Chapter 2 - You Are Keeping Me Quite Warm
The weekend after Thanksgiving, Edd accompanied Kevin and his parents to a Christmas tree farm near the Wisconsin/Illinois border. Edd had only ever observed a few holiday traditions with his own family – most notably the Ancestral Christmas Fruitcake (which he suspiciously thought was more of a joke than anything serious). His parents didn't subscribe to any religion, even their familial religions. His father came from a Presbyterian family, while his mother came from a Jewish one. His parents respected all religions and instilled that respect into Edd; they just didn't believe in it themselves. They let Edd learn about various religions; he attended both Hebrew school and Bible study, but he thought it was more a gesture to learn about his family's beliefs than anything else. Edd also studied other religions on his own to allow him to choose what he wanted to believe. He had decided years ago that his thoughts and beliefs mirrored his parents.
As such, his parents gave passing nods to the Christian and Jewish traditions of the season. Until his parents went to Europe, they would go visit his mother's family in St. Louis for the first weekend of Hanukkah. They would also exchange gifts on Christmas Day. The previous year, since his parents were gone, Edd took a bus alone to St. Louis to visit his grandparents for the Hanukkah weekend. On Christmas he had gone over to Ed's house for Christmas dinner.
Even so, there wasn't much feeling for holiday tradition in him, though inwardly he loved the spirit of the season – the thoughts of goodwill, peace, and love – and he was encouraged by his parents to celebrate that aspect of the holidays, as they pertained to all religions and to those who weren't religious. His parents didn't put up a tree or any other Christmas or Hanukkah decorations. Edd did enjoy all the pretty lights that popped up throughout the various neighborhoods of Peach Creek and at least once a year his father and mother would drive around the town in order for Edd to see them, but they never put them up at their own house.
He exchanged gifts with the Eds as well and had finally gotten it through to Eddy what the holidays were all about, though it took many years of trying to pound it into his stubborn and greedy head. Edd loved to give gifts – that part of the holiday meant a lot to him because he loved to show the people that he cared about how much they meant to him.
Kevin's family, he found out, was very much into Christmas and the holidays. He remembered that the Barr's decorated their home every year with a huge amount of lights along the roofline, around the doors and windows, and wound around the trees. Kevin told him about their little family traditions that both his parents kept up though they did not take their religion very seriously. Pete told Edd they were part-timers, only attending Church when visiting Pete's parents – who were strict Catholics and insisted on it.
Sylvie invited Edd to join them on their annual tradition of hunting for their Christmas tree. Kevin was excited for Edd to come along. It was one of his favorite things to do with his parents every year. They drove nearly an hour to the tree farm – a cut-your-own tree place. There were hayrides, bonfires, and hot chocolate and then the family would wander the rows and rows of trees – all happy memories for Kevin. As a child, he would lose himself among the pine trees, hiding from his mom and dad and playing with other kids he came across. Once they found the perfect tree, he helped Pete cut it down and drag it back to the car, where helpful attendants strapped it on the top. Then came time for checking out and paying for the tree, which came with a homemade popcorn ball for each of them.
Even though Kevin was almost eighteen, he still looked forward to this yearly trip. Now he could share it with Edd – his Edd who had never really had such Christmas traditions. Kevin hoped that including Edd in everything the Barr's did would get the boy as into Christmas as he was.
Therefore, on Saturday morning, the first weekend after Thanksgiving, Edd found himself in the backseat of Pete's minivan driving north toward Wisconsin. Sylvie found a Christmas music station on the satellite radio and encouraged singing along.
"I can't believe you know Christmas music!" Kevin teased after a spirited rendition of Jingle Bells, which Edd sang in his off-key high tenor. "I thought you were a little heathen."
"It is hard to grow up around Christmas every year and not know them, Kevin!" Edd said with a little laugh.
"Don't pick on him, Kevin," Sylvie said sternly, getting a protest from her son and a chuckle from Pete.
"I'd never, Mom!"
The farm where the Barr family always got their tree was in a remote area of southern Wisconsin. They had been coming here since Kevin was a baby. They drove up the bumpy drive to the parking area. Pete explained to Edd that the parking changed every year, because the cutting field moved as the trees matured.
