Praise me! This entire chapter was written in one sit down! Roughly...Three-ish hours? Really, I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. In fact, I'm probably going to pay for my late night writing antics by a serious lack of energy tomorrow... But hey! I feel damn well accomplished belting this thing out! I'd like to thank those who have given me my first three reviews of this story: i'm an exiser, holyfanfictionbatman, and poesumo. You all make my day when I read your encouraging reviews.
Chapter 2: An Ed in Sheeps Clothing
It was early in the morning, early enough that the dew coating the few vehicles left around the small cul-de-sac had yet to evaporate in the warming autumn air in Peachcreek. Many of the adults in said cul-de-sac had left only shortly ago for work. This worked well for one teenager in particular as he wished for his reasons for sneaking around in the morning mist to be unknown to the still sleeping residents of the small suburb.
Edd, or Double D as he was known as by his friends, stepped into a home that was in no way particularly different from any of the others surrounding his. It held a few memories for him that caused a wave of nausea and a slight wish for a bath to pass over him, but as he focused on the figure before him once more the thought left as quickly as it came.
"Dare I ask why we're not leaving just yet?" The slightly taller young man mumbled to the blond as they passed through the simple living room. It held a wine red couch with a dark wood coffee table, a massive window behind the deep red piece of furniture. An overly large TV rested against a wall, a slightly lighter colored piece of wooden furniture holding it up easily.
The young woman before him turned her head just enough to glance over her sweater covered shoulder. "Well, before we go out and start, I need to know what I'm working with dude." Nazz, the eldest of the female children of the cul-de-sac stated simply. Edd couldn't help but smile a bit as she ended her sentence with her trademark 'dude'. Out of all the time he knew her, the brilliant young man couldn't quite figure out the reason for the habit.
"I-I see..." He mumbled as his mind caught up with what she actually said. As they entered what seemed to be the girl's room, Edd found a deep warmth in his cheeks as he realized that, for the first time, he was in a girl's room with just the two of them. "What might that entail, dear Nazz?" He mumbled fidgeting with his ever present black, sock-like hat.
The girl turned around and placed her hands on his shoulders, causing him to stop in the middle of the room. She turned back once more and moved to the large bed nestled against the far wall from the door and plopped down onto the center of the bed cross-legged. Her arms crossed her ample chest covered with the thick sweater as she waited a few moments, seemingly in thought, her keen blue eyes focusing on the young Ed.
Feeling beads of sweat beginning to form on the back of his neck, Edd looked around uneasily, feeling as if a predator was evaluating the best was to capture the weakest prey. His darker blue eyes began to wander about the room in an attempt to escape the thought of the gaze. Nazz's room was nothing like he would have expected it. Jeans and jackets lay about on the floor as well as various undergarments which caused his cheeks to redden and flick towards the wall. It was a quite bright orange color, the light from the rising sun adding to its already neon like coloring. The color nearly matched the color of said rising star. Posters of various sports teams sat taped to the wall while a large cork board rested at the foot of her bed. Pictures of friends and events made the young man smile a bit. Beside them, familiar pieces of yellow paper rested, neat handwriting giving reminders of different things.
"Take off your clothes."
So lost in thought was Edd, that he failed to notice what she said. He registered that the girl actually said something, but what it was didn't quite hit him. "Pardon?" He asked politely.
"Take. Off. Your. Clothes." Nazz stated again in an even voice, not batting an eyelash.
"I-I beg your pardon!?" Edd gasped in shock. He noticed the girl ready to repeat herself a third time but shook his head. "W-Why should I do such a thing?"
Huffing a bit, the girl leaned back a bit against the sunburst orange wall. "Well Double D, I can't get a good look at you with your clothing in way." She finished with a motion of her hand to 'go ahead'. Nearly ten seconds passed before she brushed a bit of the messy blond hair from her face. "Would you like some help?"
"No!" The black haired boy gasped. He bit his lip a bit as he gripped the bottom of his shirt. As he began to pull it off, Nazz gave note that he only needed to go down to his boxers. Edd felt like his arms were made of rubbery lead as he pulled off the bright red t-shirt, nor did they work as he wanted, getting caught in the sleeves as he pulled it over his head. Once his head was free, he stopped a brief moment to note that the young woman was watching intently, her face slightly stern and calculating. He blushed a bit more as he began to fold the garment.
"Just drop it to the floor, dude." She mumbled unblinkingly.
