Kevin gave a low whistle.
Even half-way through the school day, the van continued to spout fine wisps of black smoke. He slid his hand along the faded flame paint-job, admiring the van's retro aesthetics. He chuckled when his fingertips touched the tear-drop decal.
"Dude, where the hell'd Ed get this thing? It's pretty choice," Kevin paused a moment, catching the compliment as it fell off his tongue. "... for a coupl'a dorks, that is."
Double D rolled his eyes, but let the remark go. "Ed, Eddy, and I came across this van several years ago. We were on our way to see a movie- I believe it was called "Robot Rebel Ranch"- when we got sidetracked and discovered it in the junkyard." He smiled at the memory. "If I recall correctly, the Kanker sisters had taken you captive in the junkyard that day before Ed scared them off."
Edd laughed then, his hand flying to cover his mouth as he did so. Kevin shoved his own hands in his pockets, looking away with a childish pout. "Stupid girls..." he mumbled under his breath.
When some of the color had left his face, he looked back at Edd. He watched while the other boy composed himself, a few lingering giggles shaking his knobby shoulders. "So if this thing was in the junkyard, how'd you get it running? I'm guessing Ed and Eddy didn't have anything to do with it."
Kevin could see a light switch on inside of Edd. He braced himself for the verbal onslaught, wondering whether he might regret his question. "Actually, Kevin, Ed and Eddy were of great assistance when we restored the van this summer. We spent most of our time in the junkyard putting on new tires, refurbishing the interior, and replacing the headlights. I will admit, I rebuilt the starter myself; but, I could not have done it without their help." Before he could go into greater detail about the starter, Kevin cut him off.
"So what d'you need my help for?" he raised an eyebrow, wary eyes locked on Edd's.
The beanie-clad boy began to twiddle his fingers. "I realize that cleaning the cylinder is not a particularly demanding task; however, as you may well know, I am not fond of getting my hands dirty. Likewise, I do not have access to the necessary tools. As an Auto Shop student, I assumed you would be able to procure the items without any trouble." The beginning of a smile ghosted across Edd's features. "Besides, I trust you have the skills and knowledge needed to remedy this problem. I could think of no better person for the job."
A pause. One heartbeat. Two. Three.
Kevin's eyes were as wide as hub caps. His brain was short-circuiting as all of his senses went haywire. Even the thrum of his heartbeat skittered at Double D's words. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. Shit. I knew I should have kept walking.
"Kevin?"
Eventually Kevin felt the stretch of his lungs against his ribs. He was breathing. Now if only he could form words. Say something!
The athlete eased against the van. "Gotcha. So, we gonna fix this thing or what?" He cocked a grin at the other.
Edd nodded and followed Kevin to the Auto Shop building to collect their tools. Kevin let this hand hang at his side. His skin prickled each time his knuckles grazed Edd's, but neither boy made an effort to move his hand. Nor did they dare look each other in the eye; choosing, instead, to walk across the parking lot in comfortable silence.
Soon enough, the pair returned to the slowly fuming vehicle with a large, red toolbox. (Kevin had cackled aloud, clutching his stomach to keep his sides from splitting, when Double D attempted to lift the toolbox. His flushed, puffed-up cheeks and quaking arms had sent Kevin spiraling into a fit of laughter. Once he'd regained control of himself, the muscular teen took pity on his scrawny friend and lifted the toolbox from its shelf.)
Now the hood of the van was propped up and Kevin looked the cylinder head over. Without averting his eyes, Kevin reached behind him. "Hey, Double D, can you pass me a socket wrench? I'm gonna need a hex socket, too."
Double D sifted through the toolbox until he found the proper socket and the wrench. He fitted the socket head to the wrench and placed the tool in Kevin's waiting hand.
"Here you go, Kevin."
"Thanks."
Eddward watched as Kevin leaned further into the hood. He studied the sure, practiced motions of Kevin's hands, operating as though they were an extension of the parts themselves. I always knew Kevin was a skillful mechanic, considering the years he has spent customizing and repairing his bicycle. It is evident by the way he can remove the air cleaner and valve assembly without trouble that he is confident in his abilities. Still, I had no idea he was so good with his hands!
He continued to watch in fascination as his former tormentor now helped him. His eyes roamed the trail of veins running up his forearm, the muscles contracting with each turn of the wrench. Double D settled his gaze on the broad expanse of Kevin's back, his shoulder blades pulled taut beneath his skin. All those years spent playing sports have certainly done wonders for Kevin. The deltoids and trapezius are nicely defined, as well as his biceps. I can remember when his skin was a much fairer hue of peaches and cream... those afternoon practices have given him a healthy, golden tone.
A jaunty whistle tore Edd from his meandering thoughts. The roar of his own blood as it flooded his face drowned out the playful tune. Waves of embarrassment quickly abated when he saw that Kevin still had his back turned to him. Good heavens, Eddward! Control yourself! Or, at the very least, make yourself useful!
"Can you hand me the cleaning fluid, a rag, and a screwdriver?" Kevin called over his shoulder.
"C-certainly! Will you be needing a flathead or Phillips head?"
"Flathead."
Again Double D retrieved the materials from the toolbox and placed them along the bumper. Kevin straightened himself and turned to face Edd. "Thanks, man. I poked around a bit and everything looks fine. After I clean the cylinder, I can check the tires. Just to be sure."
"My friends and I would appreciate it very much. Thank you!"
Kevin scrunched his nose at the mention of Double D's "friends", but cast him a playful smirk. While the teen sprayed down the cylinder's orifices, Double D busied himself by cleaning the windows. To keep his mind from wandering down yet another indecent path, he began humming an old song he'd heard as a child. By the time he reached the rear windshield, Kevin had joined-in on his song in a loud, crystalline whistle.
When they reached the song's end, Kevin had finished scraping off the remaining sediment and replaced the cylinder head. Slamming the hood shut, Kevin wiped the grime from his hands on the rag.
"Been a long time since I've heard that song," Kevin kept his head down, looking up at Edd through his lashes.
"Indeed!" Double D rubbed his chin. "Why, I can't remember the last time I heard it. Funny that it should come to mind now." With a little laugh, he continued scrubbing at a particularly stubborn stain on the passenger window. Kevin frowned and knelt down, inspecting the front tires. There was no humming, nor whistling.
The bell signaling the end of the lunch period resounded in the empty parking lot. Edd hastily packed the tools back into the red tin box and snapped it closed. Kevin reached for the toolbox, his expression as unreadable as stone. "Looks like your rotors are rusted. You'll need to get some new ones."
"I see. Perhaps I can salvage some from the junkyard..." he saddled his messenger bag on his shoulder. "Thank you, Kevin, for your assistance. Is there anything at all I can do to repay you for your help?" His eyes softened into a smile.
Kevin sighed. Putting on his best smile, he stared hard into those blue-green eyes. "Let's just say ya owe me, got it, Double Dork?"
Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites, and follows! I appreciate all of your feedback, as well as any suggestions you may have. This ship surprised me BIG TIME. It's been fun sharing some of my thoughts regarding this particular pairing. I loved the cartoon growing up and I still love it. I plan to explore some more of the character's back-stories (at least, as I see them) in the future. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please, don't be afraid to share your thoughts! Thanks again!