Chapter 20
Kevin heard the car pull up while he kissed Edd. He finished the tender moment with his boyfriend before nodding toward the car. Edd blushed a little as he helped Kevin in and walked around to the opposite side to sit next to him. When the doors closed, he prayed that his father wouldn't say anything about the kiss or their relationship. He half held his breath as they pulled away from the curb. No luck, his dad started to clear his throat.
"So how long will you be in town, Dad?" Kevin said quickly, hoping to spare Edd any more embarrassment.
"Oh uh—I'm not sure. I wasn't sure how long you'd need me here to be honest."
He nodded. "Well, I'm okay. I know your work schedule is pretty busy, so I wouldn't want to keep you away."
"I've got a couple days. I'll get a hotel room and at least go back for your follow up appointment with you."
He nodded and stayed quiet. The bumps in the road sent small spikes of pain in his leg and arm every few minutes as they drove.
As they parked in the lot next to their dorm building, his dad turned around and looked at them. "I know you both probably have homework to do or studying, but I was thinking maybe I could take you out to dinner tonight?"
Kevin glanced quickly at Edd who nodded slightly. "Yeah, that'd be great."
His dad looked relieved as they got out of the car. "Alright then. I'll pick you both up around seven?"
"Alright. What are you going to do until then?" he asked.
Edd hit the call button for the elevator and adjusted Kevin's bag on his shoulder. His father had offered to take the bag, but Edd had stubbornly refused and carried the it in.
"Oh I've got stuff for work I can do. My computer and briefcase are in the trunk. I should probably get some clothes from the mall to hold me a few days. And I should call into the office to let someone know what's going on and that I'll be out of the office for a few days but working from the hotel room. You know, all that business stuff."
"Is anyone even going to be there? I mean it is Sunday."
He shrugged. "If not, there are answering machines. But I suspect at least someone will be in. They never take breaks."
Edd unlocked their door and walked into the room to drop Kevin's bag. Kevin followed, vaguely aware that his dad had never been in the room and probably wouldn't know what to suspect. He threw a quick look at the two beds pushed together and decided he didn't care, not that there was anything he could have done anyway.
His dad looked around the room, taking it all in. "So, this is where you guys live."
"Uh yeah. This is where we live." He maneuvered himself over to his desk chair, propped his crutch against the wall, and sat down carefully. He looked around the room, actually seeing the posters on the walls and other small decorations they had brought in. "I uh forgot you hadn't seen it before," he lied.
Edd moved about the room, returning Kevin's belongings to their proper place and getting out books to work on his own homework.
"Yeah, well you moved down on your own and I never managed to get here. It's nice."
He shrugged. "It's a dorm. Better than Nazz's but not great."
"Oh, how's she doing? I always liked her."
"Breaking hearts from what I hear."
His father nodded. "Sounds about right. Okay, well you probably have work you need to do, so I'll be back at seven. Should I wait in front of the building?"
"That'll probably be easiest. We won't be late."
He nodded. "Alright, see you then. Let me know if you need anything until then."
"Thanks, Dad."
When he'd left the room, Kevin watched until his car pulled out of the parking lot. He heard Double D come up behind him and felt his arms wrap around his shoulders. "Do you need anything?" he murmured low in his ear.
Kevin shook his head. "No. Gotta finish that report for chemistry, but that's all."
He nodded. "I guess I'll do some reading." He climbed into bed with a text book and settled into the pillows.
Kevin watched him for a moment, a flutter in his stomach. He turned to his laptop and tried to focus on his paper. It took him another two hours to finish it, but when he finally looked up, he noticed they still had a couple hours til his father was going to pick them up. He stretched, back over the chair, his back making a popping noise as he did. He slowly stood, balancing carefully in the boot, and took his crutch, hobbling over to the bed. He felt Edd's eyes on him as he shifted on to the mattress, but the boy made no move to offer support, something Kevin appreciated. When he settled himself into the bed, Edd scooted closer so that Kevin could put his arm around him.
"What're you reading?"
