"Let's see, now... Pencils, check! Pens, check! Notebooks, check! Binders, check! Homework? Check! And there we go!"

Double D smiled brightly as he slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and headed downstairs. Nothing felt like being prepared for school and heading out to face the day! He put on his shoes, making sure they were tied nice and tight, then took his keys off the hook.

"Another wonderful day to be had, I'm sure!" Double D said to himself as he unlocked the door and headed outside. Whistling a tune, he turned and locked the door behind him before slipping his keys into his bag.

But nothing prepared him for what he was about to see.

Standing just a few paces down the front walk, right there for all to see, was Eddy.

"Good morning to you, sunshine!" Eddy greeted with a big grin, waving at him.

Wide-eyed, all Double D could do was stare at him. "Eddy?"

"That's me, sweetie!" Eddy sauntered over to him in a flamboyant manner, stopping just a couple of feet away. He brought his arms behind his back and smiled brightly. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes~!"

"Erm..." All Double D could do was stare at him dumbfounded, completely speechless at this point.

He looked Eddy up and down, finding that even his clothes were altered. His mustard-yellow sweater was open, but underneath it he wore a bright blue dress shirt tucked neatly into his jeans along with a belt. Whatever was going on, Eddy didn't seem the least bit fazed by it.

"What... What on earth are you wearing? You never dress like that unless it's a special occasion!" Double D exclaimed.

"What, this?" Eddy looked down, then smiled more. "Oh, I wanted to make sure I looked nice and presentable for you, silly! See? I had them neatly ironed and pressed! It's always nice to look your best, isn't it?"

"Well... yes... but..." Double D stammered, gulping a bit. "Eddy? Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel better now that you're here!" Eddy came closer and drew him into a warm hug. "Won't you walk to school with me, dearest Eddward?"

Feeling sweat pour from his forehead, Double D swallowed and his breath hitched. Since when did Eddy ever use his full name? Whatever the reason, it didn't stop the shivers going up and down his spine. It was so unlike Eddy to act this way, even at his best, but he couldn't help liking it.

Exhaling, Double D managed a little nod, "Oh, of course... Erm, but where's Ed? Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"Oh, never mind him! It's you I'm thinkin' about," Eddy purred, gazing at him with a tender smile. "He'll catch up. For now, it's just you and me, honey."

"Honey?" Double D repeated, blinking a few times. "Did you just call me honey?"

"Of course I did, you silly goose!" Eddy smiled, pulling away and taking him by the hand. "Or, would you prefer I call you sweetheart? Darling? Dear? Oh, never mind that now! We'll be late! C'mon, sweetheart! Off we go!"

All Double D could do was let Eddy lead him off, still taken aback by what was going on. He wanted to like it, to enjoy it, but something just felt so wrong about it. Not least of which being whatever came over him today.

Before Double D could say anything more, Ed popped in from seemingly out of nowhere, and grinned at them.

"Hello, my pals!" Ed said with glee, clapping his hands. "I sure hope you two are ready for school today! I-"

He looked at Eddy, blinked, and then his smile faded. Eddy meanwhile just smiled brightly at him.

"Good morning, Ed! Another lovely day!" Eddy then pulled Double D closer around the waist. "Careful now, don't stare too much at my boyfriend! I might get jealous!"

"...Boyfriend?" Double D uttered in confusion.

Ed looked between the two, raised his finger, and then lowered it. "I have no response to that comment, Eddy."

"All right then!" Said a very unfazed Eddy before he proceeded to lead Double D along, "C'mon, my little Sockhead! Let us be off to school! I wouldn't want you to be late, no sir!"

All Double D could do was meekly nod. It was hard to muster up any words about what was going on. Especially since even Ed seemed to be acting weirded out from it, which was not what he expected. This was all so confusing. As nice as it was, there just seemed to be no reason for it. It didn't help that his heart was pounding and his cheeks were flushed.

Managing to find his voice, Double D softly said, "Um... Eddy?"

"Yes, sugar bear?" Eddy looked at him with an attentive smile.

"Er... did you... you said we were... erm, dating, yes?" Double D squeaked.

Eddy looked shocked for a moment. Then he giggled girlishly, "Oh, of course we are, silly! I know, it feels as though it can't be real! Like a dream or something! Ah, I understand! Don't you worry, sweetie! This is all plenty real! I'm definitely right here beside you as your loving, devoted boyfriend! Oh, even I have my moments of believing you're nothing more than a dream! But I look at you and I know, for sure, that you're as real as they come!"

At that, Ed looked at Eddy with worry, then buried his face in the comic book he was reading.

"Er..." Double D mumbled, completely taken aback by this. How in the world was he supposed to respond to that? "But Eddy, we haven't talked about it! Neither of us even... we didn't even ask each other out!"

"Oh? Are you unhappy with this?" Eddy looked at him with worry. "Oh, Double D, I'm so sorry! You're right, I have to do this correctly!"

"W-Wait! Eddy! Hold on! I meant-"

Eddy wasn't listening. He came around in front of Double D, then got down onto one knee. Before Double D could protest further, Eddy took his hand, kissed the back of it, and grinned.

"Eddward, would you do me the honour of going out with me?" Eddy said sweetly, batting his eyelashes.

