  I never mind that Ed likes the front seat.”

“Kev?”

“No.  It looks like Ed wants it more.  I’ll sit with Double D in the back.”

Eddy acted annoyed, though he smirked to himself as they all got in his car.  ‘Yep, Kevin wanted to be in the back close to Double D,’ he thought.  ‘Just as I suspected he would.’

The ride to the theater took about a quarter of an hour.  They all talked excitedly about the movie and how it would fit in the Marvel Universe.  Double D had said that Kevin was a huge Avengers movie fan, and Eddy was slightly disappointed to find out that he actually was.  His reasoning was that if Kevin was pretending to like the films in order to get closer to Double D then that would be proof to Eddy, because who hasn’t pretended to like something someone else likes in order to get in their pants?

After they parked and got out of the car, Eddy quickly yanked Edd closer to him and hissed in his ear, “Let Kevin get in line first and see if he pays for you!”

“Eddy!” Edd objected, but Eddy hushed him.

The Eds lingered enough so that Kevin did get in line first.  Eddy smirked at Edd, who just rolled his eyes.

Eddy bounced nervously on the balls of his feet as Kevin stepped up to the counter, anxious to see what Kevin would do.  When Kevin turned around, he held up four tickets.  “Hey guys, I got all the tickets to save time.  Hope you don’t mind.  How ‘bout you guys get snacks?”

“That was very nice of you, Kevin,” Edd said.

“Thanks, Kevin!” Ed exclaimed, giving Kevin a hug.

Kevin laughed even as Ed squeezed him tightly.  “No big deal,” he said, gently pushing Ed’s arms from around him.

Eddy ground his teeth.  ‘Well, that didn’t help,’ he thought.  ‘He’d better sit next to Sockhead in the theater, though.’

Edd looked at his friend and caught his eye.  He figured he knew what Eddy was thinking and he just shook his head.

The Eds went to concession and came back with two tubs of popcorn and pops for each of them.  The two tubs were Eddy’s idea.  He hastily whispered in line to Edd that, “if Kevin sits next to you, you two can share and Ed and me can share.  Sticky butter fingers touching in the dark - kinda romantic, don’t ya think?”

Edd did not think it romantic.  He thought it unhygienic and quailed at the thought.

Eddy pushed Ed ahead of Kevin and Edd into the theater, hoping to get to their seats and force Kevin to sit next to Edd.  They entered their row first and claimed the first two seats, while Edd sat next to Eddy with Kevin on his other side.  The theater had installed the new reclining seats and they all made themselves comfortable and adjusted their seats to their preferred position.

“Ahh, this is the life!” Eddy sighed happily, tossing some popcorn into his mouth.

Kevin laughed, “You ain’t kidding!”  He looked at Edd, who was placing napkins on the armrests between him and Kevin in order to place their shared bucket between them, and smiled.  He received Edd’s grin in return before Edd settled back in his chair, carefully balancing the bucket on the now napkin-covered armrest.

The lights dimmed as the coming attractions started playing.  After the first one, an upcoming action flick, Kevin leaned closer to Edd and whispered loudly, “That looked awesome!  You and I should go see it when it comes out.”

Edd turned his head to Kevin, his eyebrows raised.  He nodded, which satisfied Kevin who, in turn, pulled his attention back to the screen.  Edd’s mind whirled in confusion once again.

The movie, however, caught up his attention when it started and he barely even realized he was at a theater with his friends.  Occasionally, he would become aware and take a sip of his pop or reach into the bucket for popcorn, though Kevin seemed to be the one eating it rapidly.  Twice they both reached in at the same time, brushing fingers against each other and jerking them away with whispered apologies.  The third time, they just looked at each other and laughed. 

“Aw man, that was just so awesome!” Eddy exclaimed as they walked out of the theater.  He had grabbed his hair with both hands in his excitement.

“I will agree with you, Eddy,” Edd said.  “Doctor Strange was an interesting character and the plot was great, though it was so different than the other Marvel movies.  I think I liked that the most about this movie.”

“He’s supposed to be in Infinity War,” Kevin mentioned as they left the theater to go to the car.  The sky had darkened and Kevin had texted Nazz and Rolf to meet up with them at one of the local pizza places.

“I can’t wait for Infinity War,” Eddy moaned.  “It was so cool when they were all fighting in Civil War.  Can you imagine when it’s all of them – with Doctor Strange and the Guardians – fighting?  That is gonna be sick!”

“Guardians 2 is out in May, right?” Kevin asked.

“I believe that is true, Kevin,” Edd replied.

“That is going to kick ass, too.  I love the Guardians!” Eddy said, unlocking his car.

“The Guardians are the best,” Kevin agreed.

Edd was pleased that the usual animosity between Kevin and Eddy had seemed to, if not completely disappear, at least ease up as they discussed their favorite movie franchise.

“I can’t wait to see Tony Stark and Starlord together!  Can you imagine their banter?” Eddy said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Eddy and Kevin lauged and contemplated potential conversations between the two characters on the short ride to the restaurant.  They were still imagining these as Eddy parked.

Nazz and Rolf were already seated at a large corner booth waiting for them with menus strewn about the table.  Kevin waited until Edd slid in, shuffling over until he was next to Nazz, and maneuvered quickly to slide in after him.  Eddy smirked at this as he slid into the booth after Kevin while Ed sat down next to Rolf.

“Hey guys!” Nazz said brightly.  “How was the movie?”

“It was amazing!” Kevin and Eddy said at the same time, making her laugh.

“It was quite a satisfying entry in the Marvel Universe,” Edd expanded.  “Doctor Strange is a good character and I cannot wait to see more of him and his contribution to the Avengers.”

They talked a little about the movie, but Nazz soon directed their attention to the menus by telling the boys that she was starving and could they please just order something already?  They settled on two large pizzas and ordered their drinks.  Nazz told them about her day – she and Rolf had gone to an art show downtown – and they talked about that until the pizzas came.

While they were eating, Eddy kept an eye on Kevin to see how he interacted with Edd.  He noted that Kevin served up each slice of pizza Edd ate and that he often spoke directly just to Edd.  Eddy had never seen Kevin this nice, or this pleasant before, and he saw how constantly Kevin smiled at Edd.  Eddy was so bent on watching Kevin that he didn’t even try to flirt with Nazz.

They stayed well past when they were full.  The place wasn’t crowded and they were all having such a fun time, they didn’t want to leave.  Nazz was her charming self, directing the conversation into dozens of different topics from the goofy to the serious.  They all hurt from laughing at each other’s jokes and friendly teasing. 

It got late and they all started mentioning how they should get home, but it took a large effort to get themselves moving.  Eddy was slightly frustrated.  He had watched Kevin like a hawk, and while the red head had done a few things that might hint at him liking Edd, nothing was so obvious that Eddy could say for certain. 

What Eddy didn’t realize is that someone else in the little group was more observant, also had their eye on Kevin, and knew him better than anyone else.  They had quite a few questions for Kevin once they got him alone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 – You Just Need to Tell Him

“Nazz?!  This is a surprise!” Kevin said, opening his front door wider to let in his best friend.

“I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time?” she asked breezily as she whisked past him into the living room.  She turned, taking off her coat and looked him up and down.  He was in sweat pants and a sweatshirt and held a bowl of half-eaten cereal in his hand. 

“No no no, it’s not.  I just got out of the shower and am scarfing down some breakfast,” he said, gesturing with his bowl.  “Have a seat.”

“Where’s Mom and Dad?” she asked, tossing her coat on the back of a chair before sitting demurely in it.  She and Kevin had been best friends since they were practically babies, and referred to each others’ parents as ‘mom’ and ‘dad’.

“Shopping, I think.  Dad wants to put new flooring in the upstairs bathroom,” he said, grinning.  He settled back on his spot on the couch, reached for the remote, and switched off the TV.  “Everything okay?” he asked. 

“Oh, everything is just fine with me, Kevin.”

Kevin didn’t like either her tone or the smug cast to her expression.  “Then to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, m’lady?” he asked, trying to make his tone teasing.

“I just wanted to chat.”

He tilted his head, lifting one eyebrow as he looked at her.  “You,” he said, pointing his spoon at her, “have evil intentions.  I can tell.”

“They are not evil!” she protested.

Kevin chuckled, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.  He chewed a moment and said through his mouthful, “But, you have intentions.”

That got a frown from her.  The problem with a close friendship was that, yes, you could read your friend like a book and know when something was up, but then they could also do that to you.

“Kev,” she began, and Kevin felt his heart clench a little at how serious her tone became.  “Kev, I want you to tell me what’s going on.”

He lowered the bowl into his lap.  “Going on?”

She nodded.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw something last night.”

Kevin frowned, “What do you think you saw?”

Nazz tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips as she watched her best friend.  He had definitely become nervous.  “Do you like Double D?”

She saw his face pale, the freckles standing out prominently, but that lasted only a minute before his cheeks began to redden.  She saw the flash of anger in his green eyes.  She saw his brows draw together.  Mostly she saw that she was right.

“Of course, I like him,” he responded harshly.  “He’s a cool kid and I think could be a good friend.”

“I don’t mean like him as a friend.”

Kevin groaned inwardly.  He should have known he couldn’t keep anything from Nazz. She knew him too well.  He should never have hung out with Edd in her presence, until he was sure he wanted to talk about it.  Wait, he did know how Nazz was and he did want to talk to her about it, but just couldn’t figure out how to bring it up to her.  He had done this to himself.

Kevin looked down at his now-soggy cereal and sighed.  Without responding to her, he pushed himself off the couch and went into the kitchen to put the bowl in the sink.  He could hear her soft footsteps behind him as she followed.

“Kevin…” she said, lightly touching him on the arm as he stared into the sink.

He brought up his right hand and palmed his forehead.  “You’re right, Nazz.  You’re always right.”

“Kevin, it’s okay,” she assured him, rubbing his arm a little. 

“How can you say that?” Kevin demanded in a harsh tone he immediately regretted.  “I’m sorry, Nazz.  This has me so stressed out.”  He turned and finally looked down at her.  She had kept her hand on his arm and she now smiled up at him. 

“Don’t apologize Kev.  I’m here to listen.  I’m here to hug you.  I’m just here, for whatever you need.”

Nazz didn’t hate him.  Wasn’t disgusted by him.  He knew he should never have doubted her, but this wasn’t an easy thing to admit to friends without fearing they would turn on you.  Nazz loved everyone.  He had never met anyone with a bigger heart.  Though, while he knew she was a member of PFLAG and volunteered for other gay teen organizations, it was different when it was someone close to you.

He leaned down and hugged her, grateful for her friendship, and Nazz clung to him.  “It really will be alright, Kev.”

“I don’t know Nazz.  I’m so scared.  I’ve been freaking out for a week now after I realized what I was feeling.  I mean, it feels right and normal and I’m not upset about this or anything, but I’m just worried about what might happen at school or what my parents will think.”

Nazz pulled back enough to look into his eyes and her surprised expression made him curious.  “A week?” she asked, her hands resting on the arms that still circled her waist.

“Well, yeah.  Last Sunday, I saw Edd from my window in his room.  I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him all weekend, but it was seeing him…” and here he paused, looking down with a blush, “…changing in his room.  I mean, I didn't see anything I shouldn't have, but I lay in bed after that thinking about how cute and smart and nice he is and I just…” he left that hanging and cleared his throat.  “I didn’t want to believe it, because I knew that meant I was gay.”

He swallowed, closing his eyes, his head still down.  It was the first time he’d said it out loud.  They were quiet for a few moments, but he wondered at Nazz’ silence, so he opened his eyes to glance at her.  She wore an utterly confused expression that caused a flash of irritation to shoot through him.  How could he speak more plainly?

“Why do you look like that?” he asked, frowning.

“I’m confused,” she admitted, tilting her head.  “You only realized a week ago you had feelings for Double D?”

“Yeah.”

“But you didn’t know before that you like boys?”

He shook his head, and became even more irritated when she let out a giggle, bringing one hand up to cover her mouth.

“Geez, Nazz.  Great support,” he spit out as he let her go and stepped back from her.  He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter looking away.

“Kevin!” Nazz gasped.  “I’m sorry!  But, please understand!  I’ve thought you were gay for years!”

Kevin’s gaze snapped back at her, his mouth dropping open.  “What?!”

“Well, yeah!”

“Years?”

“Years!  Well at least since we started Junior High,” she said.

“What made you think that?”

She shrugged, her giggles subsiding, but she didn’t lose her smile.  “I’m not sure.  I just had that feeling.  I’ve been working with gay youths for years, Kev, and I just always thought you were.  You’re the reason I got involved with those groups in the first place.  I thought that you were comfortable with yourself, but not enough to share it with me and Rolf, so I never asked.  I know that’s something a person has to decide for themselves.”

“Does Rolf think it too?”

Nazz nodded.  “We’ve been waiting for you to tell us.”

Kevin buried his face in his hands.  “Oh my god, I can’t believe this,” he groaned.

“Kev,” Nazz said soothingly, putting her hand on his shoulder.  “Like I said, it’s all right.  I’m just surprised that you didn’t know this about yourself.”

“How does this even happen, Nazz?  Everyone else in the world knows I’m gay but me?”

“Oh, Kev, this happens.  I know many young people who don’t know until they fall for someone.  And I don’t think anyone else knows!  I’ve never heard it rumored that you are.  But Rolf and I know you so well, of course we would notice.”

“But you knew I dated girls!  Why would you think I’m gay?”

Nazz rolled her eyes.  “Because I recognize a beard when I see one.  You were never interested in those girls.  They were always the ones to ask you out and they would last one or two dates.  The minute they kissed you or put the moves on you, you ended the date and never went out with them again.”

Kevin was quiet for a long time, though he had dropped his hands and propped them on the counter behind him as he stared at the floor.  Nazz said nothing either, waiting for him, her hand still on his shoulder.

“I don’t know what to do, Nazz,” he finally admitted in a small voice. 

“What is it you want, Kevin?”

“Edd,” he immediately replied, then sighed.  “But that’s the problem.  I have no idea what Edd feels.  I have no idea if Edd even likes guys.”  A slight surge of hope went through him and he looked at Nazz eagerly.  “Do you know?  You work with gay teens.”

Nazz regretfully shook her head.  “No Kevin, I’m sorry.  I’ve never heard anything about Edd.”

That little hopeful feeling died.  “Do you get the feeling that he is?”

She shook her head again.  “I don’t know Edd well enough, Kev, to know if he’s gay or bi or not.  And I can’t tell if he likes you that way.  Since I don’t know how he normally acts with others, I wouldn’t know if he were acting different, which is how I knew how you felt about him.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“To me you are.  For the past couple of weeks, when you’ve told me about your study dates and about Edd, you’ve lit up in a way I’ve never seen you do before.  You’ve never shown interest in anyone the way you have with Double D,” she explained.  “When I saw you last night, though, serving him pizza and being so attentive to him,” she laughed, “I don’t think you’ve ever served me a slice of pizza in our entire friendship.  I knew something was up.”

“Do you think anyone else there noticed?”

“Rolf did and both of us are happy you’ve fallen for Edd.  We both are happy to know you actually have good taste,” she teased, earning a scowl from her best friend.  “I think Eddy suspects something – he was staring at you the entire time.”  She tapped her lip thoughtfully.  “I’d be careful, he’s very protective of Ed and Double D.”

“Do you think he might know how Edd feels?  Or if Edd is, you know.”

“I’m sure he would, but you two don’t exactly have the best history.  I wouldn’t go through him.”

“Then I’m back to square one.  I don’t know what to do.”

“You just need to tell him, Kevin,” Nazz suggested.

He scoffed.  “Yeah, right.  ‘Hey Edd, I really like you and would like to date you.  I have no idea if you’re into guys or not, but what do you say?’”  He said it in a high pitched and goofy voice, which made Nazz laugh.  “Yeah, see?  He’d laugh at me.  Or worse, get mad and kick me out and never speak to me again.  I don’t want to lose his friendship.”

Nazz sighed, then leaned into Kevin for a hug, his arms immediately engulfing her.  “I know, Kevin,” she said sympathetically.  “But this will eat you up inside if you don’t.  Edd used to be such a gentle soul and I’m sure that hasn’t changed.  I highly doubt he would kick you out or get mad.”

Kevin laid his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes again.  “I hope you’re right, Nazz.  I hope you’re right.”

Across the street, Edd was cleaning up the living room.  Both of the other Eds had stayed the night, as they didn’t want to leave Edd alone.  Ed and Eddy had just gone home, so he started to straighten up, gathered the blankets and pillows for the laundry, and pulled out the vacuum.  In short order, he had everything back to its’ regular spotless shine and he looked around the room in satisfaction with his hands on his hips. 

Involuntarily, he glanced at Kevin’s house, as he had caught himself doing multiple times a day the past week.  His glance was just in time to see the door open, so he watched curiously.  Nazz stepped out onto the front steps with Kevin and Edd saw her turn back to the red head.  He watched as they hugged – a hug that went on for a long time, before she kissed him on the cheek.  Kevin kissed her forehead and she turned to skip down the steps, a big smile on her face.

Edd felt his heart break.

He turned from the window and slumped down into the chair.  ‘How could I be so stupid?  Nazz is his crush and it looks as if she returns his affection.  This only makes sense.  They have been friends since childhood.’  This turn of events should have been foreseen.  Kevin had said that it wasn’t easy to tell his crush because of who they were.  Edd guessed that revealing romantic feelings to a close friend would be difficult because one would not want to destroy a good friendship. 

He brought up his hands to cover his face, feeling the tears start again.  Yesterday had been such a happy day, finished by a late night talk with Eddy, while Ed snored away, where Eddy assured Edd over and over that he thought Kevin did like him – he told Edd all the little things he had seen that convinced him of the fact.  In spite of his generally bad opinion of Kevin, Eddy went out of his way to make Edd feel positive about the whole thing and Edd actually woke up feeling as if things were all right.

He should have known better.

Edd wished the other Eds hadn’t gone yet, but he didn’t want to call them back.  They had left only an hour ago.  Edd didn’t want to be that needy of a friend, especially after both Eds had worked so hard the day before in helping him feel better about himself. 

‘If only Mrs. Travers had not asked me to tutor,’ he thought wildly.  ‘I would not like Kevin.  I would not be gay!’  He gasped through his tears.  No, he was gay.  Edd was just aware of it now.  He couldn’t blame this on Mrs. Travers, or even on Kevin.  It wasn’t Kevin’s fault.  It was Edd’s own stupid fault for not knowing this about himself – and for actually allowing himself to think Kevin liked boys and would ever like him.

He sighed, wiping at his eyes with his fists.  Even though he now knew where Kevin’s affections lay, he still had a duty to him.  Kevin was coming over this afternoon for a last tutoring session.  The exam was the next day, and Edd was determined Kevin would pass it.  He dragged himself to the shower, then to his room to get dressed.  Back in the bathroom, he adjusted the hat on his head and stared at himself in the mirror.  Then, shaking his head sadly, he turned and walked out to wait downstairs for Kevin to come over.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 – I Like Being With You

“Salutations, Kevin.  Shoes, please,” Edd said as he let Kevin into the house.

Kevin's excited smile dropped as Edd opened the door and he noticed that the other teens’ melancholy manner was back.  Edd’s attitude threw him off, because Edd seemed back to normal the previous day.  What could have happened in less than 24 hours to put Edd back into this mood?  He could tell Edd had been crying again, though Edd kept his eyes downcast and wouldn’t meet Kevin’s gaze.

Kevin slipped off his shoes and followed Edd to the kitchen.  His usual glass of water was waiting for him and something about that squeezed at his heart.

Edd settled into his seat and lay his hands on a small stack of paper positioned neatly in front of him.  Without any preliminary or small talk, Edd said in a dull monotone, “I have taken the liberty of creating a mock exam for you, Kevin.  I fashioned it after an exam over the same material that Mrs. Travers gave us when I took Geometry two years ago.  I thought that you could take it now and I can grade it, so that I can see what you need to work on this afternoon.”

Kevin blinked a few times at Edd’s formality and tone as he settled into his chair.  “Uh, sure Double D.  Whatever you say,” he responded in a hurt voice.

Edd handed Kevin the test, then opened the book he had sitting on the table with them.  Kevin couldn’t see what the book was – it was rather large - but he didn’t recognize it as a textbook of Edd’s.  With a sigh, Kevin turned his attention to the ‘exam’ and started working out the problems.

After forty-five minutes, where the only sound in the room was Edd turning the pages of the book, Kevin shuffling the papers of his ‘exam’, and the scratching and erasing of Kevin’s pencil, Kevin cleared his throat.  “I think I’m done, Double D.”

Edd straightened up, bringing his focus on the red head, while his hand gently closed the book.  “Alright Kevin.  I will grade it now and see how you did.”

Kevin slid the papers over to Edd, who picked up a pen and started looking over the ‘exam’.  Kevin stretched his back, then slumped in his seat as he watched.

“What were you reading?”

“Please do not interrupt me, Kevin,” Edd said, not looking up.

“Just asking,” Kevin said, a little grumpily.

“If you must know, it was Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare.”

“Shakespeare?  I didn’t realize you had that class this year.”

“It is not for class.  It is something that I knew would make me laugh.  Please, let me continue.”

Kevin folded his arms over his chest, scowling.  He hadn’t heard Edd laughing while he was reading, and why would he need to laugh?  What was wrong with him that he was so upset? 

“I would give you an eighty-six percent on this exam, Kevin,” Edd finally said, looking up but still not meeting Kevin's eyes.  His lips lifted in a small smile, but not the adorable, gap-toothed grin that sent Kevin into a head spin.  At least he was smiling, and Kevin grinned back.

“An eighty-six percent?  That’s great!  That’s a B!”

“You are correct, Kevin,” Edd agreed.  “I see the errors you have made, and they do not surprise me as they are the areas that have given you the most trouble.  For the most part, I can see that you grasp the knowledge you need to pass.  I will go over your trouble areas, in order to possibly bring the grade up, but you should be proud of yourself that you have done so well.”

Kevin looked down, blushing.  “I am proud.  I won’t be modest, Double D.  I am.”

“You should be,” Edd assured him, then proceeded to go over the areas he had mentioned.  Kevin tried to pay attention, but he was thinking about Edd and these study sessions.  No one ever before had devoted so much care and attention to his education.  Not even his parents.  Sure, they wanted him to succeed and do well, and they were proud of him, especially since Kevin worked hard for his grades.  Edd, however, knew his strengths and weaknesses – paid attention to them so that he could direct Kevin’s studying.  Edd put effort into the plan to teach him and tried several different ways in order to get Kevin to understand.  He truly cared about Kevin, at least in that respect, and in spite of Edd’s outward demeanor this past week, Kevin just knew.  He looked over at the glass of water that, without his asking, was always waiting for him when he arrived. 

Kevin felt reluctant to leave when it got close to dinnertime.  Every part of him wanted to stay and spend the evening with Edd.  He longed to tell him how he felt; Nazz had been so encouraging to him earlier that day.  Kevin thought about his little idea – his plan of wooing, as Edd called it – and that involved something that was at his house.  He felt it was too silly to run home just for that, so he thought about abandoning the plan and saying something to Edd, but Edd didn’t seem to want him there at all. 

Kevin slowly pulled his things together.  It felt like this was the end.  Technically, he would probably not need Edd’s tutoring after the exam the following day, but he would need Edd.  Kevin stalled and tried to think of excuse to come over the next day after school.

