Four years had passed since Eddy's brother caused the suffering he had. Four years since the other kids in the cul-de-sac had agreed to at least attempt to be on better terms with the three Eds. Eddy's scams had dropped to a minimum in the cul-de-sac, though he still targeted the kids at school. Edd hadn't changed at all, other than the fact that he outgrew his crush for Nazz and somehow ended up being appointed the neighborhood's tutor. Ed was still Ed, though he had gotten closer to Rolf and now helped him with his daily chores so he could see the animals he loved so dearly. Edd had also convinced him to take a shower at least once a week, though Eddward was almost completely positive that Ed was taking one every two weeks at best.
The sixteen year old boy stepped outside, grocery list in hand. A glance around showed Kevin as the only other child outside, riding his bike around the street as usual. Edd smiled a little, the familiarity bringing a comfort he hadn't realized he needed. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he let out a soft, happy sigh before marching off to the store, cerulean eyes reading an already-memorized list. It was still relatively early in the day, only a little past noon, and in the middle of summer to boot. He wouldn't be surprised if Eddy was still sleeping, and, if he remembered correctly, there was a horror movie marathon on for the entire day, so there would be no sight of Ed.
He hummed quietly to himself, arms crossed behind his back as he walked into the store, offering a gap-toothed smile in response to the chirped 'Hello!' from the clerk. A map of the store in his head, he made his way around to gather the necessary ingredients. Dinner would be simple, spaghetti with fresh parmesan, but he did need some milk and he was running low on tea.
The ingredients loaded into the small basket, he made his way to the front counter. As he took his place in line, his gaze wandered to the small rack of candy and various purse/pocket things. Chapstick, gum, breath mints, some home-made local honey – what? He did a double take, picking up one of the mason jars to examine it further. He frowned lightly as he debated, staring at the jar. I wonder how the combination of honey and the teas I selected will taste… Only one way to find out, I suppose. With a small shrug and a smile to go with it, he gently placed the container in his basket just as the person before him finished and moved off. He smiled brightly, setting each item on the belt as the clerk asked him various questions about his day. He shrugged off the few about him being so young and buying groceries in his parents place, handing over the designated "grocery" card so he wouldn't have to think about his empty house or how he would only be fixing dinner for one tonight.
Once again in his house, he toed off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen on socked feet, humming quietly to stave off the silence of the otherwise empty house.
Cabinets opened and closed, the teen put everything in its proper place quickly and methodically. Satisfied with his work, he went over his mental checklist. He tapped his index finger against his chin as he made his way up the stairs to his room, intending to count his ants before starting on his chores and beginning dinner preparations. Vacuuming would be done close to bedtime, but not too close to encroach on his designated shower time. Fully expecting Eddy to not show himself, at least not for an extended period of time, he scheduled his day accordingly and set about counting his ants.
The time flew for the beanie-clad teen, and he was mildly shocked when he glanced at the clock and noticed it read five fifteen. His ants had been counted, the floor freshly waxed, every surface wiped clean, the bathroom scrubbed. He had worked quickly today. With a small shrug he made his way to the kitchen to begin dinner. He would cook dinner, eat the food only he would appreciate, do the dishes, do his laundry, vacuum, shower, sleep for the proper eight hours, and then wake up to do it again. He sighed quietly to himself as he pulled out the proper pots, shaking his head and silently scolding himself for doing so as he grabbed the pasta. Yes, it did indeed get lonely, but his parents cared. They were far from the best about showing it, what with their constant absence and all, but they did care.
The sticky notes had evolved to emails and occasional phone calls as they had less and less time to stay at home. Whenever he woke up and saw the bright yellow piece of paper stuck to the fridge, his heart would leap over the aspect that his parents were home. He had learned to keep it from falling when he noticed they weren't home anymore, having only enough time to write the note instead of seeing him face-to-face.
He drew the necessary water for the sauce, pouring it into the pan after making sure it was the completely accurate amount. His hand moving to the dial to turn on the stove, he jumped horribly when he heard a crash from outside, a startled squeak escaping his throat. Hand clutching his shirt above his heart, he made his way to the front door, slipping on his shoes before venturing outside.
"Dear lord!" He gasped, gaping at the sight before him. Kevin was on his back on the walkway in front of Edd's house, groaning on the concrete with his bike further down the sidewalk. Edd was quickly at his side, hands flying over Kevin's body to assess the damage.
"What on earth happened?" He inquired, helping Kevin into a sitting position despite the ginger's groans of protest.
"I was riding my bike and decided I wanted to do some tricks." Kevin winced, gesturing vaguely behind him towards the ramp the kids all used. "I landed wrong and my bike slid. Aw, man, my bike!" He sat up straighter, immediately hissing in pain and curling in on himself. "How's my bike?" Edd nodded and moved to inspect the bike.
