Author's Note: This story was inspired by I Lived by OneRepublic. This is a Reg!KevEdd tale.

Edd stood outside the Peach Creek High School gym, yearbook in hand.

His nerves were absolutely on fire but if he didn't walk in, he wouldn't forgive himself.

Neither would Kevin.

Or Eddy for that matter.

When he walked inside, a small table was set up under the trophy case with a small sign on it that read Check In Here.

He strode up to it, wrote his name down in the receiving book, took a name tag and a sharpie and wrote it down again.

Stepping back to pin the name tag to the lapel of his suit jacket, he caught his reflection in the glass of the trophy case.

And a picture of himself with his swim team trophy.

That trophy got him a scholarship that took him across the country where he got his degree, and that degree took him around the world.

If it wasn't for Ed's pleading and his mother's admonishments, he'd still be in Costa Rica, but they both had a point.

He owed them a visit.

Walking into the gym, he was warmly greeted by his fellow swim team members but a small tap on his shoulder drew his attention away and he was off again, mingling here and there with his teammates from the Debate Team, Mathletes, and Quiz Bowl.

It was Rolf who found him by the buffet table.

"Double D Edd Boy!"

He nearly choked on the small bite of chicken he had taken as he looked over the cookie table but he still managed to give his old neighbor a smile.

"Hello, Rolf!"

"I didn't recognize you without your sock hat, but no matter, come join us!"

When he looked over at the direction the other was pointing in, his heart seized up a bit.

Only Nazz, Ed, Johnny, were waving back and he took a bit of a breath.

"Yes, yes, but let me get a drink first!"

Rolf nodded but didn't move so Edd quickly grabbed a half full cup of punch off the table and followed after his tall escort.

"I have found him!" Rolf announced as they made their way back to the table where their former neighbors and classmates had gathered.

"Yay!" Ed exclaimed as he hobbled up, grabbed his cane, and limped over to his oldest friend to give him a bear hug.

"Well," he coughed out as Edd squeezed the life out of him, "I got a bit distracted."

"Yah, I heard Marie say you were here but she didn't know where you ran off, too," Nazz said as she pushed the taller Ed off of him and gave him a more gentler hug.

"Where's your hat, Double D?!"

Edd looked over at Johnny as he set his plate down and ran a hand through his hair.

"I left it at my parents," he shrugged.

"Some things you gotta let go of."

He turned to see Eddy behind him looking relieved and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm here, I'm queer, get used to it," he snarked and the short Ed shoved him as he made his way to an empty spot at the table.

"I am," he retorted as he sat down.

"Guys," Ed pleaded and Eddy rolled his eyes.

"Ain't seen the guy in a month of Sundays," Eddy said to the table as he leaned back in his seat and a bit of smug look on his face. "And then he shows up all unrecognizable and shit. You'd think he'd have something to hide."

"I do not!" Edd intoned and Eddy snickered.

"To me."

"And me."

Edd turned around again with gasp at the sound of a voice he hadn't heard in twenty years.

Kevin

"Hello, Kevin," he said as he straightened himself up and fixed his tie.

Presentation was everything.

"Hey, yourself," Kevin replied as he looked him up and down a bit curiously. "Nice haircut."

Edd rolled his eyes as Eddy snickered behind him and Kevin walked to the table to be greeted by everyone else.

"So what y'all been up to?" The redhead asked as he sat down and the conversation quickly flowed as they all had stories to tell, with Ed and Nazz filing in the gossip about what had been going on around town as they never moved away.

Edd didn't have much to contribute as everyone was already well informed on the highlights of his life thanks to the internet. Through his college career, he had set swimming records, but also made discoveries in the biology labs that sent him to far flung locales and a new semi permanent home in Costa Rica, a sublet flat in Austria being his jumping off point to the rest of the world to tell of his discoveries.

Ed was the home contractor that everyone in Peach Creek came to for repairs and remodels.

