Disclaimer – I own nothing but this whole boatload of art homework that is due on Thursday that hasn't been done yet... you want it? Do you??? Coz I'll give it you to do... honest and for truly...

A/N – I'm depressed. Yup. Depressed. So far that stupid never-ending pit of despair that they call a college has told me that I am awful at writing poetry, can't write prose and especially can't draw... I need to feel love -sobs-. But anyway, in an effort to prove them wrong... Chapter 19 of lord knows how many, so, as always thank you for the reviews you've sent, they bring me such happiness every time I receive one, and enjoy chapter 19! Oh, and sorry muchly for the update delay... on with the show!


Closeted Secrets

Ed was surprised to hear the sound of sobs joining his own, and to feel two hands, gracefully glide over his shaking shoulders, allowing Double D to pull himself into Ed's chest. The warmth he felt there, the comfort that surrounded him in the protection of Ed's strong arms, it was the best feeling in the world and, even though he could not control the sorrow that escaped him with each tear he cried, for those few minutes of comfort he was the most content that he had been for what seemed like days.

Neither boy noticed the third figure slip silently into the room.

Ed's tears also continued to flow, partly due to the fear and guilt that he could no longer sustain, but also from relief. Double D was ok. That was the most important thing to him. All he could do now was to hold Double D tighter, pull him closer, so that nothing in the world could harm his delicate friend. Ed's head shifted so that it now lay nestled on Double D's shoulder, surrounded by shiny locks of midnight. He smiled into his friend's hair, grateful that he had finally been given the chance to be so close to it. To be trusted so much by his friend that he would reveal to him his most protected of secrets. He breathed deeply, trying to hold the scent of the ebony in his mind. Committing each delicate fragrance, each fragile touch to his memory. Somehow he doubted that he would ever get the chance to be this close to his friend again.

Double D sighed into his friend's chest, shifting his head to rest closer to Ed's neck. The brush of Double D's hair jarred a thought in Ed's mind as he somewhat reluctantly pulled away from his friend, who gazed questioningly up at him, stormy green eyes ablaze with fear, with pain. Ed dug around in the pockets of his oversized green jacket, trying to decipher what each object he touched was by its texture. Ed never knew quite what could be lurking in his pockets – or for just how long it had been lying there. Finally he brushed his hand over the material that was so familiar to him, and pulled the hat out of his pocket, stopping briefly to brush some of the leftover crumbs off it's surface before presenting it proudly to his tearful but smiling friend.

Double D let out a silent laugh before Ed carefully and ceremoniously placed the black cloth upon his friend's head, not bothering to sweep his hair up underneath, and leaving it sitting astride his forehead at a skewed angle, causing the material to fall over one of Double D's eyes. The raven-haired boy pushed the hat back above his eyebrows before embracing his friend yet again, letting all the love, the appreciation of comfort between the two friends pull them together, an unbreakable bond.

"Thank you so much Ed." Double D found it almost impossible to speak. To form the words to express such overwhelming feelings of gratitude. He had so much to be thankful for at the feet of his friend. Compassion, love, comfort and, although he was not always completely understood by the larger boy, someone to share the grief of a fallen angel.

And now he had even returned his hat. Such a simple gesture, and yet so well appreciated. He felt guilty that Ed had blamed himself for the upset that had been caused, and that he should have to have shouldered that guilt, no matter how short the sentence was. Double D knew vaguely the workings of Ed's mind, and so he was pretty sure that Ed would have convinced himself that the only way to return to the way things had been just yesterday morning would have been to return the hat. That there could be such a simple explanation for their problems. Just like there always had been, back when they were innocent, when they were children and they had no knowledge of the evils that they had now opened their eyes to.

No. That voice in the back of his mind once again surfaced, through the thoughts of love and of bliss. He had never been innocent. The only evil he faced was the evils that existed inside of him, the evils that made him disobey his parents, that made him let them down time after time. Now, finally, that betrayal was all coming back to him.

And yet, in the safety of Ed's arms, it seemed as though nothing could reach him.

Double D's hand reached out to brush the material out of his eyes after it had fallen down his face again without the support of his hair to hold it up. He was so glad to have it back. After last night he thought he'd never see it again....

Wait.

If he had left the hat behind when he had fled from Eddy's last night, then how exactly had Ed managed to get his hands on it? The only way that he could have gotten it was for it to have been given to him...

Double D's blood ran cold through his veins, a chill, the thoughts of his best friend like an icy cold touch to his mind ran, through his body as his eyes flew open to find the short blonde figure standing in the far corner of the room. But somehow the image would not settle in his mind, as if blurred, his vision blinded by tears? By fury?

By hope?


Yeah... Chapter 19... I'd type more, but I'm tired and depressed and wanted to post this tonight as I missed by usual Sunday deadline. So, please review, and as always I'll try and get the next chapter to you asap!

BTW, if anyone is staring to think that this story is going nowhere, I'm sorry... I just like description... and I know I've just written three whole chapters on the same damn thing, but I do promise the action will begin next chapter! Hooray! Hope everyone continues to carry on reading this story and don't get bored too quickly... Pleasies -Pleading face-