"So why'd shovel-chin leave your house this morning?"
"Good morning to you too, Eddy." Edd managed to keep himself from sighing too irritably; as it wasn't unexpected Eddy would see it. Despite his friend's desire to sleep in, often times his own school and work schedule kept him from doing so anymore. That being said, he still woke up terribly late for his standards- ten in the morning on Saturday? Tsk.
"What, he hit your head? It's afternoon, sockhead." The shorter- by only an inch mind you- boy teased lightly before moving to take the cookies from Edd's hands and bring them to a counter for later. "But seriously; what was the deal with that?"
This time no sigh was suppressed, the boys falling into silence as Edd gathered his thoughts and put them together. They were meeting to hang out at Eddy's house, as the nerd had promised him, and it was just them. Ed would likely be a little longer, but they knew without a doubt he would be there. But until then, they'd get this conversation out of the way.
"Last night, approximately at one in the morning, he showed up at my door… drunk." Edd continued forth while Eddy let out a loud hark of laughter, stifling himself to let the other continue, pure amusement unable to be concealed on his expression. "He was completely inebriated, hardly aware of anything. I believe he just got lost in the snow and how late it was, returning to his own home. Of course, it being so late and cold, I just let him sleep on the couch."
"What- seriously? I would have kicked him to the curb for the way he still treats us!" Eddy scowled, anger quickly replacing his amusement- just for the moment, the other was sure. "You shouldn't let that prick stay at your place when he's still a dick behind your back with his friends."
It never ceased to amaze and amuse Edd how… protective Eddy could be of his friends- especially of their kindness. It was no secret that Eddy had always been the one to look out for himself more than others, while Ed had boundless kindness and stupidity that he had no problem being used. Edd, however, admittedly felt obligated to do his kind deeds for others- now more than ever, as well. The shortest of the trio recognized this, and often tried to get Edd to see how he shouldn't let others step over him.
Which usually backfired in that Edd didn't let Eddy step all over him, something he recognized and also complained about.
That being said, the polite boy enjoyed helping people and being kind and considerate. He didn't regret his actions- not even letting Kevin staying over for breakfast, a bit later into the morning than he had anticipated. While he'd likely be up later to make up for the lost time spent talking, he still held no regrets.
The fact he felt obligated came from how tired he felt in his core. It was feeling harder and harder to find that joy he use to feel when someone smiled and thanked him for his help- harder and harder to want to help. If not for the image of the perfect friend, student, son- no doubt Edd would have snapped and curled in on himself to let others deal with their own problems.
As it was, he couldn't do that now. The guilt to fail his image and obligations was far too much- was far heavier than the guilt of letting his friends or peers down, now.
"He was drunk, Eddy, I wasn't going to shun him and force him to go home, where I don't doubt his parents would give him quite the talking to- especially with how late it had been. Furthermore, it was freezing last night and he was hardly dressed for the weather- what if he stumbled elsewhere and succumbed to hypothermia instead?"
Eddy looked as though he was going to encourage that, but under Edd's reproachful look, grumbled under his breath instead and let it go. "Fine, whatever, goodie-two-shoes." He huffed, and they both went over to his couch where he flicked on something to play while they waited for Ed.
They fell into a comfortable silence- Edd had been use to his behavior and grumbles long enough to know when they did and didn't hold any weight. There was no reason holding it against him- Eddy and Kevin still butt heads pretty hard, especially since Eddy called him out on standing aside or joining in when his friends made fun of others. This only resulted in Kevin still directly making fun of Eddy- things may never change between those two.
Edd was too tired to ponder it for much longer, letting a tired sigh leave him once more.
"…You're fine with him having stayed over, right?" Eddy asked, eyes searching his friend's face. "I know you "detest" it when people spend the night, so, you know…"
The fondness blossomed in his chest, and Edd was reminded how much Eddy had grown from their childhood not even 10 years ago. With a soft smile, he nodded. "Yes, he didn't make much a mess. The worst thing to come was that it ate up my time. It's nothing I can't handle, however."
"Why didn't you just clean while he slept or something?" The confusion was clear, and Edd felt his cheeks warm in embarrassment.
"Well… when he woke up we ended up talking for a good bit. I did clean while he was asleep- though I'm starting to suspect he was awake longer than he let on." It certainly seemed that way.
"What did you guys talk about?" Eddy squinted; as if thinking it was unrealistic the two could coexist well enough for a chat to actually distract Edd from his work. Which was a fair thought; his chores, homework, and other errands were usually at the forefront of his mind.
"Oh, discussed drinking, then we discussed video games- that took up the biggest portion of our conversation. He offered to play some we both enjoy if I give him more cookies." Edd couldn't help the amusement, and apparently neither could Eddy given his own snort and brief, flicker of a grin.
"Well, he's not wrong. These?" He lifted a cookie before taking a bite and lacking the decency to chew before going, "Are fuckin' heavenly and I will sell my soul if it means I can live off of them for the rest of my life."
Edd couldn't stop himself from laughing a bit, covering his mouth and willing it to be nothing more than a few chuckles. "Disgusting Eddy; chew your food before you talk."
For a few moments Eddy tormented Edd by obnoxiously chewing, causing the other to squirm away with his hands over his eyes, unable to contain his laughter- especially once Eddy joined him and they both got lost in their childish joy- just like being a kid.
Once they relaxed, Eddy regarded Edd with one of those looks- one he didn't develop until he became mature. Where he actually studied his friend and considered his words and thoughts.
"Would you?" At the confused glance sent his way, he rolled his eyes and explained further. "Would you go and play video games with Kevin?"
