enjoy!

"My baby is home!" His mother raced to the door and embraced her son. "I missed my ku'uipo so much!"

She was a tan-skinned woman, with her black hair tied up in a bun adorned with chopsticks. She was a bit plump, with average height. She wore a black pinstriped business suit with black high heels. At first glance, she looked nothing like Double D...until they pulled away and he saw her face. Yeah, that was Double D's mom alright, gap and all.

His father was behind her, he was a lighter skinned man with old man glasses and jet black hair, greying at the sides. This is where his boyfriend got his skin tone and, from the looks of it, his height.

"Nice to see you, son." His father held out his hand and Double D shook it.

Double D looked so freakin' happy. Like he looked just like he did when they were on their first date. Which was cute, but damn, he wasn't dating his parents.

"Mother, father, I have someone that I would love to introduce you to! This is my boyfriend, Kevin. He lives across the street, if you recall. Kevin, these are my parents."

They seemed so nice but he knew they couldn't be that nice. I mean, how many parent-child events had they missed? Every time there was a school event that included parental involvement, it was Eddy's parents or even, his parents that accompanied or cheered for the boy.

He remembered when they first got to be friends, Kevin found out about Edd winning the annual science fair (or something equally impressive, he couldn't remember what it was) and how his parents couldn't attend the awards ceremony because they were "too busy with prior engagements." He remembered going to the ceremony because he felt bad for the kid, and there he saw Eddy and his parents (even though he knew that there was no way that Eddy won anything at that particular event) cheering for Edd in lieu of his own parents. Parents. Man, that word seems weird now.

But how could Double D just not think of those things when he saw his parents? How could he just erase all those years of absence whenever he saw them? Did the world really depend on Mr. and Mrs. Sockhead so much that Double D really didn't mind that they missed virtually all of his childhood? Whatever.

"H-hey, nice to meet you. My name's...Kevin. " he finally spoke up, and he fiddled with his arms for a moment before remembering that, oh yeah, handshakes were a thing, so he stuck out his hand.

His father shook it immediately, and he noticed that he had a nice, firm handshake; a stark contrast to his wimpy little flower boyfriend. But his mother hesitated. She ended up shaking it vigorously, but she immediately got out her pocket sanitizer once she was done. Yeah, okay thanks. She was definitely Double D's mom.

Kevin noticed that they both looked super important. Edd's mom had a on freakin' business suit, and he didn't know what his father did but he knew he looked intimidating. Were their careers worth more to them than their only son?

They ushered Kevin and Edd in. The two boys sat on the couch, side by side. The parents sat directly opposite them, each occupying a recliner. If some bird was checking out the seating arrangements, it would look like a trapezoid. But Double D would flip if a bird got into his house. Anyway it was a pretty weird and intimidating seating arrangement but whatever, he wasn't an interior designer.

"So, you are my little ku'uipo's boyfriend, yes? How come we haven't met you yet?" his mom questioned.

"Forgive me, mother," Double D replied before Kevin even fully registered the question, "as we only just recently entered this type of relationship. I was so preoccupied with my own social life that I neglected to phone you with the good news. My sincerest apologies, and I'll make sure it won't happen again."

"Kevin, was it? The boy from across the street, yes?" Double D's father asked him.

"Yes sir," Kevin responded.

"Ah, we met your parents when we first moved in. Delightful people." his father nodded and took a sip from his mug. "So, I suppose this is where we get to know you, then. Say, Kevin...what classes are you taking this year?"

What classes? How was he supposed to answer that question? "Oh... just... normal?" Kevin squeaked. Why was he so nervous? "Normal classes, I guess." he shrugged, trying to look like he was at ease.

"Ah, normal AP classes I assume?"

"Aahahaha..." Kevin trailed off nervously. He could already tell that this wasn't going so well.

"What do you plan on majoring in?" his mother butted in. "Pardon the interruption."

"Major?" Kevin squeaked once more. He cleared his throat. "Uhhh...I'm not sure, ma'am, I uh...I haven't thought about it yet."

