Wow... A little over a year later and I FINALLY get around to finishing up the half-baked 6th chapter of this thing. Now, I know a lot of you are probably wondering exactly why I never seem to update this or any of my other stories. Well, life isn't as kind as I would wish it was and thus school, work, and various obligations as well as good ol' fashion laziness kept me from doing much of any writing. Thankfully though, I think I might of found a nice little routine to do some short spurts of writing here and there; certainly I won't say you should expect another chapter up in any brief time, but be assured it will be worked on from time to time.

Now that the waiting is over... BUM BUM BUUUUUUM! Chapter 6: Fly by the Seat of Your Ed!

Edit: Had to fix a chunk of dialogue due to them talking about the bet as if it was going to be over after only a few days.

Chapter 6: Fly by the Seat of Your Ed

Cold wind whipped his slightly shaggy bright red hair as he looked around the front of Peach Creek High School. Kevin, the star quarterback of the school sighed in frustration as his deep blue eyes searched the now empty parking lot for the person he was supposed to give a ride to.

"Well dork, if you're here, I'm sorry, but I don't have all day." Huffing once more, the strong young man slipped into his sleek red car and sped away from the school.

Cruising down the street leading to the cul-de-sac, he glanced to his left, spotting the stooped form of his would-be passenger. Frowning and pulling into his home's driveway, Kevin stepped out of the car, closing and locking it in one swift movement, then made his way along the smooth sidewalk to the trudging body.

"Thanks for the warning Double Dork. You could've just told me you weren't going to get a ride." Stated the redhead in a slightly frustrated tone. When no response came from the pale figure, he tilted his head a little. "Double D?" He watched the slender, shaking body stop in front of him. His eyes traveled the form, Edd's hands were balled up into fists at his sides. Light sniffles made Kevin start a bit, his hands quickly reaching to the thin shoulders. "Whoa whoa! You okay Double D?" One of his hands quickly and gently took the boy's chin lifting it up carefully, worried that it may be injured again. No bruises, no cuts, not even blood.

Tears flowed from Edd's light blue eyes and down the smooth cheeks, his slightly reddening eyes looking up now at Kevin. "Eddy and I fought." He croaked out, raising a his coat sleeve covered arm to wipe the tears away. Sniffing a bit, he saw the broader teenager give a heavy sigh of relief, shaking his head.

"You really had me scared there for a second, dork. I thought I was going to have to whoop some ass." Pausing, he peeked up at the now slightly smiling face.

"Thank you for your concern Kevin, but..." Wiping an eye again with his palm, he sighed. "I feel terrible."

Putting his hands into his pockets, Kevin rocked on his feet a little, glancing over his shoulder as Edd trailed off in his speech. Looking back to the visibly weakened form, he moved closer, putting an arm around the frail shoulders. "C'mon, let's go inside, it's getting cold."

"O-Okay..." Edd mumbled softly, being led inside Kevin's house without protest.

After slipping their shoes off at the front door, the meek youth looked around Kevin's well kept house. The living room was painted a light pastel yellow, a large, well worn couch in the center facing a large, slim television. Between the two, a dark wooded coffee table held various car magazines and several remotes.

"Somethin' to drink?" Asked the taller of the two, passing into the kitchen.

"No thank you Kevin." Mumbled the feminine teenager as she moved into the living room, meekly taking a spot on the old couch, sinking in slightly. His blue eyes curiously scanned the area, looking out the large window, smiling a bit to himself as fresh snow began to fall. Blue fabric rested in his hands as he fumbled with the shirt covering his thin frame, his thoughts lost to the view of the white mist of snow.

So lost was Edd, that he failed to hear the soft shuffling of feet against carpet behind him. Kevin grinned to himself as he plopped onto the couch heavily, the movement causing the light young man to bob up, going slightly off balance. A light 'eep' made the redhead chuckle slightly. "Whatcha lookin' at dork?"

"Oh, just the snow." Mumbled the waif as he leaned back against the couch.