"I'm getting a head start on the next couple weeks of chemistry. It's fascinating. We'll be—"
Kevin leaned down and kissed him. There was a slight pressure in his chest, not alarming, just a reminder that things were better than he'd ever thought they could be.
"You're not interested in what I'm reading, are you?"
Kevin shook his head. "I am. Continue, please."
Edd began explaining the lesson again, his eyes lighting and voice taking on the half-excited, half-knowledgeable tone Kevin loved.
He shifted back down to kiss his neck. "Keep talking," he said as Edd started to stutter as he explained.
"You're not even listening," he said in a half moan as Kevin bit down on his collarbone.
"I am. You're just sexy when you get all smart."
Edd smiled and continued for the time being. "I think our lab should be particularly interesting because of the reactions we'll be learning about."
Kevin shifted down more, attempting to position himself to remove Edd's shirt. He hissed as pain shot up his leg when it hit the baseboard of their bed. Edd immediately stopped talking and began to care for Kevin.
"Are you alright? Can I help you?" He shifted Kevin back on his back and put a couple pillows under his ankle. He then took a bottle of water out of the fridge and spilled a couple pain killers into his palm, handing both to Kevin.
"Thanks," he murmured. "Those guys just had to fuck up my leg on top of the rest of it." He popped the pills in his mouth and swallowed with a large gulp of water.
Edd crawled back into bed with him and pressed his lips against his neck. "Can I ask what happened?" he asked into the warm flesh. His voice was quiet, afraid of the answer but needing it.
Kevin sighed. "I think you can probably guess."
Edd nodded. "You remember though, don't you?"
"It started coming back last night. Some of it is still pretty fuzzy, but I mean, yeah. I remember." He stayed quiet a moment. When Edd didn't say anything, he continued, "They were pretty disappointed, because of the game and all. I was keeping my distance from most of them, and Coach had asked to talk to me a minute anyway. He wanted to know if I'd made any decisions yet. Anyway, I got into the shower and nearly everyone else was gone, I could hear Chris in the back of the locker room, talking to some of the other guys. The ones that agreed with him mostly. I stayed under the water longer than I should have, but it didn't seem to matter too much. I knew you and Wilhelmina were waiting, but I figured a couple extra minutes wouldn't hurt anything. So I wasn't paying attention until someone tried to take my feet out from underneath me. Then it started." He looked at his fist. "I tried to defend myself, but there were six of them. When I lost consciousness...I dunno."
"Do you know who?"
He nodded and swallowed hard. "Jason texted me earlier; Coach is doing a full investigation. Wants them kicked out of school."
"They should be."
He shrugged. "They'll all be gone soon enough."
"The seniors then?"
"Who else? Them and Vinny, who's transferring next year because his grades aren't good enough to keep his partial scholarship. It's not worth the investigation."
"It is though."
Kevin shook his head. "I don't have to deal with them for more than six more months. It's not worth formally looking into."
"But if they don't investigate it now, they'll only do it again to someone else. Think about it: They did to you what they wanted to do to me."
The thought hadn't occurred to him and it made every muscle in his body clench, a sick feeling soured his stomach immediately. He couldn't imagine Edd would have survived that beating well. Kevin knew if they had gotten hold of Edd, he'd be sitting next to a comatose body in the hospital, rather than lying in their bed with some bumps and bruises. He reflexively squeezed Edd around the shoulders.
"You know I'm right," Edd said quietly.
He nodded. The investigation had left his mind for the time being. He pulled Edd in as close as he could. Edd snuggled in, gripping Kevin like he couldn't quite believe he actually was lying next to him. When he pulled out his phone, he explained, "I'm going to set an alarm so we don't keep your father waiting."
Kevin nodded. "That makes sense." His eyes felt heavy and he knew he'd probably be asleep in minutes. Dinner with his father suddenly seemed days away. He felt Edd's lips back against his neck, warm and comfortingly present, and allowed himself to be swept away by sleep.
It felt like only minutes later when a sharp metallic sound drilled it's way into his brain, shaking him from unconsciousness. The weight and warmth next to him, Edd, shifted and sat up right. He gently shook Kevin by the shoulder.
Kevin groaned. "What time is it?"
