Hey guys it's another chapter! :) Oh my gosh where do I start?

Every single one of your guys' reviews were phenomenal. Just top notch. The best set of review's I've ever gotten. Thank you so much! Shocking Beatrice, nitro61298, bookwormcathy, Kayzies, HaLoReAcHgIrl, lizzysakura21, MurasakiBunny, jessiejr21, Tsukino, and that one unnamed Guest!

KenDan55: lol Well if you're mad now I'd hate to see what you'd be like in the next number of chapters.

wiseyetharmless: Yes. Yes I did /troll face

Moist: ok seriously you made me fall out of my chair laughing

carolina98: to be honest I had the start of a big story line but never had the intention of actually writing it all out. Over all I say it's following with the original objective though details have been drastically changed.

Missdellusion: It's one of them, though I had to scrap a few rough drafts using different characters so we'll see who.

coleiobro101: 33 chapters in one day, wow! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

This chapter is for all of you guys who took the time to write such wonderful reviews. They really are my creative kick in the pants.

I know I wasn't supposed to post this chapter until the 30th but since my schedule is about to get crazy again I figured maybe a day early wouldn't hurt. I hope you guys like it, I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting for my jibber jabber to end so without further ado-

Enjoy!


The sockhead flipped onto his back and took to staring back up at the ceiling. He had to think of something, anything, to keep his cynical mind busy. Ron's parting words from Thanksgiving Day still lingered so he focused on them; allowing himself to imagine the face of the man who spoke them so willfully. Hazel eyes had been kind to him, accepting and understanding, and in such a way it tore Edd up from the inside out.

"Before I let you go I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you."

Ron's words rang like church bells in his mind. The chime eventually turned into a sort of buzzing sound, like white noise in his head.

"I will treat you no better, or worse, than my own son. You want to be a part of his life then you gotta put up with me and my wife. She trusts you. In time you will earn my trust but only after you've proven to me that you deserve it."

The man had asked he look after his son. If anything it was quite the burden, though the sockhead wouldn't use quite that loaded of a word.

It was only the second time he had ever met Kevin's parents and oddly enough it was like they were expecting to have him integrated into the family already. It was bizarre. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the sentiment. After all Darlene was a kind and gracious woman while her husband was incredibly wise though respectfully reserved. Not to mention the investment their son Kevin already had in him- but Edd was… well… he just wasn't a Barr. He was a Vincent; a single solitary Vincent who couldn't possibly dream of fitting into the ranks of such a warm and fun loving family like the Barr's.

He assumed this was test of his will; a sort of pop quiz from hell dictating his worth. He had to wonder if they considered his worthiness in being present in Kevin's life. Of that he was sure though he could only assume that was what any loving parent would do. He respected them for that if nothing else.

These changes Ron accused him of making in Kevin were quite unfathomable. He couldn't imagine how he of all people could cause someone to act in any other way but their own. He was a no body as far as he was concerned; and what did he have to show for it? He was nerdy goody-two-shoes. Well maybe not.

The figure lying at his side heaved a sleepy sigh but Edd couldn't bring himself to tear his gaze way from the ceiling. He had been staring up at it for who knows how long, thinking endlessly over his predicament. One moment all was calm and the next it wasn't. It was as if two sides to a coin couldn't decide which way to land. His coin, it seemed, stood stubbornly on its side; neither tilting nor rolling, erected on the precipice of doubt and fearful curiosity.

It had been days since his encounter with Ron. The weight of obligation Mr. Barr had placed on his shoulders was now crushing him. He couldn't be and shouldn't be held responsible for Kevin's wellbeing. He could barely take care of himself. He couldn't imagine what the man saw in him to think he could care for another person, let alone his own son. They weren't even that close.

Round and around these thoughts filtered through his head, humming like a swarm of angry wasps in a hamster ball. Furthering this contemplative state would assure him a head ache and yet he couldn't bring himself to stop. Not even as he turned to the sleeping figure at his side whose back was turned to him. The unfamiliar curve of the sleeping man's shoulders shot guilt like a hot bullet right through his system. Though it shouldn't have mattered if it were Kevin or not he still felt the pang of regret as he quietly rose from his bed. Said red-head was sleeping soundly in the room across the hall, alone and probably oblivious to it all.

