*Click*

"Ok, ten and two."

*Click*

"Got it."

"Check your mirrors."

"We're in the driveway, Mom."

Angela cocked a waxed and lined brow at her son and he quickly did as he was told.

"You never know who's gonna be behind you. Driveway or not. Always check your mirrors."

"Yes, ma'am. Hey, what are you -?!"

Joshua was cut off by his mother turning on the radio and then getting blasted by a blast from his childhood, even though the song was from his mother's early post college years.

"Baby, there is a shark in the water," she sang as she gave him a nod to pull out of the driveway. "You never know who's gonna be riding with ya and wanting to play DJ. You gotta keep focused at all times."

He sighed and nodded as he eased down the road in front of their house and to the stop sign where he thumped his head on the steering wheel at her antics.

"Head up! Eyes on the road!" She chided him and he focused straight ahead, knuckles pink from gripping the wheel.

"Where is it?" Eddward muttered to himself as he dug around his messenger bag, the wrong iPad in his lap.

Sighing, he tapped on the Find My iPad icon on his personal iPad and went through the prompts to find his work iPad.

iPad Found: Peach Creek High.

"Whaaaaaa?" He said as he stared at the screen in front of him before it hit him. "The car! Of course!"

He muttered curses to himself at his realizations, grabbed his coffee, locked up the room and hurried to the parking lot, glad that Kev wasn't nearby to tease him about his potty mouth.

Fucking redheads rubbing off on him.

As he made his way out of the building, he saw a way too familiar face drop his son off and flashbacks to a bedroom in a quiet cul-de-sac hit him like a freight train.

He knew not to make anything of it as his brain had a silly way of letting go.

"Mr Barr! And Mr Barr," he called out with a wave as he came down the stairs.

"Hey, Mr Rockwell," Kevin called back before noticing the mug in his hand.

I Love Giving Pop Quizzes

"Noooooooooo!" The teen whined and his father shook his head as he muttered, "He would."

"There won't be any quizzes today, Kevin, just as long as people stay in line today," Eddward assured him as he made his way to his car. "And your cousin is the industrial tech room waiting on you."

"Sweet! Later, Pops!" Kevin said as he ran into the building.

"Paul."

"Eddward. What's up?" The elder Barr asked and Eddward lowered the boom.

"Tell your wife to count a plus one for Thanksgiving."

"How official?" Paul asked coldly, but Eddward saw a tinge of loss in green eyes.

He tipped mug back with his left hand, and a black band with a single round blue sapphire in the center of the band winked in the chilly fall sunrise.

"Damn. Congrats."

Eddward cocked a brow and Paul sighed.

"I feel like I should apologize," Eddward said quietly.

"You've apologized enough, Edd," Paul sighed, legit sick of the man's excuses.

Eddward had been apologizing for years for not letting things go the way that Paul said they could go…

Eddward hadn't ever felt like this.

The hand tugging at him grips him tighter and the redhead above him growls his name in such a way that makes Eddward moan wantonly.

"Damnit, Paul."

"Heh."

A deep kiss hides a whine as Paul pulls his hand a way to shove it up his shirt and feel for a pounding heartbeat. He was about to bite that Adam's Apple that teased him all day at the gym only to pull away when the honking of horns was heard in the cul-de-sac.

They pull away from each other and hurry to fix their clothes and glance out the window.

"Why is Ana here?" Paul asked no one in particular as Eddward looked across the street to see his cousin, Marion, adjust Little Eddward as the family called him on her shoulder and wave to Paul's girlfriend who looked like hell and ignored the wave to come pound on the Barr's front door.

"Your girlfriend is here and you're wondering why?!" Eddward asked incredulously before another honk brought their attention back to the window in front of them.

"Shit."

"Is that Kev?! OH, MY GOD, her brother is here. What did you DO, Paul?!"

"I don't know!"

"Figure it out," Eddward sighed before he breezed out the door, tossing an excuse to drop back by later and help Paul with his computer then over his shoulder.

"She's what?"

"Edd."

"Paul, so help me…"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?! Sorry that you couldn't keep it wrapped up?! Sorry that you couldn't wait a few more years to do crazy shit like get your girlfriend pregnant?!"

