[Other Fanfic] Kevedd: Black Cap

[Mizumanta]

Kevedd

(Kevin x Edd)
M for mature.
But mostly from criminal activities, I suppose. Pretty tame on the swearing and inappropriate imagery.


mmmm just starting something up like a decade ago and decided to get back into it.

because this is my new favorite couple



Characters:

Spoiler:

Edd - A model student of Peach Creek High. He has the highest grades, often doing homework weeks in advance. He is incredibly organized, almost obsessively so. He is kind hearted, often helping others without regard for his own safety. He aspires to become a great chef, but is working out a way to not actually have to be in a kitchen. He specifically excels in baking.



Ed- Brother of Sarah and best friend of Edd and Eddy. He is not the smartest student in the school, actually rivaling Rolf in poor grades. He is obsessed in monster movies and superhero comic books. He fears soap and bathing and because of this, he is very dirty. He is also unusually strong. Like Edd, he is very kind hearted, only doing bad deeds when being tricked.



Eddy- Eddy is friends with Ed and Edd. He is very greedy, short and loves attention. He is lazy and manipulative, often getting others to do even the most simple tasks for him. Eddy rarely shows kindness unless the situation really calls for it. He and Kevin consider each other enemies.



Kevin- Although there isn't much competition for it, Kevin is the most athletic person at the school. He is the head of the football team, and one of the more popular students. He also has a love for his bike, and often puts off hanging out with others to work on it. He considers Eddy his enemy, often insulting him and pulling pranks on him. He has an insatiable sweet tooth.



Nazz- Kevin's former love interest and the most popular girl in school. Nazz was once very overwieght as a child but quickly lost the weight. Her polite personality and overall ability to be liked kept any imperfection to be overlooked. She and Kevin are close friends, her being one of the only people that Kevin really talks to.



Sarah- Ed's incredibly loud and often angry younger sister. She is friends with Jimmy and will only really tolerate hanging around him. She is unnaturally strong for her size, often showing it off in anger. She had a small crush on Edd, but has since gotten over it. She is the only girl on the football team.



Jimmy- Sarah's effeminate, braces-wearing friend. He enjoys cheerleading, cooking, sewing, and other activities that often get him made fun of. He and Edd have a nice relationship since they have similar interests. Sarah often protects him and beats up anyone who dares to insult him in her presence. Jimmy is accident prone and can often be seen with multiple ban aids and even casts.



Rolf- The odd farming child who comes from the "old country". He already has a career and is only in school out of legal obligation. He is increadibly strong and hairy.He frequently brings meats and cheeses from home. Rolf speaks in odd English, often giving everyone he meets an often offensive nickname. Along with this, he is also on the football team, mostly for the release of stress.



Johnny- One of the more childish students at Peach Creek high. He is incredibly annoying, often poking others or yelling random things. He has an imaginary friend in the form of a peice of wood with a face drawn on named Plank. He frequently talks to and even listens to Plank, sometimes leading to odd habits. He only really made friends with Ed.

feel free to post your opinion^^
Idk. I made this forever ago and just started up again

*As of yet, absolutely no artwork shown here was made by me.
Post your own, maybe. If you like what you read.

 

[Mizumanta]

1



"I've got to go" the young boy smiled. The first notticeable thing about him was the gap between his front teeth. His smile always showed it. The boy didn't seem ashamed of it, but more so on what was on his head. A clack hat, resembling a sock with a long stripe running along it was what he could not allow to be touched or talked about. He had a short, skinny frame and wore neatly pressed clothes, a red shirt and black pants. "It was truly a pleasure working with you all today. " He held up his cake in triumph. "As second in command, I now call the meeting of the Culinary Science Club over." The other members clapped in response to their leader's creation. A double decker strawberry cake. the vanilla cake went well with the strawberries placed between them. The light icing laid atop the creation with no visible imperfections. Small designs lined the outside and danced on the border. The only noticable flaw being the cut taken out for visual access to the inside. "I will just be taking this piece with me. I would be honored to allow each of you to try it."

There were cheers of and applause at this kindness. "Wow, thanks, Edd." a small boy with noticably large braces chirped. "Your food is always the best."

"Everything about cooking and baking is merely science, Jimmy. But I do appreciate your compliment. Your cake looks delicious as well." The simple comment brought the biggest smile to Jimmy's face. He quickly cut himself a sliver of cake and returned to his area to quickly consume it. "If you wouldn't mind, could one of you clean up please? I honestly must be home." The majority of the club had their faces full of cake nad could not speak, leaving only nodding for their response. "Thank you." Edd walked out of the classroom, readying himself for a swift return home before something cuaght his attention.

"Kevin, no! No! That's basically sexual harassment!" A shrill female voice could be heard from down the school's hallway. "You can't just go around touching girl's butts!" The argument could be heard through the entire hallway and most likely in other classrooms. It was a good thing that few people hung out there after school.

"Get over yourself. I just bumped into you." A quieter, but still irritated male voice replied. "Don't flatter yourself, girly." There was an audible huff heard before a figure emerged from a nearby classroom. A boy, just under six feet tall emerged. He had had his usual baseball cap on worn backward with three long tufts of hair protruding through the whole in the front. He had on a green jacket with a black shirt and his usual jeans. As he walked down the hall, he frustratingly murmered to himself, clearly irritated with the situation. His gaze turned to Edd, still with frustration in his eyes. Edd began to tremble. He was not good with confrontation. He closed his eyes, hoping that nothing would happen. All he felt was the contents of his hands disappear and teh door to the entrance of the school shutting. Edd opened his eyes. He looked arounf to make sure that the boy had left. Then he looked to his hands. Empty. His cake was gone."K-kevin..." was all that came out of his mouth.

---

As Edd returned to his home in the cul-de-sac. The house was empty as usual. The silence itself felt loud to him. And had he not been such a stickler for cleanliness, every surface would be covered in dust. His parents both worked very busy jobs and he rarely saw them, their main source of communication was through sticky notes. His parents would leave them around to inform him or chores or to express their love. This had been going on for almost ten years now. It was pretty lonely, but Edd told himself that his parents really trusted him to be alone and that trust equaled love. At least he hoped so. He was off to his room to start on his home work. It was't for that day, but more for the next month. He was very intelligent and had homework done for at least a month everyday. Before he could step into his room, he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Not wanting to be ruse, he raced across the floor to see who it was. He wasn't quite tall enough to look through the peep hole, and the usual step stool was momentarily misplaced. He couldn't be rude. He quickly opened the door with a wide smile. "Hello! May I help you?" On the other side of the door, a familiar gaze loomed over the boy. His heart momentarily sank as his hopes for one of his friends or even perhaps his parents were dashed. In their place, the boy from before stood over him. "Kevin?"

 

[Mizumanta]

2

Edd looked up with a bit of surprise. The boy before him had been the enemy of his friends since before he could remember. Kevin had consistantly hurt his friends in the past, albeit usually provoked by Eddy. Many thoughts flooded Edd's mind as he stared at the looming boy. Kevin simply extended his arm out, looking at the ground away from Edd. A paper plate extended out in front of Edd, bits of icing and cake crumbs clung to the surface. "This…its…" Kevin mumbled. It was clear that he hadn't rehearsed this beforehand. "This is yours." Thanks for…the cake. It was good." The same smile that crept along Edd's face as when Jimmy said these same words reappeared. This gave Edd just enough confidence to speak.

"Why…thank you Kevin. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. It would have been a shame for it to go uneaten" He took the large white plastic plate back, giving it a once over. "You know, you didn't have to return this disposable plate. I have many more at school."

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" The taller boy barked. For a moment, he was back to the tense look that he had before. He quickly calmed his voice, noticing the smaller boy's smile disappear. This was his first time coming over to Edd's house and he could tell that his impression wasn't going over very well. "I just wanted to bring it back is all. Don't look too much into it."

"Oh" Edd sighed. "Well thank you. If that's all, I have to be going. We do have school tomorrow." Edd began to close the door, using both arms as the door was a bit heavy. There was a bump in the process. He knew that he had the strength to open the door himself. It appeared that something was in the way. He looked down to see the red tennis shoes of the taller boy block his way.

"W…!" Kevin calmed himself again. "Wait. You got anymore of those sweets in there?" Edd's eyes lit up, not that Kevin could see while he avoided eye contact. "Well of course! I bake everyday." He opened the door just a bit wider, revealing several pies, cakes, and éclairs on a nearby counter. "I love baking, but I cannot eat these all on a balanced diet." The young boy smiled. "I usually let Ed eat them, but He doesn't really taste them. Besides, I doubt that he would miss one pastry." Edd picked up the nearest pie and handed it to Kevin. "Please enjoy it Kevin." As Kevin took the large pastry, Edd could fully shut the door, separating the two again. "That went just a bit better than expected." Edd had expected to be scolded for looking at Kevin while he was angry, or maybe even threatened to not tell anyone about the incident at school. And why did he want to come over for sweets when he could have come and asked at school? Could it have been that he was ashamed to be seen around him? Edd mumbled slightly to himself, cursing his deep thought process for giving him so much to think about.

Edd retruned to his room, the only place in the house that was absent of sticky notes. In their place was Edd's labeling system. He frequently and almost obsessively labeled just about everything in his room. This was mostly for himself, but he occasionally labeled things for others. He sat on his bed and sighed. His house sure was empty. Even Kevin would have been a welcome. He turned to his pet cactus, a label stretched on the pot labeled "Jim". This was probably the loneliest part of the day. His two friends were busy for the four hours after school was out. Eddy was always in detention for one reason or another and Ed was reserving his time for any number of odd activities that he preferred to do alone. Edd took out his text book, counting the clicks of the second hand on his clock as he began to complete his homework.

 

[Mizumanta]

3

"What do ya mean, sockhead?" the ostentatious Eddy shouted. It was a surprise that he could speak at all since he was scarfing down food so fast.

"I'm just saying that he appeared at my house yesterday and it was a bit out of character of him. We've been neighbors for almost ten years and he hasn't even once come over." Edd gave sigh. He was delaying his meal to take notes on the situation. "I mean my food wasn't that good right?" Across the table, Ed was shoveling pastries that Edd had brought from home into his insatiable gullet.

"Maybe he's into science and meth too!"

"That's science and math, Ed. And I highly doubt that. He's shown little to no sign of academic interest outside of the obligations of school." Edd finally put his papers away and pulled his tray in front of him. He had a small friendship with the lunch staff and they often gave him a special, well balanced meal.

"Maybe his hat's on too tight. And by the way, don't just give out food for free unless you're getting something in return! We could be using that for scamming or something." Eddy had finished his food, he scanned the room, checking if anyone else had eaten as fast as he had. His eyes met those of Nazz. He gave a smile and a nod, hinting that he was staring at her in particular. Nazz simply turned to her food, trying to ignore him. "What's up with her?"

"You've still got food on your face. Ugh…filthy filthy filthy." Edd took out a napkin from his bag and quickly wiped eddies face. Eddy just gave a glare at his friend. They both knew that he didn't like his face being touched, but he hated cleaning himself even more. "and anyway Eddy, I could simply ask Nazz for her opinion on the matter. " He looked around for Nazz. As their eyes met, Nazz gave a wave.

"Hey! How come you get a wave?!" Eddy shouted angrily.


"Oh Nazz, I do feel awfully awkward doing this, but it has been on my mind for some time. My studies could suffer. " Nazz and Edd had met in an empty classroom. Although the chatter of other students could be heard outside, Edd felt very safe there. "Might I ask you why Kevin really visited my house yesterday?"

"You could just ask him yourself, Dude." Nazz said nonchalantly. She then chuckled a bit.

"I fail to see the hilarity on this situation!" Edd's face grew a bit discolored. He already had a hard time talking to Nazz to begin with.

"No no, Double D. It's just…I'm surprised that you haven't noticed." She glanced up at the clock. Class would be starting soon.

"Notice what?"

