Ed, Edd n Eddy 1. Chapter 1

Over the years, Kevin and his parents had desperately wanted a new member to add to their family. Kevin couldn't stand being an only child, alone without anyone his own age to talk to or to understand him and his problems within his own home. He was far too old now to have someone his own age but most of the kids in the Cul-de-Sac had siblings. He hated to admit it, but he was actually jealous of the Eds, all except for Double D, who was an only child as well. He had hoped that he could have a sibling but to his parents attempts, nothing seemed to work. It was getting to the point that only two options were left: give up or adopt.

He had just turned 17 when he realized how alone he was without a sibling. He wanted one more than anything, even more than he wanted Nazz to be his girlfriend. He wondered how he could push his parents to take the plunge and adopt already. Who cared how old the child was as long as it was part of their family.

Kevin was walking home, thinking how he desperately wanted a brother or sister. He stopped on the sidewalk halfway down the street, mere feet from his home and stared up at the sky. It was at that time that he saw a shooting star. He had never once seen one, never interested but now seemed like the best time to make a wish. He smiled and closed his eyes. 'I wish for a sibling. Boy or girl doesn't matter, as long as I have one.' He thought to himself, opening his eyes slowly and now pumped with anticipation and excitement he couldn't wait to see the results, but who knew how long that would take.

When he lowered his head and sighed he looked over across the street, directly at Double D's house. Why was Double D standing outside his house staring at it? Was he observing the sky as well? He then took a few steps across the street to meet up with Double D, being the only two in the road at night. He smiled as he called out to the dweeb.

"Yo! Double Dweeb! What's up!?" He shouted before he saw the look on Double D's face. Tears were streaming down his face, the kid's face in shock and horror. He hands were bleeding and it was at that time he could smell it. Blood, lots of it and not just on Double D's hands, dripping from the cuts on his wrist, but from the house.

"D?" He questioned looking confused as he slowly walked up to Double D to get closer to him. Double D noticed Kevin and he began to freak out, screaming and finally letting out the pool of emotions burying deep within him.

"I- I couldn't stop him!" He shouted before he fell to his knees, Kevin catching him so he wouldn't fall so hard.

"Hey! It's okay, what happened? Who couldn't you stop?" He asked calmly.

"M-my f-father. He, h-he killed her...He killed my mother..." Double D stammered through his quivering lips.

"Whoa! What!? Why!" Kevin asked curiously.

"It's my fault. I should have never been born...I was to blame...for all of it. For their outburst...for their hatred in one another...I'm just a unforeseen mistake!" He shouted, his thoughts becoming clear but not entirely as he was still locked within the nightmare of what had just occurred in his own home.

"Hey. Don't talk like that. Nothing's your fault!" Kevin said, really worried about the dweeb he had for years bullied along with the other Eds. Eddy being the sole purpose for his bullying and the lackies Ed and Double D that followed along with his ridiculous scams. Double D was the reasonable one in the group, the one who built such amazing devices out of trash and household items to go along with Eddy's scams. He was the brains, the creative one. Why would Double D suddenly lose all reasoning to life like this, enough to try and commit suicide after his parents were just done in in cold blood? It was unlike Double D to stoop this low. What had gone on that night that force Double D in his illogical reasoning that his life was nothing more than a sham?

"D?" He questioned the squirt hoping to get through to him or at least receive a logical response like normal. "Listen, whatever your parents said in there, you are not to blame. If they didn't want you they would have gotten rid of you years ago or worse, aborted you. So whatever happened, please don't let their problems affect you this much. You're better than this!" He said hoping that was enough for the dweeb to consider at least and snap back to reality.

Double D knelt on his hands and knees, his mind completely unfocused and jumbled. He was unable to understand much of what Kevin said but the tone in his voice was calm and sweet, and it made him snap back, believing that there was some Angel next to him guiding him to a better tomorrow despite the hell that just transpired.

Kevin smiled at Double D when he finally looked up at Kevin. Kevin helped Double D up and walked him to his own home, hoping his parents could help out and handle the affairs of the dead bodies reeking from the inside of Double D's home.

They made it to Kevin's door and opened it, looking upset at his parents who were shocked to see their neighbor's kid in such bad shape, his wrists bloody with a single cut on both, a suicidal attempt no doubt. Kevin's mother went and grabbed the first aid kit they had in one of the kitchen cabinets. His dad helping Kevin take Double D to the kitchen so the blood didn't drip on the floor and stain it.

"How did this happen!?" Kevin's mother shouted, hoping Kevin wasn't at fault.

"His parents, they." Kevin stopped, gulping down the pain his heart felt for even uttering such words. "They killed themselves. I am not sure how, but I found Doub- I mean Edd outside staring at his house and when I finally approached him he just fell to pieces." He said looking sad and upset, feeling guilty he bullied the kid all these years when the kid already had such problems at home.

"And these cuts?" His mother asked curiously.

"He didn't say precisely, all he said was that he feels like he should have never been born." Kevin said looking like his heart was wrenching just from the thought.