"Understandable. What college do you want to go to?"

"Ahaha umm...I don't- uhh... that depends on whether I get a football scholarship or not, I guess-"

"Oh, football?" both of the parents looked at each other and sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness, so you are doing something with your time, then." Edd's mother giggled. "So there is a reason why our baby is interested in you."

Kevin turned his head to look at Double D and mouthed a soft "what?" to his boyfriend. Edd gave a slight, almost unnoticeable shrug. He looked equally as uncomfortable.

"Eddward," his mother said. "Would you be a dear and prepare me some tea?"

"C-certainly, mother. Excuse me, Kevin." Edd shot him a sympathetic look before walking off to the kitchen.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Now he was alone, with Edd's parents, with no buffer. "I, uh, I'll go help Double- er, I'll go help...Eddward..." he pushed himself off the couch but Double D's father held up a hand. "Hold on there, sport. Eddward is more than capable of handling this task on his own. Tell me...what are your plans for after high school?"

After an excruciating ten minutes of invasive personal questions and giggling, hushed-laughter from the both of them (like seriously how long does it take to make some goddamn tea? Seriously), Double D finally returned with a teacup in tow. He sat down next to Kevin and Kevin immediately excused himself to go to the restroom upstairs. He needed a break from the fuckin' inquisition.

"Well! Mother, Father, isn't he just delightful?!" he heard Double D asked his parents and froze. Now was his chance to find out what his parents thought of him. He strategically placed himself so he was hidden to the others, but he could see them just fine.

His parents exchanged looks and stifled laughter. "Ku'uipo..." his mother started. "What exactly...do you see in him?"

Double D paled. "Whatever do you mean?"

His mother looked at the ground, mulling over her words. "He doesn't seem very...oh, how shall I put this?" she started to giggle. "He lacks a certain..."

"He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, son." His father coldly butted in. "He's not good enough for you."

That statement hit Kevin, hard... His heart stopped and the sickening thought entered his mind and churned in his stomach. He never considered how the relationship looked from Double D's side.

Was he good enough for Double D? Well, he thought so. He thought he was a pretty kickass boyfriend. Yeah, he's good enough for Double D.

...Right? He is, right? Right?

But then he thought back to those stupid questions they were asking him, and how he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life and well, he felt like an absolute failure. But Double D had answers to those questions and alternates to those answers and alternates to those alternates. He had his life planned out, he's been working ever so hard for it for as long as he could remember...meanwhile, Kevin didn't do shit.

Double D could do anything in the world. He could literally, probably do anything. He could be anything from an engineer to a surgeon to an educator to a botanist; the list went on. He has so much potential...

And then there was me, he thought. What future did he have? Maybe playing college football? Maybe? He wasn't good enough for the pros, and he wasn't smart enough or rich enough to get into college on a full-ride unless it was on a football scholarship.

That's when it hit Kevin even harder- what if Double D was so invested in their relationship that he sacrifices his future for him? Following Kevin to a sports-focused, tuition-hiked school because that's the only school that Kevin could attend. Or worse...

Double D going to a cut-rate community college because Kevin couldn't do any better.

It dawned on him that maybe...maybe his parents were right. What did Double D see in him?

"Oh, that was a good one, dearie! His elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor." His mother started to giggle again. "Oh, oh! What about-"

"Pardon me," Double D interrupted in a shaky tone, "but I'm having difficulty understanding the gist of what you're saying. Could you please elaborate?"

"Elaborate?" His mother pondered and resumed her slightly more serious tone. "Hmmm...well, do you think this relationship is sustainable?"

He could tell Double D was growing more irritated by each word his mother spoke. "Sustainable? And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?" Yeah, he was getting sassy.

"Is this relationship going to last into the foreseeable future? Baby, if this is some meaningless high school fling, then by all means, go for it. We see how cute and good-looking Kevin is, there's nothing wrong with having a little trophy boyfriend. But what your father and I are trying to say is... we just don't want you to throw your life away for a boy. Boys come and go every day, ku'uipo. Kevin isn't someone that we can see you with after high school. He doesn't have the same ambitions as you do. Do you understand?"

