Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd, N Eddy.
Title: Perfectly In Order.
Summary: Just because the Ed's haven't gone far in life doesn't mean they aren't happy. Some people just don't understand that.
Warnings: Possibly O.O.C. Adult characters.
...
Flipping on the turning signal, he braced himself as he turned into the parking lot. Parking the motorcycle, he tugged his helmet off and stared up at the glowing sign hanging above the shop.
Well, he made it.
He'd first heard about the shop from Rolf, but he'd brushed it aside. Soon Nazz and Jimmy were saying the same thing. 'It's just a little hole in the wall store' Nazz had said 'But it's pretty nice, and the service is okay. Especially considering... you know...'
And here he was, trying to make sense of something he'd never though he'd see.
(Ed)d)y's Hardware Store.
The parenthesis were probably Double D's doing, as a way to advertise all three owners. Either way, it gave the sign a certain geeky flair that made him want to take a picture and post it online just to get some laughs out of his Facebook buddies. But instead he just blinked at the dull lighting (not the normal neon lighting like most stores used, but instead a soft fluorescent glow that just barely managed to pierce the dark night to garner one's attention.) and tried to make sense of the strange symbol hanging next to it. A nickle sun (Eddy) glowing into a magnifying glass (Double D) to make a spotlight for a chicken wearing the sign around it's neck (Definitely Ed).
The front door didn't have a bell hovering over it, nor did it make any noise when opened, and his entrance went unnoticed. The stout man at the counter turned the page of his magazine, legs crossed over the top of the counter. He vaguely heard animated chatter come a few isles away, and the sound of something breaking from what looked to be the break room.
"Sorry Eddy! I'll fix it!"
"Knock yourself out, Lumpy." He murmured distractedly, eyes glued to the pages.
"Okay!" A cracking noise. Something landed heavily on the floor. "It didn't work, Eddy!"
He cleared his throat. Eddy bent the magazine back to show he had the mans attention before finally looking up. And then he realized. And then he stared, the magazine resting on his lap, still tightly grasped in the shorter mans hands as his legs slipped off the desk and onto the floor.
He stared back. Never one to back down from a challenge, the unannounced staring contest lasts for several minutes. Eddy finally looks away, face shifting back into the uncaring look it'd held moments earlier as he lifted a hand to his mouth and twisted his head to the side. "Double D! Customer!"
"I'm rather busy with one now, Eddy!" A pause. "Why, yes, sir, we do have what you need in stock. Yes, sir, you have informed me of what you do for a living... Why I never! Threats won't make me move any faster. Why, I ought to have my friend escort you from the building..."
Kevin raised an eyebrow. He looked back at him a second before shrugging and raising his hand once again. "Ed!"
"I'm on break, Eddy!"
He sighed, closing the magazine. He shoved it into a drawer. "Whattya want?"
"Somethings wrong with my motorcycle." He pointed behind him. "You repair stuff here too, right?"
"Yes." He groaned, air being pushed through the gaps in his teeth. He stood and stretched. "Alright, show me the bike."
"Be careful with her." He warned as the shorter man leaned down to look it over. "If you hurt her, I swear..."
"I know how to fix bikes." He grunted irritably, rolling his eyes. "You're not the first person to ask me for help."
"Oh. Right." He paused, watching the man work. "So, uh, a hardware store?"
"That's what the sign says." He prodded around the inter-workings, eyeing the actions and reactions.
"How long until you find different jobs?"
He stood and turned around fully, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "We built this place from scratch. We live here. We don't want to work anywhere else."
"I thought Double D was going to be an entomologist."
"A what?"
"A guy that studies bugs."
"Oh." He shrugged. "He has a bug-lovers club. And a book club."
"What about Ed?"
"He works part-time at a farm. He's pretty good with stuff like that, as long as you give him a routine and show him how to do it." He shrugged and went back to his proddings. "Why? Something wrong with that?"
He paused at the venomous words, but instantly shrugged after. "Not really. It's just... I always thought you guys would end up doing different stuff."
"Yeah, well, not all of us grow up to be professional football players." He grunted.
"That's not what I meant." He interjected weakly, feeling the small sting sink in. "Double D's a genius. Ed's obsessed with comic books and chickens. You're a con artist. You got along as kids, but..."
"You thought we'd split up." Eddy finished with a sour frown, twisting back around. "We're all we have, and that's not about to change. Ever. We like what we do, even if it isn't fancy or special and the pay sucks. We get to live how we've always lived, and we don't have to worry about changing or bending. This is our store, and we'll run it the way we've always run things."
"So... yeah, we're not exactly what everyone wanted us to be. That's fine by me. We're happy, and that's what counts. We can be ourselves and no ones really around to mess that up. And that's exactly what we wanted." He shrugged heavily, cracking his shoulders. The glare didn't falter as he poked the taller male in the chest. "Just because everyone else became exactly what they wanted, doesn't mean we have to go far to be happy. Get over yourself."
He bit his lip. It was true; everyone had grown up to be influential. Everyone except the Ed's. They'd faded away after college, and they hadn't even been on his mind for years. And he had no doubt, had they not been mentioned, they would have faded from his memory completely. The realization- the knowledge of how close he had been to forgetting about an important part of his childhood- made him breathe in heavily.
"The brake pads are shot." He grunted finally, arms uncrossing and falling to his sides.
"That... That's it?"
"Well, the brake line looks ready to snap. I'd say you have a couple months left before you'll have to get it fixed." He paused, leaning back a bit. His eyes, while not hostile, seemed almost blank. "I can fix it for you, if you want."
He could fix something like that on his own, he was pretty sure. Besides, leaving it for them to fix meant he had to return in a few days. He didn't like being where he wasn't wanted, and they were happier without him around. "Nah, I've got it covered."
"I thought so." He shoved his hands into his pockets and shuffled towards the door, humming an old disco tune he vaguely recognized (but wouldn't be able to name, if the need arose). He watched the door swing open and slowly shut behind him, leaving Kevin out in the warm night.
He rode off into the night, resolving that if he was that interested in talking to the Ed's that he could always come back later- and talk with a different Ed.
"Know that everything is in perfect order whether you understand it or not." ― Valery Satterwhite.
Authors Note: My first Ed, Edd, N Eddy fanfic. I didn't know I had it in me. =) This is just a oneshot, a little idea that's been floating around in my head.
No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!