It was at that point Eddward started to think back to his parents fight and started to chant the words over and over again. "A mistake. A mistake. I was just a mistake."

Kevin's mother looked like she was about to cry, worried for this boy. What did his parents say to him or out loud that made him think he wasn't suppose to be alive? What could they have done so wretched to leave this boy behind alone and frail, lost in this nightmare they created for him.

"I'll call the ambulance." Kevin's dad said referring to the dead bodies still in the house, letting his wife and son take care of the wounded boy.

Kevin looked at his father walking over to the phone before he stared down at his mother, shaking in fear and sorrow. He was curious to ask. Curious to know. "Mom." He said before his mother finally looked up at him.

"Yes dear?" She asked, listening deeply to what he had to say, feeling like if she abandoned her own kid, Kevin may think he isn't wanted either.

"What, what is going to happen to Edd?" He asked, worried about where Edd was going to go now that his parents are gone.

"I don't know honey. Usually, child protective services take orphaned kids under 17 to a foster home so they can be assigned a new family." She said, being honest.

Kevin looked like he was going to cry. He didn't want that. He didn't want one of his neighbors, one he actually respected to leave. Who knows where Edd would end up. In the state he was in now, he needed someone he knew, someone who could help him out of this hell he was constantly living in. He didn't want the dork to leave. He was the only sensible one in the Cul-de-Sac that was even worth dealing with. He wouldn't let Edd leave, not like this.

"Can we take him in?" Kevin finally asked, his mother looking up in shock that her son even suggested the idea. She looked over at her husband who had overhead, confused at what he meant.

"What do you mean, Kevin?" She asked to gain more feedback from him.

"I mean, can we adopt him? It would be better for him to have someone he knows rather than a random stranger who may mistreat him. At least here, he has friends who care about him. Plus, I always wanted a brother." He said with a smile, hoping his smile was enough to get his parents on the idea. I mean he has pleaded constantly for a new sibling and yet they still never made any headway as to looking.

His mother looked as if she had to think it over but she knew she couldn't just leave the lonely kid alone to fend for himself. Her son was right, it would be better if he stayed here, where he had friends. Who knows where he would end up and how far from the area. It wasn't like their town to have a large orphanage they could visit like in _Annie_. She wasn't sure if it was the right decision and Kevin could tell that her thinking about it long and hard only made it seem like she wasn't considering not to. He still didn't want to let Edd go.

"Please! I'll take care of him! I'll help him through this and bring him back to normal. I want to mother." He said, looking like he couldn't hold in the tears anymore but he tried. He was a football player and a strong quarterback, he would not back down, not even if he had to face the opposing team head on alone. He was willing to take on this responsibility.

"Dear, this not like raising a pet." She said trying to make sure he was really serious.

"I know that! Edd's my friend! I want to be there for him. I want to be his brother, to give him the family he never had!" He said, almost out of breath. It was then that Double D looked up, sincerity and intrigue on his face. He was finally back from his constant thoughts of that night playing through his head. He was truly listening to Kevin and he was shocked to hear Kevin so interested in taking care of him. He knew Kevin to be a bully, his bully, and one that didn't like him very much or so he thought. Was Kevin honest with his feelings right now? Was he truly willing to take care of him and help him through this?

Double D almost spoke up till the sirens from the ambulance rushed down the Cul-de-Sac, the lights flickering through the blinds of the house. Double D, was now confused, not sure what was going on. He didn't know why there was an ambulance outside his house but Kevin knew, he knew if Edd understood any more than he does now, he may revert back so he walked up in front of Double D and shielded his eyes, forcing him to look at him.

"Don't worry Double Dweeb, I'll protect you." He said with a smile, leaving Edd befuddled at what was going on.


	2. Chapter 2

The Cul-de-Sac kids came out of their houses to witness Double D's parents leaving their house in body bags. Eddy and Ed looked shocked and nervous, wondering where Double D was, hoping that he wasn't in a body bag too. They then saw him across the street and ran as fast as they could to him.

"D! What happened!" Eddy shouted, looking worried. A sight Kevin never knew Eddy had in him.

Double D looked confused before it started to come back to him. He was almost ready to scream, to run, but instead he cried and he let it all out. He was alone. He had no more parents, they were gone. He never knew Death could hurt the living so much as if Death didn't just wield a scythe to slash those close to death and extract their soul from their bodies, but also to prick those left behind with the tip, breaking their skin, drawing blood, and toying with their minds and hearts. He was so distraught he couldn't even stand as he fell to the ground, holding his knees and falling over on his side, laying on the ground, not even caring if it was filthy for a change.

Eddy looked confused then at Kevin and Kevin looked concerned, more so for the friend who didn't even know. He nodded to Eddy that he would tell him later, encouraging him that it was best not to speak so openly about it front of everyone else who weren't entirely welcomed to learn the vast details that he himself hadn't heard of yet.

Ed looked confused but when he saw his friend crying in his knees on the ground he laid on the ground next to Double D and hugged him, not caring if people thought that looked weird on the tar of the street.