From behind Eddy, Ed was staring at the two with a very blank expression. But it wasn't his usual look of being spaced out. In fact, it was something Double D could only decipher as being deep in thought.

Swallowing hard, he looked back down at Eddy, who was smiling brightly and waiting for his answer.

Double D took a breath, then began to giggle. "Okay, okay! Wow Eddy, that was an amazing display! Oh, you got me good! While I admit that I don't approve of this kind of joke, the comedic display of you being amorous was rather fun! All right, you can get back up now, joke's over!"

And that was that. Eddy would laugh, stand up, and gloat about how he'd managed to fool him. Double D would refute that in saying he always felt something was so off about this entire display. Oh sure, he'd be a little disappointed that Eddy truly didn't feel this way, but he would get over it. At least they would've had a fun time and something to laugh about! Maybe it would even give Double D courage to admit his own feelings just a bit.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what happened.

Eddy just looked at him with sadness as his smile faded. "Double D... why would I ever joke about this sort of thing?"

Double D was taken aback. "...W-What?"

"Eddward... If you're doubting my feelings, please don't. I didn't mean to come off too strongly, but I can't help it." Eddy said softly, looking crestfallen. "I want to do right by you, but if this is too much, I understand. We can take it slow."

"...Eddy... I..." Double D uttered, feeling as if his heart was ripping in two. He tried to hold back the urge to cry. This may have felt so odd, but Eddy looked so sincere. Every bit of what he was saying held absolutely no irony or deception behind it. Clutching at his chest with his free hand, Double D nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for having been so skeptical, Eddy... Of course I'll go out with you, I'd really love to."

"Really?!" Eddy jumped up now, grinning. "Awesome! Happy day!" He pulled Double D in for another hug, nuzzling into his chest. "You won't regret it, Double D! I promise! I'm gonna be the best boyfriend you could ask for! If there's anything I can do to make it better, just say the word!"

'I hope I know what I'm doing...' Double D thought. In spite of everything, the hug felt so nice. Closing his eyes, he returned it with earnest. 'He's very warm... And he smells like his favourite cologne and aftershave... I love it...'

"Whoa! Is that Eddy and Double D?! Are they actually hugging?!" Came the voice of Jonny from nearby.

Quickly, Double D broke away from Eddy and knew what would happen here. He bit his lip, gauging Eddy's reaction.

"Hey, Jonny! Don't mind us!" Eddy giggled, waving at him. "Just giving a hug to my boyfriend, that's all!"

Jonny's jaw dropped. "Boyfriend?!"

"Yep!" Eddy said proudly, bringing an arm around Double D's waist.

Staring for a moment or two, Jonny then looked at Plank before sighing. He produced a quarter from his pocket, "Here ya go Plank, you were right."

'This is not normal... Eddy may have come around to being more open with his feelings, but he still has limits! No... This can't be right...' Double D thought, clutching the strap of his bag nervously. 'What is going on here?'

XXXX

Even being at school wasn't helping matters. All Double D could do was meekly walk alongside his friends (or rather, his friend AND boyfriend) while they headed to class. At times they got stares from their peers, maybe a few questions, but nothing seemed to faze Eddy at all. He was just coasting along like nothing was wrong. Ed, however, was quiet the entire time. Even his expression didn't change.

Once they got into their homeroom, Eddy rushed ahead and went to Double D's usual seat. He pulled out the chair with a flourish, grinning widely.

"Here ya go, sweetie!" He then paused, looked down at the chair, and gasped. "Oh, wait! Hold on!" Eddy reached into his pocket, produced a cloth, and wiped down the surface of the chair. "Aaah, there we go! Nice and clean!"

Double D swallowed, taking a few steps forward, and looking down at the chair. "...You're not going to pull it out too far and have me land on my behind, are you?"

"Of course not, Double D!" Eddy reacted with shock. But it wasn't playful, mocking shock. It was genuine shock. "Why would I ever do that to you?"

Cringing, Double D mumbled an apology before he sat down on the chair. Sure enough, Eddy didn't prank him. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. "...Thank you, Eddy."

"You're quite welcome, my dear!" Eddy bowed to him, then went over to sit at the desk beside him.

Double D looked at him for a moment, then pulled out his materials from his bag to lay across his desk neatly. Anything to distract himself from what was happening. At least now, he could get his thoughts straight even by just a bit. He looked upon his notebook, the one he'd used the previous day and ended up doodling in. Placing it aside, Double D procured another one to use for the class today.

Glancing to his right, he spied Eddy sitting there and turned to face him with his cheek laid up against his hand. His expression was that of a dreamy smile with his eyes half-amast. Once he saw Double D was looking at him, Eddy grinned and waved at him. Nervously, Double D returned the gesture.

Eddy then straightened and blew him a kiss, winking.

Double D returned it, despite that his stomach was churning, but not in a happy way.

'What has gotten into him? This isn't like Eddy at all... What in the world is happening to him? I only hope I can figure out a solution...' Double D thought as he turned to face the front once again. A quick sidelong glance toward Eddy confirmed that his best friend was still staring at him. He sighed, angling his hat to make sure his peripheral vision was at least a little bit obscured.

Whatever this day had in store, it couldn't possibly measure up to what was happening with Eddy's behaviour.