Ready to protest such an audacious act, the boy in the hat looked up only to be silenced with the same purposeful stare. Sighing heavily, the young man let his hands rest on the button to his shorts but hesitated, quickly moving to one of his legs reaching under the leg of the shorts. His fingers gripped one of the thigh-long red socks. Pulling it off easily, as his shoes rested at the door to the house, he proceeded to do the same with methodically slow movements to the other. He heard another sigh escape the blond's lips.
"Double D," She began, sliding off the bed. She approached the slightly taller teenager, her form moving quickly towards the blushing young man. "You're going waaay too slow dude, we've got lots of shopping to get done." As she spoke, her hands worked the button open on Edd's shorts without even looking, his cheeks darkening considerably. "I didn't ask for a strip show, so stop acting it's one." Stepping back, the jean shorts dropped to the floor with the aid of gravity which the young man cursed in the back of his mind.
Nazz began to circle the young man who stood stone still as her eyes took in the slim, waif like body of the young man. He could hear her mumbling to herself in thought. Edd was not what you would call confident when it came to his looks. He knew that the ideal teenage male, based on society, should be big and strong with a bit of muscle. Unfortunately, he was looked more like some kind of unusual combination of slim teenage girl and weak little bookworm. His stomach was flat, slightly toned and pale while his arms with thin and out of shape, but not flabby. He once heard Rolf comment at the creek about that he had 'supple' legs. Due to some of the heavy lifting he had to due during some of Eddy's scams, Edd found his legs gaining some curve of muscle, but their were still slim and feminine, like the rest of him. Not to mention a bit of a compulsion he had...
"...You shave?" Nazz finally spoke. It wasn't so much as question as much as a statement of revelation. It was true. Edd found that he truly disliked being covered in bodily hair. This caused him to shave his legs, arms and anywhere else that there might be hair on his body... In retrospect, Edd suspected it didn't aid his feminine image.
"N-Nazz!" Edd squeaked as he jumped. A hand had brushed along his forearm causing goosebumps to erupt along his skin.
Raising her hands in a 'sorry' kind of gesture, the girl offered a strange, crooked grin. "Sorry, I just wanted to see how smooth it was." Watching the young man relax, she moved back to his front again. "Y'know, this might work out really well actually. I mean you really have a good body for something like this." A silent blush was Edd's only response. "Back here isn't bad either!" She laughed sneakily as she jumped forward, throwing her arms around behind the terrified young man, her hands each grabbing his round backside.
Edd only stood frozen.
"Hey um..." She mumbled a bit leaning back. The blond's eyes flicked downward between them. "Is that shaved too?"
Edd could only silently nod in embarrassment.
"Oh I'm gonna have some fun." Nazz snickered as she moved backwards, plopping onto the edge of her bed. "Now, get dressed so we can head out."
Brooding in his terrible humiliation, the long haired boy began to dress once more, brushing wrinkles out of his clothing.
Snapping in thought, Nazz stood up. "Oh, while you're going through with this dare, I will not let you wear that hat." Watching the boy grip the hat with both hands and whimper lightly, Nazz shook her head sternly. "Nope, not gonna happen. You can wear it for now, but it's gone as soon as the dare begins."
What have I gotten myself into? Edd thought as he follow the young woman out the door, his eyes focused on Nazz's tanned feet that appeared from time to time under the baggy pants covering her legs.
It was but a few minutes later that the two were cruising down the main road of Peachcreek. The town consisted mostly of thick woods and small bundles of homes in secluded neighborhoods. The still sleeping town was quiet as the sun made its way further into the sky. More and more store fronts began to open their doors as the two drove closer to the limits of the small town. The closest mall worth visiting was a town over, thus, the two soon found themselves offered views of wide open farms and overgrown fields with ancient building in them.
The trip had been mostly silent, Edd deep in thought while Nazz enjoyed the CD she had placed in the stereo before the began their trip. The young man was sure he'd heard it playing on her radio once before when she did her usual sun bathing, but he wasn't certain, he rarely listened to music much. He was watching the scenes of simple farm houses pass by before her lost interest in them, instead, his attention switched to his more immediate surroundings. The car in which the teenager drove was very similar to her room. It was disorganized and cluttered with junk. In the back seat, piles of textbooks from school sat, crammed full of papers. Around his feet, wrappers and bags from various fast food restaurants sat, just waiting to be thrown away. He never figured Nazz for the type of girl to live in such a way. In fact, over the few years, the girl had changed considerably. Granted, much of that had to do with puberty and natural growth, but no longer was she the neighborhood crush that all the boys fawned over. While she did occasionally act a bit questionable, such as at the party on Halloween, the girl was now normally seen just hanging with the guys.