"Body snatchers are no friends. Especially, not the dark one." Ed said, shocking everyone that his words were actually somewhat philosophical about Death. He didn't say it openly but some were wondering if he truly understood what was going on or was he just too dumb to fully see it as what it was.

Double D sobbed a little and his crying stopped, glad that even Ed's words could calm him down. Kevin helped Double D off of the ground and brushed him off. "Eddy, Double D will stay at my place. So if you want to see him, just stop by." He said knowing it sounded awkward for to have invited Eddy over but they both knew that they had a connection now and at times like these, it was better not to fight over selfish bickering.

Kevin helped Double D back to his house, leading him to his room and letting the squirt lay in his bed so he could sleep. Kevin rubbed Double D's hat, wondering how the kid could sleep in such a thing. He slowly began to take it off until Eddward pulled his hat back down and looked frightened.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just me. I won't tell anyone if you really don't want them to know." Kevin said trying to sound encouraging.

Double D was shaking frantically under the covers but he slowly let go of his hat and let Kevin see the scar on his forehead that nearly trailed up the crease in his hair. Kevin looked shocked but more so at his own curiosity to know how it happened, unsure if he should even ask so he didn't bother to mention the scar.

"You actually have nice hair. And to think I thought you were bald." He teased, hoping Edd would make some sort of remark either to yell at him for the teasing or for even considering such an atrocity.

Edd just laid there, unable to move, fear creeping up his spine that if he spoke, he'd break down again.

Kevin was even more worried at Edd's silence. "You know, keeping it bottled up isn't healthy. You have to let it out some time." He said sitting on the bed.

Double D wasn't sure if he should let it out, but he knew Kevin was right. His brain was now logically thinking about all of the studies that have proven that bottling it up was unhealthy. It lead to worry lines and repressed anger. He figured if he was to tell someone, he should at least tell the one who was being so kind to him like this. He sobbed and rubbed his nose before he slowly began to speak.

"My parents..." He started gulping down the rest of his sorrow to try and speak. Kevin looked up really interested to hear what was going to come out of Double D's mouth next. "They have been arguing for years now it seems. We haven't been a true family since I moved here. They were always away on business and only contacted me through sticky notes. When they were home, namely at the same time, they couldn't stand each other. Dinner's were awkward and at some point or another, they began to scream and shout at one another. My mother usually would gripe about how much stress work was putting on her and dad would scoff and say something like his work wasn't hectic enough as hers was. Sarcasm it seemed but I was usually left in the middle of it." He paused, his body shaking and his hands reaching up to hold his arms to calm himself down.

Kevin looked worried, wondering how the kid was even gaining the courage and strength to say this. He must have been trying really hard to tell Kevin the truth, and with as much effort in perfect grammar in his words as necessary.

Edd began to continue, his voice shaking a bit more than before. "Tonight...I could hear them from my room. They were undoubtably louder than normal, fighting harder than ever. M-my mother, said that if she hadn't have gotten knocked up by an pathetic man like my father, then she would have never have stayed with him. That her mother was right and that she should have left years ago. But they had a reputation to uphold. They had to remain a perfect family in the eyes of their neighbors otherwise they would be as-shamed for even sticking together this long despite their differences and quarrels. It was at that point that my father had enough. H-he, he took a gun and shot my mother in the chest. I heard the gun shot from my room and rushed down, seeing my father standing there over my mother, watching her die slowly and then...then...he pulled the trigger in his mouth and...I couldn't stop it...I couldn't talk any sense to them. They never did listen to me. I was just a mistake! I shouldn't have been born. They never meant to have me...and it caused all this...it caused them to stoop so low as to commit such a heinous act." He said before he balled into his hands. the pain of it all finally unleashed, finally out in the open for at least one person to hear and he couldn't stand it, he was just so upset he couldn't bare it any longer.

Kevin looked upset for Double D, sad it had to come to this, that he had to endure so much simply to uphold a reputation among the rest of the kids. And none of them, probably not even his own two friends knew of what was going on in that house. Kevin couldn't help it, he needed to help Double D. He pulled Double D closer as he laid down on the bed and hugged him from behind, clinging to him so Double D could have someone to comfort him. Double D was shocked to feel Kevin embrace him so intimately but it suddenly left his mind as he turned around and clung to Kevin, crying into his chest, letting it all out. The entire night at the mercy of sorrow Death unleashed upon the living when a loved one has passed, but this time a hell had followed Double D, one Kevin knew would haunt him until he could recover, and he was determined to help Double D out of that hell as best as he could, whatever it took.

Kevin woke up the next morning, Edd nowhere on the bed or on the floor of his room. He looked freaked out but he knew he couldn't have gotten far, it was just what state was he in this morning that worried him.

He rushed downstairs, noticing Eddy and Ed in his living room talking with Double D. Figures. It was going to be his home too soon. Kevin slowly rushed down the stairs, getting an annoyed look at Eddy but a surprising smile from Double D.

"Morning Kevin!" Double D said, seeming a little too chipper for someone who just had his parents taken away from him.

"Morning." He said kind of at a loss for words. "How long have you been up?" He asked before sitting down next to Double D and across from Eddy and Ed.

