Edd reclined lazily on the couch, his arm hanging over the side as his hand swirled a half-empty glass of wine. His head back, he stared up at the ceiling blankly while the television cycled through uneventful commercials; the current one being for a new depression medication. "How apropos." He said softly, to no one in particular.

The seconds ticked by; Edd literally counted each soft clicking sound made by the clock on the wall adjacent. In his other hand, was his cell phone. No new messages.

There was no way the shop was still open at this time. Who needs their car worked on at one in the morning? A large, dark cloud suddenly loomed over Edd. What if he works at a chop shop? He never considered that Eddy would be wrapped up in something like that, though it was not outside of his nature to get involved in something illegal. If Eddy ever got in trouble with the law, would that affect his credibility at the university? What if he were, god forbid, expelled?

Suddenly the door swung open, and Eddy fell into the apartment, groaning loudly and collapsing on the carpet. Edd bolted upwards and joined Eddy on the floor, touching his forehead with his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked, stroking his cheek. "What happened?"

Eddy unzipped his jeans, which were now very dirty. "It was awful," he said hoarsely, lifting up his shirt and straining to rip the dirty thing off of him, "so many stupid pricks, hasslin' me over labor rates, wastin' my time. Then we had-" he grunted as he pulled his socks off, "to clean the inventory 'cus there was an issue in the storeroom…" Eddy trailed off as Edd pressed a finger against his chest, rubbing away the sweat and playing with his chest hair.

"I missed you," Edd said with a crooked smile before taking a sip of his wine.

Eddy craned his neck to see wine and hummed disapprovingly. "How many?"

Edd frowned. "Just one."

"Bottle?"

Edd blushed and spoke into his glass, "Yes…'

Eddy sighed and relaxed. "It's fine. I'm exhausted anyway. I just wanna go to sleep."

They chilled out on the carpet for a few minutes in a hesitant silence, Edd sadly watching the wine as he swirled it in his hand and Eddy staring up at the ceiling with sleepy, half-lidded eyes. Edd looked down at him and frowned, "Would you like me to help you to the bed?"

"Y-your bed?" Eddy was shocked, and he darted his eyes to meet Edd's.

Edd smiled, blushing. "Well, you don't need to sleep on the futon anymore, obviously…u-unless you wanted to."

Eddy grinned and went quiet for a moment, looking away. He rubbed his hands on the sides of his thighs as he spaced out, chuckling. Edd noticed the movement and glanced down at Eddy's lap, watching. They were both chuckling, quietly, exchanging glances of a satisfactory excitement that the two of them shared. Eddy suddenly clicked his tongue and tiredly shoved Edd with his elbow. "You're really gonna let me in your bed lookin' like this?"

Edd frowned as his eyes traced over the various black smudges of presumably oil and sludge that covered his arms. There was even one on his neck. He gulped, and locked eyes with Eddy. "I can change the sheets in the morning."

Eddy laughed as he sat up and waved him off. "Whatever," he said, as he grunted and tried to stand up. Once on his feet, he wobbled a little in place, hands in the air for balance. "I'll take a shower. I don't like sleepin' like this anyway."

Edd stood up, sat his glass on the side table, and helped Eddy to the bathroom, lightly rubbing his back while they walked. Once inside, he ducked in front of him to turn it on for him. He played with the knob until the water was the perfect temperature, and when he turned around he realized that Eddy had slipped out of his boxers and was leaning against the wall.

As Eddy walked out of the bathroom towards the bedroom, Edd followed with a small smile on his face, slowly growing as they neared the bed. Eddy stood in the middle of Edd's bedroom and scrubbed the back of his neck and hairline with the towel, noticing Edd's smile and awkwardly returning it. "What?"

Edd opened his robe, hunching up his shoulders as it slid down his arms. He folded it over his arm and used his other hand to slide his boxers over his hips until they fell to the floor. He picked them up and slung them over the robe. "I usually wear pajamas, but…" Eddy smiled at him and sat down on the edge of the bed, throwing the towel across the room. Edd went after it and folded it up, setting it on the side table along with his own clothes. "I'd like to think this is a special circumstance."

The two of them slipped under the covers and Edd turned off the lamp. It wasn't long until, in the absolute darkness, he could hear the sound of Eddy giggling.

"Remember when we had sleepovers?"

Edd smiled. "Remember that one sleepover?"

"Mm-hm…" Eddy rolled over to his side and touched Edd's arm. "you're a good actor."