"It's not really my place to say, but you should really just talk to Kevin. And bring sweets. Kevin has a mad sweet tooth." Nazz picked up her backpack and headed to the door. "But seriously dude, talk to him. Try not to be so nervous about it." With that, Nazz left, leaving only Double D and his thoughts.


"She can't ask that of me. Psychology shows that telling someone to stop thinking of something only makes them think of it more." Edd walked nervously down the hall. "I can't possibly talk to him. Perhaps I should rehearse my words, so I don't offend him." The young boy passed back and forth. "Oh Bother…and I have so many other activities to do today." Edd began to leave school grounds. He couldn't bare to have a confrontation so suddenly. He had already visited the clubroom though and had cookies for the occasion. He would need to return them before leaving. They would do no good at home. No one should be there anyway.

Edd walked into the room, quickly putting the sweets in the corner with the others. The room was dark, but the light that shone through the windows was just enough to guide him to the pile. He tried turning around, but found that returning to the door would prove more difficult in the light. He bumped into two desks and was sure that he knocked over something. He convinced himself that after he found the light, he would clean the mess he had caused. Just has he had finished that thought, the lights flickered on. Kevin was in the doorway with his usual sharp gaze. Edd froze in place as if he had been caught in a crime, soon backing up towards a wall. Kevin walked forward, quickly cornering him. "Curse my poor foresight." Edd mumbled to himself.

"Phone."

"Wh…what?" Edd was confused. He expected a much louder tone.

"Your Phone. Now." Kevin's voice was much more forceful this time. Edd fished in his pocket to pull out his phone. It was a more modern pone than what most kids at the school had, mostly because of the science apps that came with it.

He quickly gave the phone to Kevin. Soon, the shaking in his legs came back. Was he looking for texts between his friends? Maybe Eddy had said something inappropriate. But he had no recollection of this through phone conversation. He couldn't question the boy though as he fiddled around pressing buttons.

"Here." Kevin handed the phone back and began to leave. "If I call you, you answer; got it?" With that, he left. Edd stared forward for a second before rushing through the door to see if Kevin had really left. When the coast was clear, he sprinted out of the room and headed home. He completely forgot about the mess he had made.

 

[Mizumanta]

4



"What's up with you?" Eddy questioned as the three walked to the candy store. "You've been staring at your phone all day." Eddy didn't really look up or show any real concern, but Edd knew that if he ignored his friend, the questions would get deeper and louder.

"It's nothing really." Edd muttered. He didn't want his friends asking questions, especially Eddy since he was the type to make things much worse in precarious situations. He tried to change the subject. "What do you all plan on getting at the candy store? I plan on getting chocolate for my recipe."

"Jawbreakers, obviously. Too bad you can't have them anymore." Eddy chucked. You don't know what you're missing." Only a few years before, Edd had met with the dentist. Despite his meticulous teeth cleaning regimen, Jawbreakers seemed to rot his teeth faster. He had to stop eating them because of their high sugar and acid content. It was part of the reason that he took up baking. Those homemade sweets could have their negative effects washed away with much more ease. Eddy turned to Ed and asked "What about you, Lumpy?"

"They came out with a new chicken flavored gum!" Ed's mouth began to water. "And Sarah never steals it from me when I get home. It's magical!" Eddy's smile drooped. He almost lost his appetite for candy with that comment.

"Well… I'm happy that you've found the candy that suits you, Ed. If you can call it candy." When the three entered the store, they were met with a few familiar faces. Rolf, the immigrant from school, and Johnny with his imaginary friend, Plank.

"What type of candy would you like, Plank?" Johnny innocently asked his wooden buddy. He listened in. "Reccees Pieces? But you're ellergic." He listened in again. It was odd that he actually took advice from the block of wood. "Alright, buddy, but We're keeping the medicine in the kitchen just in case you do get sick." Eddy gave a strange look. There was no getting used to a high school student that carried around an imaginary friend all the time. On the opposite end was Rolf. He loomed over the candy selection with a look of confusion. The three knew from experience that Rolf didn't know the difference in candies. His usual food were odd cuisine from "the old country"

"How is Rolf supposed to choose between this field of strange fare?" He became a little irritated. He had no idea what chocolate or jelly beans were, only determining their flavor with smell and sight. Soon, Ed chimed in.

"Roooolf!" Ed had a nice relationship with Rolf. Rolf had a farm and more importantly, a chicken coop. Ed's favorite animal was easy to access with his friend raising them. Through the years, they began to accept casual visits to each other's houses while a friendship began to grow. "Try this chicken gum!" Rolf looked at it oddly. He wondered how a small stick of gum could harness the essence of Chicken, but took it anyway with out a word. As the two paid for their odd candy choices, Eddy was busy measuring each Jawbreaker to get the biggest one. As usual, he only had enough for one. He had to make it count. Edd turned to the chocolate section.
"Baking chocolates don't seem to be available today. Perhaps a German chocolate will suffice." Edd retrived a bag and weighted his chocolate precisely. "211 grams exactly." Proud of his acheivemnt, Edd headed to the register and quickly paid for his food. Unlike the other two, Edd actually did have a job and some money saved up. At his age, he needed to ready himself for college. Edd kept the chocolates in a container that he brought from home. The container kept the heat out and allowed others to hold it without the contents melting. The three left for home, both Ed and Eddy couldn't wait to dive into their purchases. Rolf was behind them, examining the gum that he had purchased with Ed's help. He was not comfortable eating it until he knew it was safe. Eddy ran up a little farther ahead.

"Later guys, I got me a cheerleading contest to watch on tv. " he seemed really exited and this was probably why he was a little faster than usual to pick out his candy. Ed backed up with Rolf. They whispered a bit to each other before Ralts finally put the chicken gum into his mouth. A wide smile crossed his face, though a little creepy at the same time.

"Uh…double D, Rolf and me are gonna go look at chickens!" Ed put his arms to his waist and began to flap imaginary wings like a chicken. It was clear that he was excited.

"Oh I don't mind. Please, Enjoy yourself." Edd wathed the two walk ahead to Rolf's place. He himself was a bit afraid to go inside. There were odd smells inside and dirt on almost every surface. It was truly frightening for the OCD boy. He returned home and put the chocolate away. "Chocolate lava cake. That's what I'm going to make, I'm sure of it!" Edd's eyes lit up. "After homework, I should dedicate the appropriate two hours to complete it. " Edd quickly hopped into bed. He only had some quick math homework to do. He had just started on the firs problem, his joy for mathematics began to bubble up, but was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. He had gotten a text message. "Probably Eddy, calling me about which cheerleader is in love with him." Edd chuckled. But upon looking down at his phone, he saw that the new number, Kevin's number appeared with just three words on the screen.

"I'm coming over."

 

[Mizumanta]

5

Edd simply stared at the text. "I'm coming over." At first, he wasn't sure what it meant. Kevin hadn't scheduled an assigned time to invite himself over. Although his house was spotless, Edd couldn't help but what to clean up. If it wasn't for the many questionable actions of the older boy lately, he might have asked him to not bother coming over.
Before he knew it, Edd's face had become flustered. His face showed a rosy color, almost like a shadow cast on him. He had to get up and continue circulation to get it to go away. He put down his book next to his labeled cactus, Jim, and ran to the living room. He still had the chocolates on the counter. Even something minor as that caused him to panic. "He'll think I'm a slob!" Edd said aloud to himself. Edd paced around the room, thinking of what to do. He needed the chocolate at room temperature, so the fridge was outt of the question. But he had not yet designated a proper place for it yet. He finally shook his head to try to clear it. "No, chocolate is not the most pressing matter." He had to focus more on why the other boy wanted to come over. His latest actions seemed a bit forceful. At school, it was tolerable, but to do so in his own home would be less acceptable. Edd brushed up against one of the many sticky notes that his parents had left. "oh dear.." He squeezed his hat and pulled it tighter around his head. "I could always just-" His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Edd ran to the door as usual, intending to be punctual. His heart beat deeper in his chest as he touched the doorknob. Edd took a deep breath and opened the door. He opened one eye to see, but only the street ahead was visible. Edd began to shut the door before a foot blocked the way. He looked down. The shoe was familiar. "So you were home, eh dorko?" Edd looked up to see the taller boy whom he had had an awkward experience with the day before. "Hey it's…Nazz's Birthday tomorrow and…I need your help baking her a cake." He was looking at the ground and kicking his feet as if there was a ball or rock in the way. Edd gave a look of confusion. "I know you like baking and you have the ingredients and…Look, if you don't want to, I can just-"

"No, no!" Edd interrupted. "I just had no idea that you had an interest in cooking." Edd sighed in relief. He must really like Nazz to force himself here like that, knowing that the other Eds often come by his house. "Please come in, I was just going to cook my own cake." He opened the door with a smile. Hospitality was one of his strongsuits. Kevin's face grew just a bit redder. Luckily, Edd hadn't noticed. He had to hide his smile from the younger boy. "Please, sit down, I will prepare the kitchen." Edd's voice calmed and was now a bit more soothing. Kevin sat on a nearby couch. There was plastic on it like at an elderly woman's house. He made a staticky crunching nooise as he sat. observing the spotless house with his own eyes, Kevin seemed out of place. He looked around at the dozens of sticky notes that plagued the wall. Some were chores while others were words of encouragement. At first, Kevin assumed that Edd was just on another labeling spree but…some of the notes seemed sincere and actually for Edd. "We love you, Edd", "We'll see you on Christmas.", "Tried a scone. It was delicious." It was if his parents only communicated this way. He thought it none of his business, however, stopping himself from asking. Edd returned moments later in a fitting apron with small pictures of different pokemon on it.

"You like pokemon?" The boy questioned. He knew the younger boy was all about logic and facts. Pokemon just didn't seem to fit him.

"Oh, most certainly! Pokemon assist me in learning more about the idiosyncrasies of various animals. It is quite useful." Most notable on Edd's apron was a cute mincinno, whose ears covered the chest of the apron. "I have an apron for you too." Edd handed over a white apron. It was spotless like the house, as if it were brand new. No wrinkles, no tags, just a crisp, clean, cloth. "So what kind of cake does Nazz like?" Edd asked innocently.

"Chocolate. Definitely chocolate." Kevin said concisely. Kevin adjusted his cap and got up. The two headed to the kitchen.

It's so nice of you to want to do this for a friend."

"Yeah…thanks." Kevin looked along the counter. Eggs, flour, butter, and an assortment of other ingredients lay on the counter, waiting to be combined. Kevin continued to inspect the kitchen. everything was labeled, everything was spotless. It was very different from his house. Every room was covered in a layer of dust and he hadn't washed dishes in a week. It felt like a display kitchen at a furniture store.

"Please pay attention, Kevin." Edds voice halted Kevin's concentrartion. "I would really love to teach you as much as possible." Edd took a pot out. "This is a double boiler. It is used to heat food without burning it." He put some chocolate nuggets and butter into the bowl and put that atop the pot. "This just needs to melt-." Kevin was amazed at how Edd attempted to teach. He was like those women on television. The way he spoke, the body language, the readiness to answer any question. It was like he had rehearsed for this. As kevin continued to marvel at Edd's cooking abilities, the smaller boy had already gotten ahead of himself. In the joy off cooking, Edd had rushed through quite a bit. "you then spoon the batter into the cupcake tin and refridgerate it for a bit." Edd smiled brightly. "Any questions?" Kevin hadn't even begun to understand.

"Uh...no dude, but what are we going to do while we wait for the stuff to cool?" Kevin wondered aloud.

Edd tried to keep his opinion on Kevin's confusion to himself. The cakes were simply setting before they were to be cooked. "Well... normally I don't do this, but you are the first of my classmates to come over in quite some time. Would you like to join me in my room?" Edd asked innocently.

"Kevin's face turned deep red. He quiclky took off his hat to hide his face. "What was that about?" Kevin thought to himself. He didn't expect such hospitality so soon, even with Edd. "T-the living room is just fine." He managed to mutter.

