Hi everyone!

As of yesterday, I'm two weeks out from my tonsil removal. It was really painful from day two to about day eight, so I'm immensely relieved to be feeling better. My neck isn't sore anymore and I sleep through the entire night now - getting them removed was definitely worth it. I'm glad I could get it done before my mom loses her healthcare ... -_- I'm trying to get everything done before Obamacare forces her employer to stop offering insurance.

I posted a poll on my profile about chapter six ... I'm debating whether to post the full lemon or not. I don't want to risk having the whole fic removed, but I've seen far more "adult" and detailed fics on this site that have existed for years and haven't been removed. The full chapter is on Ao3 (and the link to my Ao3 account is on my profile too, in case you couldn't find it,) so please give me your opinion if you have the chance.

The next chapter is underway now, and I'll try to post it within a week. Thank you guys for being so encouraging and funny in your reviews.

:)

Chapter 8

Thick, warm darkness was suddenly pierced by an ear-splitting screech.

Lunging forward, Double Dee pushed his sleep mask above his eyes and squinted blindly. The world spun into existence, the sound reverberating harshly in his skull once more. The scholar winced and muttered to himself as he grabbed for the offending item on his nightstand.

"Vincent residence, Eddward speaking." His voice was somewhere between gravelly and nonexistent. The cordless phone felt almost powdery against his cheek from the disinfectant he'd sprayed on it the day before.

"I've got it! We'll make a website!"

The roll of Eddward's eyes at his best friend's voice was half from exasperation and half from struggling to stay awake. "It's approximately 3:05 AM, Eddy. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"We can make self-help videos! You write the script and I'll present the stuff! Eddy's Study Tips, Double Dee, it's gold!"

"It's also 3:05 in the morning."

"Genius doesn't wait until breakfast, Sockhead. Are you writing this down? One they get popular enough, we'll pull 'em down and make DVDs. We'll have to move to a bigger city, of course, and set up a place where we do live … what are they? Seminars!"

"I'm hanging up now, Eddy."

"We'll have a business! Hot secretaries! We'll be in dictionaries!"

"Thesauruses, Eddy."

"-gonna be RICH!"

"I hope they make energy drinks illegal for your sake and mine, Eddy. I'm going to turn the ringer off when I hang up."

"-might even get a segment on evening news-"

"Goodnight, Eddy." The scholar blinked at the dimly backlit buttons and pressed 'END.'

-x-

The morning crept on in a miserable drizzle. Double Dee watched through the window as Sarah and Jimmy climbed into a friend's sleek, black car, his hands drifting idly over the turtle neck of his sweater. Ed bounced out of the house after, sporting a winter hat complete with a mid-cranial pompom. The monster movie lunchbox gleaming in the dim light made the black-haired one smile a little as he pulled his bag onto his shoulder and stepped out the door.

"It's a cold one, isn't it, Double Dee?" His towering friend trotted to meet him, smile bright despite the almost icy air.

"Interestingly so considering the time of year." Double Dee grinned in greeting, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets. He waited until Ed found a piece of fuzz on his coat to scrutinize to glance toward Kevin's house. The lights appeared to be on, but the redhead was nowhere in sight. The bite marks beneath the fabric of his sweater burned as his heart rate accelerated slightly.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it when I get home, I promise!"

Ed and Edd turned to see their short friend waving dismissively as he exited his house. Before he could slam the door, a wadded up scarf smacked him in the face. Double Dee covered his laughter with one hand as Eddy flailed furiously, stalking down the stairs and slinging the offending fabric around his neck. The outline of his mother was visible for a moment as she pulled the door shut behind him.

"Lovely weather we're having, wouldn't you say?"

At the genius's teasing, the egomaniac stopped dead in his tracks and leveled a less-than-pleased stare at him.

"Yeah yeah. I gotta fold stupid socks when I get home tonight."

"Good heavens," said Eddward sarcastically.

"Socks are nothing to sneeze at, Double Dee," Ed chided, taking up the rear as the three started toward the school. "One time I found a sock under the chair in my room that was so old that it changed from black to all green and splotchy."

"That's mortifying, Ed."

"No, his name was Percy."

"Can we just get to school already?"

Hair blowing in the icy breeze, Eddy stomped ahead, leaving Double Dee to sigh and follow as Ed chuckled to himself and trotted along behind.