"I was terrified!" Edd laughed, also turning to his side. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the faint outline of Eddy's face. He had closed his eyes but had the biggest smile.

"It was your fault in the first place," he said, "who moans in their sleep like that?"

"You are mistaken." Edd said, interlacing his fingers with Eddy's. "You were masturbating long before I um… had… did I say it was a nightmare?"

"Mmm…" Eddy agreed sleepily, nuzzling the pillow. He was the first to fall asleep, but it wasn't long after that Edd joined him.

…..

Eddy woke to the feeling of pressure in his lap. He groaned and cracked his eyes open, seeing Edd hunched over above him, straddling him by the hips. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. "Double D?"

"Yes?" Edd responded, rolling his hands over Eddy's chest

It took Eddy a moment but he soon realized that they were still naked and now pressed together. He jumped in place a little, and looked up at Edd with a nervous smile. "Uh, what's up?"

The reaction didn't go by unnoticed, and Edd counteracted with concern. "Oh, I'm sorry- your personal space, right?" He asked, getting ready to move.

"No, it's fine!" Eddy quickly placed his hands on Edd's knees, holding him in place. "It's just surprising is all. I don't want ya to move."

Edd smiled and coyly pulled his hands behind him so he could lean back, his hands on Eddy's thighs. He giggled when Eddy's hands roamed upwards, over the fine hair of his thighs to his hips, where they rested comfortably. "It's a little…" he started to say, but paused, hesitant.

"Embarrassing?" Eddy finished with a modest smile.

"Y-yeah," Edd laughed dryly and glanced to the side. "Heh, I don't know why…"

"Yeah," Eddy grunted in agreement as he shifted to lift himself up, resting on his elbows. "It's kinda weird, but…" he paused when their eyes met, and they both blushed and giggled for a moment. "Heheheh, hey…" he placed a hand on Edd's hip and gently pushed him to one side, "lemme run to the bathroom real quick."

"Oh! Sure." Edd hoisted himself off and plopped down on the other side of the bed. He pulled the sheets over himself and squeezed a handful as he watched Eddy's naked rear disappear into the bathroom down the hall.

"What are you doing?" Eddy asked himself in the mirror, his reflection staring him down with a tired, confused look. He was hunched over the sink, shoulders raised, gripping the ledge with white-knuckled fingers. "Why do I… feel like this?"

He solemnly grabbed his toothbrush and stared brushing his teeth, staring at himself in the mirror as if at any moment his reflection would give him some advice. He noticed sweat beading up on his forehead and made a noise of suffering. He threw the toothbrush in the holder and rinsed. "Am I just biding my time?" he asked himself as he lifted the toilet seat cover to urinate. "Am I just bein' a fucking coward?"

He flushed and stared at the toilet for a moment. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" A few deep breathing exercises later, Eddy was almost ready to leave. He had his hand on the doorknob, but ended up getting in the shower instead.

Edd heard the shower crank on, and looked over at the bathroom with a look of concern on his face. He slid out of the bed holding the sheet around his waist, but on second thought, he left the sheet on the bed. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. "Eddy," he called out, "Are you in the shower?"

"Yeah," came Eddy's distant voice, unusually quiet and subdued.

"Are you… feeling alright?" Edd cracked the door open and peeked inside, so they could hear each other better. "Are you feeling nervous?"

"No!" Eddy said loudly after dropping something in the shower that sounded a lot heavier than it really was. "I'm just washing my balls, D, jeez."

"Okay." Edd smiled awkwardly, silently slipping inside the bathroom to lean against the wall. He tried to sneak a peek through the gap between the curtain and the wall. "I wouldn't have minded either way…" Under normal circumstances, that would have been a lie, but he was feeling abnormally one-tracked and all he wanted was, well, to have sex. In the most impatient way.

"I'll be done in a few minutes." Eddy felt pressured, cornered in a way, and beside himself with guilt and anger at his own cowardice. The sharp sound of curtain rings suddenly sliding against metal had Eddy jump in place. He sharply glanced over his shoulder and watched as Edd stepped into the shower behind him.

"May I join you?" he asked confidently. No amount of fear or self-loathing in Eddy could refuse a smile like that. Eddy couldn't respond with anything other than a nervous chuckle. He handed him a bar of soap. "Thanks," Edd said cheerfully, lathering up. "I normally have a whole routine when I shower, but… oddly enough, I don't really care about that right now." He did not even change out of his regular sockhat…

"That right?" Eddy said, turning his back to the other man, his eyes wide as he concentrated on maintaining a calmed tone in his voice to mask his spiking nervousness. He heard Edd hum in agreement and the sound of skin slapping as he washed himself behind him hurriedly. Within a few moments, Eddy could hear Edd clear his throat.