"Alright." Edd smiled widely. He had already forgotten his previous nervousness. He walked over to the nearby plastic covered couch and waited for Kevin. Now it was Kevin's turn to be a bit timid. While Edd was comfortable in his own home, Kevin was more reserved than normal in the boy's house. He made sure not to touch anything, remembering the other boy's problem with things like that. Edd returned with the same smile on his face as when he had left. "The cakes are in the oven. Once they rise, you may cool them and eat them." He seemed satisfied that the recipe was going positively so far. "If you would like, you are free to keep the pan. I get quite a few from my parents, as they realize that I cook a lot." Kevin nodded nervously and looked away. He couldn't help but blushing when he saw the other boy's eyes. It was odd for him. He used to get this way over Nazz when he was little, but learned to control it some time ago.

"You know, I don't hate you." Kevin began. It was certainly an odd way to break the ice. "It's...just your friends that kind of piss me off." Edd's smile dimmed a little. "Ed's not so bad, but he stink's and he's weird. I can't stand Eddy. I don't mean to be mean to you though." Kevin began scratching his head and tried to sneak glances. This was definitely not like him. "I don't know. It's hard to explain." Edd looked concerned. He wasn't really used to situations like this. He decided to stay silent.

For the 30 minutes that it took the cakes to finish cooking, the two stayed quiet, neither knowing what to say next. Edd offered the warm pan to Kevin as he left. The larger boy thanked Edd with a mumbled "Thanks" and walked off. Edd returned to the kitchen to clean up, pondering the situation.

 

[Mizumanta]

6


"Happy Birthday, Nazz!" Edd offered a neatly wrapped present to the smiling girl. She had been helpful in the passed and they had known each other for quite some time. Nazz looked puzzled, but took the present anyway.

"Thanks, dude but..." Her expression was of confusion.

"I hope that you are low on school supplies. I took the liberty of collecting a few items that would be beneficial for the next few classes that you will be taking." He seemed very happy with his present, not notticing the fake smile on Nazz's face.

"I hate to burst your bubble, dude, but my Birthday isn't for like 8 months." She chuckled a bit. "Who told you that anyway?"

"Uhh Kevin did. He made you a chocolate cake, right?" Edd made a concerened face.

"Haha I haven't had chocolate in years. My metabolism sucks. Remember when you first met me? I was like 200 pounds." She was referring to 6 years ago. Nazz had a bit if a weight problem. She had quite the stressful childhood and stress-eating was how she coped. Her situation resolved and she lost the weight, but she recognizes her notoriously bad metabolism, and stays away from most unhealthy foods. "But...I do think I see what happened here. You got tricked." Nazz smiled at the naive boy. It was amusing that such an intelligent boy could miss this. "Kevin is the one who loves sweets. Specifically chocolate. "

"So...he lied then?" Edd's heart sank. He thought someone had really been interested in learning to cook.

"Don't see it like that. It sounds like Kevin just wanted to spend time with you, dude." Her chuckling made it hard for Edd to listen. "And I'm sure the cake was a bonus. But seriously dude, just talk to him."

"But...that doesn't make sense. Kevin could simply buy his own sweets or visit my after school club for confestionairies. Coming to my house is highly inefficient."

Nazz laughed again. Something so simple to her was a puzzle for the boy. "Just go talk to him. I promise things will get clearer." She gave back the unopened gift, having no interest in its contents. She reached in her bag and took out a banana, quickly peeling it and taking a bit, managing to muffle a few words from her full mouth while turning the corner. " Fis if my docolate."

--

"What are you asking me for? I hate that guy." Eddy barked loudly in the lunchroom. As he shouted, bits of food fell from his mouth. "Don't do stuff for free, especially for him. If it were me, I would charge him for it." Eddy's response was not a surprising one.

"Maaaybe he liiikes you, Double D!" Ed chimed in, in his usual strange way. Ed was busy making his pile of mashed potatoes into a surprisingly life-like fort on his plate. A river of gravy led to a moat surrounding the fort.

"Yeah right!" Eddy snapped. "Shovel chin likes Nazz. Too bad that Nazz has the hots for me!" He said, pointing to himself proudly. Eddy jumped on the table, attempting to get Nazz's attention form across the lunchroom. She didn't even notice him.

"I highly doubt that Eddy. You have a rather repellent personality, especially towards the average female." Edd chucked at his own comment.

"Big words don't make you smart, Double D. Money does." Eddy said with a scowl.

"Yet another qualitative aspect of my life that you lack" Edd chuckled again. He knew his friend would be fine with the light humor, despite Eddy's mocking face from across the table. "Still...He said something odd to me." The other two were too busy to hear Edd now, focusing on their forts and flirting. "He said that he doesn't mean to be mean to me. Why would he say that? It certainly is an odd -" Edd stopped himself. he had to close his mouth as bits of Ed's mashed potato fort came flying to his face. "Ah! Honestly!" Eddy had accidentally kicked it in Edd's direction while sprawling to flex to Nazz. Edd wiped his face with a hankercheif and a wetnap that he always had in his bag for emergencies. As he removed the napkin from his face, the subject of his previous conversation came into view. Kevin was peering down at Eddy who had not even noticed the potato based attack that he had inflicted. Not that he would have cared.

"What's with you?" Eddy glared back.

"Watch where you sling that stuff, Dork." His eyes darted into Eddy's chest. "Or else you'll be getting a pounding." Kevin clenched his fist and gave a final huff and walked away, giving only a slight glance at Edd as he walked away.

"What was that for? I didn't get any on him." Eddy fussed.

"It's truly a mystery." Edd replied.

 

[Mizumanta]

7



"Why are you inviting him to everything now? Kevin for video games? At Rolf's house? Rolf doesn't even have a tv" Eddy ranted, walking home with his two friends. "Have you seen the guy? he lives like he's on a 1920's farm."

"Very good, Eddy." Edd smiled down at his shorter friend with his hands clasped together. "Rolf's lifestyle could be traced back to a farm at around that time." He cleared his throat. "But since you avoid Rolf most of the time, you probably haven't noticed his transition into the new age." Talking about technology got Edd's heart in a flutter. "He had gotten a television some time ago in an attempt to blend better with our culture."

"Pssh. like it worked." Eddy was scoffing now. "The guy still refers to himself in the third person. 'Rolf is hungry.' 'Rolf needs to feed his chickens.' 'how dare you throw mud on the pride of a son of a shepard?'" eddy mocked.

"Granted, he still has trouble with pronouns, but we are taking it one step at a time." Eddy sped up a bit, now that their houses were in sight. "Rolf has a large television as well as the game systems. Provided that we each bring our own controllers, this should be an entertaining night."

"Plus Rolf always serves the BEST food. Yum yum!" Ed chimed in. As he walked, bits and peices of dried dirt and food chipped off of his backpack. Edd had learned to walk ahead as to not be affected by his need to clean when walking behind his friend. "Last time he gave me a squid PB & J."

"I ain't eatin' nothin' over there." Eddy said as the three got to the center of the Cul de Sac. "If you need me, i'm gonna stuff my face now while I have a chance." He turned, burping into the air so the others could hear him. Ed also waved goodbye, jogging home to his house where the screeching of his sister could be heard. They all had to get ready for later that night. This was one of the few times that they were invited to hang out with other people.

----

As Edd opened his door, he was greeted with the same depressing feeling of an empty house. There were treats on the counter from the night before, but out of fear of cavities, Edd had been refraining himself. He looked through his drawers for his labeled video game controller. It had a special spot in his room where he wouldn't lose it. It didn't take more than a few moments for him to remember that he 'lent' it to Ed. A few weeks ago, Ed's controller broke and he had asked Edd for his. Out of generosity, Edd had allowed his friend to borrow his property, but he had no intention of taking it back. Ed was filthy. He had tried to remind himself to buy another, but recent events had clouded his mind. He sulked for a bit, not sure what the others would say. At best, someone would let him borrow their controller. It's not like everyone could play at once, right?

----

Edd walked up reluctantly to Rolf's odd house. He always found it odd that Rolf's house had a basketball hoop on the garage door when Rolf himself knew very little about American sports. He was also releived that he wouldn't have to go through the back where the animals were, especially with the desserts from home that were in his hand. He knocked on the door. There was silence. Another knock. "Strange..." Edd said allowed. He had arrived at the the exact time that the invitations specified. He tried once more. "More that three knocks could be seen as rude." He had read that in a statistics book, now calculating the confidence value of the truth in his previous comment. He was just about done when he heard a crash from behind the door.

"Watch yourself, single browed Ed Boy!" adn angry shout could be heard. Soon afterward, the door opened to reveal Rolf in his version of casual wear. He had blue overalls over a metal band shirt. It was more than likely that he was unaware of what that kind of music sounded like. He may have just gotten it as a gift. "Ah squishy brained Ed Boy, so nice of you to come to Rolf's house." Rolf guided the boy to the livingroom where many other people were already sitting. Ed, was consuming nearly all of the snacks, sloppily shoveling things into his mouth. Eddy was already on the couch playing a fighting game with Kevin. Finally, Nazz was seen next to Kevin, giving words of encouragement. "Please, sit and be enjoying yourself." Edd walked down next to the couch, observing the battle. It was clear that Kevin was dominating Eddy, who was now looking into other tactics like distracting his opponent, to gain the upperhand.

"Hey, no fair using your chin to push buttons, Kevin." Eddy joked. It didn't really seem to be getting to Kevin, but over the years, he had grown to somewhat tolerate Eddy. It was this underhanded tactic that sealed Eddy's defeat. He was too busy looking at Kevin and talking and his player quickly got beaten.

"Too easy." Kevin said triumphantly. He eased back into the couch to bask in his success, giving a quick glimpse and smile at Edd. Eddy stormed off, taking Edd's dessert plate with him. Ed got up quickly to chase after the snacks, leaving only Edd, Kevin and Nazz in the room. "You got next game?" Kevin asked,looking over to the boy.

"Oh...I would rather not. Games like this are a bit to easy for me." Edd actually just came to watch others play and have fun. He had no real plans to play, despite wanting to show up with his controller.

"Is that right?" Kevin's eyebrow raised. "How about a wager then?"

"Gambling?! I'm sorry, but I could never-"

"It has nothing to do with money. Just something small. If I win, you have to do something for me later." His smile had a slightly sinister shadow to it, but Edd's mind was elsewhere.

"What do I get if I win?" He asked, a little surprised at himself.

"What do you want?"

"No more betting. At least for the rest of the night." He said with a surprisingly firm nod. Edd was opposed to anything that could get someone in trouble. To him, this was a way to protect his friends.

"Alright. Pick up eddy's controller. We'll start." Kevin said, chuckling under his breath. Nazz bounced in her seat in excitement, giving Double D a thumbs up for luck. Edd sat down, putting the sounds in the kitchen of Rolf, Ed, and Eddy fighting over the food he brought out of his mind. On the screen, a few characters popped up. It was an old Zatch Bell game. Ed had gotten him a little interested because of the alternate world part of the concept. It could possibly make sense if parallel universes did in fact exist. He picked up a controller. Kevin had picked Brago, one of the powerhouses of the game. Edd's eyes focused. he wondered which would be a good match with his limited knowledge of the actual abilities of the characters. In the end, he chose Tia, the healer and defender with very few actual attacks. Kevin smiled as he saw the choice.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's cute that you think you can win with her." Nazz's smile went away for a bit after that comment.

"You shouldn't underestimate someone based on looks." Edd replied, returning Nazz's smile. That was her favorite character after all.

Before either of them knew it, the battle started. Kevin started by having his character fire relentless shots at Edd's A few quick energy sheilds stopped those. It was clear that Kevin was already invested in the game from his intense glare at the screen, but Edd's face was calm and collected.

