I can't believe the influx of readers this story suddenly got! Thank you, guys! The attention made me apprehensive about my unpublished chapters, though, so I re-wrote a lot, even though I have a big 'ol splinter under my thumb nail, exactly where I hit the space bar when I type. So this chapter was painful. Literally. But I still made it a little longer for everyone who took the time to review it. You're pretty darn awesome.
Chapter 9. Not With Anyone
When Edd and Kevin arrived back at the dorm house, it was to find it completely void of one Bake Aaron Cleary. The duo checked the third room, but found it empty of the blond's personal items. Kevin was ecstatic and immediately proposed a drink to celebrate. Edd was relieved, but a little upset too; Blake had been his friend.
Edd excused himself to go to the bathroom when Kevin started heading for the kitchen for some alcohol, and whilst thoroughly washing his hands, the image of Blake all bloody and scared made him drop the soap into the sink. Shaking the image away, he picked the soap up again and focused on getting his hands clean. The flimsy cast his arm wore was proving to be quite annoying, but it didn't hurt his movements or abilities too badly. Edd spent a good while in the bathroom, thinking mostly, and when he made it to the foot of the stairs he found the same thing he had the very first day he arrived in the dorm house- a shirtless, damp Kevin.
Rubbing his wet hair with a white, fluffy towel and wearing only a pair of black sweatpants, Kevin was walking from the kitchen to the lounge room with a big bowl of popcorn.
"Kevin?" Edd piped up, still standing awkwardly on the last stair.
The redhead threw him a brief sideways glance before looking back at the DVD's he was picking up from the coffee table. "Hey, Double Dork, what do you want to watch- The Beach, An American Haunting, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre two? Or somethin' else?"
Adverting his gaze, Edd fiddled his hands. "Uhm, you can choose, I don't mind," he said. Edd glanced at the towel. "Did you have a shower?"
"Yeah. So?"
Edd shook his head and moved to sit down on the couch. "Nothing. We just haven't been home for very long."
Shrugging, Kevin picked up the black remote. "I don't like long showers. Too serene- too much time to think," he murmured, surprising Edd with his reply. "You ready to watch a movie?"
Edd nodded and they ended up watching all three movies and then another that Edd picked out, which happened to be boring enough that by the time it was over Edd found Kevin slouched in his seat with his head lolling off the the back of the couch.
The credits ended and the room went dark as the screen returned to the main menu. It was still relatively early, so Edd decided to do something productive and cleaned the house one-handed whilst Kevin slept awkwardly on the couch in an upright position. Finishing the upstairs hallway, Edd made his way to the kitchen and jumped almost a foot in the air when Kevin appeared from around the corner and scared the pants off him. He clutched his chest and breathed in relief when the tall redhead just blinked at him in mild confusion.
"Oh Kevin!" Edd chuckled, "you scared me; I wasn't paying attention."
Kevin drank from the glass of water he held before talking. "What are you doing? How come you didn't wake me up when I fell asleep?"
"I'm just doing some cleaning," Edd said, smiling casually. "I didn't want to wake you; I thought you must be tired."
Scratching his bare neck, Kevin looked up at the clock that hung on the wall. "It's nine already. You've been cleaning for hours."
It hadn't felt like hours. "I guess my mind drifted off whilst I was cleaning," Edd said, vocalising his thoughts. He watched Kevin down the rest of his water and stretch his long limbs. A few cracks filled the air and Edd cringed at the sound.
"Well, I think I might go out," Kevin said, sighing when his neck cracked loudly and lowering his arms. "Meet up with some friends."
Edd put his spray bottle of disinfectant down on the kitchen counter. "You might want to get dressed first," he mused. Kevin chuckled from behind Edd and a hand pressed against his shoulder as footsteps past behind him.
"Will do, Double Dork- hey, do you want to come?"
Edd turned around to raise an eyebrow at Kevin, his face unable to abstain from a smile. "I doubt wherever it is you're going is my kind of 'scene', Kevin," he jeered.
The redhead crossed his arms. "How would you know? You've never come out with me before."
"You've never offered before."
Rolling his eyes, Kevin gave Edd a pointed look. "Go get dressed. You're coming."
Edd glanced down at himself and frowned at Kevin. "I am dressed," he said.
Kevin paused, then laughed and headed for the stairs. "C'mon, Double D, just get changed already- something nice. I'm taking you with me."
