Okay, I'm sure my current followers are disappointed that this is not a long-awaited update to "Shades of Green", and for that I apologize. I have about...1/3 of the next chapter written, so it's not like I haven't worked on it at all, ahaha. But I have recently rediscovered another childhood favorite, and I've been indulging myself in the nostalgia. Then this little idea came to my head, and I thought it was just too cute to pass up. ^^'
It will be a relatively short fic, probably 3 chapters at most. I'm mostly just seeing if I can even write EEnE fanfiction. This show is just on a whole other level in...pretty much every aspect. XD
Hope you enjoy!
It was the beginning of another routine day in the neat blue house at the edge of the cul de sac. The upstairs bedroom was quiet, save for the soft ticking of a clock and the high-pitched snoring coming from the small form within the properly labeled bed. Only the form's head and fingers poked out from under the covers, along with the trademark beanie that was perched perfectly on top, not at all ruffled by the boy's slumber.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes cracked open and he sat up, as he had done every morning for as long as he can remember. Rubbing the lingering sleepiness from his eyes, he began his morning rituals.
"Messy, messy, messy," he mumbled as he smoothed out every last wrinkle in the bed sheets. Some (everyone) would say this sort of care was unnecessary, for it was only a bed and would just become messy again the next morning. While they weren't wrong on that matter, the preteen firmly believed that upholding a tidy sleeping space yielded the most comfort when it was much needed at night. Besides, it's not like his compulsive tendencies would allow him to cut corners anytime soon.
Once that was done, he stepped towards the center of his room and thoroughly analyzed everything his eyes laid upon. Finally satisfied that everything was in order – just as it had been the night before – he allowed himself to head for the bathroom and continue preparing for the day. Although the boy hadn't specifically planned anything for today, he was positive that his friend had another ridiculous scam in the works that he was itching to put into action. The preteen smirked at the thought; Eddy had indeed not quite grown out of scamming, despite having been integrated into the social circle of the other cul de sac children. Although nowadays their scams were much more honest and less harmful, which the boy was thankful for. Really, they only still referred to their ploys as "scams" out of habit, but that was only shared between the trio and never in front of the others.
The boy stepped out of the shower, and after drying himself off, prepared to brush his teeth. Yes, regardless of the term used, there was almost always some sort of contraption involved, which would require his own expertise to get the job done. Besides, on the off chance that today wouldn't be a scam-filled one, well…it wouldn't take long for him to find something to study and further educate himself.
However, he couldn't shake off this nagging feeling that something important was going on today. He couldn't pinpoint the reason, and the anxiety was already beginning to well up inside of him. The preteen clutched his red socks a little harder than usual while slipping them on his feet. No need to fret, he reminded himself. A well-balanced breakfast would be sure to jog his memory.
He cautiously made his way down the stairs, only to nearly tumble down the last few steps as a crash resounded from his kitchen. Panicked, the boy rushed to the entrance to survey the damage and unveil the intruder. To his relief, nothing appeared to be broken, and the only mess in the room was restricted to the countertop. He then stared dumbfounded at who was standing at said countertop, with the help of a footstool.
"Hey Sockhead, 'bout time you got up," the shorter boy called over his shoulder while he added ingredients into the pan on the stove.
"Eddy?"
The sound of silverware clattering rang throughout the kitchen before another boy poked his head out of one of the drawers. "Mornin' Double D!" he chirped and waved happily.
"Ed?" The hat-clad boy turned his gaze back to Eddy. "W-what are you two doing-"
Edd suddenly felt his legs abandon him as Ed circled around and shoved a chair into him from behind. Edd was forced to sit down and grip the edges as he was pushed around the kitchen at a speed that only Ed's strength could accomplish. Said boy laughed gleefully as they zoomed across the tile, while the other yelped in fear. They finally came to a stop at the table. Or rather, Ed came to a stop and Edd's stomach collided with the table's edge, knocking the wind out of him.
"The seagull has landed!" Ed chimed before galloping back over to Eddy's side.
Once Edd was done gasping, he sat up and glanced wearily at his friends, trying his best to ignore the clutter surrounding the stovetop. "Not that I'm not happy to see you gentlemen," he began, "But may I ask why you've intruded my home at such an early hour?" Nine o'clock was hardly early for the smartest Ed (though he did give himself some leeway on the weekends), but it was abnormal for the other two to even be awake around this time.
"Relax, Double D," Eddy replied, although it didn't reassure the boy in the slightest. He grabbed a plate and tossed it behind him. "Here, catch!"
"Eddy!" Edd cried out in horror as he watched the piece of Mother's precious china soar through the air. He leaped out of his chair to catch it, and after much fumbling, was miraculously successful. With a heavy sigh of relief, Edd gently placed the dish on the table in front of him and slumped back into his seat.
Eddy smirked at his cue, sliding the spatula underneath the omelet and flinging it in Edd's direction. The middle Ed only watched this time as the food made a perfect arch and landed right in the center of his plate.
"Oh, oh! Don't forget about me!" Ed's voice rang out as he bounded over to the table. He lifted one end of the omelet and slipped 2 slices of buttered toast about halfway underneath. "Snug as a bug in a rug."
