A/N:

Hey guys! I know it been a bit, but y'all know I'm awful about updating in a timely fashion *laughs nervously*

So anyways, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, n Eddy or any of its characters. This story is of my own original thoughts inspired by music!

Edd stared out the window yearningly, this was finally his chance, he thought as he felt a gentle squeeze on his shoulder. He turned to see his father offering him a warm smile and a knowing nod; the dad look. He smiled lovingly at both his parents, this is exactly what he had wanted from them all those years ago and now, he was finally getting it.

"Now go, before he decides to leave," his mother said trying to push him out the front door.

"Wait," he said, ducking underneath Isabel's arms that were shoving him, "there's something I need to get from my room."

Isabel and Robert shared a confused look, but before they got the chance to ask what was so important, their son had already made it halfway up the stairs.

He made a mad dash up to his room shoving the door open so hard there was probably a hole in the wall behind the door from the knob. As soon as he was inside, he snatched off his cardigan and replaced it with the jean jacket. Edd glanced over at the mirror in front of his closet door, he swore he saw his younger self there for a moment and not his current self. He looked different now; he had definitely filled in the jacket more than he did then. The shoulders were still too big, but it fit him better now. Rather than looking like a boy wearing a jacket that belonged to someone much larger, he felt like he looked like the "badass" Kevin used to claim he looked like, and he sort of felt like it, too. Edd needed it now, he needed that confidence the redhead would ooze when he used to wear it. Maybe there was something to the jean jacket after all, he thought.

And he was out the door, ignoring his parents about running as he hopped around trying to put his shoes on as quickly as he could. The genius stood on the porch, eyes locked on the redhead in front of him, and he got this overwhelming urge to run into the redhead and shower him with sweet, sweet kisses. But he didn't, he just stared at him and then he looked up from the interesting pebble the redhead had been shuffling with his foot.

Their eyes met, Edd began to cry as he stood still at the sight of his redhead.

Everything stopped.

After what seemed like hours, Kevin made the first move, closing the distance between them in a few wide strides as he wrapped his arms tightly, yet lovingly, around the genius.

Edd gave into the warmth of the embrace almost immediately. Lord, knows he missed Kevin's warm hugs. He took in as much of the redhead's scent as each inhale could hold. All the words he wanted to say were caught behind the sobs that escaped his lips.

"K-K-Kevin, I-I'm so...so s-sorry! Ple-please forgive me," he cried to the point of hyperventilating.

"Shh, shh," Kevin said softly, carefully petting the back of the genius' head, "it's okay, babe. I know."

Though every fiber of his being said not to, Edd jerked away from Kevin's comforting arms and stared directly into the redhead's evergreen eyes, "No, i-it's not ok-kay," he hiccupped as he balled up his fists to rub at his eyes, "I messed up s-s-so bad, Kevin. It can't j-just be fixed like th-that. I-I-I...hurt you, so b-bad." He ended with his head hung in shame and sniffling.

Kevin wondered for a moment if he should hug the ravenette again and kiss him senseless, but changed his mind, instead he lifted Edd's chin until he was looking up at him. He held him there briefly before he spoke, "Then tell me what happened, Edd. Tell me why. Tell me the truth. Why did you l-l-leave, babe?" the redhead's voice broke as tears started running down his cheeks, "Why d-did you do this to us? It wasn't just me, Edd, it was us th-that got hurt," he let go of his chin and pressed their foreheads together, "Where did you go?"

Edd started crying all over again, he couldn't bare to see Kevin like this. Not like this, not as broken as he was. Kevin was the strong one, the one that was there for him to lean on. Now they were both falling apart and he didn't know if he could hold them both up.

The redheaded wiped the tears away as quickly as they fell, before wrapping his arm securely around Edd's shoulders, "C'mon, let's go somewhere," he paused, waiting for the genius to object. And when he didn't he led Double D towards his bike.

He let go of the ravenette once they stood in front of his bike and proceeded to hand him the extra helmet Edd hadn't noticed before.

"How'd you know?" the genius asked, looking up at the redhead owlishly.