Trotting after the redhead, Edd frowned some more. "I don't know, Kevin. I'm not sure it's such a good idea."
"You'll be fine," Kevin said. "I'll be with you the whole time." He then disappeared into his room and although he didn't close his door, Edd didn't follow him any further. Oddly enough, Edd found his mind interpreting that open door in more ways than one.
Feeling very anxious, Edd fiddled with his fingers and wandered into his own room and shut his door firmly behind him. He wasn't sure what exactly Kevin had meant by 'something nice', but he was sure that even if he did understand it he wouldn't have it. Picking out his simplest clothes, he undressed and quickly pulled them on. Two knocks on his door echoed throughout his rather barren room and Kevin asked if he could come in. When Edd affirmed and the redhead walked in, Edd instantly felt his scrutinising eyes on him. Edd just settled for sending him a little glare for making him do this.
"The shirt is fine, but you can't wear shorts, Double D," Kevin said, smiling a little and shaking his head in humour. He pushed past Edd and rifled through Edd's clothing, and only then did Edd manage to notice what he was wearing- faded jeans and a very black T-shirt. So Edd wasn't surprised when Kevin pulled out a pair of pristine denim jeans and flattened them against Edd's chest.
Kevin nodded at them, then left the room. "I'll wait for you downstairs. Don't take all night," he called from out on the staircase.
Hurriedly changing his pants, Edd straightened his hat and grabbed his wallet. Downstairs, Kevin was waiting impatiently, and when he saw Edd he rushed him out the door.
"Kevin, what's the rush?" Edd asked, trying to shove his wallet into the pocket of his jeans but failing as they didn't have much give and Edd's wallet was fat with emergency wet wipes.
"I don't have my phone, so I don't know what's happening tonight," Kevin said in ways of explanation.
Far from understanding what that meant, Edd just stumbled along in the dark until they reached Kevin's bike, which was parked behind the house.
"We really need a car," Edd said lamely as Kevin sat on the bike. The redhead chuckled and passed Edd the helmet.
"Why? This is much sexier," Kevin said.
Furrowing his brow, Edd clicked the helmet straps together and climbed on behind Kevin with the help of the redhead's strong arm; it was hard to manoeuvre like that with his arm rendered useless. "Sexier?" he asked and heard Kevin's rich laughter.
As they drove to town, Edd couldn't help the pit of snakes in his stomach twisting around each other and making him feel sick. He did feel safer with Kevin, a friend, but Edd still wasn't exactly a socialite, and he doubted Kevin's friends would like him very much.
When they pulled up outside probably the scariest building Edd had ever seen, he felt like he'd made a huge mistake. He stared at the unmarked, bricked building with yellowed lights burning through the dusty windows, burly men and scantly-dressed women, parked choppers, and the stumble of drunk people in front of him. It reminded him far too much of the Moore brother's dorm party. Edd tightened his hold on Kevin's shoulders and by the way the muscles under his hand flexed, Edd guessed the redhead had noticed.
"C'mon, Double D, don't worry," he tried as he turned his engine off.
The overwhelming smell of alcohol and the sound of belly-laughter and shrieking cries made Edd frown. He got off the bike reluctantly and stood on the spot, his uninjured hand finding the rim of his ski hat from under the helmet and fidgeting with the material nervously. "Um, Kevin, I'm not sure I like it here."
Kevin finally faced him and Edd expected an eye-roll or at least humour, but instead he was faced with a serious expression.
"If you're uncomfortable we can go somewhere else. Or go home," he said. "It's just that I know a lot of people who come here."
Edd hesitated; he didn't want to ruin Kevin's night, but he wasn't comfortable. Suddenly Kevin's face was closer than before and he lowered his voice.
"But if you trust me, I promise you'll have fun," he said, a roguish grin quirking up his lips. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Leaning back a bit on instinct, Edd computed Kevin's words. Then with a big draw of breath, he exhaled it with a nod and reached up to take off the helmet. Kevin seemed pleased, and Edd smiled a little at that, though it did nothing to alleviate his jumping nerves.
Kevin shoved his keys in his pockets and walked towards the building and Edd followed closely behind. A woman jeered at Edd from a distance but did nothing else and Edd tried to ignore it. The burly man leaning next to the door looked at them, his gaze lingering on Edd much longer than Kevin. He looked like the bouncer and Edd decided right then and there that he would rather eat dirt than approach him by himself. Despite his tattoos, tied up dreadlocks, and huge, stocky size, Kevin grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Jerry, how ya' doing?" Kevin asked.
