Like a teetering mountain avalanche, Eddward just barely dodged the worst of the falling cans and boxes. A few cans rolled to a stop under the polished kitchen chairs, clink of aluminum on wood and then the house was silent again. He sighed. Messy, messy messy... It wasn't like he hadn't known better, though; although his parents were scientists who demanded a rigidly crisp and efficient working environment, Mrs. Blake was not the best housekeeper, as proven by the sticky notes blotting the fridge's surface. They were busy adults, and what good was a son that couldn't do housework?

Which was precisely what caused the mess in the first place.

"Oh, drat," he muttered. Several boxes of instant rice had been crushed by falling vegetable cans, their remnants scattered across the floor like war shrapnel. He sat up, wincing at the pain in his back. Canned corn rolled out from underneath him and he picked it up (powdered rice clinging to his skin, messy messy) and was less than surprised to find the date expired. Between their new jobs and (Double-D could only assume) sleep, the food supply had only been dwindling. He didn't mind much – his parents had paid out a months worth of school lunches that he still had a good week or so of. By then they would have more in their pantry than dehydrated milk and taco shells, he was sure.

Suddenly his stomach rumbled.

Lovely...

The fridge light flickered slightly, and he made a mental note to replace the bulb immediately after finishing dusting the pantry. There wasn't much more inside than the pantry though, and he eventually decided on an applesauce for the convenience. He was struggling with the tin-foil wrapper when the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" Frosted glass-warped red and black fidgeted from the other side, and Eddy huffed once the door wasn't separating them. He must have noticed Double-D's disheveled appearance, for he frowned, left eyebrow raised. "Eddy! What're you—"

"What happened to you?" Eddy brushed by Double-D, kicking off his sneakers more out of habit than any respect for Edd's wishes. "Working on another one of your science projects?"

Eddward sighed at the obvious disdain in his friends voice. Eddy and academics went about as well together as macaroni and pickled radishes. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not always experimenting on something. Actually, I was..." he swung his arm out, showcasing the inedible mess splattered across his kitchen floor, "...Cleaning."

Eddy stared at the mess for a moment before bursting into laughter, smug mug smirking back. "Cleaning? Well I'd say you failed at that one, Sockhead."

"Har-har." He cringed as he grabbed the broom and dust-pan, paranoid that the contents of the hall cupboard would fall on him too. Everything stayed nestled in their proper places (only Eddward ever used it) and he made short work of the mess. The lone sticky note (Eddward, clean out the pantry. -Mother) had drifted to the dust.

He only hesitated a moment before sweeping that up with the rest as well.

By then Eddy had situated himself atop the island counter. Less than spotless socks made steamy circles from the body heat, and Edd swallowed down the compulsive urge to join him. The temperature wasn't really as frigid cold as it felt. A few more palm or feet prints wouldn't make the house any more occupied. Instead he pulled out the end island chair, sitting gingerly on the edge and picked at his own fingernails to stop from otherwise fidgeting.

"My mom wants you to come to dinner," Eddy said finally. He didn't say anything about himself; the argument from the day before still in both of their minds, but neither willing to mention it. Eddward couldn't see how this one was any different from any of the others that they had (more and more, lately), but he didn't like how his best friend's eyes were distant and opaque as cement walls. "We're having beef stew. It's good."

"Eddy..."

"Just come, alright? Mom sounded really excited, so don't screw this up." Eddy slid off the counter and moved to the door, hands shoved deep in his pockets and back slouched like Double-D's refusal was a weight that he couldn't shrug. He stopped at the door and turned. "You coming?"

"Well, yes... I guess... but—"

"Then move it. My parents are waiting."

Then he opened the door, walking out and leaving the door open for Edd to follow. Edd started, glancing at the kitchen clock for the time. Already 6 pm... Quickly he grabbed a light jacket and shoes, hopping to slip them on and catch up with his best friend.

He supposed it would make sense. Just because his parents didn't come home to eat didn't mean that other families couldn't sit together around a table for dinner. Talk about their days... He snuck a glance at Eddy, suddenly nervous. What if Eddy's parents didn't like him? He had met them before, sure, but never held a conversation. It wasn't like he had had much practice in small-talk lately. What if he said something they considered offensive?

As they walked down the narrow sidewalk towards the last house on the right, Eddward allowed his mind to run rampant with thoughts of dinnertime with the Sullivans. He imagined scenarios where Eddy's dad would decide that he didn't want his son hanging around such a science geek and kicked him out, yelling. Eddy's mother mentally chastised him for his lack of proper manners. He knew of course that the last one was ridiculous – Eddy's manners were too atrocious to come from such a strict family – but he couldn't swallow the irrational panic that she wouldn't like his etiquette, wouldn't like his dress...

Just as he was about to turn tail and run back home for a better pair of jeans, Eddy opened his front door and kicked his shoes off beside the mat. "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

Just breathe, Eddward. Breathe...