"Do not, Edd!"

"Oh, I'm doing it! You're 17!"

"So are you!" Paul sighed as he ran his hand down his face and his biggest heartbreaker looked ready to kill. "Aren't you the main one saying we do shit like this because we're so young!?"

"YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO IT, THOUGH!"

"Doesn't mean we can't still be together!"

"Excuse me?!"

Paul rolled his eyes as Eddward looked at him like he was crazy, but even he knew it was a long shot.

"I don't have to marry her, just take care of the kid. We can still be together! Still get that spot in the city, still move in together and be bros, still –"

"Bros?"

"Edd, you know how this shit looks. And besides, you're my best friend! Of course we're bros!"

"He thinks I'm his bro," Eddward snipped and Paul groaned.

"Edd, just give it time. You know I still love you."

"That's what she said."

"Wh-What?" Paul asked, knees shaking at the hard look in sky blue eyes.

"She's telling everyone you love her," he said flatly.

"Edd, I –"

"I'm sorry. I can't."

"But if he hurts you, I'll kill him," Paul smiled and Eddward groaned knowing full well that despite their high school affair going up in smoke no thanks to the freckled soul stealer thinking he had something to prove to people neither could even remember anymore, that Paul would kill his brother in law because he still cared about him.

"My honor thanks you," Eddward said sincerely, left hand to his chest, and Paul knew that not only had the raven haired one moved on, he was very much capable of taking care of himself and anyone who got in the way of his happiness.

His wife notwithstanding.

If Eddward had his scruples about anything, it was her.

It wasn't her fault.

It wasn't Kevin's.

They would not be disregarded because of his bullshit.

And Paul loved him for it.

But Kev loved Eddward more and Paul would always respect that.

Always.

Thankfully, it seemed liked Eddward had finally started to respect it, too.

"I think you should give them a pop quiz."

"I'm not grading extra nonsense tonight, Mr Barr."

"Oooh, looking up wedding venues are we?"

"KU's playing Pitt State tonight."

"I hate exhibition games."

*HONK*

"Have a good day, Mr Barr," Eddward chuckled as he weaved through the drop off line and to his car.

"Okay, tell me what you see," she said as he came to their first stop light.

"Traffic."

"C'mon, J."

"Busses, trucks, cars, people walking."

"What's your distance?"

"One car length."

"For busses?"

"At least two."

"That's my boy," she grinned before started performing a song from his childhood. "Something 'bout you, makes me feel like a dangerous woman!"

He shuddered as he pulled into the teacher and visitor's lot in front of Peach Creek High.

His mother's fun time girl reputation from high school and college did not miss him. She liked to go out and dance and drink and get food with her friends, flirt with everyone, and just see where the night took her.

Even as his mom, she kept an open door if people needed a bite to eat or listening ear or both.

Usually both.

She just couldn't help ya without feeding ya. It was just her way.

"You remember your lunch?" She asked as he shut off the car.

"Yeah, but now we're out of the satay," he pouted.

"I'm making sausage tonight," she sighed, "so you'll just have to deal."

"Booooo, Mom."

"Boo yourself," she laughed as she got out of the car. "Gimme my keys!"

He sighed as he tossed the keys over the roof of the car to her but he overshot his toss and they whizzed over her head and two cars before being expertly caught by his AP Biology teacher and the Chess Club sponsor.

"Hey, Mr Rockwell!" He waved to the tall man.

"These yours, Mr Kelamis?"

"Yeah, my mom's actually," he sighed as Ang slowly turned around.

"Edd!"

"Hey, Angie," he chuckled. "I'll get them back to you in a sec, I gotta get something out of my car."

"No big," she shrugged as she pulled her spare set out of her purse, locked the car, and walked over to where Eddward was leaning in his car. "You get inside, boy, and go checkmate somebody."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, Son!"

Eddward quickly pulled himself out of his car to see Ang looking surprised and furious by it before plastering a blank look on her face before she turned around.

"Hey, Dad, what're you doing here?" Joshua asked as he looked his father and stepmother over.