"A few scratches, though it is not something fresh paint will not fix. As far as I can tell, that is the extent of the damage to your bicycle. You, on the other hand, should come inside. You are in need of first aid." Kevin groaned quietly, though he nodded obediently. If anyone knew when medical aid was needed, it was Double Dork. Said dork was at Kevin's side once more, helping him to his feet before drawing his arm over his shoulder.
Kevin sat on the couch gratefully, sighing once he was off his feet. Edd was off immediately, grabbing his slightly oversized first-aid kit. He had to force himself to slow down, lest he fall down the stairs and be in a similar, if not worse, position than Kevin himself. Edd sat down on the floor in front of Kevin, gesturing for the redhead to remove his shirt.
"Remove that, please. I need to check your back for injuries." The jock nodded, removing his shirt slowly with another hiss of pain before turning painfully to give Eddward his back. The sock head frowned in concern, opening the kit and digging out some sanitary gloves, which he quickly pulled on before selecting a cotton swab and some hydrogen peroxide. Wetting the cotton swab with the antiseptic, he wiped down the worst of Kevin's injuries, earning a stifled grunt of pain and a stiff back.
"I am aware that hydrogen peroxide stings, Kevin, but I must ask you to relax. You tore up your back quite a bit and tensing as you are may make some of the smaller cuts bigger." Kevin grumbled out something unintelligible, forcing himself to relax. "Thank you." Edd returned to his task, retrieving a fresh cotton ball when he deemed it necessary. His back disinfected, Edd moved to wrapping the bigger injuries, sticking to small bandages for the smaller cuts. Satisfied with his work, he tapped Kevin's shoulder and gestured for him to turn around when green eyes glanced over a tan shoulder.
The redhead complied, turning back around to sit on the couch properly and face the dork. "Why?" Edd glanced up, head tilted in confusion.
"You will have to elaborate, Kevin, for I do not know what you mean."
"Why are you helping me? I know we agreed to try and get along with you guys, but I mean, come on. After everything I put you through, you're still going to do this?"
"That's just it, Kevin. Did you come after us without us provoking you first? No. We were always the ones doing things that warranted your behavior, and attitude towards us, especially when one takes into account the amount of injuries you sustained from our activities." Kevin blinked. He had fully expected Edd to go on a rant about how he had mistreated them, how he should have acted nicer, anything but what he was actually ranting about. He hadn't expected Edd to side with him and the other kids at all.
"And furthermore," Kevin bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning as he realized Edd was still talking in their favor. Edd paused, seeming unsure of what he was about to say next. "Furthermore, I'm surprised you all stood up with us against Dalton after everything we did." He finished quietly, hands clenched together in his lap and his shoulders slumped, staring at the first-aid kit beside him.
"Who's Dalton?" Kevin asked, watching Edd carefully. Edd glanced at him curiously before understanding brightened the blue in his eyes.
"Oh, I suppose Eddy never did share his name. Dalton is the name of Eddy's older brother." He elaborated, reaching into the kit to withdraw another cotton swab. He wet it with more peroxide, shifting to his knees between Kevin's legs. "This may hurt a bit more, as the face is a sensitive area." Kevin nodded, wincing slightly at the burn.
"Did you guys really expect us all to just leave you there with him doing that to you guys? Nobody deserves that."
"We were all honestly surprised that you did, considering you were all coming after us to make us pay for your injuries." He moved to swab at a scrape on Kevin's jaw.
"Yeah, but that fucker-"
"Language, please."
"Sorry, that jerk brought a whole new meaning to sadistic." Edd moved away, setting the swab aside to join the others as he grabbed more bandages. "Am I that beat up?" Kevin asked jokingly, certain that, as touching as it was, the dork was simply overreacting. Edd shook his head as he began placing the bandages.
"No, I suppose not, but bacteria need only a small opening to fester and grow. Seeing how often you are outdoors, the safest route is to cover the deeper cuts and pray that you do not have another accident until your body has recovered."
"Is there anything that isn't related to physical activity that you can't do?"
"Legally? Lobotomies, for one." Kevin blinked, leaning close as he started to grin. "Please respect my personal space." Edd squeaked, leaning away from the redhead.
"Did you just sass me?"
"… I may have."
"Well, I'll be damned-"
"Language."
"I'll be darned." Kevin rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly as his grin widened. "I never knew you had it in you. What else are you hiding behind that submissive exterior?"
"Do you truly want to know?"
"I wouldn't have asked otherwise, you dork."
"Alright, I'll tell you." Edd looked both ways even though they were alone, leaning close and gesturing for Kevin to lean closer. Kevin complied as quickly as he could, shifting to sit on the very edge of the couch. "I've got some things that Eddy has mentioned selling once or twice, so do not tell anyone, okay?" Kevin nodded and Edd sat up, cupping a hand around Kevin's ear before whispering. "I have organs." Kevin deadpanned, leaning back and crossing his arms as he stared at a giggling Eddward hiding his tooth gap behind his hand.