The man apparently called Jerry scoffed and for a minute Edd thought horrifically that Kevin had been bluffing. But then he uncrossed his arms and lifted the redundant sunglasses from his eyes. "Kevin, where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you in ages."
Kevin shrugged, and Edd noticed that even the redhead had to look up to make eye contact with Jerry. "I haven't been anywhere. Just busy with school and stuff."
"How are you going with that?" Jerry asked and he sounded genuinely interested in hearing Kevin's answer.
"Fine, fine," Kevin said casually. "You know me. So you gonna let us in or what?"
Jerry looked at Edd who was hiding half behind Kevin and flinched a little as the big man's attention switched to him instead.
"Who's the kid?" Jerry asked.
Kevin side stepped so Edd was no longer behind him. "This is Edd. He goes to my school," he said. Then, as if as an afterthought, "he doesn't get out much."
Edd's eyes widened and he shot a glance at Kevin's smiling face. But his attention was caught by Jerry's rough laugh and he looked back at the dark-skinned man.
"So you thought you'd show him the ropes?" Jerry chuckled. "I guess if anyone's fit for the job it's you." He straightened from the wall and kicked the door with the heel of his black boot.
"It only opens from the inside," Kevin explained as the shabby red door swung inwards. Kevin thanked Jerry and they started walking in, only to be stopped by Jerry again.
"Hey, Kevin, have you heard from Jasmine?"
Kevin shook his head. "Why?"
"No one's heard from her since you two hooked up, so, you know, thought you might know something."
"She rang me earlier today but I hung up on her," Kevin said simply.
"Why'd you do that?"
Edd couldn't see Kevin's face from his position, but he was sure he must have given Jerry a look because the burly man backed off, figuratively speaking.
"Okay, look, if she rings you again, just tell her we're all worried about her," Jerry said diplomatically.
"Won't happen," Kevin said calmly. "I smashed my phone. But I'll keep it in mind, Jerry."
Not even fazed by Kevin's admission, Jerry nodded in thanks and they were finally free to go inside. Edd heard the placid Jerry refusing entry to the people that had been behind them and when they protested all Edd could hear were the cries of the clubbers as he supposed Jerry forced them to leave.
Inside was much like the outside, except inside there were a lot more eyes on Edd. Kevin guided them in the direction of the bar but then turned them off towards a dark corner of the room. Before they even made it to the corner of couches, a woman with mousy-brown hair jumped up and rushed over to them, grinning like a loon, and threw her arms around Kevin.
Blinking and backing off a bit so he wasn't hit by the exuberant woman on accident, Edd just watched Kevin get dragged over to the corner where at least five people greeted him like old friends. Edd immediately froze and fidgeted on the spot, weary of the strangers who welcomed Kevin so eagerly but looked like the type to harass and harm Edd.
After a few hugs and pats on the shoulders, Kevin turned to Edd and beckoned him over. Reluctant but unwilling to look like an idiot and refusing, Edd walked over.
"This is my friend, Edd," Kevin said, and the people looked at Edd like they hadn't even noticed him before then- which was more than likely. There was a pause before the same woman that had first bear-hugged Kevin perked up and smiled at Edd.
"Hey there," she said cheerfully. "My name's Marigold. Nice to meet you." The dread-locked ginger beside her muttered a gritty 'hey', and soon all of them had managed that at least. Surprisingly, none of them looked even minutely put-out by Edd's presence.
Kevin pointed around the rough circle and named the rest of his present friends. Glen, Jackson, Sloan, and Louise.
After only just stopping a 'pleasured to meet you', Edd kept his mouth closed and just smiled and nodded instead. He and Kevin sat down and Edd found himself next to the girl called Louise. She smelt like flowers and her straight, short hair was immaculate and a shiny rich brown. She smiled friendlily at Edd and he gave as good as he got.
Edd tried his hardest not to invade on the pretty girl's space, but with two extra people sitting in the booth there wasn't much space full stop, and if he wasn't touching Louise's shoulder he was touching Kevin's. Which was just as bad.
There was a lot of noise as everyone chatted and music played from somewhere over on the other side of the spacious room. From the looks of it, this place was an old retro diner converted into a nightclub/bar. Louise must have noticed Edd's curiosity.
