A/N: Sorry lovelies! Life took over, but I hope you enjoy this little chapter. Plot progression will happen more in the next chapter, but at least you get some cute Kevin and Edd, which let's not lie to each other, is the real reason you're reading this. ;)
"Kevin, get your head out of your ass and pitch!"
Edd looked up from his homework, trying not to bristle at Coach Benson's language. Sun beat down on his pale skin and he felt a slight burning sensation even after applying two coats of sunscreen. He only hoped he wouldn't look like a boiled lobster by the end of the day. Edd sat on the bleachers by himself while the baseball team practiced afterschool.
Most students had extracurricular activities afterschool or went to their dorm common rooms to hang out until dinner in the mess hall. Edd spent most of his afternoons in his lab but he had been forced outside with explicit instructions from the school nurse. He'd been outside for the past hour, hunched over and focused on his Chemistry work, but occasionally he'd sneak a glance at the baseball team currently playing on the field.
The school kept up a normal front by providing sports teams and a working school government but prestige and popularity were more determined by skill ranking in the combat room and family heritage. Nevertheless, sports still encouraged popularity. Edd hypothesized it had to do with the primal sense of comradery as well as physical prowess shown on the field that made onlookers prone to idol worship. Not that Edd would ever succumb to such base instincts. He was simply out here for the sunshine.
He snuck another glance to the field. Kevin stood on the pitcher's mound and stretched his arms above his head until his shirt rode up slightly, revealing a strip of tanned skin. Edd's cheeks burned and he looked away. If only sunscreen could help with his consistent blushing problem.
Kevin pitched most of the practice because their first game was on Saturday. Kevin made Varsity sophomore year, but this year was his first as Captain because Billy Siliano graduated last year. Kevin pitched like he shot a gun, with precision and the ruthless grace of a hunter. Except for today it seemed. Today, he pitched sloppy and Coach wasn't having it. Edd watched Coach pull him out and put Mark in instead with a frown.
Kevin kicked a pile of bats and sat on the bench, turning his hat around and pulling it down until it covered his face. Nat fell onto the bench next to him and knocked their shoulders together until Kevin finally glanced up in irritation. Nat gestured to Edd with a grin and Kevin glanced over, his hat hiding his eyes. Still, Edd fumbled with his notebook until it fell off his lap and clattered through the bleachers to the ground below. Edd's face reddened even more when Kevin pushed a laughing Nat off the bench before jogging toward Edd. He tugged his beanie down a little to cover the redness of his ears as he watched Kevin jog.
Kevin detoured under the benches and grabbed Edd's notebook before he scaled the side of the bleachers like King Kong, his biceps bulging under his jersey with the movement. He climbed over the side and landed on his feet with a grace Edd couldn't even dream of possessing.
Their fingers touched when Kevin quietly handed over the notebook and Edd fumbled with it again because of the pleasant tingles shooting up his arm. Kevin caught the notebook before it fell through the bleachers a second time and Edd idly wondered if Kevin would catch him if he fell through the bleachers in embarrassment. He grabbed the notebook and held it close to his chest instead.
"Thank you, Kevin."
"What are you doing out here? You don't write for the sports column." Kevin blurted in a gruff tough.
Edd opened his mouth to speak, but apparently Kevin wasn't finished, because he continued, his voice softening.
"I mean, you're usually in your lab in the afternoons, right?"
Edd waited to see if Kevin had anything else to say, but he seemed finished, his green eyes watching Edd intensely.
"The nurse says I need more Vitamin D and this spot at this particular time of day gives me more than the adequate amount necessary to keep my endorphin levels stable."
Kevin blinked.
"I need more sunshine for my health… nurse's orders," Edd clarified with a soft smile.
Kevin grumbled under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"
"Kevin, watch out!" Nat yelled from down below.
Edd looked up in time to see a baseball head straight for them and froze in place as it beelined for his face. The rocket launcher incident happened only a week before and already something new made it its mission to attack Edd's face. The white spinning ball came closer and closer but before it had a chance to hit its target, Kevin's red hat snapped out and caught it with a loud crack. Kevin pulled out the baseball and tossed it up and down in his hand while he put his cap back on.