As Brago continued to fire shots at Tia from different angles, Tia simply blocked and proceeded to get closer. Once Tia was in range, Brago attempted to fire close range shots, only to have them avoided, not by a shield this time, but by cutting the attack short with quick slap. Kevin's fingers tapped wildly at the controller. Again, his character shot an attack, jumping into the air first. This attack was stopped by one of equal power shot by tia. On the way down, he attempted a flurry of attacks. Each strike was met by a counter just before impact. "Games like this are simple." Edd began. "Just memorize the frames of movement in the game and you can counter quickly. It's science, really." Edd's attention went back to the screen. His multiple counters were draining Brago's health bar quickly.

Kevin began to grit his teeth. He really didn't want to lose. While still staring at the screen and pushing buttons, Kevin uttered a small request. "Go to the movies with me tomorrow."

Edd dropped his controller. "What?!" His face was flustered and began to sweat. "What did you say?!" Kevin's eyes were still glued to the screen, beating the now defenseless momodo on screen. Edd looked down and tried to recover, but at that point, very little could be done. Dozens of stunning attacks were being used, leaving no room for a good counter. Within seconds, his character fell. A large 'LOSE' sign appeared before his character.

"It was a little premature, but it's still out there. Go to the movies with me tomorrow. I know how honest you are. You agreed to it." Kevin smirked.

"You purposely distracted me like Eddy did. I...I hardly call that a victory." Edd was still flustered. He stuttered through his words.

"A win's a win. Eddy just wasn't doing it right." Kevin got his coat and keys. Nazz followed, snickering a little bit. It looked like she was in on the whole thing, or at least liked the look on Edd's face. "Pick you up at seven." Kevin called out. The two left, only hard to hear words could be heard from outside. Something about Nazz's favorite flavor of frozen yogurt.

The other half of the group came back in, their faces full of crumbs. Rolf was still chewing sloppily while Ed was licking crumbs off of his dirty sleeves. Eddy looked down to find his friend with a confused look on his face and a slight pink in his cheeks. He looked around for the other two who had been playing before they left. Looking around mostly for Nazz, Eddy finally spoke

"Where did Shovel Chin and Nazz go?"

 

[Mizumanta]

8




"Hey Dork, I'm waiting!" Kevin sit on his bike outside of Edd's house. He wore clothing just a bit more formal than usual to hang out with the other boy that afternoon. The party that he had gone to the other day had served as a useful snare in getting the other boy to go out with him. Surprisingly, Kevin was pretty nervous, dispite his usual nonchalant behavior. "Hey!" Kevin shouted again. After only about a minute, Kevin parked his bike near the curb and got off. As he approached the front door, he say sign after sign written in incredibly neat handwriting, almost looking as if a machine had done them. Each one had a different message.

"Stay Away"
"Contamination ahead."
"Quarantine!"

Kevin was starting to get annoyed. Some of the signs had words on them that he didn't recognize and thinking about it made him feel like he was in school or something. He finally got to the door. A final sign was tapped neatly with the message: "Do Not Enter." Kevin ignored the sign and knocked on the door. "Hey! Dork? What's with the signs?" A few shuffles could be heard from within the house.
"Did you read? *sniff*" A small voice could vaguely be heard on the other side of the door.
"w-what?"
"DID YOU READ THE SIGNS?!" a more audible message came through. There was a bit of coughing afterwards.
"Yeah I saw 'em. They're weird and all, but what about the movies? You promised you would go." Kevin seemed a little irritated. He had anticipated that the smaller boy was too honest to flake out of a lost bet, even if he was against betting in the first place.
"What?!" Edd sniffled behind the door. "Eddy didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"I have contracted some horrible virus, most likely the common cold. I informed Eddy before barricading myself to inform you of this unfortunate event." Edd sniffled some more.
"Dude, open the door." Kevin said calmly.
"What?! Out of the question. You'll get sick as well. I cannot allow another to suffer the same way that I am now!" Edd was now frantic, slightly raising his voice.
"Open the door, Dorko. I give consent or whatever." Kevin sighed. There was a silence. Afterward, a few latches could be heard being unlocked. There were most likely six in total. The door opened slightly, only really revealing a sliver of Edd's face.

"Umm…" He began, but before Edd could continue, the door swung open. Kevin had forced his way in and quickly picked up the by, sweeping him off of his feet. While the stunned Edd couldn't bring himself to speak, Kevin took time to notice the red nosed, lethargic boy's condition. He was even wrapped in a comforter. The rest of the house seemed fine until he got to Edd's room, which was full of humidifiers, fans, ice packs, and heating pads all neatly stacked or dispersed throughout the room for convenience. "Please unhand me." Edd started. "I would prefer you not get contaminated."
"Don't worry about it." Kevin said, looking around the room. His eyes met many things that a sick person should have. There was a bunch of non alchoholic cough syrups, cold pills, tissues, and even a chart of what medication to take, when, and what medicines not meant to combine with others. This was pretty much what he expected from the younger boy. Edd had always been a prepared one.

Walking to the bed, Kevin lay Edd down, pulling up another blanket to cover Edd in a second layer. He then sat in the nearby desk chair and rolled over to the other boy. "Alright, so since you don't got anybody to help you out, I'll stay here with you tonight." He looked around a bit. "Where are the other dorks?"
Edd blew his nose into his tissue, looking a little depressed. He let out a sigh and spoke. "Ed thinks that my cold is an alien virus and is probably sealing his house in plastic wrap as we speak. Eddy was supposed to tell you that I was sick and come back…but that was four hours ago." Kevin began to laugh out loud. "And what is so funny?" Edd tried to shout.
"Haha he- he's not really the most reliable guy. You were better trusting Ed to tell me."
"It….it's apples and oranges." Edd began to blush more under the comforter and covers, making his face even redder than before. He looked at Kevin. "I didn't get a chance to apologize actually. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the movies." Kevin gave a calming look that told Edd that he didn't seem to mind. "But you really don't have to stay. I have everything that I need in my room, save some warm soup." He removed the blankets from around his body and attempted to leave the bed. He took a few steps "I am perfectly capable to-" Edd's eyes began to wander in various directions and his eyelids fell before he tumbled to the ground from dizziness.
"Yeah…you've got everything handled, huh?" Kevin said with a smile.

---

A few hours later, Edd's eyes slowly opened. He looked around a bit to find some minor alterations to his room. A few things on his desk and bookshelf were moved, but he was too tired to say anything about it now. Moving his eyes some more, he came across a sleeping Kevin, his face and shirt defiled with oil and small scraps of food. There were a few band aids on his fingers as well. He was asleep in a chair next to Edd's bed. His mouth was open and he was facing up, trying to make the best of the seating. On the desk next to Edd's bed was a warm bowl of soup. Double D's eyes widened. He had never expected Kevin to cook. Now the messy bookshelf made sense. He had been looking for a cookbook. Undoubtedly the kitchen was now a mess as well, judging from Kevin's shirt. Edd sat up and took the soup into his lap. Kevin had been courteous enough to provide a spoon and napkin for him as well. It was so nice of Kevin to think about him like that. He couldn't say that Eddy would do the same, and Ed's short attention span wouldn't keep him there either. Edd took a spoonful of the odd soup, not even knowing what was inside. A wide smile corssed the smaller boy's face as his eyes met the still sleeping Kevin's face. He chuckled lightly so to not wake him. "Haha. Terrible."

 

[Mizumanta]

9


"Eddward! we're so glad that you're alright!" Jimmy rushed up to hug the taller boy. "I know it was just for a few days, but we really missed you!"

Edd looked down and smiled. "I can assure you that I am alright. I didn't miss a day of school, So i didn't miss a club meeting." The other members of the club looked sincerely releived that Double D was alright. "Unfortunately, I could not make any food for you all in my condition, but I do have a treat for you all." Edd brought out a few cartons of milk from the fridge. "These are goat, soy, and cow milk." He said calmly. "each milk can be used in exchange for another, though varying amounts are required." He walked to a nearby whiteboard and pulled out a marker. "You see, teh small white globules in milk are called milk proteins or 'casein'. Like a magnet, each end holds a positive charge. This makes each milk protein repel one another, resulting in a colloidal suspension." Edd pulled out a glass of and began to pour the cow's milk into the glass. In the back of the classroom, the door opened. A familiar tall orange haired boy walked through. Edd almost spilled some milk out of surprise. It wasn't long before he had noticed that his words had stopped and there was an awkrard silence.
"Umm... So when an acid is involved, like say vinegar, negative charges are introduced. Teh negative charges take one side of the 'magnet' and make it negative. This allows the milk proteins to come together, producing milk curds. We use this for cheese and other products. Keep in mind that some bacteria add acid to milk naturally, separating the milk and showing its age." A few members of the club clapped, especialy Jimmy. Most didn't exactly get the science side, but loved learning how to make cheese. "Jimmy, I'm sure you can assist with the second half of the demonstration." Jimmy sprung up and skipped to the front of the class. "Excuse me everyone."

Edd made his way to the back of the class. "What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting up later?"

"Don't worry double dweeb, I didn't forget. I just had nothing better to do and I wanted to see you." Edd blushed brightly and tried to look away to hide it. "I doubt someone as popular as you has nothing to do and nowhere to go for an hour."

Kevin gave a delighted huff at his affect on the other boy. "I did have football practice today but i didn't want to go. We won our last three games, so I put Rolf in charge for today's practice."

"Rolf?! of all people?" Edd was referring to Rolf's odd traditions and idiosyncrasies that can border on the extreme.

"It's no big deal. Whatever he does to stay so strong must be working. If anything bad happens, Sarah will tell me. "

"Does Sarah...know that you and I have been hanging out?" Edd's voice shook, remembering the firebrand's tendency to overreact. He had hoped her crush on him had subsided after so many years.

"I don't think she cares. You really think highly of yourself, huh?" Once again, Edd's face was shrouded in red.

"I, in no way, think so highly of my abilities to attract the opposite gender." He looked away again and stuck out his lip. "That would be something I would expect from you." Kevin grabbed Edd's head and put it in a head lock with little effective resistance from the weaker teen. Edd's arms just lay limp. He knew that strength wasn't his strength.

"Apologize." Kevin said with a smirk. It wasn't long before Kevin began messing with Edd's hair through his hat. "C'mon."

"Kevin. Please." Edd said aloud, still fidgeting. "I have to get back inside." Kevin quickly released him.

"Yeah yeah, i know. I just...wanted to make sure you were alright before we hang out." this time it was Kevin who blushed and turned away. He wasn't one to let his emotions show. "I wouldn't want you passing out. During the movie or whatever."

Edd's eyes widened as he processed those words, bringing himself back with a cam and collected few words. "I'm fine. Don't worry." He left to meet his club members. He stopped before going in. "I look forward to our meeting." The door shut with a clink.

 

[Mizumanta]

10




" A large popcorn is nine dollars." An unenthusiastic woman said behind the counter. " Extra Butter is an additional dollar." She popped he gum while looking away. She didn't seem to enjoy her job.



"Oh dear, so expensive" Edd began digging through his bag for money.



"Don't worry about it, dork. I can handle it. " Kevin walked up beside him and handed the woman a twenty dollar bill. "I know you like popcorn, so don't get so worked up. If you like it then it's worth it." Kevin tried to be sincere, but as usual, his words came out more nonchalant. "So you sure you want to see this movie? There's this awesome horror that I wanted to try-"



"No thank you!" Edd interrupted. He had no interest in horror. He could barely stand watching the poorly executed horror films at Ed's house, much less one at the theater. Edd looked a bit sad. "I do apologize. It's a bit selfish of me to stray you from your preferred film."



"No worries, dude. I can watch it later." Kevin smiled as he tried to fit the popcorn and the other overpriced snacks that he had purchased in his arms. It was always a habit of his to try to get everything done in one trip.



As the two made their way to the correct theater, Edd curiously scanned the room. "It's actually quite rare for me to be out in a place like this. " He began. "I usually stray away from crowded places, but I didn't seem to mind today." He was deep in thought, completely passing the right theater.



"Come on Dork, what ya waitin' for?" Kevin's voice could be heard from the dark hall a few steps back. He probably didn't hear Edd's musings anyway. The two walked up the stairs to the back of the theater. There weren't too many people there. No one they recognized anyway which was surprising because Peach Creek was a small town.



