Kevedd: Black Cap

[Mizumanta]

Kevedd

(Kevin x Edd)



1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9





mmmm just starting something up =I

because this is my new favorite couple



Characters:

SPOILER: Click to show

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 carrer and is only in school out of legal obligation. He is increadibly strong and hairy.He often brings meats and cheeses that he brings from home. He speaks in odd English, often giving everyone he meets a 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.

Random pics:

SPOILER: Click to show

*As of yet, absolutely no artwork shown here was made by me.

feel free to post your opinion^^

[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. 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 alone and 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.” Thank s 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.” He took the 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 frown 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. “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. 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." 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 imply buy his own sweets or visit my after school club for sweets. 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 shouted 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 bust 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!" 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 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. 


 
-Finish for later-

[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.