"Do you always freeze up in danger?" Kevin gave an exasperated sigh, eyebrows furrowed.
Edd watched the baseball bounce in Kevin's hand, looking completely harmless now and not like it had wanted to end Edd's young life moments before.
"I don't… I don't mean to…" Edd grimaced. Memories of Dodgeball made him shudder. "I just don't appreciate balls in my face."
Kevin choked on air and almost dropped the baseball mid toss, his cheeks pinkening. Edd worried he didn't put sunscreen on today. He was tempted to reach into his bag and offer Kevin some.
"Barr, stop flirting and get back over here!"
Edd and Kevin both looked over at the field where Coach Benson's face matched the red of his hat.
"I, uh, I better go. I'm already on his shitlist today," Kevin muttered.
"Language," Edd insisted under his breath.
"Huh?"
"Please refrain from using profanities around my presence," Edd said quietly, but his blue eyes held a steel surety to them.
"You still have that thing about cussing?" Kevin huffed out a laugh and scratched the back of his neck. "You must really not like being out here today then. Coach Benson's every other word is fuck."
Edd bristled again but he bit his lip and smiled a little. "Watching your exceptional physique and skill on the field distracts me enough to ignore my annoyance regarding Coach's lack of a well-rounded vocabulary."
"Was that a compliment? I can't tell." Kevin's eyes widened as he stared down at Edd. The noticeable pinking on Kevin's cheeks deepened to a scarlet. Maybe Kevin wasn't hydrating properly, Edd thought until he replayed what he said earlier in his head before he too blushed.
"Oh dear. Oh, dear me. I must depart." Edd quickly gathered his things and rushed past Kevin. "I fear I've consumed too much Vitamin D. The endorphins are taking over my sanity."
He ignored Kevin calling for him and quickly scuffled his way toward the science building. He couldn't believe he just admitted Kevin's body distracted him enough to ignore one of his biggest pet peeves. He'll never be able to watch baseball practice again. He'll never be able to see Kevin again.
Well, maybe that was a bit unrealistic. He just hoped Kevin would ignore what he said. He really didn't want to be bullied this soon into the new semester. Even if Kevin hadn't personally bullied him since junior high, Edd was certain he'd make an exception in this case.
He fretted over it until he reached his laboratory. He keyed in his passcode before the door slid open with a whoosh. Cold, sterile air bit his hot cheeks.
"Hey, Eddward." Charlie looked up from his work station with a beaming smile, bulky googles obscuring his normally warm brown eyes.
"Afternoon, Charlie." Edd tried to smile but felt it came out more like a grimace. He gently hung his bookbag on its labeled hook on the wall before grabbing his lab coat.
"What's wrong?" Charlie lifted his googles up with a concerned frown.
"Nothing a little inventing can't cure." Edd sighed. "I hope."
Charlie didn't seem satisfied with the answer but they had shared a lab since Edd's freshman year and Edd knew he wouldn't be pestered about the matter anymore. At least for the moment. They worked in companionable silence for the next hour or so until Charlie announced he was going to get some coffee.
"Do you want some?"
Edd blinked, caught up with the robot in his hands, before he finally looked up. "Oh yes. Extra cream and sugar please."
Charlie smiled and left, leaving the door open. Edd watched him go and not for the first time wished he could be attracted to his lab partner instead of Kevin. Charlie was a senior and considered attractive by many. He even showed interest in Edd last year, but where Charlie's skin was a deep caramel, Edd wanted butterscotch with freckles and instead of honeyed blonde locks he wanted cinnamon-dusted hair hidden under a backward baseball cap.
Essentially Edd wanted Kevin and no one else.
He groaned and slammed his head on the table with a loud smack before hissing in pain and rubbing his forehead.
"Do you have a thing against flat surfaces as well?"
Edd's spine straightened and his cheeks immediately flushed. "Kevin!"
Kevin leaned against the doorframe of the lab, arms crossed and a toothpick between his lips. His shirt was slightly damp and clung to his body so he must have showered after practice. The thought of a wet Kevin made Edd almost throw his wrench across the room in a panic.
"W-What are you doing here?"