A manly grunt issued from the living room, followed by the news castor's words cutting off mid-sentence as the channel was changed to one with the sound of rushing water. Edd presumed this was Eddy's father, and was proven right when the tall man ambled into the entryway, rubbing his face as though he hadn't been falling asleep in front of the TV. The man dropped his hand when he spotted his son's friend. He gave Double-D a quick look over. His eyes lingered on the worn black beanie.

Suddenly, he grinned and held out his hand. "That Blake kid, right?" Eddward allowed his arm to be pumped up and down in the older man's strong grip, feeling himself nod more out of momentum than enthusiasm. "Good, good. The wife says you're a good kid, get good grades... Try to rub off on Eddy-boy, eh?"

"Dad!"

"Joking, joking," Mr. Sullivan chuckled, ruffling his son's hair before leading the way to the dining room. His shirt and tie were wrinkled from the couch and his socks were two different shades of charcoal, but he looked every bit the salesman. Eddward could see where Eddy got it. The man called over his shoulder, "Hope you like stew, Kid."

"Yes, sir."

Eddy's mother beamed at him from over the large ornamental centerpiece she was hefting off of the table. It was nearly twice as large as the one atop Edd's dining room table (and arguably twice as unattractive), but the chrome-plated duck held a certain charm in its functionality. The Blake family centerpiece had never been moved.

"Eddward, dear," Mrs. Sullivan said between breaths after she set it down to squash the pillows of the couch adjacent, "How have you been? Keeping up with your classes? - Who am I asking; of course you are. What about your science fair project? How's that coming along?"

She pulled out a chair for him while her boys plopped gracelessly into their own, turning to load the table with bowls of stew and side dishes. For a moment Edd sat stupid, debating on whether or not he was actually supposed to answer. "Oh, um... I'm well, thank you. And yourself?"

"Wonderful, wonderful. These two have been eating me out of house and home, but what can you do in a house full of men?" Her laugh was light and airy and suited her. Said men hadn't the chromosomes to both chew and respond in more than grunts. "So have you picked your topic yet?"

"Well, ah, I was thinking something along the lines of creating a liquid nitrogen substitute out of dry ice and Isopropyl rubbing alcohol. I could give a demonstration by freezing and shattering any number of objects - an ordinary flower, for example." The pleasantly creamy mashed potatoes stuck to the serving spoon as he attempted to serve himself, and he subtly shook his hand a few times before realizing his folly and scooping it off with his own fork. Mrs. Sullivan frowned and he cringed.

"That sounds dangerous... Are your parents okay with that?"

Eddward knew a trick question when he heard it, and he had gone through this song and dance enough times with his chemistry teacher for Eddy's kind-hearted mother to not be any challenge. He had to remind himself not to feel bad for thinking about her that way. "Both are relatively harmless on their own, and I've had many hours experience in a lab setting. Plus I'll be supervised and assisted at all times... but thank you for your concern, Mrs. Sullivan."

"His parents won't care, Mom," Eddy interrupted before his mom could start with the whole 'call me Fran' bit as though she weren't old enough to be the mother of a teenager. "Not like they're ever home, anyway."

Eddy, are you stupid?

Most likely, yes. More serious ramifications aside, it was unlikely that Eddy's parents would take kindly to their son staying unsupervised at another teenagers home - especially when you factored the destructive Ed into the equation. Edd tried to kick Eddy under the table to shut him up, but got the table leg instead, jostling the settings and bruising his big toe. Eddy shot him a confused glance over his stew. He didn't understand why Eddward had to lie.

I hope you'll never have to, Edd thought to himself, busying his hands with the napkin he belatedly realized had never been spread across his lap. His fingers stuttered over the material and he hid them under the cloth before anyone noticed.

"Your folks just started up with that science company, yeah?" Mr. Sullivan asked around a mouth full of russet potato. "With the electric-y things and whatnot?"

Edd nodded slowly, waiting to see where the man was going to take this. He knew that several smaller companies were having disputes with his parents' employers lately. Hopefully Eddy's dad wasn't friends with one of them. "The NHA. Mother and Father designed and built the latest hadron collider they placed in the UK. It's-"

"Science stuff, yeah. Got that." Mr. Sullivan scooped up another bite of potatoes, muffling his frustrated confusion while he waved at his son in some kind of familial sign language.

"Dad meant, do they make a lot of money?"

His dad snorted and rolled his eyes, ruffling Eddy's hair and swallowing before saying, "That's not what I meant. Your folks work with crazy science cra- er... stuff. You want to go into the same kind of program when you get older?" His wife gave him an amused look over her glass of wine. Good catch.

"I suppose. I haven't given it much thought, although I probably should have some ideas by now." Mentally he reminded himself to look into a variety of career options to spout out if asked again in the future. Then, chided himself on assuming that anyone would care in the future. It wasn't like Eddy's parents would make the mistake of inviting him over again. Bye bye, Eddy's parents.

"I'm gonna' be a millionaire," Eddy piped up, elbows digging ripples into his place mat. "I'll hire DoubleD to take care of the technical side, and I'll rake in the dough. Capiche'?"