"Thought we'd sit in on breakfast with ya," the farmer said brightly as he slapped his son on the back and the kid groaned. "Guess we had the same idea, great minds thinking alike and all."

"Can't today, Dad," the teen sighed as he rolled his shoulders. "Got a breakfast meeting with the Chess Club today."

"Then we'll sit with you."

"Can't," Joshua groaned as Ang walked up to the group and her ex eyeballed her but she just stared back.

"Why not?!"

"Closed meeting, students only," Ang replied and Rolf bristled as he looked her over.

Because she worked from home, she didn't have to get dressed up for work, but it always threw him for a loop when he'd run into her and she'd have makeup on and her hair out and fluffed to the sky instead of hiding under hats or fancy scarves when he thought she shouldn't.

The black lipstick wasn't new, but he didn't like it as he thought it was ugly, and he really hated that she didn't care what he thought about anything anymore.

"Then why are you here?"

"To spite you," she grinned. "Get inside, J."

Their son ran to the stairs and Ang turned to walk away as he said, "I want to talk to his sponsor about this."

"I'm his sponsor."

She groaned as she turned back around and walked back to where her ex was standing, his new wife mute per usual, but looking at Eddward in surprise.

"So we can sit in with him? I just want to see my son."

"I'm sorry, Mr Kelamis, but school policy is that all student events will be parent free unless the parents have been notified by a note from the sponsors at least a month in advance that their presence is welcomed. The Chess Club's schedule hasn't changed in the last seven years I've been the sponsor and I don't see it happening in the future. The homecoming breakfast is a student only event. But I do hope to see you next Saturday at the district meet."

And Ang willed herself to not roll her eyes as her ex disappointed the universe yet again.

"I'm sorry, but we'll be out of town, so I can't make it."

"We?" Eddward asked, slightly perturbed by the notion that one of his better players wouldn't be at the meet.

"He means him and his wife here," Ang sighed. "Josh will be there."

"Oh, thank God," Eddward sighed as he took a sip of his coffee, the warmth soothing his nerves, but he couldn't ignore Ang's eyeball on his left hand that was tipping the mug back.

"Oh, so he's that good, huh? I should pull him out just to see what happens," Rolf laughed and the look that he got from his ex and Eddward would have killed him if God wasn't so merciful.

"Let's just go, Rolfie," the wife said as she started to tug the man away.

"Send me a copy of the schedule, Ang!" He called out as he walked away.

"Burn in hell," Ang sang under her breath as she nodded.

"I can send him one," Eddward said and she shrugged.

"Do it, because I ain't. Josh sent him one at the beginning of the year, and all he's paid attention to was his lacrosse schedule and he's only been to like three of those matches, so I'm over it."

"Got ya," he snickered as he sipped his coffee and she cleared her throat.

"Last night," he whispered.

"YEEEEEEEE!" She squealed and he laughed. "TELL ME!"

"Just…," he blushed as he tried to get his thoughts together. "We were grading papers and I asked him to pass me my box of gold star stickers and he handed me the ring box instead.

"Oh, my God," she breathed and he laughed again. "Go. On."

"Said he wasn't gonna waste going to Vegas for Christmas and I was coming back a new man."

Her hands cupped around her mouth could only do so much to suppress her cackles and he snorted.

"Are you guys staying the whole holiday?"

"Yeah," he said as he made a face. "Sorry."

"No big," she shrugged.

"Your cousin's are wrangling your birthday again, aren't they?" He smirked.

"If I'm not dead of alcohol poisoning, I'll tell you all about it when you get back," she sighed as she patted his arm and he chuckled knowing full well his old college friend would have brunch reservations ready to go the morning after he got back home.

"WHAT THE HELL IS KEVIN DOING ON THE ROOF?!"

They looked up to see Johnny on the stairs with Joshua, both looking up at the roof.

Kev and Kevin were both on the top of the school and Eddward and Ang were both surprised and slightly worried til they heard Kevin whoop and a drone take off.

"Hey!" Josh yelled. "I want one!"

"I want you to get your ass inside like I told you!" Ang called to her son and he looked at her in surprise.