Sipping the can of soda in his hand, Kevin nodded a bit with a glance outside, his free hand snatching the remote. "Feeling a little better?"

"Mm, a little... Eddy just made me very frustrated..." Edd smiled. "Thank you." The large television flickered to life, a football game of some sort snagging the jock's attention for a moment. It wasn't until he glanced slightly to his left to look at the girly teen thoughtfully. "W-What?"

"I was just think'n... Was it about the bet?"

Edd offered a small nod as he fixed his long skirt absently. "It was... Eddy says that dressing up like this... And enjoying it isn't good for me. I believe he thinks that it will lead me to do other things that society finds immoral which is just ludicrous... Though I must admit that I'm surprised I've actually gone through with this thus far." He noticed Kevin nod with a small smirk out of the corner of his eye. "But... I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it's finished..."

"Whatcha mean?" Asked the more muscular of the two. At the lack of a response, he glanced to his left once more to see Edd blushing as his eyes stared at his fists gripping the skirt.

"I-I... I'm not sure if I want to go back to dressing the way I did before." The intelligent teenager nearly whispered as he looked up. "Somehow... I feel that dressing like this is a better... Representation of who I am." Looking up, Edd's eyes seemed to shine, one of his hands resting lightly on his chest. "It's like I'm more real than I was before..." Blushing softly, he looked to his host. "Does that sound strange?"

Scratching his slightly scruffy chin, Kevin let out a low chuckle. "Well... A little yeah... But I think I get what you're sayin'."

"Thank you Kevin..." Edd smiled, only to frown. "But what about Eddy? While I may be mad at him right now, I still think of his as a friend."

"What about him?"

Sighing and leaning further back into the soft couch, Double D adjusted his glasses. "I don't want something like this to be what breaks up such a long friendship."

Kevin watched his guest for nearly a full minute. Emotions moved back and forth over the feminine face as the teen seemed to sort through his feelings on the situation. For being such a smart guy, he sure can be thick. Thought the quarterback. "Listen, Double D." Blue eyes locked on him. "I'm not gonna tell you what to do or anything, but really, if your friends can't accept you for who you are, what kinda friends are they?" Sipping his drink, the young man shrugged. "Dorky needs to understand that you're not his slave or whatever, you're your own person." Rubbing his head, the young man leaned his head back. "Man... This really isn't my department or anything... Nazz is better at this mumbo jumbo... But I mean like... Don't worry about what he thinks. Be who you want to be." Seeing the bespectacled young man's eyes growing wider, the redhead laughed lightly. "Ya only got one life right? No use is trying to be something you're not."

The smaller of the two seemed to mull over the thoughts in his head while absently staring at Kevin who only grew more and more unsure of his words as each moment passed by.

"L-Like I said Double D, I'm not too good at thi-"

"You're right." Interrupted Edd. His stoic face broke into a wide smile. "You are certainly wiser than you think, Kevin."

Kevin laughed lightly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I do what I can." The two smiled at each other before turning their attention to the television before them. A calmness rested between the two as they simply enjoyed each other's company. Adjusting his position to be more comfortable, Kevin stretched out a bit with a yawn. Wasn't I supposed to do something when I got home? He thought as his eyes strayed from the image on the flat screen. Olive colored eyes ran along the wall to look sideways at the kitchen. Something with food.. The cogs in his mind began to crank and move as he thought. "Oh hell! The party! I gotta get ready!"

"Oh! Yes!" Sitting up quickly, the slim young man followed his host to the kitchen. "I apologize for getting you sidetracked. Should I assist you?"

"It's not your fault dork but that would be awesome." Reaching for a scribbled note on his fridge, Kevin looked over a rather long list. "Here, read this to me." He instructed as he opened the door to the fridge.

"Of course." Clearing his throat, Edd glanced over the various recipes written down. "Um... Beefy Taco Dip... One pound ground beef, one pound ground turkey, a large onion..." He began, watching Kevin snatch the foods from their spots to be placed on the counter. He slowly went through the ingredients as Kevin pulled them out from their appropriate places.

