Booya! Chapter 12! *does my happy dance* Ever seen "Fitz And The Tantrum: The Walker" music video? Ya sort of looks like that. So thrilled to finally get chapter 12 up. Man did this one take a while. I kept going back changing and revising things cause nothing seemed to fit the mood I was looking for. Well here it is guys. Hope you like.
Enjoy!
Much to Kevin's chagrin he had to go into his room and tidy up at least a little bit. He preferred his organized chaos of shoes by the bed and papers piled haphazardly on his dresser top, but his neat nick mother would throw a hissy fit if she saw it. Having to explain Edd to them was going to be enough of a challenge and he wasn't in the mood to deal with a lecture from her about cleanliness. Shoes placed by the door and clothes shoved messily into the closet, Kevin made his way back into the living room just in time to hear the doorbell ring. He swallowed hard.
"Here goes nothing." Kevin looked through the peep hole before opening the door, slathering on the goody-two-shoes charm. "Hey mom, dad."
A short lovely woman with dark brown hair and vibrant green eyes stepped into the house, enveloping Kevin a warm hug. Behind her was Kevin's father, standing tall with a burly red mustache covering his top lip. He saluted the boy with two fingers.
"Hello hunny." Mrs. Barr smiled, taking her son's arm and stepped into the living room. We missed you at dinner last night. Did something come up?"
Kevin looked to his father who followed them with a curiously raised brow. His eyes danced about the room as if looking for some sign of tom-foolery his son was up to. Kevin cleared his throat to grab his attention. "Well sort of."
Mr. Barr's hazel orbs landed hard on him. "And?"
"Well uh-"
Mrs. Barr turned around to face the kitchen but suddenly jumped. "Oh!" Her cheeks turned a bashful shade of pink, placing her hand over her heart. "Oh young man I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."
Kevin's face drained of all its color. Damnit Edd!
"My apologies ma'am." Said Eddward who was standing the kitchen. In his hands was a silver tray which he placed carefully onto the counter. "I didn't mean to give you a fright."
Mr. Barr stepped up beside his wife in an instant, eyeing the boy and the tray's contents wearily. "And you are?"
Kevin jumped in immediately, standing next to Edd. "Dad this is Edd. Edd this is my pops."
The beanie wearing boy smiled, nodding his head politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Barr."
"It's lovely to meet you." She said.
Her husband's eyes danced about Edd's form in a rather condescending manner, as if to size him up but said nothing. Nervously the sockhead stepped around the counter, doing away with the only barrier between them. Kevin chewed on the inside of his cheek and prayed for some sort of miracle. If he could just get them to leave before anymore screw ups he should be ok.
"Are you a… friend of Kevin's?" Mrs. Barr asked.
Edd smiled and nodded, not at all missing the inflection in her voice. The hesitation in her tone told him it would be best to play it safe. She was polite but a worried mother none the less.
"Yes ma'am. I am afraid I was the reason your son missed his dinner date with you. I was enjoying his company so much I completely lost track of time. He is an excellent host after all." He smiled up at Kevin who rubbed the back of his neck, fighting back a blush.
"It's no trouble at all." She said eyeing the silver tray. "So how long have you known my son for?"
Edd clasped his hands behind his back, crossing his fingers. Honesty was always his policy but sometimes a little white lie here and there went a long way. Or at least he hoped it would in this case. He hated lying. It was such a dirty habit and a terrible first impression on Kevin but for now he'd swallow his pride. He didn't want them knowing the truth about him just yet. Who knows how they would react if they knew Kevin was attempting to house some strange kid from the streets..
"We met yesterday ma'am. At a pizza parlor." Well, maybe a half lie wouldn't weigh so heavily on his conscience.
Mr. Barr rubbed his chin. "Really now. Which one?" He eyed his son.
Kevin caught on to the fib and jumped right on it. "The one on Clemency and 9th." He shrugged. "Casandra introduced us."
Mrs. Barr's face lit up. "Oh Casandra, how is she? I haven't seen her in ages." Kevin made a face and she chuckled. "Yes I know. It's none of my business but what can I say? I worry about my boy. So how do you know her? At school perhaps?" She asked Edd.
Eddward sucked on his bottom lip and averted his gaze. "Well uh-"
"He's her boyfriend." Kevin interjected and he could have sworn the sockhead's face had whitened by two shades.
Mr. Barr frowned. "Really? I didn't think Casandra went for that type. No offense kid." Kevin felt like slapping his hand to his face.
Edd shook his head and smiled nervously. "N-none taken."
Mr. Barr picked at the food on the tray, nibbling on the cheese and crackers. "So where's this soup you were talking about?"
Edd perked up. "Oh my onion soup?"
Mr. Barr eyed his son knowingly. Ha! Caught you in a lie. Just what are you up to?
Kevin's lips pressed into a flat line in response. Ya I know. Stop looking at me like that.
"I put the left overs away but if you wish I could heat some up for you." Eddward offered.