"What is it?" The girl asked easily, her eyes flicking towards the young man then back to the road.
Edd blushed a bit not noticing he begun to stare at the calm you woman. He went back to looking out the window as he relaxed a bit more. "I was just thinking."
"'Bout what?"
Thinking how to word his thoughts correctly Edd sighed scratching under his beanie. "I... I guess I was just thinking about how different you seem than a few years ago."
"You could say that for all of us really." The blond smiled fondly as she adjusted herself a bit to be more comfortable. The black haired boy only nodded in agreement as he yawned slightly. "I guess I just kinda grew up." She mumbled tapping her thumbs on the steering wheel with the beat of the music. "I think it had a lot to do with my dad."
Raising an eyebrow and looking towards Nazz, Edd found himself fascinated. Out of all of the children in the cul-de-sac, he knew the least about this girl's parents. "How so?"
Sighing a bit, the girl brushed some of her unruly blond hair from her face. "Well, it's only my dad to take care of me, been like that as long as I can remember. He tried to make me into a 'proper' girl by buying me whatever I wanted. He would buy me clothes that girl should wear, toys that girls play with, all that." Reaching towards the stereo to change the song, she continued after a few clicks of a button. "But then he was laid off from his job and things got a little tight."
"When was this?" Edd interrupted. He had no idea that such things happened.
"About... Hm..." The girl thought for a few moments. "Two years ago?"
Gasping, the feminine young man put a hand to his mouth. "I-I had no idea! I would have helped if you merely as-" He stopped when the girl held up a hand.
"We didn't tell anyone in the neighborhood." She admitted with a small grin. "Me and my dad are a little thick headed... Anyway, we had to do without for a little while. During that, we spent a lot of time together, just trying to keep out spirits up. I guess he kinda rubbed off on me during that time. That's when he kinda gave up on making me 'girly'."
Edd was fascinated, he learned something about the girl that he had never even thought he'd learn. Though, there was one thing that seemed to be sticking into the back of his mind. The proverbial elephant in the room, as he felt.
After a few quiet minutes, the long haired boy turned his head to look at the girl. "I've um... I've noticed that you and Kevin... You don't seemed to be around each other a much as you use to either."
"Yeah, that's another thing. I guess he likes the kind of girl who wants to hang on to him and depend on him." She snickered a bit looking to Edd. "That's not me." She turned her attention back to the road and went silent. Another few moments of uneasy silence passed before her mumbled something. "Besides... There's that other thing..."
About to ask what Nazz meant, he was cut off by the music being turned up a bit, an unusual look on her face. Edd decided to not push the comment, instead, he opted to look back out the window, enjoying the view of the clear day.
Back in Peachcreek, Eddy and Ed stood at the front door of Eddward's house, the short young man growling in impatience. Once more, he rapped loudly on the door while ringing the doorbell. "Hey Double D! My mind control helmet wont build itself!" He roared, the redhead behind him holding the handle to a wagon filled with bits and pieces of junk.
"Control the masses Double D!" Ed called out raising a fist to the air, a big goofy grin on his mono-browed face.
"Oh dear..." Edd mumbled as he entered the rather large mall. The reality of his situation suddenly became much more real.
Snickering while nudging his shoulder a bit, the blond grinned. "No turning back now." A strange whimper escaped the androgynous young man's throat as he gripped the hem of his shirt.
Their first stop was a simple clothing store. The conservative apparel still made the young Ed blanch. He couldn't seem to come to terms that they were something he was going to wear for the next month.
As they rifled through the racks of clothing, they picked out a few thin clothed dresses as well as a few made long jackets that would go well with each. Nazz decided to go with darker tones with the young man, thinking it would go well with his hair as well as accentuate his 'beautiful blue eyes' as she put it.
The young man sighed a bit as he found himself practically locked within a changing room, a dozen or so outfits hanging on the various hooks within. At first, he had trouble figuring out how to put on the 'confusing' garments but quickly mastered them. It seemed to be going smoothly until a voice picked up outside.
