Chapter 35

"Double D, Eddy has been gone forever! What if he's a grandpa when he comes back?" Ed wailed.

"Ed, it's only been an hour. I'm sure they're only just getting to town. Eddy will be fine." Edd gave his friend a reassuring pat on the hand. "Assuming, of course, that Kevin has not murdered him by now."

Nazz cackled. "Oh, man! I can just hear them now." She stood up from where she was leaning on the van, puffed her chest up, and jutted her chin out. "Hurry up, dork, or I'll pound you!" she said in a comically deep voice.

Edd giggled, covering his mouth with his hand. "Shut up, Shovelchin! We can't all be star athletes!"

Nazz's eyes widened. "Wow, Double D. You do that really well."

"He practices," Ed said solemnly.

"Can it, Lumpy! I can't believe I'm stuck here with this asshole. He couldn't do it without me, though. No one knows money like me! I sure am stingy enough! I—" He took a step back and bumped into a barrier.

"Makin' fun of my brother, Princess?"

The noise that came out of Edd's mouth was not one that he knew he could make. Out of reflex, he tried to jump back, smacked into Eddy's brother, and fell sideways awkwardly. He scrambled away on his backside until his back was pressed up against the van. A shadow fell over his feet as Ed took a protective stance in front of him. Nazz edged back, watching the man carefully. He laughed loudly, sliding his sunglasses into his pocket.

"Relax, guys," came a familiar and comforting voice. Eddy closed the door as he got out of the car. "It's fine."

"Eddy?" Edd asked. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "What is going on?"

The shorter boy shrugged. "He picked us up and gave us a lift to this shop. His girlfriend or whatever owns it. She said she'd fix the tire for free."

"Well, that is certainly…nice," Edd said. He kept his distance.

Eddy's brother sensed the discomfort and moved away to lean against the hood of his van. "Speaking of, where is the little imp? She should be here by now. They left way before we did."

Nazz raised a brow. "They?"

"Yeah," Eddy jumped in. "Ariel and Kevin. Last we saw they were speeding away on that motorcycle of hers."

"Oh, really."

Edd's voice was flat, his face expressionless. Ed took a few steps away. Eddy looked uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to speak, but a loud rumbling and a screech brought everyone's attention to the highway. Ariel spun the bike sideways as she came to an abrupt halt, kicking up a large cloud of dust. She hopped off immediately, leaving Kevin to support the bike and put the kickstand down. She took her helmet off and shook her hair out, looking over the group with a broad smile. Kevin set the bike up behind her and handed her the spare helmet, grinning from ear to ear. He barely had a chance to thank her before Edd was in front of him shaking with anger.

"Kevin Barr, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded. He took hold of Kevin's shirt and shook him lightly. "You could've been killed! Motorcycles are extremely dangerous, especially if you drive like a total maniac!" He directed the last comment at Ariel, frowning when she laughed him off. "And what were you doing with her in the first place? Eddy tells me you should have arrived before he did!"

Suddenly, Ariel's head popped up in between them. She shoved Kevin back with a hip check, eyes locked with Edd's. She circled him once, quickly, making soft noises of approval. Coming back to the front, she tucked her hands behind her and stood up on her toes.

"I see what's going on here! This is the lucky fellow who holds young Carrot Top's heart." She sighed dramatically and fluttered her eyelashes. "True love! So beautiful." She came back down on her heels. "You look like a smart one. A man of science. I heard a rumor once. I'd like to test it. Be my assistant?"

Flustered, Edd worried his lower lip. "I-I suppose. What did you have in mind?"

"Well…" She leaned forward, eyes flashing. "I heard once that gay guys are the best kissers."

Grabbing his shirt and dragging him forward, she stood up on her toes to press their lips together. He gasped in surprise along with the rest of his friends, and she took the opportunity to shove her tongue into his mouth. After a few seconds, he came to his senses and lifted his hands to pull at her fingers. When she released his shirt, he stumbled back and rubbed his sleeve vigorously across his mouth. She laughed, then turned to Kevin.

"Lucky man!" she declared. "That was like kissing air!"

"I know," he said through clenched teeth. "Don't do it again."

"Oh, jealous? Green suits you, Carrot Top. But hey, we all know it isn't true science unless you do more than one test!"

She darted forward to plant a kiss on Kevin, but her lips met the palm of a hand instead. Startled, she opened her eyes and found Edd staring her down. His fingers closed firmly around her chin and he turned her to face him.

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from touching my things," he said sweetly. His eyes threatened total annihilation should she try again.

She held her hands up and backed away. "Alright, got it. Don't touch your stuff."

He whirled around, took a hold of Kevin's shirt, and pulled him to Rolf's van. He threw the door open and shoved the redhead in before slamming the door shut behind them.

"Uh…should we just change the tire now?" Eddy asked.

"Might want to give them a minute," Nazz replied.

"Why?" Ed asked.

Rolf broke down laughing and walked over to slap Eddy's brother on the back. "Anyone want lunch? Yes?"

Kevin hit his head on the far door as he was forced back into the van. Wincing, he rubbed the spot and stared at Edd. "Dude, what the hell?"

Edd crawled over him, face twisted in anger, and pulled him down underneath him. His mouth caught Kevin's in a rough kiss while his fingers worked on pulling the neck of Kevin's shirt to the side and off his shoulder.

"Edd, you're gonna stretch it," Kevin complained, the words muffled by Edd's unrelenting lips.

Edd pulled back and placed a finger over Kevin's mouth. "You are going to be quiet," he stated. "I will not tolerate such behavior from you. Whoever that floozy is, she has no place in your life. I cannot comprehend what compelled you to get onto the back of her motorcycle, and I certainly do not understand why you would let her take you so far away from me for such an unnecessary length of time. She had no right, and I am appalled that you did not stop her." His hand went behind Kevin's neck and he pressed closer. "You are mine and no one else's. You will learn this lesson now."

"Edd," he began, but he was silenced with a swift slap to the cheek. There was no force behind the hit, but he got the message. He clamped his mouth shut and leaned back, watching attentively. If Edd said he was going to learn, then he better pay attention.

Edd's lips found his again, working at them with a passion that Kevin had not seen from the boy before. Their tongues met in the middle, but it wasn't long before Edd forced him back, asserting himself with no room for question. When he had the redhead flushed and panting, Edd trailed his tongue down the strong jawline, nipped at his earlobe, and kissed down to the crook of his neck. He bit down hard, ignoring Kevin's grunt of pain, and began sucking. His tongue flicked over the growing mark. His fingers slid down Kevin's sides and then up under his shirt to scratch at the skin. Kevin gasped and moaned, hands grasping at Edd's hips. Edd began to scrape his teeth over the mark periodically.

"Ah…Edd, that kind of hurts…"

Edd's hand came up to grasp him by the chin, his thumb pressing down on Kevin's tongue. "I believe I told you to be quiet."

He pulled his thumb out slowly, swiping it across Kevin's lip as he brought his face back down to Kevin's neck. He lapped at the dark mark a few times, pleased with its appearance. He sat up and pulled Kevin with him. He pressed their foreheads together and slid his fingers up into the fiery hair.

"What did you learn today, Kevin?"

Kevin said nothing. Edd grinned.

"Very good. You have permission to speak now. What did you learn today?"

"I'm yours," he mumbled, looking down at his lap.

Edd's face softened. He tapped a finger under Kevin's chin. "Kevin…" He wasn't sure what to say. Perhaps he had been a little harsh. The thought made his brow crinkle. "Darling, I-I didn't mean…"

Kevin glanced up, eyes dancing, and bit his lip. "You know, you're pretty hot when you're all aggressive."

Just like that, the spell was broken. Sighing, Edd sat back so Kevin could pull himself up into a more comfortable position. The redhead did just that, and then reached out to pull Edd against his chest. Edd hummed and ran his fingers in a circle around the hickey.

"Don't worry, dork." Kevin ran his fingers down Edd's back. "I know I'm yours. I wouldn't have it any other way." He paused for a moment and then teased, "Though, that motorcycle is a close second."

Edd slapped his arm in retaliation and he laughed. He sat up as tall as he could and noticed that Eddy's brother's van, the motorcycle, and all of their friends were missing. He grinned. He wrapped his hands around Edd's wrists and pulled them behind his back.

"Looks like we're alone. How about I teach you a lesson now?" he purred into Edd's ear.

Edd's fingers strained back to retrieve his bag from under the seat. Kevin let him, keeping his hands loosely around the other's wrists. After fumbling for a moment, Edd pulled something out, made a quick movement with his hands, and Kevin found himself in handcuffs again.

"I don't think so," Edd replied with a lustful grin.

When they returned from the fast food joint down the road, Rolf went to the van to hand Kevin and Edd their food. He slid the door open and found Kevin sitting flushed and disheveled, the tips of his ears pink. One bright red mark glared out from his neck, and he couldn't bring himself to meet Rolf's eyes. Edd reclined with his head in Kevin's lap, casually reading a book. He looked up when Rolf opened the door and smiled.

"Oh, Rolf! Thank you for thinking of us. We really appreciate it, don't we, Kevin?"

Kevin blushed and nodded. Rolf stared for a moment and then shook his head.

"Rolf does not want to know," he said flatly. "Do not exit the car or the hyper pixie-lady will be squashed like the harvest berries under the tall Ed-boy's feet."

He shut the door again and walked away. Edd sat up and set his book to the side. He peered into the paper bag and then shoved his hand in. He held a fry up to Kevin's lips.

"French fry, darling?"