"A futon?" Ed smiled widely. Every little detail about their domestic life together was mind-blowing to him. He leaned across the counter on his elbows and made a face, raising one end of his unibrow. "Double D's got a problem with sharing."

Edd craned backwards a bit and rolled his eyes. "It has nothing to do with that, Ed.'

"Oh," Eddy grinned sarcastically, "sure it don't."

"I'm a very generous person!" Edd was appalled at the accusations and gaped at his friends as if they should know better.

Ed guffawed and pointed to a tiny jar next to his register. "You could'a donated that change."

"Ooooh," Eddy jeered from the sidelines, "he's got your number, Sockhead!"

"Orphans," Ed stated matter-of-factly, "with reading disabilities."

Eddy clicked his tongue disapprovingly and shook his head. "Tsk Tsk, reading disabilities, D. Really!"

"Enough!" Edd blushed and quickly grabbed his wallet, pulling out a dollar and slamming it into the jar. "There, happy now?"

Eddy smirked and raised an eyebrow at Ed, as if he was waiting for the perfect comeback. His eyes darted back and forth between the two waiting expectantly for the drama to unfold. Ed, spaced out as ever, stood silently for a moment before saying, "Thank you for your contribution!"

He handed a fresh, off-the-roller, perfectly dressed hotdog to Edd. They didn't even notice he had made it at some point, but there it was, and Eddy was salivating.

"Hey, I want one!" Eddy exclaimed, pulling out a crumpled up dollar bill from his pocket and tossing it in the jar next to Edd's. He stuck out his palm and watched grumpily as Ed spaced out for the second time.

"Sorry Eddy but we discontinued that promotion."

"What?!" Eddy yelled, "Since when?!"

Ed looked over his shoulder at the hot dog rollers, now barren. "Since I ran outta hotdogs."

Eddy glanced over at Edd, who was looking back at him with a smirk on his face. He slowly touched the tip of the hotdog with his tongue. "It's mine, now…"

Eddy went expressionless at the gesture. He watched as Edd gloatingly smirk, a spot of mustard on his bottom lip that practically screamed to get licked off. Ed watched excitedly, overjoyed with intrigue for the showdown between the two across the counter. He stretched out his chin and leaned on his palm, waiting expectantly with the biggest smile on his face.

Eddy cleared his throat. He leaned against the counter as well, with one arm, trying his best to sound suave. "So all the talk about sharing was…"

"Not about food!" Edd finished his sentence for him, taking a rebellious bite with a sinister look on his face.

Ed made a noise that sounded like a stifled giggle, which got a heated look from Eddy and only further pleased Edd. He watched as Edd chewed, relish and mustard and all, and he felt his stomach growl. "Is it good?" He asked sarcastically.

Edd squinted his eyes and paused for a moment, deliberating. "No."

Eddy immediately flared up; "Then give it to me!"

Edd looked away and tapped the hotdog on the paper napkin in his hand, thinking it over a moment before responding: "Give it to me, what?"

Ed quietly squealed, and Eddy shot him a look that gave him the urge to walk away. Within seconds he was behind the "employees only" door, and it was just the two of them staring each other down over a hotdog. Eddy shook his head and decided to play the saint card.

"I rubbed your back."

Convenience stores, in general, are very bright. In any atmosphere in any convenience store that ever existed, there are always lots of bright lights, and in this trademark, bright atmosphere, Eddy could, without a doubt, make out the blush that decorated Edd's cheek as the comment sunk in. Even though there wasn't anything in his mouth at his point, he could see Edd's adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"Alright," Edd said quietly, shooting a glance at the employee door. "But only if you say please, Eddy."

Eddy bit his lip, mimicking Edd's hesitant glance at the employee door. They locked eyes, and Eddy regretted it because it made him want to say it. Something in the way Edd was looking at him made him want to beg, but not for a hotdog…

"Please?" It came out in a whisper, and Edd's pleased expression sent a chill down his back.

Without hesitation, Edd smiled and held out the hotdog for Eddy to take, but instead of making a grab for it, Eddy leaned forward with a sly smile before opening his mouth. To his surprise, his insinuations actually worked.

Ed bustled through the employee door with a box in his hands. "Got some-" he started to say something, but when he saw what he had walked in on, he went wall-eyed and did an about-face back through the same door. Edd's blush deepened and he lowered the hotdog from midair and set it on the counter. Eddy was still chewing, unphased by anything that just happened.