They got out of the van and went to the busy area full of people surrounding a huge bonfire. There were employees there, handing out hot chocolate from a stand, assisting families with their trees, netting trees, trimming, handing out saws, and directing people where they wanted to go. Kevin held tightly to Edd's cold fingers. It was a sunny day, but there was a distinct chill to the air. "Want to do the hay ride first?"
Edd looked up at him, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "That does sound nice, Kevin."
Kevin rolled his eyes and gave Edd a little shrug. "I know it's kinda for kids and corny, but it's a good memory for me, and I want to share it with you."
"That means everything to me, Kevin. I would love to ride the hay ride with you."
"I just don't want you to think I'm lame or anything."
"I would never think that, Kevin," Edd assured him, squeezing his hand. "I enjoy the softer side of you."
Kevin blushed, quite pleased with Edd's soft-spoken admission. "C'mon then, Dee. Let's get in line for the next ride." Looking at his parents, he asked, "Are you guys joining us?"
"Of course, sweetheart," Sylvie said. "I love cuddling up with your father in the hay."
"Oh gross Mom!"
"At least we're not rolling around in it," Pete quipped.
Edd laughed while Kevin groaned. "Oh god, don't make me picture that, please!"
"I think it is nice that your parents are still affectionate with each other, Kevin," Edd said.
"Yeah, but I don't want to SEE it! So stop encouraging them!"
"Do you like this one, Kevin?" Edd asked, pointing his mitten-encased hand toward a tall pine tree tucked into a distant corner of the tree field. When the wind picked up, Edd had dug out his mittens from his pockets.
He and Kevin had wandered off from Pete and Sylvie. It had been a frustrating hour as they searched for the Perfect Tree. Every one they short-listed had some sort of minute defect that Sylvie saw. One was just an inch too short. One was a little crooked. One was bare on the one side ("We can put that side against the wall, Sylvie." "No it has to be perfect!"). One was off-color.
Noticing that Edd was looking a little stressed out at the arguing, Kevin nudged him and said, "They do this every year, Dee. Don't worry. They love this part of the hunt as much as they love finding the perfect tree. Dad acts all irritated, but he loves this, trust me."
Edd did, of course. It just seemed strange to him. His parents never argued like this in front of him. Or away from him, for all he knew. They were much more reserved, though Edd knew his parents loved each other deeply. Still, he could tell Pete and Sylvie loved each other deeply as well. Theirs was a fun-loving relationship and he realized that they heavily influenced Kevin's personality. Pete and Sylvie showed their love to each other with constant gestures of affection – touches, kisses, hugs – and Kevin did the same to him. Constantly.
Edd was used to the more subtle ways of displaying affection demonstrated by his parents – soft-voiced compliments, special treats cooked for one's partner, interest in the other's interests – all ways to say "I care for you" without physically expressing it. Edd could see that he took after his parents in his way of telling Kevin he cared for him.
Edd thought it would be interesting to see how his and Kevin's relationship developed, with one side outwardly expressive of his affection and the other side more subtly expressive. He certainly enjoyed Kevin's affection in all its' forms. It was just something to get used to. To be honest, though, he was always a little tentative about affection displayed to him. Surely Eddy and Ed constantly clung to him in many ways, but he was used to them. He had gotten used to Kevin as well, he thought. At least he was used to the kisses, the touches, the handholding, arms around him, the hugs. And he loved it all and couldn't get enough. Maybe Kevin had been an influence on him, because though Edd was slower to do the same things to Kevin, he would do them.
When Kevin stepped to his side to see where he was pointing, he slipped an arm around Edd's back, bringing a warm blush to the boys' face. Public displays were still something he was getting used to. He loved them, but it was new. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone around, so he slipped his other arm around Kevin in turn. A quick glance at Kevin let Edd see that the gesture pleased him if the smile and slight blush was any indication.
Kevin considered the tree, surprised that a tree so perfect had gone unclaimed. It had the right shape, looked to be the right height, full and fat too, which he knew his mom would love. "You might have done it, Dee. On your first tree hunt too!"
Kevin pulled his phone out of his pocket and Edd watched him struggle one-handed to unlock it and type in a quick message to his parents with his thumb. Edd thought about pointing out that Kevin could let go of him, but he liked the warm weight of Kevin's arm and didn't want to lose it.