"Eddy and Ed came over around 9, your parents weren't home so I opened the door so they wouldn't disturb your sleep." He said sounding quite considerate.

"Why does sock head have to open the door to your house?" Eddy argued, looking to start something but Kevin was in no mood for Eddy's immaturity at this early hour.

He sat back and figured they'd know eventually so why not now. "My parents said they were thinking of adopting Double D." He stated, Eddy shocked most of all.

"What!" Eddy shouted looking confused.

"Double D have brother now?" Ed said confused by the statement as well.

"Almost lughead." Kevin said with a smile.

Eddy slouched back and looked over at Double D who had been staring a little too long off into space. He was worried about his friend, hoping there was something he could do.

"Yo sock head!" Eddy shouted at him, snapping Eddward back to look at him.

"Yes Eddy?" Double D said politely, smiling big.

"You okay with all of this? I mean living with Kevin?" He asked, hoping Eddward wasn't too serious about living together with his arch nemesis and their old bully.

Edd looked over at Kevin, Kevin smiling at him and it was in that smile that Double D remembered what Kevin had said last night. He looked back to Eddy and smiled. "Of course. Everything's fine Eddy." He said, his hands shaking once he said that, not leaving Eddy with any reassuring thoughts.

"If you say so brainiac." He sighed and knew he couldn't muddle into someone else's affairs, especially if the parents said it was okay. "Just be okay alright Edd?" He said looking really concerned for his friend.

Eddward smiled before Ed interrupted. "Okie dokie artichokie!" He smiled large making Double D and Eddy wonder what was wrong with his brain.

Kevin looked at the three Eds, knowing for years how much he despised them as a group, trying to scam him out of his allowance money. It was only until two years ago, that they stopped playing immature scams and started to just sell simple stuff, usually Eddward suggested school supplies or considered tutoring. He got a few nice lessons from Double D last year in astronomy physics when he needed help. He knew Double D deserved every dollar for that tutoring session he got last year. It helped him raise his grade to at best a 90 which was a blessing all in its own. He loved astronomy, the stars and the galaxies of what was out there. He just couldn't handle the math involved with the physics. It was then that he realized that maybe his wish he made last night came true, but in the most horrific of ways. Did he wish for a sibling to get someone who had just lost their parents in that moment? Was his wish the cause of Double D's parents going insane and killing themselves? The thought made him freeze, and Eddy noticed well and looked confused.

"Yo, Kev! You alright?" He asked, shuddering at even showing one ounce of consideration for Kevin, of all people.

"Yeah." Kevin said not wanting to admit what he had just thought of. He then stood up. "Guys want any breakfast? I can fix some pancakes." He said as he walked to the kitchen.

"You can cook?" Eddy questioned, looking like that was a shock to hear from Kevin.

"PANCAKES!" Ed shouted looking excited as he went to the kitchen to help Kevin but instead was disturbing him.

"Ed, let Kevin cook." Double D politely said to Ed who complied sadly and returned to a seat next to Double D and hugged him gently, crying for his pancakes to be ready.

Double D smiled and petted Ed's head, glad to have his friends near him. He looked up and watched Kevin's bare back as he started to cook pancakes for them. Kevin surely impressed him. Through all these years, he always looked up to Kevin, as the epitome of cool and courage, everything he lacked as a human being. He had wished days on end to be more like Kevin, brave and fearless, strong and bold, popular and physically inclined to tackle any sport he wanted. But to his disdain, he was nothing like Kevin. He was weak, more than he thought he was it seemed. He couldn't even handle what he had been facing all these years, almost day in an day out. He never told a single soul about his family issues and he didn't want to. Now that it was out in the open and he had no secret to keep anymore, he felt a little at peace but also even more fearful of what was to lie in front of him. Will people bully him even more knowing that he was too weak to live on even after his parents had passed on? He looked down at his wrists, observing the lines he had sliced in him, one for each of his parents, the people he believed he had wronged and was a nuisance to. It was his apology to them and a reminder of them both. They were part of him still even when he fought so hard to rid them of the hell they created for him within only sixteen years of his life. A short time to do so much damage.

Double D felt a hand on his arm, startling him profusely. He looked up to see Kevin holding his arm, looking sincere and worried as Double D was staring down at his wrists. Double D gave a shaky smile before he realized Kevin was handing him a plate of pancakes. He didn't feel like eating but he wasn't going to hurt Kevin's feelings when he put so much hard effort to make these for him.

"Thank you, Kevin!" Double D said as he started to cut his pancakes nicely. Kevin then handed the other plates to Eddy and Ed. Ed started to devour them right off the plate before he started to add syrup on them after a few large bites.

Eddward noticed the blueberry syrup on the table and reached for some. Kevin helped him and poured some on Edd's pancakes. Edd smiled and let Kevin know when it was too much.