"So what was this movie again?"



"It's called 'Now you see me'. It's about these street magicians that use their tricks to pull off soe real cool stuff." Kevin was already hands deep in popcorn.



"Prestidigitation is certainly a way to go for the wow factor." Edd responded, placing a few napkins in his lap. "Could you pass the popcorn, Kevin?" The other boy shoved the bucket over to his friend while using his now empty hands to tear into a box of colorful chocolates. Edd took out a plastic bag and removed a glove from it, grabbing a handful and placing it in his napkin. He proceeded to eat one kernel at a time. "Popcorn can seem magical at times as well. You see, the starch in the Kernel becomes molten as it heats. As gas expands in the sealed husk, the pressure increases. With the tiniest tear in the husk, the molten starch rushes out and cools instantly in the cooler air, creating the delicious white part."



Kevin just looked in confusion. "I'm gonna have to take your word on that." He was sure that was one of those things that he explains in his cooking club.



Edd looked around as the lights dimmed. No one could see them up their. It was like they were alone, but not really. This was rare for him to go out and have fun. He was usually so kooked up in his room, that he had almost forgotten what it was like. He really had to thank Kevin for this opportunity later.



---




Halfway through the film, as the detective was chasing after one of the magician suspects, Kevin turned to see the lit up face of his friend. Edd was astonished that films had gone this far. His knowledge of the industry was a bit lacking due to his interest in other places, especially with most movie nights being Ed's choice being old monster films or Eddy's being the cheapest ones. the explosions and the dialog were truly outstanding. The plot of the film was a farther from the usual hackneyed productions that he was exposed to. As the action played down, and the characters began talking again, It was clear that the two detectives had some sort of feelings for each other. Neither really brought it up and it was tip-toed around. "How odd." Edd began. He felt that now that the film had slowed down, it was less rude to speak. "If it is that obvious to the both of them that the two like each other, why would they waste time avoiding the subject?" He looked a bit puzzled, but kept his eyes on the screen. "I mean, you are wasting precious time with each other. I'm sure there are better uses of their time." he took a sip of his lemonade, cringing slightly at the artificial taste, but soon got over it. He turned to Kevin with his eyes still locked on the screen. "I mean if their infatuation is compromising the case's completion, perhaps they should look for new partners and go their separate- " Edd was interrupted again, this time by something more surprising. A pair of slightly sticky warm lips met his. Edd looked over to see the older boy leaning over with a slightly red face. His face immediately matched it as Edd was too surprised to know what to do.



"I get it. I don't want to waste time tip-toeing around it. I like you too." He looked away with a blush on his face. He was glad that they were at the top where no one could see them. "I don't want you to think we are wasting time. You're really awesome and junk. The stuff you build and the things you know, it's like, cool y'know?" Kevin was too scared to give a glance back. It looked like he had really fought to keep that in. Edd looked astonished. He didn't know what to say. There was a pause.



"I...was speaking purely about the film, I'm sorry if...I made it sound as if I was speaking about our relationship. I..." Kevin frowned a bit.



"It's cool dude. Sorry about that." He pulled his hat a little further over his face in defeat. Kevin couldn't bring himself to face the shorter boy just yet. He just wanted to watch the movie.



---



As the final trick was being made on screen, the crowd gathered on to watch in amazement. It was clear that something cool was going to happen but Kevin had lost interest. His mind was too full of troubling thoughts. He felt embarrassed. His heart was heavy. But he couldn't bring himself to dislike the other boy. He let out a minor sigh. It was clear that he was just staring off into space now. His attention was caught a few moments later by a warm weight on his shoulder. Edd had laid his head on it while still watching the movie.



"I...never said that I... didn't like you back." His face was flushed with red and it was him this time that struggled to make eye contact. "I sincerely thought you saw me as a friend. It's why I did not act on my feelings. but.." Edd touched his bottom lip. It was still a bit sticky. He made a quick glance at the taller boy before he had to avert his gaze. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." Kevin now appeared to have the same facial expression as Edd did after the kiss. His eyes were widened and his mouth was open just enough to show his front teeth. Kevin pulled his hat back over his head and smiled.



"Heh. You're such a dork."

 

[Mizumanta]

11



"Aww! Look at how cute they are together. Like an alien and a parasite." Edd drooled with glee as he watched Edd and Kevin walk down the hall. Edd smiled nervously and Kevin had his normal nonchalant attitude, if not with a bit more effort than normal. He had a good reason. He and Edd were holding hands after all, in their own way of displaying their new relationship. "Don't you think they are just perfect together?" Edd asked, now weirdly hovering over the signifigantly shorter boy below.

"All I know is that I got two guys crossed off my list as competition for Nazz." Eddy grinned.

"Your friends are taking it pretty well." Kevin mentioned. despite his look, he was listening in on what people were saying. He had snuck a peak at the two boys before continuing his walk.

"Oh, well Ed isn't really one to think negatively in these situations. Eddy is quite a surprise though." Edd was having trouble talking. He was trying his best not to grin too widely or blush. "I do hope that the others will not make a fuss about this."

"You can't worry about what people think, man. Just do your own thing." Kevin said, still refusing to avert his gaze from the path in front of him. The two continued into the classroom. As they walked along the desk rows, they saw their classmates and the reactions each one had. What made them smile though, was the thumbs up that Nazz gave their way. Both couldn't hold back a smile after that.

"Hey guys! watcha doin?" An annoying voice broke the moment of serenity. It was Johnny. His bald scalp had a layer of sweat on it and he had no problem pushing it between the two boy's hands. The weird boy's sweaty head made Edd and Kevin release hands in disgust. "Why ya holding hands? Are we gonna play red rover? I wanna play!"

"Johnny, shut your corn hole!" A shrieking voice announced. "What they're doing is trying to piss me off." The firebrand behind these words was none other than Sarah, Ed's sister. Her flaming red hair and even redder face were a common sight at the school. She had had a crush on Edd in the past and preferred the option to be there for if she wanted to ask him out. She used anger to cope with her frustration. "They're probably faking it for attention. Look at em, Jimmy."

"I think it's a wonderful thing that those two found each other." Jimmy chimed in. "You should hold onto love whenever you can. Such beauty." The young boy's voice was incredibly effeminate and he had heavy dental equipment attached to his face. Jimmy, as usual, had soft clothes and hair to go with his soft personality. "It's like two flower petals flying in the wind found each other by chance."

"Why thank you, Jimmy." Edd said with a smile while he sanitized Johnny's sweat from his hands. "that was very sweet." Edd sat down at his desk, which was a few rows away from Kevin's and retrieved his books. He had already read the entire thing, but a recent psychology book that he had finished mentioned that teachers enjoy seeing the books out anyway. Each book, writing utensil, and paper was placed on the desk perfectly. It was as if he had a protractor with him. He was ready for anything.

The teacher walked in quite quickly, as if he was running late, though the clock on the wall said otherwise. "Well I see you are all here, so I can start a bit early." some frustrated faces filled the room. "We have a new student joining our school today and this is his first class, so let's take some time and give him a warm welcome." A tall boy with short black hair walked in. He had an athletic build, a small patch of hair growing on his chin, and an orange shirt with the word 'LOST' in big letters. "This is Sam Kamiya. Please give him the same respect that you would give to any other classmate." The boy put up a hand to signal a hello. He didn't seem to nervous. In fact, he appeared to be as relaxed as if he had been in that school for years. His eyes scanned the room with an almost bored gaze until his eyes met Edd's. Sam winked and let a small smile through before taking a seat. Edd's faced filled with red and he covered his face with his hands.

Edd's cell phone buzzed. Normally, he wouldn't answer it in class, but he had forgotten where he was momentarily from that last exchange. It was a text from Kevin that read "What the hell was that?! That guy's a creep!" Edd frowned nervously and began to type quickly as to not rouse suspicion from the teacher. He sent it quickly before putting his phone away. Kevin saw him finish the text and checked his own phone under the desk. He was silent for a moment. He couldn't beleive what he read. Those five words left him speechless.

"He's also my first boyfriend."

 

[Mizumanta]

12

A loud slam of Kevin's hand on a metal locker could be heard from the halls, thr source was obvious due to the duo being the only two present. "What the hell is this?" Kevin held the phone with the text on the screen to Edd. "What the hell was that?!" He raised his voice this time. He was definitely flustered as he talked. It wasn't often that Kevin came under surprise.

Edd in turn was surprisingly calm, pushing Kevin's phone aside and getting up off the cold school lockers. "It isnt a big deal, I assure you."Eddward proceeded to fix his hat and look down at the ground as he spoke. "It was at the school that I went to before moving to Peach Creek. We were both gradeschoolers at the time. Kevin seemed to calm only slightly at the revelation that no naughty happenings were in their past. "I am actually having a bit of trouble recognizing why you would be surprised by this Kevin. Do you not have various ex-girlfriends at this school?" Kevin's eyes widened and he looked away, just now remembering that the other boy was right.

"That isnt what I meant." Kevin chimed in. "You know who I have dated. Everyone does. This though...this is-"

"What is it?"

"It's nothing. Just...Whatever." Kevin banged on the locker one last time in frustration before hanging his head low and walking away. Edd looked outward at the frustrated teen. He was honestly at a loss and really couldnt understand the problem at all. Around the corner, Sarah was hiding, eavedropping on the entire conversation, smiling menacingly before tiptoeing away.

__

"Okay, but how about this: A timer that rings in your locker to ring two minutes before your class starts so you wont ever be late? It's genius! We'll make a killing!" Eddy shouted at the lunch table. He was doing his usual scheming to trick the local kids out of their money, a trait that he has had since childhood.

"Eddy, anyone can simply get their own timer or even put on on their phone. We wouldnt be able to sell any." Edd Responded.

"I'd buy one, guys!" Ed chimed in, mashed potatoes dripping from his chin.

"See? Lumpy would buy one. Ha!" Eddy responded.

"Ed is not an appropriate average consumer, and you know it. Ed will buy just a about anything if he can afford it. Have you seen his room?!" Eddward corrected. "Besides, I wont have time to spend making you inventions to sell. I have a large amount of homework that I am eager to start. You would be wise to start yours early if you want to earn the grades to get into a good college"

"College Smolledge! My dad says college is a scam. You spend the rest of your life paying back loans for it and you cant even guarantee yourself a job. It's a scam and I dont fall for scams." Eddy replied, know-it-allingly.

"You simply dont appreciate the value of higher education" Edd Pulled his nose to the air and walked off with his lunch to put the tray away. AS he stood in line to the tray area, a student walked up behind him. Although Edd could not tell from behind, the body bent down to his height and whispered into his ear.

"Hello cupcake." This caused Edd's body to seize in shock and for him to almost drop his plastic tray onto the ground. He turned to reveal the boy behind him, Sam.

"Dont sneak up on me like that, yo know I hate that!" Edd said in a slightly whiny voice.

"Haha, I know. I just wanted to check up on you. I saw you in class when I was being introduced, but you didnt say hi." He put an arm around Edd's shoulder and continued talking. "You know that since you are the only familiar face, I would be drawn to you first, buddy. How have you been?" The line moved up slightly as teh children cleaned their trays out in the nearby trashcan and left their trays with assigned daily dishwasher through the window. It was typically Jimmy, who often volunteered for jobs in cleanliness, or Rolf, who would keep the scraps of food left as feed for his pigs.

"I'll have you know that I am doing quite well here. I am at the top of my class in basically all subjects and have made very good friends since I moved. I imagine that you had a similar experience." Eddward boasted.

"No, I did just okay in classes. I was lucky to pass" Sam chuckled. "Plus no one that I liked was around so it got kind of boring to be honest. Once I got the O.K. From my dad, I decided to move." Sam kept his arm around Edd While carrying his tray in his other hand. "He thinks that I will learn better if I switch schools." Edd made sure to stare forward adn walk correctly while the other students in the lunchroom were watching. Sam on the other hand was initiating way too much body contact, leading to to him looking as if he were attaching himself to the small teen. Edd actually didnt seem to notice. Dispite him having a problem with excess germs and unwanted human contact, he didnt seem to mind the touch of the other boy, though he may have been trying to be polite. "And of course," Sam continued, "I had to come here since you were here, since we're buddies and all." His eyebrows raised at the word 'buddies', up and down at each syllable.