"Not sure how to tell them where we are," Kevin muttered, looking around for some kind of marker.
"Let us step around the tree. We are at the edge of the field. Perhaps we can spot something for which your parents can look."
Together they stepped out of the trees and looked around. Kevin could see the farmhouse off to the left and in front of him was a field of tiny trees. He texted that to his mom, telling her that he and Edd would wait there so they could be easily spotted.
"I think Mom will love it, Dee. It's a perfect tree. Even from this side," he said, letting go of Edd and turning to look at the tree again. "Good job, sweetheart," he added, gathering Edd to him in a tight hug. Edd stood on tiptoe to rub his cold cheek against Kevin's, then pressed a little kiss there. Kevin loved the feel of the tip of Edd's cold nose pressing into his cheek – that along with the kiss gave him a shivery feeling all the way to his feet. "I need to get you somewhere warm soon. Your poor little nose is so cold!"
Edd laughed, pulling back and smiling up at Kevin. "I do not feel the cold, Kevin. You are keeping me quite warm," he said demurely.
"I can keep you even warmer," Kevin said in a low and suggestive tone, which pulled another laugh from Edd. Kevin loved when the boy was like this – playful and flirty. Especially as they were in public. Granted, they couldn't really see anyone, but still, it wasn't often that Edd did things like this outside their homes.
"Not when your parents could arrive at any moment. Perhaps tonight?"
"Deal!"
Edd, seated on the living room couch in Kevin's home, looked up when Kevin dropped a large tub in front of him with a loud thump.
"What is this, Kevin?"
"The lights for the tree," Kevin said, shaking his hands. The handholds on the tub had pressed into his fingers and hurt as he carried them down from the attic.
"Oh!" Edd said, leaning over the tub with a certain amount of curiosity. "Can I help?"
"If you can untangle the strands, Edd," Pete said as he thumped down another tub, "that would be a big help. Kev and I can string them up."
"I would be happy to do that," Edd said eagerly, pulling the tub closer to himself and taking off the lid.
Then stared down into the mess that was in the box.
Kevin chuckled. He knew how his boyfriend was about disordered things. He imagined that the sight of the mass of light strands had to annoy Edd. Kevin's father was usually so anxious to get the decorations down after New Years' Day that he wasn't very neat about stowing them away. The lights, particularly, irritated his dad, who stuffed them into the storage bin and forgot about them, until the next Christmas. It was almost tradition for Pete to spend time untangling the multiple strands while cursing.
"Looks like Dad decided to trick you into doing the dirty work," Kevin mentioned, giving his father a little grin. His father managed to look guilty.
"No!" he protested. "Edd was kind enough to offer…"
"Riiiight Dad," Kevin said, shaking his head. He looked back at Edd, who had tried to lift one of the strands out and only managed to drag up a big lumpy mass of lights. "Edd's not gonna swear though, Dad. It just won't be the same."
"Of course I shall not curse, Kevin," Edd objected, glancing up anxiously at him.
"You might by the end of this, Dee."
Kevin and Pete disappeared again to carry more containers down from the attic. Edd began the attempt to untangle the first strand. It seemed simple enough at first. One just had to find the end and work from there. Surely he had untangled other tangled items before, and proudly thought he did it well.
He soon found out how wrong he was.
How did these light strands defy the laws of entanglement? A successful attempt at untangling just led to more tangling. It was as if the strands programmed themselves to twist into the most impossible knots! As he untangled the strand he was working on, it tangled in upon itself next to him on the couch. It was completely frustrating.
"How's it going, Edd?" Pete asked a little too cheerfully as he came back into the living room with another box. This one he set gently down on the recliner.
"This is quite frustrating," Edd admitted.
"Don't sound too cheerful, Dad. And if Edd leaves me because of this, I'll never forgive you."
"I would never do that, Kevin!" Edd protested. "Though," he added after a moment's thought, "I shall admit that I am close to swearing."
"You've corrupted him, Dad," Kevin accused his father.
"I'm building character."
Edd finally separated the first strand. The mass didn't look any smaller. "How many strands of lights do you put onto your tree?" he asked.