Eddy took a huge risk and went into business for himself in New York. His investment company hasn't seen a stock rise or crash it didn't like because there was always money to be made.

Nazz worked at her mother's children's boutique, seeing kids develop their own sense of style giving her a sense of helpful purpose.

Johnny, like Edd, had traveled the world, but for Johnny, it was more of a cure for his wanderlust than to see how the world ticked.

Rolf had moved back to The Old Country, only returning once every couple of months to see his children with his ex wife or to pick them up to visit family overseas.

Edd listened and with context added to so many social media posts, he saw that his friends and neighbors had well lived lives, something he never truly saw for himself in their sleepy town.

The main reason sitting across from him, holding court as it were.

"Looks like y'all got out and got a life," Kevin snickered as the conversation wore down.

"Ya think?" Eddy snarked.

"Listen, I was just there to give advice," the redhead smiled and they all rolled their eyes.

Kevin had written in all their yearbooks what he thought they should have done in 20 years on the last day of school. Intentionally or not, they did go out and live.

"And what about you?" Edd asked, nearly surprised at his own forwardness.

"Man, I lived," Kevin grinned. "Y'all remember how I left like right after school right?"

They all nodded, eager to hear his story because he wasn't on social media like they were so he was a bit of an enigma. Seeing their response, a bit surprised his mother's tales of his exploits didn't reach them, he went on.

"Took my bike to Cali, then up to Canada. Spent a couple years in Alaska, then drove back down to the states and tooled around. Lived in Mexico for about a year," he continued as he rubbed his chin, lost in thought, "fought a bull down there and I did not win," he laughed and they did, too. "Somehow managed to get to Brazil and Columbia before I had to come back and bury my dad, then I flew to Ireland for like another three years? Then Norway and that's where I got my Speer and went all over Europe on that thing...But I had to come back to see if y'all did anything," he finished with a shrug and Nazz rolling her eyes gave him the sentiment the whole table had at his last words.

"But if you were in Europe," Johnny asked, "Why didn't you see Double D or me?"

And Edd's blood ran cold as Kevin responded, "Couldn't find him or you, for that matter, Melon Head."

Everyone chuckled at the old nickname and Johnny rolled his eyes as Eddy shot Edd a look.

Truth of the matter was, Edd purposely went to a ecotourism conference in Japan when Kevin came to Austria.

He just couldn't stand to look his ex in the eye.

Edd wasn't ready to go public with their relationship and Kevin's sudden dash out of town was how he answered him.

Most thought it was because of him dropping the, "I'm gay," bomb at his graduation party but Edd knew better.

Edd knew their mothers talked so it came as no surprise that Kevin would find him in Austria if he called, but Edd, hearing from Eddy that Kevin "might be on that hippie shit like Two By Four," made himself scarce.

Every point in Kevin's story let Edd know that he was looking for him.

He went to UCLA, then had an internship in Washington State that frequently took him to Alaska, he'd vacation in Mexico, but took a couple of spring breaks in South America. He thought he was rid of him when he moved to Ireland but Kevin was merely mending his broken heart and grieving his father and when he felt better he started looking for Johnny.

At least that's what it sounded like.

When Edd got his position in Costa Rica, he made sure he could go back to Austria because he loved the country and its easy reach to the rest of the world.

When Edd finally came out after a very enlightening spring break in Belgium, his mother would always mention him looking up Johnny and Kevin if either was on the continent because at least he'd have friends to show him around and how to have fun and bring her home a nice French boy that would help him not get so lost in his work.

Edd made sure it never happened.

Eddy's been calling him a chicken shit for it ever since.

"Well," Edd said as he cleared his throat, "if you're ever out back that way again, give me a call."

"For real?!"

The glee in the other's voice was all the forgiveness he'll ever need.

"Yah, he needs a life," Eddy snorted.

As their cohorts laughed around them, Kevin and Edd shared a look.

Time to start living.