Eddy watched the two of them and felt a little weirded out. He never saw Kevin be nice in his life but he was being nice because of Double D. If he was sincere in his feelings to be there for his friend then maybe Kevin wasn't so bad. It didn't mean he would like Kevin or become his friend, but he did gain a large bit of respect for him that day. He was still cautious of Kevin though. This guy was never the nicest fellow to them and he picked now of all times to be nice to Double D? It showed he was considerate of other's feelings no doubt but it also made him wonder why was Double D's bully being nice to him all of a sudden? It couldn't be because they were neighbors or because Kevin actually cared for Double D personally. There was an ulterior motive, he was sure of it. But what? Why was Kevin allowing Double D into his head of all things? Now? When Double D needed a family the most, why was it Kevin to step up to the plate and take him in and why didn't Double D tell him about his parents. The ache in his heart was too much. So much so he couldn't finish his pancakes, no matter how good they were.

Kevin stayed by Double D who finished half his pancakes. "Thank you, Kevin, that was delicious." He said, sad that he didn't finished them but his stomach wasn't really up to it right now. He then looked shy. "Excuse me." He said before he went upstairs and to the bathroom to take a shower.

Kevin was worried about Edd, who knew what he was capable of when he was alone. He wouldn't let Edd be alone, not while he was there. "Sorry guys, but I have to look after him. You can leave on your own when you finish your food." He said considerately, smiling nervously at Eddy who looked a little shock at Kevin's expression. He didn't think Kevin was capable of such an expression.


	3. Chapter 3

Kevin ran upstairs to the bathroom, hesitant to run in, worried about personal space and privacy but it didn't matter. He had to make sure Double D was alright, he had to watch over him and protect him. He slowly opened the door and peeked in. He saw Double D's shadow behind the frosted, glass pane of the shower door. He noticed Double D's clothes were neatly folded on the top of the toilet seat cover. He noticed the hat on top and wondered about Double D's hair and his scar, in how he got it and why couldn't he just cover it up with bangs or concealer or something. He had such nice, fluffy hair and flipped out in a few loose strands, falling to the base of his neck and somewhat longer than most boys. Why hide it under a sock for crying out loud.

Kevin went to the shower, wondering if he could be seen behind the door, hoping he didn't spook Double D or cause him to slip and fall from the shock of someone noticing him naked.. He moved over to the side and leaned against the wall. He slowly raised his arm, his fingers clenched up into a fist as he knocked backwards on the door with his knuckles. "Hey D, want me to get you some new clothes to wear?" He asked worriedly.

Double D looked frantic that Kevin was right outside the door, him indecent at the moment. He gulped and wasn't sure what to say before he finally spoke up. "Yes, that would be lovely, thank you!" He said happily before he went back to washing his hair.

"Alright, I'll be right back." Kevin said going to his room and gathered some of his old clothes he use to wear that didn't fit him anymore. He wasn't sure until the police were done with the crime scene across the street so Double D could finally have his own set of clothes to wear from his closet. He had hoped soon because he knew Double D needed a lot of stuff from his room to survive. He knew the dweeb well.

He came back, the sound of banging heard from the bathroom. Shock clear on his face before his legs picked up with his brain, running to the bathroom, dropping the clothes in the process. He knew not to leave Double D alone, why did he for even a second?

He ran into the bathroom, watching Double D struggle in the shower as if he was pounding for a way out. He rushed to the door and opened it, a look of fright on Double D's face, struggling to get out. Kevin looked shocked but didn't hesitate to pull Double D to him, not caring if he was naked and embracing him to try and comfort him.

"Shhhh. Shhh." Kevin said almost on the verge of tears to see Double D so frightened for stuff that was probably in his head. He hugged Double D, letting him cry into his bare chest. Looking perplexed at what got to the dork he had in his arms, naked and scared.

He began instinctively petting Double D's hair, knowing nothing more he could do but simply be his crutch so he can finally come out of that deep, dark place.

After a few moments of silence deafening around Double D's sobs and wimpers, Kevin looked down to see Double D clinging to him, burying his head in Kevin's chest. The poor kid was scared shitless, more so than usual. "Want to talk about it?" He asked curiously, not expecting an answer.

"You are going to laugh." He said finally stopping the waterworks.

"Try me." He said snickering.

"I was drowning. I felt like the water was rising and I couldn't get out. I felt the walls caving in on me as if they were going to close together and squish me while I drown. The door was lock and I-I..." He stopped, unable to hold himself together anymore.

"You are really trying to fight this aren't ya?" Was all Kevin could say.

"It just won't go away. Do you think my parents are haunting me everywhere I go?" He asked curiously.

"Now I might laugh. You of all people would never believe in ghosts. You are too sensible and logical for that. Science and biology is your thing dork." He said hoping his light teasing would make the little squirt cheer up some and forget about these so called "ghosts".

Double D had to agree, ghosts were possible and some degrees. Even he has seen various ghost hunting shows that truly looked like raw footage with no cheap gimmicks or absurd dramatization. How could he ever believe his parents, although their death was quite tragic, ever find the means to haunt him. If he was alone in his house, he may succumb to such thoughts, disturbed of the silence and worried about whether or not he was being watched or haunted by some unknown force. What had he been thinking? Then he realized, he hadn't. All this time, while trying to put up a tough front, he has not once rationalized this whole endeavor. He was too caught up in his emotions, neglecting his mind. He had hoped that the shock of his parents death did not damage his psyche. Instead of being considered a brainiac, he would be considered a mad scientist. Insulting, really.