Swallowing his pride Edd gathered his robe from the floor and tucked it securely around his slender body before escaping to the bathroom. He let the door shut quietly and winced when the light above came on. He took a gander at himself in the mirror and right away regretted doing so. His face was no paler than before but his hair was a mess. He had a serious case of the bed head and his eyes had a crusty build up from his lack of sleep. Splashing a bit of water on his face Edd thought back the early morning hours when he had first brought that stranger- what was his name again? Oh yes, Todd- home.

From behind a soft groan pulled Eddward from his thoughts. Cold hands found their way around the sockhead's waist, tip toeing a blazing trail up his naked abdomen and to the flat of his chest. His heart skipped a beat but in a manner most unusual. Edd hadn't noticed when Kevin came in to turn the shower on nor did he notice how long the red-head had been standing there, staring at him; forest green taking in the taught line surrounding the younger man's tired eyes.

"Edd."

Kevin's breath caressed the back of his neck.

Edd quivered, feeling dirty and naked under Kevin's clean touch. He hadn't counted on running into him just yet. He had hoped Kevin would be willing to talk to him come later in the morning, after he had washed the filth of his recent indiscretions down the drain. He was ready to put the ugly errors of their fight behind them but in reality there was much to be said. He was more than sure that Kevin had plenty of his own words to share but was just as hesitant to speak them.

Eddward's eyes fluttered shut as those warm hands cupped and caressed the smooth curve of his hips. Cool chills reverberated throughout his body as his head lolled back, messy black hair falling from his eyes as he melted into Kevin's hypnotic touch.

Kevin hummed softly into the sockhead's shoulder. "Been missing you since yesterday you know." His tone was soft, too quiet. Almost offensively so.

Kevin gripped Edd's shoulder and spun him around, suddenly lifting the light weight up onto the bathroom sink and forcing him back against the fogging mirror. The dork gasped, blue eyes widening in shock as the freckled face man towering over him trapped him in place, both hands coming down on either side of Edd's head and effectively boxing him in. Kevin smirked, catching Edd by the chin and lifting his face so their eyes could meet. Wherever that quiver had come from in Kevin's voice was now long gone, replaced with his usually confident self. It brought Edd some weird form of relief- the likes of which he didn't care to investigate at that moment.

"We've got some unfinished business."

When he spoke it was like thick black smoke escaping the mouth of a dragon just before it erupted in a torrent of flames. Eddward felt his insides melt as that hot breath washed over his face in waves and his eyes fluttered shut once more. He struggled to keep them open even as the taste of flesh pressed itself upon his own, his wet cavern invaded by none other than Kevin's tongue.

The kiss was brutal and demanding, forcing the dork's lips to open to receive him. Kevin scooted Edd's hips closer to his own and his hardened length brushed Edd's bottom. The dork gasped, Kevin stealing his breath as he reached between them to tear open Edd's robe. The dork looked over Kevin's shoulder to see the bathroom door still wide open.

Though his vision was blurred Edd was sure he saw a figure stalking out from his bedroom.

Fingers wet and unseen sought permission to enter, and his body responded immediately by relaxing. Two fingers slipped easily inside, stretching his previously tampered entrance to the point he knew he should have felt discomfort but didn't.

The figure he recognized as Todd turned around once, noticing both Kevin and Edd from down the hall. He flashed a charming smile and departing free of word or explanation. Edd didn't even hear the front door close as Kevin forced his way between Edd's thighs and gave a mighty thrust forward.

Edd cried out as the morning ray of light which peeked in through the bathroom windows, washing the tile floor and walls in a hue of orange and gold. Edd's chrome blue eyes sparkled in the sun light and Kevin let himself fall into their never ending depths; spiraling out of control as an animal like instinct took over and all he could stand to think about was the scent of Eddward sweet sex as they made love there on the bathroom sink.

Kevin didn't seem to notice the slick feel of lubrication and another man's seed was still inside his tiny lover's body, or the abnormal give Edd's entrance was giving. He cared only for Edd; he needed to be inside him. By tongue, by penetration, by smothering away the faint smell of another man's cologne with his own musky scent, whatever it took, he needed to be within the sockhead. He wanted to taste no others but his sweat and hear Edd call out his name in wild abandon. He needed Edd's nails raking down his back and his soft moldable lips crying out in sweet, sweet victory as liquid paradise surged through their veins at the beginnings of their fall over the edge.

Above all he needed this to heal. They both did.

