Disclaimer: I don't own Ed Edd and Eddy, they belong to their creator Danny Antonucci. I simply own the plot.

I finished...holy crap, I finished. This took me more then a month to make! Every time I had an idea and would type it out, it just didn't seem...enough. The idea was there...and it was a good idea...but by itself, it just couldn't create the story that I was looking for...

And then, more ideas came...

By themselves, they were no good. But together, they created this...

This is by far, the longest one-shot (though it may not stay a one shot if we're being honest here) I have ever written. I rewrote and scrapped so many different ideas to get it where it is now. But I have four episodes to mainly thank

Rambling Ed...Read all about Ed...Mission Ed-Possible...and To Sir for Ed. Those were the ones that gave me the best ideas for this story.

Different Guest, this is for you.

Enjoy!

XxX

Edd had been working for Rolf for several years now. After the incident where he and Eddy had helped Ed take over the shed in Rolf's backyard...and had progressed to take over his kitchen, damaging the tractor and destroying several dozen eggs...Rolf had forced them to work for him to pay his family back.

Sadly, Ed did nothing but chase the chickens and stuffed one into his mouth, so Rolf didn't trust him to actually work with his animals...while Eddy had flat out refused to do any sort of work.

The end result was that their debt had fallen onto Edd's shoulders.

At first, it had been hard. Edd wasn't physically strong like Ed and with his constant need to stay clean...well, what should have taken him only an hour or two instead took all day. Rolf had understood though, and had been more then willing to start Edd of slow by just making him gather the eggs before feeding the chickens and the cows...things that 'even baby Rolf could do'...but until Edd pushed through his constant need to stay clean, it was all he could do.

XxX

Several weeks later, Rolf noticed Edd limping slightly while he was going about his chores. Slightly concerned that perhaps Victor had struck him, Rolf called out for Edd to take a break and join him in the kitchen.

"So Double D Edd-boy, what is troubling you? You are walking like Rolf's Nana after Victor chewed on her wooden leg."

"Oh, it's nothing for you to worry about Rolf! I'll still be able to complete the work you have assigned to me!"

With Edd keeping a tight lip on what was bothering him, Rolf could do nothing. No amount of empty threats could change the smartest Ed's mind...but as the days went on, Rolf saw the limp getting worse and worse. It wasn't until Edd tripped over his own feet and the eggs he had just gathered up cracked all over the ground, did Rolf do anything.

Stepping through the yellowish orange yolks, he scooped the protesting Edd up and carried him into the living room, plopping him down onto the plastic covered couch. "Edd-boy will tell Rolf what is troubling him so!"

"Rolf, it's nothing..."

"Do not lie like he who's head resembles an end table!"

"You mean Eddy."

"That is what Rolf said."

"No it..." Edd sighed and rubbed his sore leg. "A few days ago, I went on my normal paper route...it was normal up until Eddy found out and ordered to many extra papers..."

"Ah yes, Rolf remembers. The cul-de-sac was filled with more papers when Rolf's back hair..."

With the rather...discriptive...image in Edd's head, he continued to explain. How at one of the houses, they had encountered a dog.

Now, Edd had been to that house many times before. He had seen the dog inside plenty of times, and once or twice, the dog had been out in the yard. It was a normally well behaved mutt, but with Ed and Eddy there, it had been riled up.

Spooked...

Frightened...

And feeling threatened, the dog had lashed out in the only way it knew how, the only way it could protect its owners and its territory...

Rolf, having understood what Edd was trying to tell him, dropped to his kneels and pulled the sock covering Edd's calf muscle down, exposing a thick bandage.

"Edd-boy was savaged...?"

"It's really not that bad...I've been treating it ever since, making sure it stays clean...but..." Edd trailed off, embarrassed by the entire situation. He knew how to care for an injury. After all, he had patched up Ed and Eddy more times then he could count and had read hundreds of books...

And yet...

Seeing that Rolf was waiting for him to continue, Edd folded his hands neatly on his lap and hung his head. "An infection has started to set in..."

Rolf felt his heart sink into his stomach. An infection was how his Nana had lost her leg. And now Edd was telling him that after being bitten by a dog, instead of going to the hospital he had been treating it himself...and despite the pain he must have been in, continued to come over and work off the debt he and his friends owed to Rolf and his family.

"Double D Edd-boy, Rolf is deeply upset by your words. You will wait here until Rolf's Mama has returned so we may take you to hospital."

"But...but Rolf, I still need to feed the chickens and cows! Plus, Eddy needs my assistance is building-"

"YOU WILL SIT!" Rolf loomed over Edd, scaring him into submission. "Rolf will not have you loose your leg as Nana did! Now, Rolf will complete chores then come to check on you."