"That would be lovely dear but we would have to decline. We were just about to head out for dinner and thought perhaps you two would like to come along with us."
Kevin immediately shook his head. "Nah it's ok. We just ate."
She frowned. "But I insist-"
"We've had a long day and I'm sure Edd would like to get some shut eye. Right?" He looked at Edd, bumping his elbow into the boy's side.
"Oh uh yes! I-I apologize but I am rather exhausted." Edd smiled apologetically.
At least that wasn't a lie. Quite frankly he was beyond exhausted. The emotional one on one following their escapade at the mall had really done a number on him. But the older adults hardly looked convinced. Especially Kevin's father.
Said man draped an arm around his wife and kissed the side of her face. "Why don't you go flag us down a taxi my dear? I'll take care of whatever problems Kevin's got going on around here." He smiled.
The undertone made Kevin inwardly cringe. He just wasn't going to let this go.
"Well alright. If that's how you boys feel." She said before kissing her husband's cheek. "I'll see you downstairs. Goodnight sweetheart." She waved to Kevin. "And you too Eddward. It was lovely to meet you." She smiled at her husband as he escorted her to the door. "My what a polite boy he is."
Edd glanced over to Kevin with a smile as he waved her off. "I can tell your parents are very much in love."
Kevin chewed on his lip and counted the clicks of his mother's heels. Every step farther was one second closer to having his head cut off. "I'd stash that smile for later bud."
Edd frowned at this. "I don't understand."
"Oh you will." Kevin said quietly as the bolt to his front door locked into place. He hissed in a breath. "You will."
He sent him one last apologetic look before Mr. Barr returned, the sweet charismatic look on his face now gone and replaced with a deep and angry scowl. His large arms crossed over his chest as he eyed the red-head and the sockhead. Eddward gulped.
"Alright you two. I've got questions and you better answer honestly because I am not above boxing the shit out of both your ears. You got that?"
The man's voiced boomed and Edd openly flinched. He'd never been yelled at so harshly before. It turned his knee caps to jelly and knotted up his stomach in the worst of ways. Edd nodded his head furiously and Kevin merely sighed. He was used to it after all. "Ya sure."
"Don't you 'ya sure' me boy. I'm still your father and I can still whoop you if you piss me off any further." He gruffed. "Now on the couch. Both of you."
Mr. Barr stood before them as both judge and jury. His hands rested his hips as he paced back and forth over the living room rug. His brows were drawn together etching stern lines across his forehead. Edd made sure to sit as far away from Kevin as possible. For whatever reason he thought it would be best to keep his distance while Kevin's father was still present. The man looked between the two boys before he said anything, eyeing the sockhead closely and then turning his burning gaze on his son.
"I know you're hiding something. Don't think I don't see what's going on right in front of my face."
"Like what?" The red-head feigned innocence but even Edd could see the nervous bead of sweat on the side of his face. And he thinks I'm the terrible liar.
"Well for starters lying to your mother and then thinking you can pull that same shit with me." His nose scrunched up behind his mustache. "I've been a parent for twenty five years and counting. Your parent to be exact. Don't think I can't see right through you and your little friend here." He jabbed his thumb in Edd's direction. "And I'll get to you in a second."
Eddward swallowed back a whimper. For being on the tall side it was no surprise how intimidating the man could be. His arms were made of rock solid muscle and he could just imagine the damage those large calloused hands could generate. Edd was so small, he didn't think he would survive a punch from one of them. Then again it really didn't take much to bring him down. His bullied childhood was a testament to that.
Kevin scratched the side of his face and eyed Edd a bit before speaking. He looked terrified. "Look it's honestly none of your business. What I do in the privacy of my home is mine to deal with and we really don't need you sticking your nose-."
"You lied to your mother, my wife." He countered. "I'm not about to let you punks go and disrespect her that way." He started to pace again, his voice raising an octave as he seethed. "You got that?"
Kevin sighed and mumbled. "Yes sir."
"Good. Now out with it."
Kevin slouched back into the couch, kicking up his foot onto the coffee table which his father promptly shoved off. "Alright fine." Kevin hissed. "Look, I wasn't lying when I said we met yesterday. We kind of clicked and he spent the night. What's the big deal?"
Mr. Barr pinched the bridge of his nose. "You made it a big deal when you decided to lie to your mother. Do you know she will not shut up about this at dinner? I had plans for a nice evening out from the shop but now she's not going to be able to shut up about you and dorko over there."
Ah. So that's where he gets it, Eddward mused.
"Chill pops. Edd ain't all that bad." He flashed a grin at Edd who lifted a hand to his mouth to hide his blush.
The older man rolled his eyes and huffed. "Ya well I don't know him as well as you do."
Kevin shrugged, not at all perturbed his father's sarcasm. "Maybe someday soon you will."
Mr. Barr raised a brow. "Care to elaborate on that?"
"Not really." Kevin said, crossing his hands behind his head. "But while he's around you could at least try to be nice to him."