“So what’s that book about?  What you were reading?” he asked Edd.

“The Shakespeare?  It is about misunderstandings between lovers and the problems the misunderstandings can create.”

“That doesn’t sound funny.  You said it was funny.”

“The humor comes in the way that it is written, Kevin,” Edd explained.  “There are many funny scenarios as well as two of the most humorous of Shakespeare’s characters, Beatrice and Benedick.  The antagonism between the two, who mask their feelings for each other with sharp and insulting banter, is one of the cornerstones of the play.  Shakespeare often used humor to convey the pathos of drama.”

Kevin blinked at the assessment.  “Huh,” he grunted.  “I’d like to read it sometime.”

“Have you read Shakespeare before?”

“A little.  I had to read Hamlet and Julius Caesar for class.  I didn’t really understand them.”

“Hamlet can be a difficult read, but it is often considered Shakespeare’s most nuanced play, full of complex drama, intrigue, and psychology.  It is one of my favorites.”

“I’ll have to read it again, but with you this time,” Kevin said.  He would even read Shakespeare if it meant he could spend time with Edd.

“If you would like,” Edd shrugged.  He stood up and pushed his chair in.  “I do wish you good luck on your exam tomorrow, Kevin.  I hope I have been a help to you.”

It was obvious to Kevin that Edd was ready for him to go.  He also stood up and took his jacket off the chair.  “You’ve been a big help, Double D,” he said in a subdued voice.  “I can’t thank you enough.”

“I would be grateful if you inform me of the grade you get, Kevin.”

Kevin looked at Edd with a frown.  “Of course, I will.”  He pulled his jacket on, getting a little angry.  “What’s going on, Double D?” he finally blurted.

Edd’s eyes widened and Kevin got a better look at how red they were.  “Whatever do you mean, Kevin?”

“You’re acting different,” Kevin said.  “And it’s like you’re saying goodbye to me forever.”

Edd looked down, fidgeting nervously with his hands, which were up against his chest.  “Well, your exam is tomorrow Kevin.  You will no longer require my services.”

“The exam is tomorrow, but I was hoping we could still…I don’t know…hang out and do our homework together, or whatever.”

“You still want that?”

“Well, yeah, Double D.  I like doing my homework here with you,” Kevin said, then after a moment he added in a softer tone, “I like being with you.”

Edd thought this over for a few minutes, testing Kevin’s patience.  Kevin stared at him, fighting the urge to just grab Edd up in his arms and kiss him; hold him tightly against his own body.  Kevin’s need to do that was so strong; he actually grabbed the back of his chair to steady himself.  He wanted so badly to see that adorable smile again, and then kiss the mouth that made it.  God he would need another cold shower when he got home.

“I would like that too, Kevin,” Edd admitted in a small voice. 

Relief flooded through him.  “Good, I’ll be here tomorrow then.  Text me when you get home.”

“What do you mean he’s going out with Nazz?” Eddy shouted from the front seat, turning around to stare at Edd, who shouted back.  “Eyes front, Eddy!”

Eddy swerved back into his lane.  “What are you talking about Double D?”

“I saw Kevin and Nazz kissing on his front steps after you and Ed left Sunday.”

“I thought Kevin liked you Double D!” Ed said, turned completely in his seat to look over the headrest at Edd.

“That doesn’t make sense, Double D,” Eddy said angrily.  “Kevin was practically all over you Saturday.”

“No he was not, Eddy,” Edd protested.

“Not physically, but almost all of his attention was on you once we got to the pizza place.  He barely looked at Nazz.”

“I have to believe what I saw Sunday, Eddy,” Edd mumbled, wondering at Eddy’s angry reaction.

“What exactly did you see?” Eddy demanded.

“Kevin and Nazz were standing on the front steps.  Then they hugged and Nazz kissed Kevin on his cheek.  Kevin, in turn, kissed Nazz on her forehead.  Kevin told me it would be hard for him to tell his crush how he felt because of who they were.  It is the only thing that makes sense, Eddy.  Kevin and Nazz have been best friends since we were all little kids, and I am sure he does not want to hurt their friendship.  However, it appears she returns his affection.”

“Wait wait wait,” Eddy said, turning his head around again.  “Were their lips locked?  Or was it just pecks on various parts of the face?”  An angry honking brought his attention back to the road in front of him as he jerked the car back into the correct lane.

“The latter, Eddy.”

“So, no face-sucking?  No actual mouth-on-mouth kissing?”

“Well, no,” Edd confirmed.

“That’s not lover-kissing, Double D!” Ed chimed in.  “Those are friend kisses!”

Eddy glanced over at Ed and nodded.  “Nailed it on the head, Ed.  That’s exactly what those were!”

Ed clapped for himself.

“So this explains the moping around for the past couple of days,” Eddy said, making Edd a little angry.

“Well, I am sorry if the situation is upsetting to me, Eddy,” Edd huffed.  “It is not pleasant to like someone and find out they are with someone else.”

“Kevin is not with Nazz, dorko,” Eddy said, laughing.

“How do you reach that conclusion, Eddy?”

“There are two clues to that, genius.  The first is that Kevin spent the last two afternoons with you, right?”

“That is correct.  We were doing our homework as per usual.”

“Say that you get a hot girl like Nazz, okay?  You finally confess to her your undying love and she actually agrees to go out with you.”

“I like the way this sounds, Eddy!” Ed exclaimed as his head turned back and forth to Edd and to Eddy.

“Exactly,” Eddy grinned.  “Do you really think, after attaining the woman of your dreams, that you would go spend your time with the dork across the street doing homework?”

“The homework needs to be done, Eddy, no matter what the romantic status of an individual is,” Edd objected.

“Did Kevin go straight home after your little study-cuddle-session?”

“We do not cuddle!”

“Haha, cuddling would be fun!” Ed interjected.

“Did he go home?”

“Yes, he did, Eddy.”

“Did Nazz go over there?”

“I did not see Nazz, but that does not mean that she was not there.”

“If you didn’t see her, Edd, that means she wasn’t there.  You can’t tell me that you weren’t staring at Kevin’s house all evening Monday and Tuesday.  I know you,” Eddy said as he pulled into their school parking lot.

Edd blushed, because he couldn’t deny it.  He had sat at his window, peeking through his curtain, hoping not to see Nazz going to Kevin's.

“I thought so,” Eddy said, laughing, which got Ed laughing as well.  He turned the car off and turned around, leaning over the seat back.  “But even if you won’t believe your own eyes, loverboy, I have even better evidence that Nazz is not seeing Kevin.”

“And what may that evidence be, Eddy?”

“I asked Nazz out yesterday and she said ‘yes’.”

Edd stared at his friend, mouth dropped open. 

“Oh, yay Eddy!  You got a girlfriend too!” Ed yelled.

“Well, not quite yet, Lumpy,” Eddy said, shooting a grin over to Ed next to him, before looking back at Edd.  “So, unless Nazz is a cheater and a liar, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t say yes to me if she had just agreed to be with Kevin.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 – Text Me the Minute You Two Hook Up

“Why am I even bothering?” Kevin muttered to himself as he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, having neglected to put his gloves on for the short walk across the street.  The dreary November day was colder than he had realized it was.  Nazz’ car was much warmer on their ride home from school.

It was Wednesday and Kevin was still trying to figure out what to do about Edd, but the past two days had been completely pointless.  Edd seemed worse than he had been the week before and barely said a word during both of their study sessions, only expressing his pleasure when Kevin told him that he felt he did well on his Geometry test.  They spent the rest of their time together focused on their homework.  Kevin felt awkward sitting there where he felt unwelcome.  Yet Edd agreed each time when Kevin asked if it would be okay to come the next day. 

Kevin didn’t want to go over today.  It was cold outside which only emphasized how cold it would be in Edd’s house with the other teen not speaking to him, or even looking at him.  Edd’s eyes bothered him the most.  The defeated and sad look in them, when Kevin actually caught them, broke Kevin’s heart.  He had stopped asking what was wrong; Edd kept insisting it was nothing, but Kevin knew better.  You didn’t get that kind of look unless you felt defeated.  Kevin suspected bullying, but other than Edd’s demeanor, there was no evidence of it.  Kevin figured he would have heard something about it at school, but he never heard anything about Edd, good or bad.

Kevin reached Edd’s house and climbed his porch steps slowly, then stood for a few minutes, debating whether or not to knock.  It was just going to be another uncomfortable day that ended with himself frustrated and, admittedly, horny again. 

‘But,’ he thought to himself, ‘until I know how Edd feels, I can’t give up.’  He reached up and knocked with a sigh.

“Salutations, Kevin!” Edd sang out as he swung open the door and stepped aside.  “Please do not forget your shoes.”

Kevin stood, stunned, for a few moments.  Was regular Edd back?  This Edd sounded so much happier and livelier than he had been for over a week.  He stepped in, kicking off his shoes.  “Have I ever forgotten to take them off, Double D?” he asked, his voice a little shaky from his surprise.

“No, you have not, Kevin; but I do remind you each time,” Edd answered with a little laugh.

“Well, don’t remind me tomorrow and you’ll see I remember,” Kevin challenged him with a certain amount of relief.  Then his mouth went dry as he finally looked at Edd to see him with that gap-toothed grin that drove him crazy.

They looked at each other for longer than was polite, then Edd spoke up, “Did you receive your grade for your Geometry exam yet, Kevin?”

Kevin had hoped Edd would ask him.  “Yeah, she handed back the exams today.”

Edd’s expression turned impatient.  “And?”

“Ninety-one percent,” Kevin replied, unable to stop the proud smile that spread across his face.

“An A minus!” Edd breathed excitedly.  “Oh, Kevin, I am so proud of you!  I knew you could do it!”

Kevin decided to use this moment to his advantage.  He stepped closer to Edd and put his arm around the smaller boys’ shoulders.  “I couldn’t have done it without you, Double D!”

Edd flinched at the unfamiliar contact.  While he wasn’t exactly averse to physical touching, and he certainly wasn’t averse to Kevin touching him, he generally didn’t like people he didn’t know touching him, especially without warning.  He was used to the Eds, but not anyone else.  His reaction was involuntary and he felt bad because Kevin jerked his arm away.  “Hey, I’m sorry.  You okay?”

“I-I-I am sorry, Kevin,” Edd exclaimed, his voice stressed.  “I am just not used to people touching me.”  Edd felt like an idiot.  What must Kevin think of him now?

Kevin held up his hands, stepping back.  “Whoa, I’m sorry Double D.  My bad.  I guess-I guess I’m just like that with my friends.  I didn’t mean any harm,” he explained, though he was hurt at Edd’s reaction.  That brief moment he had his arm around Edd’s shoulders was nice.  It felt right and Edd fit into the curve of his arm so perfectly. 

“Oh no…no…it is my fault.  I am so sorry!” Edd said.  “Wait.  Friend?”

“Well, yeah.  I think of you as a friend,” Kevin said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Edd was truly surprised, because even though they had been getting along so well, he wasn’t used to the idea of having any friends other than the Eds.  “Thank you, Kevin,” he said, flashing that smile that Kevin loved to see.  “I-I think of you as mine, too.”

Kevin’s heart seemed to pause at how Edd phrased that – think of you as mine.  He knew Edd meant it as ‘my friend, too’, but the thought of Edd thinking of Kevin as his made his heart ache.

Edd continued, “I am sorry about the touching thing.  I am not used to that.  The Eds are always hugging me and hanging on me, but I am used to them.  I am sure I shall get used to you.”

That made Kevin’s heart start again, though he was sure that Edd didn’t mean that in any sort of sexual or even romantic way.  Kevin wished he did, however.  He wanted to explore that physical side of a relationship with Edd.  Thinking about it every night for the past two weeks kept him constantly having to relieve himself on his own, imagining it was Edd’s delicate hands stroking him to climax.

He shook his head clear of those thoughts, not needing to get excited while standing here in Edd’s house.  “It’s okay, Double D.  Let’s get to our homework.”

Edd turned and led the way into the kitchen, where Kevin’s spot and water awaited him.  His heart felt full and the kitchen felt warm and cozy in spite of its sterility. 

“I do not have much homework, Kevin, so I am going to make a treat for us,” Edd said.  “What do you have to work on today?”

“History and my earth science,” Kevin answered.  “What kind of treat?” he asked curiously as he settled down at the table.

“Just a treat,” Edd answered dismissively.  “Oh, I loved earth science when I had it last year.  There is something so fascinating to learning about this lovely planet on which we live.”  Edd spoke as he pulled ingredients from what Kevin assumed was a pantry.

“Yeah, there is,” Kevin said bemusedly.  He sat in his chair, chin cradled in his upraised hand as he watched Edd scurry around in the kitchen.  His books lay forgotten in front of him.

“Homework, Kevin,” Edd reproved, as he carefully measured flour into a bowl. 

“Yes, sir,” Kevin said, turning his attention to his homework.  At least he appeared to.  It was much more interesting to watch Edd work.

In a short time, Edd had slid a pan into the oven, then went over to the sink to clean up everything he had just used.  When he finally joined Kevin at the table, a delicious smell of chocolate filled the kitchen, making Kevin’s mouth water.

“Smells great, Double D,” he complimented Edd, who blushed. 

“Thank you, Kevin,” he said.  “I hope they come out.  I have not tried this recipe before.”

“What is it?”

“You will see, Kevin.  I want it to be a surprise.”

Kevin couldn’t believe Edd said that and that he had planned a surprise for him.  It made him feel good in a way he hadn’t in three weeks.  He laughed, “If you say so, Double D.”

“I do, Kevin,” Edd answered cheekily, opening up his Calculus book to work on his own homework.

Today’s homework session felt completely different from the past couple of weeks.  Even though Edd concentrated on his homework and didn’t say much, the whole atmosphere in the room was less tense than it had been.  Kevin relaxed and couldn’t help smiling at Edd constantly.  Kevin liked the way the other teen studied, his upper teeth biting his lower lip and sticking his tongue through the gap in his teeth.  It was so fucking cute that Kevin struggled against taking a picture of Edd with his phone.

Wait, could he?  Edd would certainly see it, if he tried.  Kevin could turn off the sound the camera phone made and then pretend to be looking up something on his phone.  This could work.  He quietly lifted his phone and just as quickly changed the settings so it would be silent.  Kevin waited until Edd poked his tongue out again and quickly snapped the picture.  Edd didn’t even look up and Kevin breathed a sigh of relief.  He didn’t want to weird Edd out by getting caught sneaking a picture of him.

Kevin looked at the picture and grinned.  It caught that adorkable look perfectly and Kevin hoped someday to be able to use this picture as his phone background so he could look at Edd all day.

The timer went off and Kevin quickly shut off his phone.  “You really should use your time to study, Kevin, instead of playing on your phone,” Edd chided him as he got up to go retrieve their treat from the oven.

“Sorry, Double D.  I just had to look something up real quick,” Kevin apologized, not sorry at all.

“If you are ready for my treat, I can serve it now, Kevin,” Edd said.  “It is best served hot.”

Kevin’s ears warmed at how Edd phrased it, his mind automatically drawing something dirty from it.  Aloud he said, “Of course!”

Edd retrieved two bowls, some ice cream from the freezer, and a can of whipped cream.  Soon he returned to the table and put a bowl in front of Kevin.  “I have made brownie sundaes, Kevin.  I hope you like it,” he said, then pulled the bowl back. “Wait!  I did not ask!  Are you allergic to anything?  I should have asked,” Edd seemed panicked.  “I cannot believe my thoughtlessness.”

“Thoughtlessness?” Kevin said, then laughed.  “No one has ever been more thoughtful of me than you.  Don’t worry, I’m not allergic to anything that I know of.”

Edd looked relieved and slid the bowl in front of Kevin again.  “Oh good.  I cannot believe I did not think of it.  I just love these and hoped that you would too.”

“I do!  Brownies are like my favorite thing!”  He dug into the treat, the cold ice cream melting from the hot brownie.  Kevin had never tasted anything so delicious.  “Oh my god, these are just awesome!” he mumbled through a mouthful.

Edd was pleased, even if a little grossed out by Kevin’s manners.  “Thank you, Kevin.  I am glad you like it.  Brownies are generally simple to make, but this was a new recipe, so I was not sure if it would taste good.  It did turn out rather well, if I do say so myself.”

They enjoyed the little treat in silence, until Edd spoke up.  He felt a little bolder now that Eddy had told him that he had misinterpreted what he had seen on Sunday.  That didn’t mean that Kevin wasn’t crushing on Nazz, but it did give Edd a little bit of hope, especially as he still felt the pressure of Kevin’s arm around his shoulders.  Edd was still annoyed with himself that he had flinched away from Kevin.

“What is your progress with the object of your affection, Kevin?” he asked, as he wished he were better at this sort of thing.

Kevin almost choked on a mouthful of sundae when Edd asked that.  He swallowed quickly wondering how to answer.  Edd was finally back to his normal self, so Kevin didn’t really want to change that by freaking him out with the truth.  “Um, slowly, but surely,” he answered, staring at his ice cream.  “I hope.”

“That is good to hear,” Edd murmured.  “Do you have a plan for wooing this person?”

Kevin nodded slowly, “I think so.  It’s kind of lame, but I can’t think of anything else.  I think they’ll like it though.”

“When do you plan on setting your plan in motion?”

Kevin turned his head and smiled at Edd – that half-lidded, suggestive smile.  “Soon, I think.  This person is driving me crazy.  I can’t stop thinking about them.”

Edd’s mouth went dry and he cleared his throat before speaking.  “Then you should, by all means Kevin, let them know.  I can help, if you need my assistance.”

“I think I’ll need your involvement, Double D.  I’ll let you know.”

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Kevin asked on Friday afternoon, taking a break from his geometry notes.

Edd looked up from his chemistry book.  “Tomorrow, Kevin?”

“Yeah.”

“I do not have any plans for tomorrow.  I mean, I want to clean the house,” he said and gestured vaguely toward the living room.  “And I have laundry to do, but I did not plan on much else.  It is supposed to be really cold and my prediction is for snow.”

“Nothing with the other Eds?”

Edd shook his head.  “Ed is out of town for a wrestling tournament for the weekend and Eddy is working during the day, and I believe has a date tomorrow night,” he mentioned Eddy’s date plans with a little trepidation, in case Nazz was the person on whom Kevin had a crush.

“Yeah, with Nazz.  I have an idea,” Kevin said, pleased that his plan might actually come together.  “My parents are taking off to visit my Aunt this weekend, so I’m all alone.  What say you come over and we have ourselves a Marvel marathon?  I have all the movies and we can watch them in order.  We can stuff ourselves with bad food and be complete lazy slugs while enjoying some of the finest movies ever made.”

The idea of binge watching Marvel all day appealed to Edd, though he quailed at the thought of being a lazy slug, when he wasn’t.  He knew Kevin was being facetious, but still, losing the whole day to movies wasn't something he had done since he was a kid.  Yet, Marvel.  He tried not to think about the fact that Kevin knew that Eddy and Nazz were going out and didn’t seem upset by it.  If Kevin was fine with it, that meant that Nazz wasn’t his crush.  With the way he felt about Kevin now, he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to hang out with him all day.

“I think that would be fun, Kevin,” Edd answered.

“So, you’re going over to Kevin’s all day tomorrow?” Eddy asked.  He and Edd were on Edd’s couch as they watched one of their favorite shows together.  Ed usually watched with them, but as Edd mentioned to Kevin, their friend was out of town with the wrestling team.

“Yes, Eddy, I am,” Edd answered, turning his head to look at Eddy.

“And you still think he doesn’t like you?”

“No, Eddy, I know that Kevin likes me as a friend.  He said as much to me.”

Eddy rolled his eyes.  “And I keep telling you he likes you as more than a friend, Double D.”

“That is preposterous, Eddy,” Edd objected. 

“Why?  Why do you think it’s such a crazy idea?”

“If, and only if, Kevin were interested in dating males, I am sure I would not be at the top of his list of candidates.”

“Why?”

Edd frowned, looking away towards the television.  “Look at me, Eddy.  Whatever would Kevin, or anyone, see in me?”

Eddy sighed, and then said something Edd could hardly believe came from the normally abrasive personality that was his best friend, “A beautiful soul, Edd.  That’s what anyone would see.”

Edd looked at Eddy again, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. 

“Don’t look at me like that, Double D,” Eddy said somewhat irritably.  “You don’t think I have a sentimental side to me?”

“No, Eddy!” Edd gasped.  “I just…” he left it hanging.

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Eddy said, “But it’s true.  Edd, you have a lot to offer someone like Kevin, and I think he sees that.”

Edd smiled a little sadly, “Thank you, Eddy.  I appreciate your kind words and your support.  It is a nice dream to have, but I cannot believe that Kevin would ever feel anything for me other than friendship.  He is constantly talking to me about this crush he has.  Why would he do that if that person is me?”

Eddy thought for a moment.  “He could be doing it because he’s scared of admitting it to you.  You said the way he told you is what got you thinking about Kevin as more than a friend.  You were the one who said it sounded like he was flirting with you.”

“I have to have been mistaken, Eddy.  I have never been flirted with, so I would not know whether he was or not.”

Eddy scratched at his chin.  “When Kevin talks to you about his crush, how does he refer to the person?”

“What do you mean, Eddy?” Edd asked, confused at the abrupt subject change.

“Well, he doesn’t say the person’s name, right?  What pronoun does he use?  ‘She’ and ‘her’?  Or ‘he’ and ‘him’?”

Edd frowned.  “Kevin always says ‘they’ or ‘them’.”

Eddy grinned, sitting up straighter.  “Really?”

“Yes, Eddy.  What does that matter?” he asked, wondering at Eddy’s expression.

“Isn’t that one way gay guys hide that they’re gay?  Say that you’re gay…”

Edd just crossed his arms across his chest and gave Eddy a look.

“You know what I mean.  Say you want to tell me about a date you went on, but you didn’t want me to know you went out with a guy.”

“All right.”

“You wouldn’t be able to say, “Then HE took me to the movies and then HE took me out to eat”, right?  How would you say that without using the word “he”?” Eddy asked.

“I would more than likely say ‘Then my date took me to the movies, and then my date took me out to eat.’,” Edd answered.

Eddy shook his head, making a disgusted sort of noise.  “I forgot how you talk for a minute.  Most normal people would use a gender-neutral pronoun.  If I, for instance, was hiding the fact that I went out with a guy, I would say ‘Then THEY took me to the movies and then THEY took me out to eat.’  Kevin is talking about a guy.  Or someone non-binary.”

“Even if that were true Kevin meant a male, Eddy, what makes you think it is me?”

“Who else would it be, Double D?  Kevin’s spent every afternoon for three weeks with you, hasn’t he?  He went to the movies with us last weekend.  He invited you to his house - you alone - for the entire day while his parents are out of town.  It’s a perfect set up!”

“Eddy, I hardly think so!” Edd protested, his cheeks warming at the thought.

Eddy rubbed his hands together.  “Edd, this is awesome!  Kevin’s gonna make the move on you tomorrow!  I’m so excited!  Almost as excited as I am about making the move on Nazz!  Looks like we both might get lucky tomorrow.”

“Eddy!” Edd cried. 

Eddy laughed.  “Oh, come on, Double D!  I’m just kidding with you!  Do you think I would do that to Nazz on the first date?  Dude, I want to impress her and try to get her to really like me.  I’m not going to do something stupid like throwing myself all over her.  I don’t think Kevin would do that to you, either.”