"She's right," Eddward nodded. "If I walk in with you, you're late."

"Later!" Josh yelled before taking off inside.

Ang snorted before holding her hand out for her keys.

"Text me when you get out of your date," he said as he handed her her keys and she headed back to her car.

"Yes, Mother."

"So I was thinking," Kevin said as he leaned on the locker next to Edd's, "maybe we could hang tonight?"

"Umm…I'm free as far as I know," Edd said as he stared into his locker. "What time were you think-"

"Hey, Dee!" Ed said as he stood over his friend and peered into the top of the locker startling his two friends a bit but ignored it to concentrate on getting his book back. "There it is!"

Kevin and Edd looked up to see him pull out his History book and skip down the hall to Nazz's locker for a jawbreaker and to trade notes for a comic book before he bounced to his sister's locker for chips and a soda and then on to his class.

"It's like watching a pinball game," Edd mused.

"Yeah, if the pinball was hopped up on sugar all the time," Eddy sighed as he walked up to the hatted duo. "Ready?"

"Oh. Yes!" Edd said quickly before giving Kevin an apologetic look that the pitcher shrugged off.

"I'll text you," he said before jogging down the hall in the opposite direction.

"What'd he want?" Eddy sniffed as they walked into their AP Biology class.

"I'm not sure…"

"Just make sure your phone is on vibrate," Eddy advised as he eyeballed their teacher who was standing next to his desk and a high pile of midterm reports were ready to be handed back, grades that determined whether or not their homecoming weekend would be at the game and dance, or stuck at home trying to play catch up.

"Can I talk to you?"

Eddward looked up into bright eyes that looked so much like his own, people thought the young scholar in front of him was his son and not his baby cousin.

"Sure thing," Eddward said as cocked his head at the small desk next to his own that students that needed extra help on their school work or a moment alone with a trusted adult would sit in. "What's on your mind?"

"Trusted adult."

"Who's your next teacher?" The teacher asked as he pulled out his hall pass booklet.

"Mrs Cromley. It's study hall."

Eddward nodded as he filled out the form and cocked a brow at his cousin to say what was on his mind.

"Umm…I think I have a date and I'm not sure what to do…"

He cocked his head again and saw Edd looking at the bracelet on his wrist.

It was made of bungee cord and looked like the PRIDE flag. Nazz's mother had made it for him when they were in high school together and she made them for all the students in their PFLAG student group. The small band made Eddward stand out a bit in their small town, but considering Paul's supportive stance towards anything the man did, not many messed with him because no one wanted to get on the Barr's bad side.

Didn't mean that words don't hurt or that looks can't cut to the bone.

"You want one?" Eddward asked as he twisted his wrist at the quiet young man next to him.

"Mother and father…," he tried to begin as he squeezed his eyes shut to stop a stray tear from escaping and Eddward sighed.

Marion wasn't a religious woman, but Lawd she could be as hateful as the most uptight Christian he knew. To tell the truth, and Eddward hated to lie these days, he couldn't understand how his father and his aunt were related.

But cold is cold and the Rockwell's weren't known for their warmth.

While Mario treated his son's sexuality as just another thing that Eddward participated in, he wasn't supportive. Marion was a bit more vocal and Eddward knew that her husband, Mitchell, wouldn't stand up to her.

"Listen to me, Dee," Eddward said softly and wet blue eyes met his own and his heart cracked. "I don't give a damn what they say or feel, if you like this person, you should at least try to get to know them a bit better."

"How…How do you do it?" Edd asked, voice thick with so much emotion.

"I just do. I can't lie."

Anymore…

Edd gave a shuddering breath and nodded.

"Care to tell me who it is?"

When Edd's eyes went wide as his phone buzzed, Eddward laughed.

"Ok, ok, you don't have to, for now."

Edd gave him a pensive nod as he took out his phone and squeaked before taking a good forty five seconds to construct the perfect text to send back.

He then jumped with a yelp when his phone buzzed again and Eddward gave him a look to chill.

"I'm…I'm sorry, it's just…"

"Are they cute?" Eddward teased and Edd blushed as he melted.

"So handsome."

