"Nat I don't think-"

"Hush! We have to if you want to find anything out!"

"This is invasion of privacy!"

"He won't know! He's busy swimming!"

Nat and Edd sat in the school's pool house, going through Eddward Vincent's stuff. Underwear, a labeler… money… usual things. Nat was convinced they'd find something here… however, Kevin wasn't so sure. Who just kept evidence on them, especially with the knowledge that people were nosing around? The entire swim team was into an overdrive today as they had a meet the following evening, so the pool house wouldn't be bothered for hours… Or… so they thought…

"Yeah yeah I'll be back in a sec, coach!" Edd's voice echoed off tiles, a bitter tone ringing in their ears and sending panic into their guts like a hard rock. Nat hid, darting into a broom closet, peeking through the slats on the door. Kevin struggled to find a spot, hiding in one of the shower stalls. He could see the closet Nat hid in from where he was and saw his friend gesturing for him to stay quiet, he nodded.

"Pumkin, you're not discrete, get out here." Edd sighed, someone had been rummaging through his stuff… common knowledge told him that his best guess would be the boy who was trying to get into his head.

He tried not to listen, he did, Nat giving him this look that showed what they were both thinking. 'Don't do it'. Kevin just couldn't help himself, Edd had this commanding air to him and he just stepped out from the shower.

"Well now, are you so stupid that you're going through my stuff? Do you really want to know what happened?" Kevin nodded at Edd's words. "Why?" Blue eyes narrowed, a snarl fixing on his lips.

"I'm worried… no one ever noticed much… but why is it you go from being so sweet to being a huge jerk in the span of one year?"

Edd's lips pursed, an unreadable look in his eyes. He snatched a water bottle from his bag and closed in on Kevin, pushing him up against the wall. "It's better if you don't concern yourself with me, I don't need your pity."

"I-it's not pity! I'm serious, Edd, I care about you."

"Prove it."

Silence passed between the two, Kevin forgot his friend was watching in the broom closet. Still with a concerned look, Kevin reached up, gently touching Edd's face.

"I really do."

"Tch." Edd stepped back. "I gotta go, Pumkin, I'll see you at my place tonight okay? We have to work on that project. Oh. And Nat? Try not to be such a voyeur. See ya, precious~"

Kevin's face lit up, Nat stepping out of the closet with a huge grin on his face.

"As a person huh?"

"Sh-shut up!"

~.~.~

Kevin made his way up to Edd's house, still shaken from their encounter earlier. He knocked on the door, stunned when Edd called for him to enter rather than opening the door himself. The downstairs was dark and empty, Kevin kicked his shoes off and headed for the stairs, which were lit. Up in Edd's bedroom, the other male sat, pencil in his mouth, mulling over notes and project pieces.

"Hey. Let's get this started shall we?" He scribbled something down and moved over. "Sit."

Kevin obliged, looking over what had been completed.

"Looks like you got the screw and pulley done… wheel and axis next or the inclined plane?" Kevin asked.

"I was planning on the screw also functioning as the inclined plane… so wheel and axis. Perhaps a coil here attached to this would work…" Edd muttered.

"Well then you'd mess up the wiring… try this…" He fit a piece in differently than the verticle one Edd was trying to do.

"Yes but then it won't fit to the design…"

"It doesn't have to as long as the pieces fit in and work."

The next few hours were spent arguing or working, until finally Edd got bored of working and put their project aside. "You hungry?" He asked.

"Yes… why?"

"Duh, stupid, I'll go make dinner. I don't have the funds to order out so might as well cook."

"Um okay…" Kevin watched as Edd left the room. He sat on the bed, trying to think over the day's events. It was strange, for as upset as Edd seemed about Kevin being so nosy, he seemed very laid back about the whole thing. Kevin's eyes trailed around the well organized room, everything was labeled, everything was in its place. Perfection down to the last speck of dust.

And that's when he saw it. Something out of place in Edd's room, that looked like it shouldn't belong there, a glaring hole in every carefully built defense. On the book shelf sat one small, leather bound book, mahogany, in the very corner of his shelf where it wouldn't have been noticeable if Kevin hadn't been marveling at the detail to which Edd kept his room. The book in question was unlabeled.

Hopping off the bed he went up and pulled it off the shelf, popping the latch on the book and opening it. Handwriting was scrawled inside, dates at the top corner. It was obvious to Kevin that this was Edd's journal, perhaps this was the information he'd needed to find out what was going on. A flutter of nerves filled Kevin's stomach as he shoved the book into his backpack and sat back down like nothing had happened. It was a good thirty minutes before Edd came back with chicken and soda. The two spent the rest of their time talking about the project.

In the back of his mind, Kevin was thinking about that little book.