A/N: Haaaaaaaaah guess who's back for today. Yeah, so I finally finished this chapter e_e hurray. Anyways, unfortunately it'll be a few days till I start working on Ch. 4 since my final is coming up in a couple of days and I am super duper nervous about it...

Welp, for now, enjoy ch. 3!

Nat belongs to c2ndy2c1d

Tumblr: little - laughssassin . tumblr . com


Ch. 3: Can We Go Back?

Edd sighed as he opened his locker to retrieve his books for his next class; he was still sour over Kevin's unexpected – and in the end unwanted – visit. How could he be like that? How could he say that? How can he have such a "set-in-stone" view on people? You don't just diss someone's crush in front of them and practically say they are incapable of growth. 'If anyone is incapable of change, it's him'. The sigh became an annoyed huff, and Edd accidentally closed his locker a little harder than necessary.

"Woah there Double Cutie, you're the last person I see destroying school propery."

Edd was startled by the sudden voice and turned his head to see Nathan wearing a curious smirk. "Oh, Nathan, hello…and, sorry about that…I guess I'm just in a bad mood today."

"Bad mood huh? What ha….OH MY GOD, THE CONFESSHMMPH!"

The ravenet blushed and put his hands over Nat's mouth to silence him as quickly as he could. There was absolutely no need to announce this to the student body. "Nathan, please, quiet down!" he whispered harshly.

Nat nodded and chuckled lightly as he heard Double D mutter something about the new multitude of germs on his hands as he removed them from his mouth. "My bad…but no seriously D, how'd it go?"

Edd looked to his sides, not liking the amount of people who were currently walking around them in the hallways as they exchanged classes. "I'll tell you afterschool alright? I shall call you…or something…yes."

The teal-haired boy nodded, "Sure…but…I'm guessing it didn't go well? Since you're in a bad mood and all…do correct me if I'm wrong though!" He said, somewhat hopeful that his friend's confession went well and his bad mood was due to something else. But he felt that little hope deflate and fade away as he saw Edd's expression become sad.

The smaller boy sighed, "I'm afraid you are correct; it did not go well. But that is not was is troubling me…ah!" Just then, Edd looked up and noticed the time on the clock hanging on the wall near them, "forgive me Nathan but I really must get to class, and you should too! I shall speak with you later!" He quickly scurried away, leaving Nat behind with a soft, disappointed gaze after him.

"Poor kid…I wonder what happened." He murmured.

"Was that Double D just now?"

Nat turned around and noticed Kevin now standing behind him, looking in the direction where Double D went off in. "Yeah, you just missed him, why?"

"…It's nothing."

"Like hell it's nothing, not with that look on your face." Nat crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for an explanation from the redhead.

"My face?" the redhead scoffed, "nothing's up with my face, that's just how I look ok? Let's just go or else we'll be late for history, and Mr. Thompson already hates me enough." And with that he simply turned on his heel and walked away. Nat squinted his eyes and wondered, 'what is going on with these 2 today…'


Lunch could not have been more awkward.

The moment Edd entered the busy cafeteria, looked over to where his friends were, and made direct eye contact with Eddy, he felt his heart wrenching and his stomach doing aggressive flips inside him. He swallowed a big lump in his throat and nervously walked over to where they were seating.

Eddy had turned his gaze down and was now staring at his sandwich as he ate it, as if everything else around him had disappeared; Ed was devouring his hamburger, happily waving at Double D with a ketchup-and-mustard-stained smile.

"Greetings Ed, E-Eddy…" his voice trailed off. He sat down slowly and carefully, as if the slightest harsh movement would make Eddy flee like a spooked deer.

"Hi." Was all that the small man offered him. He looked nervous and tense as well.

Ed looked between the 2 of them, then swallowed before speaking, "Why do I feel like I'm witnessing an invisible field surround the two of you with a murky slime that sucks the happiness out of you, like and evil parasite?"

"…What the fuck, Ed?"

"Nothing's wrong Ed, do not worry."

"Yeah, what Double D said."

Something about that made Double D's eye twitch ever so slightly. Eddy looked just as uncomfortable as he was; yet he sounded completely dismissive on what had happen. Was this his way of coping with the confession? Pretending it didn't happen and toning down the friendship levels with Double D? Well the beanie-clad boy would have none of it. He didn't want to lose his precious friend over a simple, irrational, unrequited, silly little crush!... even if it had been more than one year…

"S-so, what are you two fellas having for lunch?" He asked, attempting to hide his nerves and seem natural.

"Cheeseburger with extra cheese and extra ketchup and extra mustard! Oh, and bacon!" Ed exclaimed. Dad makes the best burgers.