Edd dragged his fork across his mostly empty plate awkwardly. Sometimes (all of the time, if he was being honest) it was easier just to let Eddy ramble on about his plans and how they involved him. Everyone knew on some level that nothing would ever come of it, and Eddy often forgot about them before the crossroads. His parents, however, didn't seem to realize that fact and were giving their son a look that Eddward correlated with a looming lecture.

(That were if the average cartoon or sitcom was to be believed. Edd had seen his mother, briefly, a couple days ago. She had been power-walking out the front door in a skirt suit and heels, briefcase under her arm, and might have hummed a 'goodbye' as she was shutting the door. In all likelihood that was all in loneliness and the creak of the door. Eddward wasn't the best judge of parental facial expressions.)

"Let's focus on something a little more easily attainable," Mrs. Sullivan appeased. "Like a lawyer, or a doctor."

Her husband scoffed, leaning back with a wide hand resting on his wider belly. "Or less school and become a politician, or car salesman like your old man. Hell, you can be a bus driver if it makes you happy, son. Just don't come crying to me for money because I certainly don't have any." His belly laugh shook the table slightly, and Edd touched the rim of his glass lightly to keep it from toppling over.

Eddy shoved his plate towards the center of the table, empty but for the conspicuously untouched pile of green beans, and looked up at his mom with his best pair of innocent doe eyes. "Can we rent a movie tonight?"

"It's a school night, Hun."

"We won't be up late if we put it in soon..."

She already looked won over, but her womanly pride taking great pleasure at her son's effort. "So I suppose he'd be spending the night as well, then?"

Edd glanced between the two, wondering it was really that easy. His own parents had never explicitly expressed any opinion on what he could and could not spend his weeknights doing, but he had always silently assumed that staying up late and rotting his eyes out on plot-less action was not to be on the agenda.

"Mom, we're not little kids anymore. It's not like we're going to stay up all night and braid each other's hair or anything, jeesh."

A heaving sigh, then: "I suppose it's a good thing our next three movies came in the mail this morning then, hm?"

Edd smiled tightly as Eddy pumped his fist in the air, answering Mrs. Sullivan's inquiry about asking his parents with a request for their phone, which she retrieved from the living room. He followed behind her, muting the TV that was airing a special on the migrating patterns of the Great Blue Whale (which he knew from twenty seconds of footage marking it as a rerun he had seen the week prior). She left to give him some privacy.

He dialed his home phone number, not at all surprised when after five rings it went to his recorded voice mail message.

"Mother, Father, this is Eddward. Um, your son. I have been invited to spend the evening with a friend's family, and am calling in case you are wondering where I am. I shall be returning home early tomorrow morning to prepare for school. You can reach me at this number, listed under the 'missed calls' section of the phone under Sullivan." Awkwardly he held the phone to his ear for a few seconds, before ultimately pressing the end button on the phone. He would end up deleting the unheard message the next morning, of course, but at least he tried.

Eddy was smirking up at him with thinly disguised hope when he returned, nodding once to the boy before turning to Mrs. Sullivan. "They said it was alright, provided I return home before school tomorrow morning."

Mrs. Sullivan, for some reason, frowned. Quickly she shook it off however, and smiled warmly at him. "That's great. You boys go pop in the movie and I'll go get a bed set up in Eddy's room. Or would you rather to sleep downstairs?"

"Yeah, downstairs. Dibs on the couch!"

Eddy raced downstairs, more free within the warmth of his home, Edd chuckling behind him. The taller boy lept onto the couch lengthwise, taking up the whole cushioned space between broadening shoulders and an impressive height. Edd stared him down. "If you don't remove your legs, Eddy, I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit on you."

"Yeah right, Sockhead. My couch," he grunted possessively, spreading his arms and legs as if to take up every available inch. In reality it only proved to make Edd laugh at the image he made.

"You look ridiculous like that, I hope you know. Budge up - a couple feet won't hurt you." Still, Eddy made no move to give the thinner boy any space, even going so far as to stick his tongue out at him. Edd sighed, pulling the front of his beanie down an inch in preparation. "I warned you..."

With a flying leap, he landed in a cannonball atop the other male, knocking the breath out of Eddy.

"Wha- What the hell?" Eddy choked out once he could breathe in more than gasps. "I didn't think you were serious!"

But Eddy made a pretty good pillow, all things considered, and Edd found himself not wanting to move. Even despite his embarrassment. Honestly he didn't know what prompted him to act so childishly in front of the other boy, and couldn't immediately explain his actions, so he sent him a smirk, pulling one of the throw pillows onto his lap to hug for comfort. Perhaps he missed spending fun and carefree time with Eddy, and subconsciously pulled this stunt for the boy's attention. Eventually though, he moved down to Eddy's legs, sitting behind them so his own could lay perpendicular over the top like a fallen tent, which was easier on Eddy's breathing.

Contented by the warm atmosphere of the Sullivan household and the even warmer body heat of the Sullivan's son, Eddward missed most of the movie as he drifted off into his first peaceful sleep in a long time.