"That is very nice to hear, Sam. I am happy to know that you grew up well too. However," Edd slowed down. "Don't you think that you should try and socialize with the other students as well?" He looked over at the taller boy and made sure to make eye contact this time. Edd's eyes were innocent as usual, the question being sincere and without ulterior motive. "There are many nice people at Peach Creek to get to know, though they all admittedly have their ups and downs." Eddward finished.

"Don't worry about it. I don't really have trouble making friends. I just choose who I get close to more carefully." This time, Sam got closer to Edd's ear, whispering softly. Anyone looking from the outside in would clearly assume these actions to be flirtatious, but Eddward, being his usual oblivious self, didnt see it.

"I suppose that is a wise decision. It is your first day after all. I suggest that you be careful of your first impressions." There was only one person in front of him and the tray drop off, Johnny was there, struggling to figure out how to pass the tray over to the washer, despite doing it almost every day. After a few moments, Johnny succeeded, telling his wooden friend, Plank, how it was a wonder that the school expected him to figure the tray system out. Edd walked up to the tray drop off, offering his already clean wiped tray to the dishwasher in good faith. As he smiled and offered the tray, he looked straight into the eyes of the orange haired boy that he had had a mild fight with earlier that day. In a hairnet covering his hat and arms covered in suds, Kevin stared sharply at his current boyfriend in the arms of the new kid.

 

[Mizumanta]

13


"What the hell is wrong with you? Go after him!" Eddy shouted from across the cafeteria, alerting all in the room of the situation. Kevin had taken off his apron and hair net, leaving to the door leading to the parking lot. Edd seemed confused until he Nazz eyeing him suspiciously He followed her line o sight to the taller boy;s arm around his shoulder, causing him to jump in shock.

"Oh dear..." Eddward mumbled under his breath.

______

The last school bell of the day chimed throughout the halls. "You really blew it this time, dude, " Eddy began. "What did you think was gonna happen when he saw someones arm around you? If someone had an arm around my Nazz, I would-" The short boy was cut off.

"But you and Nazz arent in a relationship. You never have been." Edd responded as he walked beside him and his normal group of friends.

"Whatever. At least I didnt make Nazz leave school. You know Shovel Chin hasnt been to any of his classes since that whole thing right? The whole school is talking about it." Eddy continued.

"The whole school is talking about it because you drew attention to the situation." Edd stopped walking and stared out into space for a second. "THE WHOLE SCHOOL IS TALKING ABOUT IT?!" As usual, his overreactions were louder than anything Eddy could muster, echoing through the hallways like a tidal wave of sound. Edd seemed dizzy at this point.

"Calm down, Double D. No one really knows anything about the two of you, just that you and one of the new kids got kevin mad. Rolf thinks you two are gonna fight or something afterschool. Eddy put his hands in his pockets, noticeable missing his backpack seeing how he rarely did homework anyway. "Well since no one has seen him, just go home or whatever. No sense in making a big deal about it now." Eddy and Ed left to the candy store. Ed had found coins in one of his couch cushions and Eddy pounced on the chance to lay claim to the fruits of the find. Edd Simply walked home alone. The other kids on the street had already left and gotten home or had frolicked to the movies.

Edd got to his front door, fiddling around with the lanyard around his neck to retrieve his housekeys. He quickly turned them into the lock until a familiar clicking sound came forth, though another familiar sound was soon to follow . "Okay, so now you run away in the middle of our conversations now?" Edd turned quickly to find the boy from earlier right behind him.

"Sam, you did it again." Edd murmured.

"Huh? he asked with a smirk.

"You put me in an odd position again. You know that social abnormalities are not my strong point, and you still knowingly put me in that position. In front of the whole school. In front of Kevin, no less. " Eddward was starting to get a little emotional. He had been mulling over his feelings and the entire even over and over in his mind.

"I was just playing, You know me." His smirk returned. "What about Summer Camp? You know that I do stuff like that." It was obvious that Sam was trying to calm the other boy down. "Besides, Kevin looks tough. What are you so worried about?"

Edd took in a deep breath to try and calm down. "Things are different from when we were kids. I cannot have you purposely embarrassing me like that anymore. It really is more troublesome than you realize." A tear fell from Edd's cheek, signalling the other boy to walk over to him. Sam pulled Edd's hat up just an inch and kissed the shorter boy's forehead, pulling his hat back to where it was before.

"Sorry about that. I know how I can get." He began walking away to the edge of the curb as Edd. The tone of his voice was certainly more passive. "We arent together anymore. That's fine. But until he knows the same stuff about you that I know, I'm going to keep being there for you and I will still stay close." Sam turned his back to the boy. "You may know me, but I know you too." With that, Sam started his walk to his own house, leaving Edd on the doorstep to an empty home.

 

[Mizumanta]

14

"I would like to start this meeting for the cooking club in the absence of our president and Instructor." Jimmy murmured. He was having a bit of trouble speaking in front of a large crowd and his nervousness was evident by the shakiness of his voice. Nazz stood in the back, resting on the wall and popping her gum while Johnny fidgeted in his seat.

"But isnt that guy always like 40 minutes early?" Johnny chuckled, doing a reach around to his inanimate buddy plank.


"Umm...Typically yes, and while he never comes late umm...usually, our club meeting is due to start in just a few minutes. He would want us to start." Jimmy's teeth chattered loudly as he spoke, not being able to stand speaking to even small crowds. "So if you could give me just umm...5 minutes," He wiped his forehead with a pocket handkerchief. "to collect my thoughts and papers and we can-" The door to the club room creaked open, causing most of the members to turn their heads. Edd appeared, with his clean pressed clothes and his polished shoes and fingernails showing luster as usual. His face however showed a lack of sleep, his eyes were wrinkled and red and his face showed showed signs of tears. Most of the people in the room turned away to be polite with exception to Johnny, who continued to stare. "Ah! Welcome Edd, on time as usual." Jimmy's chattering stopped, but his overall nervousness did not. "I kept the club in line while you were getting here. "



"Thank you very much Jimmy." Edd's face stretched out to offer a fake smile, something very rare for the usually overly polite student. Edd went to the front, opening his backpack to reveal a bag of homemade creampuff. Each on had a glaze of chocolate on top and the cream that he often filled them with was the height of the conversation in the club. Each member took a creampuff, Johnny taking an extra for Plank. They were one of his more popular desserts, something that his vice president, Jimmy could alost completely mimic. "I made these last night for everyone. Unfortunately I had just a little bit of trouble sleeping." He sat down at the desk in the front, facing. "I know these are your favorites, so I made plenty." He yawned quietly and covered his mouth as his eyes grew just a bit heavier.



"Umm Edd?" Jimmy's voice broke the silence. Edd turned to the other boy with the same forced smile. "Umm... You creampuffs are light and fluffy like usual and I bet you spent a lot of time on them but... These creampuff appear to be missing their cream." Jimmy turned his creampuff around to reveal a bite mark into the pastry with a hollow cavity inside. "did something happen?"



Edd's forced smile bent down to a frown. "Oh, my apologies..." Edd jumped to reply. His eyes began to water again and at least for Jimmy who was close by, he could tell that eh boy was holding back more tears. "Please forgive my forgetfulness. That was an unacceptable blunder on my part." Edd walked quickly to the fridge and pulled out a cheesecake that he had made two days before. "Please enjoy this dessert in the place of the puffs...While you do, please excuse me for a bit. Jimmy, could you take over in my absence?" Edd wiped away a tear from his face as he looked in Jimmy's eyes.



"Sure Edd. Take all the time that you need.



_______



Edd walked to his locker, which was a ways away from the clubroom, taking the time to allow the held back tears to fall. He attempted to keep his face covered with his head in a book and his locker door open to completely block one side. He stayed like this for a few minutes, knowing that with school out, most of the students had rushed home. This solitude was short lived, with a familiar voice chiming in behind him.



"You know you always do that when you want to cry. You are so predictable." Edd kept his face in the book, but knew exactly who was behind him. Sam had followed him or sought him out. "Glad to see that your childhood traits havent changed too much." Sam put a hand on Edd's shoulder. "You know im here if you need to talk, buddy" Sam grinned a bit as he said this, raising his eyebrows in a comical fashion. "I've been watching you , dude. You dont have anyone that you can talk to like you can with me. Not your two weird friends, not that guy with the bike. So come on, let's go to my house." Edd closed his book, placing it in his locker gently, as to not crease the edges. He took in a deep breath before turning around for a surprise. With Sam resting his hand on Eddward's shoulder, Another hand was resting on Sam's shoulder. It was calloused and strong, with a few light orange hairs near the knuckle.



"Kevin?" Edd called out. He surprised himself with his own utterance. Kevin's eyes were intensely focused on the young Sam, leering at him, most definitely for the body contact that he was giving the younger Edd, and most definitely for the one on one chatting. Sam turned his head slowly to nonchalantly check out who was behind him, not really changing his facial expression one way or the other. A vein on Kevin's forehead throbbed as he held back his anger, gripping Sam's shoulder even tighter than before.



"You and me. The junkyard. 5 o'clock." Kevin released Sam's shoulder and and turned around, exiting the school building and allowing the door to close behind him with an echoing clank, leaving a nervous Eddward and an unconcerned Sam alone in the hallway.

 

[Mizumanta]

15


"C'mon, get your tickets here! Kevin Versus the New Kid, Step right up!" Eddy shouted from behind his homemade wooden stand.

"Yeah, buy a stupid ticket and see how this lover's quarrel ends!" Sarah shouted from beside the boy.

"Hey, don't call the tickets stupid, you idiot! You don't know nothin' about sales." Eddy jabbed a finger into Sarah's rib cage as he eyed her angerly. Sarah made a biting motion towards the finger, as if she really would bite it off, causing Eddy to retract his digit in a swift motion.

"Don't give me that, you troll! If it weren't for me, you wouldnt even know about this whole thing. I'm the one who got you to make this stuff for selling tickets and I still get 50%" She jabbed a finger right back at her, both of them glaring at each other and gritting their teeth, only staying in such close proximity to continue making money. They were both interrupted by a short and oblivious Johnny, who had passed their sign without even acknowledging them. "Hey Johnny," Sarah shouted. "You gotta buy a ticket. If I see you take another step without 5 bucks in my hand, it'll be the last step you take!" In one of their rare moments, Both Eddy and Sarah's mindsets were the same, both equally irritated by the boy's actions. Johnny, not seeming to be able to receive their animosity, opened his mouth to reveal a drool soaked 10 dollar bill. He joyfully picked it up with his hand and placed it daintily on Sarah's hand.

"One for plank too, mkay?" Johnny Innocently asked. Sarah tossed the wet bill into the money box and threw two handmade tickets onto the ground for him to pick up himself. Johnny skipped over to the two sheets of paper and licked a finger on both hands, poking each ticket and causing them to stick as he pulled them up. The odd boy soon turned around and continued to skip to the center of the junkyard.

"Weirdo." Eddy and Sarah mumbled in unison.

__________


In the deepest part of the Peach Creek Junkyard, a small crowd of kids sat in makeshift bleachers around an open area, similar to a ring. Scraps of trash littered the outside to form a circle, while heaps of garbage decorated the area around it. This was typically the place that the kids hung out to look for things to play with or scuffle over petty disagreements. Most notably, Rolf and the Kanker sisters used this arena alot, as well as Kevin, who would challenge anyone who dared to scratch his bike.

"Did you hear? Looks like that new kid is gay for Edd now and even Kevin is gay for that little nerd haha" Lee chuckled. "At least theyre duking it out like men."