"Agreed," Double D smiled softly, "Barbeques at your house have always ended with delicious results…and you, Eddy?" He turned to his friend, who was still staring blankly at his food.

Eddy shrugged, "Just a sandwich." He answered, and then continued eating.

"A-ah…" Double D looked down sadly at his lunch bag. Maybe he should try another question? Surely Eddy would let loose soon enough; so he tried again, "Are we still on for the movie marathon at Ed's this Sunday?"

"I got some really cool movies! Even The Amazing Spiderman 2!"

"Uhm, about that, I think I might pass for this Sunday. Got a lot of shit to do at home."

"But Edddyyyyyy it won't be the same if our trio is just a duet!"

"I believe the word "duo" fits in better in that sentence Ed…but in any case, he's right Eddy…a-are you sure you are unable to come?..."

"Yeah…I mean…I'll see what I can do."

Ed groaned and gave his friend a puppy-dog frown, "Pleaassee coommmee."

"I said I'll see what I can do."

"What do you have to do? Perhaps Ed and I could be of assistance so that you could finish earlier and be able to attend?"

"It's fine."

"But Eddy we-"

"It's. Fine. Double D, just leave it alone. If I can go I'll fucking go and if I can't then I fucking won't. Simple. The 2 of you don't need to stick to me like super glue anyway, geez!"

Ed looked down and nodded, then continued eating, though not as enthusiastically as before. Double D felt like screaming at Eddy for his attitude, but although he felt like this mood was all his fault, he couldn't be 100% sure, and perhaps Eddy did have some important matters to attend to.

"Forgive my intrusion Eddy…" He said defeatingly. He gripped tightly to his lunch-bag, as a million thoughts and emotions hurricaned through his system. He didn't want it to be like this from now on. He didn't want his friend to forever be uncomfortable with him, maybe even possibly resent him. He wanted to talk to him normally and apologize and just go back to normal. But…his feelings… Double D felt his heart being squeezed inside him again…he wished he didn't have to feel so negatively towards his own emotions. He knew crushes were a complicated matter but now he knew for certain that it wasn't worth the hastle of endangering friendships…But he really wished Eddy had reacted more calmly and tried talking about it just so they could have a definite closure…not Eddy looking at his sandwich like the school could explode any second and he wouldn't even notice and Double D hating himself for something that is natural and out of his control.

"Are you ok Double D?" The ravenet was pulled out of his thoughts when Ed's voice came through to him.

"P-pardon?"

"You look really tired…and really sad…are you ok?" Ed asked worriedly.

Eddy shifted his eyes to look at Double D, though his body did not move from its position. He did feel guilty over how he was acting, but, he just didn't know what to say; he was still in a bit of shock over what had happened and just needed some time to think on how to make things normal with the beanie-wearing boy again without utterly hurting his feelings…although, he felt like that plan was already terribly failing.

Double D closed his eyes, and suddenly jerked up from his seat, "Forgive me but I do not feel well and have lost my appetite; perhaps I need some air. I'll see you gentlemen later."

"Should we go with you?" Ed asked.

Double D tried to give him as much of a smile as he could, "No, really it's fine Ed, but thank you for your concern. Bye." He hurriedly escaped the cafeteria unaware that over at his table, Nat had been keeping an eye on him, and though he couldn't hear what was being said, he knew from the body language, looks on their faces, and Double D's reaction, that things were not going smoothly between him and Eddy.

"Nat? Hellooooo? Are you listening?" Nazz waved her hand in front of his face.

"Hmm? What?"

"Welcome back." She chuckled, "are you ok? You seem distracted."

"Do I? Guess I was just thinking about some stuff, sorry doll." He smiled apologetically. "…Kevin what's up with ya? You look like the carton of milk just insulted your honor." Nazz turned and looked at Kevin as well once Nat spoke, agreeing that he looked off.

"Nothing's going on. I'm fine." He looked up, his direct view being that of the Ed's table, and was surprised to see the trio lacking a certain nerd. "Where's Double Dweeb?"

"He just left," Nat said, "Why? You seemed kinda interested to talk to him this morning too."

"Really?" Nazz questioned, "Do you need something from him Kev? Ooooh you probably have a project or something coming up and need to ask for help right? Don't be shy! Double D is a sweetheart, and I'm sure that if you ask nicely" she put extra emphasis on the word, "he'll accept!"

"I don't need his help in anything, I just…I do gotta talk to him though…"

"Double Cutie was in a bad mood this morning…was it you?" Nat asked quickly, "Kevin what did you do to the poor little nerd?"