"It's so tacky here it's pretty cool, huh?" She smiled. Edd blinked at her and shrugged a little but nodded and smiled nonetheless. Like he had a clue what was cool or not? "We know the owner. He bought the place with all the furniture included when it went bust. He says he was just broke and that's why he didn't change anything, but I think he knew how cool it'd be."
Despite the topic, Edd still found the facts interesting. "How long have you been coming here?" he asked, desperate to say something so she didn't think he was mentally disabled or something.
"A few years now," Louise said, smiling still. "This is where I met Sloan, and she knew Glen, who went way back with Marigold, and we just met Jackson and Kevin randomly here."
"Wow," Edd said, truly impressed. No wonder Kevin wanted to come here; it must hold a lot of memories.
"Oh and Jerry, too, but he's always working," she said and they shared another smile. Louise didn't seem so bad.
Jackson leaned over the table and grinned mischievously at Edd, his upper body sprawled over the table and knocking over at least one glass of alcohol. "Now don't go getting any ideas, Shorty, Louise's taken."
Edd's eyes widened and he immediately raised his hands in front of himself defensively. "No, no, I- I wasn't-"
"Knock it off, Jackson," Louise chided, still smiling. But Jackson pretended not to hear her.
"I just don't know what I would do if you stole her from me!" he announced, his voice rising. "She's my ONE AND ONLY-" a hand suddenly slapped the back of his head and his face bumped against the wooden table with a thump, rendering him silent until he began complaining and rubbing at his forehead.
"Shut up, Jackson," the girl Edd remembered to be called Sloan growled. She looked quite serious, and she had long blond hair and brown eyes, which was quite rare- if the hair colour was natural, and if Edd remembered correctly- which was likely.
"You hit me, Sloan!" Jackson cried, but he burst into hysterical laughter after she feinted a fist at him and he physically flinched.
Louise rolled her eyes, but a smiled never seemed far from her lips. "I think Jackson's had too much to drink..."
Kevin, who had been talking to Glen ad Marigold, nudged Edd. "How are you holding up?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Edd said, smiling gratefully for the thought. "Thanks."
"You want a drink?" Kevin asked.
Edd immediately shook his head, remembering the last time he drank alcohol, but then he hesitated. "Actually, I think that might help. As long as you make sure I don't drink enough to be sick again."
Kevin nodded and chuckled as he stood up and walked off to the bar.
Louise put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. "So how do you know Kevin?" she asked Edd idly.
"We attend to the same school. And we board the same dorm house," Edd said, admiring her comfortability and relaxation. Louise nodded slowly.
"That must be hard. Living with Kevin, I mean," she mused out loud.
"Why do you say that?"
She shrugged and smiled. "He's cool and fun and stuff, but being around him all the time... It must get hard at times, you know."
Edd frowned in thought. "Well, it used to be difficult when our other dorm-mate and he argued and didn't get along. He was solitary and seemed angry all the time, but things have gotten much better since we became friends."
Louise rose her eyebrows but just nodded and didn't say anything else. Feeling like he'd said too much, Edd focused his gaze on his fiddling fingers which were in his lap.
Soon Kevin arrived with a large tray of assorted glasses and bottles of alcohol. When offered one, Edd took it without looking at it and drank it's strong contents. He heard Kevin chuckle and glasses clink and thump on the table. Even though Kevin tried to stop him, Edd managed to drink three glasses and two shots of alcohol, and he felt himself loosen and relax in his surroundings. He and Louise joked around and even Jackson joined in, but soon disappeared to go dance, dragging Marigold off with him. Kevin and Sloan talked, and Glen slipped out of the booth soon afterwards. Then Louise tugged Sloan out of the booth with the demands of dancing, leaving just Kevin and Edd. Kevin leaned back in the booth and stretched his arms.
"Hey, Double D, how you feeling?" he asked.
"Good. I'm not drunk," Edd said quickly.
Kevin laughed. "Sure. You want to go home yet?"
"Okay- no, no I mean that's okay. I'm okay. Why don't you go dance?" Edd said, reaching for a glass only to find it empty.
"I don't dance," Kevin said as Edd found some more alcohol.
Marigold appeared and laughed at Kevin. "Isn't that the truth! I've never seen you dance before!" She laughed; she was clearly at least tipsy.
Edd laughed, too. He couldn't imagine Kevin dancing. Well, no, actually he could and that's what was so funny.