Edd curled in on himself, hugging his arms around his own body.  Eddy’s laughter cut off abruptly as he took in the expression on Edd’s face.  “What’s wrong?”

“I do not know, Eddy.  The thought that it might happen is frightening to me,” Edd whined.

“I thought you wanted something to happen?” Eddy asked, confused.  “I thought you liked Kevin?”

“I do, I do, Eddy.  I just do not think I am ready for anything intimate!  What if he does try to hold my hand, or kiss me?”

Eddy shrugged, “Then let him!  You’ll like it!  I promise!”

“Oh dear oh dear oh dear,” Edd chanted in an almost inaudible mumble.  Eddy stared because Edd did look to be completely freaked out.  “Eddy,” Edd said shakily, “I do not know how to act or what to do!  I do not think that Kevin likes me like that, but what if he does?  What if he does say something?”  It looked like he was having trouble breathing and Eddy was a little alarmed.

“Edd!” Eddy cried, scooting over on the couch so he could grab Edd’s upper arms, “Calm down!  It’ll be ok!”

Edd’s frantic eyes locked onto Eddy’s sympathetic ones.

“Edd, I promise, it will be all right.  I promise,” Eddy said, trying to be soothing.

Edd stared wide-eyed at Eddy, breathing in and out slowly, forcing himself to calm down.  It worked, sort of, and he felt that slight panic begin to subside, even as his logic took over.  Why was he setting himself into a panic?  He was convinced Kevin didn’t like him in a romantic sense, so why was he so worried that something would happen the following day?  He lowered his eyes and felt his body relax.  He knew the real reason for his reaction.  He hoped Kevin would try something, and hoped that he wouldn’t, because Edd wasn’t sure how to respond.

Eddy peered at Edd, his own expression concerned.  “Edd?  You okay?”

Edd took another deep breath.  “Yes, Eddy, I believe that I am.”

“You don’t look okay, Edd.  Come on, tell me, what are you worried about?”

Edd thought for a moment, his gaze dropping to his lap.  “Eddy,” he said quietly, “I really like Kevin.  I would love for something to develop with him.  I do not think it will, I cannot bring myself to hope that there are romantic feelings for me within Kevin, but if there is, I do not know how to respond.  I have never been in this situation before.  I do not know how to act or hold hands or kiss or anything.  If Kevin did like me, he will think that I am such an idiot when he finds out how inexperienced I am.”

“If Kevin really likes you, like I know he does, he won’t care about that,” Eddy said, then was quiet for a few moments.  “You know, I’m scared as shit for tomorrow myself,” he admitted.

“You are?”

“Yeah.  I don’t know what to do with Nazz, or how to act with her.  I know I talk a big game, but I haven’t dated much myself.  I’m still going to do it, though.  I’m so scared that she’ll end up hating me, but I have to try.  I think you should, too.”

“Our situations are slightly different, Eddy.  You know that Nazz prefers males.  I do not know if Kevin does.  You never had to worry about that when you have asked Nazz out in the past.  If I were to show interest in Kevin as more than a friend, and he does not prefer males, then it will embarrass both of us, and could potentially make him angry with me.  I enjoy his friendship, apart from the romantic interest I feel for him.  I would not like to lose that.”

“Sometimes you have to just risk it Double D,” Eddy said.  “I know it’s scary as shit to do that, but you can’t just go on not knowing.”

“What do I do, Eddy?”

“Play it by ear,” Eddy said.  “See what Kevin does tomorrow.  Flirt a little with him, if you want.  See if he responds.  Try to get him to say something about how he feels.”

“I am afraid I am not quite skilled in the intricacies of romantic social interaction, Eddy.  I do not exactly know how to do this flirting thing.”

“It’s easy, Double D.  Just compliment Kevin.  A lot.  Say teasing things back to him when he says anything to you.  Give him looks like this,” Eddy suggested, giving Edd an exaggerated lovesick look while batting his eyelashes.

“I cannot do that Eddy!” Edd protested.  “I would look goofier than I already do!”

“Ugh, Edd, for the last time, you do not look goofy!  You’re cute!”

Edd reached up and pulled his hat down further over his forehead in embarrassment.  “Oh Eddy…”

“It’s true and don’t contradict me.  Edd, just be yourself.  Kevin already likes you for that, right?  Just pay attention for any clues he might give, okay?  And it shouldn’t be hard to compliment him.  I mean, it would be hard for me,” he joked, making a face, “cause I can’t seem to think of anything but insults for him.  But you should be able to.”

Edd frowned, “I do not know, Eddy.  I think I will have trouble with that.”

Eddy twisted, putting his arm around Edd.  “You’ll be just fine, Double D.  Text me the minute you two hook up,” he requested, laughing at the mortified expression on Edd’s face.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 – You May as Often as You Like

On Saturday morning, Edd crossed the cul-de-sac to Kevin’s house, carrying two bags and wrapped up warmly against the cold and lightly falling snow, just as he had predicted with his weather instruments up in his room.  He hadn’t been to Kevin’s house in years, and even back then, it was never for very long – usually just a quick glance while being chased out.  He felt stressed out and nervous.  Everything Eddy said the evening before was running through his head.  He was scared that Kevin would do something, and scared that he wouldn’t.  Edd desperately wanted to be with Kevin, but the idea of being in a relationship did intimidate him.  

“Greetings, Kevin,” Edd said politely as he squeezed past Kevin after he answered the doorbell.  Edd could hear the shakiness in his own voice.  “Shall I take off my shoes?”

Kevin grinned, “Yeah, Double D, make yourself at home.”  He took the bags off Edd’s hands, so Edd could get out of his coat, which he hung on an empty hook in the foyer.  He placed his own shoes neatly side by side near the pile of shoes next to the door.  Most of the pile appeared to be Kevin’s shoes. 

“What did you bring?” Kevin asked, holding up the bags.  He looked Edd over, surprised that Edd had dressed casually.  Edd’s style was geared toward nerdy professor with a lot of cardigans and sweater vests.  Today, however, he wore an Iron Man t-shirt over a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans.  Kevin himself had chosen to wear his favorite Captain America tee and jeans.

“One must always bring something when invited over as a guest,” Edd replied, smoothing the front of his t-shirt, then pulling his hat more securely down on his head, a symptom of his nerves.  Eddy had suggested his wardrobe.  “I brought some snacks for us to enjoy later.”

“Cool!” Kevin said.  “Come on, let’s put them in the kitchen.”

Edd followed Kevin into the kitchen, his eyes quickly darting around curiously.  The home certainly was nothing like his.  He felt his skin sort of prickle at the thought of germs, though the house did seem clean.  It just looked more lived in and that sort of made him feel sad when comparing it to his own sterile home.

Edd helped Kevin pull out the snacks he had put together out of the bags.  He pointed to a covered dish and told Kevin that it was a dip they could heat up later.  It was only ten in the morning and a little too soon for a chili dip.  Edd also had brought cookies he had made, as well as chips for the dip and a bowl full of a fruit salad.  His nerves were so keyed up that morning that he distracted himself with making food.

“You made all this?” Kevin asked, stunned.  When Edd had mentioned snacks, he thought he’d be pulling a box of crackers and a bag of chips out of the bags.  He certainly wasn’t expecting Edd to have made anything.

Edd seemed embarrassed.  “Well, yes.  I had plenty of time this morning.  I was up early.”

“What kind of cookies?” Kevin asked.

“Snickerdoodles.  I hope you like them.”

“I love them!  I have such a sweet tooth, and if they’re anything like those brownies you made, they’ll be out of this world,” Kevin said as he pulled off the lid and grabbed one.  “Holy shit, Double D!  These are delicious!” he said, his mouth full of the cookie and causing Edd to wince slightly at the sight.  Kevin swallowed.  “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he apologized sheepishly.

“Do not worry, Kevin,” he said, smiling nervously.  “I am happy that you like them.”  Thinking of Eddy’s advice to try to flirt, he said a little awkwardly, “I wanted to do something nice for you.”

Kevin seemed pleased.  At least, he returned Edd’s smile.  “That’s sweet.  Thanks!  We can save all this for later.  Unless you’re hungry now?” Kevin asked, and when Edd shook his head, he continued.  “We’re in for the long haul today, so come on downstairs.  We have an awesome movie setup in the basement.  And there’s a fridge for drinks, so if you’re thirsty, don’t hesitate to dig in.  We’re not formal here and mi casa es su casa, okay?” Kevin said as he led the way to the basement door.  “I want you to feel at home here.”

Edd’s heart beat a little faster as he followed Kevin downstairs.  Would he make his move now?  The family room, however, diverted his thoughts.  Edd was impressed, because Kevin wasn’t kidding when he said the movie setup was awesome.  It was.  A projection screen on one wall with a large sectional couch sitting comfortably before it.  Edd had never quite seen such a couch.  It was big, plush, and looked to be covered in a soft fabric, which proved to be the case.  Kevin gestured to the couch.  “Take the corner of the sectional, Double D.  It’s the best spot!”

Self-consciously, Edd claimed the corner and sank into the cushy seat.  It was probably the most comfortable piece of furniture on which he had ever been.  He felt almost cocooned in the corner, and the seat of the couch was so big, he found he couldn’t lean against the back and still have his knees reach the edge so that he could bend them to put his feet on the floor.  Edd wasn’t sure what to do about that until Kevin flopped on the couch a couple of cushions over and pulled up his feet to sit cross-legged.  The concept of putting feet on furniture appalled Edd, but he figured ‘when in Rome’, and positioned himself cross-legged too and relaxed back onto the sofa.

‘It doesn’t look like he plans on making a move,’ Edd thought, a little disappointed.

Kevin had already prepped the theater by putting the Blu-ray of Iron Man in, so he hit play on the remote in order to start the movie.

“Are you hungry yet?  We can go up and eat something for lunch?” Kevin suggested when he got up to switch out the movie.

“Sure, Kevin, that sounds wonderful.”  Edd stood up and stretched.  He loved Iron Man, so he had become involved in the movie, but not so much that he couldn’t keep from glancing at Kevin on the other end of the couch often.  He kept hoping that Kevin would do something, other than just sit there.  Then Edd wondered if maybe he should do something, but the mere thought of it made him tremble.

Upstairs, Kevin put the dip in the oven, following Edd’s instructions, all the while debating the movie they had just watched.  While they waited for the dip to heat, they gorged on the fruit and made sandwiches from the variety of meats and cheeses Kevin foraged from the kitchen fridge. 

“Oh my gosh, this dip is sooooooo good,” Kevin said, scooping out more onto his plate.  “Like seriously, I’ve never tasted anything so good.  I feel like a pig eating so much of it.”

Edd laughed.  “Thank you Kevin!  It is actually quite simple to make.”

“Simple or not, you have to make it for me again!”

“Any time you would like, of course,” Edd said, trying to use a light tone he hoped sounded flirty.  “If it will make you happy.”  Inside he berated himself because he thought he said that in too girly a voice.

That sly smile and hooded eyes expression settled back onto Kevin’s features as he said in a low tone,  “Oh, I’ll take you up on that, believe me.”

Edd was thrown into confusion once again, much to his chagrin.  Was that flirting?  Was Kevin flirting back with him?  He thought so, but agonized over the fact that he just didn’t know.  He tried to think of something to say in response, but Kevin spoke before he could.

“Come on, Double D!  I’m stuffed and the Hulk is waiting,” Kevin said, throwing his arm around Edd’s shoulders.  “And we don’t make Hulk mad cause HULK SMASH!”

Edd flinched again, though this time Kevin didn’t remove his arm.

“There, see, you’re getting used to me!” Kevin said, laughing.  “The more times I get my arm around you, the easier it will be.”

Edd couldn’t argue with the logic and he was actually quite pleased to have Kevin’s arm around him.  “I agree, Kevin.”  Kevin certainly sounded flirty there and Edd leaned slightly against Kevin’s side and said boldly, “You may as often as you like.”

“How does pizza sound?” Kevin asked halfway through Thor, their fourth movie of the day.  It was around dinnertime and almost five hours since lunch, and the growls from both boys’ stomachs could sometimes be heard during the quiet moments of the film.

Edd pressed his hand against his abdomen.   “I think that sounds like a great idea, Kevin.  I am hungry.”

Kevin paused the movie, ordered the pizza, and then started it again.  As the movie played, his mind resumed running the confused thoughts repeatedly through his brain.  ‘Was Edd flirting with me?’ Kevin asked himself for the thousandth time since lunch.  He thought so, but couldn’t be sure.  Edd was generally a friendly guy, so it could have been innocent.  It did seem like Edd leaned into him when he put his arm around the smaller teen, but then again, it could be his imagination.

During the three movies after lunch, Kevin kept glancing nervously at Edd.  Was it his imagination, again, by thinking that he caught Edd looking at him almost every time?  It seemed like Edd’s eyes would dart back to the movie when Kevin looked over at the boy.  Should he say something to Edd?  Move closer to him?  Kevin glanced over the back of the couch to the corner where his guitar sat on its’ stand and wondered if he should get it and play the song he had taught himself to sing for Edd.  Would that be too much?  What if Edd wasn’t interested?

Kevin had invited Edd over with the hope that he could move things further between them.  Edd’s change over the week from the melancholy that had settled on him for the prior two weeks to the happy and gregarious Edd of the first week of studying gave Kevin a certain level of hope.  Edd seemed to want to spend time with him; even during that time he looked so sad, Edd never said no to Kevin coming over every day or going to the movies.

When Kevin’s parents decided earlier in the week to go visit his Aunt Kathy for the weekend, they wanted Kevin to come, but, his mind working quickly, he told his parents he wanted to stay home and study.  They were surprised, but pleased, and agreed that Kevin should be fine on his own.  Kevin definitely didn’t plan to be on his own.  He immediately planned to invite Edd over, especially after Edd’s whole mood changed on Wednesday, with the lure of Marvel. 

Kevin argued back and forth with himself, and with Nazz and Rolf, on whether or not to tell Edd how he felt.  His friends encouraged him to say something, but he was hesitant, as he still had no clue as to what Edd felt.  A large part of him wanted to go for it.  Both Nazz and Rolf were right when they told him that not knowing would continually drive him crazy.  It was.  At least if he knew Edd wasn’t interested, he could move on, but the thought of moving on depressed him.

By the time Thor was over, the pizza had arrived and they gorged on their dinner at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.  Once again, they debated the merits of the movie they had watched, both agreeing that Thor was not really their favorite.  Edd expressed the hope that the new Thor scheduled to come out the following year would be much better.

“Time for the Captain,” Kevin said, grinning at Edd.

“Just because I am Team Iron Man,” Edd said, sending Kevin a mock-frown and pointing at his own Iron Man shirt, “does not mean I do not like Captain America.  I just think that Iron Man is better.”

Kevin laughed, taking his and Edd’s empty plates to the sink.  “Okay, okay.  Fair enough,” he said, coming back to Edd, who had stood up from the barstool at the counter.  Without warning him, Kevin snaked his arm around the smaller boys’ shoulders.  “Back to the movies!”

He could feel Edd forcing himself not to flinch, but he was surprised when he felt Edd’s arm come around his waist.  Kevin didn’t want to push it, however, so he released Edd after a small squeeze, and they went back down into the basement together.  Edd’s gesture did give him a huge boost of confidence.

Kevin went to use the bathroom before the movie, so Edd took this moment to look around the media room.  It was hung with posters of movies and had numerous sports trophies scattered around on shelves, which Edd assumed were trophies that Kevin had won.  It was then that Edd noticed a guitar propped on a stand in the corner of the room that was in the opposite wall of where the screen was.  He went closer to look at it.  It was a nice guitar and next to it was a chair and a stand with some music sheets on it.  Edd wondered if this were Kevin’s guitar and if the other teen played.

When Kevin returned, Edd had already settled back into the corner of the sofa, and was surprised when Kevin sat directly next to him.  For the other movies, Kevin had sat on the other end of the couch, but now he was right there, close to Edd.  Edd felt rattled, even though Kevin merely pressed play on the remote, leaned back against the back, and crossed his arms over his chest without bothering to look at Edd.

Inside, Kevin was squirming at his audacity.  He had debated with himself the whole day if he should move closer to Edd on the couch.  He surprised himself when he sat down next to Edd and could see out of the corner of his eye that Edd was looking at him with wide eyes.  Kevin worried this would be too obvious and he lifted his hand to chew on his thumbnail.  Kevin didn’t realize that when Edd furrowed his brow it was due more to that habit than to the fact that Kevin had boldly moved closer to him.

The movie proved to be a great distraction, because Kevin really did love this entry into the Marvel Universe, but he would occasionally glance at Edd, who sat quiet as a mouse next to him.  Quiet, but Kevin was sure he caught Edd looking at him instead of the movie quite a few times.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10 – For You, I Will

“So satisfying,” Kevin sighed, turning his head to grin at Edd.

“I agree,” Edd said.  “Like I mentioned, I do like Captain America, and this is a good story with a good villain.”

Kevin reached his arms over his head and stretched back.  “I can’t believe we got through five movies today!”

Edd laughed, “I know.  I do not usually do this sort of thing.”

“Me neither.  I’m usually more active.  I don’t know, though.  A lazy day spent with a friend and eating a lot of food sounded like a good idea.”

Edd thought that over.  “It was a perfect idea, Kevin.  Thank you for inviting me.”

That lazy smile and expression returned to Kevin’s face.  “It was my pleasure, Double D.”

“It was my pleasure, too,” Edd responded in a soft voice and looked away, bringing his knees up against his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs.  There was that flirty tone and expression from Kevin and Edd felt his heart thump painfully against his ribs.  To cover his confusion, he commented, “I saw a guitar over there, Kevin.  Do you play?”

“Yeah, I mess around a little.”

“I myself play the pedal steel guitar.”

“Yeah, I remember that,” Kevin said grinning.  “Maybe we can jam sometime?”

Edd shrugged.  “If you would like.  I have not played in a while.”

“You were really good though.”

Edd blushed, “Thank you.  I am sure you are really good too.”

Kevin chuckled, “Oh, I don’t know about that.  Like I said, I just mess around.  I don’t have any formal training or anything.”

Edd smiled and Kevin felt the overwhelming urge to kiss him.  The room was dark and quiet and it seemed like the perfect setting, but Edd was still wrapped up in himself defensively and his body language clearly said ‘stay away’ in spite of his gap-toothed grin.

“I still would like to hear you play,” Edd said so softly that Kevin thought he misheard him.

“You would?”

Edd merely nodded.  Kevin stared at the smaller boy tucked into the corner of the couch.  Edd still had that adorable smile on his face.  Kevin chewed on his lower lip for a full minute as he contemplated things.  In his head he could hear Nazz and Rolf encouraging him.  He also heard that doubting voice of his own that warned him that things could go horribly wrong.  He knew his ‘plan for wooing’ as Edd called it was horribly cliché and sappy, but it was the best he could come up with, and he didn’t know if he was ready to actually do it.  While he hoped this day of hanging out together would bring them closer, he wasn’t sure if he should push it too far tonight, or not.  Then he thought about what he planned to do and decided it was now or never.

“Ok,” he said, pushing himself to his feet, conscious of Edd’s eyes on him as he walked around the couch to retrieve his guitar.  He brought it back to the couch and sat facing Edd, who had relaxed his posture so that he was sitting cross-legged again, his hands clasped in his lap and an expression of eagerness on his face. 

Kevin adjusted the guitar strap, his right leg cocked on the couch to support the instrument.  He nervously plucked the strings, making minute adjustments to a couple of the pegs.  In all honesty, he was nervous about doing this, but at least he could play the song and judge Edd’s reaction before he said anything more.

“Remember I said I had a plan.  A plan for wooing someone, as you put it?” Kevin asked.

“I remember, Kevin.”

“I’ve been practicing this song so I can sing it to them.  The lyrics...well…if you listen, you can probably guess why I wanted this particular song.”

“I cannot wait to hear it.”

Kevin took a deep breath in, trying to steady his nerves, and kept reminding himself that Edd didn’t know – yet – that this song was for him.  He struck the opening chords of the sweet melody and opened his mouth to sing.

Wandering the streets in a world underneath it all
Nothing seems to be, nothing tastes as sweet as what I can’t have
Like you and the way that you’re twisting your hair around your finger
Tonight I’m not afraid to tell you what I feel about you

Oh I’m gonna muster every ounce of confidence that I have
And cannonball into the water
I’m gonna muster every ounce of confidence that I have
For you I will, For you I will

Edd was surprised at first.  Kevin’s voice wasn’t perfect, but it was low-pitched and pleasant, and sent shivers up Edd’s spine with its’ hint of sadness and longing.  Edd closed his eyes, focused on the voice of this other boy he liked so much.  Edd wished that Kevin was singing this to him.  It would be so romantic and sweet. 

Do I seem familiar?  I’ve crossed you in hallways a thousand times
No more camouflage, I want to be exposed and not be afraid to fall

Oh I’m gonna muster every ounce of confidence that I have
And cannon ball into the water
I’m gonna muster every ounce of confidence that I have
For you I will

You always want what you can’t have
But I’ve got to try
I’m gonna muster every ounce of confidence that I have
For you I will, For you I will, For you I will

Kevin strummed the last few chords softly and paused, his eyes still closed.  He had done it.  He had pulled off the first part of his plan and he was scared to open his eyes to see Edd’s reaction.  As he sang, Kevin peeked a few times at Edd.  The boy listened intently, his mouth falling open enough to expose his teeth, his eyes closed.  The words in the lyrics described exactly how Kevin felt – wanting to build enough courage to just jump in, knowing the consequences and trying to overcome them.  But how did Edd take it?

Kevin finally opened his eyes, his right arm draped over the body of the guitar so his fingers rested lightly on the strings, and his left dropped from the fretboard to his left thigh.  Edd’s smile was a relief to see and the boy lifted his hands to applaud.  “Oh, Kevin,” Edd breathed in a soft voice that twisted something in Kevin’s gut.  “That was beautiful.”

Kevin's face heated up.  “You think so?  You liked it?”

“I did.  I do not think I have ever heard that.  You did not write it, did you?”

Kevin chuckled.  “No.  I wish.  It’s actually about ten years old.  I heard it on the radio a couple weeks ago and thought it fit my…situation.  So, I got the idea to learn it and see if I could sing it.  I know I’m not the best singer, and I haven’t perfected the song, but…” he trailed off and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“No no no,” Edd reassured him.  “Your voice is nice.  It is so low and almost raspy.  It was a pleasure to listen to.  It fit for this song somehow.  I liked listening to you.”

Kevin smiled easily at Edd, though inside he felt like proverbial mush, and he felt it difficult to find his voice as his heart had decided to jump ship and lodge itself in his throat.  “So, you really liked the song?”

Edd tilted his head slightly and wondered at the hint of pleading in Kevin’s voice.  It seemed important to Kevin that he like it.  Thankfully, Edd was able to be truthful.  “I did Kevin.  It was beautiful,” he said sincerely, with a little wince.  It was obvious the song wasn't for him.  Though using no gender in the song, Edd felt it was meant for a girl.  After a pause, he said softly, “I am sure she will love it.”

Kevin blinked a few times in confusion at Edd’s last statement.  “She?”

Edd hesitated a moment, then nodded.  “Yes, she.  The girl to whom you will sing this.” 

Kevin frowned, looking down at his guitar.

“I am sorry, Kevin.  I thought you said you learned this to sing to your crush.”

