When Eddy woke up, the smell of burnt toast lingered in the air. He assumed Edd woke up before him, as has the past week they had been living together, but it was uncharacteristic of him to burn his toast. Sleepily, he sat up and looked around the living room. "Double D?" he called out groggily, rubbing his temples. There was no reply.
The room was cold. Really cold. "Double D!" his voice was louder that time, but again, there was no response. It was decided: he wasn't home.
Eddy assumed he went to school, or work, or whatever the hell he did when he wasn't home. It wasn't until he was in the bathroom pulling his dick out that he realized he had no idea what Edd did when he was gone. He always assumed, but now he actually wanted to know. In fact, he was starting to get a little worried.
"Heh," Eddy chuckled, shaking his head. Worried. Yeah, right.
He was brushing his teeth when he heard the sound of the bolt on the front door sliding, and he bolted around the corner in time to see the sight of the back of Edd's sockhat and the door closing again.
"What the fug—" Eddy said through a mouth of foam. Why would he just open the door just to leave again? Did he forget something?
Without thinking about it, he ran to the window and peeked through the blinds, seeing Edd walk out into the parking lot. He was carrying his shoulder bag and making his way to the main road, towards the bus stop. Eddy quickly spat and threw his toothbrush in its holster, fumbling across the apartment to grab his jeans as fast as he could. He shoved his sockless feet into his shoes, huffing as he did so, and slapped his hand on the table where his keys should be. They weren't.
"FUCK!" he screamed, making hasty glances around the table, around the chairs, around the room. They were nowhere to be seen. "WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?!"
As he clambered around the apartment moving things this way and that, out of the corner of his eye he noticed something bright and yellow. On the wall, beside the door, hung Eddy's keychain from a thumbtack. Above it was a sticky note that said: "They were in the couch."
Eddy's cheeks reddened. "What a jerk," he said quietly, snatching them off the wall so hard the thumbtack flew across the room.
The door slammed behind him hard enough it could have awakened the neighbors, but he didn't care. He jumped down the steps and bolted across the parking lot, panting as he approached the main road with his keys in his hand. He walked in the direction of the bus stop, and when the landscape made way, he could see Edd standing patiently next to the sign with a book in his hand.
"Double D!" Eddy yelled over the sound of the traffic. Edd heard him. He looked up and made a face of pure horror.
"W-what are you—why are you—Eddy?"
"Hey," Eddy said between heavy breaths after he jogged up next to him. Jogging wasn't his strong suit. "What're ya takin' the bus for? I got a car, y'know."
Edd's fingers clenched tightly on the book he had in his hands. The pages between the bindings pressed to a T. "I… It's economically efficient."
A small, semi-relieved grin graced the corner of Eddy's lips. "That's stupid, just let me take you."
Edd looked away, staring at the garbage on the side of the street where an army of ants were claiming a soda can as its own. "I like taking the bus," he said quietly, so quietly Eddy almost didn't hear him.
"Wha…Liar!" Eddy exclaimed, his keys jangling as he shook his fist. "Nobody likes taking the bus!"
Edd cleared his throat and straightened his back. He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and looked down the opposite side of the street. Eddy scowled, feeling ignored.
"FINE," he spun around with a huff, "Do whatever you want, I don't care."
After taking a few steps, Eddy noticed the bus approaching slowly. It grinded to a stop beside him, the gears screeching loudly before a loud hiss could be heard. He almost stopped in his tracks but forced himself to keep walking, to not look back. He heard the heavy thudding noise of the doors opening and closing, and the loud roar of the engine as the bus took off again, but he kept his eyes forward, even though they felt wet for some reason.
Emotion welled up in his chest, but he stifled it with an angry scowl. "Screw him," he growled under his breath as he marched back towards the apartment.
As he walked over a patch of grass, he heard the sound of a twig snapping behind him and he darted a look over his shoulder. There stood Edd, looking up embarrassedly with his book clutched tightly in his arms.
Before Eddy could say anything, he spoke up, "W-we should probably have a discussion about… about what happened."
Eddy made a face that said, 'Ya think?' He started to walk towards the parking lot, to where his car was, while Edd followed him sheepishly. The car chirped when it unlocked, and the two ducked inside and plopped down in the seats. Eddy immediately rolled down the window and pulled a box of cigarettes out of his pocket. He never made a move to start the car.
