"So what do you do with the Zoology club?," Edd asked and Josh cocked a grin at him as he shrugged.

Edd could tell a brag fest was coming on, but he was genuinely interested in what the soccer star had to say.

Despite the initial awkwardness that accompanies blind dates, they fell into an easy conversation once the caffeine kicked in.

Josh was a zoology major and president of the Zoology Club. He loved koalas, emperor penguins, and his pet gecko, Leo.

As Josh regaled him with the shenanigans the Zoology Club found themselves in at the National Zoo over spring break last semester, Edd noticed a familiar snapback come through the door of his coffee shop.

The teal haired guy with him was what really made Edd's head turn.

Hair like that isn't something you saw everyday and Edd couldn't help but stare a bit.

When Josh saw who he was looking at, the soccer star waved the other two athletes over, thinking that he'd score a few nice guy bonus points with the scholar with their references.

But the air between Kevin and Edd was awkward.

Kevin knew that Edd wasn't lying when he said he was busy this weekend as he proved it every time he saw him, but to keep running into him the way he was, especially now, was rubbing him the wrong way.

He and Nat made small talk with Edd and Josh before grabbing their iced coffees and heading out.

Which was when Edd decided to make his own exit.

It wasn't that Josh wasn't his type, but the "vouch for me, guys!," move was a bit lame in Edd's mind.

He had wanted Josh to speak for himself, as he could find out any other information on the young man through the school's usual gossip channels and whatever the university put out about him themselves as he was as involved on campus as Edd was. By getting him to speak for himself, he would get a better picture of who Josh really was and if he was ok with wasting what little free time he had with him.

But Kevin showing up in his space again was just too coincidental.

He talked nice about Edd's date, but considering that they had already made plans the previous Friday to talk about themselves some time later in the week, it just seemed like they were both selling themselves short by giving space to someone who probably shouldn't be in theirs.

Edd headed to the labs earlier than he had planned but took the long way so he could think.

One thing Edd was keen on in all of his relationships was honesty.

He was honest with his parents about his sexuality and while it took them awhile for them to accept who he was, he didn't let their increased absence, hurtful remarks, and mind boggling questions hurt him. He just continued to live his life.

He was honest with his friends not only about his sexuality, but about how they could all better their lives by making good on their strengthens to gain the trust of their neighbors and peers by working honestly instead of running scams to make a quick quarter.

Eddy was more accepting of his sexuality than the idea of making an honest buck at first, but once he saw how quickly and positively people responded once they figured out that he wasn't trying to scam them, he came around.

Ed just hugged him and asked for help in finding a real job.

If anyone had a question, he would try to find an answer.

Kevin had only asked to see him again and he gave him an answer and even dates to do so.

And then he went about his business.

That Kevin kept creeping in.

If the redhead wasn't so cute, he'd wonder if he was stalking him, but considering that Angela's was only one of two gay bars in town, and the only one that ran drag shows on the weekends, seeing Kevin there was just the luck of the draw.

The rave had been advertised for weeks, and it was the football team's bye week, so seeing him there wasn't that much of a surprise either.

And he told him about the coffee shop, so he didn't blame him for wanting to try it.

But it all felt so weird.

Kevin seemed nice enough and didn't act some kind of way about his working at Angela's like Josh did.

The aspiring lion tamer had tried to be cool about Edd's weekend job, but Edd could tell that he was more weirded out by it than anything else.

Sure, he was a pretty straight laced academic, but a job's a job when you're a broke college student. And he needed to get out more so his academics wouldn't consume his life like they once did.

By working in the drag shows, along with his coffee shop job, he had plenty of experience with working with the public, which was also helping him deal with the many personalities that his academic work would expose him to.

He could disarm a frazzled freshman with a gentle touch and a smile, flirt with alumni and other donors, and liven up any event with a few well-placed words to draw a story out of all the people in the room to get them talking, interacting, and moving like the cells he worked with every day.

So while some people may have seen him as a freak in a dress, he felt he was a scientist blending elements to set off the chain reactions of a fun night out, million dollar donations to his university, and occasionally turning a droll cocktail party into an event.

When he got to the labs, his head was clear.

And so was his social calendar.

"That's what you're wearing?!," Nat huffed at him and Kevin through his head back on an exasperated groan.

The peacock had stepped into their room as soon as Kevin stepped out of their bathroom and got to see him fresh out of the shower, hair still wet, but his jeans and tshirt were clean and wrinkle free, so Kevin felt he looked good.

"Dude, it's just a quick coffee thing while he's on break. I ain't wearing a suit and tie for this," Kevin snapped at him as he grabbed his snapback off his dresser.

"You never have a second chance to make a fresh impression," Nat quoted with a know it all smirk on his face and Kevin gave him a blank stare.

"I've seen the guy at a rave, a drag show, and on a date with like, the worst full back the soccer team has, and yet, he seems to be pretty cool with talking to me, so shut it."

"Fiiine," Nat sighed as threw himself in his desk chair. "I got a thing with James after the show on Saturday, so don't wait up," he told him as Kevin headed for the door.

"Dude, it's Tuesday."

Nat just gave him an incredulous stare and shrug.

"Yeah, you keep that date, man," he chuckled as he walked out the door and headed to Edd's day job.

It may have only been Tuesday, but Kevin knew way more about Edd now than he ever did before.