Ouch! Christ, that wasn't very nice. He looked over to Double D and he saw his boyfriends fists were clenched and his body was shaking.

"I mean, if he is good at football, then maybe you should stay with him! Have my little baby bag a rich one, right dear?" she motioned a nudge.

"Right you are, sweetie. Maybe that boy is good for something after all."

"...I beg your pardon?" you could tell from Edd's voice that it was laced with venom and he was 500% done with his parents and whatever horrible opinions they shared. It looked like his parents were finally starting to get a clue, because they both looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"Oh, sweetheart, we didn't mean-"

"Didn't mean what, exactly? Didn't mean to insult my boyfriend who you've only met for twenty minutes? Didn't mean to welcome him into our home and then mock and belittle him behind his back? He is a little rough around the edges, I'll admit, but that gives you no right to heckle someone I truly care about!"

"Honey-"

"Excuse me! And I'll have you know that Kevin is a wonderful boyfriend- and he's only been my boyfriend for a short while! If you ever cared to be around, or care to, oh I don't know, call me every once in a while, you would know that Kevin and I have been friends for a longer period of time. But you were blissfully unaware of anything going on in your son's social life. But hey! As long as Eddward keeps bringing home those straight A's and awards that you love to brag to your colleagues about, everything is just peachy!"

"Oh, no, baby, no, this is a misunderstanding-"

"And how is it, exactly? The way I see it is, that I care about somebody but you don't approve, so you go and ridicule him and expect me to just, what exactly? To just dispose of him after high school because we don't share the same interests? What kind of lesson is that to instill upon your son? That just because someone isn't on the same intellectual level as you, that gives you the right to act like you're above them? Mother, Father, I'll have you know that Kevin- and Eddy and Ed, for that matter- have been to all the missed award ceremonies, graduations, heck- Eddy's parents have picked me up from school when I had the stomach flu when you were too busy to care! And you have the nerve to laugh at my significant other because he doesn't appear to be as smart as we are? What he lacks in intelligence- and really, he's honestly pretty smart- he makes up for in emotion. Something that you wouldn't be able to pick up on after only a half-hour and your intense, heavily-biased line of questioning. I'm surprised and ashamed of both of you, not even giving Kevin a chance while his parents have been so courteous to me by fixing your own shortcomings."

His parents were silent, they both looked at the ground. Double D sighed. "I understand that you are trying to look out for my best interests..." he stepped closer towards them. "But you both need to realize that I am old enough to select who I spend my spare time with, and you both need to trust my judgement when it comes to relationships. I apologize for my brash behavior, but I will not apologize for what I said." He turned to the stairwell where Kevin was still hiding.

"Kevin?" Double D called up the stairs. "Come now, we're leaving." he turned to his parents. "Honestly, I am shocked at your behavior today. I've never been so insulted in all my life. I will return in time for dinner but I am unsure whether I will be joining you are not. Goodbye."

Kevin fumbled down the stairs, not even sparing his parents a glance. He was too embarrassed and he thought the parents would be too. Double D reached out for his hand as they walked out the door.

"Oh, the nerve of them!" Double D cried as they made their way down the cul-de-sac at a reasonable speed for a residential zone. Kevin didn't know where they were driving to, but he didn't ask. Double D kept going on and on about how embarrassed he was and how infuriated he was and how their whole attitude was simply unfair, blah blah blah, typical hysterical Double D talk. Kevin zoned in and out, too busy with his own self-depreciating thoughts.

They're right, they're right, they're right.

"Kevin?...Kevin, are you listening to me? Kevin?"

"Oh, yeah, what?" Kevin snapped out of his thoughts. "What? What's- yeah? What's up?"

"Are you feeling alright? I don't know if you heard what my parents said about you or not; forgive me. I've been going off this whole time and presumably, you were otherwise occupied in the restroom when all of this went on. Do you-"

"Nah, babe, I heard them. I, uh... yeah, I heard everything." Kevin croaked. He didn't want his boyfriend to see him in such a vulnerable state, so he tried to put on a brave face. But what the 'rents said and did kept coming back to him.