"Kevin." Nazz reprimanded him with a motherly tone.

"What?! I didn't do anything! He's the one who overreacted!"

Nat's eyebrows rose, "Overreacted? Overreacted to what?"

"I…uhm…well…"

"C'mon Kev, spill the beans."

Kevin thought about it for a moment, thinking on how to phrase the story; he suspected Nat knew about Double D and Eddy, but Nazz didn't, and he didn't think the dork would appreciate his "secret" being told by someone other than himself. "Well…yesterday…I kinda overheard a private conversation Double Dork was having in his driveway when I got home…"

"Kevin." Nazz said in accusation again, "Why did you listen in to something private? You should know better than to just eavesdrop like that!"

"I didn't know it was private until after, ok?!" He huffed in annoyance, "Anyway, the conversation didn't end well and he looked pretty bummed about it…like, really bummed out… I felt kinda bad for him because I was able to relate to what happened…so stupid me, went to his home to check up on him and we started talking on the couch and I attempted to cheer him up but-"

"Say no more" Nat interjected, "I think we got where this is going. You fucked up with your words and ended up making it worse."

"Kevin I've told you countless times to think before you speak." Nazz said.

"Ok, wow, there is really no need to shit on me like this ok? I fucking tried cheering the dork up and it didn't work out. Big fucking deal."

Nazz huffed, "Well you do seem to be annoyed over it; meaning you care at least a little bit that you hurt him."

Nat looked at his friend with determination in his eyes, "Kevin, listen to me and listen to me good. You are going to leave behind your dishonorable carton of milk, you will lift up that jock-ass of yours and you will march right over to Double Cutie with a booty and you will apologize!"

"I don't even know where went!"

"Then you will scope for the booty!"

"I'll just text him or something. Jesus…"

"Kevin you really should go look for him."

"What? Nazz not you too. Think about this bullshit plan for a moment; me talking to him yesterday in an attempt to cheer him up, went to shit, and now you want me to go talk to him again? Do you see what I'm getting at here?"

"Kevin, I know you, and I know that although you are saying this now, you're conscience will eat you up and you will feel guilt until you deal with it." Nazz said firmly.

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well, you messed up yesterday, yet here you are still moping over it today." She smirked.

"I-I'M NOT MOPING…"

"Kevin, c'mon, just apologize to the kid. That's it." Nat pleaded.

"….*sigh* alright alright, I'll go." He stood up, grabbing the empty carton of milk and throwing it in the correct recycling bin as he exited the cafeteria in search of the sad little dork. There were only about 25 minutes left for lunch, and he didn't want to spend the majority of that time simply looking for Edd and having barely enough time to talk to him, so he decided to text him and ask him where he was instead. 'This will make things a whole lot easier…'

To Double Dork: Hey dork, where are you?

Over at the back field of the school, Double D sat on a small hill under a large tree which was in a somewhat distant area where not many people venture to in the field. Most people stayed closer to the school or went over to the bleachers by the football field or by the baseball field. He was thankful that the area was large enough that no one could really even notice him under the shadow of the big evergreen tree unless they really paid close attention. He was startled by the sudden buzz of his phone, but quickly went for it in his jeans pocket, hoping, ever so slightly, that perhaps it was a text from Eddy, saying he was sorry for his behavior and telling him to come back…but…no such luck. Instead, the text message he received was from none other than "Kevin?...What on Earth could he want?..." He read over the text and looked at the screen curiously; indeed, what did he want? Why was Kevin looking for him?

To Kevin: Why do you ask?

Kevin awaited for Edd to finally answer back, quickly looking at his phone the moment he felt the text arrive as he walked around the school. He read it and scoffed softly, 'so much for making things easier for me…'

To Double Dork: C'mon Dork, tell me where you at. I gotta talk to ya.

To Kevin: I believe you said enough yesterday. Why do you wish to speak with me again?

Kevin's guilt really did return, and he bit his lip as he typed again.

To Double Dork: Please just tell me where you are. Seriously. I just want to apologize…in person

Edd sighed as he read the text. 'He wants to apologize to me?...and to even want to do it in person as opposed to simply texting me like I assumed he could've…Very well.'

To Kevin: I'm under one of the evergreen trees by the back of the field behind our school. On the small hill.

Kevin read the text and hurried over to the back field, looking carefully for any sign of Double D as he neared the trees by the back. Sure enough, he was able to locate Edd sitting silently with his back to one of the trees, staring blankly ahead of him.

"Hey." Kevin said, panting softly as he regained his breath.

Edd turned to the voice and looked up at Kevin, "Hello Kevin."