Each recipe's ingredients were placed upon the kitchen's counters in groups according to their dish before Kevin huffed. "This is going to take some time..." He groaned lightly.

Placing the cooking instructions on the dining table close to him, Edd moved over to an apron hanging on a hook of the pantry door to protect the pristine light blue blouse on his slim chest. "I don't mind helping Kevin. Cooking is very much like chemistry, which I enjoy very much." Tying the apron around his waist, the slim young men moved beside the quarterback, smiling. "It will also help get my mind off too many unpleasant topics."

Smirking, Kevin nodded to his slightly younger friend. "Sure thing, dork." He turned back to his slowly simmering ground turkey for a few moments. The sounds of utensils clacking against pots and pans, sizzling meat and onions being chopped filled the air of the quiet home. There is something calming about cooking, Kevin thought though would never, ever admit. He glanced to his right, looking at the shorter teenager chopping the onions for the dip. Guess he feels the same with chemistry... Man, nerdy people are weird. As they had been doing more and more recently, Kevin's eyes began to examine Edd. Who's to say what's weird anymore right? He smirked looking back to the meat as he began to finely chop it with the plastic spatula. Never thought I'd be in a kitchen with a guy in drag, preparing food for a party, right?

"Pardon me Kevin, the onions are ready." Double D mumbled softly, not wanting to break the calm silence of focused effort in the air.

Kevin silently nodded as he shifted out of the way, nodding to the frying pan. Pale hands carefully pushed the onions into the still sizzling meat before replacing the cutting board back onto the counter, moving on to chop up peppers next. Deftly, the redhead reached to the left of the stove, grabbing a couple of different spices, shaking just enough into the cooking food. Not that that is a bad thing y'know? He's a pretty cool guy when you get to know him. Sure, he's not like a lot of my others friends at school, not a partier or anything, he's different, but a good different though. Replacing the shakers, Kevin moved over to the pantry, pulling out nearly a dozen chip bags and boxes of microwaveable popcorn bags. His eyes glanced over to the stove when he noticed movement. Edd dumped the red peppers into the meat and stirred it around, humming softly with a small smile on his glossed lips. Before Kevin could stop it, the comment leaped from his throat. "You'd make a good mom Double D." He said with a hint of sarcasm and a smirk.

Red raced across the cheeks of the apron wearing boy. "Well, I certainly learned from a very good one." He shrugged slightly. "Though, no matter how feminine I may look, I doubt I could give birth."

Snickering, the broad shouldered young man pulled out various 2-liter soda bottles and stacks of plastic cups. "Good one."

"I try." Edd smiled, glancing back to his host.

It was several hours later before Kevin glanced to the cheesy cat-clock hanging above the window above the kitchen sink. "Looks like it's gettin' close to that time. Go ahead and head home and get cleaned up, I can finish up the pigs."

Finishing the last small hot-dog wrapped up in dough, Edd nodded before pausing. "Would it be acceptable if I were to bring my things over and get cleaned up over here? I'd rather not risk facing Eddy just yet."

"Sure thing buddy." Kevin quipped before grinning. "I wouldn't wanna to run around in the snow in those itty bitty shorts of yours either."

"Th-That's highly inappropriate Kevin!" Blushed the protégé.

"Yeah yeah, jus' get back over here quickly dork." Chuckled the toned teen nearly affectionately as he placed the try with the foodstuffs.

Frowning, Edd huffed lightly and removed the apron, hanging it back up before looking to Kevin who was already heading to the door. "What are you doing?" Asked the slim boy curiously before following.

"Making sure your little buddy doesn't try and bother you on your way to your house." Explained the redhead offhandedly as if it were something that should had already been known. "Can't have you go off and get all worked up all over again when you have to help me finish things up here."

Double D watched his friend for a few moments, a small smile on the pale lips. "Thank you, Kevin."