"Ed!" He shouted, "You put onions on it didn't ya! You know I hate onions!"

"I like onions…" Edd responded bashfully, counting the tiles on the floor.

The soft thud of the employee door opening again grabbed their attention, and Ed returned witht eh same box but with a small orange jar on top. "Got some more hotdogs!" Ed said cheerfully and nodded towards the jar, "And nacho cheese."

"Sweet!" Eddy exclaimed as Edd loaded up the hot rollers; a sizzling sound could be heard as the dogs slowly rotated and cooked in the heat.

Edd stuck out his tongue. Nacho cheese on a hotdog? What has the world come to?

…..

"So," Eddy started off the conversation after taking a long drag from his cigarette, "the drinking. What's up with that?"

Edd was silent for a minute. The only noise surrounding them was the quiet hum of the traffic and what sounded like hundreds of crickets in the field around them. There was no wind, no clouds, only the crescent moon hanging in the dull night sky, void of stars through the thick smog and lights of the city. "I'd rather not talk about it," he finally said.

"Why?"

"It's a long story."

Eddy made a dismissive noise that Edd recognized as the first sign of a hard conversation. He scrambled for a topic changers, fidgeting with his fingers as he tried to think of something other than a song that had been stuck in his head all day. "You know that song-"

"I wanna hear your story," Eddy interrupted, throwing his butt to the ground and stomping on it.

"A-actually…" Edd shoved his hands in his pockets, refusing to look at him. "I have a multitude of other stories."

"Just tell me." Eddy persisted, turning to face Edd, who kept looking away. He scoffed and raised his hands helplessly, "I can't be there for you if you're just gonna close yourself off on me, D. Whaddya want from me?"

Edd raised a hand to his face, hiding his mouth as he chewed on his lip. "I-I don't know what I want."

A loud, frustrated yell clipped into the end of his sentence, and Edd jumped to the side, startled and white as a sheet. "STOP!" Eddy screamed. A dog started barking violently in the distance. "JUST STOP! You're lying to me!"

He glared at Edd, eyes wide as ever and shooting arrows of blame straight through his heart. Just as Edd was about to speak up in defense, Eddy spoke over him again; "Shut up! Nobody drinks because they don't know what they want! People drink because they can't HAVE what they want!"

The barking died down, as well as the majority of crickets. The world around them fell into a silence that outranked every awkward silence they've ever experienced. Eddy shook his head as he stared at his friend, whom kept his stance low and his sight on the ground. As the seconds ticked on, he eventually relaxed his fists and they hung limply at his sides.

"Is it school?" Eddy figured he might as well guess, before one of them broke down. "Is that when it all started?"

"That's," Edd's voice was hollow. It was shaky. "That's when it started, but… not because of school." He glanced up at Eddy, and in the faint light of the moon Eddy could see the rivers of tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Did something happen?" Eddy was straining at this point. "Somethin' you're tryin' to forget?"

A shaky sigh later and Edd answered: "I-I don't know if I want to forget or not… Eddy?"

Eddy started to walk away. He trudged heavily through the thick weeds and untamed grasses, ignoring Edd's confusion, or the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps following him.

"Eddy?" Edd reached out to touch his arm but Eddy rolled his shoulder away.

He marched on, leaving Edd in the patch of land behind Slurpz, until he got to his car in the parking lot. He stood by the door for a moment, thinking something over for a minute or so before jumping in his car and pulling away, leaving Edd, walking alone in the parking lot.

Edd stood in the same spot, watching as Eddy's headlights disappeared down the road, staring in disbelief that he was just ditched there, without a word. He scowled and turned his heel to walk back into the tiny store.

The little bell at the top of the door jingled cheerfully as he entered.

"Where'd Eddy go?" Ed immediately noticed his friend's absence.

"He ditched me." Edd said sadly, looking around the store.

Ed made a face of surprise. "But you shared a hotdog together!"

Edd tried to manage a smile before walking towards the refrigerated drinks section, making a beeline towards the alcoholic beverages. He grabbed the largest can of beer he saw and walked back over to the counter. "Can I just put this on my tab? My wallet was in his car."

Ed smiled and held out his hand, "I.D. please!"

"Wha—" Edd, baffled, strengthened his grip on the cold drink. "But you know how old I am, Ed!"

"I.D. PLEASE!" Ed repeated, staring Edd down with his hand still out.