-x-

"So, like, what are they again?"

The stunning blonde stared at the five tiny smears in the container cupped between Eddward's hands.

"Planarians, Nazz. Flatworms in the class Turbellaria. They were left over from one of the labs we could conduct for extra credit."

"Ohhh. So they're little worms."

"More or less, yes." The raven-haired boy smiled brightly. "They'll make a lovely addition to my ragtag collection of fauna."

"Awww, how cool." The cheerleader turned toward the English wing of the school and offered him a wave. "You and your worm things have a nice day, Double Dee!"

The genius beamed, stopping at his locker. "Farewell!"

The scholar gingerly placed the container of water on the top shelf of his locker, mind already racing through a thousand names for his new charges. He'd have to get out a fresh notebook to record their growth as soon as he got home. That in itself had him nearly bouncing in place. He absolutely adored stationary.

"Uh, hey."

The genius's heart stopped.

A graceful hand clasped the door to his locker, pushing it open enough to make it creak in protest.

"H-hello." Eddward turned toward him, heart pounding in his ears. Kevin's hands were shoved in his pockets and his gaze was clear and sharp. The raven-haired boy lifted his hands, probably to smooth out his shirt, but they were shaking so hard that he let them fall to his sides.

Head lowered, the redhead bit his upper lip. He seemed frighteningly still compared to the genius's terrified shuddering. "How are you?"

The first attempt at words yielded nothing. Edd swallowed thickly and tried again. "I'm … not sure." His knees suddenly buckled and he leaned against the lockers before he could faint. The smell of Kevin's cologne and hair and skin had reached him.

"I gotta ask you something." Edd nodded once, then a few more times to make sure his meaning was clear. Kevin shifted his weight from one foot to the other and Double Dee noticed that he inhaled a deep breath and held it. "…Can I come over tonight?"

Fear and giddiness whirled in the smaller boy's head, making him squeak out a disbelieving laugh. "I'm not … it's a school night and I don't - it isn't - finals, Kevin, don't you have finals you should be…?" At his name passing the brilliant boy's lips, the athlete's eyes darkened and his posture drew rigid. Double Dee watched his pale throat as he swallowed.

"I had one this morning and one after lunch. None tomorrow. I can print out my schedule if you don't believe me."

"No, I-" He took in a shaky breath, then blew it out through his mouth. "I believe your statements to be accurate."

Footsteps clattered past them, snippets of conversations drifting overhead. The jock stared down at the scholar and the scholar stared back. Kevin leaned in, and though it was a casual movement, Edd let out a tiny sound and squeezed his eyes shut, legs quivering as heat exploded low in his stomach.

"Please," Kevin rasped.

The genius forced his eyes open and was left breathless by the boy inches away from him. His words were barely a whisper.

"It's imperative that you focus on preparing for your exams."

"Jesus, Edd. I can't focus on anything. All I can think about is tapping that sweet little ass."

Edd made a shrill noise and gripped the hem of his shirt. "Please," the redhead hissed.

The black-haired boy gazed at him breathlessly and fisted his shirt as if it would hold back the ache gaining strength between his legs.

"What time do your parents get home?"

The genius gulped. "Nine-thirty."

"Yeah…" Kevin's pupils visibly expanded, engulfing his vivid green irises. "Rad. I'll be there at five."

The frenetic bliss in the petite one's chest exploded. He closed his eyes and pressed his overheated frame against the cool metal of the lockers. He licked his dry lips and exhaled, unaware that the redhead's gaze followed the movement of his tongue.

"V-very well, then."

The athlete held him in his paralyzing stare for another moment before looking at the floor. "See you then, dork."

When he turned and strode away, Double Dee turned deliberately into his locker and let out a breath. The flatworms steered drowsily over the water's surface, oblivious to the scale of their keeper's anxiety.

"Mother and Father would go into cardiac arrest if they learned of this," he murmured faintly.

"Cardiac arrest in aisle three," Ed echoed cheerfully, and Double Dee jumped and screamed.

"Good lord, man!" The scholar had a hand on his chest and he slumped forward, attempting to ward off the persistent spinning quality the world had taken on. "Was that really necessary?!"