"…Mind if I sit?"

"…No. Go ahead."

"Thanks…" The redhead sat down next to Edd, crossing his legs on the soft grass under him. A cool breeze passed through the trees, making the leaves gently rustle above them as the wind whistled. Kevin decided this was actually a pretty nice spot for relaxing, and could tell why Double D have come all the way out here.

"Listen…I'm sorry ok? I'm not good with words…and…well, I fucked up."

Edd looked at him for a moment, then gave him a small smile, "Thank you for your apology. I should also apologize for my actions I suppose…pouring my water over you was unnecessary…" Edd said, blushing slightly in embarrassment

Kevin chuckled, "Nah, I totally deserved it. Nazz says I really gotta start thinking before I speak. Should've done that yesterday." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's alright Kevin…what's done is done." He sighed sadly.

Kevin looked down, "Like your conversation with peepsqueak?" Edd nodded, "Double Dork, I really doubt Eddy will keep being an evasive little shit for much longer. He's probably just in shock. The 3 of you are glued to the hip." That made Edd remember the conversation with Eddy earlier in the cafeteria.

'The 2 of you don't need to stick to me like super glue anyway, geez!'

Edd brought his knees up and buried his face between them and his chest, hugging his knees close to him, a soft sob escaping him.

'Oh fuck, did I fuck up again?! The hell is wrong with me." "A-ah, Dork, c'mon, wh-what did I say this time?"

Edd shook his head, "N-nothing I just…remembered some stuff that's all." He sniffled, "F-forgive me…I seem to the one who keeps messing everything up. I messed up with Eddy, I really did. I should've never said anything to him!"

Kevin swallowed and looked around; he really wasn't good at the whole comforting thing. He looked over at Edd again; he didn't like seeing him all sad like this…it wasn't Edd. The kid was always cheerful and ready to learn. 'Ugh this really isn't my thing…Nat should've come instead…' he bit his lip and thought about what to do

Edd was trying really hard to hold back his tears; he didn't want to break down in front of Kevin. Suddenly he felt something go over his shoulders and it was very warm. He slightly looked up only to see a hand placed on his upper arm, the arm that the hand connected to going comfortingly over him, and the owner of said arm, looking down at the grass with furrowed brows and a faint rosy blush to his freckled cheeks. 'Kevin is…hugging…me?' Double D became somewhat flustered at the realization. Never in his wildest dream could he have imagined that one day Kevin would be hugging him like this…not on purpose anyway. Kevin felt warm, and the musky scent of the evergreens combined with his own. He blushed, 'Do I really look that pathetic right now that Kevin would do something like this?...'

Suddenly Kevin spoke, "Stop being so hard on yourself over this. Eddy will get over the shock soon enough and he will go back to being his usual loud-mouthed, annoying self who fawns over your brains for his childish plans. And if not, then corner him and fucking confront him about it. You guys are friends…so…so he should act like it!"

Edd stayed quiet for a moment, then gave a small nod, making his beanie brush against Kevin's lower cheek. "Th-thank you…Kevin…"

"Mhm…" 'His hat…is pretty soft…not surprised though. He must take care of that thing like it's his life…I've never seen him without it…I'm not even sure if Ed and Eddy have…'

Both boys stayed in silence like that, but where startled by the loud ringing of the school bell, signaling the end of their lunch period. At that moment it was as if the bell snapped something in Kevin, making him realize he was still hugging the dork, hell, he was surprised he even that to begin with. He quickly removed his arm and cleared his throat, standing up, "W-we should go now dork. Lunch is over."

The beanie-clad boy stood up and dusted his pants, hoping he didn't acquire any unwanted grass stains; he had always hated those because they could be so difficult to remove from clothing. He also swiped his back to make sure the didn't have any wood bits or dirt sticking to him from the bark of the tree. "Thank you once again Kevin. Honestly." He tried giving the redhead a smile

Kevin stared at his smiling face for a moment, then turned away towards the school, "Y-yeah, don't mention it…but seriously…just talk to him if he keeps being a little shit or you won't resolve anything. Cheer up alright?" And with that, Kevin began walking quickly back to the school, not even checking to see if Edd had moved from his spot, yet certain that he did, 'Edd would never be late for class' he smiled softly to himself, 'what a total dork.' Sure enough he saw Eddward hurrying back into the school as fast as he could, and he remembered how warm he felt and how the hug wasn't nearly as awkward as he thought it would be.

'Warm…and soft to…oh man, what the fuck am I even saying…I guess maybe the stupid milk was expired or some shit.' The redhead shook his head, clearing it of such thoughts, and entered the school once again.