Kevin shrugged, "I didn't, but a guy can hope, right?" he offered Edd a half smile.

Edd avoided the redhead's gaze; he could feel Kevin's eyes on him as he put on the spare helmet. He stood there, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed about getting on the bike with Kevin. Double D watched Kevin get on the bike with ease; he could tell the redhead never stopped riding as his comfort with the bike still showed.

He looked over at Edd who still hadn't gotten on the bike, "You can get on now." Kevin patted the seat behind him hoping the ravenette wouldn't back out.

Double D shook his head at all the memories flooding through him, he remembered all the rides they used to take together, but one ride in particular stuck out at him. It was the first ride up to Peach Hill where Kevin confessed to him. He tried to look back fondly, but somehow it all hurt right now.

"I'm sorry Kevin, I just got lost in thought for a moment," he paused, hoping Kevin wouldn't inquire further. He swung his leg over the bike, grabbing Kevin's shoulder for support.

"You can tell me all about it when we get there," he said loudly as he brought the bike beneath them to life, "Now hold on."

"Wh-where are we going, Kevin?" Edd asked, embarrassed about having to hold Kevin so intimately.

Kevin turned around to see Edd's face, "It's a surprise, dork." And he winked at him just like he did on that day all those years ago.

Edd felt his heart sink with guilt into the pit of his stomach as Kevin took off, leaving the cul-de-sac in a blur behind them.

It was like that day was happening all over again.

Kevin turned off the main road onto the dirt frontage road that eventually turned into the rocky trail that lead up to their spot on the hill.

The whole ride Edd tried not to think about how similar and yet, how different, the current situation was to then. He tried not to feel the happiness he had felt that day as he let the guilt continue to sink in. He knew he needed to explain himself to Kevin, to mend the hurt of the past, but he wasn't sure if Kevin was still keen on starting over romantically, or just platonically. He hoped for the former, even though it hurt him to hope so.

Kevin, on the other hand, was still a ball of nerves like he had been then. He was very aware of Double D's arms around him at each turn he made and he hoped they would be the only ones around him forever. But he had to be guarded, he couldn't let himself get hurt all over again. Edd disappeared, he reminded himself, for 8 years.

"Who does that?," he thought cautiously.

He wondered if Edd had been wracked with guilt since he left or, if it had been easy for him to leave the redhead. Kevin attempted to push the thoughts of doubt aside; he just had to hear what Edd was going to say and see what was going to happen next.

They pulled up the top of the hill next to the same old oak tree. Edd could feel a smile start on his lips; the memories were sweet, but left with a bitter taste. Kevin let him climb off the bike first, lending his shoulder for support, before he get off, too.

Edd removed the helmet and handed it to Kevin, who was pulling out an old quilt from his saddle bag. The redhead unfolded the blanket and whipped it in the air a few times before letting it fall gently to the ground in their old spot. Double D thought the spot still looked worn out with hardly any grass growing there from all the times they had spent just sitting and talking. He blushed slightly remembering all the other things they had done there, too.

Kevin sat first, he looked up at Edd, who still wondering if this was all a good idea, and patted the spot next to him. "C'mon, sit with me."

Double D looked down at him rather tentatively before sitting down cross legged next to the redhead as far as comfortably possible.

He heard Kevin sigh very audibly followed by a deep inhale that made Kevin's chest rise significantly. He found himself staring, but the redhead was too fixated on something in the distance to notice. Edd tried to stare off, but couldn't focus on anything except the tightening feeling in the pit of his stomach that was laced with guilt still. He wanted Kevin to yell or get angry with him, or something. He deserved it, he thought, but here he was with the redhead he desperately wished to make amends with, just gazing off in the distance like no big deal.

"Kevin?" his voice wavering.

"Yeah, Edd?" he answered, still focused on whatever he had been looking at.

Double D jumped slightly at the gravel of his voice. God had he missed it, "What...what are we doing up here, Kevin?"

Kevin chuckled, bowing his head down, remembering Edd say almost those exact words to him. He finally met his gaze, "I don't know, what do you wanna do up here?"