Hearing the sheer appreciation in the voice caused the flower dusted young man faintly blush before looking off to the side. "Yeah sure, just hurry, I don't have all night to stand here." Watching the skirt clad teen cross the cul-de-sac, Kevin sighed before rubbing his forehead. "Dork…"

It wasn't long before Edd was finished with his quick trip. He stepped into Kevin's home once more, brushing the falling snow off of his shoulders and out of his long, black hair. "Kevin?" He called, slowly making his way further in.

"In the kitchen!" Called the deep voiced young man.

Curiosity pulled at Double D as he heard another voice with Kevin's. He shouldered his backpack a little more securely and approached the warm, delicious smelling kitchen. Sitting on the counter was Nazz, chuckling as she sipped on a soda. "Oh, hello Nazz, how are you?"

"I'm doing great. I hear you've been a little down though." Commented the blond as she slipped off of the smooth granite top. Kevin glanced over his shoulder as he pulled the steaming fresh pigs-in-blanket out of the oven, a disapproving look in his blue eyes. Noting the attention from her classmate, the young woman grinned. "But that's why we're having a party right? To have fun!" Throwing an arm around the petite shoulders, she sipped her soda again, looking to the backpack. "What's that?"

"I was just going to go get cleaned up. I didn't wish to have to walk back here in my pajamas." He mumbled, glancing to the sweater and pajama bottoms on the girl.

"You're such a girl." Nazz chuckled before patting his shoulder. "Go get cleaned up. You better'uv brought something cute to wear. I don't get to see you being all cute and stuff too often, even in school."

She watched the feminine boy quickly make his way into the bathroom before turning the football player. "So, keeping him all to yourself now?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kevin turned to the blond. "Who said I was doing that? The dork had a rough day so I tried to cheer him up. Got a problem with it?"

"Oh no no, it's just he's so darn cute in those clothes. You need to call me over when he is." Elbowing the fit young man, she snickered. She listened to the sound of the water beginning to run through the pipes in the house as Edd begun his shower. "Guy's got it rough though. Several bullies and now Eddy's being a supreme jerk to him?" A look from Kevin caused her to laugh lightly. "Right right, more so than usual."

"Double Dork is pretty tough though. He didn't let the guys get to him too much. His argument with Eddy though… I think he's pretty tender from that though. Makes sense though, they've been friends forever."

Tapping the counter, Nazz sipped the soda again. "Guess you're just gonna have to protect him then, huh?"

"… Right." Giving the short girl a sideways glance, he washed his hands, not sure if he was liking the implications behind those words.

Inside the bathroom, Edd blushed softly as he was sure to shower quickly. Showering in someone else's bathroom was always unnerving. There was the feeling that they would walk through the door at any moment. Thankfully though, it was surprising well kept. Too many times had he had to make the excursion into a friend's bathroom only to be horrified by the lack of upkeep.

He hummed to himself softly as he rinsed the soap suds off of his pale, slim figure. The hot water felt nice after being out in the snow; it was his favorite part of winter in fact. Taking the womens shaving cream in hand; he sprayed a fair amount in the other, running it over his legs. A quick pass of his razor over his legs, arms and various other places made him feel quite refreshed after such a long day. He then proceeded to scrub his hair with Jimmy's recommended shampoo. It wasn't whatever cheap brand he grabbed off of the shelf quickly anymore. This expensive brand was aiding his hair in being more presentable then it use to be. No more were there tangles and knots galore in the frizzy, matte hair. Now it shined in inky black waves, its natural curliness making it appear constantly wind-swept.

Once Edd was satisfied with his cleanliness, he exited the bathroom, tugging at the black boy shorts hugging his round bottom. Nazz turned her attention in the direction of the living room and grinned as she watched the still damp boy timidly pad in. "Double D… If I really didn't know better… I'd swear you were a really adorable girl."

Edd blushed deeply and looked to Kevin who scratched at his scruffy chin slightly, looking to the side, his eye drifting from the plate of meaty confections to the exposed left shoulder of the young man, his chocolate brown sweater a few sizes too large. "Th-Thank you… I-I think…" He mumbled before approaching Kevin. "Is there anything else that needs to be done?"