"Oh, ha ha. You're so freaking funny. I really thought you were going to tell me something!"
"That was the plan, Kevin." Edd stood, disposing of the swabs and gloves before packing up the kit. "Terribly sorry to disappoint."
"No you're not."
"You are correct, the expression you made was simply too humorous for me to find guilt about the deceit at the moment. Give me a few minutes, a day at most, and I will most likely be apologizing profusely." Kevin rolled his eyes again, pulling out his phone to check the time.
"You go to bed early, right? I should probably get out of your hair if you're done with me." He paused. "Which sounds better, Chinese or Italian?" Edd frowned curiously.
"Why on earth would you ask that?"
"Parents are out of town for a few days and I can't decide which one I want more. Chinese or Italian?" Edd blinked, starting to say something only to stop himself and fidget in place. The redheaded teen arched an eyebrow. "What?"
"W-well, I was merely going to say that I had just gotten around to preparing dinner when you had your accident. I was only going to make some spaghetti, but I was wondering, if, perhaps, you would like to join me?" His voice got progressively quieter as he spoke, eyes looking at everything but Kevin.
"You know what… I think I would like that." Kevin smirked as Edd smiled and nodded.
"Do you require assistance to stand?"
"Nah, I'm feeling better now. Thanks, doc." Edd rolled his eyes as Kevin stood, slipping past the redhead to the kitchen to properly begin dinner.
Kevin followed him into the kitchen, offering to set the table instead of just sitting like Edd suggested. They traded questions, laughing at some of the sillier answers as Kevin stirred the pasta and Edd made the sauce. This continued comfortably until Edd began measuring out the spices for the sauce and Kevin let a comment slip.
"You stick your tongue through your tooth gap when you concentrate? Dude, that's freaking adorable," His mouth shut with a snap and his cheeks tinted. "I didn't say that. You didn't hear me say that. What are you talking about? I didn't say that about you." They stared awkwardly at each other, Kevin fumbling for something to say and Edd's face steadily getting more and more crimson. Edd put the spices in the sauce and set the spoons aside, reaching up to pull his beanie over his eyes.
"Kevin-"
"I don't call things adorable."
"Kevin, honestly-"
"If anything, the proper word would be adorkable."
"That isn't even a real word-"
"But, I mean, anybody would have done the same, it was cute and caught me off guard. I mean, shit, uh, fuck, not cute. It wasn't cute at all. Nope. Not in the least."
"Kevin!"
"What?"
"You are rambling something fierce over something that will most likely never leave this kitchen, and are only serving to embarrass us both."
"I don't ramble." Edd lifted his beanie enough to arch an eyebrow. Seeing that Kevin was finished, he fixed his beanie and resumed stirring the sauce.
"Honestly, that big of a reaction over something like that. Are you not supposed to be one of the more level headed ones of this neighborhood?"
"Ha ha, nah. I don't have a clue where you got that idea." He moved to drain the pasta, looking over his shoulder to avoid the steam. "Just ask Nazz, I haven't gotten any better with my temper." Edd flicked off the heat, stirring the sauce for a moment more.
The food prepared, they settled at the table, swapping stories to pass the time and keep the silence at bay. They laughed, easily transitioning into impressions of the other kids of the neighborhood. Dinner long finished, they switched to mimicking each other, laughing often.
"My posture is not that bad!"
"Your posture is horrid." Edd claimed, slouching even more.
"I slump, I don't slouch." Kevin clarified, arms crossed.
"Oh, how silly of me, I forgot that there is such a difference." Edd rested his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his fist.
"There is! Just ask anyone."
"I'm asking myself."
"You don't count, Mr. "I Can Perform A Lobotomy". Don't think I'm going to forget that comment."
"Then you should probably avoid thinking that I will forget you coming up with a word while you floundered about a comment that we easily could have left behind."
"I've heard adorkable all around the school, thank you."
This continued for a while, playful banter being thrown back and forth before Kevin decided he should head home, making Edd realize that he would have to forgo vacuuming tonight. He stood, gathering the dishes quickly and placing them in the dishwasher before accompanying Kevin to the door.
"Thank you again for having dinner with me, Kevin." He stated with a large smile, holding the door.
"That was freaking delicious, dude, I'm so happy you offered." Kevin laughed, stepping out before realizing something. "Uh, hey, if it's not too much trouble… Do you think you could walk my bike to my house? I don't think I can bend over that far just yet."
"But of course!" Edd slipped into his shoes before following Kevin.
The bike and her owner both at their proper home, the two sixteen year olds began their goodbyes once more. With a final wave, Edd turned and made his way down the driveway.
"Oh, and Edd? That wasn't the first time I've called you adorable, you just haven't heard me before." Edd wheeled around in time to see Kevin smirk and shut the door, questions wheeling around his mind.
Eddward Vincent fell asleep with a blush and a smile that night.