"That new kid is kind of hot though, don't you think? Kevin better not touch his face!" Lee added. in the middle of the two, the blue haired sister was crushing a plastic bottle between her hands as tight as it would go, wringing it out to hold back her anger.

"Edd is mine..." she mumbled under her breath. "Any one of them touches him and theyre dead." She seemed to still have feelings for the boy, and was not willing to share him, though he most certainly did not feel the same.

Ed sat quietly in the front, not completely aware of what was happening, humming a tune from a new television show and rocking back and forth to the beat. Though he did notice Edd, walking towards Kevin, holding a large bag.

"Are you really sure about this?" Edd's face scrunched. "You know how I feel about violence, especially when it is so needless." He placed his bag on the ground and took out a bottled water, revealing multiple first aid items in the bad such as bandages and ointments. Kevin glanced down to see, assuring himself that he wouldnt be the one to need them.

"Don't bother worrying about me. Worry about your little friend over there whose about to get his freaking face punched in. He's no better than freaking Marie with you." Kevin snarled.

"I'm telling you that it isnt what you think!" Eddward's voice was getting a bit more assertive. "Do you think that I would be so vulnerable to let myself be swayed by a simple shoulder touch and a few words?" He zipped up his bag and continued to speak. "I am telling you that you are overreacting, and it won;t turn out well." He moved his hand in a waving motion across the crowd. "Almost everyone in the neighborhood is here, for goodness sake!"

"Good," Kevin replied. "Then almost everyone can see me beat this clown." Edd picked up his bag and brushed his shirt off.

"I suppose that there is no talking to you when you are like this." He sighed and walked into the direction of the other boy. Kevin gritted his teeth a bit.

"Oi, Oi," Sam waved him over. "Konbanwa, Kuroi Boshi-chan" Sam chuckled.

"Don't call me chan, we are practically the same age." Edd pulled out another water from his bag. "Despite both of you going through with this terrible decision, that is no reason not to stay hydrated."

"Aww, even worried about me at a time like this, huh? You really havent changed from back then. Still Innocent and sweet." Edd didnt seem amused, giving a slight glare to the boy. Sam sighed. "Okay then why are you here?"

"You still have a chance to stop the fight. This is idiotic to say the least. The two of you need to talk and understand each other's-" Edd was quickly cut off.

"I didnt start this thing, he did. If he wants to embarrass himself, let him." Sam continued to stretch, taking a sip of the water that Edd offered him. "The sun is almost setting. Go over to the bleacher's kay?" Sam shooed the other boy away, almost like a pet or something. He seemed childish in his actions, but in the light of the sun, his maturity seemed to shine in the form of his toned chest, that could be seen thanks to his shirt slinging to his body from the sweat and spilled water. Lee, May, and even Sarah quieted down to ogle the boy's body, only shaking out of it after Eddy interrupted.

"Let's go already, sheesh!" As if some kind of bell, Eddy;s words prompted to two to walk forward into the ring. Kevin immedietly put his arms up into fists, making sure to cover his face with one. Sam on the other hand kept his hands in his pockets. As expected, Kevin seemed to get even angrier, not wanted to be taken lightly. In the neighborhood, he and Rolf were considered the best fighters. He didnt plan on losing to a newcomer. With that in mind, Kevin threw the first punch, aiming for the other boy's head. A swift turn of the skull left the punch without a target. Kevin continued with a flurry of punches. Sam kept his air of calm and dodged each jab and strike with succession, only occasionally taking a hand out from his pocket to push Kevin;s arm aside when a punch couldnt simply be dodged. Kevin;s face was getting redder. Perhaps from expended energy, or perhaps out of embarrassment, his face almost matched the color of the setting sun.

"C'mon, dude. Hit back." Kevin grunted, still firing unsuccessful punches.

"No thanks." Sam said with a smile. Clearly this match was one sided. It was as if Sam knew each of Kevin's moves and was ready to stop them. To top it off, he wasnt even beginning to tire at this point, whereas Kevin was sweating to the point that his shirt had also begun to stick to his chest. "You can call this off, you know haha." Sam chuckled. "Just cause you're not good enough for Edd, doesnt mean-" Kevin's fist seemed to gain speed, just barely nicking the side of Sam's forehead. Nevertheless, it still left a small mark and blood was just starting to seep out of it.

"Don't even start." Kevin replied. He kept his fists up, only relaxing his fists for a moment when Sam decided to take both hands out of his pocket. Sam sighed and removed his smile to replace it with a more serious look.

"I worked hard on this pretty face. Can't have you messing it up." Kevin launched another blow, jumping from side to side to make himself a harder target to strike. His opponent stayed in one place, waiting for Kevin to move. His prediction was correct, as Kevin came in for another strike. Sam grabbed the incoming wrist, pulling it closer. Kevin quickly lost his balance at the sudden shift in weight, leaving an opening for Sam to turn and aim his elbow at Kevin's face. The sound of the strike was enough to fell the audience's banter, as Kevin fell to the ground, clutching his eye. Sam let go of the boy's wrist and turned around to the crowd, hunching his shoulders and closing his eyes with a smile. "Are we done now?"

Edd rushed over to kevin, his bag in hand, rummaging through it to find the appropriate equipment. His face showed a bit of shock. " Kevin, hold still." He began. Kevin tried to get up and continue, but his lack of energy and shock allowed for Edd to push him back into a sitting position. "Hold still." Edd repeated. He worked fast to disinfect the now bloody area, placing gauze and a bandage around the area. Sam looked down with a small frown.

"Hey buddy, I have a cut too, you know." He said, pointing to his forehead. Eddward didn't even look up, an action of which seemed to be the hardest blow to boy all day. He placed his hands in his pocket again, turning back around and keeping his head low. He walked out of the ring, past the cheering kids, and out of sight.

"Kevin, you have a large cut over you eye and a bit of swelling in the area as well. We should get you home or-" Kevin interrupted by placing a hand on his chest and shaking his head no. "Then..." Edd pondered. "Then come to my house."

_______

Kevin sat down on Edd's couch, still clutching his eye. Edd took out a few things from his kitchen, including rubbing alcohol and a needle with thread tight on it. He dipped the needle into the alcohol solution, offering the other boy a pencil to bite down on. "Kevin, please be still. This will hurt. " Edd proceeded to sew the area with his tools, noting that Kevin had not let out a single peep the entire time. With the last stitch, Eddward cut he string and put his equipment back. "I called you house and told them that you were here. I don;t think they should see you like this just yet..." He got up again and took out a comforter from his closet, guiding Kevin down the hall into his room. "Please, sleep in here for tonight. I'll umm...I'll sleep in the living room, so don;t worry. " Kevin didnt fight it or comment. He sat on the bed quietly and waited for Edd to leave the room before crawling under the covers. The boy let out a deep sigh, and thought about how crappy his dreams would be tonight.

 

[Mizumanta]

16


Kevin awoke the next morning to the stale smell of Edd's home. It always reminded him of the house of an old person, like no one had lived there for a long time. Behind this nostalgic scent was a wafting aroma of something sweet. He got off of the couch to see a small stack of folded clothes on the table before him. Each had been meticulously cleaned and pressed. he looked up towards the kitchen to the assumed source of the aroma, seeing a slack of pancakes, topped with berries, whipped cream, and safely stored in a glass container. He could see steam still coming from the pancakes, so it must have been made recently. A quick look around the house resulted in the conclusion that the shorter boy was not in the house. Kevin took the clothes into Edd's bathroom, the only unlocked bathroom in the house.

Eddy returned to the house with a women's sun hat on and a pair of dirty gloves in a basket. He had been gardening in the back of the house, which he had extra time to do today now that it was the weekend. Edd made sure to pack his gloves in a sealed container to be washed later, along with his sun hat, which needed to be sanitized as well. noticing the breakfast had been untouched, Edd assumed Kevin was still a bit frustrated over the night before. But he didnt want to pry. His mind was full of scenarios of how he would have like to approach the situation. Should he just come out and explain everything? Should he keep things to himself for now? Was it really Kevin's business? Eddward took off his soiled shirt and began rooting for the shirt designated for the day. "I probably should tell Kevin, shouldnt I?" He murmered.

"Tell me what?" Kevin said allowed, surprising Edd. What was more surprising however was the taller orange haired boy coming out of the shower, covered only in the steam of bathroom and a single towel being used to dry his hair. Eddward's face turned crimson and he immedietly shoved a nearby pillow over his face. Kevin rose one eyebrow over the other. "What?"

"Y-y-y-you're naked!" Edd replied, his teeth chattering.

"Well yeah. I just showered, dude." Kevin replied nonchalantly. He noticed that Edd didn't have a shirt on either and it was...having its effects on the young jock.

"Yes, I understand but," Eddward just barely peeked past the pillow for another look. Just to see if he had covered up yet, he told himself. But it only led to an even more intense blush. Kevin caught a glimpse of it and grinned a little. "You are completely nude in my room!" Edd clarified.

"You gave me some clothes, right? I put them on the bed so I could change when I got out." He pointed to the pile of clothes that he had placed on the bed. They were no longer folded as they had been delivered. Kevin walked over to the bed and put on the underwear. They fit perfectly, despite not being his clothing. Kevin sat on the bed, causing Edd to cringe a little behind the safety of the pillow. "Oh..." Kevin chimed. "You can look now." Edward peeked again and let out a reserved sigh. Though he was a little concerned that a person was on his bed with just underwear, he had just showered and was now clean...plus it was Kevin. Edd sat down next to Kevin, specifically avoiding looking at anything that wasnt Kevin's face so that he could keep his composure. "So...What was it that you wanted to tell me."

"It...It isnt important." Edd replied.

"That isnt what it sounds like, dude. It sounds like you needed to get something off your chest."

"I-," Edd began. "-uh, we...should probably discuss it later. I wouldnt want it to jeopardize this thing that we have going on." Edd fumbled with his hands to give himself an excuse not o look into Kevin's eyes.

"I just slept over in your house. I didnt do that with my last two girlfriends." Kevin looked up to think. "well...I didnt plan to stay overnight anyway." He looked over to Edd for a reaction, but the shorter boy was wasnt exactly paying attention. He looked like he was really having some internal issues. Kevin frowned a bit and made an attempt to keep the conversation going. "Look dude, I don't have a problem with you. If I did, I wouldnt be here. It's that cocky asshole that I cant stand. That stupid smirk, his irritating little comments, and the fact that he is always around you, even when I'm not." Kevin grit his teeth. "what do you see in that guy?"

"We arent together or anything if that is what you mean. It just...It isnt worth talking about." Edd sighed.

"Well it obviously is if youre as worked up as I am about this whole thing. Dude, tell me!" Kevin's voice got a little higher this time.

"I am not keeping anything from you that directly involves you, so it really isnt your concern at his point." Edd no longer had a flustered face and was specifically looking away at this point.

"You kind of made it my concern, dude! I got into a stupid fight that everyone saw because of you!"

"Me?"

"That guy is always around! I go up to talk to you , and there he is! I go to bring you food and there he is. I tried being nice to him but he still freaking flirts with you and specifically teases me." Kevin;s face was now getting flustered. "I am not used to going after people. People usually come after me!" Kevin's voice lowered. "I am not used to the person i'm after finding someone...better."

"What? I'm confused. If-" Edd Began.

"And it makes me think that this whole thing we are doing here might not work out if he's around." Kevin continued. "I thought that I had cleared my head after resting, but now I am right back where I was; how I was feeling before."

"You don't understand. I can't just cut him out of my life!" He is a big part of who I am today!" Edd shouted.

"So you do have feelings for him!" Kevin's eyes darted to Edd's, only to see them swell with water. He stopped himself from pressing on.

" I am not in a romantic relationship with him. You just have to trust me on that. It's true that we share something, but it's not what you think." Edd wiped away some tears from his eyes that had just fallen. "It would mean a lot to me if you would just let it go for now." Kevin let out a sigh and put his hand on Eddward's shoulder.