"Six-thirty, you're dad's going to pick us up in a half an hour. We need to change. And I need to comb my hair."
Kevin pushed himself to a sitting position and opened his eyes. Edd's hat sat at he end of the bed, his shirt had also been shucked. He pulled a comb through his hair as he looked at the clothes hanging in their closet. Kevin reached for the hat and pulled it over his rumpled hair. "All set. Come back to bed."
Edd glanced over at him and grinned. "If you think you're going to wear that to dinner, you're sadly mistaken, sir."
"No? You gonna stop me dork?" he said with a grin.
Edd walked over, buttoning up a fresh shirt. He leaned close, mouth hovering just over Kevin's. He smelled like mint and a musky scent Kevin could only associate with his soap. "You bet I will." Edd kissed him, and as Kevin melted into the kiss, he swiped the hat off his head. "Better get dressed now. Your father will be here in a few minutes." He pulled the hat back on his head while Kevin groaned.
Kevin pushed himself off the bed and hobbled over to the closet. He pulled a clean shirt off a hanger and worked at pulling it on without falling over as his crutch stood against the wall. He felt Edd come in behind him, leaning close as he selected a tie from a hook on the wall. Edd's hands took his waist while he wobbled, steadying him long enough to get the shirt on. As he regained his balance, Edd leaned in to kiss his cheek. Kevin allowed himself to lean against Edd's chest for a moment. Edd wrapped his arms around his waist and they stood like that, Edd's tie loose about his neck, Kevin's crutch against the wall, for the time being. The digital clock over Edd's desk beeped twice. "Mmmm...It's seven o'clock. Your father is waiting."
Kevin sighed. "Yeah, okay. Just help me put my shoe on?"
Edd nodded and bent to help him. They got to the parking lot just as Kevin's dad pulled up.
He took them to one of the nicer restaurants in town, a hibatchi place they had heard about but never managed to go to because the prices were out of budget for college kids. They were seated at a table with another family of five and given menus. A woman came out to take their drink orders after a few minutes. When she left again, Kevin's father looked over his menu at Kevin and Edd.
"I hope this is okay, guys. I asked the girl at the front desk at my hotel where to go and she said that this was one of the places parents liked to take their kids when they visit."
"This is really cool. Thanks, Dad."
"Yes, thank you very much. Everything on the menu looks delicious."
"Well get whatever you want tonight. I probably won't be able to get down before finals, so consider this a jitters reliever, or whatever."
The waitress came back to the table and took their orders, two for chicken and one for the lemon sole. "Your chef will be out in a few minutes. Would you care for any appetizers?" Kevin and Edd both shook their heads. The waitress nodded and left.
Kevin's father asked about their school work and how their classes were going.
"Actually, our swim final is tomorrow," Edd added with a sip of coke.
"Oh shit. I completely forgot about that." He shifted his bound leg uncomfortably.
"Well, you're part is pretty much over. As long as I don't screw it up, we'll both get A's."
Kevin's dad looked confused. "What're you doing in a swim class, Kev? You've been swimming since you before you could walk."
"I umm—well I found out Edd was taking it and decided to sign up because I uh—liked him."
His dad laughed. "Very smooth. So why don't you have to do anything at this final?"
Kevin looked at Edd with raised eyebrows, inviting him to explain.
"I never learned to swim as a child. When I signed up I thought they would teach me. Rather than having me drop the class, Kevin and our teacher agreed that if he could teach me in the semester we'd both get A's. He's done his part, so now it's just up to me."
He nodded. "Kev was teaching at the Y through high school. I'm sure you'll do fine tomorrow."
"He's a very good teacher."
The chef came to the table and began. He cooked right in front of them, frying rice, cooking their meat choices, and even making a volcano out of a stack of onion rings. They clapped and laughed at the right moments, and Kevin even managed to catch a piece of chicken in his mouth as it was tossed at him. The food was wonderful and when they left they were so full they could barely move. Kevin's dad dropped them off in front of their building, wished them luck on their swim final the next day and went back to his hotel. Kevin couldn't remember a more relaxing and enjoyable night with his father since he was in elementary school.