He looked over at Double D and his boyfriend was looking at him with a heartbroken face. "Oh, dear...I hope you wouldn't have heard the awful things they said about you. I should have listened to you when you said that introductions were much too early. I apologize." He turned to face the road again, "I am still in utter shock that they would be so unwelcoming."

"It's fine babe, I swear. It's cool. I'm cool. You know me, it takes more than a few words to knock me off my ego, haha." he gave a light chuckle, but that didn't seem to convince Edd, as he made a grumbling noise as he once again returned to focus on the road.

"I think...I think I agree with them, dude." Kevin's voice cracked as he stared at the untouched piece of cake in front of him. Edd drove them to the neighborhood diner to treat Kevin to further apologize for his parents.

Double D looked up from his small ice cream. "...whatever do you mean?"

"I mean that your parents were right. I'm not an investment. You're better off out of this relationship."

Not gonna lie, even though he was telling the truth, he really wanted Edd to fall into his arms and cry out "don't leave me Kevin! You're the best boyfriend ever!" But when he looked over at his boyfriend all he saw was an eyeroll and his fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"Kevin, pardon my bluntness, but kindly shut up? I am aware that my parents' rather unexpected and brash reaction may have had an adverse effect on you, but I assure you that it is temporary. Go home and get a good night's sleep and you'll forget all about what they said. I do apologize once more for their abhorrent behavior..." he sighed and then placed a hand on top of Kevin's. "I can't apologize enough."

Kevin chuckled and returned the hand squeeze. He then reached over and squeezed Double D's cheeks together and pecked him on the lips.

"Don't sweat it, babe. I'll pick you up tomorrow, okay? We can go do something. Whatever you want to do. Even homework, I don't give a fuck. Whatever you wanna do, we'll do it. I mean, preferably not homework, but whatever."

Double D started to giggle. "There he is! I knew my Kevin was in there somewhere. Now, finish your cake and then we'll head home so we can get your homework done and then you can get a good rest."

"Cake before homework? Jesus, babe, maybe I am a bad influence on you."

"Oh, stop it!"

Double Dweeb was usually right about most things. I mean, for someone with as big an ego as Kevin, it should only take a night's sleep for him to feel better again, right?

Except that he felt bad for the rest of the month. Because what Double D's parents said about him not being sustainable, about him being a bad influence...he saw it. He fucking saw it emerge out of Double D's actions.

It was a few small things throughout the course of the month, nothing major, but they stuck with him. Mediocre things like Double D getting a 95/100 on a test they should have been studying for together, Edd's occasional "we can start our homework tomorrow; after all, we have a week to complete the assignment!", and Double D skipping a few of his extracurricular activities in favor of spending more time with Kevin. "I'll go to next week's meeting, I can assure you that this meeting is nothing but filler and it is unnecessary in the long run." he would say. "There's no reason to be such a worrywart."

Again, nothing major, but slightly out of character for his usually meticulous boyfriend.

"Is this your little form of like, teenage rebellion?" Kevin asked one day after school. "Are you trying to act out to defy your parents or something?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean..." Kevin reached into Double D's messenger bag and pulled out a test. "Stuff like this." Kevin said, pointing to a test that had a "93%" scribbled on it. "What gives?"

"Nothing 'gives', Kevin, I just wasn't careful enough. It won't happen again, I will make sure of it. I'll make sure that we both study next time." Double D huffed. "Now please kindly return that test to it's appropriate folder in my bag, thank you. I'll be checking it when we get home."

Okay, maybe Double Dweeb wasn't changing too much, but he was on his way. Double D was getting sloppy and deep down, Kevin knew it was all his fault.

He knew that he could be responsible for ruining his boyfriend's life.

ku'uipo = sweetheart. i wanted his mom to be hawaiian haha. hope this chapter wasn't too much of a surprise! it got a little ~DRAMATIC~ ooh!