A/N: I feel like this chapter is relatively short. Next one will be annoying long. There is no happy medium with me. My ex-boyfriend would agree HEY-O!

In all seriousness, does the file manager on this website still have that separation bar for between scenes and notes, etc., as the only option? I hate it. Help an old school sister out.

And I just need enough of you to dull the pain
Just to get me through the night 'til we're twins again

Having tutored geometry for spare money for four years of high school, Double D knew about many triangles. He had never pictured himself in this off-kilter an isosceles, facing the redhead emerging from his bedroom, like he had stolen a secret on his way out… with Eddy suspiciously gazing from the sidelines, behind the couch.

Edd cleared his throat. "I remember, Jack, we established ground rules for this… break-up. I'd like you to respect them."

"I was just grabbing my, uh…" Jack looked around the room. Double D rolled his eyes, almost eager to hear what obscure tool he came up with this time. "Wire… wraps?"

"The twist-ties? I brought them back to the theater." Edd marched right past the food Jack had brought and began unpacking his groceries.

"Oh! I didn't see them."

"I just brought them this afternoon. Along with any other piece of sound equipment I could find in this apartment."

"…. Oh. Thanks, I guess."

Eddy's head whipped back and forth between them. He rubbed his chin and almost looked excited at the tension.

"I brought you some food. Because I know you always, you know, forget to cook and then have to eat Chunky Puffs every night."

"Shame I just went grocery shopping." Double D didn't even look at the white bag of food. Or Jack. Eddy gasped, then snickered. Jack shot him a look.

"Then I'll be going. Now that I got- or, can't get what I need here, or, no, wait-"

"No, that's right. Have a nice evening."

Jack walked to the front door, forcing as much casualized dignity as possible. "It's tofu pad thai. Mild, obviously."

"I have some in the fridge."

"And those weird dumplings you hated. I thought you should give them a second chance."

"Jack, I'm not surprised you violated these ground rules since you didn't have any respect for my boundaries before. But at least cease bringing food into the apartment. I'm not always in the mood for mediocre Thai and now it'll just go bad." Double D moved the bag to sit on top of the trashcan. Eddy tried in vain to cover up a shout of pure joy. "Please leave. I have company."

Jack glared at Double D from the doorway. Eddy stared at Jack.

Double D checked the microwave timer. "Aren't you late for tonight's show?"

Jack slammed the door behind him. Edd flinched but merely relocked his door and went back to the kitchen. "Unbelieveable."

Eddy ran into the kitchen. "Hell yeah it was! I have no idea who that guy is, but you TOTALLY wiped the floor with him! And, like, I was even scared he would get real mad and punch you or something but nah, he was just too SCARED of you to! That was the best-"

"I was talking about you, too, Eddy."

"It was the- wait, huh?"

"You come in unannounced. I give you a place to stay. Here, in my new-… and all I ask is that you keep the door locked... And you let in strangers." Double D avoided eye contact with him, shuffling around cans and cereal boxes. "Obviously you can't be left alone in this building, let alone the city. Do you want to be taken to work with me like a child?"

Eddy's jaw dropped. "Dude, we should be celebrating that victory! Don't get all uptight! Besides, that guy obviously isn't a stranger, you little liar. He's the one who let me in. And you have obviously some kind of history with him or there wouldn't have even been some drama queen showdown. Who is he?"

"There didn't need to be one at all if you kept the door locked."

"He unlocked the chain himself! He's a total weirdo. How do you even know him?"

"People don't just undo chains, Eddy."

"Double D. How. Do. You. Know. Him?"

Silence except for the crinkling of bags as Double D unpacked the last of the groceries.

"Are you going to keep shifting shit around or are you going to tell me?"

The truth Eddy always seemed to uncover made Double D's face turn red. "There are some things about my life now that I don't feel comfortable telling you. I'm under no obligation to."

"He broke into where I'm sleeping for the next five days so I feel like you are."

"Five days?"

"What?"

"You said four earlier."

"Four nights. Five days. That's what I meant. Whatever, anyway, maybe I don't feel safe here now if any stranger can break in."

It didn't matter how many valid points he had or how many of Double D's usual facts and words he used, Double D would not back down to people who did not live in that apartment. Not that day. Not anymore. "If that's how you feel, go to a hotel."

Eddy plopped on the couch. "Yeah, with what money?"

Double D looked over to Eddy on the couch, then the floor. "Oh, Eddy. Come on! Don't just go throwing this around!" He snatched up Fun Home off the rug. "This actually means something to me."

"Yeah, unlike my fucking feelings around here."

"Eddy, if I didn't care how you felt, you'd be out that door already."

Eddy sulked so deep into the couch, Double D was worried he'd disappear into the cracks of it. "You're too much of a pussy. It has nothing to do with you caring how I feel. Nice try, Dr. Phil."