With that said and done, Rolf went back outside. Hours later, when his mother had come home, he had explained what was wrong with Edd and she had agreed to take him to the hospital. There, a doctor had cleaned up the infection and put Edd on some strong antibiotics to ensure it wouldn't return. Rolf had told Edd not to return until his leg was completely healed and couldn't count the eggs he had broken as part of his debt.

Something more then friendship sparked between them that day...

XxX

"Run Double D Edd-boy! Run!" Rolf watched helplessly as Edd ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry him as Ed and Eddy chased after him. Edd had been given his friends report cards by the teacher, as the school knew they would never give them to their parents. But his friends had found out, and as such, were going to take them back by force, uncaring to the fact that Edd was their friend and that he was following orders.

However, when he ran into Rolf in the hallway and explained what was happening, Rolf had offered to help by hiding Edd in his backpack on his way out. "The Ed-boys will not be finding you so quickly!"

"But Rolf, what if something goes wrong? I've been entrusted by the school to deliver their report cards and Eddy will do everything he can to prevent that from happening. He's not above hurting me or using Ed to get what he wants."

It was there Rolf had come up with a plan. He would hold onto the report cards while he snuck Edd out. That way, if for some reason Edd was found, the report cars could still get to the right people. "The Urban Rangers shall assist you!"

It was a good plan...

...and yet, it was bound for failure.

Rolf could do nothing as Edd was chased by his friends, except ensure that the task entrusted to him was completed .

Afterwards, he watched as Eddy's mother grabbed him by the ear...Ed's father doing the same to him...and was about to leave himself when he spotted Kevin rolling up his sleeves while smirking at Edd.

Rolf didn't know what made him angrier. The fact that Kevin was about to beat up Edd for doing what he had been told, or that Edd had the look of utter fear on his face. Before Kevin could pull his arm back for the first punch, Rolf was running back down the street and placed himself between them. "Casanova Kevin-boy shall not harm the Double D! He is Rolf's!"

"Dude, he stole my bike!"

Edd took several steps back, deeply confused as Rolf protected him from Kevin's wrath. The two of them were best friends, had been since Rolf's family moved to the country when they were in kindergarten...true, he and Rolf had been getting along better since Edd started to work on Rolf's farm...but this was going one step further.

He was Rolfs?

"Edd-boy, go to Rolf's farm. Rolf shall take care of this."

"No way dude! Double Dork is mine!"

"Now Edd-boy!"

Edd didn't want to leave...but at the same time, he didn't want to get involved in a fist fight. He fought with his mind after all, not his hands. So, quickly turning tail and running across the street...after looking both ways of course, safety first...he took shelter in the shed in Rolf's yard. After several minutes of Victor staring at him from his spot on the wall, the door to the shed opened wide and Rolf stumbled in.

"My goodness Rolf! What did Kevin do to you?"

"Kevin is not as strong as Rolf. He looks much worse." Rolf grinned, hardly feeling his lip split more. "Rolf's Great Nano could beat friend Kevin!"

Edd paled slightly as blood spilled down Rolf's chin and onto his shirt. If it wasn't for him, Edd would be the one with the split lip, if not worse. But worrying over what could have happened and what had happened wasn't going to help things now.

Rolf protected him, so Edd would fix him up.

An hour later, they were both at Edd's house. Edd was putting the last butterfly bandage on Rolf's lip to keep it from splitting more while Rolf held an ice pack to his blackening eye and swollen jaw. His other eye was at half mast, watching Edd as he worked...pulling off the dirty, blood stained gloves...wiping the area clean with rubbing alcohol...

"Are you in pain Rolf? You're not usually this quiet...I can acquire pain medication if you are in need of it."

"Rolf is not hurting that badly Edd-boy. Rolf was just...thinking."

Edd cracked a small smile. "A dangerous pass time..." His stomach flipped slightly when Rolf threw his head back and laughed.

He had been having very confusing feelings for the young farmer as of late. So much so, that every morning for the past month, he had been waking up with the classic morning wood. Needless to say, for someone like Edd, it had been rather embarrassing. Sure, he understood that as he was nearing puberty, his body would start to change in many different ways, and he was prepared for that.

He just wasn't prepared for being attracted to the same sex.

What Edd didn't know was the Rolf was feeling the same way and was just as confused, but more accepting. He knew that Edd wasn't the strongest of people, but he was smart in more ways then Rolf could ever hope to be. They balanced each other out.

Where Rolf was impulsive, Edd was level headed...

Where Rolf was strong in body, Edd was strong in mind...

Rolf loved meat with a passion, while Edd leaned more towards fruits and vegetables...