"Sass is not a good look for you, mister," Ed replied, wagging a finger.

Letting out a slow and even breath, the turtleneck-clad boy began plucking the necessary books from his locker. "I do apologize, Ed. I'm at wit's end, it seems."

"Awww. All is forgotten."

A yellow hand came down to pat Double Dee, scooting his hat around on his head. Tugging his beanie back into place, the ravenette muttered, "Have you washed those today, Ed?"

"Why the heck is Kevin on your ass so much?"

Yet again, the voice of an unexpected party made the sockhead jump and release a high-pitched sound. Eddy slouched beside Ed, a single grimy notebook tucked under his arm. Eddward turned to face him, finding his usual skeptical expression in place.

"Kevin was merely inquiring as to the finals schedule for underclassmen," Edd explained, quietly horrified at his ability to concoct a lie so abruptly. "I'll admit, I was surprised that he queried me in particular. Being aware of much of the school's scheduling makes me a bit of an expert, I guess."

"Speaking of experts, have ya come up with any new ideas for our self-help business?" The shortest of the Eds lit up immediately, holding his head higher. "Lumpy and I are gonna brainstorm in study hall. We need a catchy tagline for all those fliers and commercials."

"Perhaps we should secure a place among the school organizations first, Eddy."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Sockhead. We'll work on that too. Is there, like, a form we gotta fill out before we become an official club?"

Double Dee sighed, and when he refused to respond, Eddy crossed his arms and mirrored his nonplussed expression. Ed stared past them, scratching his nose.

Throwing his free arm in the air, the genius exclaimed, "Oh, all right already! I'll pick the forms up after lunch."

Eddy grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

"Don't forget to scrub behind your ears," Ed called over his shoulder, following Eddy as the halls began to empty of students. Double Dee waved back, shutting his locker door and hurrying to his next class.

The genius wouldn't realize that he had forgotten to get the paperwork until just after one in the morning.

-x-

"Well, after her brother called, we didn't hear anything for a while, so Mom and I were like … we didn't want to call back and make things worse, y'know?"

Rolf muttered something unintelligible, scooping one of the bluish seafood balls out of the sandwich bag in his lunchbox. Nazz took a sip of her juice and held up a finger to indicate that she needed a minute.

Kevin turned his cheeseburger, endlessly searching for a spot that would spark his appetite. The blonde beside him resumed her story as the figures hunched over the table devoured their meager lunches. Disgusted, the jock set down his burger and fidgeted anxiously as Nazz gestured with the hand not spearing green beans with a fork, tightening his grip on his knees as he tried not to think about the taste of the brilliant sophomore's skin.

An elbow prodded his bicep, making Kevin's head snap up. Nazz was giggling, eyes on a figure moving quickly across the room toward the corner lunch table. "Double Dee is so cute. He cracks me up."

Fighting the urge to trace Edd's backside with his eyes, the redhead smirked at the cheerleader. "I dunno what I'm supposed to say, Nazz."

"That he's fucking delectable?"

Nazz's expression flashed to one of mock disgust as she looked at Nat. The animated boy met her stare and then Kevin's startled one, running a hand through his green hair. "What, am I supposed to pretend it isn't true? Have you guys ever seen him get all excited over a science project? Holy shit is it cute."

"He was showing me these, like, worms earlier," Nazz agreed. "They were left over from a lab and he's taking them home. He was so happy about them."

"Ohhh..." Nat peered across the room, not at all concerned with being noticed. Eddward was laying papers out in front of Eddy, talking animatedly and gesturing delicately. His black turtleneck looked as if it might swallow him up. "Aye. Cap'n Nat would plunder that booty."

Ignoring his hormone-fueled agitation, Kevin leveled a bored expression at his hyperactive friend. "Is there anyone you wouldn't rail?"

Nat whirled to face him, setting his elbows on the table and pointing a finger. "No, and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Hey guys!"

The cheerleader and the jock both jumped, turning to face the figure looming between them. "Hey, Jonny," the blonde greeted, trying to smile politely and failing. The olive-skinned boy had Plank tucked under his arm and a rainbow of plastic, crackling baggies.

"The foreign language club is selling fruit and nuts! Anybody wanna buy?"

"…I take that back," Nat uttered thoughtfully. Kevin turned back to his friend and grinned.