Edd fastened his seatbelt and hugged his bag in his lap, staring at Eddy with wide eyes, as if he was waiting for the right opening to start talking about something serious. He waited until Eddy lit his cigarette and took a long drag. "So… last night…" he started, already beginning to sweat.
"Coffee?" Eddy asked, switching the ignition.
"Um," Edd couldn't bring himself to lie again. The bus always came forty-five minutes early, so he had time for coffee. "S-sure."
"What time do you have to be at work?" Edd asked, taking a sip of his warm beverage.
They were still in Eddy's car, relaxing and sipping their morning nourishment. Eddy was practically itching to talk about last night, but he was also facing down a mountain of fear at the same time. He anxiously rubbed the spot where Edd had been stroking his leg less than 24 hours ago. "Not 'til later," he said, "It's a short shift today. You?"
Edd shook his head, "I don't have nor do I need a job, Eddy. My grants pay for most of my needs."
Eddy raised an eyebrow and finished swallowing the coffee in his mouth. "They pay for all that wine, too?"
"No," Edd murmured, "I've had to… well, sometimes when I need a little extra spending money I… well, please don't judge me, Eddy. I sometimes, um… sell… ideas."
"Ideas?"
"Schematics," Edd corrected himself, slightly worried the phrase would be taken the wrong way, "for innovations of various sorts."
Eddy still wasn't sure what he was talking about, but it sounded pretty rich. "Why don'tcha just buy a car then, Mister Fancy Inventor?"
Edd blushed and set his coffee in the cup holder. "I-I told you, Eddy, taking the bus is economically beneficial!"
Eddy laughed and set aside his own coffee as well. "Sure." He was convinced Edd simply had no self control when it came to his wine budget, but didn't want to press the issue. It was early. Speaking of wine…
"So, speaking of having no self control-" Eddy started to say, but Edd interrupted him:
"When were we speaking of that!"
"-last night…" Eddy finished, as well as answered, and he gave the man beside him the slyest look of all sly looks.
Edd huffed with annoyance and shoved his hands in his lap, grasping onto the seat underneath his bag. He glared at the dash. It was his idea to talk about it, but he couldn't follow through. He could feel Eddy's sly grin burning into the side of his face and he blushed fiercely. "I—I'm sorry," he blurted out, "When I drink a lot, I become… very…"
He left the sentence there, slightly hoping yet dreading that Eddy would finish it, but he never did. Instead, Eddy chuckled quietly beside him without a single taunting word to follow, just a soft, knowing chuckle. Edd's ears steamed. "Well, y-you know." He couldn't look at Eddy. He wouldn't look at Eddy.
"I know." Eddy said huskily, propping his wrist up on the steering wheel. "Hey… Double D…"
"Y-yes?" Edd looked at him, burning with curiosity for what Eddy might say.
Eddy gave him a half-lidded smile. "Your face is really red."
Edd's breath escaped him and came out in an embarrassed whine. He grasped his hat and pulled it down over his face. "I-It's my blood pressure!" He sputtered through the thin fabric, "Th-the caffeine!"
Eddy leaned over and grabbed the hem of his sockhat where it folded up beneath his chin. He gently pulled it upwards until their eyes met. Edd's eyes widened when his dark sanctuary was unveiled and he was faced with Eddy's prying grin. Strangely enough, instead of yelping or crying, a small crooked smile broke through his lips, and he found himself smiling giddily, leaning back into the seat while Eddy lifted his hat up to the normal position.
"It's not 'cus of the coffee, is it." Eddy said quietly, putting his weight on one arm that pressed into the section between them. Edd slowly shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from Eddy's.
"You l-liked it," Eddy tried to disguise his nervousness, but he gulped when his throat went dry, "didn't you, Sockhead."
For a minute, Edd only stared at him, eyes wide and face as red as could be. Eddy could see a bead of sweat roll down from underneath his hat as his lips trembled with utmost nervousness. Suddenly he lurched around and opened the door, making a hard jerking motion as he tried to jump out of the car… but the seatbelt locked him in place.
"Drat!" He yelled, swinging back around to unclick the seatbelt but it gave Eddy enough time to grab the door handle and his arm forcefuly.
"Hey!" Eddy said, pulling him back and trying to hold him down, "What the hell, Double D!"