“I did say that,” Kevin said in response, his eyes still focused down.

“I do not understand then.  You said you planned on singing it.”

Kevin didn’t answer for what seemed like a long time.  He was terrified and couldn’t decide what to do.  He could play this off; clearly, Edd wasn’t interested.  Edd believed him to be straight.  He could make something up, lie to Edd, and keep his friendship, but Kevin hated to be dishonest. Then he thought about what the song said.  It was all about taking that chance and Kevin knew that if he didn’t, he would just grow more head over heels for someone who was unattainable.  Nazz and Rolf were right.  As much as it would hurt, he imagined that he could tear the band-aid off now, let Edd know how he felt, then accept the end of their burgeoning friendship.  It would suck, but wasn’t it better to know than to never know?  Kevin lifted his guitar off his lap and set it safely on the table in front of the couch.

“Kevin?”

“I already played it for them,” he blurted out.  ‘Damn,’ he thought as he winced and closed his eyes, ‘no going back now.’

“Oh, you did?” Edd felt a pang in his heart.  He asked in a flat voice, “Did it not go well?  When was this?  I am sorry.  I could have sworn you said you planned to sing it for them.  I must have misheard you.”

“You didn’t hear me wrong,” Kevin said and finally looked up into Edd’s eyes.  “I did say that.”

Edd’s expression showed his confusion and Kevin ground his teeth in frustration.  For a genius, Edd was apparently dense.  Kevin hoped Edd would get it without him having to be blunt, but this didn’t seem to be the case. 

“Kevin,” Edd said, “I do not…”

Kevin interrupted Edd before he could finish.  “I planned to play it for the person I like.  I just played it.  Now I have played it for him.  Do you understand, Edd?”

Kevin could see understanding dawn in Edd’s eyes.  They widened as his eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped into an ‘o’ shape that Kevin would have found adorable if he wasn’t so stressed with his heart breaking. 

Edd’s mind was a blank for a moment, though his heart had started racing.  He had wished for this and it scared him.  A dozen thoughts tumbled over themselves in his brain.  ‘Eddy was right, and he will rub my face in it.  Kevin likes me?  He sang that for me?  I am so frightened, but so happy.’  Then he realized Kevin had said his actual name for the first time in a long time.

“Kevin!” Edd managed to gasp out.

“Ugh!” Kevin cried, and dropped his head to cover his eyes with his hands.  “I’m sorry Edd.  I’m so sorry.  I just couldn’t keep it in anymore!  It’s been driving me crazy!  I don’t know what to think, I’m so confused.  I didn’t think I liked guys until I got to know you again, but I can’t stop thinking about you.  It’s been so hard working every day at your house, wanting to tell you how much I like you, wanting to touch you, wanting to kiss you and knowing that you had no interest in me.  I spent the last two weeks working up the courage to tell you and I completely messed it up.  I messed up our friendship and you don’t know how much I like being your friend, but I just couldn’t go on and not say anything when I want so much more.  God, I’m so stupid…”

“I like you too, Kevin.”

Kevin stopped his rant, his hands dropping enough to uncover his eyes and peek over the tips of his fingers.  Edd was staring at his hands still clasped tightly in his lap, and Kevin wondered if he had actually heard those soft-spoken words or if he had imagined them. 

“What?” he gasped, dropping his hands to his own lap.

“I like you too,” Edd repeated in a louder voice.  He looked up from his hands and his eyes met Kevin’s with a tentative smile. 

“You do?  You mean it?”  Kevin was almost breathless from the thrill that coursed through him.

Edd nodded, his expression shy.  “Yes, Kevin.  I know I am happy when I am with you.  I miss you when you are not with me, and I think about you all the time, too.  My heart,” and here, Edd pressed his hand over his heart, “speeds up when you are near me.”

Kevin’s smile brightened.  “I feel the same,” he admitted and scooted a little closer.  “I’ve never felt like this about anyone.”

“Neither have I.”

Kevin scooted even closer, wedging himself closely next to Edd, but he moved slow to not make Edd uncomfortable.  Edd watched him with that shy smile as he did.

Kevin reached up and brushed one of the locks of black hair that fell out of Edd’s hat onto his forehead to the side.  Edd tensed a bit, then relaxed.

“Sorry,” Kevin whispered, looking into Edd’s eyes.

“Do not be,” Edd said.  “It will take some getting used to for me.”  His senses were overwhelmed with Kevin so close to him.  It took all he had not to let his nerves get the best of him.  He could feel the warmth of Kevin’s body and the look in Kevin’s eyes made his mouth go dry.

“I understand,” Kevin said.  “I won’t pressure you or anything.”  He thought for a moment and saw how Edd’s eyes darted down in the direction of his lips for a brief second.  “But I would like to kiss you if you’d let me.”

Edd nodded slowly.  “I would like that.  I have never kissed anyone, though, so I probably will not be very good at it.”

Kevin laughed, a low sound that sent a warm, fuzzy feeling through Edd – it sounded so intimate.  Kevin was just amused at Edd’s matter-of-fact assessment of his own ability.  “Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” he murmured.

Kevin reached up and gently cupped Edd’s cheek, turning his head for better access to Edd’s lips.  “Edd…” he breathed, his lips hovering close enough to tickle Edd’s with his whisper.  He closed his eyes and kissed Edd gently at first, going slow to savor this first kiss.

It took a moment before he felt Edd’s lips move in return.  Kevin had kissed girls before and now he realized why he had never enjoyed it.  Never before had it felt so mind-blowing and erotic.  He could feel how tense Edd was, but the way the smaller boy timidly kissed him back made his breath catch and his heart race.  It made a difference to kiss someone you liked so much.

When Kevin pulled back a few inches and opened his eyes, his breath caught once again.  In spite of the dimness in the room, he saw that Edd’s cheeks were dark with a blush, his eyes were closed, his lips were just slightly parted, and his breath was shallow.  When his eyes opened and focused on Kevin, he grinned.  “I liked that.  I hope I was all right.”

Kevin laughed that low laugh again.  “You are more than all right,” he assured Edd, leaning forward to catch Edd’s lips again.  This time, Edd’s hand reached up to Kevin’s shoulder and rested there.  Edd wanted to make some other physical contact other than his mouth, but was unsure of what to do and where to put his hands.  He settled on the shoulder as somewhere neutral.  Kevin felt the slight clutch of Edd’s slender fingers and pressed himself closer.  Kevin’s own hand traveled from Edd’s face over Edd’s upper arm and down to his waist, where his fingers curled into Edd’s side.

They pulled apart a second time to gaze into each other’s eyes. 

“I am glad you played that song for me, Kevin,” Edd whispered.  “I am glad you got the courage to tell me.”

“I am, too.  It wasn’t easy.  I was so scared you would reject me.”

Edd shook his head slightly.  “You never have to worry about that.”

Kevin pressed his forehead against Edd’s, closing his eyes as both his arms moved to encircle Edd’s waist.  Edd’s hands came to rest on Kevin’s upper arms.  It was an awkward position and their legs seemed to get in the way, but it felt perfect to Edd. 

“Edd…” Kevin groaned, moving his lips once again to Edd’s, only this time he parted them and darted out his tongue to run along the seam of Edd’s mouth.  Surprised, Edd parted his own lips, allowing Kevin access to the inside of his mouth.  At first Edd was disgusted, but after a moment, he realized how nice it felt as Kevin gently explored, running his tongue lightly over his teeth and the roof of his mouth, which tickled a little.  Edd wasn’t sure what he should be doing, but felt his own tongue respond to the caresses of Kevin’s.  He felt Kevin’s lips lift in what felt like a smile and was disappointed when Kevin pulled away again.

“I believe that was what is called a French kiss?” Edd asked.

Kevin nodded, grinning.  “Did you like it?”

“It was different, but pleasant.  I liked it.”

It was adorkable to Kevin to listen to Edd’s analysis of their kissing.  They returned to it and Kevin teased Edd with his tongue, trying to draw Edd’s into his own mouth.  Edd did, tentatively at first.  His confidence in himself grew when Kevin moaned, a sound that made Edd’s head swim.  Edd never imagined he would cause anyone to make such an animalistic sound.

Edd also realized kissing Kevin had another effect on his body and he blushed as Kevin broke off to kiss Edd on his cheek and then along his jawline to his neck.  The brush of Kevin’s lips over the sensitive skin of his neck made the situation down below much worse.  He squirmed a little as Kevin’s hand slid down to his hip.

“Kevin!” Edd gasped.

Kevin pulled back and looked at Edd’s flushed face, concerned at the boys disconcerted expression.  “I’m sorry, Edd,” he apologized.  “If I’m moving too fast, I can stop.”

“No no no, I liked it,” Edd managed.  “I am just, I guess, I am overwhelmed.  I am sorry!”

Kevin grinned, “Don’t be sorry.  We’ll go at a pace comfortable for us both.  I care about you too much, Edd, to mess this up.”  Kevin sat back, his arms letting go of Edd as he leaned back against the couch in order to give Edd some breathing room, though he reached down to hold Edd’s hand, which got him a blushing smile.  Edd self-consciously adjusted his clothes with his free hand and drew up his legs again toward his chest in an effort to hide the obvious effect Kevin had on his body.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked.

“Nothing, Kevin,” Edd answered, looking at his knees. 

Kevin hadn’t missed Edd’s excitement and he guessed that Edd was a little embarrassed about it.  Edd had the same effect on Kevin.  The response of Edd to his advances made Kevin hard and want to go further, but he knew he wasn’t ready for that yet, and neither was Edd.

They were silent for a few minutes, both calming down and trying to wrap their minds around this development in their relationship, until Edd spoke up.

“Kevin,” Edd said a little hesitantly.  “I-I realize what this all means.  I mean, I know this is not…normal…or…” he searched for the right word.

“It feels normal to me, Edd,” Kevin said softly.

“That was perhaps the wrong word.  It feels good to me too, but I know this is not what is expected.  Especially for you.”

Kevin frowned because he thought he understood what Edd was getting at.

Edd continued, “I am okay with keeping this secret.  Actually,” he added, looking away, “I think that is probably for the best right now.  I have to figure all this out in my own head first, and I do not want to deal with anything from our classmates while I am.  It is going to be hard enough to tell my parents.”

“Edd,” Kevin said, “I’m not ashamed that I like you.  I hope you know that.”

“I am not ashamed either.  I think - and do not get me wrong when I say this,” Edd said, turning to look steadily at Kevin with an expression that surprised him.  Edd seemed innocent and naïve, but Kevin could now see that while he may be those, Edd was also practical and intuitive.  “I think that we have to be careful.  Kevin, you are popular and an athlete and someone everyone looks up to.  You liking me, well, that could turn many people against you.  You have your reputation and team to worry about.”

While Kevin frowned again at what Edd said, he realized one thing - Edd had obviously been thinking about this pretty hard, and not just in the last half hour while they were making out.  The other teen had put thought into this and Kevin knew that Edd had felt something for him for some time. 

“Not only the fact that I am a boy is against us, but even if I were a girl, someone like me could bring down your reputation,” Edd added.

Kevin shifted in his seat, truly disturbed by what Edd said.  He faced Edd again, putting his free hand on Edd’s upraised knee even as he squeezed the hand he held.  “Look, Edd, I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t want you to worry.  I don’t want you to think this way.  I like you for everything you are.”

“But I am a geek, a nerd, unpopular.  You would be made fun of for that, and for me being a boy,” Edd said, his tone distressed.

“Edd, I honestly don’t care about that.  I think you’re amazing.  I agree that we should keep us to ourselves for a while, but I want you to understand that it’s not because of you or anything that you are.”  He shook Edd’s knee a little.  “Look, we do need to work things out between us, and our parents, I think.  So that’s why I think we don’t need to…come out…at school.  But when we are ready, whenever we both are ready, I’m going to be proud tell everyone you’re my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend?”

Kevin laughed.  “Well, yeah, Edd.  We are together now, right?”  He noticed Edd frown and look down at his knees.  “What’s wrong?”

“Kevin, you just assumed I would be your boyfriend.  You did not ask me.”

Then Edd peeked slyly up at Kevin, who laughed in relief.  He was happy that Edd felt comfortable enough to joke with him.  “Oh, okay, I see.  My Edd wants to be, how did you say it?  Wooed?”  Kevin put his arms around him again in an attempt to get his lips back on Edd, who had started to laugh and squirm.  “You know, I think you’re a little flirt,” Kevin accused him, which Edd tried to deny through his laughter.  They playfully struggled, but Kevin was the stronger of the two and Edd soon found himself on his back underneath Kevin, his hands clutching Kevin’s shoulders.  Kevin’s arms were propped on either side of Edd to brace himself above the smaller boy.  Their laughter trailed off, though Edd kept a big grin on his face as he looked up at Kevin.

“Will you go out with me, Edd?” Kevin asked.  “Be my Edd?”

“Of course, Kevin.”

Kevin leaned down, brushed his lips against Edd’s, and felt Edd’s arms come up around his neck, pulling him closer.  Edd was the one that deepened the kiss, surprising Kevin with his eagerness – not that Kevin was complaining. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 11 – He Likes Me!

At the door, Kevin held Edd close to him, reluctant to let the boy go.  “I almost want to ask you to stay with me all night Edd,” he whispered.

Edd smiled up at Kevin, a warmth spreading through him.  He wished this too, though he knew it wouldn’t be a good idea.  “I almost would stay Kevin, but I do not want to rush this with you.”

“Part of me agrees with you, but there’s another part that just wants to hold you all night,” Kevin said with a little sigh, though he pulled back and smiled down at Edd fondly.  “But you’re right, as always.”

“I will be over at approximately noon tomorrow, Kevin.  That shall give us plenty of time to make dinner for your parents.”  In one of the brief breaks they had while making out, they had made plans for Edd to come over the following day.  Kevin mentioned that his parents would be home late in the afternoon and he was sure they wouldn’t mind Edd joining them for takeout.  Edd had then offered to make dinner and Kevin had asked if Edd could teach him how to cook something.

“Cooking for five hours, Edd?  I thought you said you were showing me something simple!”

The sly expression in Edd’s eyes was a delightful surprise to Kevin.  He liked to see a mischievous side in Edd.  “The dish I have chosen to show you requires approximately thirty minutes of prep time.  Once complete, the sauce will simmer on the stove until it is time to serve, requiring nothing more than an occasional stirring.  That will allow us an ample amount of time to partake in more interesting activities.”

Kevin laughed.  “Wow Edd, you are a devious one, aren’t you?” he said, leaning down to kiss Edd one last time.  “I look forward to our interesting activities tomorrow.”

“As do I, Kevin,” Edd said, grinning that gap-toothed grin.  “Thank you for an enjoyable day.”

“No, thank you.  Good night,” he said, opening the door for Edd so the smaller boy could scoot out.  He watched Edd cross the cul-de-sac to his own home to make sure he returned safely.  At his own door, Edd unlocked it and stepped in, turned and waved to Kevin, then disappeared from sight.  Kevin immediately shut his door and ran to the kitchen where he had left his phone.

“I had no idea this place was even here!” Nazz said as she and Eddy sat across from each other at a little romantic diner near the movie theater.  They had just finished a double feature at the movies and were waiting for the sundaes they had ordered to come out.  The place was a quaint little hole in the wall that Rolf told him about.  It was set up like a fifties diner and Rolf assured Eddy that it would impress Nazz.  The place had great ice cream and Nazz loved ice cream.

“I’ve heard really good things about it,” Eddy said, a little nervously.  He had asked Nazz out on Tuesday with little expectation that she would say yes to him.  She floored him when she did, but he realized that despite his bravado to Ed and Double D, he had no idea how to talk to her or act with her.  Nazz honestly intimidated him and she had never said yes before.  "Sorry that I had to work late and didn't have time to take you to dinner before the movie," he apologized again.

“Oh, I don't mind at all!" she assured him.  "We got to see that double feature and that was fun.  This is a perfect idea for after the movies.  I got hungry after our popcorn ran out, and I love ice cream,” Nazz said with a smile, then looked away.  He thought it was dismissive, but she was nervous too.  She had known Eddy almost her whole life, but found she didn’t know much about him and that she didn’t know what to say to him.   She felt awkward, which wasn’t a feeling she was used to.  Part of her also wanted to ask about Double D, but she would never dream of actually interfering with whatever was going on between Edd and Kevin.

Their waiter had given them water glasses and Eddy grabbed his to take a huge gulp.  Nazz sipped hers more demurely and smiled at him again.  She opened her mouth to say something, but a musical ding from her purse interrupted her. 

“Oh, that’s a text!” Nazz said in her singsong voice.  “It might be important,” she added in apology as she dug into her bag.

Eddy watched as she looked at her phone, wondering at the little squeal she made and the excited expression that appeared.

“What…?” he started before his own phone pinged its text notice.  A little annoyed, Eddy pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked down at it.  Then he laughed and said, “Yes!”

When he looked at Nazz, she was grinning at him, her blue eyes sparkling.  “I think we just got similar texts,” she said, which made Eddy wonder what she knew.

“Show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Laughing she turned her phone to show him, as did he for her.

            Kevin:  HE LIKES ME!

            Edd:  He is fond of me, Eddy.

Nazz and Eddy both started laughing, and Eddy couldn’t help but be dazzled by her and her pure happiness in what the texts from each of their friends suggested. 

“Oh, I’m so happy,” Nazz sighed, righting her phone and rereading the text.

“You knew?” Eddy asked.

Nazz nodded, looking up at him again.  “I knew how Kevin felt.  I didn’t know what Double D felt.  I hoped he would feel the same.”

Eddy nodded, “And I knew how Double D felt.  I’ve felt so bad for him the past couple of weeks.  He’s been so stressed out.” 

“Let’s mess around with them a little,” Nazz suggested wickedly.  “Text Edd back and ask what happened.  Let’s get their perspectives and compare.”

Eddy liked her style and agreed.  Both of them texted back.  “What happened?”

While they waited for the responses, Eddy asked, “When did Kevin start liking Double D?”

“I’m not really sure,” Nazz replied thoughtfully.  "I think after the first week of tutoring.”

“I think it was the same for Edd,” Eddy said.  “He said on that second Monday that Kevin told him he had a crush on someone, but Edd was confused by the way Kevin said it.  He thought it sounded like Kevin was flirting with him, but Double D wasn’t sure, because he doesn’t have much experience with that.”  Eddy spun his phone around on the tabletop.  “Edd didn’t realize he, you know, liked guys until Kevin started that.”

Nazz giggled, which got her an eyebrow raise from her date.  “Kevin didn’t know either until he started falling for Edd,” she said.  “He was quite put out when I told him that I always knew.”

That amused Eddy a lot, and he was laughing when both of their phones went off at almost the same time.  They each read their texts, then giggling like little kids, showed their phones to each other.

            Kevin:  I got the courage, Nazz.  I don’t know how.  I let him know I liked him.  He said he liked me.  He is SUCH a great kisser.  I’ll tell you the whole story Monday.

            Edd:  Kevin performed a nice song for me, then told me he liked me.  I informed him that I reciprocated his feelings in spite of how nervous I felt.  I spent the remainder
                     of the evening engaged in learning the proper technique of kissing.  I will have to tell you everything on Monday.

“Oh my god I love how he expresses himself!” Nazz laughed, moving her phone out of the way so that the waiter could place her sundae in front of her.  “Thank you,” she said, smiling up at the man.

“Thanks!” Eddy said when his dish was put down.  Once the waiter left, he picked up his spoon and grinned at Nazz.  “Yeah, Edd has a way of talking, that’s for sure.”

“So we have to wait until Monday?” Nazz moaned, digging into the mix of ice cream and fudge topping.  “That is way too long to wait!”

“Here, text this to Kevin,” Eddy said, quickly typing into his phone “I’ll come over tomorrow.  I can’t wait til Monday!”.  Nazz immediately typed it into hers and hit send.  “This way we’ll know if the lovebirds have plans for tomorrow,” Eddy added with a wink at her.

“Oh, I like your deviousness, Eddy,” she said, causing a thrill to go through him.

They showed each other the answers of their friends, laughing again.

            Kevin:  Nope!  Got plans for more of the same tomorrow!

            Edd:  I am sorry Eddy, but I plan to return to Kevin’s house tomorrow to spend the day with him.

“Well, looks like they’re not spending the night with each other,” Eddy quipped, putting his phone back in his pocket.

Nazz giggled, then said in a more serious tone, “That’s good, though.  It’s probably best that they don’t move too fast.  If what you said about Edd is true, and what Kevin said to me is, they are only just realizing this about themselves.  It will take a lot of time for them to come to terms with it.  I work with gay teens, Eddy, and it isn’t an easy thing.”

Eddy nodded, “I get that.  I hope Double D knows that he’s still my best friend, no matter what.”  After a moments thought, he confided to Nazz, “I know he was worried that Ed and I would hate him.”

Nazz nodded sympathetically.  “That is often the case.  When did Edd tell you?”

“Last Saturday, before we all went to the movies.”

“Is that why you were watching Kevin so closely at dinner?”

He nodded.  “You noticed that?” he asked with a laugh.  “I guess I’m not as subtle as I wish I was.  When did you find out?”

“Kevin told me the next morning.  I went over and asked him if he liked Double D.  I saw how he acted on Saturday night and how attentive he was to Edd.  What?” she asked when Eddy began to laugh.

“Double D got SO jealous that morning!”

“Jealous?”

“Edd saw you leaving.  I guess you hugged Kevin and kissed his cheek and he kissed your forehead?”  When she nodded, understanding dawning on her face, he said, “Edd was devastated.”

“Oh, no!”

“Yep, he moped for two days after that, though Ed and I didn’t know why.  I finally asked him on Wednesday what was up and he said that you and Kevin got together.”

Nazz grimaced and shook her head.  “The poor thing.”

“I got mad at first, because just the day before you said yes to me to going out.  Then I realized Double D must be imagining things, so I pressed him to tell us everything, which he did.  It was Ed who pointed out to him that the kisses were friend-kisses, not lover-kisses.”

“Ed said that?” Nazz asked, giggling again.  “How cute.  And accurate.”

“Then I reminded him how Kevin acted all day Saturday, and then dropped the bombshell on him that you had agreed to go out with me just the day before, and I said that unless you were a liar and a cheater, I was positive you weren’t with Kevin.”

Nazz looked as if she couldn’t decide to be offended or amused at what Eddy had said. 

“Look, I didn’t mean that in a derogatory way to you,” Eddy explained, blushing.  “The idea of you, of all people, Nazz, being that way is so absurd that I knew it would shock Edd into listening to me.  And believing me, which was the most important thing.”

Her smile relieved Eddy.  “I’m not offended,” she reassured him. 

“The important thing is that Edd did believe me.  He told me he acted more like himself that afternoon while they were studying and that Kevin seemed much happier after that.  Though, Edd still didn’t think Kevin liked him more than as a friend.”

They ate the rest of their sundaes in friendly conversation, smiling at each other often, and each thinking happily about what had occurred between their closest friends.  While waiting for the check, Eddy asked, while looking at the blond curiously.  “Why did you finally say yes to me, Nazz?”

Nazz’ eyebrows lifted as if she wasn’t expecting the question.  Then she smiled at him.  “Because I finally saw the kind of person you really are, Eddy.”

“Huh?”