"I-I don't know what you mean exactly, Kevin?"

He watched Edd pick anxiously at his fingers and the hem of the jacket. Kevin thought hopelessly, damn, he still looks sexy as hell in that jacket.

"Well, where do you wanna go from here, babe?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the wide blue ones.

Double D blushed a deep crimson at the pet name. He had heard him say it earlier, but was too upset to react to it. Now, there was no distractions and he heard very clearly this time. He tried to look away, but something kept him drawn into the evergreen eyes that belonged to the redhead. He could only look down at himself for a few seconds before flicking his eyes back up to his. He tried to think about anything other than the redhead in front of him, but couldn't, and then he remembered he was wearing the jean jacket and was reminded of the courage he felt when he put it on earlier.

He took in a deep breath, attempting to steady his increased heart rate, "I want to apologize," he said, keeping his voice even, "for all the pain that I caused you...a-a-and explain why I did what I did. You don't have to forgive me, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I hope someday you will. And that's it. That's what I want."

"That's it?" Kevin asked, cocking a brow. He leaned back on one hand as the other rested on his own knee.

Edd let out a shuddering breath, "Y-yes. I think I owe you that much."

Kevin looked away, shaking his head as he let out a breathy sigh, "I asked what you want. Not what you owe me, D."

He stared at the redhead in front of him, how could he tell Kevin that he wanted them to be together again, that he wanted to fix everything and go back to the way they used to be, that he is still madly in love with him even after all these years, and that he wanted Kevin to love him like Edd still loves him? He couldn't tell him that. Not the truth...the truth, Edd remembered his mother giving him that bit of advice not even an hour ago, to just tell Kevin the truth.

"I can't tell you what I want, Kevin," he couldn't look him in the eye as he spoke, "I can't."

Kevin shifted next to him, sitting up straight now. He placed his hand on Edd's knee trying to get his attention, "And why not? Why can't you tell me what you want, huh?"

Still looking away from the redhead, he spoke in a whisper, "I don't deserve you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I just don't. I messed up, Kevin," he said matter of factly, meeting the redhead's worried eyes. Tears started to pull at the corners of the genius' eyes.

"D, you can't hold on to guilt like that," he reached to hold Edd's cheek, but he turned away from it, "What's done is done. You can't change that. We can talk about this. Edd...Edd, listen to me. We can work this out."

Edd pulled his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms as tightly as he could around his legs as he rested his chin on his knees, tears still coming down steadily. He turned his head away from the redhead and shut his eyes tight.

"Edd, babe, look at me...please."

He still wouldn't meet Kevin's gaze.

The redhead pried his hands from around his legs and held them away from the body they belonged to. "Listen to me!" he yelled, "Look at me, Edd, baby, please! J-just stop fighting us…"

That got the genius' attention.

"He said, 'us,'" he thought.

He stopped crying and was sniffling while being forced to look Kevin in the eyes.

Kevin let his hands go. He reached for Edd's face, this time he didn't turn away. He let Kevin run his thumb over his cheekbone and then the other hand was on the opposite side of his face, doing the same. He shuddered at the warmth as he closed his eyes slowly, giving in to the redhead's touch.

"I was just so scared things would go bad for us," Double D sighed.

"Why would think that, huh? Did you think I would hurt you?"

Edd nodded.

"I would never do that to you, D. I was serious. I told you I loved you and I wanted to stay together."

He could see Kevin was the one fighting off tears now as he pulled away from Edd, not looking in his direction anymore.

"But I hurt you, right?" Edd asked cautiously. He didn't want to ask, but he had to say it.

"Yes, but," Kevin paused, looking for the right words, "no. Yes, it hurt. It hurt like hell, Edd. It was a nightmare I thought I was never going to wake up from. You don't know how many times I came home expecting to see you in my room waiting for me. But that's not the point."

Edd watched Kevin closely. "What's the point then?"

The redhead sighed, "The point is I know you hurt, too."

He just stared at the redhead with a confused look on his face.