"No, but Edd here just loooves to dance," Kevin drawled. Edd stopped laughing and looked up at Kevin.
"I do? No I don't," Edd said and frowned. "I certainly do not."
"Sure you do!" Kevin grinned and looked up at a mildly focused marigold. "Why don't you take Edd out onto the dance floor!"
Marigold's face lit up and and instantly grasped Edd's arm and tugged on it. "Yeah! C'mon, Eddo, lets go-o!" she cried, ignoring his weak protests and pulling him up out of the booth and into a crowd of moving, jumping, jiggling people. Even though Edd was quite tispy, he still had enough sense to realise he was in trouble; he had no idea how to dance, not even enough to fake it. Luckily enough, the people around him seemed to have no qualms with constantly shoving him around and the movement was enough for him to not appear as stumped as he was. Marigold wasn't a great dancer, but she made up for it with enthusiasm, and she occasionally came close to Edd to dance in her childish way, tugging on Edd's arm and giggling. But Edd just wanted to go back to Kevin and the safety of the booth, so he excused himself after a few minutes and went back. His guilt for leaving Marigold was instantly lifted when he noticed her just as happily dancing with Glen, who also seemed happy to have her in his arms.
With a sappy smile, Edd turned to look at the empty booth. Blinking and looking around for Kevin, Edd picked up a drink and drank it. He spotted the tall redhead going into the bathroom and Edd followed; the bathroom seemed like a good idea. It wasn't easy pushing through the crowd and once he'd pushed open the heavy door and saw Kevin, he was already at the sink, washing his hands.
"Hey, Kevin," Edd said, waving before heading for one of the toilet stalls. "It's very unsanitary in here."
Kevin chuckled and dried his hands on paper towel and threw it in the bin. "Try to touch as little as possible," he advised.
"I know that, Kevin," Edd said dismissively, waggling a finger at the redhead. "I know everything about cleanliness. Do you even carry moist toilettes?!"
Stifling a laugh, Kevin shook his head. "No. How negligent of me."
Edd held on to the toilet stall door for stability and looked around. "I forgot why I came in here..." he muttered.
"Maybe to use a toilet?" Kevin rose an eyebrow in humour. "Do you feel sick?"
"No, no. I feel fine- great. Good... Okay." He ended his sentence with a few nods. Then he looked at Kevin and scrunched his face up a bit. "That's not fair, you're not even a little inebriated and you drank more than me!"
"I can hold my liqueur."
But Edd shook his head. "You told me you wouldn't let me get intoxicated," he accused sadly.
"I did, but you kind of stole the alcohol behind my back," Kevin said.
"Yeah, I did, didn't I? Why'd I do that?" Letting go of the door, Edd took a step and stumbled and Kevin was quick to help him stabilise himself. Edd laughed and Kevin scolded him.
"I don't know why, but you shouldn't have. You're going to be hung over tomorrow morning and I'm so not taking the blame," he sighed.
Edd smiled at Kevin and backed up until his back hit the cold wall with a dull thud. "Thank you for bringing me with you tonight, Kevin. I know you didn't have to."
Kevin, who had followed Edd to the wall in case he stumbled again, stopped and looked at Edd. "You don't have to thank me. I should have made more of an effort earlier."
But Edd shook his head and waved at Kevin. "All's well that ends well."
"Things haven't ended yet, Double D," Kevin said and Edd, in his hazy state, frowned in confusion.
"I guess not," he murmured, unsure. Edd blinked up at Kevin and frowned deeper. "Kevin, do you still like me?"
Eyes flaring, Kevin straightened a little and eyed Edd, hesitating. "What? Why?"
"Do you like one of the girls back in there? Marigold?"
"She's with Glen- no," Kevin said, looking taken aback.
"What about the others?" Edd asked, genuinely curious.
Kevin crossed his arms and glared a little at Edd. "What are you talking about? No, I don't. Why are you asking this?"
"Well," Edd said thoughtfully, shifting against the wall and licking his lips. "I just don't understand. They're all pretty, and then there's this Jasmine, and who-knows who else."
"You're not making much sense, Double D," Kevin shook his head. "Maybe we should go home."
But Edd ignored him. "And you told me you liked me- yesterday? But..."
"But what?"
Edd looked at Kevin squarely and seriously. "Do you want to kiss me?"
Taking a literal step backwards, Kevin looked like Edd had taken a swing at him. "I-...I didn't realise you were this drunk," he said tightly.