The beanie that he was seen wearing around campus was replaced with a black Perk Up ball cap when he was at the coffee house.

He would wear a wear a long black wig with HUGE curls for his solos at the club, but would let his own shaggy curls hang lose when he wasn't dancing.

The beanie wasn't to be touched, and neither was his hair in general. Rave would play in it, as did his friend Big Ed. But otherwise, hands off. And his friends were very good at making that point clear to anyone who came in his space and they were around to defend him.

He could throw a damn good punch if need be as Kevin figured out that he was the elite scholar who clocked a fuckboy who wouldn't stop harassing him after figuring out the guy was only trying to add him to his list of guys he used til they were of no use to him, or anyone else for that matter.

Edd got arrested for knocking the scumbag out at a bonfire being put on by the university's PRIDE Alliance, but was let go because the douchebag wouldn't press charges.

And he was on the research team that got the stem cell patent that gave the school another $100 thousand dollars a year in sheer research funding. No one was discussing the millions that was coming in from the patent's use in other research fields.

Sadly, Edd and the team he was on were only getting a cocktail party to celebrate their accomplishment.

Which was why he worked at the coffee shop during the week and the club on weekends.

He didn't want to just survive college, he wanted to thrive in it as he knew he'd be there for a really long time.

Kevin read about the research patent that morning when the school sent out a press release to acknowledge it. Everything else he had either Googled or got out of Nazz as she and Eddy were back on again and Lee was brooding about it at a few dive bars just outside of town, if rumors from his fellow motorcycle riding buddies was to be believed, and it was.

And what he was really starting to like about his date was the fact that even he was fed up with Eddy's mistreatment of the sweet future nurse.

"I like her and thinks she's really sweet," Edd said as he tapped his fingers on the lid of his cup, "but I think she can do better. I mean, he's acting right, right now, but…"

Kevin nodded as he sipped the tea Edd had recommended and couldn't believe that the dork was willing to sell out his best friend over a girl he had no chance with. He understood that Nazz had no chance with Edd, but that didn't make what he was telling him any less surprising.

"How about we do a double date?"

Edd cocked his head as a curious look settled into his eyes.

"But why would we do that?"

"To keep an eye on them?," Kevin shrugged and then he wanted to kick himself when he saw the slightly disappointed look in Edd's blue eyes. "Or we can do a practice date by ourselves? I'm game for whatever."

"Nice save, Mr Barr," Edd grinned as he sipped his Americano.

"Mr Barr is my father," Kevin whispered as he leaned over the table, propped his elbows on top of it and put his face in in his hands. "But you can call me Kevin. And you should, say Thursday?"

"Can we make it Saturday? I've gotta work on Thursdays, remember?," Edd said as he bit his lip and a blush flew across his face, but his eyes looked so pensive.

Kevin leaned back in his seat and threw his head back on a groan.

"I've got a game Saturday…"

Edd tapped the lid to his cup again as he thought and Kevin wanted to swim in his baby blues.

Edd knew that Saturday game days were an all-day event. With Kevin being the starting quarterback, he'd have an early morning workout and small practice, a press conference with the media, the game itself, then a post-game press conference, dinner with the team, and if he had the strength to do it, he could shake the week off like all the other students on campus did by going out and doing something fun.

But he rarely hear about the redhead being out on the town on Saturday nights.

The rumor was that he would be "too drained to hang," and would hole up in his room for the rest of the weekend. And now that he's put two and two together, when it came to Nazz, there was a good chance the two childhood best friends would do a TV marathon of some sort at her place, as she was sometimes unavailable for Eddy's last minute Saturday night dates.

"What about Sunday?," Edd suggested. "You'll be rested up from your game and I don't have anything planned."

"The geek doesn't have anything planned to start the week?," Kevin asked as he cocked a brow, the disbelief in his eyes making Edd drop his head a bit.

"I mean, I've got homework to do like everyone else, but I am free," he said softly and as he finished his sentence, his lower lip settled into the most kissable pout Kevin has ever seen, but he didn't like the look in Edd's eyes and had to make it go away.

Just like he had to see him again.

"How about we do lunch?"

"Dinner? I've got a study group at two," Edd sighed and Kevin just smirked and shook his head.

Of course a genius like Edd would have plans, it was just a matter of making general conversation with him to draw them out.

"Well, I have curfew at 10, so I can do 6," he told him as he pulled out his phone and pulled up his calendar.

"6 it is," Edd grinned as he, too, pulled out his phone to place a note of the date on his calendar as well.

But before they could say anything more, a harsh whisper came from the counter.

"Psst! Edd!"

Edd turned his head and what Kevin could only see as annoyance in his eyes flashed at a blue haired girl who didn't even seem fazed by the look on his face.

"Robbie will be back in like two minutes, Dude," she told him as she scooped some foamed milk into a to go cup.

"I gotta go," Edd said as he whipped his head back to Kevin. "Just call me or whatever, but I'll see you Saturday," he grinned as he stood and headed back to the counter.

"I thought we said Sunday," Kevin said as he waved the screen that was showing the calendar on his phone at Edd.

"We did," Edd said as his grin got slyer. "But I'll see you Saturday."

A shocked looked flashed into sparkling green eyes before a delighted grin crossed Kevin's face.

"Yes. Yes, you will," he grinned as he tipped his cup at Edd and walked out the door.