"Look, I don't know why you left without telling me or why you never tried getting in contact with me after, I just assumed you had your reasons and that you had probably moved on. But I dunno, something always told me you'd come back, somehow. And that had nothing to do with your parents," he scrubbed his hand over his face, "Honestly, becoming close with your parents was kind of a coincidence and afterwards, became selfish on my part. I thought they'd eventually tell you to come home or something, but I guess the guilt was too much for them, too."

"I just thought…," Edd looked into those green eyes that bore into him, "I thought it was better that way. My parents didn't care about seeing me, why would you? I didn't want to drag things out long distance, oceans in between, it just would have been too much, for the both of us."

"You were overseas?" Kevin asked, surprised that his genius hadn't even been on the same continent as him this entire time.

Edd nodded, "I was in London and I wouldn't trade that experience for the world."

He tapped the fingers of his left hand on the ground in front of him. Kevin thought it looked like he was imagining playing a piano or something. He wanted to know what had whisked his dork all the way to London for 8 years.

"Tell me about it?" Kevin asked, genuine interest played in his voice.

"You really want to know? I mean, I've never shared this with anyone before. It's sort of my secret," Edd answered nervously.

Kevin smiled that charming grin that Edd had fallen in love with it, "Yeah, I wanna know all about it."

They melted into an easy conversation and it was like the whole world had disappeared around them. Edd told Kevin everything about London, how he played with the Philharmonic, the friends he'd made, he even told him about Austin and could see what appeared to be a bit of jealousy play across the redhead's face, and he told Kevin about everything in between, about his dream come true. He told Kevin about his injury and the viola that was now collecting dust in his closet.

Kevin could see the melancholy in Edd's eyes, and he wished he could help the genius with his injury, but he informed him it was too late, he'd never be able to play like he had. And it was awful to witness the defeat in the genius' eyes. He just couldn't believe that Double D had hidden his talent and passion from everyone, especially him. He wondered how anyone could tuck away something that made them feel so...so much life. He simply didn't understand Edd's method there, if it had been him he'd show the world what he could do at any given opportunity and then some, but, he realized, that wasn't in Edd's nature.

Edd shined in a different way than him, and he loved that about him, the way his eyes would brighten when he went into detail about something he was knowledgeable in, well that was almost everything school-related, he thought, but there was just something about the way he would get excited over math or biology. He wondered what he looked like when he played, he wished he could see Edd play. It's not like he said he couldn't play anymore, just that he couldn't play as rigorously as he used to, so a few songs couldn't hurt, right?

"Hey, uh, Edd, could you play for me?"

Edd flickered his eyes across Kevin's features, trying to understand what he had just asked of him.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Kevin smirked at Edd's adorably confused face. "Play for me, dork."

No one had ever asked him to play for them, unless there was a reason, but never for the sole purpose of listening for enjoyment. He was stunned to say the least.

"Um, well, I don't know, Kevin. I haven't played since I got here and...and I don't know, I guess. My wrist hasn't been bothering me, so yeah? I guess, I could play for you."

Kevin could tell Edd was flustered by the sudden request, but figured it was worth it. Edd was picking at the hems of the sleeves of the jean jacket. Kevin just wanted to lay everything out on the table, he wanted to scoop Edd up in his arms and kiss him silly, but he knew Edd was struggling with his guilt still, and he would just make it worse. But Kevin was ready to start the rest of his life with the dork, God was he ready. He bit his bottom lip just imagining what their life could be.

The physical distance between them was killing the redhead, he just wanted to skip to the part where they are together again. He inhaled deeply.

"So D, where does this leave us?"

Edd dared a glance before answering the redhead, "I...I'm afraid that's a rather loaded question, Kevin. What is it that you want?"

He reached for the genius' hand and held it gently before bringing it to his face. He placed soft pecks on each knuckle before he looked up at Edd's doe eyed expression, lips slightly parted, making that adorable gap visible.

"This, this is what I want, Edd. I want us to be together again, but only if you want to."