"We can talk about this some other time. I trust you." He looked down to Edd's eyes, which had become pink at this point, and decided to end the conversation there, lying Edd down on the bed and placed him on his side. Kevin joined him, the rest of his clothes at the foot of the bad, as he put one arm over the now sleeping classmate. He was glad that the situation didnt escalate out of control, and even chuckled a little under his breath that the two were in bed together with their shirts off. him being in just his underwear was even more comical. As he watched the sleeping boy in his arms, KEvin stayed deep in thought about what was really going on, now determined to figure it out on his own.

 

[Mizumanta]

17


"Haha! You bet," Sarah said rather loudly, "I got pics and everything of that fight! I'm gonna make copies after I get them from them developed." She had caught the attention of a lot of the class. Now that class was out, it was time for the usual gossip.

"I don't like this Sarah. Violence is so...barbaric!" Jimmy murmured.

"Chill out, Jimmy. If they're annoying then it's okay. Got it?" Sarah smiled wide, not willing to let go of a chance to be a source of drama.

"Jimmy's right, dude." Nazz added. "Not cool."

"You're just friends with the guy. You don't get a freakin' say!" Sarah snapped back. Sam had been enjoying the attention for a while, especially for a new student like him. Kevin's head poked around the open door from the hallway.

"Hey." Kevin's one comment calmed the room. A few people snickered to themselves while the rest stayed quiet. Clearly Kevin was talking to Sam. His eyes were firmly fixed on the other boy and his face showed some uncharacteristic seriousness. Sam returned Kevin's beckon with his usual grin, getting up to follow the bow. As the two walked down the hall, the most of the rest of the class peered around the corner to see if there would be any violence between them.

Kevin led the Sam to the cafeteria. At the end of the day it was quiet and secluded. Sam was the first to sit, plopping down on the long metal picnic table. The clank from the lazy dive into the table created only a brief echo, really making it clear how easy it would be to hear a sound in that area. It would be easy for others to listen, but also hard for them to get close enough to do so without detection. "Alright, we gotta talk." Kevin started.

"You're already doin it, right?" Sam replied with a smile.

"Stop. I'm trying to be serious. I really can't take your crap right now." Kevin was grinding his teeth. it was clear that he was struggling to keep his calm next to this person. "I got questions and you're gonna answer em." Same was taken aback a bit, half expecting the conversation to just be another confrontation, but relaxed again in just a few moments.

"Wanna know how I can fight so well, huh?" He chuckled. "My mom used to martial arts. I picked up some moves just in case anyone tried to make trouble for me and the people that I love."

"Like Edd?" Kevin replied with a serious face.

"Yeah" Sam responded. "I care about the guy."

"I care about him too. You don't really need to be hover over him anymore, right?" the orange haired boy shifted his weight and rested on one arm. The last comment caught Sam's attention. He still seemed amused by the conversation, but was becoming a little more invested in the conversation.

"You got it all wrong. He needs me." Sam insisted. Kevin couldnt help but take this personally, but decided to kept his cool.

"And...why is that?" He asked under his breath. Sam leaned in to respond.

"I don't really think you and Edd will be together that long anyway, so don't concern yourself with it, buddy." Kevin almost bit his tongue when he heard that, rising out of his seat and smack the table to show his anger.

"You don't know anything about us. I've known him longer than you. We share our moments so get off it!" Kevin's shouting resulted in a bit of shortness in breath. Sam was once again surprised by this, but his eyes still showed a slyness and he was unwilling to lose this verbal confrontation.

"You really want to know? You wanna know why you aren't up for it?" Sam grinned again. He leaned back into his seat and began to speak softly, his eyes closed and his the air about him a little more relaxed. "Edd and I were in summer camp together for a few years. That guy was always the smartest. He was doing middle school level homework at the time and could even read better than the adults at the time. But that came at a cost." Kevin's eyebrow rose, questioning the story and the style that it was being told. He sounded like he was making it up. "Edd," Sam continued. "Had parents who were basically geniuses. His mom was a neurosurgeon and his dad was a in research and development. Both of them had won awards and been pioneers in their fields. But when two people like that have a kid, the kid has some high expectations." Sam leaned in closer again. "That guy had a terrible childhood. He was expected to ready like 5 books a week and do stacks of homework. and have you seen their house? there isnt even a TV in there to watch!" Kevin sighed, a little frustrated that the story was getting personal commentary from Sam. "His mom was the worst really. Japanese parents are always overbearing."

"Dude, now you are just making stuff up. That's a freakin' steroetype and-" Kevin started to get angry.

"Hey, I'm Japanese too so I would know more than you!" Sam snapped back. Kevin clenched his fist in agner.

"If you arent going to take this seriously and just talk out you a-" Kevin was interupted again.

"You're the one who isnt even listening. Chill dude. It was a joke." Kevin sat back down, moreso contemplating Edd's race. It was news to him that his mom was Japanese. But he wasn't going to admit that to the guy across the table who took so much pride in knowing more about Edd. "Now if I may continue," Sam stressed. "I saw her come visit Edd every evening to review his homework. If he got even one wrong answer on his homework or anything less than 100% on his stupid tests, she went nuts. She yelled, she threw things, she-" He stopped himself. "She was a real bitch, okay?" Sam's serious tone now matched Kevin's. "You don't just do that to a little kid, you know?" Sam looked down, unable to meet Kevin's gaze. Kevin looked back, surprised at this side of Sam being shown. " He had problems at home and those feelings had consequences at school. He was wasnt social at all. He just kept his nose in those books to keep his parents happy. He was an easy target for bullying, and that would just make things worse. Some bigger kids started to steal his stuff and harass him and I was there to help, okay?" Kevin's heart seemed to drop at what he was hearing. "I was there to do whatever I could to make his life even a little easier. I would hear him out when he would talk about his home life. I stood beside him when his mom came to check on him so she wouldnt do anything rash. We became friends. Boyfriends."

"What?" Kevin responded. "You guys were like 8. no way you were actually dating."

Sam snorted. "well if you would let me finish! We werent dating or anything. We were boys and we were friends. We had heard the word 'boyfriend' before and just assumed that's what is was. HE was smart, but things that werent strictly about smart stuff went right over his head." Kevin had to agree with him on that. The dork was a babbling idiot when it came to talking to Nazz, something that he kind of excelled in at the time.

"So?" Kevin began.

"So I was there when he needed me. I know what he's been through. I'm the one whe sent him letters to see how he was for years. You are just some passing thing with him. You can't protect him from these feelings. You cant be there for him like I can." Kevin interrupted him this time.

"So you think that means that you can just steal him away?!" He spat.

"I told you, we never actually dated! But I know how vulnerable he is. I know why he lives alone in that house. You probably havent seen his parents before, right? There's a reason for that. There's a reason that he is the way he is." Sam seemed to be speaking more assertively this time. "I worked really hard to get my parents to agree to move here. I can't be there all the time for him, but I damn sure can make sure that he is around for people who can handle him at his worst. Why do you think that I kept spying on you two?" Kevin almost wanted to chime in with a claim that Sam was just being an asshole, but it felt inappropriate to say aloud. "I don't know about Edd, but I don't trust that you can handle that baggage." Kevin then remembered the conversation that he had the day before. Edd specifically avoided talking about any of this with him. He wasnt comfortable talking about it with him. "You don't get it. But I'm gonna say this," Sam got out of his seat and walked over to the other boy. "If you arent serious about this, about him, then you might as well end this little fling you have with Edd right now and go back to our little popular jock lifestyle. I'll be here to catch him if you can't carry him." Sam began to walk out of the cafeteria, leaving Kevin alone with his thoughts before turning back for a final word. "Oh, and just because we didnt date in the past, doesnt mean that I don;t have my eye on him. Mess it up, and I'll swoop in." With that, Sam left. Kevin sat alone at the table, the closing door echoing through the room.

 

[Mizumanta]

18


"Woah dude. Edd's kind of had a hard life." Nazz had to sit down to take it all in. "and he told you all this?" She asked.

"No, that butthole Sam told me." Kevin glared at the floor as he said that name. This whole time, Sam had been spying on him to see if he was worthy of Edd. Sam's attitude any arrogance didnt make it any better.

"Dude, I don't think you should be paying too much attention to Sam. Just talk to Edd and he'll tell you how he feels."

"I can't just talk to him. Last time I tried he cried and he sort of pushed me away." His eyes sort of wandered away from Nazz's gaze. "Then we sort of slept together."

"WHAT!??" Nazz was flabbergasted. "Like the two of you...together? in bed?"

"I-we just just slept in the bed. Literally just slept in the bed together, Nothing happened." He corrected, a blush coming over his face. He continued to look away.

"That was all? Nothing else happened?" She responded, her grin would't go away even if she wanted it to.

"I mean...he did have his shirt off and...I was just in my underwear so-" He closed his eyes, expecting another shout. Instead, Nazz held up his arm and gave him a high five with her free hand.

"Good job dude, haha." Her grin was even wider. "You were the big spoon, right? Just can't see Eddward as anything other than the little spoon to be honest."

"I don't really know about that stuff." Kevin sighed. "You know, you're too mature for your age." Kevin kicked up a leg and rested it on his other leg. "Just don't let Sam hear you talk about that stuff. Freaking stalker."

"I told you to stop worrying about him." Nazz said as she headed to her closet to pick out a few tops. She walked back into the main part of her bedroom, holding up 3 shirts. "Okay, which do you think will look best on me?" She held a blue shirt with purple swirls, an orange shirt with what looked like an 'anime smiley face' on it, and a grey shirt that had a photograph of a New York street on the front. Kevin's fixation on the situation turned to what seemed like immediate boredom.

"I really don't care. You know you look righteous in anything." He gave a weak smile. Nazz got a little irritated.

"Now that you arent lusting after me anymore," She loomed over him with darting eyes. "That isnt going to cut it. This is what friends do."

"They compare tops?" Kevin asked.

"They compare tops, yes. Now which one?" She held the shirts up again. "Pick one."

___

"Crap crap! crap! crap!" Marie shouted. She and her two sisters always walked home to their trailer home. They didnt really have friends outside of the three of them. They believed that it was because they were poor. The term 'trailer park trash' had been used to describe them in their younger years. It may have been the cause or the result of the the name calling, but the three of them were generally rude to other people, typically labeled as bullies.

"What the hell is it this time, Marie?!" Lee shouted from up ahead. Her tight orange curls bounced with each step, only just revealing the lower part of her eyes. "All you do is whine and complain!" She started gritting her teeth.

"Yeah, woman up!" May sloppily added. Bits of her stomach fat peaked out of her shirt, which was clearly too tight for her. All three of the girls had slightly tattered clothes and each had multiple stains on all parts of their clothing.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Both of your boyfriends are still single!" She stated, clearly referring to the Eds. "Mine's got that stupid shovel face jock in his pocket." Marie growled under her breath. "If he thinks he's gonna steal my hubby away from me, he's got another thing coming."

"It's 'think', Marie." Lee corrected.

"Whatever thing! He has it coming." She snapped. The three finally made it to their home. It was an old dilapidated trailer. It had a few holes on the outside and clear remnants of rodent activity. Rust, stains, and a certain unpleasant smell were the first things that came to mind when entering the area.

The three entered through the creaky door. Their father hadnt gotten upon up from his chair since he had arrived. Despite the fact that he didnt seem to do much, the refrigerator was always full and every so often a minor repair would be made to the house. He didnt talk much though. He didnt send them off to school with a goodbye or greet them properly when they got back. The three girls however admired him, as he technically did more than their mother did and he cared for them in his own way. The three girls began to whisper as to not wake their parent. "Don't forget that other guy. The Japanese kid. He's pretty hot and he likes Edd too I hear." May chuckled. "If I didnt have my stinky hubby, I would go after that guy." May snapped back as best she could while keeping her voice down.

"That guy is garbage! If he comes between me and my Edd, I'll-" She started.

"You ain't doin' nothin'." Lee interrupted. "We will handle it together." She grinned almost menacingly as she led the 3 sisters into the only bedroom in the trailer. "We'll get you your man."