She thought a moment.  “All I ever really knew about you was that as a kid you were an annoying little schemer trying to get at money any way you could.  I mean, I knew a lot of your anger and insecurity came from the issues with your brother, but I never saw any other side of you.  I realized on Saturday, though, that you have a big heart.  I liked that you were so protective of Double D.  I realized that even when we were younger, you always protected him and always defended Ed as well.  People don’t remain close to you if you’re actually a jerk, but your friendship with the other Eds is still strong after all these years.  I guess I just wanted to give you a chance and see if you really are that good person underneath it all.”

Eddy looked down at the table, awed at what Nazz said.  “Wow, Nazz.  I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” he said in a humbled tone.

“It doesn’t hurt that you turned out pretty cute, too,” she said teasingly, getting him to blush and look up at her with a grin.

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” Eddy said as he got up and came around the table to assist her in standing.  As they walked out of the restaurant and headed to Eddy’s car, he said, “This has been the best day.  A date with a beautiful girl and my best friend hooking up with someone he really likes.  I hope their next little date tomorrow goes well.”

Nazz glowed from the compliment and tucked her arm into Eddy’s.  “Speaking of tomorrow, how would you like to come over and hang out at my place?”

Eddy’s heart almost exploded, and he tried to keep his voice calm as he answered that yes, he would like that very much.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12 – Kissing You is My New Favorite Thing

Edd, of course, couldn’t sleep.  He lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling with his hands clasped over his chest.  He played every moment of the day over in his head, hardly daring to believe that it had really happened - that Kevin actually liked him back.  Edd was sure his arms were black and blue from pinching himself repeatedly since he got back to his house. 

Those pinches hurt.  That, with the addition of the texts on his phone from Eddy, and a sweet little one from Kevin a few minutes ago that said, “Thinking of you…Can’t wait for tomorrow!”, were all proof that it wasn't a dream.

His excitement and happiness far outweighed his anxieties, though a few anxious thoughts crept into his brain.  His mind was still adjusting to the fact that he liked boys, and it wasn’t an easy thing to come to terms with, though it felt right to him.  Liking Kevin made him happy, but Edd couldn’t fool himself and think that this would be easy.  He was, however, glad that he expressed his worries to Kevin, even though their conversation about it had been short.  Edd may not be experienced with relationships, but he deemed it a necessity to be open and honest with Kevin right from the start.

Edd wasn’t sure why he was so anxious about whether or not the other kids at school found out.  He normally didn’t care what anyone thought of him.  Edd ignored the name-calling,  which thankfully hadn’t happened very often in the last few years.  Edd was a sort of non-entity at the school – rarely noticed by anyone, especially the popular cliques.  He went through his day quietly without making waves.  He participated in after school activities that interested him, namely yearbook, and had few acquaintances other than the Eds.  Mostly he kept to himself.

Edd knew there were other ‘out’ kids at the school, and he also knew that for the most part, they were accepted.  A few narrow-minded fellow students attempted harassment, but that was cut down immediately by not only the school administration, but also the other students.  Peach Creek prided itself on being a progressive and accepting school.

So, Edd lay there, curious as to where his anxiety developed.  He had told Kevin that he was worried about the gap in their social standings.  Edd thought bitterly that yes, should it become known that Edd were gay, he was sure no one would either care or be surprised.  But Kevin Barr?  The most popular guy at the school?  The top jock?  Edd could imagine the shock that would cause.

Not only that, however.  Kevin falling for the biggest nerd in the school?  Impossible.  If Edd could hardly believe it, it would stand to reason that no one else would believe it.  If Kevin were gay, why wouldn’t he go for the best-looking boy in the school?  Or, at least, someone completely opposite of Edd?  Edd had no illusions about himself.  He knew he still looked the same as he did at fifteen, when his growth spurt stopped, leaving him almost half a foot shorter than Kevin.  He was still awkward and tended to trip over his feet with little grace.  He had never worn braces; he still had the gap in his front teeth.  His cheeks still held the baby fat that never seemed to go away, though the rest of his body was too skinny.  What on earth did Kevin see in him?

He figured his anxieties stemmed from that and from the social gap.  Jocks didn’t mess around with nerds – there were strict guidelines in high school.  One didn’t venture out of ones social grouping.  Nerds definitely shouldn’t aspire to reach as high as the most popular kids.  Kevin had a reputation at the school.  Edd was truthful when he told Kevin that it would damage that reputation if it were known they were together, and Edd surely didn’t want Kevin to lose social status.

Kevin also had never been on the receiving end of bullying.  Edd had, and Edd knew how awful and degrading it could be.  He did not want Kevin to experience that.  Edd’s heart hurt from the mere thought of Kevin being a victim. 

Edd realized he was frowning and he sighed.  Kevin had agreed with him about keeping it quiet, so Edd shouldn’t worry so much.  He pushed aside the thought of his parents for the moment.  He would deal with that much later.  They would not be back home until late spring, so he had time to worry about it.  Kevin was the one who had parents to hide it from and Edd wondered how they would do that.

He pressed his fingers against his lips, which still seemed to tingle from their earlier kissing.  The memory immediately brightened his mood and canceled out his angsty thoughts.  He was pleasantly surprised at how nice kissing was – had always wondered how it would feel to be in such an intimate position with someone.  Edd had boundary and personal space issues, and the knowledge that he was quite fine with Kevin within his personal space gave him a lot of encouragement that their relationship would progress nicely along those lines.

That thought made his cheeks warm up, especially as he remembered how quickly his body had responded just to Kevin’s kisses.  Edd knew Kevin would tempt him, but a part of him actually yearned for it.  That surprised him, as he was unaware that he could hold such carnal desires within himself, but Kevin brought out all those suppressed thoughts.

Edd giggled, rolling onto his side into a ball, feeling euphoric.  He, Edd Vincent, spent two hours making out with Kevin Barr on a couch in Kevin’s basement.  Kevin had touched him, held him, kissed him not only on his lips, but also on his face and neck.  Kevin wanted to be his boyfriend.  Wanted Edd to spend the night with him.  Wanted him.  Edd had never been so happy.

Across the street, Kevin’s thoughts ran along the same lines as Edd’s.  At least as far as thinking about how happy he was.  His little dork liked him back and let Kevin take liberties with him of which Kevin barely allowed himself to dream.  Edd had responded to him in a way that made Kevin’s head spin.  Who knew Edd could be so timidly passionate?  Kevin sensed a limit, of course.  He suspected it would take Edd a lot of time to be ready to go further than just kissing, but Kevin could be patient.  Not that Kevin didn’t want it right away, but he would never push Edd into anything his little boyfriend wasn’t ready for.

‘Boyfriend.  I have a boyfriend,’ Kevin thought.  The idea seemed strange in a way, but also so right.  He had been surprised the last few weeks.  Kevin felt he should be more stressed out or depressed about the realization he was gay, but he honestly wasn’t.  Sure, there was the initial shock, but it was as if a puzzle piece that had been missing finally showed up and snapped into place.  Being with Edd felt right.  Being gay felt right.  Answers to many unasked questions of himself came into focus.  He accepted it with a level of calmness.

He frowned slightly as he thought of what he and Edd had briefly discussed – the need to keep this quiet at school for now.  Kevin did agree to an extent, but he honestly didn’t care if anyone knew.  He was proud that Edd was his and he wasn’t concerned about his reputation, though it touched him that Edd cared so much about it.  Edd made him happy and while Kevin could understand what Edd said about how different they were, Kevin actually thought that they fit well together.  All that mattered was that they were happy.

It hurt him that Edd seemed to think he wasn’t good enough for Kevin.  That’s what Kevin surmised from their talk.  Did Edd not know what an amazing guy he was?  Did he not know how much he turned on Kevin?  Kevin had already guessed he had self-esteem issues, but didn’t know how bad the issues were.  Kevin vowed to constantly show Edd how much he liked him. 

Loved him.

Kevin’s eyes widened as that thought floated through his head.  Love?  Was it really that?  This fast?  Kevin wasn’t sure, but the overwhelming sense of affection he felt when he was with Edd, or even just thought of him, was good evidence.  Kevin pushed that aside for the moment.  He should get used to the idea of being in a relationship before he worried about the “Big L” word.

His phone dinged and he looked at the text message, “I am thinking of you too, Kevin.  Today was magical.  Thank you.  Good night.”

Kevin chuckled to himself.  Even texting, Edd used proper grammar and spelling.  It was so endearing to him.  Edd was so cute all the time.  He was just so adorable in every way.  Every time Edd flashed that toothy smile at him, it made Kevin go weak.  He replayed the day in his head, smiling at how nervous he had been the entire day.  Kevin wasn’t used to being nervous, especially over anyone, but he had wanted Edd to like him back so much.  He had never wanted anything more. 

When it seemed that Edd was flirting with him, it had given Kevin a bit of hope, but Edd obviously wasn’t experienced at flirting, so Kevin couldn’t be positive that’s what Edd was doing.  He could have just been acting friendly.  Kevin couldn’t believe that he had confessed to Edd.  He felt as if he had lost his mind, but Kevin knew he couldn’t go on pining after Edd.  The thrill that shot through him when he heard that soft-voiced “I like you too, Kevin,” was the best feeling in the world.  Or it was the best feeling until he finally got his lips on Edd.

He thought again of his responsive boyfriend and how wonderful it felt to hold and kiss him.  To hear the little noises Edd made that were barely audible.  To feel the clinging of thin arms around him and the clutch of fingers on the back of his t-shirt.  The sensation of Edd’s tongue in his mouth as his little boyfriend gained confidence in himself.  All these thoughts and memories of the evening excited him, as thoughts of Edd always did, and Kevin took care of himself, even as he looked forward to the real thing soon.

The next morning Edd woke up when he heard his text notification ding.  It had taken him a long time to fall asleep, so he felt a little groggy as he groped for his phone.  At first he thought it was Eddy and was irritated with his friend for waking him up, though it was a little past eight.  When he was finally able to focus on the phone, his heart gave a little jump. 

          Kevin:   Mornin cutie.  Can’t wait to see u!

Edd felt his cheeks heat up and he couldn’t help but giggle as he fell onto his back, clutching his phone to his chest.  He took a moment to wallow in the warm feeling inhabiting his body before he texted back.

          Edd:  Good morning, Kevin.  I cannot wait to see you!

          Kevin:  I’m gonna kiss you so much

          Edd:  I would hope so.

          Kevin:   LOL…

          Kevin:   I take it you liked it huh?

          Edd:   Kissing you is my new favorite thing.

Edd blushed even more, a little awed at his audacity.  Maybe this flirting thing wasn’t as hard as he thought?

          Kevin:   a;kjdsf;laj;fkjaofj

          Kevin:  Not expecting that

          Kevin:   My new favorite too

          Edd:   :)

          Kevin:   <3

Edd slid out of bed, leaving his phone on his nightstand.  Part of him wanted to hurry and shower and run over to Kevin’s, but he did have a few chores to finish before he did.  He was getting a later start than he normally did on Sundays, but he put in the effort to get most of everything done, including a shower, before noon when he was due to go to Kevin’s.

There were no more texts the rest of the morning until Edd sent a quick one to tell Kevin he was on his way over.  Before he had left the previous day, Edd checked Kevin’s pantry and freezer to see if he had the ingredients for the meal he wanted to make.  Kevin’s mother had a few of the ingredients, but Edd had all of them – it was a favorite recipe of his so he always made sure to stock the groceries for it.  He put the things he needed in a bag, and then went back up to his bathroom to check on how he looked. 

Edd studied himself, wondering again what Kevin saw in him.  Then he shrugged, smiling at his reflection.  If Kevin thought he was cute, he would accept it.  It was to his advantage anyway, he thought, blushing a little.  Edd adjusted his hat, tucked a few strands of hair underneath, looked down at his clothes, and decided he looked perfect for his boyfriend.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13 - I Have Never Been Happier

Edd received a long welcome kiss, as if Kevin hadn’t seen him in months instead of hours.  Edd didn’t even have a chance to take off his coat or set down his tote bag of groceries before Kevin had him in his arms.  It thrilled him to be wanted so much.  A thrill to have something you yourself wanted so much returned. 

“Hi,” Kevin said breathlessly when he finally released Edd.

“That was quite a welcome Kevin,” Edd laughed.

“I missed you.”

“We have only been apart for approximately fourteen hours.”

“That’s fourteen hours too long,” Kevin said, pouting, though his eyes shined with amusement.  “I’ve finally got you and I want to spend every minute with you.”

“I am truly flattered, Kevin,” Edd said, standing on his tiptoes and using a hand to pull Kevin down enough so he could kiss Kevin’s cheek.  “You said your parents would be home at five tonight?”

“Around that time, yeah.”

“Excellent.  Shall we get started, then?”

“Right now?  I can’t kiss on you first?”

Edd giggled, lifting his hand and covering his mouth, “I told you last night, if we get dinner started right away, we shall have plenty of time for kissing before your parents come home.”

Kevin brightened at that, took the bag from Edd’s hand, and waited for his boyfriend to relieve himself of his coat and shoes, then led the way to the kitchen.  It was almost the same scenario as the day before, but everything felt different.

“Are you sure you would like to do all of the cooking, Kevin?” Edd asked as Kevin put the bag gently on the counter and proceeded to take the items out. 

“Of course, Edd.  I mean, I don’t know how to do anything,” he added apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

“That is all right, Kevin.  We all must start somewhere, and this particular spaghetti sauce is an easy recipe.  The most work you will do is chopping onions, so that is a good place to start.”

They spent the next half hour getting the sauce started in a large pot on the stove.  Edd showed Kevin the easiest way to dice onions, brown the meat, and what to add to make it into a sauce.  Edd was impressed at how seriously Kevin took it.  He tried hard, though he was obviously awkward handling the knife, but he did his best with Edd’s help. 

“It doesn’t look like a sauce,” Kevin said doubtfully as he stirred the contents of the pot.

“It will, Kevin.  Trust me.  We added tomato paste, and as it cooks slowly, the water will dissipate and the paste will thicken this into a sauce.  We just have two more things to add and we are done.”

Edd slid the container of oregano and a sugar bowl he spotted next to the coffee pot over to Kevin.  “The recipe calls for a teaspoon of oregano, but I like the flavor that oregano adds, so I put in a very heaping teaspoon.” 

Kevin measured out the oregano, looking at Edd for his nod before dumping it into the pot.

“And now just a teaspoon of sugar.”

“Sugar?  In spaghetti sauce?” Kevin looked confused.

“You need sugar to counteract the acidity of the tomato juice we used.  You generally want to put a little something sweet into all tomato-based sauces in order to cut that acid out.  This sauce will not be sweet at all, but it also will not be very bitter on the tongue.”

“If you say so, Edd,” Kevin said, putting in the sugar.  He gave the pot one more stir, took the spoon out, and rested it on the spoon rest.  “That’s it?”

“That is all, Kevin.  You have made your first dinner!”

Kevin grinned at Edd, traces of pride in his eyes.  “I have?  Wow.  I never thought I could say that.”

“All by yourself, too.  I did not help in any way, except to tell you what to do.”

“Wow,” Kevin repeated, looking into the pot. 

“You will still have to cook the actual spaghetti, but that is the easiest part.  I brought some bread I bought on Friday, as I anticipated making spaghetti for myself today anyway.  That really is all we need for this dinner.  The pasta is quite filling, so we do not need anything else.”

They washed their hands thoroughly, though Kevin wrinkled his nose at the smell of onion lingering on his hands.  “A hazard of cooking with onions,” Edd mentioned, noticing Kevin’s expression as he sniffed his fingers.  “Do you have a lemon, or lemon juice?”

“I don’t know.”

Edd crossed to the fridge and peeked inside, nudging things around.  Kevin watched, amused as Edd acted as if he were in his own kitchen.  It warmed Kevin’s heart that Edd felt comfortable enough to make himself at home in spite of it only being his second time in the house. 

Edd emerged with a small lemon shaped plastic container.  “Aha!  I keep one of these in my fridge too.  Sometimes it does not make sense to buy a whole lemon in order to get a half teaspoon of lemon juice for a recipe.  This is pure lemon juice.”  Edd crossed to Kevin, indicating for Kevin to hold his hands over the sink, which he did.  Edd popped the lid and squirted a decent amount of the juice into Kevin’s palms.  “Scrub together and then wash your hands again.  It should get rid of the worst of it.”

It did help quite a bit, though Kevin could still detect the smell.  He worried that it would be a detriment to their after-cooking activities, but Edd just smiled slyly at him.  Kevin felt his stomach turn inside out as he dried his hands.  He felt shy suddenly, which surprised him.  He knew, now, how Edd felt – there was no reason to be shy.  Kevin reached down to take Edd’s hand.  “So we done in here?”

Edd just nodded, that sly smile still fixed on his lips.

Kevin pulled his hand a little.  “Want to go into the living room and get cozy on the couch?”

“I would like nothing more, Kevin,” Edd answered softly.

There was that stomach flip again, and Kevin grinned back at Edd before turning and pulling Edd from the kitchen into the living room.  They were shy at first as they sat on the couch next to each other.  Even though Kevin had practically attacked Edd when he arrived, it now felt a little awkward being together.  They sat quietly next to each other, holding hands and giving each other quick glances.  Until Kevin laughed softly.

“What is wrong, Kevin?”

“Nothing,” he answered, looking at Edd with a small smile.  “I just – I don’t know what to do.”

“I do not understand.”

“Should we talk a little first, or just get to making out, or…?” Kevin trailed off.

Edd started laughing, a small giggle at first, and he brought his free hand up, clenched in a fist, and pressed it against his mouth.  It didn’t work and his laughter increased to a full belly laugh that, frankly, caused Kevin to frown a little.

“What’s so funny?” he asked in a grumpy tone.

“You are, Kevin.  You are quite amusing to me!” Edd gasped, relaxing his fist to wipe at his eyes.

Kevin pulled his hand from Edd’s so he could cross his arms.  “Nice.”

“Oh, Kevin,” Edd pleaded through his laughter, putting both hands on Kevin’s arms as he turned fully toward him.  “I do not mean to laugh, but this situation is funny.  Do you not see?  Neither of us know what to do, as this is so new to us.  I certainly do not know what to do.  It is the way you phrased it that made me laugh.  You were so shy and serious!”

Kevin felt his lips twitch with wanting to smile, but he kept the frown there because Edd was so endearing the way he was anxiously looking at Kevin with the remnants of laughter in his eyes.

“I like this side of you.  You always seem so confident,” Edd said.  “It reassures me that you are just like me – unsure.  I know that probably does not make sense.  You do not know what it feels like to be insecure…”

Kevin interrupted.  “What are you talking about Edd?  You think I’m not insecure?”

Edd seemed taken aback.  “Well, no, Kevin.  You have always appeared to me to be a self-confident and secure person.  Even when we were children.”

“For a genius, you sure don’t know some things,” Kevin said, though his tone wasn’t harsh and was, in fact, fond.  “I just spent the last two weeks in total mental and emotional agony over you because I was so insecure about myself and my ability to get you to like me.”

The amusement disappeared, replaced by disbelief as Edd’s eyes widened.  “What?”

The smile that was threatening Kevin finally appeared.  “How was some stupid jock like me supposed to get the smartest, nicest, and sweetest guy in the world to like him?  I didn’t think there was any way, even if you liked guys, that you would ever like someone like me.”

Edd blinked a few times, staring stupidly at Kevin.  Kevin didn’t think he was good enough for him?  Edd couldn’t believe that.  All this time over the past couple of weeks, Edd had thought the same.  Yet, Kevin was the perfect one.  At least, perfect in Edd’s eyes.  How could Kevin not think he was good enough for Edd?

Kevin continued, “I was trying to drop hints, trying to flirt with you, trying to find out what you felt, but I couldn’t get anywhere.  I thought either you weren’t interested, or you were just choosing to ignore it because you didn’t want me to think anything like that.  Or you were just being nice.  I don’t know.  It drove me crazy because I liked you so much, but I thought that you just thought of me as a friend.  And I was ok with that – I liked being your friend, but like I said yesterday, I wanted more than that.”

“Why did you not just tell me, Kevin?”

“I couldn’t.  I don’t know why.  I think maybe I didn’t want to ruin things.  I liked getting to know you.  And I don’t know.  I guess, I don’t know if it’s different being gay or not?  I’ve never felt anything for a girl, so I’ve never tried to ask one out.  But with you, I didn’t know if you were gay, so I didn’t want to humiliate myself by asking you out.”

“I did not know I was until you, Kevin,” Edd admitted, his eyes lowering to look at his hands, which still rested on Kevin’s arms.

Kevin stiffened a little.  “What?”

“That I was…you know.  Homosexual.  I did not know.  I became aware of it that Monday when you told me you had a crush on someone.  I thought our conversation about it was odd and I could not figure out why I thought it was.  The more I thought about it that night the more I realized that I wished you meant me.  It was a very difficult night for me,” he said, his eyes now closing.

“Why, Edd?”

“I felt very stupid, Kevin.  How could I not know something so vital about myself?  I thought I had a handle on who I was as a person and now I had discovered something so essential to my identity of which I had never been aware.  At least not on a conscious level.  Once I realized it, I felt as if I had always known.  I could not believe it.  Then I thought about what my parents and the Eds would think and I was so frightened.  What frightened me the most, however, was that it was you.  I had fallen for you, and I knew that it would be unrequited because I believed you to be straight; and even if you were not, I just assumed that you would never think of me in that way.”

“And here I was thinking the same thing,” Kevin murmured.  “I didn’t know either, Edd.  Not until I realized that first weekend after we started working together that I couldn’t get you out of my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about how cute you were, and how sweet and smart and wonderful.”  He grinned, noticing Edd’s uncomfortable blush.  He pulled his left hand out from the crossed position and reached up to caress Edd’s cheek.  “Is that why you were so sad?  That week and the next?”

Edd nodded, then tilted his head to lean into the caress. 

“You liked me all that time and didn’t say anything?” Kevin asked.  When Edd nodded again, Kevin laughed softly and Edd finally opened his eyes to look at him. 

“To be fair, Kevin, you did not say anything either.”

“True, my Edd, true.  We were both stupid, how’s that?”  That got a small smile from Edd.  “But it was two weeks wasted, huh?”

“That it was.”

“I felt heart-broken, Edd, that you were so sad.  I didn’t know why and all I wanted was to make you happy.  I wish I’d have known the reason.  And I’m so sorry you didn’t think I’d ever like you this way.”

“It is okay, Kevin.  I know now and I have never been happier.”

Kevin reached his arms around Edd, pulling the boy close and snuggling him up against his chest.  Edd tucked his head under Kevin’s chin and let himself relax into the embrace.  While he enjoyed kissing Kevin, this was very nice too, and he found himself wanting to stay like this forever.

“So that started on Tuesday, yeah?  After I told you about my crush?  You were sad all week,” Kevin commented and felt Edd nod his head against his chest.  “But you seemed in a better mood on Saturday when we went to the movie.  What changed?”

“I informed the Eds of the situation,” Edd said with a sigh.  “Or rather, Eddy forced me to.”  Edd felt Kevin stiffen a little, so he said soothingly, “It was alright.  I wanted to tell them, I just did not know how to bring it up.  Eddy saved me from having to figure that out.  Eddy is quite observant, especially where Ed and I are concerned, so he had not missed my mood change that week.  He confronted me Saturday morning before you came over and I finally admitted it.”

“It looked like you had been crying, even though you were smiling when I got there.”