"I never count," Pete said with a shrug. "A lot, I guess. Sylvie puts some of them up around the house too. When she's done today, it will look like Christmas threw up in here. Come on, Kev. A few more boxes to go."
Edd had untangled three strands by the time Kevin and Pete had brought down all of the Christmas tubs. Sylvie happily dove into them so that she could set out all of her Christmas items around the house. Kevin took the first strand, plugged it in to test it, then he and Pete began to wind it around the tree.
Edd thought that the more strands he separated, the easier it would get. This did not appear to be the case, and it was soon that Kevin and Pete had to wait for him to finish. Edd noticed that even once Kevin had the strand in hand, it would still tend to want to tangle itself before it could go up on the tree.
"Perhaps I can think of something that will make this easier," Edd murmured thoughtfully.
"What, Dee?"
"I shall think on this, but I may be able to come up with a way to store your lights so that we will not have to untangle them next year."
Kevin laughed, taking a newly freed strand from Edd's hands. "I don't know, Dee. It wouldn't seem like Christmas without the yearly untangling. I mean," he said, grinning slyly at his father, "it already doesn't seem like Christmas without Dad swearing every thirty seconds."
"Hey!" Pete exclaimed from behind the tree. Kevin handed him the strand and helped Pete string it around the bottom of the tree. "We'll probably just need one more, Edd!"
When the last strand was on the tree, Pete plugged it into the remote box and turned it on to test it. "Oh!" Edd breathed as the lights sparkled among the branches. Edd did not begrudge the work he put into untangling because the result was so pretty.
"Wait until you see it at night. Especially when Dad has the fire going," Kevin said. He loved that Edd looked so awed and excited.
"And we're not even done yet," Pete said, gesturing toward one of the tubs. "Still got the ornaments, but Sylvie insists on that part."
"Here, Dee, I'll help you with the rest of the strands. Mom'll find somewhere for them."
"Oh this looks perfect!" Sylvie exclaimed when she saw the tree lit up. Edd and Kevin had separated the rest of the light strands and set them on the floor and couch. They were standing in front of the tree when Sylvie came in and she came over and hugged Edd. "You really did find the perfect tree, my dear! It looks just wonderful!"
"Why don't you get your ornaments on, honey?" Pete suggested as he turned off the tree lights. "Kev and I will work on the outside."
"Stay and help me, Edd, please?" Sylvie requested.
"Yeah, Dee. Stay inside where it's warm," Kevin said.
"Alright Kevin," Edd said. "I shall be glad to help in here."
Kevin and Pete went outside, carrying another box that Edd assumed contained another tangled mess of lights. Sylvie opened the last box in the living room, a large tub that Edd saw contained a number of ornaments. "How about you take out the ornaments and hand them to me?" she asked, looking up at Edd, who smiled his assent. "Just make sure there's a hook." She reached in and brought out a small baggie full of extra ones. "That should work."
Edd knelt down next to the tub and surveyed the contents. This was much neater and organized than the strings of lights had been, so he assumed Sylvie was the one to pack the ornaments away. There was no theme that Edd saw – it wasn't a collection such as Edd had seen on other trees, most particularly his Grandmother Vincent's perfect color coordinated tree. Every ornament was different and unique, though Edd saw right away that there were some that were similar.
Sylvie stood, hands on her hips, as she watched Edd. "I don't put anything on my tree unless it means something," she explained. "Those fancy and perfect trees with themes are nice, but I think mine's more personal."
"I like that," Edd said, smiling up at her. He looked down again, selected an ornament, saw that it already had a hook and handed it up to Sylvie.
She looked at it fondly. "Kevin made this in kindergarten," she told him.
"I recognized it," Edd said. "I have a similar one at home. Of course, I never had a tree on which to put it, but Mother did save everything I made in school. I am sure it is packed away in a box somewhere."
"Perhaps you can have it on a tree in the future?" Sylvie suggested as she found a spot on the tree for the little handmade ornament.
Edd's ears perked up at her tone. He think he thought he knew what she suggested. "Perhaps," he agreed as he pulled out the next ornament.
"Ah, one of our family ones," Sylvie told him. "Every year we get a family one done at that big Christmas store near Chicago." Edd looked down at the representation of three people painted on the round ornament, with Pete, Sylvie, and Kevin's name written on it with the previous year above their heads.