"Stop it, Kevin, I'm not!" Edd tried to lift himself away from the wall but felt dizzy and pressed against it again. Flushing, he sighed and rubbed an eye with his fist. "I don't feel too bad. Just dizzy and my mouth moves before I tell it." He looked at Kevin again and found him close again.
"You promise?"
Edd nodded blankly, then he found himself staring at Kevin's mouth. "That was an invitation, by the way..." he murmured, completely unsurprised when Kevin abruptly leaned forward and dropped his mouth onto Edd's. Immediately letting out a small noise he had no control over, Edd flattened his palms against the cold tiled wall behind him and allowed Kevin to kiss him whilst he tried to reciprocate but was unsure how. Aware of the redhead coming in even closer, invading Edd's personal space and causing the places he touched to tingle, Edd reached out a tentative hand and pushed it around Kevin's shoulders, his other hand useless in it's cast.
Kevin's kisses were drawn out and very warm, and although Edd had very little to compare it with, there was no doubt in his mind that Kevin was a great kisser. But Edd's mind was hazy and things took a little longer to register, so by the time he realised Kevin was pressed against him fully with his arm around his waist, his thigh pressing between his legs, he was already gasping into the redhead's mouth and Kevin was biting his lip and breathing hot breath over his flushed skin.
Trembling from the adrenaline, Edd clung to Kevin and squashed down his rising embarrassment, refusing to give in to the side of himself that would like to cut off his nose to spite his face. Engulfed in another scorching kiss, Edd bravely pushed up into it and whimpered when Kevin shifted his leg which was pressed against the front of his already restricting jeans, causing his weak legs to wobble. With his inhibitions squashed by the numbing effect of the intoxicant, Edd wasn't sure how to handle the feelings stirring around within his whole body.
Just as he was pressed harder against the wall and a confident tongue was pushed into his mouth, Edd heard the heavy door open and footsteps entering the quiet bathroom. A part of his alcohol-addled brain that was lost in a haze was comfortable to ignore them, but the rest of his mind yelled at him to cease his actions at once, and it won. Edd pushed Kevin away and snapped his head around to glimpse the retreating figure of Glen. Panting similarly to Edd, Kevin watched Glen leave, too, then he looked at Edd.
"Are you okay?" Kevin asked, obviously a little worried.
Feeling his face flush furiously, Edd nodded and shifted against the wall, the movement immediately making Kevin remove his thigh from between his own.
Luckily, Edd's stomach gave him something to distract them from the awkward situation and he pushed past Kevin to practically fall in front of the toilet and up-heave some of the alcohol he'd abused his body with. When he was finished, he shakily stood up and turned to look at Kevin, who beckoned him over to the sink. Edd went and Kevin ran the tap for him.
"Here, wash your mouth out," Kevin said gently. "Don't touch the tap with your lips."
Edd was only too happy to oblige, and leaned against the sink as he swished the water around in his mouth and when he spat it out he murmured, "you don't have to tell me, I know everything about cleanliness, don't I?" He looked up to see a smile on Kevin's face and the sight relieved him.
"C'mon, it's definitely time to go home now," Kevin said, offering Edd a paper towel to dry his mouth with.
"Kevin," Edd said, catching the redhead's forearm as he tried to leave. "Your friend, Glen, he saw us."
Kevin just shrugged. "I don't care. Do you?"
"I-," Edd thought for a second. "Well no, I don't actually know him. But why don't you care? He saw you kissing a-...a guy."
"He's seen me kissing a guy before," Kevin said calmly.
Mind blank, Edd just stared at Kevin. He finally furrowed his brows in thought when his words still didn't make much sense.
"You still think I've only ever been with girls?" Kevin asked suddenly.
Blinking rapidly, Edd quickly considered what Kevin was asking. "You told me you were straight."
"I am. Essentially. I've done a couple of guys before, but I've never had an actual relationship with one."
Edd just felt- and probably looked, baffled.
Sighing, Kevin looked off to the side, as if talking about this topic with Edd made him a little uncomfortable. "Once was a mistake; I was drunk out of my mind. But the second time I did it for a place to crash."
"I don't understand," Edd muttered feebly.
"He wouldn't have let me stay at his house unless I banged him," Kevin said simply, but continued when his dorm-mate still looked confused. "I was party hopping, and then it was one in the morning and I didn't know where I was and the guy who owned the place took a liking to me. So I said 'what the fuck' and just did it."