“I was crying.  Telling them was the scariest thing I have ever done.  I love Ed and Eddy, Kevin.  They are the two people in this world closest to me.  They know me best and have always been there for me in a way no one ever has.  Well, until now,” he added, squeezing Kevin with the arm he had rested across Kevin’s abdomen.

“Was he a dick to you?”

“No, not at all.  I know how you feel about him, but I think you do not understand him.  I know he is rough around the edges and comes across as an uncaring and selfish person, but he is not.  He and Ed comforted me and reassured me.  I was afraid because I had no idea what either of them thought about homosexuality.  We had never discussed it.  Certainly, neither of them had ever made derogatory remarks about the subject, but I still was unsure if they would want to be my friend after I told them.”  After a moment, Edd chuckled. 

“What?” Kevin asked, rubbing his hand along Edd’s upper arm.

“Maybe I should not tell you this, but I was crying after I told them, and they were both hugging me tight until I calmed down a little.  I could not believe they were so accepting.  I asked if they were not creeped out that I am gay.  Eddy finally made me laugh the first time in a week by saying he was creeped out.  Creeped out that it was you that I liked.”  Kevin made an offended sound and he felt Edd’s held back laughter.  “It did, however, assure me more than anything else Eddy could have said, Kevin.  If he truly were disgusted with me, he would have said nothing and would have just left.  That he could joke about it made me feel so much better.”

“I guess I could see that.  Still…”

Edd was quiet for a few moments.  “Kevin, would you be surprised that Eddy was the most encouraging in your favor?”

Kevin was surprised.  Though the animosity between him and Eddy when they were children had disappeared, he had never considered Eddy as more than an annoying little asshole who hated Kevin back as much as Kevin couldn’t stand him.  “That does surprise me.”

“Yes.  He felt it was me on whom you had a crush.  He worked hard to convince me, to give me encouragement in pursuing you, and to never give up hope.  I was not convinced, of course, but he tried.  He made me feel so much more positive, as well, and I suppose he did give me a little hope.  I am glad he was right.  I should have trusted his judgment.”

“To be fair, Edd, Eddy has not always had the best judgment of the three of you.”

Edd laughed.  “Oh, I know Eddy was…misguided…when we were younger.”  Kevin chuckled at the descriptive.  “He is not like that now.  At least not much.  He is a very good friend.”

“If you say so,” Kevin said, squeezing Edd tightly. 

“I do, Kevin.  You and Eddy are quite similar and I think that if you put your past aside you might become good friends.”

Kevin laughed.  “I don’t know about that, Edd, but I’ll try my best and play nice if you want.”  They were quiet for a few minutes before Kevin spoke up again.  “So you were all right on Saturday but when I came over on Sunday you seemed sad again.”

Edd sighed.  “Yes, I was.  You had broken my heart.”

“What?” Kevin said, a little alarmed though they were now together.  “How did I do that?”

“I saw Nazz leaving your house Sunday morning.  I saw you kiss her.”

Kevin thought about that morning.  Nazz was at his house that day – he had come out to her.  Had he kissed her?  Then he remembered.  A long hug on the porch then he kissed her forehead.  “You thought we had gotten together.”  It was more a statement than a question.

Edd answered, “Yes.  I assumed you had a crush on Nazz, especially after you told me that it was complicated.  What could be more complicated than being in love with your best friend?  I could see, logically, that you would be in a difficult position if it were Nazz.”

“That makes sense.  But Edd, I just kissed her on the forehead.  It’s not like we made out on the porch.”

“I know, Kevin.  Eddy and Ed pointed that out to me on Wednesday.  However, until then, I was waiting for you to tell me that you had succeeded with your objective and obtained the heart of your crush.”

“My poor, sweet Edd.  I’m sorry you had to go through that.  Is that why you were in a better mood on Wednesday?”

“Of course, Kevin.  I still did not believe that you were attracted to me, but it did give me a little bit of hope.”

“You didn’t suspect anything when I asked you over on Saturday?”

“I did not.  Eddy did.  He was excited for me and tried to convince me that something would happen on Saturday.”  After a few moments, Edd said in a small voice, “It actually frightened me.”

“Frightened you?”

“I should rather say made me nervous.  While I still did not think anything would happen, I was nervous that it would.”

“Why were you nervous Edd?” Kevin asked gently.

“I was worried something would happen, and worried that something would not.  I am sure you have guessed this, Kevin, but I have no experience with this sort of thing – with relationships.  I was not sure what I was supposed to do should you, as Eddy said you would, put the moves on me.”  Kevin chuckled at that.  “Eddy suggested I flirt with you, but I do not know how to do that.  I sat on the couch wondering if I should say or do something myself.  I wanted to so much, but could not bring myself to do so.  Yet I was also worried how I would react should you do something.  I lived through much anxiety yesterday.  I had never kissed anyone or even held hands, so if you did want to do those things, I was sure I would disappoint you.”

Kevin bent his head and kissed the top of Edd’s, or rather his hat.  “You most certainly did not disappoint me, my Edd.  I told Nazz you were an amazing kisser.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.  And you were.  I’ve had girls kiss me before and I felt nothing.  One kiss from you and I saw all that romantic movie stuff – fireworks and bells ringing, and I felt my body heat right up.”  Then Kevin grinned and had an urge to tease his boyfriend.  “I’ve never experienced anything so erotic in my life.”

“Kevin!” Edd gasped and Kevin didn’t even have to see him to know Edd was probably bright red.  His hand at least moved from around Kevin to cover his face.

“It’s true.  It was amazing.  You shouldn’t doubt yourself or your abilities!” Kevin said, laughing.  He pulled Edd up so that he could see his face, though the boy did his best to hide it.  “I guess we did end up talking first, huh?  But how about we get to that kissing part?  Especially now that I know how good you are.”

In spite of his embarrassment, Edd happily complied.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14 – I’m Happy We Got Together

Edd unwrapped himself from Kevin’s hold and scooted away from his boyfriend.  He had glanced at the time displayed on the cable box under the television and saw that it was nearly four.  He ignored Kevin’s protest as he straightened up on the couch and yanked his clothes back into place.  Kevin apparently had wandering hands.

The pair had spent the last few hours cuddled together in the living room.  They kissed and snuggled, talked and opened their hearts to each other.  For his part, Kevin never knew he could talk so easily to anyone the way he was able to talk to Edd.  He was able to laugh with Edd over their misunderstandings and Kevin felt much better now that they had talked it out.

Edd also was surprised at himself.  He was a little hesitant about showing Kevin physical affection.  He wasn’t opposed to it by any means, but he was not used to being the object of someone’s attention the way Kevin focused on him.  The kissing was nice.  He very much enjoyed it, but his senses were quickly overwhelmed and he had to get Kevin to stop often in order to collect himself.  Kevin seemed patient and Edd was grateful for that.  Besides, while the kissing was wonderful, it felt equally wonderful to be held in Kevin’s arms with his head on Kevin’s chest.

“What are you doing, Edd?” Kevin asked.

“You said your parents may be home around five tonight, correct?”  Kevin nodded.  “I thought it might be best that we were not caught in a compromising position when they arrived.  If they came home early, this would be very awkward.”

Kevin had to agree, though he hated giving up their closeness.  Holding his little boyfriend in his arms felt so right.  He leaned forward and kissed Edd quickly.  “Okay, genius,” he agreed.  “As much as I hate to stop this, you’re right.  What should we do to look like innocent teenagers?”

Edd laughed.  “Well, do you have any homework?”

“Nah, I finished it Friday,” Kevin answered.  “Oh.  Hang on a minute.  There is something I wanted to do with you.”  He jumped up and hurried out of the living room.  When he returned, he was holding a large book in his hands.  “This is my Dad’s.  I think it’s similar to what you were reading the other day,” he said as he stood in front of Edd and held out the book.

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare?” Edd murmured, reading the title as he gently cradled the book in his hands.  He looked up at Kevin curiously.  “Shakespeare?”

“You were reading that play the other day,” Kevin said.  “You said you’d help me read some Shakespeare.  Want to do that now?  We can read that play you said was so funny.”

The answering smile on Edd’s face was beautiful to see.  “I would love to read Shakespeare with you, Kevin,” he said.

“I think Mom and Dad are home,” Kevin said quietly.  It was nearly five-thirty and he and Edd were sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, close together as they hunched over the open book on the counter.  Kevin had found that the play was pretty humorous, especially since he had Edd there to explain some of the terms to him.  He was surprised at how easy it was to understand, even without Edd’s explanations, though he did love to hear Edd talk about it. 

They scooted apart a little, though not too much.  They heard the slamming of both car doors, then a few moments later that of the trunk slamming closed.  Edd swallowed nervously and Kevin kissed him quickly on the cheek.  “Don’t be nervous.”

“I shall try, Kevin,” Edd said faintly.

The door opened and Kevin’s parents came in.  “Oh my, this smells heavenly!” his mother exclaimed as she tossed her purse on the counter.  “When you texted that you were making dinner, sweetheart, I had no idea you were actually making dinner.”

Kevin laughed, “Hey, Mom.  Gee, thanks.  You don’t think I’m a gourmet cook?”

“Not before today,” she replied, her curious eyes darting to Edd, who sat up straighter on his chair.  “Hello Eddward,” she greeted him.  “It is nice to see you.  Again.”

“Likewise, Mrs. Barr,” he said politely, though with a somewhat nervous smile at the pretty woman. 

“Hello, Eddward,” Kevin’s father piped up as he lugged a suitcase through the door into the house. 

“Mr. Barr,” Edd said.

“Please, call me Pete.  None of this 'Mr.' business for Kev’s friends,” the older man said cheerfully as he kicked the suitcase along the floor.

“Um, yes, Pete,” Edd said a little self-consciously at being asked to call an adult by his first name.

“I got that Dad,” Kevin said, jumping up and hurrying over to help his father. 

“And please call me Sylvie,” Kevin’s mother said kindly, smiling at Edd across the breakfast bar.  Kevin disappeared with the suitcase, leaving Edd alone with his parents.

“I shall, Sylvie.  Please call me Edd.  I do not mind the less formal version of my name.”

“What were you boys doing?” she asked, looking down at the book.

“Just reading,” he answered, placing a hand atop the pages.  “Kevin found your book on Shakespeare’s works,” he continued, glancing at Pete.

“You got Kev to read Shakespeare?” Pete asked.  “Wow.  Never thought anyone’d do that!”

“And you got Kevin to cook, Edd?” Sylvie asked and Edd’s eyes nervously darted back to her.  Kevin looked almost like a carbon copy of his father, but he had his mother’s coloring.  The ivory skin, the red hair, the freckles, the eyes.  It was all his mother.  Edd guessed at Irish heritage, if her looks were anything to go by.

“He wanted to,” Edd said, smiling.  “He asked if I would show him something, so I picked this.  It is a fairly easy recipe for someone who has never cooked before.”

“Well, I can’t wait.  It smells delicious.  What is it?”

“Spaghetti with a meat sauce.  It is not a true marinara or bolognese, but it is a delicious sauce.  I hope that you enjoy it.”

“I’m sure we will,” Pete said as Kevin came back into the kitchen.

“Should I get the pasta cooking, Edd?” he asked.

Pete and Sylvie left the room to go unpack, smiling back at the two boys who moved to the stove to complete dinner preparations.

“Edd, this looks delicious,” Sylvie praised him as they sat down at the table.

“Kevin is the one to thank.  I just supervised.  He did all of the work,” Edd said modestly.

Pete looked at his son with a grin.  “Well Kev, it does look good.”

“Thanks Dad!”

They all served themselves and settled in to eat, both of Kevin’s parents praising the dinner highly.  “Looks as if Kev’s going to be cooking dinner from now on!” Pete joked, smiling at his wife.  “Kid has some talent!”

“Only if Edd is here to teach me,” Kevin said, grinning at Edd, who blushed with pleasure.

“I will show you how to cook anything you would like, Kevin,” he promised.

“No more take out, then Sylvie,” Pete said.

“Well, I think we’ll have to during baseball season, Dad.  I won’t be home until after you guys.”

“Ah, that’s right.  Well, we have a couple of months of good eating until then.  So, Edd, you’re a senior too?”

“Yes, sir,” Edd responded politely.

Pete chuckled, “It’s ok to call me Pete.  Don’t make me feel old with this ‘Sir’ stuff.”

Edd nodded, “I am sorry.  Pete.”

“So you got a college picked out?  Kev’s told us you’re a pretty brainy kid.  I wouldn’t imagine you’d be skipping out on a degree.”

Edd shook his head.  “Oh no.  I have not chosen my college yet, but I have it narrowed down to five that have both accepted me and offered a full scholarship.”

“Academic scholarship?” Pete asked, then whistled when Edd nodded.  Kevin listened with interest, because he and Edd hadn’t yet talked about after high school plans.  “Which schools are you picking from?”

“Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, and the University of Maryland,” Edd answered.

Kevin and his parents gaped at Edd after he has listed off those schools.  Edd noticed their stares and poked at his spaghetti a little nervously. 

“Those are some top rate schools, Edd,” Kevin’s father said in an impressed tone.  “They all offered you a full ride?”

“Yes, they have.  My choice is not easy, because all of them are good for my chosen field, however all of them offer Masters and Doctoral degrees in what I want to do, so I will go to one for my undergraduate work and then go to another for post-graduate.  While Stanford is a good school, I am not sure I want to move that far away.  I think Harvard or Columbia or Yale would be good for post-graduate study, so I am leaning toward the University of Maryland for my undergraduate degree.  I enjoyed the campus when I visited last summer.”

Kevin looked down at his plate a little overawed.  He knew Edd was a genius, but he realized what it would mean to get involved with such a brain.  Edd was going to go places, and Kevin, whose ambitions were much lower, would not be able to keep up.

“What do you plan on studying?” Sylvie asked.

Edd’s eyes turned to Kevin’s mother, who didn’t intimidate him as much as Kevin’s father.  “Astrophysics.  If I attend Maryland I will probably double major in Astronomy and Physics, as they do not have a specific degree for Astrophysics.  Once I move to post-graduate, then I can pursue what I would like.”

She smiled at him.  “My, Edd, what do you plan to do after you get your degrees?”

“I would like to be a teacher,” Edd said.  “I have always enjoyed working with other students when I have tutored.”  With that he smiled across at Kevin.  “Depending on where I end up as a teacher, I should also be able to conduct my own research into areas that interest me in Astrophysics.”

“You’d be a great teacher, Edd,” Kevin interjected.  “You explain things in a way that’s easy to understand.”

“I try,” Edd said modestly.  He looked at Kevin and asked curiously, “Do you have plans for college, Kevin?  I do not think you have expressed your career aspirations to me.”

“Nothing as grand as yours, Double D,” Kevin said, and Edd wondered at his subdued tone.  “I always thought I'd just go to the community college here. But I’ve got some schools interested in me for baseball.  As for what I’ll study?”  Kevin shrugged.  “Probably mechanics or something like that.  I like working on cars.”

“Mechanical Engineering would be an excellent program of study, Kevin,” Edd suggested.

Kevin laughed, though without a lot of humor, as he rubbed his neck, “Oh, I’m not smart enough for engineering.  I just meant fixing cars or something like that.”

“You are smart enough for engineering, Kevin,” Edd argued.  “When you apply yourself, you do really well at school.  Look at how much you improved your geometry grade just by working hard.  I think you could succeed in a program such as mechanical engineering.  Then you would be designing engines, not just fixing them.”

Kevin's parents looked at each other during this exchange.  They had always encouraged Kevin to do better at school and they both believed he had a lot of potential.  Kevin just never believed that about himself.  Whenever he thought about the future, he always pictured himself as a mechanic in a garage or something similar.  He did love working on his bike and would help neighbors by tinkering with their cars.  While his parents would have been proud of him for being a mechanic, this new friend of Kevin’s expressed exactly what they both felt.

Kevin looked embarrassed and shrugged.  “That grade went up because of you, Double D.”

“I showed you ways to understand the material, Kevin.  I did not learn it for you, nor did I take the test for you.  That was all you.”

Pete spoke up, “Well there you go, Kev.  Make sure to either go to the same school as Edd, or nearby.  He can help you whenever you need and pretty soon, you’ll be mechanical engineering with the best of them!”

Edd nodded, “Of course, I will always be here to help you Kevin, though I honestly do not think you would need much help.”

Kevin’s parents looked at each other with small smiles.

“Thanks, Edd,” Kevin said as he and Edd stood at the front door.  “Thanks for helping me make dinner.  You made a great impression on my parents.”

Edd grinned his gap-toothed grin, which made Kevin almost groan in frustration as he wanted to kiss Edd badly.  “I am glad of that, Kevin.  Your parents are very kind.  And I want them to like me.  As we are now in a relationship, getting along with your family is a high priority for me.  I just hope that when they learn about us, that they will not turn against me.”

Kevin sighed, because he hoped that too.  “Mom should be okay with it.  It’s Dad I’m a little worried about.  He’s very proud of the fact that I’m good at sports and all that.  He might be disappointed.”

Edd touched Kevin’s arm.  “Your father obviously loves you, Kevin.  I think he will love you no matter what, but I understand what you mean.”  After a moment, Edd, who Kevin was beginning to find out had a pretty wicked sense of humor, said, “At least he wants us at college together.  If he only knew that would encourage us in our relationship and surely would move us quickly to, as they say, shacking up.”

Kevin had to laugh.  “Oh, I wouldn’t mind ‘shacking up’ with you, my little dweeb, but we can talk about that, and college, later.  I actually would like to be close to wherever you go,” Kevin said, his laugh settling into a smile.  “Now I’ve got you, I don’t want to let you go.”

“That would be tragic in my own opinion Kevin.  I would not like to be away from you for an extended period of time.”

Kevin looked over his shoulder and, seeing his parents weren’t around, he leaned down for a lingering kiss, to which Edd enthusiastically responded.  Kevin reached up a hand and pressed his palm against Edd’s cheek.  “I’m sorry this weekend is ending,” he said softly.  “But I’m happy we got together.”

“I am, too, Kevin,” Edd replied.  “This has been the happiest weekend of my life.  Thank you for making it so wonderful.”

Kevin pulled his hand away and reached behind Edd to open the door.  “See you tomorrow.”

Kevin made sure Edd made it to his house safely before he closed the door, turned, and leaned back against it.  He still had trouble believing this weekend had happened.  Just twenty-four hours ago, Kevin was watching movies with Edd, completely convinced that his little dork didn’t like him.  Now he had a boyfriend, who spent the previous evening making out with Kevin on his couch, came over today to help Kevin make dinner, and had completely charmed Kevin’s parents.

He sighed.  While on one hand Kevin was thrilled that Edd had made such a good impression on his parents, he still quaked inside thinking about how they would react when, if ever, Kevin told them the truth about him and Edd.  Now was definitely not the time – he wasn’t ready.  It was hard enough to come out to Nazz. 

Kevin pushed himself away from the door and went into the kitchen to finish clean up.  He first went over to the counter and closed the book he and Edd had been reading together.  Kevin smiled down at it, running his fingers over the cover gently, as he thought about how beautiful Edd sounded explaining the play to him.

“Edd seems like such a nice boy!” his mother’s voice startled him as she walked into the kitchen.

Kevin cursed the blush that automatically came to his cheeks, as if he’d been caught doing something wrong.  “Uh, yeah, Mom.  He’s great.”

“Well, he got you to cook, young man.  That, in and of itself, is an amazing feat!” she teased.

Kevin laughed, “True.  I asked him to help me.  I wanted to do something nice for you and Dad.”

Sylvie smiled, hugging her son.  “How did I get such a nice boy myself?”

Kevin rolled his eyes, hugging his mother back.  “You lucked out, I guess Mom.”

“I’ll finish in here, darling,” she offered, letting him go and going around the breakfast bar to finish putting dishes in the dishwasher.

“You sure, Mom?  I don’t mind.”

She waved her hand at him, “No dear, it’s okay.”

Instead of leaving, he sat at the breakfast bar and opened the book again.  Kevin thought about going over what he and Edd had read that afternoon to see if it was any clearer.  He flipped the pages to the first act and started reading until his mother spoke up.

“Edd really is a nice, polite boy.”

Kevin roused himself and glanced at his mom, who was bent over to place a pot in the dishwasher.  “You said that already Mom,” he said with a grin.

“I know.  I’m just repeating it.  He always was such a nice boy, though.  At least what I remember about him when you were kids.”  She laughed to herself.   “Oh, he was a little harum-scarum as a child, running about with those other Eds, but I always felt his heart was in the right place.  I often felt sorry for him that his parents were always working and were never around.”

“Yeah, but Edd’s pretty adjusted to it.  They’re never around now, they work for some volunteer agency and are out of the country right now,” Kevin told her.

“Such a pity.  You would never know, he seems so happy,” she said.  She was silent for a few minutes, so Kevin glanced back down at his book, but was startled when she spoke again, though her attention seemed to be on starting the dishwasher.  “We’re happy you found someone so nice.”

Kevin stared at her as she worked, frozen at the way she phrased it.  Was she hinting that she knew?  “Um, yeah, Mom,” he said slowly, unsure of how to handle this.  “I’m glad we became friends again.”

His mother dried her hands off on a towel and folded it neatly again to hang on one of the drawer pulls, before turning and resting her hands on the breakfast bar opposite her son.  “You can be honest with me, my love.”

Kevin couldn’t read her expression; it was neutral.  His mouth went dry and he found he had no idea what to say, so he repeated blankly, “Honest?”

“About Edd, dear.”

“What about him?”

Sylvie tilted her head, her lips twisting into a wry smile.  “Don’t be coy, Kevin.  I’m not blind, nor am I stupid.  If you are in a relationship with Eddward, just tell me.”

Kevin couldn’t respond, nor could he take his eyes from his mother’s.  He was in no way prepared to tell his parents.  He pictured this conversation taking place in the distant future, after he and Edd had been together for a while and after he had become used to the idea of being gay himself.  This was all still so new to him that he had hoped to leave coming out to his parents for later.

His mother leaned on the countertop, reaching across it to put her hands in Kevin’s on top of the book he had been reading.  She smiled even as Kevin looked down at their hands.  “Mom…” he said faintly.

“Kevin, honey, it’s okay,” Sylvie said softly.  “Don’t be afraid to tell me.  Are you and Edd in a relationship?”

Kevin was breathing shallowly and he closed his mouth to swallow.  It was a few moments before he could look back up into his mother’s eyes.  It took everything he had in him to say, “Yes.”

His mother looked relieved and her smile deepened.  “Was that so very hard to say to me, my love?”

Kevin pulled his hands away from Sylvie’s and, with his elbows propped on the counter, covered his face, his fingertips pressing into his forehead.  “You know it was Mom.”

Sylvie straightened up and came around the breakfast bar to Kevin, leaning close and wrapping her arms around him.  “I know, sweetheart, I know.”

“How did you know?” he muttered through his hands.

“We’ve known for a long time Kevin.  Well,” she said, a little more matter-of-factly, “not about you and Edd, but about you.”

“Dad too?”

“Yes, your father too.”

“You’re not…you don’t….” he tried to come up with the right way to phrase it.  “You’re not disappointed in me?”  Kevin cringed at how pathetic his voice sounded.

“Oh, Kevin, honey, no!  How could you think that?” Sylvie cried, hugging him tighter.

He lifted his head, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.  “Oh, I don’t know Mom.  It’s not something most parents want to hear about their kid,” he said bitterly.

Sylvie let go of him.  “Kevin,” she said sternly. 