Edd gave a defeated sigh and pushed it away. "I don't know why I even… I don't even like beer!" He teared up and started to cry, his knees wobbling as a wad of built up emotion racked through his body. "I don't even know what to DO with myself anymore!"

He crumpled up and fell to the floor a sobbing mess. Ed hurriedly raced around the counter and grabbed his friend, pulling him up off the ground and forcing him to lean on his shoulder. "There, there." He said, patting him as he tried to walk him around back until they came to a chair that was pushed against the wall. Ed let him fall into it. He took a knee in front of him and held his arm as he cried pathetically.

"Here," Ed grabbed a wad of napkins that were by the condiments and stuffed them in Edd's hands. "Blow your nose."

"Thank you, Ed." Edd said with gratitude, weary from crying and lack of sleep. He dabbed the corners of his eyes and cleared his sinuses. "You don't have any wine, do you?"

"Not in this state." Ed replied casually, leaving Edd to decipher if it was one of his usual non-sequiturs or if he just dropped a hint he was smuggling alcohol illegally. Edd shrugged; it wasn't worth thinking about.

The bell rang cheerfully, jolting the two of them to look at the door.

"Ed," Eddy said as he barged in, "Gimme a paper bag."

Ed was unphased that Eddy had returned, almost as if he were expecting it. "Roger!" He handed off the paper bag.

Edd looked up at Eddy pathetically, squeezing the wet napkins in his hand. Eddy glared at him and made an impatient gesture. "Well?" He asked roughly, "You comin' or what?"

"Y-yeah," Edd replied, quickly getting to his feet and shuffling around the counter to follow him out of the store. The two left without another word to Ed, who grabbed the can of beer and threw it in the trash.

"Waste not want not!"

…..

Edd giggled, reclining back on the hood of Eddy's car. In his lap was a paper bag with a glass snout sticking out of the top. Eddy joined him, kicking his shoes off without a care. They clattered to the grass below with a soft thump.

"This stuff's pretty strong," Eddy remarked with a smile, "for wine, anyway."

"Mmm," Edd took another swig and licked his lips, handing it off to Eddy again. "It's brilliant." He watched as Eddy took a drink as well, his eyes lighting up with happiness. "Eddy…"

"Yeah?" Eddy nestled the wine between his legs and looked over to Edd. He twitched as he felt a hand rest on top of his own, and squeezed.

"Thank you," Edd's voice was quiet and timid, but sincere; "I know it must be difficult for you to be so… compassionate. I really appreciate it."

Eddy's face warmed. He moved his thumb over so he could rub the side of Edd's thumb while their hands stayed meshed together. "S'nothin'…" he gulped and murmured, "what're friends for?"

The fact that they were still technically holding hands made him nervous as ever, and he tried to ignore how Edd was leaning towards him, facing him; he could see it out of the corner of his eye. He jumped in place when he saw a hand in his lap, grabbing for the bottle of wine.

"You're a tad jumpy." Edd remarked, removing his hand from Eddy's in order to fold the paper bag back a little bit so he could take another swig. Eddy wasn't sure how to reply to that so he kept silent, fingering a bulge in his pocket as if he was deciding on whether he should pull it out or not.

"You…" Eddy started to say; he was going to reinstate that they were just holding hands, and that he had a right to be jumpy, when he jumped again because Edd placed his hand on his shoulder and started to rub his arm.

"Relax," he said quietly, with a smile Eddy could only read as content and tipsy. "I'll tell you why I drink… eventually. I just need more um," Edd paused, beside himself with the idea that he was literally addicted to alcohol. "inspiration, I suppose."

"Weelllll…" Eddy finally pulled it out. A small tin can of mints.

"No thank you." Edd refused, not wanting to mix the flavor with the wine.

"It's not mints," Eddy said, pulling it open to reveal what looked like—

"Oh," Edd said, eyes widening in shock. He had never seen it up close like that. "Is that what I think it is?"

Eddy pulled out a lighter with his other hand. "Yup." He grabbed one out of the small tin box and held it in his lips before shoving it back into his pocket. He gave a glance to Edd who watched him in both fascination and fear, and decided he should add a disclaimer. "Look, it's not an everyday thing..."

Edd quickly shook his head. "No, of course not."

Eddy lit the end and took a long, slow drag from the blunt. He held it in his lungs for a few seconds before blowing, and a large heavy cloud of smoke dissipated in the wind. The scent was pungent and lingering, and was faintly mixed with… grape?