"N-Not really." Kevin mumbled, looking down into the glasses covered blue eyes. Nazz was right; he really did look like a girl. It would have been even more accurate to just call him a slightly masculine looking girl. Edd bobbed his head in understanding before following Nazz back into the living room to wait on the couch for the rest of the guests. Kevin's eyes unconsciously followed the round backside in boy shorts before snapping shut. Get a hold of yourself Kev, it's not what you think it is. He told himself before heading towards the bathroom.

A quick shower later, Kevin sighed, stepping out in a pair of simple shorts and a t-shirt. The water helped clear his mind of errant, weird thoughts. I just need to get me a nice girlfriend. I've been without one for far too long. He reasoned as he stepped out into the living room.

"N-Nazz! P-Please desist!" Cried Edd in embarrassment from under the stronger girl. One hand was on his exposed shoulder while the other was running up and down a perfectly smooth leg, threatening to explore further.

Kevin watched in complete confusion and shock as he looked at the red, panting face of the young man below him.

"But your legs are so smooth! It's amazing!" Nazz all but cackled.

The freshly showered teen looked down as Edd's head craned back to look at him upside down. "K-Kevin! Please!" He whimpered, attempting to crawl away from the girl.

Blood rushed into the tall boy's cheeks as he easily pulled the girl off of Edd. "Now Nazz, sexual harassment isn't allowed tonight." Kevin mumbled sitting her to the other end of the couch.

Edd panted lightly as he adjusted his glasses and sweater. The young man hadn't expected to have been nearly assaulted be the girl when she began to simply ask about his methods of pulling off certain looks. The next thing he knew, a hand was on his leg and he was under the blond.

"But Kev! His legs are so smooth, you gotta feel them!" Cried the rowdy girl, pointing at the legs in question.

"No," Was Kevin's simple response as he heavily flopped onto the couch between them.

A few moments passed as some cartoon played on the television.

"Th-Thank you Kevin…" Mumbled the inky haired teen as he coughed softly.

A few hours passed and the guests arrived. Snacks were consumed and movies began to play. Nazz had claimed a spot on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket as she snickered at the cheesy 'scary' movie playing. Rolf had taken a spot on the floor beside Jimmy and Sarah closer to the television, Johnny and Plank in a sleeping bag a little further off to the side, closer to a disgruntled Eddy and oblivious Ed, wrapped up in the cheap, latex based zombies. Double D and Kevin sat against the couch near Nazz's feet. The football played assumed the pale boy wanted to be near him to deter the fuming scam artist on the other side of the room. He didn't mind though, it was kind of nice to be needed for protection.

Beside him, Edd sat comfortably against the couch, his eyes drifting from the movie to Eddy to Kevin every now and then. Occasionally, Kevin would glance down as him, smirking a bit before tossing some popcorn in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Eddy glared daggers into the television, focusing his rage into it as he sipped on the diet soda in hand. His brown eyes flicked over to the jock beside Double D, fresh waves of loathing roaring through him. Lookit 'em, you'd think they were about to jump each other's bones any second! He frowned and raised his soda to his lips again before frowning and looking into the empty plastic cup. "Ed! Soda!" He thrust the cup before the hypnotized teen's eyes. After a few brief moments, he glared down at the fuzzy headed comic geek. "Ed!" He tapped the cup against the solid skull of his strong patsy, a fierce frown on his face.

"Pipe down loser! We're watching a movie!" Kevin snarled, his glare trained on the equally host of the party. "Get your own damn soda." The shaggy headed scam artist paused for a moment before clicking his teeth in annoyance and stalking away into the kitchen. Kevin sighed before leaning back against the couch once again, his eyes following Edd's hand as it reached over into the popcorn bowl he held. He looked to the young man who had a slight disapproving look on his features, causing the taller teen to lean closer. "He was being a jerk… And loud!" He whispered to the long haired genius.