Kevin sighed, “I’m sorry, Mom.”  He thought for a moment, then turned in his seat to look at his mother.  “You said you’ve known for a long time?” he asked, then continued when she nodded.  “Well, I haven’t.  I just figured this out about myself and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

Sylvie reached up her free hand to smooth Kevin’s longish bangs away from his eyes.  “You didn’t know yourself?”

He shook his head, “No, I didn’t.  This has been really hard.  I’m not upset or anything, but it’s still new to me.  And I wasn’t sure that I wanted you and Dad to know.”

“Well, honey, I can understand that.  When did you and Eddward, how do you kids say it nowadays?  Hook up?”

This got him to laugh, though he was still feeling a little awkward.  “Yesterday, Mom.”

“Oh my goodness!” she said, patting his cheek.  “You haven’t been together long at all.  I thought you might have used the house all weekend for a love fest.”

“No!”

His mother actually giggled.  “A missed opportunity, Kevin.”

“Mom!” Kevin said, blushing to the roots of his hair.  “I told him I liked him yesterday, he said he liked me and we kissed.  That’s it!”

Sylvie leaned in to him and put her arms around him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, reveling in the comfort of his mother’s love.  Kevin felt a sense of relief in a way, knowing he didn’t have to worry about his parents finding out, though he still wasn’t happy to have to come out to them so quickly. 

Kevin heard his father come into the room and his fear heightened a little, though his mother had indicated that both she and his father knew. 

“Everything ok?” Pete asked, looking at his wife holding their son, whose face was turned away and hidden from him.

“Everything is fine, Peter,” Sylvie said softly. 

Pete came closer to them, awkwardly putting his hand on Kevin’s back.  “We love you no matter what, Kev.  Don’t ever forget that.  Edd seems like a great kid.  We’re happy for you.”

Kevin let go of his mother and turned his worried eyes to his father.  Then he looked back and forth between the two of them and they both looked back at him with love.  Then both of his parents hugged him.  He felt smothered and felt the sting of tears in his eyes.  “You’re the best parents a guy could hope for.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 15 - Edd is Worth It

Eddy arrived early to pick up Edd for school.  Eddy had texted him the day before warning him that he was getting picked up early on Monday, which Edd assumed meant that Eddy wanted to hear all about the weekend.  Edd was looking forward to telling his closest friends about his happy news, so when Eddy’s car pulled into the driveway, he rushed out, barely remembering to lock his own house up in his eagerness to get to his friends.

The air was biting cold, which made Edd welcome the warmth of the car that much more.  He settled into the back seat with his usual “Greetings, Eddy.  Greetings, Ed” chiming into the quiet car.  The quiet was not normal, as Eddy usually had the music up loud, claiming that it helped to wake him up for the school day.  Instead, Edd looked up to see both Eddy’s and Ed’s eyes peering at him over their respective headrests.

“Good morning, Double D,” Eddy said, barely keeping the amusement from his voice.  “Have a good weekend?”

“You know he did, Eddy,” Ed said as he looked at Eddy strangely.  “Double D and Kevin like each other.”

Eddy rolled his eyes.  “I know that Lumpy,” he said in an irritated voice.  “I’m asking him to tell us all about it.  That’s why we’re here early.”  Eddy turned in annoyance and backed the car up.  “Alright, spill the beans, Double D.  Tell us everything that happened.”

It took so long for Edd to relate the events of the monumental weekend that they found themselves parked in the school parking lot long before Edd had finished.  Eddy kept the car running for the warmth as he and Ed listened to Edd’s story.  “So what?  You guys are boyfriends now?” Eddy asked.

Edd’s cheeks turned pink.  “Yes Eddy, he asked me if I would be his boyfriend and I said yes.”

“I’m so happy for you Double D!” Ed said, hanging over the back of the front seat and grinning at his friend.

“Thank you, Ed.”

Eddy took a deep breath and shook his head.

“Eddy?” Edd asked, looking at him apprehensively.  He knew how Eddy felt about Kevin.  “I-I know you are not a fan of Kevin…” he began.

“Edd,” Eddy interrupted him with an annoyed glance.  “Are you happy?  That’s all I care about.”

Edd smiled.  “I am happy, Eddy.  I do not think I have ever been this happy,” he said softly, looking down at his hands. 

“That’s good enough for me, Double D,” Eddy said and Edd could tell he was sincere.

“Also, my friends, we do not want anyone else to know.  Kevin and I agreed on that.  We only want you two, Nazz, and Rolf to know.  So please do not indicate our relationship to anyone here at school,” Edd requested anxiously, looking between his two friends.

“You know I won’t say anything, Double D,” Eddy promised, then punched Ed on his arm.  “You hear that Lumpy?  You do not say anything about Kevin and Edd, you got it?”

“Yeah Eddy, I got it,” he said, rubbing his arm as he laughed.  “Kevin and Double D.  We can only talk about them when it’s just us, huh, Eddy?”

“That’s right.  If you say anything about them to anyone but me, Nazz or Rolf, you’ll make Edd cry, okay?  Do you want that?”

“No, Eddy!  No!  I would never make Double D cry!”

“Eddy,” Edd remonstrated, “that is a little extreme.”

“No, it’s not Double D.  I just want Ed to know how serious it is that he doesn’t say anything.”

A few minutes after Eddy left Edd’s, Nazz had picked up Kevin in her own car.  She didn’t ask him anything as she drove over to Rolf’s and waited for the son of a shepherd to join them.  She was dying to hear the whole story, but she had to be fair to Rolf, who was equally eager to hear everything. 

The moment Rolf closed the door, Nazz said, “Alright Kev, spill it!  Tell us everything!”

“Yes Kev-boy, Rolf’s ears are wanting to hear all about the love affair of you and the nice brainy Edd-boy!” Rolf said, leaning forward over the back of the front seats.

Kevin held up his hands, laughing.  “Whoa, we’re not at the love stage yet!” he protested.  “You guys, I can’t believe this weekend happened!”  And with that, he used the ride to school to tell his friends all about how he sang to Edd; how Edd liked it, but didn’t know the song was for him; how Kevin confessed how he felt; how Edd said he liked Kevin too - just everything.  Even how his parents said they knew and how they spent Sunday.

“You said Double D’s a good kisser?” Nazz asked teasingly, getting Kevin to blush even as he laughed. 

“He is, Nazz.  He said he’d never kissed before, but he must be a fast learner.  I had no complaints.”

“This is good for you, Kev-boy.  Rolf is happy that Kev-boy has finally found a mate.  Especially such a nice boy too,” Rolf said.

By now they had parked in the school parking lot.  Kevin noticed Eddy’s car at the other end of the lot, still running, and he imagined that Edd was in there telling his own friends all about his weekend and that made his heart feel full.  “Thanks you guys,” Kevin said, looking at each of them.  Both were smiling happily at him, which then made his heart feel like it was overflowing.  “Just one thing, though.  Edd and I agreed to keep it secret for now.  We’re just telling you two and the Eds.”

“You think Ed will keep it quiet?” Nazz asked with a slight frown.  “I know his understanding is…” Nazz trailed off. 

Kevin understood her concern.  “Edd is pretty confident he can trust Ed.  I honestly don’t think that Ed would do anything to hurt Double D.  Apparently Ed knew that Double D liked me and he never said anything to me, so I guess I can trust him, too.”

“If he does say something?” Nazz asked.

Kevin looked forward for a moment, then turned back to Nazz.  “I guess everyone knows, and we’ll deal with it then,” he said, hoping his voice sounded confident.

Nazz reached over and took his hand, squeezing it.  “And we’ll be right there by your side when you do come out, Kev,” she promised.

Rolf put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder.  “Nazz-girl is right, Kev-boy.  Rolf and Nazz will always be here for you.”

“Thanks guys,” he said.  He saw Edd and his friends get out of Eddy’s car and head into the school.  He had to smile because Edd looked so happy.  He then turned his attention to Nazz.  “And don’t you have a story for us?”

Nazz’s cheeks darkened, though her eyes portrayed her amusement.  “Ah yes, Nazz-girl.  You had a date with the loud Eddy-boy, eh?  Tell Rolf and Kev-boy about it,” Rolf requested.

“I had a great time,” Nazz said.  “I know I was a little apprehensive about it, but it was really nice.”

“He wasn’t an annoying little dork?” Kevin asked, grinning at her.

She shook her head.  “Look, Kev, I know you think horribly about him, but he was a perfect gentleman.  And so shy!” she said, laughing.  “It was really sweet how hard he tried, and once the ice kind of broke, we talked a lot.”

“Wow, Nazz.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were falling for Eddy,” Kevin said.

She shrugged.  “I don’t know if I’ve actually fallen for him, but I could see that happening,” she said seriously.  “He came over Sunday and hung out all day.  Watched movies with me and my little brother, had dinner with my parents.  We’re going out next weekend, too, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Kevin was surprised.  He hadn’t expected an Eddy and Nazz date to go well, but then, he didn’t have a great opinion of Eddy. 

“That is good, Nazz-girl.  Rolf is happy his friends are successful in their mating rituals!”

Kevin didn’t see Edd for most of the day at school, so keeping their relationship a secret didn’t put too much stress on either of them.  He and Edd didn’t have classes together, as Edd was in all AP classes.  It also seemed like none of their classes were anywhere near each other, because Kevin only glimpsed Edd once as he passed by, walking with Eddy to his second period class.  They contented themselves with a smile for each other.

Kevin sat with Nazz and Rolf at their normal table at lunch, joined by some of the baseball team and cheerleaders.  Kevin ignored one of Nazz’s friends – he couldn’t remember her name – who flirted with him.  He concentrated on eating his lunch and keeping his eye on Edd, who was sitting across the cafeteria at a table with the other Eds, Jonny, and Plank.  Kevin had to work to not smile too much as he watched Edd, who kept looking up and catching Kevin’s eye.

When Edd got up to leave, saying his goodbyes to his friends, Kevin stood up too.  He told Nazz that he had to get to class early to ask about some extra credit and he said it loud enough for the others to hear.  He bussed his tray and followed Edd out, trailing behind his boyfriend as Edd went down the hall to his locker.  He waited until Edd opened it to get the books for his next class to approach him and lean against the locker next to Edd’s.

“Hey, Double D.”

Edd looked around his locker door and smiled at Kevin.  “Greetings, Kevin.  It is nice to see you today.”

“It’s just as nice to see you, Edd,” Kevin said in a low tone, though there was no one around them.  He ached to kiss Edd, especially as he was giving him that smile. 

“How has your day been, Kevin?”

“Good, Edd, good.  I got my history paper back and got an A minus on it.”

“That is excellent, Kevin!” Edd said enthusiastically, even as he placed the books for his next two classes into his messenger bag.  “I am so proud of you.  I know how hard you worked on the essay.”

“Thanks, Edd,” Kevin said, pleased he was able to give this news to him.  “How’d your test go?”

“My chemistry exam was just fine, Kevin.  At least I feel confident about it, in spite of not getting much time to study for it this weekend,” he replied, a slight blush coming into his cheeks.

Kevin laughed, “Yeah, I didn’t leave you too much time, did I?”

“I did not object, Kevin, to how I spent my time.”

“Neither did I.”

“Do not forget, Kevin, that I have yearbook today after school, so I will not be able to work with you until later.  I should be done with that by three p.m. and should be home around three-thirty, as usual.”

“How about you come over to my house when you’re done?” Kevin asked.  “I’m sure Mom and Dad wouldn’t mind you staying for dinner.  I can text them to get something for you.”

“Are you sure your parents will not mind?” Edd asked a little apprehensively.  Kevin had called him the previous evening just after Edd had gotten into bed.  He told Edd that his parents knew, that his mother had point blank asked him about their relationship, and that he couldn’t lie to them.  Kevin had even cried a little and Edd wanted so much to run back across the street to Kevin so that he could comfort him.

“No, they won’t.  Mom and Dad are happy we’re together.  I mean, it’ll probably be a little awkward for everyone, but we have to face it sometime and it might as well be now.”

Edd nodded, thinking carefully.  “I would like that, Kevin,” he said, though he was still feeling a little nervous about it. 

“I’m not sure what Mom’s picking up for takeout, but I can text you later and see what you want?”

“Takeout?”

“Yeah.  Mom and Dad work, so we usually get takeout during the week.”

Edd chewed on his lower lip for a moment.  “Would you like to make them dinner again?” he asked.  “I know many recipes that could be made in only a couple of hours.  We could make something for them.”

Kevin’s expression brightened.  “Really?  You’d do that?”

“Of course, Kevin.  I enjoyed helping you yesterday, and I would love to cook for your parents again.  Or rather,” he said, shutting his locker door and spinning his lock.  Kevin walked with him down the hall.  “Instruct you in making the dinner.”

They weaved through the other students as the halls had started to fill up with kids leaving the cafeteria to make their way to their first post-lunch class.  “Ah, Double D you’re the best,” Kevin said.  He noticed one of his friends from the basketball team give him a strange look as he walked by – or was it just his imagination? 

Edd asked quietly, so as not to let others hear him, “Will it be all right if I text you some ingredients to pick up after school once I figure out a dish to make?”

“Of course, Double D,” Kevin said.  “Oh, and Edd?”

“Yes Kevin?”

Kevin dropped his voice low and leaned slightly closer to the smaller boy.  “I want to take you out this weekend.  On an actual date.  If you want, that is.”

Edd’s cheeks pinked up again and he smiled.  “I would like that very much, Kevin.  What would you like to do?”

“Don’t you worry about it.  I’ll plan something special for us, okay?” 

Edd just nodded.

“I can’t wait!” Kevin said, giving him a small wave as they came to the intersection where they would part.  “See you later!”

“Goodbye Kevin.”

“Do you mind stopping at the store for me Nazz?” Kevin asked as they got into Nazz’s car with Rolf after school.  “I need to pick up a couple of things.  I won’t be more than five minutes.”

“Sure, Kev,” Nazz agreed.  “What do you need?”

“Edd’s helping me make dinner again, so he sent me a few things to pick up.”

“How sweet,” she murmured.  “Not a prob, Kev.  We can stop real quick.”

After the store, Nazz dropped off Rolf, then Kevin.  Kevin ran into the house, put the chicken Edd had requested he get into the fridge, and looked at the time.  It was only two-thirty and he had something he needed to do and he figured he could get it done before Edd came home.  He went back out his front door, locked it, and jogged down the cul-de-sac street.

Kevin took a big breath as he stood outside the door that led directly into Eddy’s bedroom.  He wasn’t looking forward to talking to Eddy, but he needed the volatile kid.  After the whole Eddy’s brother thing, his animosity toward Eddy had dropped, but they had never become friends.  On the surface, it appeared they didn’t have much in common, though after getting to know Edd, Kevin realized how wrong that assumption was. Still, he felt awkward having to come to Eddy, but no one else knew Edd as well as Eddy did.  He knocked.

The door opened after a moment and Kevin hid a smile at the surprised look on Eddy’s face, which quickly changed as the other teens’ eyes narrowed suspiciously.  “Kevin,” he grunted.

“Hi Eddy,” Kevin said, keeping his voice even and civil.  “Got a minute?”

“What for?”

“I need to talk to you.”

Eddy thought a moment, then nodded, opening the door wider.  “I probably should’ve expected this,” he said as Kevin came into the room, kicking snow off his shoes before entering.  “I can’t say I don’t know why you’re here.”  Eddy sounded a little surly as he gestured to one of the chairs in the room.  There were three there, which Kevin supposed made sense as he figured Eddy had them for when Edd and Ed came to hang out.  The room was neat and clean, which Kevin did not expect, with the bed made and everything organized.  It was still decorated almost exactly as it had been when Eddy was younger.  Books and papers cluttered the desk and it looked as if Kevin had interrupted Eddy’s homework.

“I’m not stopping your studying am I?”

“Nah, just working on math before I have to go to work in an hour,” Eddy answered, sitting at his desk after turning the chair so he could face Kevin.  Kevin sat down, pleased at how comfortable his chair was.  “So, what’s up Kev?” Eddy asked, though he gave Kevin a sly grin as if he already knew.

“I want to ask you about Double D,” Kevin said, his fingers absently twisting the hem of his shirt.  “I know you know him best of anyone, so,” he paused, thinking how to say it.  “So, I guess I just want any advice you can give me.  I’m taking him out this weekend, so I was hoping you’d tell me things he might like.  You know, that sort of thing.”

Eddy nodded as he listened, then didn’t answer right away.  Instead, he studied Kevin with his mouth quirked into a little pout.  Kevin was actually surprised at the intelligent scrutiny – he felt as if Eddy could read his mind with the way he was looking at him.  Kevin realized that though his Edd was the genius of the Ed trio, it didn’t look like Eddy was too far behind Edd in cleverness and smarts.

“Kevin,” Eddy finally said, “I really have one thing to ask you.  Well, actually I’ll probably have a lot of things to ask you,” he added, laughing a little, “but there’s only one thing I want to know.”

“What?”

“Do you really like Edd?  This isn’t some kind of sick joke or prank?”

Kevin felt offended by the question and almost lost his temper, but he checked it.  He glared at Eddy, who just looked back at him complacently.  “What kind of question is that, Eddy?” he demanded.

Eddy spread his hands.  “Don’t get mad at me, Kevin,” he said evenly.  “You don’t have a good history with us.  I know most of it was directed at me, but you still bullied Edd back then.  You have to understand one main thing.  Ed and I love Double D.  All you other kids had other friends, but the Eds and I have only ever had each other.  Edd has always been the weakest of us, both physically and emotionally.”  He frowned.   “No, wait.  I mean, he is pretty strong emotionally – he’s dealt with a lot, but you know what I mean.  He’s the most sensitive.  Ed and I protect him as best we can.  I would do anything to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.  So would Ed.  That’s why I’m asking.  I can’t let you hurt him.”

Kevin understood, and actually felt slightly guilty for the way Eddy thought.  They had never included the Eds in anything, even after the fight with Eddy’s brother when things actually became good between all the kids.  While they never really excluded the Eds, that incident happened right as they were all growing up and apart and the Eds didn’t go in the same direction the rest of the cul-de-sac kids did.  The scamming had stopped, surely, but they still stayed in their dorky little interests, and so they were sort of forgotten. 

Kevin was also impressed at how loyal Eddy and Ed were to Edd.  He knew he and Nazz and Rolf had a great and strong friendship, but the three of them all had friends outside of their little trio.  Knowing that the Eds didn’t made him feel horrible.  He now felt he understood where Eddy was coming from and Kevin admired the other teen for it.

Kevin felt his temper fade, knowing that Eddy was truly concerned for his best friend.  “Eddy,” Kevin said, taking in a deep breath, “I really do like Edd.  I appreciate that you worry about him, but you don’t have to.  All I want to do is make him happy.”

“You mean that, Kevin?”

“More than anything,” he answered promptly.  Kevin took his hat off and ruffled his fingers through his hair.  “Look, I can’t promise I won’t ever hurt him,” he held up a hand when he saw Eddy bristling.  “Let me finish.  This is new to me, Eddy,” he admitted.  “I don’t know if Nazz told you this, or not, but I didn’t know this about myself until I found myself falling for Edd.  This hasn’t been easy, because I wasn’t sure I wanted it.”  Kevin couldn’t believe he was telling this to Eddy and he stood up in agitation, pacing around the room a little.  Eddy just watched him.  “I know what we’re going to face in life, Eddy, I’m not stupid.  I know how some people will see us.  How some people will treat us.  You don’t think I haven’t thanked all the gods above that my parents and closest friends are so accepting?”  Kevin’s voice was shaky now from his emotion, but he stopped his pacing and turned to look Eddy in the eye.  “I’ve thought hard about all that could happen to us, but I realized one thing.  Edd is worth it.  I can’t promise I won’t do something stupid that might hurt him.  I don’t even know myself what I’m doing.  But I can promise you this.  I will never knowingly do anything that would hurt him.  I care about him too much to do that.”

He and Eddy stared at each other for what seemed to Kevin a long time.  He could see Eddy thinking over what he said and was relieved when Eddy finally grinned.  “You know, I actually believe you,” he said.

Kevin laughed a little ruefully, put his hat back on, and rubbed the back of his neck.  He was slightly embarrassed that he’d become so emotional in front of Eddy.  “Good, because that was dead honest.  Edd is coming to mean everything in the world to me, Eddy, and I don’t want to screw this up.  That’s why I came to you.  That’s why I need your help.  Don’t think I don’t realize what I jerk I was as a kid.  I do know.  And I’m sorry for that.  I can’t excuse myself, but I can apologize.  I wish I could go back and not be that little shit I was, but I can’t.”  He returned to the chair and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and hands clasped. 

“I appreciate that Kevin,” Eddy said, his voice a little subdued.  “I wasn’t exactly a saint back then.  All I ever wanted was to fit in, but I know I tried too hard.  Didn’t help that I was obsessed with money either.”  He thought for a few minutes, then laughed, getting Kevin to give him a questioning look.  “Double D said the other day that he wished you and I could be better friends.  He said we were both so similar that he thought if we could put aside our history, that we’d probably get along fairly well.”

Kevin chuckled, “Yeah, he said something like that to me, too.  I know it will take a while, but I’m willing to try.”

“I am too, Kevin.”

They sat in embarrassed silence for a moment, until Eddy broke it by asking what he could do to help him with Edd.

“I want to knock him out this weekend.  Do something that will amaze him,” Kevin said.  “It’s our first date.  Our first real one, and I want to do something special.”

Eddy sat back, thinking.  “Edd loves anything that has to do with learning,” he supplied.  “A museum, the planetarium.  He loves the planetarium, since he loves astronomy.  Hell, you could win his heart just taking him to a cool library or old book place.  He has a fondness for the aquarium downtown, documentaries – especially space or nature ones.” 

Kevin nodded, making mental notes of all these suggestions.  He knew downtown had a lot of good museums, but the planetarium was an hour away.

“You know,” Eddy mused, “there’s supposed to be a great used bookstore in the same town as the planetarium.  Edd has never been, but he’s talked about it a lot.  He’s asked me a few times to take him there once he heard about it, but we’ve never been able to work out a time to go.”  Eddy grinned at Kevin.  “I would think a trip to the planetarium and a surprise stop at that bookstore would probably blow him away.  He wouldn’t be surprised at you taking him to the planetarium; he knows you know he loves space.  But the bookstore he’s been dying to go to?  Yeah, that would get his heart.”

Kevin smiled, a big genuine smile for Eddy.  “Eddy that sounds perfect!  And Lemon Brook has a lot of funky little restaurants I can take him to for dinner.  Man, I can’t thank you enough.”

“Kevin, I just want Double D to be happy.  You make him happy, I can tell.  If you need any more advice, you just have to ask,” Eddy said.

“Thanks again, man.”

“And Kevin, one last thing,” Eddy said, and Kevin was surprised to see Eddy’s face flushed with a look of embarrassment.

“What, Eddy?”

Eddy wouldn’t quite look him in the eye.  “I’m sure you’ve noticed Edd’s a little,” he paused as if looking for the right word, “innocent.  Look this is embarrassing for me to talk about, but I just want to mention it.  Edd has OCD, is very neat and clean, and has issues about touching other people.  That sort of thing.”

“I know that, Eddy.”

“Yeah, but,” Eddy said, pausing again before giving out a large sigh.  “Okay I’ll just say it.  He’s really inexperienced and probably will be very reluctant to go too far, too fast.  I know he’s embarrassed and shy about being…intimate.  God, I can’t believe I’m talking about this stuff to you.  He’s told me how worried he is about all of this.  It’s new to him and he wants to make you happy, but he’s also really afraid of all of it.  Just take it easy on him, okay?  Take it slow and be patient.”