"Why do I smell grapes?" Edd asked ignorantly.

Eddy chuckled. "It's the flavor of the wrapper. It's not my favorite but, not all places have my favorite flavor, y'know?"

Edd watched him take another hit. "Isn't that highly illegal?"

Eddy rolled his eyes and held it out. He wasn't actually expecting Edd to take it, but figured it was worth a shot. "So is drinking in public." He raised an eyebrow. The cherry burned slowly, and the smoke twisted in the air between the two of them as Edd stared at the small brown illegal substance between Eddy's fingers. "If you want inspiration," Eddy motioned towards it, "this is it, D."

"Well," Edd lifted his hand in preparation to accept Eddy's offering, although he was extremely hesitant, "what would happen?"

"You… would get high. Like me. And we'll talk." Eddy was already starting to feel the effects. It was easier for him to be patient like this, because the seconds were longer, and time seemed slower. He patiently waited for Edd to take the bait, looking forward to the truth.

"You know, Eddy," Edd's hand lowered and he scowled. "I may be an alcoholic, but I'm not fond of the idea of breaking the law."

"It's only breaking the law if you're caught." Eddy stated, raising a hand to showcase their empty surroundings. "See? Who's gonna stop us?"

He was right. They were overlooking the city, parked high on a hillside valley next to a back road that nobody travelled on, unless they lived there that is. It was highly unlikely they would get caught. Nevertheless, Edd gave him a look. "It's still breaking the law, Eddy.'

"Ahhh, whatever," Eddy gave in, taking another hit for himself. "So much for talking, I guess.'

"I'd still like to talk." Edd took another swig. Then another. He drank the rest of the bottle and then threw it overboard.

"Littering is also illegal.". Eddy said, giggling to himself.

Edd scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever; I'll pick it up later!" He leaned, resting on Eddy's shoulder. "I'm sorry… I'm such a mess. I'm a wreck!"
Eddy was silent. He took another hit, and the blunt was nearing its end at this point.

"You know, Eddy… I've always wanted to try that."

"Try what?"

"Marijuana. Just once. Just to see what's it's like."

Eddy was trying to smoke the rest without burning the tip of his nose. "Well you don't want it now. It's too hot for a newbie. I have more though-"

"That's alright." Edd said, nuzzling Eddy's shoulder with a happy sigh. "You're so wonderful."

"Yep," eddy flicked the Roach into the grass below. "I'm the best."

"You smell like… Cigarettes and hair gel."

Eddy made a confused face. "You… Smellin' me, sockhead?"

A stray hand traced the line down the hem of his jeans. Eddy looked down to see, in slow motion, Edd's fingertip leaving a trail of sensation down his thigh. Under normal circumstances, Eddy would get anxious and impatient, but instead he smiled awkwardly and reclined back, accepting this sensual yet alien feeling, relishing the strangeness of the situation.

"I wish," Edd said wistfully, a fingertip unfolding into an entire handful of fingers roaming around his thigh, "we could be like this forever..."

"Why not?" Eddy said, shrugging. "It's nice."

"Mmm…" Edd hummed as he relaxed his head on Eddy's shoulder, gently placing a hand on his chest. "I can't believe we're living together." For some reason, saying it out loud made Edd burst into a fit of giggles. Eddy, as spaced out as ever, watched the way a single sheet of thin cloud slowly crawl over the face of the moon. Edd ran his fingers over what he assumed was a patch of chest hair underneath Eddy's shirt. "I never thought I would be so lucky."

Eddy blinked a few times as the last comment sunk in. "Lucky?" He replied as he turned to look into Edd's eyes. "That's what luck is to you? Being with," he paused to lick his lips, feeling as if his mouth was full of sand all of the sudden, "me?"

Edd sighed; a small, simple sigh, one lacking repression or nervousness. It was a carefree sigh of contentment. "Yes."

Eddy tried to gulp down the radiating warmth that pumped through his chest, through his extremities. Joy surged through him for the first time in a long time, and he found himself grinning from ear to ear. He clenched his fist a few times before slipping it behind Edd's back. Edd began tracing small circles across the top of Eddy's chest. He didn't even notice the hand that disappeared between them, so when he felt the flat of a hand rest on his waist, he might have paused for a moment, but only for a moment. He quickly went back to making circles over the hidden collarbone with a slowly widening smile that was closely following Eddy's.