"This is true, but, you need to be a little nicer." Huffed Edd as he placed a few piece of popcorn in his mouth, Kevin gawking slightly at him.

"That was nice!" He whispered and poked at the sweater covered ribs to emphasize his point. An unexpected result occurred, causing the androgynous boy to give a short squeak of surprise, drop his pieces of popcorn, and hop away from the offending digit, all at once. The two looked to each other, Kevin with a sly grin on his features while Edd blushed lightly, covering the ticklish area.

Meanwhile, Nazz snickered from her spot on the couch, long abandoning the movie in favor of watching the two near her feet and their little dealings with each other. Edd had begun to scold Kevin for tickling him, Kevin muttering an apology.

"Yeah yeah Dork. I didn't mean to." He chuckled before waving him closer. "Get back over here, it's cold y'know?" He noticed the surprised and slightly concerned look on the glasses clad features. Behind him, he could feel Nazz's sly gaze and grin burrowing into the back of his head.

Edd coughed lightly. "I-I suppose you are correct." He mumbled before scooting closer across the several layers of blankets to sleep on under them, leaving a few inches between himself and Kevin.

Closer to the television, Rolf's beast of a form turned around, frowning towards the two young men against the couch. "Rolf demands silence to view this whatchama-doohicky film!" He thundered, his fist thumping the floor solidly in his ever so volatile rage. "Even half-full Ed-boy knows this!" He continued, motioning to Ed who sat in a small puddle of his own drool which had caused Eddy to retreat to the nearby armchair.

Double D muttered a light apology as he yawned softly, leaning to the side to become more comfortable. He felt his newly found cushion, Kevin, stiffen and look down quickly to figure out what was happening. Edd laughed nervously before leaning up to inform his friend of his need for sleep without bothering the others.

"Dork…" Murmured the redhead softly without a single movement to move Edd. Taking this as an acceptance of their position, the long haired teen yawned once more, Kevin's warm arm shakily wrapping around his waist to keep him from falling over. The weight of Double D's head on his shoulder seemed to heat up the taller boy, making him flush even worse. You're gonna get me in trouble Dork. He thought absently as he heard Nazz let out a soft giggle.

The night continued on, several movies being played before the entire room had fallen silent as the quests slipped into sleep. Only one was still awake. Kevin sighed, turning off the DVD played and television, throwing the room into a deep blackness, illuminated in soft silver light by the bright winter moon outside and nearby streetlamps. He looked to the quietly snoozing teen against him, a smirk whispering across his lips at the calm expression under the glasses. Well Dork, it's time for bed and you ain't goin' in mine. He spoke internally as he extracted himself from Edd's loose grip. He chuckled softly at a light murmur from the feminine boy as he was laid down carefully, the jock removing the glasses carefully. For a moment, he watched the sleeping figure. Bathed in the light of the full moon, the slim body seemed to slip between genders, strangely enough. Kevin watched in some kind of morbid curiosity as his eyes seemed to focus between the young man and the adorable girl before him. You're like some kinda trap laid for some unsuspecting guy, y'know? You look like the mousy kind of librarian girl you'd never expect to be so cute, but you're a guy… Shaking his head roughly, Kevin sighed heavily. I need sleep more than I thought I did. He stood up after covering Double D with a light comforter, glancing back only once before making his way upstairs to his room. "Dork…" He mumbled to himself in the dark.

I doubt that was worth much of a wait, but I did put some effort into this one. There are probably a fair amount of mistakes here and there, rest assured I'll be doing some editing within the next couple of days. Also, feel free to tell me if something doesn't sound quite right. I had to work a large amount of rust out of the ol' gears to start thing ideas a'flowin'.

The exciting next chapter! Chapter 7: Seeing Ed to Ed! Will Eddy and Edd make up and what's this thing Kevin wants to ask Edd? Find out when... Well, whenever I get around to doing it!

Author Epiphany: I think as I write this, I keep imagining Edd looking more and more feminine...

Another Epiphany: Kevin is hardcore tsundere... And I can't believe I'm actually using that word.