The kitchen was cleaned to a shine, homework completed and corrected twice, the carpets vacuumed thoroughly, dinner picked at and disposed of, and an engaging novel discarded in favor of some mindless TV program, and still there had been no sign of Kevin. Edd was growing impatient, even frustrated, as the hours passed. He knew for a fact that practice did not end any later than six o'clock; his cell phone displayed the current time as just after nine. He had less than an hour left before he needed to be in bed in order to obtain the optimal eight hours of sleep. His foot tapped out a restless pattern, fingers rubbing at his temples. He was irritated at Kevin for being late, but even more so he was irritated at himself for getting so worked up over something as silly as a boy.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." he muttered.
He abandoned the living room for a shower, deciding that Kevin was likely not going to come this late at night. He rushed through it, determined to be in bed on time. He brushed his teeth and flossed, careful not to miss a spot. He dragged a comb through his hair, working through the tangles, and pulled on a clean hat. His towel slipped on the way down the hall toward his room. Grumbling, he caught it and worked on tucking the ends in tighter around his chest. He walked into his room and screamed, nearly dropping the towel altogether.
"Kevin! What are you doing in my room?!" He worked on bringing his voice back down to a reasonable level.
Kevin shrugged, looking entirely unapologetic. "I did knock."
Edd opened his mouth to scold him, but the smirk on Kevin's face indicated that an argument would get him nowhere. He mumbled to himself under his breath. "Rude, inconsiderate, infuriating..."
"What was that?" Kevin spoke from just behind Edd, causing the smaller boy to jump.
Edd moved away from his dresser quickly, pulling his desk chair in between them. "I said it's rude. You arerude, Kevin, for barging in and invading my personal space. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to get dressed!"
Edd grabbed the front of Kevin's shirt and maneuvered him into the hallway, slamming the door behind him. He heard Kevin laugh and lean up against the door. His cheeks grew pink from embarrassment. He dried himself off and pulled open his well-organized drawers to select proper attire for the night.
"Hey, dork, are you naked yet?"
"Kevin!" came the indignant reply.
Kevin snickered. After a few moments, Edd was fully clothed. He went to the door, determined that Kevin was still leaning on it, and stepped to the side before flinging it open. Kevin fell backwards with a shout. He glared up from the floor, crossing his arms over his chest. Edd laughed lightly.
"Don't give me that look, Kevin. You should not have been leaning against the door. Consider it payback for scaring me out of my wits earlier." Edd stepped over Kevin and out into the hall. "Do you require any food or beverage this eveni-" He yelped as strong hands wrapped around his ankle, sending him crashing to the floor. "Kevin! Release me this instant!"
"No," Kevin replied simply. He pulled Edd closer and settled down beside him, propped up on his elbow. "I haven't seen you all day and I want a kiss, if that's ok with you."
Edd bit his lip hesitantly. Kevin closed his eyes and puckered slightly, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Edd's cheeks grew red again-will I ever stop blushing?-and he leaned forward to press his lips to Kevin's. Fear took hold at the last second, and he panicked, planting the kiss on his forehead instead. He wasted no time in jumping to his feet and scurrying out of Kevin's reach. Kevin looked disappointed, but he didn't press the matter. He stood and took Edd's hand, leading him down into the living room. They sat on the loveseat facing each other. Edd pulled his knees up and clutched a couch cushion to his chest, watching as Kevin spread himself out, slumping down into a more comfortable position.
"How was practice?" Edd asked softly.
"It was alright. I'm sorry I'm late. I'm surprised you haven't told me off for it yet."
"I fully intend to when I have the time; however, we have more important things to discuss, I presume, and you have exactly thirteen minutes left before I send you away. I have a schedule to keep to, you know."
Kevin laughed. "We wouldn't want to miss your bedtime, now, would we?" He rested an arm across the back of the couch, toying with a loose strand of Edd's hair. "Well, since you're so smart and all, why don't you tell me what I want to talk about? I'm sure you've already figured it out."
Edd looked away. "I assume you wish to keep our...relationship a secret for the sake of your social standing."
Kevin nodded. "Sort of..." he began, but Edd cut him off.
"Of course, I completely understand your situation and respect your desire to remain popular. I understand that, as both a male and, as you say, a 'dork,' I do not fit into this image that you have built for yourself."
"Double D-"
"I would like to assure you that keeping our relationship, if this is indeed a relationship, quiet does not bother me. I am quite accustomed to fading into the background and avoiding attention. I am not always successful at my endeavors, but I have your friends to thank for that. Oh! No! I did not mean to insult your friends. I simply meant..."
"Edd, shut up for a minute, will you?" Kevin clamped his hand down over Edd's mouth. "Now, I'm going to release your face, and you are going to be quiet, got it?"
Eyes wide, Edd nodded. Kevin pulled his hand away and Edd wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
"Filthy, filthy, filthy..." he muttered.
"I thought I told you to be quiet," Kevin said, a sharp edge to his voice. He heard Edd's teeth click together as his mouth snapped shut. "Yes, I want to keep this-us-quiet. No, it is not to protect my image or anything like that. Okay, maybe it is a little bit to protect my image. I'm still pretty disposable, you know? I was lucky to be a floater player this year, so I got to play with the varsity team, but that doesn't mean anything's set in stone. Once I make the varsity team, I'm fine, but that won't happen until next year. Well, it might happen this year, but I doubt it. Sort of. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'll make it this year, but I don't want to get my hopes up or anything, and-yes?"
Edd sat perfectly still, eyes wide, one hand raised into the air. "Kevin, you are rambling."
"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry." He leaned forward and took Edd's hands in his own. "Double D, the reason I want to keep this quiet is that I worry about you. The guys already pick on you, and I can't always be there to save you or whatever. I don't want you to get hurt."
Edd smiled, showing the gap in his teeth. "Kevin, I appreciate the sentiment, but I am quite accustomed to bullying. I'm sure I could handle it."
"I don't know, dork. If you heard some of the stuff they say about gays...I don't want to risk it, at least not until I can control them."
"I understand," Edd replied. His heart fluttered to think that Kevin had his well-being in mind. "I suppose this means that I won't be able to see you at school."
"Yeah..." Kevin shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. But I'll see you lots outside of school." The clock in the front hall began to chime, announcing the hour. Kevin stood up and stretched. "I guess that's my cue. Walk me to the door?"
"Of course! What kind of host do you think I am?" Edd took the outstretched hand and followed Kevin to the back door. "It would be greatly appreciated if you could arrive at an earlier hour next time."
"Yeah, yeah." Kevin pulled his shoe over his heel and suddenly pulled Edd toward him. "Shut up and kiss me, dork."