Silence ensued. Kevin crossed his arms. "Hey, don't judge me."
"I'm not!" Edd insisted, his eyes large. He smiled faintly, just to show it didn't bother him. It scared him a little, but he didn't think any less of Kevin because of it.
"Anyway," Kevin said, taking a hold of Edd's wrist and pulling him upright. "Are you okay to walk?"
Edd nodded. "Yeah, I feel a little better since-" he waved at the toilet, "that."
"Then lets go home before you start rambling again," Kevin said not unkindly and led Edd out of the bathroom and across the still-loud room to where his friends were standing around their booth chatting.
"Hey, everyone," Kevin said, smiling and earning smiles. "Edd chucked up and I'm pretty tired so we're heading home. It was great to see you all."
Marigold jumped up and hugged Kevin, who gave her a one-armed hug in return and kept hold of Edd's wrist. She then surprisingly hugged Edd, smiled at them and said goodbye. The rest said goodbye less intimately, Edd said goodbye, too, and they left the crowded, noisy club. True to Kevin's words, Glen hadn't appeared to be acting any differently.
Sloan had offered to drive them home considering Kevin had drank too much to drive and she and Kevin loaded his bike onto the back of her 4WD whilst Louise, who was going with Sloan, talked to Edd about a song she happened to really like. Then they were all in the car, Sloan and Louise up front and Edd and Kevin in the back. Louise put on the radio and began singing to another song she happened to really like, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Sloan and Kevin joined in, so Edd did, too, laughing when he realised he knew more of the lyrics than he'd originally thought.
When they arrived at Louise's house, she said goodbye to Kevin and Edd and Sloan got out with her.
"Hey, Kevin, are they...?" Edd wasn't sure if he had the courage to ask the question burning in his mind.
"No," Kevin smiled. "They're not lesbians."
Edd flushed instantly in embarrassment but Kevin chuckled. "But they are together," he said. "Louise is bisexual, and Sloan just really likes Louise."
Before Edd could comment or ask another question, Sloan was climbing back into the car and starting the engine again. "Address, boys?"
Kevin gave her the address and Sloan drove them to their dorm in comfortable silence. Sloan didn't seem much of a talker. Louise must have been the one making all the conversation. Sloan was also completely sober. When they arrived, they got out and Sloan helped Kevin get his bike off her car and around to the back of his house. Edd felt a little awkward just watching, but he knew he couldn't help much what with his broken arm and all. They said thanks, goodbye, and Sloan left without hassle or some prolonged, awkward goodbye.
Feeling much more sober and stable, Edd walked up the drive with the redhead, and at the front door Kevin pulled out his keys and fumbled for the correct one. With the cool night air filling his lungs in deep, slow draws Edd realised just how completely exhausted he felt.
When they finally got inside the duo went straight up the stairs to the bedrooms. Edd figured Kevin must be just as tired as he was, but before he could open his bedroom door, Kevin stopped him.
"Double D, I know you're tired, but I just want to thank you for coming with me tonight and trusting me. I had a great time with you there," he said, smiling tiredly.
"Thank you, Kevin," Edd said, meaning it. "I really appreciate you saying so."
Kevin smirked. "I knew you would." He walked off to his own room. "Goodnight, Double Dork."
"Goodnight, Kevin."
The redhead paused and shot Edd a suddenly serious look over his shoulder. "We'll talk about that kiss tomorrow."
Edd gaped at him, but Kevin's serious face broke out into a grin and he chuckled.
"Just kidding! G'night!" Kevin said before he disappeared behind his door, which he again left open. Edd sighed and shook his head, smiling a little to himself, and shut his own door behind him as he entered his bedroom.
He thought to himself that if his mind wasn't still hazy he'd probably be thinking if not worrying over that exact same thing, but as it were, the main feature on his mind was sleep, and he granted his own wish and collapsed onto his bed after barely even managing to toe off his shoes. He fell asleep almost instantly.
A/N: I really felt the boys needed a chapter without something terrible happening. I also wanted a more relaxed Kevin, and Edd to see just a bit more of Kevin's life and to have a little "unorthodox" fun. I quite enjoyed writing this one.
.::I've edited this slightly 'coz I wrote it in one night and then uploaded it the next- in other words I rushed it. Future edits may occur because my brain is infected with mind worms::.