Kevin noticed the dork in deep thought, wondering what was going on in that head of his. He then remembered that Double D was still naked and on top of him. He tried hard not to stare at Double D's underbelly but it was hard not to. Curiosity killed the cat, he thought and he hoped he wasn't the cat.

"Do you want to continue your shower. I'm starting to wonder how much longer a naked dork clinging to me will make this moment even more awkward than it already is." He said with a smile, teasing Double D warmly.

Double D looked shocked from embarrassment, a bright, red flush spread across his face from ear to ear. He jumped back, taking the towel quickly that Kevin picked up from the floor, noticing Kevin looking away as he handed him the towel. Double D looked embarrassed and hurt even more, that Kevin was possibly grossed out by his naked form.

"Sorry if my indecent image disgusts you." Double D said hurt as he wrapped his towel around his body to shield himself.

Kevin looked stunned at Edd's comment, knowing he might have given the wrong impression about Double D being naked.

"Look dork, it is not that your naked body disgusts me. I don't care about that. We're both guys. It doesn't matter if you are naked or wearing that hat. You're Double D, and that's enough for me. So don't look so glum!" Kevin said before he punched Double D's arm, smiling, glad to finally have a sibling he could hang with for once.

Double D looked up, confused and perplexed but the next expression he obtained on that dorky, gapped-tooth face was a smile, larger than the embarrassed flush he received earlier.

Kevin smiled, standing up and then reaching his hand out to Double D to take so he can help Double D up. Double D took his hand and stood up, slipping on the tile floor, his legs weak from lack of nourishment and a wet floor. He fell into Kevin's arms, Kevin catching him once more, this time it was a little more than just embarrassing.

Kevin caught the naked Double D, almost at a loss of words at what just happened. It was safe to say that embracing Double D like a couple with Double D clinging to Kevin with all his might not to fall and Kevin, being the taller and more masculine of the two, had the feeling as if he was embracing a girl after her high heal just broke. Kevin gulped, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He could lightly feel Double D's, looking down to notice the blush creeping on the kid's face, thinking, 'So he is feeling the same thing in this embarrassed situation.' He then lightly let go of Double D, helping him to his feet and making sure he was standing right, full balance in tact.

Double D giggled nervously, playing it off as merely a klutzy move on his part. He was glad Kevin let go and let him stand on his own but now he felt embarrassed again, standing there, naked, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his shoulders.

Kevin looked confused before he jumped and put his finger up for Double D to wait for him as he went to go pick up the clothes in the hallway floor, coming back with them and handing them carefully with Double D. He turned around so Double D could have his privacy. Edd smiled and started to get dress.

"You know, you don't have to wait on me." He said calmly.

"Are you kidding? First you had to go through...that! You started to freak out twice about not wanting to be born or didn't deserve to live, you constantly start crying, sometimes I don't even known why, you nearly banged your head in the shower freaking out about drowning. What more could happen to you, kid?" Kevin said, turning around to see Double D crying again, soft streams flowing down his cheeks.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound so harsh." He said pulling the half-dressed boy into his arms to comfort him once more.

Double D held onto Kevin, knowing he meant well and was telling the truth. He was ashamed of what he was becoming, this mentally frail and emotionally weak shell, where everything was falling into a pit of nothingness. He hadn't felt like cleaning, organizing, labeling, or even going home to see his assorted range of insects. He hadn't watered the plants and he hadn't cared if he got a little dirty or if things were dusty. He was a wreck, to say the least, and he hated it. He couldn't help it though. The incident at home shocked him near to death, literally falling his parents into an abyss within hell. He was scared, and if it hadn't been for Kevin staying with him, protecting him, caring for him, and facing the horrors Double D was going through, the demons he was facing, he probably would wither away and die. It was like a blessing from above having Kevin here. But the more he felt himself wallow in self-pity over something that he couldn't control wasn't something he wanted to burden Kevin or his parents with. He really didn't need more scars on his wrists.

Kevin pulled Double D away, feeling a little uneasy again, not sure why. He didn't know why this little dork tugged at so many different corners of his heart. He wanted to be there for Double D, but how close should he get in order to protect him? It was a mystery to himself. He shrugged it off and picked up the rest of Double D's clean pair of clothes and handed them to Double D before instinctively kissing D's forehead, looking shocked at the gesture, making them both blush in embarrassment once more. Kevin smiled then he rubbed Double D's head, ruffling up his wet hair before going to the door and standing out in the hallway to cool down, leaving Double D alone so he could finish getting dressed.


	4. Chapter 4

Kevin was in his room, laying on the bed and staring up at the ceiling as he thought of Double D. Why did the squirt mess with his head at every turn? Not to mention make him kiss him? It was just on his forehead but it was still shocking to try and comfort him in such a way. Why? Why did he do that to him? He was sure he freaked the dork out even more, probably confused him and making him think that Kevin was actually a soft-hearted guy and not just some hard ass.