Kevin let their joined hands fall in the space between them, still holding the other, as he rubbed his thumb over the top of Edd's hand. He looked at Edd, whose eyes were glued to their hands. He wished he could get inside his head, know what he was thinking, because he knew the ravenette was struggling to find the right words.

Edd pulled his hand from under Kevin's, wrapping it around his knees again.

"Are you sure this is what you really want? After everything?" he asked, avoiding the redhead's piercing gaze.

"If you want it, too," Kevin said, trying to gauge Edd's reaction, "Just tell me what you want. I can take it."

He still couldn't look the redhead in his eyes, and opted for shutting his eyes tight. Everything he said next came out in a single rushed breathe, "I want to be with you, too."

Suddenly, the genius was being enveloped in strong arms carrying a familiar scent and he let himself give in to the guilty pleasure that was his Kevin.

"Oh Edd, you don't know how long I've waited to hear those words," he whispered into the crook of the genius' neck. He nuzzled closer, savoring the smell that was truly Edd's as he pulled him into his lap.

Edd had missed this dearly, but he needed to make sure things were clear between them; he needed Kevin to say it. He pulled back from the comforting arms, "Kevin, I want to know that you're sure of this? Of pursuing a relationship again. That's what you meant, right?"

He chuckled at his dork's awkwardness, he always did need to spell things out for him. He placed his hand on the side of Edd's face and rubbed his thumb lovingly over his cheek.

"Yes, dork. I want to be with you. For good this time," he said, leveling him a semi-threatening look that completely contradicted his shit eating grin and bright pink cheeks. "This is all I've ever wanted, babe."

"Me too, Kevin."

Edd pulled him into a tight hug this time and made a silent promise to himself to never let go.

The sun was barely visible above the horizon and soon it would be dark, but neither boy wanted to leave. Edd was sitting in between Kevin's legs, both of the redhead's arms were firmly wrapped around the genius' middle. Edd's back was flush with Kevin's chest and Kevin's chin was resting on his shoulder, their cheeks pressed together.

"As much as I don't want to, but we should get going. Ma is probably worried," Kevin said reluctantly.

"Ma?" Edd giggled.

"Yeah, she's my ma, too, ya'know," Kevin stated, smiling down at Edd.

They got up and tucked the blanket back into the saddle bags. Kevin got on the bike first and helped Edd climb on behind him. He made sure the genius was on properly before taking off.

This ride was definitely more comfortable than earlier; this time Double D held on tightly and took in all of the redhead that he could. They both had missed their rides together, more than either boy could put into words, but all the soft touches and gentle squeezes could speak for themselves.

Before they knew it, they were back in the cul-de-sac in Edd's driveway. Kevin cut the engine before climbing off the bike to join Edd. They stood facing each other, just staring for a few moments.

Edd finally spoke first, "When can I see you again?"

Kevin was a little shocked to hear Edd ask him out first, he was sure he was going to have to beg the genius to see him tomorrow.

"Uh, tomorrow? I mean, that is if you're free? I guess, if you want?" Kevin stuttered, trying not to sound too forward.

"I'd like that," Edd said, looking into those green eyes he loved desperately, "Let's go to our spot again."

Kevin couldn't help but grin that shit-eating grin at the genius' request.

"Sure."

Double D jumped with excitement as he wrapped his arms tightly around the redhead's neck, pulling him down into a kiss that neither one was expecting.

It was soft and sweet and too short for Kevin's liking, but it happened. It shocked the hell outta him, but he liked. It was a huge step for the both of them.

Before Kevin could react properly to the kiss, the genius was already at his front door waving goodbye to him.

Kevin headed home with the world's biggest smile and a blush so pink it should have stained his skin.

So I've been done with this for like 2 weeks now, but I couldn't figure out how to end it, so yeah there it is.

What'cha think?

This is not The End, but it's coming...there's going to be more, not sure how much more, but at least one more chapter. Maaaaaaybe 2. No promises, but there will be one. Might be a bit though, cause school and work are getting hectic for me, but I'll try to update soon.

Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing. All your reviews give me life! :3

Song inspiration is Degrees of Separation by Hands Like Houses.