The hard look in Mr. Barr's eyes immediately softened much to Edd's surprise. His tense composure relaxed some and the man ran his fingers through his combed back hair. He eyed the sockhead one last time before relenting.
"Ah. I get it now." He sighed. "Damnit boy don't go scaring me like that!" Kevin snorted as he laughed. Mr. Barr glared and his upper lip twitched. "I'm just looking out for you. You know if your mother catches you, you'll never hear the end of it." He said in a warning tone. "I already told you I'm not taking the fall you on this sort of thing. That's all on you."
Keivn sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah I know."
Eddward's gaze danced between the two in complete confusion. What on earth just happened? Kevin winked at him but if it was supposed to make him feel better, well it didn't. Nervously he picked at the hem of his shirt.
"Was it completely necessary to hide it over the phone? Not like it's new to me." Mr. Barr said.
Kevin shrugged and nodded in Edd's direction. "Didn't think he'd want people knowing."
Mr. Barr pursed his lips. "Well still. We could have avoided this little scenario if you had just told me from the get-go."
"E-excuse me," Edd wasn't quite sure if stepping in to the conversation yet was such a good idea but he was tired of being ignored. "But what do you mean?"
Kevin kicked his feet back up on the coffee table. "That you and I had sex."
It was mind boggling how the red-head could say such a statement so bluntly. It was like he had this incredible ability to bypass any sense of tact. Edd's cheeks flared a dark shade of red and he tugged the hem of his hat down over his eyes. "K-Kevin!"
Kevin flashed his father a look. "See?"
Mr. Barr shook his head. "You're a piece of work you now that son?" The older Barr sighed and mumbled to himself. "And this is a hell of a way of meeting your boyfriend."
Eddward slowly lifted the hat from his eyes and peeked from under its brim. His cheeks were burning the darkest shade of red at this point. So Kevin's father knew about his son's sexuality. That's... odd. Isn't it usually the matriarch of the family who is invested in this sort of thing? Oh never mind that. Just so long as I am not being yelled at I should honestly care less.
"Nah pops it ain't like that." Kevin corrected. "He's actually my roommate. I didn't want to tell mom yet 'cause I knew she'd flip."
And he didn't think his father would? Mr. Barr's bushy brows flew to the top of his head. "Roommate! Oh no Kevin." His face scrunched in a grimace, both red-heads knew exactly where this was going. "Don't do that."
Kevin heaved yet another sigh. Here we go the 'I know better than you' speech. He could write a book with how many he's gotten in the last six years of his life. Guess that's what he gets for being an only child. His lip twitched in agitation. "Why not?"
"Well for starters you don't need one." Mr. Barr chided. "You're well off on your own. Second of all you just met this kid, yesterday. How do you know you can trust him?"
Eddward bit his lip and regarded the young man beside him. He had a point. If the shoe were on the other foot Edd didn't think he would so openly trust someone he only just met, let alone offer the amenities of his home to some vagabond he picked up in the park. His eyes cast down. As hypocritical as it sounded, that was just the way Edd was.
"Dad," Kevin rubbed his face, already starting to feel the prickles of his facial hair growing in. "I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for him."
The sockhead's eyes widened in disbelief. His heart was all a flutter.
Mr. Barr's frowned deepened. In his hazel eyes flashed something akin to pride but with it came at the price of his discouraged expression. "All the more reason not to do it."
I'm doing it for him. Those five words though spoken gently boomed in Edd's ears, echoing in the hollow spaces of his doubtful mind. His fingers paused in their picking and came together in his lap as he considered what Kevin had just said.
Mr. Barr leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and massaged his temples. "Kevin," He inhaled sharply. "I could go on and on about how incredibly stupid this is and how much I think you're an idiot-" he exhaled slowly. "But I've got a wife down stairs waiting for me and I'm under the impression that at this moment you don't care what I think."
The older man stood and popped his back, kicking out the kink in his knee. Kevin stood with him but Eddward remained sitting. He felt like a mouse among giants.
"We'll talk about this some more tomorrow." He said. "Be in an hour early."
Kevin pursed his lips and nodded. Perhaps it would be best to let it go for now. He walked his father to the door and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Hey dad?"
Mr. Barr paused half way out the door and looked at him. "Yes son?"
Kevin scratched the back of his head and bit his tongue hard before speaking. "I just- I uh, you know."
The expression on the older man's face softened. He grabbed the back of his son's neck and popped their forehead together. "I got it." He smiled, the corners of his mustache lifting and Kevin returned it with a lopsided grin of his own. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
Well what did you guys think? I'd really like to know. Chapter 13 is currently under construction and might take a while. I plan to have some sort of transition to move the story further along. Trust me, this chapter will lead to something funny much later. And thank you soooo much to everyone who has left a review or little comments here and there. They help so much and I really appreciate them!
Fun Fact: Kevin's father was written with my own father in mind. (RIP "Bone Daddy")