"That is a lovely idea," Edd said, handing it to her.
They proceeded to put the rest of the ornaments on the tree this way. Sylvie told him what each ornament was – either a gift from someone special, more family ornaments, more ornaments Kevin had made in school that reminded Edd of ones stowed away in boxes in his own home, ornaments bought at places the family had visited, ornaments from Sylvie and Pete's own childhoods, and one that brought a huge smile to Edd's face – Kevin's First Christmas with Kevin's birthdate on it.
"I used to put tinsel on the tree," Sylvie said as she hung the last ornament. "But Kevin ate it that first year. What a nightmare that was. I was watching him like a hawk and turned away for literally a second. That little hellion on hands and knees made right for the tree. I didn't put any tinsel within reach of him, but one piece - just ONE piece – had fallen onto the floor and the little booger had to find it. One trip to the emergency room later and all I'm told is to wait it out. So disgusting! Came out two days later and Pete called him Tinsel-Butt for the rest of the holiday."
Edd was laughing so hard he felt tears threaten. "Oh my word! Kevin would not be happy to know that I know that story!" he gasped.
Sylvie merely shrugged, then laughed herself at the memory. "That's what mothers are for, Edd. We embarrass our children as much as possible. I've been looking forward to the opportunity to tell the stories and show the embarrassing pictures to a sweetheart of Kevin's. That reminds me to drag out the photo books sometime soon. I can't believe I haven't done it yet."
"I cannot wait for that, Sylvie," Edd said eagerly. "Granted, I have known Kevin since childhood, so I am sure that there is not much that I have not seen."
"Oh no, Edd. There are many, many naked baby butt pictures for you to see. Pretty sure you never got a glimpse of that years ago."
Edd and Sylvie went into the kitchen once the tree was finished. Sylvie said they would wait until Pete and Kevin came back inside to turn on the tree. Sylvie had made her chili in a crockpot, something she told Edd she did for Christmas Tree day every year. The day had been slightly cold, so Edd looked forward to the warmth and comfort of their dinner.
"Did Kevin mention anything to you about Christmas? Spending it with us?" Sylvie asked as she rummaged in the cupboard to pull out bowls for the table.
"Yes, he did. He mentioned that your mother, sister, and niece would be here and that he hoped I would come over to meet them and spend Christmas with you."
"You're welcome both Christmas Eve and Day, dear," Sylvie said as she passed the bowls across the breakfast bar to Edd. "Christmas Eve we have the more formal dinner, then Christmas Day we make omelets in the morning and Christmas Tacos in the afternoon."
Edd smiled at her before turning to set the bowls at their places on the kitchen dining table. "I would like that very much," he replied. "If you would like, I could make something for dinner on Christmas Eve?"
"How about dessert? Unfortunately I am not a great baker and usually end up just grabbing a pre-made pie at the store."
"Of course. I shall think on it."
"If it helps, we always have ham and mashed potatoes for dinner, with a few other things," she told him. Then after a few moments, where Sylvie gathered eating utensils from their drawer, she added, "You know, dear, I would feel bad to send you home after dinner and games on Christmas Eve, only to have you come back the next morning. Why don't you spend the night?"
Edd didn't answer right away. He accepted the silverware from Sylvie and started placing them neatly on the table. Spend the night? At Kevin's? That sounded so…intimate? Surely it couldn't be much different from the many nights over the years that he had spent at either Ed or Eddy's. Except now it was at Kevin's and they were boyfriends. Then he realized that Sylvie was the one asking, so she had to be alright with it and that meant that Edd wouldn't expect to be in the same room with Kevin.
"Yes, Sylvie, that would be very nice. Thank you for thinking of me."
"You're family, now, my dear. You don't need to thank me."
As excited as Sylvie was to see the results of her (and her husband's, son's, and Edd's too) hard work on the living room and the outside, she restrained herself until dinner was finished, cleaned up, and everything set to rights in the kitchen. Edd could see her excitement though, and it amused him thoroughly. Kevin had told him his mother was the epitome of Christmas spirit, though she generally ignored the religious aspects of it.