"Whoa," Eddward intoned, his take caution vibes coming attention as he didn't want his little cousin to get too caught up in good looks and charm in the hopes of maybe having something with this someone.

"I knoooooooow," Edd whined as his phone buzzed again and he took a good minute and a half to respond.

"Edd."

Edd put the phone face down on the desk and then put his head in his hands.

"I've known him since I was a damn baby," he said behind his palms. "Why is this so hard?"

At least three alarms went off in Eddward's head at the mention of the length of his cousin's acquaintanceship with this other person as he really wondered who of his friends he was considering dating, but his heart went out to him.

He met his fiancée in college, but his first true friend, who he loved on so many levels, he had met when he was three at the same daycare.

Eddward built Paul a sturdy snow fort and Paul taught him about trust and that love takes all kinds.

"Because you're overthinking it. Are you going out or staying in?"

"Umm, he wants to meet at my house this afternoon just to hang out and play this new video game he got."

"Then do that. Make some snacks and hang out."

"And then?"

Worried blue eyes met his own and he gave him a smile.

"And then do it again. If anything, you'll get to know him better and be better friends."

Edd seemed satisfied with that answer, but Eddward knew that he wanted a definitive conclusion that his experience in life told him wouldn't happen right now, if ever.

"But I heard that he might like guys or something."

"Do you?"

A small nod gave him his answer and Eddward was ready to wage a war on the holidays the likes of which no one had ever seen if his aunt did something stupid over her son coming into his own in a way she didn't approve of.

The bitch would be scraping more than adhesive off the ceiling by the time he was done with her if he had his way, and Kev just made a drone!

"Then I highly advise you to be his friend first. Whatever happens after that happens. Okay?"

"Okay," Edd said quietly before glancing at the clock and Eddward quickly signed the hall pass before shooing him out the door.

It was in the middle of his planning period that she finally texted him.

Ang: Why are all the good ones taken?

Eddward: You're joking?!

Ang: His mom was surprised to see him out with a "new friend" and hoped I would meet his gf soon.

Eddward: Ouch. Listen I know the rule but…

Ang: Gah.

Eddward: And she's actually single.

Ang: Out?

Eddward: Yiiiiiiiip.

Ang: I'm listening. Well, reading really but semantics.

Eddward let the semantics be and linked his friend with an old colleague for a coffee date that would actually work out for once.

At 330PM on the dot, Kevin knocked on Edd's door was quickly ushered inside.

"I got the game," the redhead said as he handed the game to Edd who looked it over.

"Xbox?"

"Yeah, you said you had one," Kevin said with a cocked brow as he took off his shoes.

"I do," Edd replied as he went into the living room where the coffee table was loaded up with snacks and drinks. "I'm just more of a PS4 guy myself."

"Snob."

"Ya momma."

"How dare you!" Kevin gasped in slightly feigned horror and Edd's straight face crumbled into giggles at his silly attempt at being sassy.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," he snickered, eyes apologetic and smile sincere.

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin retorted as he threw himself on the couch. "She can be snobby, though."

"What about?" Edd asked as he set the Xbox up.

"Get this. You know we've got our Irish Setters, right?" When Edd hummed an affirmative response Kevin went on. "Well, you'd think that would be all she knew. But she's like this closet pug lover and it's ridiculous!"

"Awww," Edd grinned and Kevin frowned.

"Ri. Dic. U. Lous."

"I'm sorry, Kevin," Edd chuckled. "But I think she's allowed to love more than one type of dog."

"Not those huffers."

"Huffers?"

"They're snotty little mouth breathers! I can't stand them," Kevin huffed as the system powered on and he took the controller Edd handed him.

"Meow."

The startled redhead looked over to see a white cat with one blue eye and one orange eye looked down at them from the top of the straight back chair in the corner.

"Hey, Snow," Edd cooed as he wiggled his fingers at her and she jumped down and trotted over to him for pets and then wiggled into the small space between his PS4 and GameCube on the TV stand to take a cat nap.

"You have a cat?!"

"Yes," Edd said quietly as the surprised redhead stared at his baby girl. "Now shh, she's sleeping."

"Who are you?" His neighbor hissed as he peered at him.