This was not some frantic apology romp; oh no this was far from it. Rather, it was a skillful application of male domination extending to and beyond the need to remove the image of this other man from Edd completely. His mind, his body, his soul would be purged of their fight and of their rueful indiscretions. Kevin's compassion would make him clean again, showering him in kisses of unequaled acceptance and sincerity. His seed will fill his lover's body, and it will be hot and all he would ever need said his mind and for the moment Kevin allowed himself to believe it.

In some way Edd almost did as well.

Several hours later, long after Edd and Kevin cleansed themselves of their love making, they stood awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen. Though now partially clothed neither boy seemed able to keep their eyes off the other. There was still much waiting to be said but Edd wasn't sure just how to approach it. By the uncertainty written in Kevin's eyes he could only guess the red-head was thinking along the same lines.

To break the ice Kevin offered Edd help in preparing a very late breakfast. They couldn't keep their hands to themselves. Kevin's fingers wouldn't stop their teasing and Edd's mouth just couldn't resist tasting the natural salty flavor of Kevin's shoulder. The two were working devilishly to get the other into a kind of frenzy. Thankfully their morning tryst had been enough to satiate their hungry desire but it wouldn't be long before they would start to crave for more.

Taking it upon himself to be the adult of the two, Edd pushed himself off Kevin's back and smacked his lips. Kevin tasted especially good today. It both excited and confused him.

"Kevin?"

The red-head turned to face him, his large hand rubbing softly over Edd's shoulder. His fingers brushed the thin material of the shirt he had dressed Edd into, his shirt, and he couldn't stop the swell of pride that bubbled in his chest. If Kevin could have his way he'd keep Edd just like this- half naked in his home with nothing but a borrowed shirt and maybe a pair of his boxers. Maybe.

He almost laughed.

Even in the face of tension he couldn't stop being a pervert. What could he say?

Like father like son I suppose.

They exchanged soft looks as both boys sat across from one another, Edd on the floor with his fork poised over his eggs while Kevin sat on the edge of the couch, hands twisted together in his lap, his breakfast sitting nearly forgotten in front of him.

Kevin set his plate aside and waved to the sockhead to sit beside him. Edd obeyed and plopped down beside him, their shoulders touching as they simultaneously leaned into one another. Edd sighed, picking his gaze up off the floor to stare at the black screen of the television across from them. It was difficult but he was able to ignore the itch he felt when his bare outer thigh brushed the hard fibers of Kevin's jeans. It sent a torrent of chills racing down his spine, the same kind of chills that were nearly impossible to simply shrug aside.

"About last night…" He began. "I owe you an apology."

Kevin rubbed the side of his face.

"I overacted."

Kevin's brow twitched. "That, my friend, is more than just an overreaction. Trust me, I know overreaction." He whispered the last part bitterly to himself, his mind converting briefly to Cassandra.

Edd looked up at him, a frown marring his otherwise beautiful face.

Kevin glanced down at him, sighing when he couldn't hold the younger man's gaze for long. Now wasn't the time for him to be thinking of Cassandra, he told himself and forced his focus back to the situation at hand.

"I shouldn't have left you behind like that." Kevin finally admitted. "Damnit I don't know what I was thinking."

"Maybe." Edd said, but there was no bite to his words. They dissolved to a soft and tender nibbles, almost as if trying to tease. He wasn't particularly upset at being left behind as Kevin was.

"It was real stupid. I never should have done that. I should have made you come home with me."

His eyes squeezed shut, blocking out the image of Edd's hurt expression. It made his skin want to crawl.

"I thought for a moment you wouldn't… that you may have just left. For good."

Edd's eyes widened. His heart and stomach trembled. "W-what?"

Kevin raked his fingers through his hair. His hat had been left in his room, sitting all by its lonesome self on the foot of his bed. He suddenly wished he had it. He felt naked and vulnerable without it.

"I thought you might not come back."

Edd's heart slammed against his chest. "You thought…No."

Kevin snapped his head up quickly, his eyes widening by a fraction.

"No, Kevin I would never leave like that. Do you think me insane?"

Without so much as thinking he took hold of Kevin's hands and gripped them as tightly as he could. Kevin's cheeks flushed pink, his arms traveling with Edd's direction until his palms pressed flat against the sockhead's chest. The younger man tugged them right into place above his heart, every pulse reverberating through them like the beat of a drum.

"I would never, and could never, consider leaving you."