Edd finally resorted to tears and curled into a ball against the inside of the car door. Eddy silently watched with an annoyed look on his face as he blubbered and sniffled. He gave a frustrated sigh and plopped down in his own seat again, staring out the windshield into nothingness, brow furrowed, waiting impatiently for the other man to emotionally drain himself. Edd's weeping died down after a few minutes; he leaned pathetically against the inside of the car window, his face tear-stained and exhausted.
"I love you," Edd whispered with wet lips. A quiet smacking noise followed, and Eddy's eyes darted over to see Edd covering his mouth as he stared, terrified, at the dash. He also noticed him moving his right arm, as if his hand were going for the door handle again.
"Don't," Eddy said loudly, sitting up, "Stop tryin' to run away!" He smirked as Edd lowered his hand, although he was still unable to meet his eyes. "You know I'm just gonna catch ya anyway."
He nodded slowly and lowered the hand from his mouth. "I… That's why I… had to... I knew it-it was only a-a-a matter of time until…" Suddenly, he heaved a burdensome sob that rocked his body forward, "Ohhh, I-I don't," fresh tears streamed down his face, "I-I-I'm going to throw up."
The door swung open and Eddy quickly unbuckled Edd so he could lean out of the car and vomit. The sounds of liquid splashing against the concrete made Eddy flinch, and before he could start gagging himself, he reached over to grab the back of Edd's hat before it could swing down into the line of fire.
"I'm fine," Edd waved him away, still hovering over the spot and panting heavily. As he spat out whatever he could, Eddy bolted out of the car and ran into the establishment beside them for a minute, emerging with a new beverage in his hand.
"Here," He offered the drink to Edd, whom was wiping his mouth with a tissue, "it's water."
Edd gratefully accepted. "Thank you, Eddy." He took a few sips and sighed, the relief was soulfully refreshing. "Oh, I should clean this up."
Eddy bolted around to the other side of the car and jumped in, turning the ignition. "Get in," he ordered, already putting the car in reverse. Edd did as he was told, looking a tad confused until Eddy started backing up.
"B-but, Eddy—"
"It's fine," Eddy replied hurriedly, already about to turn into the main road, "it's outside, nobody cares." He quickly made a right turn, speeding away down the road.
"Eddy, wait! My school is in the other direction!"
Eddy growled loudly and slowed the car, looking around for a place to turn around. As Eddy pulled the car into some random stranger's parking lot, Edd took a silent moment to sip at the offering of kindness Eddy had given him. The coolness worked wonders on his ragged throat. He kept glancing over at Eddy as he drove, cautiously watching, waiting for him to say something in regards to his revelation. Eddy seemed to be thinking, and it was driving him crazy with anxiety.
So when Eddy spoke up, Edd jumped a little in his seat.
"You know I –hahahh.." Eddy paused as his breath hitched up with nervousness. He cleared his throat and tried to make it look like he was focused on driving. "l-l-love you too, right?"
"Oh!" Edd gasped as he spilled the rest of the water on his lap. In his surprise, the cup slipped from his grasp and landed on the floor, but not without spilling the contents all over his perfectly ironed slacks. He grasped his head in panic. "I don't have enough time to change!"
The car was pulled to the side of the road, panic lights blinking. Edd and Eddy exchanged panic-stricken looks and Eddy grabbed a fistful of his shirt and tugged; "You want my shirt to dry off with?" Edd paused for a moment to consider, intrigued and pleased by the idea of Eddy ripping his shirt off as a favor to him, but in theory, it would be a fruitless effort. "Thank you Eddy, but this just won't do. I'll just have to be late." He was still very nervous and worked up from their confessions. "Can you take me back to the apartment so I can change?"
As Eddy started driving towards the apartment, he kept stealing glances over at the seat next to him, where Edd was pulling up the pants in his lap the best he could to get it to dry. He seemed very flustered and exhausted, which gave Eddy an idea.
"Y'know," he rubbed the steering wheel with his thumb nervously, "You should probably stay home today, since you're pukin' and all. You could be sick..."
Edd raised his brows, but he didn't respond right away. He stared at his bag, which he shoved to the floor when he spilled the water, fearing he'd get his books wet. "Well…" he started to say, squeezing the fabric of his slacks in his hands. "I suppose I wouldn't want to spread anything. Perhaps you're right." He paused for a moment while he heard Eddy sigh. "Perhaps you should call out of work, as well. You might've contracted it since we… l-last night."
"Yeah," Eddy agreed, flashing a smile, "I uh, I was planning on it, actually."
The two shared a knowing glance, biting their lips with repressed excitement.