His Mama had once told him when he was very little, back in the old country, that he would get the chickens in his belly when he found the one that completed him. With the chickens in his belly now, Rolf wasn't ready to let Edd slip through his fingers.

XxX

They were in high school now, and relaxing at the spring dance.

Rolf fixed his hair for the fifth time that night, slightly nervous for what he had planned. The feelings he had for Edd had grown along with their friendship. The debt Ed, Edd and Eddy had long been paid off, but Edd had continued to come over almost every day after school and during the much loved summer vacation to assist Rolf in his chores.

It wasn't long after that that Rolf's Mama had started to invite Edd over for supper, refusing to let her son's newest friend eat alone every night.

"Later man, Nazz just showed up."

Glancing over at Kevin, Rolf smirked at how uncomfortable his long time friend looked in the monkey suit his mother had insisted he wear. "May the Guardian Pigeon watch over you, friend Kevin." Rolf adjusted his wide brim hat slightly. The purple suit he wore to family reunions had more patches and stitches in it then before...mainly due to just how volatile such reunions could get...but it still had a purpose.

Plus, if he ever wanted to just insult someone, he could quickly turn around and allow the cape he wore to smack said person in the face

"Yeah, whatever dude." And with that, Kevin blended into the throng of teenagers dancing on the gym floor.

"Salutations Rolf."

Rolf felt his heart skip a beat and the chickens in his belly return. Edd was rather...appealing. He wore a soft gray button up shirt with a deep red vest over it, with dark blue slacks with black dress shoes, shined and polished so much that the lights in the gym were reflecting off them. Taking a deep breath, Rolf turned and grinned widely. "Edd-boy! Rolf is much pleased you are here."

"Thank you. I am just as pleased to see you here. Ed wandered off somewhere and Eddy got kicked out for trying to charge kids to use the bathroom..." Edd trailed off and scanned the crowd. He never liked coming to dances, but when he heard through the grape vine that Rolf would be there, well...he had to come. The feelings he had first experienced as a child hadn't vanished like he thought they would. Instead, they had grown.

When an upbeat song started to play, Rolf grinned and grabbed Edd's hand, linking their fingers together. It was a bold move on his half, as neither of them had confessed their feelings to each other, but Rolf remembered when they first danced to the song and he wanted to recreate the moment. "Come Edd-boy! Our song is playing!"

Edd laughed and allowed Rolf to pull him deeper into the crowd, giving his hand a squeeze. thrilled when Rolf squeezed his hand back. Ignoring the looks and the whispers that were thrown their way, they danced like they were the only ones in the room. When the song ended, they were both breathless but smiling, their hands still clasped together.

They were happy...

...until the local jerk dumped his drink all over Edd's head.

Chaos enfolded as Rolf threatened to beat the guy to a pulp with a ten pound ham, Kevin joining him as the other kids scattered, while Edd...now soaked...ran out into the hallway and into the boys bathroom. He locked himself into a stall, sat on a toilet and carefully removed his hat, which was heavy with whatever the jerk had dumped over it. There was no way he could wear it home. I just wasn't warm enough. But at the same time, he couldn't be seen without it..

"Edd-boy?"

Glancing up, Edd saw Rolf's boots right outside the stall door. "Rolf...I'm sorry, but I don't believe I'll be joining you anymore tonight..." He held back a sniffle and wiped a hand over his eyes. "I don't know how I'll be able to return home either...my head and hat are soaked and it is still so cold outside..."

Rolf was still livid, but he knew that getting mad now would only make poor Edd feel worse about things. However, he wasn't completely helpless when it came to comforting others. "Wait here Double D Edd-boy, Rolf will fetch you something warm."

Not saying anything, Edd watched as Rolf's boots left the restroom, the heavy door slamming shut behind him as he left. Several minutes past before Rolf returned, once again stopping at the stall that Edd had taken shelter in. Without saying a word, he tossed what he was holding over the door, which landed with a light whump on Edd's head.

"What...?" Putting his hat on his lap, Edd removed the bundle of fabric and shook it out. "Rolf, this is your hoodie. I can't wear this home..."

"You will, Edd-boy, for Rolf will not have you catching the sickness of the system."

"A cold Rolf...you mean a cold."

"Is that not what Rolf said?"

Edd couldn't stop the smile that slowly broke out onto his face. Putting his soaked hat on his knee, he slipped the soft hoodie over his head and thrust his arms into the sleeves. Though the water from his clothes were starting to soak into the fabric, once he put the hood up, it was quite comfortable.

Unlocking the stall door and opening it, Edd let out a small squeak as he was pulled into a tight hug. "Rolf?"

"Rolf is sorry Edd-boy...Rolf wanted you to have fun at the place of learning..."