He was glad his parents were home from work, so he could relax a little and let them watch over the twerp downstairs. He could hear his mother laughing with Double D. Kevin smiled, thinking how it was like having a sister rather than a brother. He sighed, ready to rest until a knock at his door was heard.

"Yes?" He asked the knock at the door, his father coming in slowly not wanting to disturb his son if he had been doing something private.

"Yo, Kev! The police across the street said we can go and grab a few essentials for Eddward. I need your help. I got boxes and the car ready to go so we can transfer stuff over to here." His dad explained waiting for his son to help out.

"Alright." Kevin said getting up and putting his shoes on and following his dad out the front door, pass his mother and Double D and across the street, his dad's SUV already in Eddward's driveway.

He looked at the scene of police outside in and around the police tape that enclosed off the entrance. It looked horrible. Like the scene right after the beginning credits where someone had just gotten murdered and the police were active and on the scene, figuring out the whys and and hows of what went on. He thought how weird it was to see that on TV and actually be a part of it in reality. Why was this happening? Why Double D? Of all people, why him? It was heart wrenching to say the least.

They walked through the front door and the sight of the living room brought all that horror Double D was feeling, blowing through him like an angry spirit wanting to possess his soul. It was horrendous and Kevin was proud to have learn that word from Double D last year. It was a perfect word for this sight.

Kevin saw first the many investigators on the scene trying to figure out what had went down last night. He saw the white outline of Double D's parents, how they had fallen onto the floor and what weapons were present at the time. He saw the carpet, stained with what looked to be red wine, but he knew it was blood because the smell was awful. It covered the room. He then noticed the brain splatter on the ceiling that had stuck there, the residue stained to the plaster on the wall. The sight was awful, enough to make Kevin throw up but he held it down. He was a guy, of course, he lived for horror movies, guts and gore, even the pixelated graphics in horror games. It was different though, actually in the middle of it, seeing it, smelling it, almost able to taste it in the air. It truly made him rethink his intrigue in guts and gore in movies and video games.

He followed his father up the stairs and he could just see where Eddward stood when he saw such a sight, the aftermath of the horror and possibly the final sight of his father pulling the trigger in his mouth after killing his own wife. He knew if he was in Double D's spot right now, he'd be freaking out and constantly crying too. He almost wanted to hug his father from behind, to be grateful he still had a father, alive and sane.

They made it to Double D's room down the hallway, the door open and slightly forced into the wall, probably from Double D's shock from hearing the gun fire and opening the door fast and loud with such force, probably not even noticing the now gaping hole in the wall from the door knob. Kevin was stunned that even Double D had that much force in him, but he knew that with adrenaline, anything was possible.

He looked up and down Double D's room. It was Double D's alright. Labels were everywhere, on everything, telling everyone what everything was and where it was located. A part of Kevin thought of Double D as someone who forgets things easily. He was so smart that he needed labels just to remember what simple things like desk and pencil were. The thought of it made Kevin laugh until his father chimed in.

"Okay, you know the kid better than me, what do we take as essentials." His father said, scratching his head at the labels probably thinking the same thing Kevin was just laughing at.

"Well, we should get his bed sheets, his label maker." Kevin said smiling his father laughing making Kevin laugh after him. "We should consider his clothes, shoes, bath supplies, his desk items, his textbooks, his insects, a few books..." He almost continued till his dad sighed and nodded his head.

"Okay, you get started on the small items and I'll roll up the bedsheets and get his clothes from the closet." His dad said going to the closet to check and noticing the organization and the spinning, round table that revolved with a bunch of Double D's hats, all labeled to a particular day. He noticed the bath supplies as well, the loofas, shower caps, etc. His father was confused but decided, 'what the heck' and take everything to please the boy.

Kevin started to grab the books and desk supplies, wondering why Double D had a human skull on his desk but then he remembered that the kid was interested in science and biology. He packed it in boxes and enough to where it wasn't too heavy for him and his dad to carry out to the car. Kevin looked creeped out by the assortment of insects but he knew they were pets to Double D so he carefully packed them making sure that they were safe and sound, unable to topple over and break or get loose.

It took almost an hour before they grabbed enough of Double D's stuff for the meanwhile, at least until the police were gone. They made it back to the house and started to take Double D's stuff to the spare room next to Kevin's. He wondered where Double D was but it seemed he had no other place to go to rest than Kevin's room, which was fine.

They organized the spare room and the extra bed and got it nice and neat for Double D. Kevin organized the insects on an empty dresser, not sure if that was okay but he did it anyway. There was some room on the empty spaces of the bookcase to put more of the insects and their containers on. Kevin felt like Double D organizing things in such a way, especially alphabetically.

Kevin smiled at his handiwork, his father simply doing the easy stuff it seemed, making the bed and hanging the clothes. He didn't know what to do with the hats so he put them in a top drawer next to the closet. The bathroom supplies were put in an empty space in the sink cupboard in the bathroom. Hopefully this was okay with the dweeb, Kevin thought.