"Do you need any help ma'am?" Asked one of the employees to Nazz. The girl attempted to fend off the woman with a simple 'no'. But after further inquiries into what the blond was doing made her sigh in frustration and attempt to deter the woman by having her show her some shoes that Nazz was pretty sure didn't exist. Seriously, moose-skin high-tops?
Sighing and giving a silent thanks to his friend, Edd went back to trying on a rather short skirt and sweater combination. He finally figured out how to get the skirt on correctly when a different voice came from outside the door.
"Ma'am, you've been in there for quite awhile. Do you need any help?" The store worker called through the door.
The boy froze in place as he stood in the stall in nothing but his skirt, thigh high socks, sneakers and his hat. He would have attempted to give some kind of response, but it seemed his throat refused to work at that very moment.
The jingling of keys made the young man panic. He began to frantically look around him for something – anything- that could get him out of the situation. When the sound of the lock hit his ear, he quickly snatched his hat off of his head and let his long hair free from the tie.
Just as the door opened, he turned around, using the sweater to cover his chest, a shocked look still on his face.
"Oh!" The woman started, staring at Edd for a brief moment. His cheeks were burning bright with a blush as the few tense moments passed. Would he be found out?
Of course you're going to be found out! You look nothing like a girl! You're going to be humiliated. Just give up n- His thoughts were interrupted by the woman apologizing profusely as she closed and locked the door once more. Edd stood stunned. What just happened?
He heard Nazz come back, the swishing of her jeans a welcomed sound.
"You okay?" She asked casually as she leaned up against the door.
"A worker came in..." The long haired boy mumbled from under the sweater and he pulled it over his head. Pulling his hair out of the collar, he turned to look at himself in the full body mirror. The blush stayed on his cheeks as he look himself over. Though he refused to wear such a short skirt in public, he had to admit that he actually looks... Kind of attractive.
"What?" The girl gasped. "What happened?"
Removing the clothing once more, the boy shrugged to himself. "I... I don't know. I don't think she noticed." He surprised himself with a light giggle interlaced with his words. A giggle? The clothing had to be effecting him.
"Well, that's good." Nazz snickered a bit. "Well? How do you like them?"
Edd once now dressed in a pair of tight jeans, the curve of his backside being shown off much to his horror. The t-shirt was slightly small for him, showing off a bit of his stomach as he stood there. "I must say... It's... Different."
After paying for the several outfits, the two made their way to more and more stores, their haul growing with each stop. It wasn't until their final destination that the young man felt horrified. Before him stood a terrible, ominous thing.
A lingerie store.
"What are we doing here?!" He nearly shrieked just outside of the entrance causing quite a few patrons to take notice.
"Shhh!" Putting a finger to her lips, Nazz crossed her arms over her chest. "Listen," She huffed. "You can't go around wearing boxers, not even briefs under a skirt, no matter how long. We're here to get you, Double D, some new panties."
When did Nazz get so good as sounding so stern?
By the time it was late afternoon, the cul-de-sac was buzzing with commotion. No one could seem to find either Nazz nor Edd. Eddy began to come up with wild run-away stories of the two eloping. None of them made much sense really.
"The dork probably chickened out on the bet. I tell ya, Nazz is helping him out." Kevin grumbled as he leaned against his bright red sports car.
The brown haired young Ed's eyes narrowed as he stood beside Ed who was busy making something Double D had taught him long ago, a daisy chain. "He better not've..."
Both of the young men turned to look at the old blue car is it pulled into Nazz's driveway. The two quickly made their way over as two young women stepped out.
"Nazz! Where's Double Dork?" Kevin asked as he walked over to the blond whom simply frowned at him.
"Yeah! All she has is this girl and all of these clo-...Oh... Oh OH! This is Sockhead!" The short young man gasped.
Before them stood Edd, dressed in a tastefully short skirt which just brushed the middle of his smooth, supple thighs. A thick turtleneck sweater hugged to the form of his torso, its light, slate blue contrasting well to the thin, black cloth of the skirt. A pair of white, thigh high stockings covered his legs while a pair of black ankle boots surrounded his feet.
Watching the androgynous figure before him move a few strands of long black hair behind an ear, Kevin could only mutter a few words. "No way..."
A bit of insight into why Nazz is acting the way she is in this chapter. But wait! What's this strange secret she seems to be hiding? Stay tuned kids to found out in our next exciting episode! As always, reviews a like gold to me, that means that the more I get, the happier I'll be!