Edd was released from the hospital days later after Christine had deemed him fit, but he feeling a little under the weather. Christine had said this was normal as the teen had just received his first round via Port-o-Cath and the medicine was still making its way through Edd's system.

"This is Edd we're talkin' about here. Of course he's gonna make it. The guy's cheated death at least twice now and third time's a charm after all. Edd'll be fine..." Kevin thought to himself seriously as they drove home. The two were going through their own separate battles; Kevin was going to war in Afghanistan and Edd was fighting his second round of cancer. Well, it wasn't really the second time as Edd's illness had been going on for years. "How ya feelin'?"

Edd looked over at Kevin with a little smile. "I'm glad to be out of there, but not so glad to have these hanging out of me." he said and touched one of the three tubes that were taped to his chest. Kevin tried not to cringe when Edd pulled down the collar to his loose shirt, the obvious mound in his skin where the port was made his stomach churn.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, the red-head's hands tightening on the wheel.

"No, I can barely feel it...are you okay?" Edd asked, noticing Kevin's white knuckles as his grip tightened. Kevin seemed to relax a little when Edd laid his small hand on the other's thigh.

"I'm...yeah. I'm fine." he sighed. Edd noticed his knuckles start to turn white again and sighed in return.

"Don't lie to me, Kev."

Kevin said nothing as they continued their journey home. Edd only called him "Kev" when he was either very angry or very serious. Edd took his hand away from Kevin's leg and folded them gently in his lap as if he would shatter if he moved too fast. It broke Kevin's heart.

The two were still silent as they walked into their home. Edd immediately kicked off his shoes on the mat and walked to the bathroom to refresh himself. His skin held a lingering smell of medicine from his minor procedure and he hated it. The smell made him queasy and Edd tried to push the feeling down as he splashed some cold water on his face.

When Edd finally emerged from the bathroom, he found Kevin stuffing his bag with everything he had brought home with him. "What time is your flight?"

"In an hour."

Edd's lips twisted as he tried to contain his emotions. They had wasted what little time they did have together in that damned hospital and Edd was mentally kicking himself for it. If only he could have kept it together long enough so Kevin could have actually had a relaxing weekend at home on his time off.

"I see." the raven said as he continued to watch his boyfriend pack away his things for only God knows how long. He rubbed his hands nervously as he watched from the end of the hallway. Never had he felt so far away from Kevin since that time in high school where he had caught Kevin's arm around another girl. She had never been explained as Edd had forgotten about her in the midst of their budding relationship back then.

Seeing as there was nothing left for either of them to say, Edd yanked on his hands and walked back to their bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. He peeled off the large shirt, careful of the tubes, and walked over to the closet in search of a fresh one. The ravenette settled on a black pullover and a pair of navy sweatpants that said "Emergency Medical Technician" down one of the legs. Then he stepped over to the mirror and took a good hard look at himself. He took off his beanie and set it gently on the dresser, grabbed two handfuls of his black hair and flattened it against his head. Edd's eyebrows knotted together as he tried to picture himself without hair.

"What're you doin'?"

Edd let go of his hair and turned around to face a soldier that was dressed to the nines in his uniform. He could see his troubled eyes flicker from the shadow his hat cast across his face. "Oh, nothing. I just changed into something more comfortable." he said with a strained smile.

"Alright, well, I'm going. I love you."

Edd felt his heart plummet at the coldness between them. They had been so happy when Kevin first arrived! Edd felt as if it were his fault for Kevin's distance and it was starting to eat away at him. "Kev, what's wrong?" he asked, timidly stepping closer to the tall red-head.

"Nothing, I promise." Kevin said, eyes shifting to the floor.

Edd stepped closer. "No, don't lie to me. I know you better than that. Please."

"I said there's nothing wrong, can we just drop it?" the other snipped and Edd paused as confusion filtered across his face. Kevin had hardly ever been angry with him before, but when he was it was for obvious reasons. Right now Edd was left dumbfounded by his attitude.

"You're a terrible liar. Why can't you be honest with me?"