A few minutes passed as the two men reclined; cuddling, slightly, in some form of the definition. A small breeze picked up, filling the silence with the constant rustle of leaves and branches. The city below them never dimmed although the night stretched on. It actually seemed to be getting brighter, but they were in the dark, under the cover of trees and foliage.

"Hey," Eddy turned slightly to face Edd, never taking his hand off his waist. He had an expression on his face that Edd had never seen before but oddly recognized; a hopeful, longing look tainted with fear of uncertainty. He caught his breath and froze in place while he paused, their faces only inches apart.

Edd made a fist with the hand on Eddy's chest and pulled him by his shirt, making a noise of surprise when Eddy matched his ferocity and pressed their lips together. They meshed together with unbridled passion, their arms curling around each other's bodies as they breathed heavily into each other's cheeks. Within seconds Eddy broke the barrier with his tongue, which Edd gratefully accepted and made haste to return the favor. Their union produced a mixture of wine, artificial grapes, and weed, which was decidedly delicious. The hood of the car creaked as their legs entangled, their bodies pressing tightly to one another's.

Eddy suddenly stiffened and pulled away. For a second, the expression on his face was mirrored by Edd's: brazened lust and unbridled excitement. Edd smiled dreamily, but Eddy's smile began to wane. "What are we doing?" He asked as he began to sweat. "Is this even… Okay?"

Edd grinned wider and shot him a look of disbelief. "Since when do you care if something's okay or not?"

Eddy started to pull away, which was difficult because Edd followed him. "Since when do you not?" He suddenly noticed the bulge in his lap. He couldn't even remember getting aroused, it must have all happened so quickly. As casually as he could, he pulled his shirt to cover it. Luckily he was wearing his oversized t-shirt.

Edd noticed what he was doing and grabbed his hand, gently lifting to reveal what Eddy was trying to conceal, and he didn't stop until his belly was exposed to the moonlight. The t-shirt wrinkled up on his chest. Eddy passively moved his hands away, breathing heavily, unsure of what to expect. His questions were answered when Edd began to run his fingers along the trail of dark hairs that ran along the center of his belly, below his navel. Eddy bit down on his lower lip and he watched with wide eyes. When Edd began pecking small wet kisses along his neck, he closed his eyes and stifled a needy moan. Like a chain reaction, Edd moaned quietly against Eddy's neck. It wasn't long before his other hand traveled into his own lap and started to knead the length of the tent he was pitching.

When Eddy opened his eyes and saw one hand in Edd's lap and the other teetering on the edge of his jeans, he quickly reached out and grasped both of Edd's hands. "Wait," he said sternly, "it ain't right…"

Edd seemed to snap out of a daze. "What? Why?"

"I'm really high." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, his fingers shaking slightly. "You're drunk. We're like…"

"…we're taking advantage of each other." Edd sullenly finished Eddy's sentence and dropped his hands to his sides. "I'm… I'm so, s-so sorry, Eddy..."

Eddy leaned forward, hunching over his lap as he rested his elbows on his knees. He watched as Edd teared up and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't sure what was going on in his head but it must have been a war zone, because his face cycled through a plethora of intense emotions.

"Can we, u-um," his voice was trembling terribly, and he couldn't even look Eddy in the eyes, "can we leave?"

Eddy slid off the hood of the car without another thought, no questions asked. "Yeah..."

And just like that, they left. As they traveled to their shared apartment, not a word was said between the two. Eddy tried his best to focus on the road and ignore the paranoia of being pulled over while he was high, all the while listening to Edd sniffling quietly on the other side of the car. The air between them was thick and stagnant, and Eddy regretted his strained ability to multitask while he was high and driving, and wished he could engage in some sort of conversation about what they had just experienced together, to at least bring Edd out of the emotional slump he seemed to have cornered himself in… but Eddy stayed silent. They could discuss it at the apartment.

At least, that's what he thought.

When they entered the front door, Edd made a beeline towards the wine cabinet. He grabbed a bottle without even glancing at any of the labels or anything; he even forgot to close the cabinet door behind him, and without looking towards Eddy's direction, closed himself off in his bedroom for the night.

Eddy slumped down on the futon, staring unblinkingly towards Edd's door. He was high, frustrated, and sad. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts and then he rubbed his forehead while squeezing his eyes shut. Maybe after a good night's sleep, everything would make more sense in the morning.