Well…that wasn't…too bad. Nny cut off the engine, yanking the keys from the ignition. As he jerked up the e-brake Edgar opened the door quickly and jetted out of the garage. He strode into the house and started pacing around the room. The garage door closed and locked, he could hear it from inside. Then there was the sound of Nny and Todd entering the house and shutting the front door. After that there was no sound. They were both watching him as he paced, waiting for him to explode. Couldn't they tell this was him exploding? This is what he did. He walked around the room, breathing deeply and glaring at everything.

He…he…really was Satan. They weren't making things up, or joking or, or anything! Edgar thought he handled it pretty well. He hadn't screamed or tried to run away or anything. He nodded along like it was perfectly normal, sat down and maintained polite conversation. Even though Juan had taken off his disguise and sat down on one side of the table with his wife Barbara and his son, Pepito, the anti-Christ. Nny, Todd, and him had sat on the side opposite them. The dinner itself was fabulous. Barbara had prepared a pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, and a small side salad. So whenever the woman would dominate Nny's attention with some conversation that lasted ten minutes, Edgar could focus his mind on the great tasting meal. When Edgar would start to speak and Nny not only blatantly ignored him, but talked over him to Juan, or even Todd, he would eat more salad.

After the dinner dishes had been cleared away, Barbara spent about a half an hour in the kitchen preparing a pie to go in the oven. At this point, the children were sent upstairs to play and the adults gathered in the living room for 'grown up time'. Edgar had been acutely aware of this set up when his parents would take him over to their friends' house for dinners much like this one. While the women prepared the desert he and the son of the 'friends' would go up to his room and ignore each other. They weren't actually friends, nor did they find each other's company enjoyable. But their parents never seemed to listen to them and thought that they were really close. Edgar stared through the doorway to the living room at the stairs Pepito and Todd had scurried up a few moments ago. He wondered if the two boys were in the same situation Edgar had been in all those years ago.

Over the course of his entire life, Edgar had perfected the art of inconspicuous silence. With most people, a lack of participation in a conversation would indicate their unhappiness. Yet, no one ever thought this to be the case with Edgar. In fact, if he did speak up, instead of remain quiet and submissive; someone thought perhaps he was unsettled. Even though children were seen, not heard, they were still visible. Edgar didn't even have that privilege. He was a waif floating in the background, eavesdropping on other people's lives because he did not have one of his own to experience. So it was quite a surprise when Juan acknowledged his presence while they sat in the living room. It came as such a shock to Edgar he floundered for a few minutes at what to say. What he did eventually come up with was rather meek and subdued. After that brief exchange he was allowed to fall away from the foreground again. All he wanted to do was go back to the house; or at the very least leave the room and go somewhere to wait for desert to be ready. The whole time the 'parents' spent socializing; Edgar sat at Nny's side, not saying a word. Juan, Barbara, and Nny held up a clearly enjoyable conversation, by the way they were laughing. Edgar knew if he tried to get up and leave his precious invisibility would wear off and people would wonder what was wrong. Even if he merely scooted to the opposite side of the couch he was sitting on…they would notice. It just wasn't fair.

Finally, mercifully the timer had gone off for the pie. Barbara had daintily hurried from the room to the kitchen where she removed the pie from the oven and gathered plates and silverware. She then called for the boys to come downstairs. Edgar withheld his sigh of relief for fear that Nny would notice, and Edgar knew he would. They once again gathered around the table for some apple pie with caramel sauce and a scoop of French vanilla ice cream. After that, Pepito begged his mom to let Todd spend the night. Todd, however, politely declined saying he'd rather just go home and sleep. Pepito looked at that point like he wanted to argue but refrained from doing so. Farewells were made and then Edgar, Nny, and Todd ventured down the walk to their car, hopped in and they went home.

Now they were home and Edgar was releasing all of his pent up frustration in the only way he'd ever known how. He walked. Surely he'd deteriorate the floorboards and at any moment they would give way, he would fall into the basement. A few minutes later he'd probably pick himself up and start marching around the hallway. Nny and Todd were still rooted to the spot, watching him, waiting for him to say or do something other than pace. Edgar sighed, finally, and decided he would turn all this restless energy into working on the new limb tub. By the time he'd gathered up his tools to start matching up the wood they'd bought earlier, Nny had made his way over to him. A large skeletal hand came to rest on his shoulder making him jump a little. Edgar forced himself to look up and meet Nny's eyes.

"So…how do you plan on putting this thing together? It didn't exactly come with instructions." Nny plopped down next to him on the floor, gazing at him intently.

Edgar shuddered as another wave of stress rolled through him trying to find a way out. He picked up the pieces he intended to use as the frame for the base and lined them up on the floor, explaining his plans as he did so. Nny nodded, asking questions every so often. After a while, Todd joined them on the floor and offered to help, but mostly he ended up watching. Todd was quite the trooper; he managed to stay awake for a long while. Edgar was just about to fit the lid onto the top of the box when Todd's forehead thumped down onto Edgar's leg. It was time to stop and take Todd to bed. Most of his restlessness had worn off by then anyways, leaving in its place an all encompassing exhaustion. What amazed Edgar most was the fact that Johnny had stayed with him the whole time, helping him fit things together and holding things up when asked. He carefully lifted Todd into his arms and stood up on partially numb legs.