Kevin smiled, “I’ll wait for as long as it takes, Eddy.  Don’t think for a second that I’ll break up with him if he isn’t moving fast enough for me.  Whatever he’s comfortable with is what we’ll do.”

Eddy looked relieved and finally grinned at Kevin.  “I just had to be sure.  Thanks, Kevin.”

“No, thank you.  I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him,”

Chapter Text

Chapter 16 – You Make Me So Happy

Edd arrived at almost the exact time he had estimated, only a few minutes after Kevin himself returned from Eddy’s house.  He didn’t tell Edd where he had been, and after only a brief kiss, Edd started Kevin in on prepping for the meal that Edd had planned.  Kevin found himself mixing cupcake batter within a few minutes of Edd’s arrival.  He thought he might have a little time to love on Edd once those were in the oven, but Edd had him cleaning and peeling potatoes as the cupcakes baked.  The cupcakes finished almost at the same time that Kevin had finished the potatoes.

While Kevin had been preparing everything, Edd sat at the breakfast bar with his chemistry book open, taking notes and working on an assignment, even as he watched and instructed Kevin.  Kevin was thoroughly amused at this, and cheerfully followed all of Edd’s directions with a smile.  This turned out to be fun and he was proud of himself, as everything seemed to be coming out all right.

As the cupcakes cooled, Edd had him mix up a frosting, which he put in the fridge for later, then he had to chop lettuce and veggies for the salad that Edd wanted him to make.  When that was all done, Kevin hoped to steal a few moments alone to at least properly kiss his boyfriend, but Edd had him start on the main dish.  For this, Edd left his homework and helped Kevin with the chicken as he had to physically show Kevin what he had to do.

Kevin grinned at Edd as he ran his arm across his forehead.  “That was actually pretty easy.  When you said Chicken Cordon Bleu, I pictured something near impossible to make.  Sounded really fancy,” he said, putting the cutting board, knives and tenderizer into the dishwasher.

“I mostly make simple things, Kevin,” Edd told him, going once again around the breakfast bar to perch himself on one of the stools. 

Kevin had to sigh as he watched Edd’s attention become absorbed with his chemistry after reminding Kevin absently to take care of the side dish.  Kevin put the peeled potatoes in a pot of water on the stove and turned it on to have them boil, adding salt as Edd suggested.  He returned to the counter and frosted the two dozen cupcakes that had cooled.  They were chocolate with chocolate chips and Kevin had made a simple buttercream frosting that he kept sampling when Edd wasn’t looking.  He just used a knife to spread the frosting on because he firmly told Edd he wasn’t up to learning to use a pastry bag today.

Kevin put the last cupcake on the platter and turned to put the rest of the dirty bowls and utensils into the dishwasher.  The potatoes were boiling away, but he knew that they weren’t yet done.  Edd’s focus was on his book and Kevin realized that there wasn’t anything to do at that minute.  He took in a deep sniff and had to admit, the dinner smelled amazing.  He couldn’t believe he had done that.  He turned his head and looked at Edd, bent over his book and biting his lower lip, his tongue poking through the gap in his teeth.  ‘Alright,” he thought, “on to important things.’

Kevin came around the breakfast bar quietly and grabbed Edd’s arm, startling the boy.  The barstools were the spinnable kind and Kevin took advantage of that to spin Edd so that he faced him. 

“Kevin!” Edd protested.

“Shh…” Kevin whispered, wedging himself between Edd’s thighs and putting his hands on Edd’s shoulders.  He leaned down for a little kiss.  “I finally get to kiss you, properly this time.  I’ve been working hard enough to get a break and enjoy my five minutes before my Mom gets home.”

Edd laughed, putting his arms around Kevin’s waist.  “All right, as your instructor, I grant you five minutes for your own amusement.”

“That’s more like it,” Kevin murmured and took full advantage of his break time.

Kevin’s mother came in the door to the garage that opened onto the kitchen and looked at the scene with some surprise.  Her son, in an apron, was tossing a salad in the salad bowl.  Her son’s boyfriend sat at the breakfast bar reading, and there was a heavenly smell that equaled the delicious smell she and Kevin’s father had come home to the day before.

“Hey, Mom!” Kevin called over his shoulder.

Kevin had texted her that afternoon, telling her that takeout wasn’t needed, so she wasn’t surprised that dinner was being made again, but seeing her son actively cooking gave her a warm feeling of surprise that she fully embraced.  After only a few days, she welcomed the obvious influence Edd had over Kevin.

Sylvie kicked off her shoes, hung up her coat, and tossed her workbag and purse on the counter.  “It smells lovely, Kevin.  What surprise do we have today?” she asked, kissing Kevin on the cheek.

“Chicken Cordon Bleu,” he replied proudly.  “With garlic mashed potatoes and salad.”

“You did all this?”

“I did, Mom!  Aren’t you impressed?”

She looked over at Edd, who was watching them with a smile.  “I am, my dear.  Fancy French food?” she laughed.  “I’m getting spoiled.”  She came around the breakfast bar and put her arm around Edd’s shoulders, giving him a squeeze.  He was so surprised he didn’t flinch, as he was wont to do with strangers.  Sylvie kissed him on the cheek then and let him go, leaving him completely flustered.  “And how are you, Edd?”

Edd sputtered for a moment, then tried to answer in an even voice that came out as a squeak, “I…I am fine, thank you, Mrs. Barr.”

“Edd, I told you to call me Sylvie,” she reminded him in an amused tone.  “I won’t have Kevin’s boyfriend call me ‘Mrs”.  We’re family now.”

Edd was momentarily stunned. Having it openly acknowledged like that took Edd’s breath away.  Somehow he managed to say faintly, “Of course, Sylvie.”

“Did you boys have a good day at school?” she asked.  They both told her about their day as she leaned against the counter next to Edd.  Kevin took the chicken dish out of the oven, put more cheese on it, then put it back.  Sylvie listened to Edd describe the test he had taken, even as she watched Kevin, still marveling inside that Kevin was actually cooking.

“Can I help with anything?” she asked once Edd had finished talking.  “Set the table…or…?”

“We’ve got it Mom,” Kevin assured her.  “Just relax!  Edd, I think these potatoes are done.”

Sylvie watched as Kevin prepared the mashed potatoes under Edd’s direction, a large smile on her face.  Kevin had started putting everything in bowls when Pete came into the kitchen from the garage.  He took one look at the scene – everyone had paused to look at him – and burst out laughing.  “I was only half-kidding about cooking dinner every night for us, Kev,” he said, putting his gloves on the counter next to Sylvie’s purse. 

Kevin laughed, “I know Dad.  I still wanted to make something tonight.  I actually enjoy learning this stuff.”

Pete came over, kissed Sylvie, and looked at Edd.  Edd looked back a little warily.  It was the first time he had come face to face with Kevin’s father after he had found out about Kevin.  While Kevin had said his dad was cool with it, Edd was still a little nervous.  He knew it was stupid to think it, but he didn’t want Kevin’s father to think Edd had turned his son gay.  “Hello, Edd,” Pete said in a friendly tone that did much to relieve Edd’s anxiety.  “What did you have Kevin whip up for us today?”

Edd said, in a rush from his relief, “Chicken Cordon Bleu and mashed potatoes.  It is an easy dish that I like to make.  It only takes approximately forty-five minutes, so it is ideal to make after school.”

Pete laughed, “Sounds fancy.  A guy could get used to this.”

“You and Mom can go sit at the table, Dad,” Kevin told him.  “Everything should be ready.”

They were finishing up the successful meal.  Kevin had created a delicious dinner and he felt so pleased and proud that he couldn’t stop smiling.  Their talk was mostly about school and about the upcoming baseball season.  Kevin was itching to play sports again, since basketball had finished.

“Kevin said you were helping him to read some Shakespeare, Edd,” Pete said.  “Which play?”

“Much Ado About Nothing,” Edd answered.  “Kevin saw me reading it the other day and questioned me.”  He turned to grin at Kevin.  “He did not understand why I was reading such material when it was not assigned for a class.”  That got both Sylvie and Pete to laugh, while Kevin just shrugged.  “I told Kevin that I liked to read that particular play when I needed to laugh, though Kevin did not find much humor in the plot when I outlined it.”

“Huh, I guess the bald plot isn’t too funny, but it’s all in the writing.  Some of Shakespeare’s best comedy is in that.”

Kevin stared at his father, while Edd looked at him eagerly.  “You are familiar with the play?”

Pete chuckled, “Sure.  I’ve read a lot of those plays.  Bet you didn’t know that about your old man, eh, Kev?”  Kevin shook his head.  “Minored in English Lit in college, just because I enjoyed it.”

“I didn’t know that Dad,” Kevin said, looking at his mother, who smiled at him.  “I thought you just got your MBA.”

“Nah, I almost majored in Literature, but my own Dad advised against it.  So I settled with it as a minor.”

“Huh.  I guess you do learn something every day,” Kevin muttered.

“You kids should watch the movie.  The one Branagh did,” Pete suggested.

Edd nodded eagerly.  “Oh I agree.  I will have to show it to you, Kevin.”  He sounded excited, which Kevin found amusing.  Edd was so cute when he got excited about things.  “The Branagh production is, I think, the best adaptation of the play.  Kenneth Branagh has adapted many of Shakespeare’s plays for the big screen, and I think he usually does them the best.  I believe because Branagh himself was a Shakespearean actor on the stage and he understands the material.  He made such an excellent Benedick.  He was married to Emma Thompson at the time, who played Beatrice, and their chemistry with each other is perfect.”

Sylvie and Pete listened to Edd with amusement.

“The rest of the cast is delightful as well,” Edd continued, then frowned.  “Well, I do believe they could have found a better Claudio than Keanu Reeves.  For some reason, I can never picture him as anything other than his Bill and Ted character.  But the rest of the movie is so well done.”

“Is it on Netflix?” Kevin asked.  “If it is, I’d be more than happy to watch it with you Edd.”

Risking to be thought rude, Edd took out his phone and looked up the movie on the Netflix app.  “It is Kevin.  You said your homework is done.  Mine is as well.  Perhaps we could watch it after dinner?”

Kevin laughed, “Yes, yes, Edd.  If it will make you happy.”  Kevin could see how happy it made Edd to know he was going to share something he loved with Kevin.

“Maybe I’ll come down and watch it with you, too,” Pete said before shoving the last forkful of his dinner into his mouth.  “You boys clean up and I’ll go get it set up in the movie room.”

“Pete,” Sylvie said, giving him a look which he couldn’t interpret.

“What?”

She rolled her eyes as she stood and started to collect the plates over the boys’ protests.  “I can clean up kids.”

“No, Mom.  We’ve got it,” Kevin insisted, standing up and putting his hands on his mother’s shoulders and gently pressing her back down in her seat.

“Yes, it shall only take us a few moments to clean up,” Edd added.

He and Kevin took most of the plates and bowls into the kitchen.  Sylvie looked at Pete and shook her head.

“What?” he repeated.

Sylvie mock-repeated what he had said, “’Maybe I’ll come down and watch it with you, too’?  Pete!  Don’t you think maybe the boys want to be alone?”

Understanding flashed into his features.  “Oh,” he said, frowning.  “I didn’t even think of that.”  He sighed.  “I’m sorry, Sylvie.  I’m still kind of wrapping my head around this.  I just got excited that Kev’s got a friend who likes Shakespeare.  Someone I can actually talk to.”

“Edd’s not just a friend, you know, and I’m sure there are times they’ll want to be alone together.  Did you ever like my mother sitting there when we wanted to be alone?”

Pete chuckled, holding up his hands, “You’re right.  I wasn’t thinking.  Got carried away.”  Kevin came back in to get the rest of the platters.  “Kev, I’ll leave you and Edd alone.  You don’t need me down there while you try and watch your movie.”

Kevin looked at his father a little surprised, then understood.  He smiled, “It’s okay, Dad, really.  It’ll be nice to watch it with you.  We really don’t mind.  You too, Mom,” he added, looking at Sylvie.

“Only if you’re sure, Kevin,” Sylvie said.  “We don’t want to be wet blankets for you two.”

Kevin laughed outright.  “No really, it’s okay,” he assured them both, taking the dishes out to the kitchen, still laughing.

“I hope you don’t mind, Edd.  My Mom was trying to get my Dad to give us some privacy, but I told them it was okay if they watched the movie with us,” Kevin said as he put the dishes in the sink.

“I do not mind at all, Kevin.  I like your parents, and I want to make a good impression on them and get to know them better.  I am excited that your father is interested in Shakespeare and other literature.  It makes me feel that there is something I can talk to him about.”

“You don’t have to worry, Edd,” Kevin said, opening the dishwasher so that Edd could hand him the plates he rinsed.  “My parents think you’re awesome.”

Edd looked pleased.  “I am very glad of that Kevin.  Like I said, it is important to me to develop a good relationship with your parents.”

Kevin leaned over and kissed Edd on the cheek.  “Too bad I can’t kiss on you very much with Mom and Dad sitting there with us.”

“That is an unfortunate result of the situation, Kevin, but I think we can both survive.”

Kevin laughed, kissing Edd’s cheek again before returning to the clean up.

“I still can’t believe our son made that dinner,” Sylvie said to Pete as she snuggled into the corner of the sectional sofa in the movie room, stretching her legs over the top of Pete’s thighs, as he was sitting next to her.  He laid his hands on his wife’s legs.

“That was really good, Sylvie,” he agreed. 

“It was.  Did you ever think you’d come home to Kevin telling us he’d made Chicken Cordon Bleu?”

“Not in a million years,” Pete said, stretching his arms over his head before returning his hands to Sylvie’s legs.  He looked at his wife, his smile somewhat sad.  “I know we’d talked for years about how we thought Kevin was gay, but it’s still hard to realize that he is.  I have to admit, though, I couldn’t have asked for anyone better for him to get involved with.”

“Edd is pretty amazing,” Sylvie said, reaching to take Pete’s hand. 

They were interrupted as Kevin and Edd came into the room, carrying the platter on which Kevin had put the cupcakes he made.  “Dessert,” he announced, putting the plate on the low coffee table and then he handed one to each of parents.  Edd settled on the far end of the couch from Pete and Sylvie and Kevin sat down next to him, but not really touching him.  He gave Edd a cupcake, took one for himself and sat back as his father started the movie.

All four of them enjoyed the movie.  Kevin was surprised how much he understood and how much he liked it.  He had been a little skeptical, but it was good.  Out of his parents’ view, he held Edd’s hand between them, but kept thinking how much he just wanted to kiss the cute boy next to him.  He also realized Edd was enraptured with the movie, so, even without Sylvie and Pete’s presence, Kevin probably wouldn’t have been able to distract Edd and that thought made him smile.

When the movie finished, Sylvie was the first to slide off the couch and stand up.  “Come on, Pete, I need your help upstairs,” she said pointedly, bending over to pick up the platter of cupcakes.  “I’ll pack these away, boys, don’t worry.”  She shot her husband another sharp glance before heading out of the room. 

Pete chuckled, “Looks like I’m being summoned.”  He handed the remote to Kevin.  “Don’t stay up too late,” he said.  “It is a school night, kids.”  He followed Sylvie and left the pair alone.

Kevin picked a random channel and turned the volume down low.  He waited until he heard his parent’s footsteps moving around upstairs before he turned to Edd, who was watching him with a sly, amused expression.

“Finally,” Kevin breathed out.  Edd had turned himself on the couch so his back rested against the armrest.  Kevin got onto his knees, hovering over Edd and putting his hands on the armrest on each side of Edd to brace himself.  Edd covered his mouth to hide his smile.  “Oh, no.  Move that hand, Double D.  I don’t know what I’m going to do if I can’t kiss you soon.”

“Kevin!” Edd said, dropping his hand as his cheeks turned pink.  He had no time to say anything else as Kevin’s lips were on his in a demanding kiss.  This was only their third time making out, but Edd felt himself letting go.  On Saturday, the newness of it all had held him back.  On Sunday, it was much the same.  Oh, he enjoyed it - every moment of it, but there was a holding back that Edd knew was due to his personal space issues and his unfamiliarity with intimacy.  Edd had no idea what was different today.  It may have been he was becoming used to the idea of being part of a couple, their talk the day before, the acceptance of Kevin’s parents, their success at keeping their relationship a secret at school, or the happiness of his friends for him.  Whatever it was, Edd felt more confident and responded to Kevin in a way that made the redhead lightheaded. 

Kevin was so happy that Edd seemed more willing to give himself up to him today and he wasn’t about to question it.  He was ready to test Edd’s boundaries and see what he’d be able to get away with.  Kevin was definitely taking Eddy’s advice to heart.  He was not going to push Edd too fast, but he needed to know where those boundaries lay. 

Kevin pulled away, feeling pleased when he caught Edd’s slight frown.  He settled back into a seated position on the couch, pulling Edd with him, using his strength to maneuver the smaller boy up onto his lap.  He could tell that Edd was thrown off, and a little embarrassed, to be straddling Kevin’s lap – the position was quite intimate and Kevin encircled Edd’s waist and hips, one hand resting on his lower back and the other on one of his butt cheeks. 

To keep his balance, Edd clutched Kevin’s shoulders.  Finding himself on Kevin’s lap, facing his boyfriend, feeling Kevin’s hands where they were, brought out his blush.  It took Edd a moment to let himself relax and once he did, Kevin made his mind go blank by kissing him again.  Something about this position made Edd let go even more.  He felt himself clutching at Kevin’s shoulders, gathering the fabric of his shirt into his hands.

Kevin concentrated on kissing Edd, knowing that it was that action that got Edd to relax.  Kissing Edd was intoxicating to Kevin, too.  There was just something about it – the softness of Edd’s lips, the eagerness that Edd returned his kisses, the shyness evident, the small and barely audible high-pitched noises Edd made at the back of his throat – that drove Kevin crazy.  He could feel himself getting excited with Edd practically sitting on that sensitive area.

He pulled Edd even closer, tightening his hold on the smaller boy.  Edd’s eyes opened, even as he kept tangling his tongue with Kevin’s, when he felt Kevin’s hardness for the first time under him.  The hardness pressing up against his own groin made him excited as well and he was embarrassed by that, hoping that Kevin wouldn’t notice.

Kevin did, of course, and he was so turned on by it.  He pulled away from Edd’s lips and moved to his neck, kissing and licking the skin while Edd tilted his head back allowing Kevin full access.  Kevin then slid both his hands up the back of Edd’s t-shirt, stroking the bare skin and hugging Edd tightly.

Edd enjoyed all the sensations Kevin gave him and he closed his eyes so he could focus on each area of his body that felt on fire, but he could only take it for so long.  As much as he wanted to fully let go for Kevin, he couldn’t yet and he finally gasped, “Kevin stop!”

Kevin did stop and relaxed his hold on Edd, allowing the boy to scoot back a little on Kevin’s lap.  Kevin loosely held onto Edd’s hips and Edd’s hands stayed on Kevin’s shoulders, though Edd looked down as if ashamed.  “I am sorry, Kevin.”

“For what, Edd?”

Edd opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of how to explain himself.

“My Edd is speechless?” Kevin lightly teased him.  He reached up and caressed Edd’s cheek.  “Edd, don’t ever apologize if you want me to stop.”

“Kevin, I do not want you to think that I do not like what you do.  Or that I do not want to be intimate with you,” Edd said in a small voice.

Using his finger under Edd’s chin, Kevin made him look up.  “Edd,” he said with a smile, “the way you respond when I kiss you, I know that you like it.”  Kevin deliberately looked down, then back up.  “I can tell you like it,” he said, his expression turning sly which he could tell mortified Edd. 

“Kevin…”

“Look, don’t be embarrassed if you get turned on, okay?  I like that I can do that to you.  It makes me feel good.”

“Yes, Kevin, but…”

“But nothing Edd.  I told you this weekend, we’ll only go as fast as you’re comfortable with.  I won’t push you into anything you’re not ready for.  But,” he added his own ‘but’, “I will sometimes see how far I can go.  If it’s too much, tell me and I’ll stop.  You have to know you drive me crazy,” he said, running his fingers across Edd’s cheek.  “But I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

Edd gave him a small smile.  “Thank you for understanding, Kevin.  All of this is new to me.  I have often wondered how I would handle an intimate relationship,” he admitted.  “I am trying, but I just think it will take time.  It is not that I do not want to…”

“Take all the time you need, my Edd.  I’m not going anywhere.”

Edd’s smile widened.  “I shall not go anywhere, either, Kevin.  You make me so happy.”

“That’s really all I want to do.  I want to make you happy.  I want to spend time with you.  You make me happy too, and I like how I feel when I’m with you,” Kevin said.  “Look, I can tell you’re worried about this and how fast everything is going.  I’m telling you, don’t worry.  I’ll never get mad if you’re not ready.  I’m not gonna break up with you if you’re not ready.  I could never do that to you.  I like you too much for that.”

Edd didn’t know what to say once again.  He moved his hands from Kevin’s shoulders to his cheeks and cradled Kevin’s face.  He leaned forward and kissed Kevin, a sweet and simple kiss, but Kevin felt it all the way to his toes.  Kevin knew waiting for Edd wouldn’t be easy, but as he told Eddy, he knew Edd would be worth it. 

“Kevin,” Edd said softly, as he pulled back, “I do not know what I did to deserve this, but I am so happy I did it.  You do not know how much it means to me that you understand.  And,” he said, blushing a little as he looked down, “I do not want you to stop testing my boundaries.  I do like it when you touch me and kiss me.”

Kevin threw his head back and laughed.  He couldn’t get over just how adorable his boyfriend was.  Edd’s eyes turned up to look at him, then he started laughing as well, even as his cheeks darkened more.  He scooted up Kevin’s lap and pressed his face against Kevin’s chest, trying to muffle his laughter.  Kevin wrapped his arms around Edd and held him close.  “Then don’t worry, my Edd.  I will touch you and kiss you all the time.”

As Edd turned his head to rest his cheek against Kevin’s chest, Kevin pressed a kiss against his boyfriend’s temple before settling back into a comfortable position on the couch.  Edd still straddled his hips, but was now curled up against him with his head tucked under Kevin’s chin.  “While kissing you is very nice, Kevin, I do like this,” Edd said in a soft voice.

“I could stay like this forever, Edd,” Kevin agreed. 

And Kevin could.  He knew that they would face challenges with their relationship.  There was hiding it, for now, at school, though Kevin hoped Edd would someday be all right with being open about it.  Kevin was proud of what they had, and while he knew Edd was proud too, there was something worrying his little boyfriend and Kevin could play along with it for now. 

Edd also had to face telling his parents, which Kevin was unsure about.  Edd thought that they would be happy for their son, but Kevin didn’t know them, so he couldn’t be sure.  Parents weren’t the only family that would have to know – grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins – and Kevin was also unsure how they would react, but they did need to know.  He didn’t care what his family’s reaction would be, though.  His Edd was worth everything.  This, right here, holding his boyfriend and loving on him, that’s what it was all about and he’d be damned if anyone tried to spoil that for him.

It was getting late and Kevin knew Edd would have to go home soon, but he just wanted to stay like this.  He heard a contented sigh from Edd and he lightly squeezed him, getting Edd to snuggle even more against him.

Yes, this was what it was all about.