"Rolf...I'm fine. A bit embarrassed by the entire situation and slightly sticky from the punch Darrel dumped on my head, but I'm fine. And...I did have fun. Dancing with you is always a most pleasant experience. Now, I wish to return home. Will you be joining me or returning to the dance?"

Rolf had no desire to return to the dance...he wasn't about to tell Edd he had been kicked out for kicking Darrel in the family jewels either...but he still wanted to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind since he was 12. Letting go of Edd and taking a couple steps back, Rolf took a deep breathing, feeling extremely nervous, yet excited. "Rolf has...important question for Edd-boy..."

Edd felt his heart racing. He could smell the aftershave Rolf used on the hoodie...though Rolf swore up and down he wore no such thing as he is the son-of-a-shepherd...along with the pungent smell of the animals. Those two factors combined with the nervous innocence Rolf was portraying gave Edd a sort of heady feeling.

"Double D Edd-boy is special to Rolf...like Rolf's chickens are special to Stuck-in-the-Rut Ed-boy...Rolf has been getting the chickens in the belly for long time now and Rolf does not want them to leave..." Glancing up, Rolf was relieved to see that Edd wasn't smirking at him like he feared he would. Instead, he had a gentle smiling on his face, one that showed off the gap between his teeth only slightly. "Rolf's question is...does Edd-boy also have chickens in the belly?"

Rolf had no idea just how many chickens Edd had his in belly right then and there.

Edd had learned to accept the fact he was at the very least bisexual when he was 14. When he was 15, he fully accepted the feelings he had for Rolf, though he tried to keep them low key as best he could. His parents expected him to continue on the family line and hopefully pass on his intelligence to his future offspring...but in what way could he ever be happy if it wasn't with someone who felt the same way about him?

Thinking that Edd's silence meant that the feelings weren't reciprocated, Rolf quickly tried to smooth things over. "It is fine if Edd-boy does not feel the same! Rolf understand! Like when Victor did not like when Beatrice took all of salt lick."

"What? No, Rolf, that's not why I was quite." Walking those two steps between them, Edd took Rolf's trembling hands and smiled again. "I do have the...chickens in my belly...when I'm around you. I have for a long time, back when we were children. I suppose the first time I felt them was when I was working for you to pay back the debt and I was bitten by the dog."

"Rolf remembers...Rolf was worried Edd-boy would loose leg like Nana..." Rolf wanted to pick Edd up in the air and spin him around while shouting in joy. Finally, after years of keeping his true intentions hidden, they were out and Edd had not only accepted, but returned them! He wanted to let all of Peach Creek know that now Edd truly was his, but he knew that such attention would make Edd nervous, so he thought better of it.

Smiling a bit wider, Edd let go of Rolf's hands and slowly hugged him, relaxing when Rolf returned the favour and hugged him back. "Could we possibly take things between us at a slow pace?"

"Of course!" Rolf squeezed Edd, being careful not to hurt him and his still frail body. "Rolf will move as slow as snail on fence post!"

Closing his eyes, Edd nuzzled his face against Rolf's chest, enjoying the physical contact. It was only when he shivered did he let him go and step back a bit. "Could we please return to the cul-de-sac. I do not wish to catch a chill or any other number of illnesses that come with having damp hair."

Firmly agreeing, Rolf took Edd's hand and lead him out of the bathroom, though the gym and the throng of kids and out the side door. He missed the thumbs up given to them by Kevin and Nazz who were slow dancing, but he did see the huge smile Ed gave him right before he stuffed a bunch of food into his mouth and proceeded to chew with his mouth open.

The two of them walked home in comfortable silence, still holding each others hand. Things wouldn't always be this easy. People would hate them simply because they loved each other...but they had friends to count on that would back them every step of the way.

XxX

They would look back on those moments...the good and bad moments in their life that brought them closer together as the years went on...

Edd graduating with honors and Rolf cheering the loudest, for Edd's parents couldn't make it...

The day Rolf's father died of a heart attack, leaving Rolf head of the family...

The day Rolf asked Edd to marry him...

The heartbreak they both felt when the mother who's baby they were going to adopt changed her mind...

Edd being chased by the rooster while Rolf laughed so hard, he got stitches in his sides...

Edd driving Rolf's mother and Nana to the airport, for they were moving back to the old country...

Those moments would define them and continue to mold them as the years went on. There would be laughter and tears...fights and apologise...but so long as they stuck together, everything would work out in the end.

XxX

And with that, this story has come to a close. They're cute, Rolf and Edd...but I need to know what you all thought about it. I didn't want to make a lemon or a PWP...I wanted to make it so that, like real life, the relationship evolved slowly and over the course of years.

I look forward to your feedback.

And yes...I can do requests. PM me if you have one.

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs!