Him

It was quite the paradox.

Kevin looked down at the sleeping figure in his arms and kissed the scar at the top of his head. Eddward barely stirred, but only to snuggle closer.

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. Homecoming and midterms were over, Thanksgiving loomed on the horizon. They were stealing some time away before finals and the holidays stole them away from each other.

Video games, movies, snacks, and sodas littered the coffee table in Eddward's basement. Kevin had slept in because that's just what he did on Saturdays. Eddward, who was an early riser no matter what day it was, on the other hand, had passed out after a dozen or so kisses after the third movie started. So Kevin got to hold him, run his fingers through thick, inky locks and kiss the scar that nearly took him away from him before he had a chance to have him.

He checked the clock on the cable box and saw that they had a few more hours before their Saturday bliss was broken by the ladies. Namely, Sophia and Marie. Sophia was at the beauty salon to get her nails done and roots touched up. Where his mother was embracing the grey that was starting to sprinkle itself through her auburn locks, Sophia was intent on being blond for as long as she felt like being blond. Which was forever.

And Marie was at work. Kevin didn't know if Eddward was going to pick her up or if she was going to catch a ride from Melissa, Ed, or Nazz, nor did he care. He just cared about their time.

And while there was a piece of him that was a bit perturbed that Eddward was sleeping through this time, he really liked having him in his arms more. Of all the people he held, Eddward felt like he belonged there the most. And he hated to lose it. So he was going to take what he could get.

"What time is it?," a soft, but gruff voice murmured.

"230."

"Mmm. Wake me up when it's 430."

"M'Kay. You gotta go pick her up?"

"No," Eddward said with a yawn. "But she's coming over dinner."

"'Kay. Get some sleep, Baby Boy."

"Night, Daddy."

Her

Marie showed up at 415.

Kevin left Eddward to sleep on the couch while he went to answer the door. And guilt hit him like a wave when he saw who was at the door.

"'Sup, Carrot Top? Where's my man?," the bluenette grinned when he answered the door.

"Uhh..."

"Kevin, who is...Oh, hello, mon petite."

"Hey, Babe!," Marie said as she bounded into the house and kicked off her shoes.

"Wha...What are you doing here, Marie?," Eddward asked sleepily.

And Kevin cocked a brow himself at the girl. He was supposed to have another 15 minutes!

"Got off early," she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled his chest. "Water main broke down by the courthouse, so we all had to close up for the day while they fix it."

And Kevin had never been more angry at Peach Creek's weakening infrastructure in his life.

"What are you two up to?," Marie asked as she came to Eddward's side and shot them both her best ugh, boys, side eye.

They both shrugged and mentioned a few movies they had watched and video games they had played that day as she nodded.

"Look, I know I'm early, but you might want to call your mom, D. Everything downtown is closed so we can't go to Peaches like we planned."

Eddward nodded as Kevin grabbed his shoes and jacket. Marie walked the redhead to the door.

"Later, Kev!," she called to him.

Kevin gave her a nod, but when he glanced over her shoulder at Eddward, his heart took a hit.

"I'm sorry," the raven mouthed to him before Marie shut the door.

Him

Black Friday

"Why are we here again?"

"Because," Kevin grinned, "if I come with you no one does the whole "Mom or girlfriend?," bit."

Eddward had to give him credit for that.

They were in the city at the mall, getting some Christmas shopping done. No one really bothered them or questioned their purchases. So far, they had gotten their shopping for their parents and grandparents done. Considering Kevin's large family, the redhead had taken to grabbing larger stocking stuffers for his aunts, uncles, and cousins.

At the moment, they were in the middle of a candle store and Kevin was looking at gifts for their girls. Eddward had a dozen other stores in mind that would produce better gifts. But Nazz and Sarah liked candles, so here they were.

"Smell this."

Eddward leaned over and his nose was assaulted by something that claimed to be clean smelling.

Kevin snickered at the look on his face and said, "Definitely Sarah."

Eddward just shook his head.

After getting the candles, they headed to a few other stores for gifts for their guys and then the food court.

"Do we need cookies?," Kevin asked as they sat down for lunch.

Eddward leaned back in his chair and stretched, missing the lustful look Kevin gave his slim frame as his sweater rose up.

"Yeah, and remind me to get some Poppycock the next time I go to the store."

Kevin nodded and sent a text to Nazz asking her to pick him up a tin of his (and Eddward's, but he wouldn't mention that!) favorite cookies the next time she headed to the mall.

15 minutes later, the blond set the tin down in front of them.

"You're welcome, Cookie Monster!," she called to them over her shoulder as she walked away, a giggling Jimmy at her side.

Kevin pouted as he blushed, and his cheeks went as red as his hair when he looked up because Eddward had nudged his foot with his own. The smart ass swimmer was smirking.

"Thanks, Daddy," he whispered as he snatched the tin off the table and stuffed it into one of his roomier bags.

"Anything for my Baby Boy," Kevin replied with that smirk, as he popped a couple of french fries in his mouth.

And Eddward lit up like the Christmas lights blinking everywhere.

Her

The day after Christmas

"What is this?"

Marie held up a tiny black box that she found at the bottom of the gift bag Eddward had just handed her.

They were sitting on his bed, finally getting a chance to do their personal gift exchange for each other. Couples were highly encouraged to do their gift giving separately, so no one was disappointed when they opened their gifts at Nazz's party. That didn't stop Kevin from giving Eddward a box set of the original Astro Boy and Eddward from giving Kevin a highly sought after first edition of a Hardy Boys with Nancy Drew book Kevin had read and fallen in love with in middle school.

Marie had handed him his own box that he was tearing into when she popped her question with that Kanker grin.

"There's only one way to find out, MaryJo," he smirked and then he out right laughed at her squeal when she opened the box.

It was a necklace, but it was their necklace.

She had spotted it on display at one of the jewelry stores in the mall around Eddward's birthday. It was an opal surrounded by a dozen round radiant garnets. Their birthstones on beautiful display. And now it was hers.

"I love it, Baby," she said as she leaned in for a kiss.

"And I love you."

Him

New Year's Day

"What's up next?"

Eddward looked up from basement bar where he was pouring ginger ale over ice and cocked his head at the TV.

"Is that baseball documentary you were telling me about on there?"

"Oooh," Kevin said with school boy glee as he scrolled through Eddward's documentary lineup before finding the documentary in question and pressing play on the PS4 controller.

*Buzz, Buzz*

"Me or you?," Eddward asked as he walked back to the couch with their drinks.

Kevin glanced at the two cell phones on the coffee table and said, "You."

Eddward handed him his drink and then picked up his phone.

"Poor thing," he sighed as he tapped away at his phone and Kevin tugged him into his lap.

"How is she?," he murmured into the back of his neck.

"May says she's still sick."

"Geeze. How much did she drink last night?"

"I don't know," Eddward groaned as his thumb flew across the screen.

"So no dinner?"

"Not tonight anyways," Eddward said with a frown as he set his phone back down before cuddling Kevin.

"Pizza?"

"Can we do Chinese?"

"Weeeeell, I know a spot, but we have to go there to get it because they don't deliver to Peach Creek."

And thus began their love affair with Mr Chang's. And Angela smiled at Fate as she served her two tall cross town friends chocolate pie.