Kevin groaned and rubbed his hands over his face as Edd continued to speak. "Was it me? Did I do something to upset you?"

"Can you just shut it for a second?" Kevin snapped and rubbed his temples. The raven shut his mouth on command and began to tug on his fingers nervously. "I'm pretty fuckin' pissed right now." he spat harshly as he threw an arm out to the side. Edd thought about asking why, but thought better of it when Kevin's face started to turn different shades of red. "Ask me why."

"W-why?"

Kevin took a step forward and Edd took a half-step back, knowing the red-head could get pretty nasty when he was angry. He flashed back to all those months ago to when Kevin almost punched him in the face for insinuating that he was stupid. "Cause life isn't as easy as it should be. That's why. It should me serving my country and then coming home to my wife, starting a family, and living a normal life. Instead, I'm going to war soon and my fuckin' fiance is literally dying in front of me. That's why I'm pissed."

Edd stared at this man in bewilderment. This was incredibly out of character for him to act like this! Normally he was so calm and loving towards Edd and now he was acting so...just so angry. It seemed that overnight Edd's future husband had become someone he didn't recognize. "You wanted...a wife?"

Kevin paused and his face reddened even more at the realization of what he said. "N-no! I-"

"And you're angry because I'm sick? Are you serious right now?" the smaller man asked in a low voice. Kevin shrunk back the tiniest bit, knowing he fucked up. He waited for the screaming to ensue from his harsh words. "Explain yourself."

The soldier blinked a few times before looking over at his love. "I'm sorry, Edd. I didn't mean it like-"

"Stop babbling, I said explain yourself. Now." Edd said after taking a deep breath to calm his frazzled nerves, landing his darkened eyes on Kevin. They couldn't afford a fight, not now. Not before Kevin was about to leave.

"I-" Kevin sucked in a breath. "I'm angry. I'm angry because you're sick and I can't be here to help you. I'll be on a plane in forty-five minutes to go to another country, not knowing whether or not the love of my life is lying comatose in a hospital somewhere." he explained slowly and took another deep breath. Edd waited patiently for Kevin to speak again as his sudden anger began to recede.

"Before I signed up, I had no idea it'd get this bad. If I did, I wouldn't have even thought about leaving. Now it's too late and I'm terrified and angry. If I come home next time and your not here waiting for me, I'd hate myself." he finished with one hand on his hip and the other covering his face as he tried not to lose it. Edd walked forward and took the soldier's hands in his smaller ones and held them tight.

"Listen, Kevin. écouter (listen)." Edd cooed softly and Kevin's ears perked up at the French word. Guilty green eyes met determined blue and his breath hitched the tiniest bit. "I understand your frustration, but fighting and screaming at each other won't solve anything. If you have any problems or insecurities you need to tell me. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."

Kevin lowered his eyes as the reassuring and kind words hit his ears. Another wave of guilt hit him as he realized just how utterly stupid he had been a few minutes ago by letting his anger get the best of him. "Okay, I'm sorry Edd."

"I forgive you and I told you once but I'll tell you again. I will be here waiting for you when you decide to return. I can't guarantee that I'll be in the best of shape, but I'll most certainly be here. I'm far from finished with you, Mr. Vincent-Barr. I love you."

"I love you too. God, I'm so sorry. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you."

Edd gave a tiny smile and pecked the end of Kevin's nose. "Don't speak like that, mon cher (my dear). It's natural for couples to fight occasionally, but-" Edd pulled back and smacked the side of the soldier's head with his hand, earning a startled yelp. "if you ever tell me that I'm dying to my face, or start a fight because you're too stubborn to share your feelings- Je jure devant Dieu que je vais vous battre avec mes pantoufles si fort que vous serez celui à l'hôpital au lieu de moi (I swear to god I'll beat you with my house slippers so hard that you'll be the one in the hospital instead of me)."

Kevin stared at his lover with wide eyes. "What?"

"Exactly."

Author's Note: Please refer to chapter 7 for the mention of violent tendencies.