Kevin cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. Oh no. He was going to ask what Edd meant earlier today and now Edd was going to be beat up in his own lab. Hopefully Charlie would come back before Edd's demise.
"Actually, I need something from you…"
Edd's mouth dropped open in question, but Kevin seemed like he didn't feel the need to elaborate. They stared awkwardly at each other until finally Edd swallowed, his fingers fidgeting.
"How can I be of assistance?"
"Can I come in?"
Edd nodded and slid off his stool, coming around the table. A wire on the floor caught under his foot and he tripped, falling forward. Kevin's strong arms caught him easily, his hard chest cushioning Edd's face. Edd took a deep breath, something musky and spicy covering his senses. He immediately relaxed into the embrace.
Kevin cleared his throat, but his arms remained encircled around Edd's lean form. Edd pulled back a little but Kevin didn't seem to want to let go, his arms tightening for a moment before finally releasing him.
"Should I be worried?"
"What for?" Edd asked, the smell of Kevin still making his head woozy.
"Are you always this clumsy or do I have something to do with it?" Kevin smirked, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. Edd opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before Kevin finally spoke again, his smirk gentling into a soft smile. "So, about you helping me. Coach Benson is on my ass, sorry I mean case, about my grades. I need a tutor for Chemistry and English or else he's taking away my position on the team." He scratched the back of his neck. "Coach recommended you."
"Oh," Edd said, smiling widely, "Of course I'll help you. I just need to check my schedule-"
"What's he doing here?" Charlie snapped, coffee cups in hand.
Edd's eyebrows raised at Charlie's tone. He couldn't remember ever hearing Charlie speak like that to anyone. Kevin seemed less than impressed when he looked at Charlie, but his green eyes seemed to spark with something else. Challenge maybe?
"Kevin here was just asking for my assistance."
"I'm sure he was," Charlie scoffed and pushed a coffee toward Edd, "Here, just the way you like it." His eyes darted to Kevin with a smug smile.
Edd smiled in thanks and set the cup down. When he turned back around Kevin and Charlie both seemed to be sizing each other up quietly. Edd furrowed his eyebrows and fidgeted some more, the air in the room feeling more chilled than he was used to in the cold laboratory.
"Um, Kevin," Edd bit his lower lip. "When are you free?"
Kevin stared at Charlie a moment longer before turning back to Edd, his grin easy and warm. "Most weekends. Monday and Wednesday afternoons too."
Edd nodded while he thought about his own schedule. "How about Sundays and Wednesdays then?"
"Sounds good." Kevin shrugged. "I can either meet you here or at your dorm…" His eyes darted over to Charlie and his grin widened more. "You know, because you live right across the hall from me."
Charlie gritted his teeth and moved over to his workstation, banging around more loudly than normal. Edd furrowed his eyebrows in worry for his friend, but Kevin looking at him expectantly made him shuffle his feet and smile softly.
"How about this Sunday you meet me at my room at 2 P.M. and then we can figure out the best work space." He looked up through his lashes, hoping it was a good enough answer.
Kevin sucked in a sharp breath and Edd worried he had said something wrong, but before he had much of a chance to question it further, Kevin closed the space between them. Edd sucked in a sharp breath this time when Kevin reached out and tucked a piece of Edd's black hair back up into his beanie, his calloused fingers curling around the shell of Edd's ear.
"You really have no idea the effect you have, do you?" Kevin murmured as his sharp green eyes warmed. Edd stared up into them, his stomach roiling like a bubbling beaker.
A loud throat clearing made Edd jump back from Kevin. Charlie raised his eyebrows, unimpressed, before he went back to his work.
"I'll see you Sunday, Double D." Kevin smiled. He turned to leave but paused, looking over his shoulder, "Or if you want, you can join Nazz on Saturday to watch my game. I can't promise Coach will behave himself, but hopefully you'll be distracted enough by the game to ignore his language." He winked with a smirk before leaving, not giving Edd a chance to answer.
Which was just fine with Edd, because he was pretty sure words wouldn't be available until he cooled down anyway. In fact, if he melted into the floor right now it would be for the best.
So much for hoping Kevin forgot about his little verbal slip up earlier.