Cradling the worn spine of the book, Double D brought into the kitchen. With shaky hands, he unwrapped a frozen pizza and turned the oven on to preheat. He willed himself to take deep breaths and not turn this fight too emotional, but when he went to throw out the wrapper for the pizza, he saw Jack's unwanted attempts back into Double D's life on the trashcan and how could he not feel totally out of control of- "Would you like to know how I figured out you didn't care about my feelings, Eddy?"

"How?" Eddy grunted with mock curiosity.

"When you decided to barge in on my new apartment to sulk and be rude and throw my books around all night."

Eddy breathed in and spoke with a polished bite. "Wanna know when I figured out you didn't care?"

"When?"

"When you said I'd be out that door already. Making it totally clear you don't want me to be here at all. You're just being a good host."

"Was it at all like when I mentioned to you in high school that I wanted to go somewhere on a coast for school and you said I didn't have the balls to move that far?"

"Hey, yeah. Also sounds like… maybe when I mentioned I didn't want to go to community college and you said it was my only hope? Like then?"

"Like when you obviously rummaged through all of my personal belongings while I was grocery shopping for you."

"Like when I messaged you on facebook five times straight and the only response I got was 'This account is no longer active.'"

"Like when you barged into my apartment building randomly, not caring that obviously privacy is something one of your oldest friends obviously cherishes. And works hard to cultivate."

"When you cared more about your privacy than saying goodbye or checking in once in a while. On one of your oldest friends. On EITHER of them."

The oven beeped to indicate the preheating was done. Double D slipped the pizza in. "What do you want me to say to that, Eddy?"

"Goddammit, Double D, FUCK YOU."

Double D looked up. Eddy was on his feet. Double D was faintly grateful for the countertop between them.

"I don't want you to say something, I want you to ask! I want you to ask how I am and I want you to ask how Ed is! And I don't know why you didn't yet! Just ask me. Please fucking ask."

Every instinct told Double D not to. So did the competitive part of him. But Eddy's face was red and his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were possibly watery, so the small part of him that was still from Peach Creek squeaked, "How are you guys?"

"Not so good, Double D. Not so fucking good. While you were hanging out with a bunch of apartment-robbing red-haired weirdos, I am fucking failing out community college business class!"

So that's what this is all about? "Oh, Eddy. So you fail a class. Or a couple, a few even. People get by and make up classes. You can't run away from that."

"And Ed is in a home!"

Various images of the word home, the Ed they knew, and whatever combination could make Eddy so upset flew through Double D's mind. He settled on what he unfortunately knew to be the right one pretty quickly. But he didn't want to believe it. He wanted to put off whatever Eddy would say that would prove it. Just like he had wanted to push off this inevitable outcome for years.

"Eddy… what do you mean by…" Eddy was already on his way to his suitcase. He dug around with fury, scattering caps and bags of candy and hoodies until he pulled out a wrinkled brochure. Double D had followed to take it from him. Eddy still threw it at him like it was burning hot.

Double D just looked at the cover before he felt nauseous and left it on the coffee table. The title flashed in his mind as he went to the kitchen to find something that needed rearranging. The Right Way Adult Assisted Living. It was like a slideshow. The Right Way Adult Assisted Living. 3500 South State Road, Peach Creek. He started stuffing Jack's delivery into the trash can even though it didn't fit. It didn't fit in there at all, 3500 South State Rd, not one little bit. Now his whole Adult Assisted Living refrigerator would need to be reorganized.

Double D looked over. Eddy was still crouched over his suitcase, back to Double D. He had a pulled a black knit cap over his head. He looked like a parenthesis.

Double D brought over two beers and a bottle opener.

Eddy looked up with the same watery eyes, but no anger. "How do you even get those? You didn't age faster since you left, did you?"

"Coworkers."

Double D opened his and sat down. He handed the bottle and opener to Eddy.

Eddy grabbed the bottle. "I don't know how to open that. Don't make fun of me."

Double D opened it for him. "Hey, Eddy?"

In a strange, defeated, non-questioning-tone question, "What."

"You're not just staying five days? Or four days, or- however long? Are you?"

"Hey, Double D. I didn't just fail one class."

"I know."

Eddy stared at his suitcase. "How did you know."

Double D shrugged. "You know someone long enough…"

"Then…" Eddy clutched his beer and appeared to thinking very hard in the direction of his suitcase. "Maybe what I always kinda thought and made fun of you for… is…"

"Pardon?"

"Hey, Double D. You were dating that guy, weren't you?"

"Yes. I was. Once."

The oven beeped. Double D went to take the pizza out.

"Hey, Double D. … He really got through the chain. I'm serious."

"I figured. He's crafty like that." Double D brought the whole baking sheet over and set it on a cooling rack right on the coffee table. "I don't normally approve of eating in here. But I'd like to hear, well, neighborhood gossip. So this seemed an appropriate pose."

Eddy grabbed two slices of pizza at once. "Napkins?"

"Oh right! I forgot." He scrambled up to get them.

"You definitely changed, sockhead."

"You'll have to get used to it." Double D returned with hand towels.

"Are you gonna tell me more about that weird Jack guy?"

"You might want to get used to things around here a little more before you hear about that."