Edd didn't consider it a real possibility, but still considered the question nevertheless. The two weren't really friends, and hardly had any common ground beyond living in the cul-de-sac their whole lives and liking some of the same games. It would likely make the experience awkward once they ran out of banter, or if one said the wrong thing and drudged up uncomfortable memories or feelings from when they were nothing more than nerd and dweeb.
However, the conversation they did have was rather amusing… as well as relaxing. Edd would almost say it felt freeing, as though forgetting his duties had given him a chance to truly rest. Kevin was able to bring forth amusement and comfort- but then he also pressed about those questions…
"I don't know." He answered softly, honestly. "I enjoyed our conversation, but how far would that go before things got awkward when we ran out of common ground? And… he asked about my life. He overheard us earlier in the week, about how busy I am, and noted how I seem to hold myself in a… guarded manner."
Raising his brows in surprise, Eddy whistled a bit. "Wow, didn't think shovel-chin had the brains to be that perceptive." He snickered at Edd's glare. "But why'd he ask about it? He never seems to care when his friends are putting you down."
"I asked that as well- partly due to curiosity, but I will admit it was largely to deflect from having to answer. I asked him why he cared to know, or why he even came over. He just said he didn't know; things got stifling afterwards, so he said his goodbyes and went home."
"Well maybe he wants to be friends but doesn't know how!"
"Good lord man!"
"Jesus Ed!"
The two seated teens jumped, Edd clutching his chest as Ed smiled down at them happily. How on earth did he get in without either of them hearing?
He didn't seem to mind their fright or Eddy's anger as he sent a few curses his way, stepping over the couch to settle in between them.
"When did you get here, Lumpy- and why didn't you say anything?!" It's not that they didn't want to keep things from Ed; it's just that he still often misinterpreted things and sometimes made it difficult to talk about this stuff without it being derailed early on. He seemed to recognize that and wasn't too bothered, especially since they (usually Edd) still filled him in later or summarized if he was silent the whole time and got lost in his own thoughts.
"I got here a little bit ago!" He answered, the joy never leaving him. It was refreshing. "You and Double-D were busy, so I didn't want to interrupt! But now you seem confused." He smiled his big, lovable grin.
"Why do you think Kevin wants to be friends, Ed?" Edd asked softly, curious at his friend's answer. While not the most academically inclined, they could all agree he was likely the best at reading emotions.
They all had their strong points, and the trio balanced one another out beautifully.
"Because, Double-D! You're you! You're fun and creative and really know how to help people!" Ed stated that like it was the answer to everything, and Edd's hopes at some insight began to leave him before the other regarded him a little more seriously.
"Kevin's not a bad guy- he's just stuck! Frankie in my tutoring class says social pressure can be hard to escape, and I think you two have that in common. Your pressure from your parents and teachers, and his pressure from his peers and maybe even his parents!"
Edd blinked. "You… might be right."
"Wait, really?" Both Eddy and Ed seemed surprised by that.
"Maybe- I'm not omnipotent." He smiled a little. "Are you sure he's not simply curious about what goes on in my life- it is a pretty big secret to everyone else but you two. No one's ever met my parents before. I don't think anyone in the cul-de-sac has even seen them before."
"I have!" Ed pouted.
"Besides us, lumpy." Eddy lightly wacked him on the head- a love tap. "Anyways, Double D has a point. How do you know Shovel-chin wants to be friends and isn't just going to drag him along for his own sake?" He clearly didn't trust or think very highly of Kevin.
At both his friends looking at him for answers, Ed cocked his head. "I don't think he would have come to your house drunk if he didn't wanna be friends with you! It's something he did without really thinking!"
The other two shared a look, but before they could respond, he continued forth. "I think you should give it a chance, Double D! Maybe if he comes to you wanting to hang out, you should! You do work a lot on all those things, and he cares you're hurting and can't be yourself around anyone. Why not?"
That was a fair statement. "I… I suppose."
"And if he is being a bully, then I'll sit on him!" He said that with way too much of his lovable glee, but it got another grin out of Edd and a snort from Eddy.
With that, the discussion was over and they prepped for some monster movies. Both Ed and Eddy began eating their snacks- getting crumbs everywhere much to Edd's visible distaste- but otherwise respected that the nerd of the trio seemed to need a little time to sort through his thoughts.
Maybe there was some truth to what Ed said- that Kevin was like him and suffering under pressure and unable to be who he really wanted to be?
Did he know who he really wanted to be, though?
Because Edd didn't.
And there was another thing Ed said that had Edd regarding the other two seriously while they were content to focus on their movies and snacks and conversation of what happened in their week.
"You're hurting and can't be yourself around anyone."
Anyone.
Did Ed know that despite being one of his best friends, there was still something Edd kept closed off from him and Eddy? Did he know what emptiness lurked inside him, that constantly threatened to overthrow him and ruin all he had built up.
Maybe Ed did know, or maybe he recognized that maybe Ed and Eddy weren't enough to support Edd anymore.
Edd was tired. And with that thought, came all the reminders of all he had to do. How he was too tired to eat, wouldn't get more than a few hours of sleep, and would spend all of tomorrow working on things.
He just wanted to rest.
A trio that balances one another out- I like this idea much better, even if I recognize that toxicity in their friendship is a totally valid thing given their personalities but... my boys deserve each other thank you.
Ed recognizes more than he can eloquently put, so he simply nudges his friend to find a friendship that can help him.
Sorry for the late update; here's to hoping I get a little quicker! I actually really enjoy writing this and already have a few scenes planned out. Thank you for those who leave reviews; they make my day 3 3