His chrome blue depths flashed with something akin to determination, his fingers curling tightly over Kevin's hands as though he were afraid they would be taken from him. His breath shook as he fought to breathe, wanting and not wanting to take his hands back. They felt warm and safe where they were. While this feeling was not foreign to him he had never before experienced such a surge of affectivity for someone he, in all honesty, knew so little about. It felt surreal and very frustrating.

Kevin's fingers curled into the front of Edd's shirt, pulling and threatening to tear into its soft white fabric.

It was then Edd realized he wanted to know more. He wanted Kevin to elaborate, to share in the tiniest details of his life; to learn the whys and how's of his hopes and fears, to delve into uncharted waters and solidify an already transformed friendship.

He wanted, no, they needed to know more. The notion was ridiculous, of that he was certain and yet it felt all too right- all too real. And that thought frightened him most of all.

Kevin felt a vague sense of Deja-vu. Hadn't he felt this way before? What did this all mean?

Something larger than himself was begging Kevin to coax Edd further from his shell and him from his own. Kevin knew more than he already should but his appetite was vast and self-indulgent. Damnit, he was a selfish prick. He was a selfish bastard with a connection so deep with the sockhead he was afraid even the slightest misstep could mess it all up.

But what was IT?

He didn't feel his fingers tighten and Edd made no expressional shift to show he felt their iron grip. His eyes, however, did secretly dance with shame though it went unnoticed.

"When I realized I just left you there, like an idiot, I freaked. I went back looking for you but I couldn't find you. I didn't know where you went or what you were doing. The bouncer said he saw you take off down the avenue." Kevin said, eyeing his roommate with a concentrated stare.

Something at the back of Kevin's mind was nagging at him. Ever since he ran into the bouncer he couldn't stop wondering if Edd had really gone into a bar of all places. It was hardly the kind of atmosphere one thought of when it came to the sockhead. He found it hard to believe but Edd has surprised him before, therefore making anything possible.

Albeit stern, Kevin kept his voice under strict control.

"I was afraid you might have gotten into trouble or something and I never would have known. You should have just come home. Are you even aware of how dangerous the city can be after hours?"

What Kevin said was true. Had something happened to him there was no way of letting Kevin or anyone else for that matter know. Edd would have been all on his own, alone and possibly hurt.

"I-" Edd shook his head.

What exactly was he to say? He shouldn't have been so brash. He had been a fool to run away like that. With no destination in mind and fueled only by his dissatisfaction of Kevin's actions, there was no telling where he could have ended up. The city was big and there were a number of insurmountable dangers he could have faced. On his own he wouldn't have stood a chance.

"I'm sorry."

Kevin's expression softened. "It's ok."

Edd shook his head. "No. I was being irrational, illogical, and entirely foolish. I allowed my emotions to navigate my actions."

It was then his hands finally let go of Kevin's and to his dismay the other's hands fell from his chest, leaving the spot above his heart feeling bereft and cold.

No mentioning was necessary for Kevin to be reminded of that bastard Tom or Todd, whatever his name was. He wanted desperately to believe Tom or Todd was to blame for all this. He knew that to be far from the truth but he was in need of hating something or someone in this matter, and the pretty boy who flirted with his sockhead was the perfect candidate. There wasn't much to be said about him anyways. They guy was a straight up douche. At least Kevin had the decency not to steal other people's dates.

Then again, he wasn't even sure he had a place to speak his mind on the matter. Did he approve? Hell no, but Edd's choices were his own. He liked to think that in Eddward's place he would have done the same.

Right?

It wasn't like he was foreign to the idea of flirting. Flirting was harmless. Edd hardly fit the label of loose cannon and in retrospect Kevin could have pounded douchy-mc-douche into oblivion if he really wanted; but he hadn't. Now he seriously wished he had. He had been stupid to have left Edd alone. That guy could have been a creeper and followed him. He could have tried to touch him, to take advantage of him, to-

"I should have just gone home with you. If I had I never would have gone wi-"

He stopped short, his face paling when he realized he almost let it slip. Edd's fingers curled into the hem of his shirt until his knuckles turned white. Oh no.

The corners of Kevin's lips tipped downward, the question they both knew was hanging in the air between them. You never would have what? A fearful lump lodged right in the center of his throat and suddenly Kevin found it hard to breathe.

"Eddward?" His voice shook with tentative concern. "Did something happen?"

When Edd didn't look at him right away the lump in his throat increased tenfold. If that bastard so much as looked at Edd wrong he was going to tear him to pieces! His face would become permanently introduced to the pavement, of that he was certain. He took hold of Edd's chin and tipped the sockhead's face to look at him. Those lovely blues carefully avoided his gaze, flashing between veils of worry and shame. Kevin was rightfully concerned.