Johnny stretched and also stood, following him into the bedroom. Edgar pulled back the covers enough to set Todd down on the sheets and pull the blanket back over him. The boy wriggled slightly, and then turned to look up at him with half lidded eyes. He smiled sleepily and muttered, 'Nighty night Mr. Edgar'. Then he stared down to the foot of the bed where Nny stood and added, 'and Nny'. Edgar smiled, smoothed back a fringe of hair from Todd's forehead before shuffling out of the room. Johnny came out shortly after, shutting the door quietly behind them. Together they quickly finished up the box, and Edgar stared down at it proudly. Hah. He was about to go find a plastic bag to line it with but Nny stopped him.

"Alright Home Depot, TV time."

"But I just need to…"

"Tomorrow."

Edgar sighed and allowed himself to be led over to the couch where he was forced to watch late night TV until his eyes rolled back in his skull. By the time he was nodding off Johnny was poking him in the shoulder inquiring about cherry freezies. Edgar grumbled at him, trying to indicate he was too tired to go anywhere. Johnny was muttering something about getting him coffee to wake him up and Edgar shook his head again. He didn't even notice that his eyes were closed until Nny pried one of them open. He shook himself awake enough to keep his eyes open for a moment or two.

"Nny I'm too tired to go out and get a cherry freezy."

"You're always tired."

"I'm tired at night, when those of us who can't stay awake for months at a time are usually tired."

"Squee is infecting you. You didn't use to be like this."

Edgar was going to argue this but wasn't sure what to say. It was basically true. With the presence of Todd, he'd had to stay mostly awake during the day whereas before he would sleep for hours. His old schedule had been 'sleep by day/cherry freezies by night'. He ended up falling asleep around nine in the morning and waking up at six in the evening. It worked for them because Nny usually spent most of his day in the basement and only came up to the ground floor during the nighttime.

"I still slept before Todd started living with us. I just slept during the day when you were in the basement."

"He admits his crime!" Nny pointed at him theatrically, holding himself far away from Edgar.

Edgar rolled his eyes, "Besides, I don't like the idea of leaving Todd here by himself this late at night. And no that doesn't mean we should wake him up and take him with us."

Johnny looked disappointed when Edgar had countered him before he could say anything. Finally he sighed and slid back down against the couch, turning his attention to the TV. Edgar felt slightly bad about this. This had been something that Johnny actually seemed to enjoy doing with him. It was a quarter after 3 Am. What could possibly happen to Todd while they were gone? He reached over and prodded Nny in the shoulder and told him that 'what the hell' they could go. Nny's face lit up instantly, and before Edgar could change his mind they were out the front door and down the sidewalk. On the way there, Nny didn't try to strike up a conversation, though he did frequently turn his head and stare at Edgar for a few minutes. Edgar knew by now not to mention it. He didn't really see the point as even if it did strike home with Nny for some reason, he'd just say something particularly cruel. There was that, and the fact that Edgar didn't speak to Nny when they were in public. This was something that both of them accepted by now.

Soon enough they arrived at the gas mart. The man behind the counter, upon seeing them automatically went to start up the freezy machine. The last time when he'd said no, he'd nearly died. Funny how when Johnny let them live they were a lot nicer to him, even if it was out of fear it was still refreshing. Johnny filled up two XLL size cups with cherry freezy and handed one to Edgar. They dropped some change on the counter that probably wasn't anywhere near enough for their drinks. Then was the long trek home, in the cold, drinking equally as cold beverages. Edgar had never really understood why the concept was so appealing. But, Nny seemed to enjoy so he wasn't really going to argue. Besides that, this was the one time they went out of the house and Nny actually looked at him. Probably because it was so late out and there weren't a lot of other people around. Oh well, Edgar still liked it. He realized about halfway home that was why he'd capitulated and allowed Nny to drag him along for this escapade. All of that time with Nny's attention on Barbara, and Juan, the kids even got more of his attention! Edgar simply sat there not making a sound.

They were about a block away from the house when Nny abruptly stopped walking. It took Edgar a few steps to notice that he wasn't by his side, but then he stopped and turned to face him, waiting. Johnny was gazing up at the sky, the red freezy straw between his lips as he continuously sucked up more slush. His eyes were bright and his face relaxed as he looked up at the stars. He appeared, in this moment, the happiest Edgar had ever seen him. Not even when he was torturing people did he look this happy. After a few minutes Edgar shuffled back to where Johnny was and sat down on the sidewalk. He leant up against the fence lining the sidewalk and turned his eyes skyward. There was a dull thud on the ground as Johnny hunkered down next to him, still staring at the stars. The only sounds that invaded Edgar's ears were the soft whistle of the unkempt grass swaying in the gentle night breeze and Johnny, drinking even more freezy. Edgar wasn't even close to halfway done with his.

"Thank you."

Edgar was surprised when he didn't jump at Johnny suddenly speaking, "For what?"

"You make me happy."

Edgar faced Nny, who was still watching the sky and waited for him to add to that sentiment. For a while he didn't. But just as Edgar was about to turn away Nny offered up a sentence or two.

"If I ever talk about perfecting the moment…"

"Yes?"

"…give me a concussion."

Nny wrenched his eyes away from the stars for that last statement, fixating his gaze on Edgar.

"Okay." That he could do.

That was that, Nny stood up and offered Edgar a hand. He took it. Then, they went home. Edgar crawled into bed next to Todd, and Nny returned to his basement.

TBC…