Nazz was sitting on the couch next to Eddy who had nodded off. She wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but she decided not to wake him. Ed had left after getting a text from Rolf asking him to come over and help with the chickens, which Ed had been more than delighted to do. Nazz was scrolling through her phone, looking at the pictures of the college campus they had toured.
Originally she'd planned for all the seniors on the cul de sac to go, but after the funeral things just started falling apart. It broke Nazz's heart to see what was happening to everyone, especially the Ed's. The three boys had been best friends since they could walk, and at this moment Nazz wasn't sure if they would recover from the strain in their relationship. She really wanted them to be able to work it out, just like everyone else did.
That's why she made Ed and Eddy go with her on the tour. She had hoped that a little time away, and a little bit of distance from everything, would bring them back together. Boy did that backfire, she thought as she rolled her eyes. Of course it wasn't the trip itself that had been the problem and she knew that. She understood where Eddy was coming from, his brother had a sketchy history, but she couldn't tell if Eddy was being over protective or just overreacting.
She thought back to when Kevin and Edd first started seeing each other. As she thought about it she realized just how obvious it had really been that they were into each other, but back then when it was all actually happening no one seemed to really pick up on it.
Nazz and Eddy were the first to really notice that they'd been spending more time together. At first the two just thought they were getting ready for exams or something. Then as exams came and went and Kevin and Edd were still spending time together Eddy started to get suspicious. Nazz remembered how paranoid Eddy had sounded as he tried to sleuth his way to the truth.
At first he thought Kevin was trying to run some kind of scam with Double D like the Ed's used to do back in middle school. When nothing scam like happened he started to think that Double D had just decided to replace him. Nazz had gotten so worried about Eddy that she decided to just ask Kevin straight out.
The day she decided to confront him about what was going on with Double D she didn't know what to expect. She ran through a number of different scenarios she'd seen in movies, but nothing quite seemed to make sense. As she walked up to Kevin in the school hallway she had to steady herself with a deep breath. She remembered the smile that he had on his face when he turned towards her after she tapped his shoulder.
Kevin had nodded his head once and grinned. "Hey Nazz, what's up?"
She stared at his face for a moment trying to decipher what was going on in his mind. "Kevin, I need to talk to you about something."
"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" He asked, his smile falling away, and a crease forming between his eyebrows.
Nazz shook her head. "Not really. I'm really worried about Eddy."
There was a flash of something in Kevin's eyes that Nazz couldn't quite figure out at that moment, but just as quickly as it had appeared it was gone. "What do you mean?"
Nazz grabbed Kevin's arm and led him to a place where no one else could hear them speaking. She remembered how nervous she was to talk to him about it. She never liked to pry into Kevin's life. They'd always had the kind of friendship where if it was important they would just talk to each other. This time felt different though, she felt like she was an interrogator not his friend.
She took another deep breath. "Look Kevin, I don't want to pry. You know it's not really what you and I do. But Eddy is freaking out. And I've got to be honest, things seem different with you now. I don't know what's going on with you and Double D, but whatever is going on people are starting to notice. I just thought you should know."
This time the flash in Kevin's eyes didn't disappear as quickly. She saw it and she understood it. Kevin was scared. She watched Kevin as he struggled to pull himself together. Nazz wasn't sure why, maybe it was instinct, but she reached out and hugged Kevin.
Slowly he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, as he did so he whispered something into her hair.
"What did you say? I couldn't hear you."
Kevin raised his voice just the tiniest bit. "I'm dating Double D."
Nazz froze with her arms still around him.
Kevin leaned back to look down at her. "Did you hear me?"
Nazz looked up to meet his gaze, she could see the fear and confusion clouding Kevin's face. She knew that he was worried she would see him differently, and in that moment she knew that she never could. He was still her best friend, nothing could ever change that. So she leaned back in and hugged him with as much love and acceptance as she could muster.
"Are you happy?" She asked after hugging him.
His grin returned as he thought about it. "Honestly? I don't think I've ever been happier. I mean we've been keeping things quiet because Edd is a little scared of coming out to everyone, but I've been dying to tell you since the first time I kissed him."
Nazz stifled a chuckle as she thought back on it. She knew that sometimes Eddy could get carried away, but she also knew that in his own strange way it just meant that he cared. She put her phone down on the coffee table and stood up to go find Eddy a blanket. She was coming back from the linen closet in the hallway when she saw a car pulling up to the house. She hurried quickly back into the living room and placed the blanket on Eddy before making her way towards the front door.
She watched through the peephole as Terrence got out of Double D's car. She saw how the man kept the door open so Edd couldn't leave and it bothered her that she couldn't see Edd's reaction through the bigger man. When Terrence finally shut the door Nazz noted how quickly Edd drove away. As the skulking man walked up to the house Nazz backed away from the door. She looked around to try and find somewhere to stand that would be out of his reach but close enough for her to have a conversation with him without waking up Eddy. She could hear the man's footsteps on the porch and quickly ducked into the kitchen. She listened quietly as Terrence came inside the house and made his way into the kitchen.
When Terrence rounded the corner he was surprised to see Nazz standing with her back to the kitchen sink. She was looking directly at him, her lips in a tight line, and her arms folded across her chest.
He stopped in the kitchen entryway. "What are you doing?"
Nazz let out a tense chuckle. "Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing."
The large man rolled his eyes before walking towards the refrigerator. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Cut the shit, Terrence. You know exactly what I mean. What are you doing here? Why show up after all this time?"
Terrence started rummaging through the fridge. "You know I don't have to answer any of your questions."
Nazz calmly walked over to the fridge and shut the door. "You don't have to, but you will. Maybe not now, but it's gonna happen. And if you hurt anyone of the people that I care about I promise you'll regret it. We've all been through enough."
Terence thought about saying something to her but the look in her eyes told him it wouldn't be wise, so he just stared at her.
When he didn't respond Nazz took that as a confirmation that he knew not to mess with her. She started to walk back out of the kitchen, but stopped at the entryway and looked back at Terrence.
"What did you say to Double D?"
Terrence scoffed and pulled the refrigerator door back open. "Actually it's more like what did he tell me. And since you're so interested he told me to tell my brother to stop by his house. Guess you can tell him though since you're apparently the one in charge."
Nazz's only response was to walk away. She wasn't going to let him get under her skin. She wasn't sure if Terrence was telling the truth or not, but she decided to tell Eddy anyway on the off chance that the older man wasn't lying.
AN: Alrighty, I tried to throw a little bit of fluff in there. It can't be all angst all the time. But I hope you enjoyed it. Also don't forget to let me know how you're enjoying the story. I know it's a bit slow right now but I promise it going to get better.