"Edd babe talk to me. Did something happen?"

If so he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Edd please tell me. Did something happen after I left?" Please god say no.

Edd squeezed his eyes shut so tightly he was starting to see spots dot the dark world behind his eye lids. Kevin's eyes searched every line and space of the sockhead's face, his lips pursed together in a straight line.

DING-DONG

Then, like a bolt of lightning striking them both, Kevin and Edd jolted straight up, sitting erect and oddly at attention. They waited to see if the chime had been all in their heads but to their chagrin it wasn't. The doorbell rang again, insistent this time as it was followed by a brief knock.

A familiar and muffled sound came through the door and Edd's eyes widened in horror. He recognized that charming voice.

Kevin straightened, letting his hands fall to his sides. He stood rather suddenly, forcing Edd to the side. Edd was confused, watching the motorcyclist make his way down the hall. It wasn't until Kevin's hand reached for the knob of the front door that Edd sprung to his feet.

"W-what are you doing?"

Kevin's brows knitted together at the center of his forehead, a mask of contempt and denial shading over the worried expression on his face. "I'll be right back."

"No Kevin please don't-"

But it was too late. Kevin opened the door.

Todd stood in the door way smiling. His hands were fisted into the pockets of his pants but one slipped out as he relaxed.

"Oh hey it's you." The blond man smiled in greeting.

Kevin's fist balled tightly at his side, straining knuckles turning white as his nails bit crescent shaped marks into his palm. This guy.

Kevin leaned into the door frame, tight muscles flexing as he crossed his arms over his chest. His wife beater rose to expose his navel, leaving little to the imagination. Todd's roaming eyes glanced at his toned mid-section in appraisal and Kevin felt both pride in his body and disgust that this bastard was look at him in any such way. He drew the man's attention by clearing his throat, emerald eyes narrowing in increasing distaste.

"What do you want?"

The blond spoke with a tight smile only slightly perturbed by Kevin's aggressive behavior.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you. This is a little awkward but I seem to have left my keys here."

Edd met the other man's gaze but quickly turned away. His fingers dug unnaturally tight into the cushion of the couch before he stood, running down the hall to his room at a feverish pace. His feet padded so quietly on the floor neither Kevin nor Todd heard him leave.

Kevin's body tensed, his relaxed demeanor melting in an instant. His keys? He pushed off the door frame. What the fuck would his keys be doing-

"Here."

Edd's soft voice broke Kevin's inner tirade. The sockhead's shoulders were hunched; his arms crossed protectively over his chest as he pushed past the solid wall that was Kevin, dropping said keys into Todd's hand. No one noticed how Edd had strategically placed himself between the two older males. He didn't have to turn around to know Kevin was livid. The anger was practically rolling off of him in waves.

He purposely avoided Kevin's fierce glare.

Todd collected the key ring Edd dropped into his hand, spinning it on his finger with a grin. Their fingers had brushed and Kevin's blood pressure spiked in response.

"Thanks a lot cutie. Sorry for bugging you like this."

The smaller boy nodded, his voice sounding no louder than a whisper. "You're welcome."

He spoke so softly Kevin had to strain his ears to hear. It took all of Kevin's self-control not to knock Edd back from Todd and slam the door in his infuriating pretty face.

"Hey I had a great time last night." Todd went on to say. "Really great. I hope it was the same for you."

Edd's face couldn't have turned any redder- Kevin's as well, but for a completely different reason. The sockhead stroked his neck in long leisure like caresses. This was embarrassing. He felt close to puking up his breakfast.

"We should get together soon and do it again. What do you say?"

Edd's eyes widened. He wasn't sure what to say.

Kevin's nails dug mercilessly into the door frame. His jaw was clamped so tightly shut it was giving him a headache. His nostrils flared. He didn't trust himself to use his voice.

"I…" Edd couldn't bring himself to look at Kevin, not even at the ground between his feet. "Well…"

"Consider it." Todd smiled. "I'll see you around."

The door swung quietly shut, the latch of the door knob snapping into place and filling the silent room with its deafening sound. Edd had shut the door and now leaned into it, his head resting against the cool painted wood while his fingers trembled at his sides.


Sooooo, what did you guys think? Please do tell, I'm all ears!

Next chapter is in editing so be on the look out for a new chapter.

Ciao!