"The one who's about to kick your butt if you don't set your player up," Edd said as he cracked open a soda and cocked his head at the TV.

Kevin mocked him as he set up his character, but whenever their eyes met for the rest of the afternoon, he wanted nothing more than to know what was going on behind those bright, colorful orbs.

"Yoooooo," Joshua said excitedly as he walked into the steaming kitchen. "Kevin had a date with Edd!"

"What?!" Ang asked as she turned away from the steaming pan of rice she was stirring into her shrimp and veggies concoction because bad dates always made her want to try something new in the kitchenand get it right the first time.

"Kev had a date with Edd!" He said again as he shoved his phone in her face.

A Facebook post from the redhead proclaimed that his Game Night with a certain smarty pants had cumulated with great success and MAYBE a Movie Night would be next.

"That's sweet," Ang smiled as she added a garlic sauce to the pan to simmer with the rice and chicken for a few minutes.

"Yeah, I'm glad they're friends," Joshua nodded as his phone rang and the both saw it was his father calling. "What does he want?"

"Won't know til you answer," his mother replied as she shooed him out of the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in ten!"

"Talk."

"Dad told me to be careful around Kevin and them," the boy said quietly.

The conversation had dropped a good seven minutes into dinner, but she could tell by the thoughtful look on his face, that he had something on his mind.

"Why?!"

"Said he didn't want them to rub off on me. I'm too impressionable or something," he huffed as he stabbed his shrimp.

She put her face in her hands and calculated that with high school and college she had a good seven years left of dealing with her ex besides their son's wedding and any kids if he ever took that path in life. And while she didn't want to rush things, she couldn't fucking wait to be done with the man.

"Are you gay?" She asked as she took a bite of the impromptu dinner idea that she was gonna have to actually write down.

"No," Joshua replied with a look that made her think she had two heads for a quick second.

"Then I don't think you should worry about it."

"But –"

"But he can talk to me if he has a problem with who you're hanging out with."

Joshua snorted and nearly choked on his water because he knew there was no way in Heaven or Hell that his father would challenge his mother on such a thing because she had primary custody and knew his friends better than his father ever would, and the man just couldn't be bothered to leave Lemon Brook to check on him outside of a few nice days when he was playing lacrosse anymore.

They were closer and his father more of a thorn in his mother's side when he was younger because he at least was trying to be the father he thought he was in his head. This of course led to a host of conflicts on how to parent him.

But wife number two gave him two kids that took just so much of his time and attention.

Wife number three gave him one more before dipping out of the damn country and leaving him alone to raise the girl that he dumped off on his Nana and everyone in town is sure she'll be caught up in some nonsense in ten years because she'll be using stuff and things to fill the holes left in her by her parents lack of love and attention.

And wife number four seems to know her place in his misogynistic world, but the boy can't help but think she's only looking for a green card and just playing her cards and part right.

Actions speak hella loud and if Joshua knows anything, it's that people need to be treated decently and his friends were all decent, so his father can bugger off.

"That's what I told him."

"Joshua Allen Kelamis, you didn't?!" Ang cried and Joshua slowly nodded. "I guess," she sighed as she brushed her bangs out of her face and looked at her worried son. "Don't worry, I'll deal with him."

"And call Mr Nat?"

At the mention of one of her oldest friends and lawyer, she snickered.

"Yeah, I need to call the old bugger anyways," she smirked as she looked at her phone before flipping it back over to ignore another text from Marie about some announcement her favorite YouTuber was doing next week.

"And he can take us to Little Tokyo?!"

At the mention of their favorite Japanese steakhouse, she sighed.

"How were midterms?"

"Gaaaaaaaah!" The boy whined and she laughed, her days of dealing with studying and exams long behind her. "Not cool, Mom!"

Joshua sent Kevin and Edd a slice of cheesecake to share for dessert when Nat took them out for dinner to celebrate his first place Chess Club win at districts and being on the honor roll.

16 years later they'd celebrate together at the hat loving boys wedding with cheesecake cakepops and bungee cord PRIDE bracelets for all, allies included.

Best. Wedding favors. Ever.