"May I have the water, to rinse?"

"Uh, sure." Eddy moved out of the way so the stream of water could hit Edd's body; he ducked under the showerhead and leaned against the wall, watching timidly as Edd rinsed himself off on the other side of the shower, whom was apparently spacing out and staring at the shower curtain as if he were lost in thought, until he realized that Eddy was staring at him. He smiled nervously and chuckled when their eyes met before turning around, his back facing Eddy and the stream of water, and rubbed his hands along his lower back.

"Eddy, could you avert your eyes for a moment?" Edd said timorously, his hands moving towards his buttocks.

A reply never came, but it did not stop him from continuing. Eddy watched intensely while Edd spread his cheeks so the water could run over his anus directly. He held his breath and bit his lip as he watched the hot water trickle down his puckered hole, his fingertips pulling gently, sinking into the soft flesh. He was drawn to it; he was mystified by it. He imagined himself taking a step forward and pressing himself against Edd's backside, wrapping his arms around him. Edd would moan loudly with approval and grip tightly at his arms, and he would ravage his shoulder with hungry kisses, teeth clenching around his skin and tongue sliding anywhere it could. He would press himself into Edd's crevice and Edd would swivel his hips backwards and press against him lustfully.

When Edd turned around, his eyes instantly darted to Eddy's lap where he was feverishly pleasuring himself. Eddy paused; he glanced up in surprise, and it made Edd smile. "You don't need to stop…" He said quietly, making a move to reach out and touch Eddy's shoulder.

Eddy let out a nervous laugh; "Yeah, but I'd rather get to the bed."

"Okay," Edd's eyes sparkled with excitement as he smiled. He watched Eddy silently shut the water off and slip out of the shower, grabbing the towel and covering up his erection first. "Eddy, is there a reason you're acting like this? You seem quite nervous, even though we were so intimate yesterday…"

"I'm fine." Eddy said immediately, his voice a bit more high pitched than usual. He moved from the bathroom to head towards the bedroom, leaving Edd still standing in the shower, staring at his ghost with a look of skepticism.

Edd grabbed the other towel a bit more forcefully than he intended and stomped out of the bathroom after Eddy. "Can you be honest with me for a moment, please?"

Eddy had the towel wrapped around his waist by now, and his fist tightened around the knot holding everything in place. He clenched his jaw, eyes dropping to the floor, but he wouldn't turn around to face Edd who stood behind him with impatience clear in his eyes.

"I am bein' honest!" Eddy spun around; he was obviously struggling to keep his temper at bay. "I'm fine. I don't… I don't know why I'm…" He smiled despite himself and ran a shaky hand through his damp hair as his glassy eyes darted around the room. "I'm not nervous!"

Edd's scowling face slowly melted into one of pity as he watched Eddy attempt to reassert a level of confidence that wasn't there. Without wasting any more time, he fastened his towel around himself and quickly approached Eddy, and he pulled him into a cold wet hug. Together, they could feel each other's muscles relax within the embrace, and Eddy moved his face to the side as he squinted his eyes to keep himself from tearing up. Edd stayed unmoving until their cold embrace began to warm up.

"What do you want to do?" He asked carefully against Eddy's shoulder.

Eddy was silent for a few minutes, basking in the warmth of their hug and trying to collect himself. He pulled away and moved his hands up to hold Edd's shoulders as he took in a sharp, refreshing breath. "Let's eat some breakfast."

Unable to lie, Edd's face fell in disappointment, but he could not argue with Eddy's suggestion; it was obvious the man was having some sort of inner turmoil regarding their intimacy. He shrugged and put a smile on his face. "Okay," he said optimistically, "we could use the energy."

"Yeah!" Eddy pulled away and made his way towards the kitchen, ripping off his towel and throwing it on the floor. Edd began to follow him, but when he disappeared around the corner, he glanced down at the discarded towel and automatically lifted his hand in preparation to pick it up, but he paused. He glanced back out the door, and then back down at the towel, and finally decided to remove his own towel as well. He draped it over his arm as he picked up the other and carefully folded them, taking his time until Eddy yelled from the kitchen; "You comin'?"