Edd stared down at the meal that had been presented to him, his confusion flickering to a grimace before settling into a small smile. The omelet was filled with nothing but bacon, sausage, and other meats; not to mention it was way too greasy for the boy's liking. The over-buttered toast slices also had a bit of gravy on them, in the form of little smiley faces that Ed most likely finger-painted on.
It was a far cry from healthy, but it was the most endearing food that Edd had ever seen.
He turned to his dear friends once more. "Well, this is incredibly kind of you two!" As grateful as he was for their unexpected gift, Edd couldn't help but let confusion slip back into his features again. "Eh...what's the occasion?" Surely there had to be a reason for such generosity committed by his usually selfish friend. Although Eddy's self-serving ways have waned a bit since they've finally been accepted by their peers, it's been a gradual process.
The devious grin on Eddy's face only grew wider. "Oh, like you don't know," he replied playfully. He then exchanged glances with Ed, the two of them sharing an expression reminiscent of two teenage girls who had just discovered a juicy secret.
Edd mentally slapped himself. Of course he wouldn't get a straight answer. The best he could do at this point was to play along with whatever their scheme was until it was revealed to him. Rolling his eyes, he picked up his fork to start on breakfast. "Well whatever it is you have planned, surely it can wait until I've completed the chores Mother and Father have assigned to me today." Edd plucked a sticky note off of the small decorative vase in front of him, vaguely skimming over Mother's reminder to tend to her petunias out back.
The yellow slip of paper was quickly snatched away by Eddy. "No can do, Double D."
"But Eddy, Mother and Father have entrusted me to complete these tasks for them," he protested. "I can't bear to imagine their disappointment if I were to disobey! Not to mention the house would fall into discord!"
Eddy grabbed the boy's black hat and slid it down over his face, the sudden violation of personal space silencing him. "Get off your soapbox; they're gonna get done." He threw an arm around Ed, who just kept grinning. "But Lumpy and I are gonna do 'em for ya!"
Edd paused in adjusting his beanie to stare at his friend incredulously. "P-pardon?!" Did he hear that correctly?
"You heard me; you're takin' the day off." He let go of Ed to hook his arm around the other boy's shoulders. "Think of it as our thanks for helpin' us find my brother. If the other kids didn't see how much of a jerk he was, we'd still be on the run!"
He knew that was a lie. Kevin and the others arriving just in time to witness that spectacle was purely coincidental; Edd had nothing to do with that. However, in typical Eddy-fashion, the real reason was hidden in his words, and Edd immediately picked up on it. Joy swelled in his chest at what Eddy really meant: "Thanks for sticking up for me back there."
Edd couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as well. Eddy wasn't entirely wrong on the matter. He was the one to take the initiative in analyzing the clues to the man's whereabouts, after all. He felt so touched that his dear friends wished to acknowledge his capabilities and appreciate his company, something that only seldom happened.
He was snapped out of his thoughts once he felt his chair being lifted up and carried off by Ed, the plate now tight in his grasp. Gratitude fizzled into apprehension as he remembered the situation at hand.
"Eddy, I appreciate your endeavors. Really, I do. But there must be another way to return the favor. Need I remind you of the last time you and Ed offered to assist me with chores? Nazz was most displeased with-"
He yelped as Ed tilted his chair and the boy was dumped unceremoniously onto his front porch. Edd unconsciously held his plate away from him, keeping his breakfast intact at the expense of bodily harm.
"Boy, Double D, you need to take a load off your tow truck," Ed exclaimed.
"Monobrow's right; relax. We got it all under control." Eddy picked up his lanky friend and began nudging him further from the door. "Go…I dunno, study some bugs or somethin'. Maybe there's some new butterfly eggs in those bushes over there."
Edd's eyes lit up at that. "Oh my, is there really?" He couldn't help himself. Studying insects from the larval stage onward was such a fascinating experience, especially so when the subject was in its natural environment.
The other two took this opportunity to head inside while their friend's gaze was focused on the neighboring shrubbery. With a low, "sucker" from Eddy, the door was slammed shut and the click of a lock was promptly heard.
Realizing that he had been duped, Edd rushed back to his door and twisted the knob with all his might, which wasn't much. "Eddy, open the door this instant!" He pounded his fist on the door when he was greeted with silence. "Eddy?" Still no response. "Ed?" he called out for his more easily persuaded friend. "Oh dear..." The very idea of those two in his house unsupervised did nothing to relieve his anxiety, if not worsened it.
Well, since he couldn't physically stop them, the very least he could do was offer a friendly reminder. "Be sure to clean the countertops with the blue bottle, not the white one!" With a defeated sigh, Edd seated himself on the porch steps and did the only other thing he could do: eat his breakfast and hope that his house was still in one piece by the end of all this.
Yeah, I feel like I rambled a bit in this, but I wanted to try to establish the Eds' relationship to the other kids. I feel that they wouldn't give up scamming so easily; they've been doing it for years! Plus this relationship is the only way I felt I'd be able to make this story work, ahaha...
Again, this is more of an experiment than anything, but I hope it's still a somewhat-decent read. :)