Eddward waved as his mother pulled out of the driveway. The car disappeared from the cul-de-sac and he could hear the faint slap of footsteps on the pavement behind him. Mr. Barr set his hand on the toddler's shoulder, the weight of it much gentler than one would expect from such an imposing figure. He squirmed slightly under the unfamiliar touch.

"Well, hey there, Edd! How'd ya like to come inside? Kevin'll be real glad to see ya!"

Not bothering to wait for a response, Bob hustled the child into the house. Edd stopped short at the threshold and gazed around the room. The living room appears clean.

A soft chuckle broke his train of thought. "No need to worry, kiddo! We don't bite!"

Edd took a hesitant step forward, then another, until finally he stood in the middle of the room. Bob followed the boy as he walked across the room, his eyes alight with humor.

"Hey Kev! We got a visitor! Come on down and say hello!"

A pounding sounded directly above their heads. They looked to the top of the staircase. In a matter of moments, Kevin rounded a corner. Eddward's mouth fell slightly agape- in the few weeks since his family arrived to the neighborhood, he had yet to see the other boy appear so... excited. Kevin's head whipped from side-to-side, his cheeks straining against the wide smile he wore.

A small noise escaped Edd as soon as Kevin's eyes found him. The smile, so big and bright only moments ago, quickly fell into a bored- almost disappointed- frown.

"Kevin," Bob's voice was low. "Edd came over to play while his parents are at work. Why don't you take him in the backyard and toss the football around?"

Father and son were locked in a silent contest of wills, each staring intently at the other. Edd noted their pursed lips, the set of their brows, and the way each flexed his fingers. Neither one seemed to be breathing. The air crackled with tension and everything was still. Uncertain of what to do, Edd bowed his head and stared at his feet.

The movement was small, but the tiny red-head caught it.

Kevin heaved a loud, resigned sigh, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Fiiiine!" he retreated to his room and shortly returned with a football. Shuffling down the staircase, he strode toward his play mate and thrust the football into his arms- startling Eddward in the process. "C'mon, let's go in the backyard."

Edd watched as Kevin trudged off into the dining room and through the patio door.

"Well I'll be... Don't think I've ever seen the boy back down so easily," Bob held his chin as he pondered over what he'd just witnessed. He looked to the child beside him. His mouth twitched under his mustache. "Heh! You might wanna head outside before he changes his mind!" Once again, the palm of Bob's hand gave Edd an encouraging push forward.

"Oh! M-my apologies!" Little Eddward trotted off to meet Kevin.

From the kitchen, Bob watched the boys engaged in their game of catch. Kevin would toss the pigskin to Eddward who, for all his efforts, would fumble the ball every time. And each time Kevin could not resist laughing out loud. Eventually he paused to offer some advice to the other boy. Bob smiled. He watched as his son demonstrated a two-handed catch and explained the mechanics of a launcher to his eager pupil. Every so often, Kev would crack a smile which Eddward would happily reciprocate.

"Kids..." Bob shook his head, but couldn't shake the smile.

"Bob!" Pam's voice resounded down the hallway. "Can you come help me with the groceries?"

Setting his mug in the kitchen sink, he looked once more to the two children playing in the backyard. "Sure thing, Babe! I'm comin'! "

The football lay idle, having been discarded at the base of a knotted old tree. Eddward's eyes were fixed on the tree- more precisely, what was slowly climbing up its trunk. Kevin stood a few feet back, trying to mask his disgust with a look of indifference. Even as the tot locked his arms across his chest, he could not stop his mouth from pulling into a grimace each time he glanced at the bug.

"C'mon dude, let's just squish it!" He advanced on the insect, a menacing smile drawing across his lips.

Faster than he'd expected, Edd caught Kevin's hand in midair. "Stop! Violence is not necessary, Kevin!" He gave a tug, but Edd only clamped his fingers tighter around his wrist. "The Gryllus pennsylvanicus is harmless!"

Kevin's hand went lax. "The 'gorilla pencil what-a-cus'?"

The other boy smiled. "The Gryllus pennsylvanicus or 'Field Cricket', as it's more commonly known, lives on a diet largely composed of plant matter." When Kevin made no further attempts to harm the cricket, he continued speaking. "Field crickets offer many beneficial services to our ecosystem: they breakdown plant material, renew soil minerals, and are an important source of food for other animals."

As the redhead listened, his eyebrows scrunched together and his lips pursed. It was a lot to digest. Edd watched the thoughtful shift in Kevin's expression and bowed his head slightly, his cheeks tinted pink. The slightest sensation, something akin to a tickle, began to dance across his abdomen and wriggled all the way down to his toes. He shuffled his feet. What is this feeling? I can't identify it. Whatever it is, it feels... nice.

"Edd? Eeeeedd? EDD!"

Eddward blinked, returning his attention to his neighbor.

"You, uh, you're holdin' my hand."

Eddward peered at their joined hands. Somehow, while lost in his own thoughts, Edd's hand had traveled from Kevin's wrist and twined their fingers together.

"Oh dear!" His voice rose several decibels. The toddler released Kevin's hand and buried his face in his palms.

"It's s'okay... No big deal," Kevin rubbed the back of his neck, casually shrugging his shoulder.

They stood there for a moment, neither one quite sure what to say. Suddenly, a loud chirping cut through the silence.

"What's that?!" Kevin turned his head in either direction, searching for the source of the mysterious sound.

Edd giggled, the sound muffled by his hand. "That would be our friend, the cricket. To attract mates, male crickets produce a sound made by rubbing their forewings against each other. The resulting chirping sound is picked up by the female's ears on her front legs. The chirp sounds are different for each species so that individuals can find their own species."

"So he's lookin' for a girlfriend?"

"Well, put plainly, yes." Eddward knelt at the root of the tree, observing the small creature as it continued to play. "It is believed across many cultures that crickets are lucky."

Kevin's eyes grew wide. He ducked beside the other, their faces inches apart. "You're sayin' this bug can bring good luck?"

Edd nodded fervently. "Indeed! For thousands of years, it has been considered good luck to have a cricket by the fireplace, especially in China and other countries throughout Asia. Most Native Americans believe crickets are lucky as well and hold it in high regard. In the Far East and parts of Europe, superstition suggests that it is bad luck to kill a cricket, even by accident."

Kevin stared at his own hand, the one he had raised to kill the cricket earlier. So, when Edd stopped me, was he really tryin' to save me from bad luck? He felt a pull in his stomach- it wasn't painful, just... different.

"Hey Edd," Eddward leveled his gaze, a question in his eyes. "You're pretty cool. I'm glad- y'know- to be your friend."