The first thing they did was go outside to see the lights in the darkened front yard. The sun had set approximately an hour before and the lights were in their full glory. Pete and Kevin had draped every possible tree, bush, and part of the house with colorful lights. This, of course, was nothing new to Edd, who had seen the house decked out like this every year. There was a slight unspoken competition among the fathers in the neighborhood to outdo each other over their lights. Even before Kevin was part of his life, Edd always thought the Barr's house was the most beautiful.
There were a copious amount of lights, to be sure, but Edd never thought it tacky. Not like the garish decorations that littered the front lawn of Jimmy's home, or the disorganized chaos and unmatched decorations of Jonny's house. Eddy's father and Ed's father did a decent job of trying to outdistance Pete, but they could never match. It truly looked like a fairy wonderland across the street from Edd's house, and he remembered fondly that he had spent many a night staring out of his window at the pretty lights.
They had all gone out without proper jackets, so it was quite chilly and Edd found himself shivering. Kevin put his arm around him to warm him up, which helped. At least Edd felt a warm glow flow through him, though with a touch of nervousness that someone in the neighborhood would see them. As far as he knew, neither Jonny, Jimmy, nor Sarah knew about them. Not to mention the Kankers. He thought of them with a shudder. He had no idea where they even were now. They had all been older than the Eds, and he hadn't seen them in a couple of years. A relief to him, as Marie had been sweet on him for a long time and he did not enjoy her attention.
Kevin squeezed him a little, pulling his thoughts back to the present. Sylvie, wrapped in Pete's arms, tilted her head to kiss her husband. "You did a good job this year, honey."
"Just good?" he asked, his tone amused.
"Just good," she said, grinning wickedly. "And as much as I love looking at these lights you worked so hard on, I really think we should get back in the warmth and turn on the tree lights."
Laughing, Pete guided her inside and Kevin and Edd followed. "The lights are quite lovely, Kevin. I shall enjoy them this year, as I do every year."
They entered the house and Kevin kissed his cheek after he shut the door. "You enjoyed the lights we put up every year?"
"Oh yes, Kevin. Very much. I asked Father a few times if he would put up lights as well, but he never did. He always said that it would be folly to try, seeing as how yours were always so spectacular."
Kevin laughed. "Don't let Dad hear that. We'd never deflate his ego."
"Get in here boys!" Sylvie yelled from the living room.
Unwilling to suffer Sylvie's wrath, they both kicked off their shoes and ran into the living room. The room was dark and Pete held the remote for the lights in his hand. "Alright. Here we go!" he said, then pressed his thumb down.
It was magical. That was Edd's first thought as the lights popped on, because not only were there lights on the tree, but Sylvie had strung them up around the room too. Now that the ornaments were on, the tree looked complete and sparkled even more than it had before. There were enough metal and glass ornaments hanging on it that reflected the colored lights, enhancing the effect and making it seem like there were thousands more lights than there actually was.
"Oh this is so beautiful!" Edd breathed. Though his tone was low, Kevin could hear the excitement in it.
"Mom always does a great job!"
"Peter! This turned out perfect! Edd! The tree you found is just wonderful! I think it's the best one we've ever had!" Sylvie cried out.
"Maybe that means it'll be the best Christmas we've ever had," Pete said, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.
A/N: I base Kevin's parents heavily on my own. They were both VERY into Christmas. I wrote this in memory of them as we are knee deep in the holidays now. It was especially my Dad's favorite time of year, so a lot of the next few chapters are memories of my own childhood and our own traditions. I, like how I write Edd, am not religious, but still celebrate the season because I love the idea behind it. I love giving gifts and reminding my friends and family how much I love them. After rewatching both Christmas episodes, I feel confident writing Edd like this. Making him non-religious also figures into another story further along in the timeline.
The Christmas Tree farm is based on a real place we went to every year for our tree. And yes, untangling Christmas lights was something my father did every year punctuated by copious amounts of swearing. I am very much like him, as I was swearing quite a bit while untangling our own lights this year!
There are plenty of time skips in this, because it got waaaaaaaaay tooooooooooo long to write everything out and I felt that the pacing was being dragged down. This chapter is mainly to show that Edd is fast becoming a part of Kevin's family, even though they haven't been together long at all.