Kevin went to his room to find Double D, the squirt was on his bed asleep. Thankful the dweeb went to sleep for once considering last night was nothing but soft sobs and mournful cries, seriously heartbroken his parents were dead and that the only way to get them back was to pray and wish for everything to be just a nightmare. He could still hear the dork's cries, the sobbing, the muttered words ringing in his ear as they laid together arm in arm. Every now and then he could feel the dork shift in his sleep and start another crying episode. However many there were was a mystery to Kevin. Only feeling like he got half a night's worth of sleep made his eyes water and forced a yawn to escape his mouth that he hid behind the back of his hand. He laid on the bed next to the dweeb who was curled up practically in a ball. He smiled, glad to see the twerp was at least getting some sleep and possibly eating small portions but not enough it seems.

Kevin raised his hand to Double D's face, it paler than normal and considerably colder than normal. Kevin sighed, wondering if this dork would ever get over such an ordeal. Kevin couldn't blame him, after seeing the aftermath of last night he knew exactly what was going on but it was the weird hallucinations that worried him. Every time he left Double D alone, he could tell that the ordeal kept playing in the squirt's mind and it affected his psyche a lot, so much so it was almost like he was mentally scarred for life, it seemed. Was Double D ever going to return to his old self or was Kevin going to have to fight these demons that haunted Double D's subconscious?

It was at that moment that Double D jumped up from laying down, panting frantically and sweating from fear, like he had just had a nightmare he was living in the moment. Kevin looked shocked and when Double D began to cry, Kevin pulled him into an embrace from behind, not knowing what more he could do for the poor kid. It was breaking his heart to see Double D like this.

When Double D started to calm down, realizing it was only a dream, he looked up at Kevin, curious as to why he was holding him for so long.

"I'm here Squirt. It's alright. Listen, whatever your parents neglected to give you, I will give to you without hesitation." He said determined and serious, knowing that meant anything and if it had to come to that, he would obliged, even with his own life.

"T-that's not n-necessary Kevin. Really!" Double D tried to assure him.

"No, I mean it." Kevin said, the determination in his voice. "If they didn't give you the family you wanted, I'll help give it to you. If they neglected to be there for you, I'll be there for you. Anything they never gave, I will give to you. Even love. I'll replace the bad memories with good ones for you if it will help you be your old self again." He said, knowing it sounded weird but he knew it had to be said. He knew Double D needed that the most, he needed love whether from a brother, from parents, from a friendship, he knew he had to give it to Double D. He needed it, more now than ever.

Double D was speechless, the cries gone but the hiccups remained. He looked embarrassed and Kevin just smiled. Double D look confused at Kevin's talk of love but it sudden sunk in. Kevin wanted to provide for him what his parents never could. That feeling of acceptance and unity as a family, as a unit. He knew that Kevin wasn't going to let him be alone anymore and it made him happy to feel that there was someone in this world who could care for him when he saw first hand how his parents never did. Hopefully it was enough and he could finally revert back to his old, dorky self.

"Thank you, Kevin. I appreciate." Double D said before he instinctually paid Kevin back with a kiss on the cheek, making them both wide-eyed in confusion and shock until they both started to laugh, Kevin hugging Double D even more, almost squeezing the life out of him. Great going, Kev.


	5. Chapter 5

Kevin woke up, feeling a shift in the bed, wondering when did he go down for a midday nap. He looked up at Double D who was sitting up and getting out of bed, like he was going to leave Kevin alone. Kevin didn't like Double D running off by himself and keeping everything to himself.

Kevin reached out and grabbed Double D's wrist, feeling the pulled skin from the cut marks on the dork's wrists. It irritated him that Double D did such a thing and he had hoped Double D would talk to him about it but he didn't want to force him.

Double D looked back at Kevin and looked confused, not knowing why Kevin was stopping him from getting up. Double D noticed that it looked like they were some couple, one getting out of bed just after a night of...well...dare he say, intercourse. A typical scene where one leaves first leaving the other one to worry about where their lover went to and Kevin looking like he was heartbroken that his lover was leaving him.

Double D scoffed at the idea, Kevin and him? Together? Absurd. They were too opposing forces that had no connection to one another other than the fact that Kevin use to be his childhood bully and now out of an unfortunate incident involving his own family affairs, practically brothers. How did they end up like this and why was he considering being intimate partners like that? Kevin would never see him in that way and Double D wasn't sure if he wanted to see Kevin in that way either. It was, as he said before, absurd.

He then looked a little concerned about the idea. Was it absurd. he knew downright that he was far more interested in male partners than female ones. He thought girls were a little, extreme when it came to emotions and contradicting values on a various range of topics. Not to mention, he felt inadequate to sustain them as the dominant male of the relationship. He was not cut out to be a husband, not now and probably not in the future. He has taken a child studies course and from that point on, deemed himself unworthy for such responsibility. He at times thought he'd be more suitable for the woman's role, considering he did most of the housework. An awful gender stereotype but he knew it was true. He knew people saw him that way, feminine and petite, possibly mistaken for a girl once or twice before by peers.

Gaining his thought in order by his long-winded deduction, he looked over at Kevin, knowing well enough he spent far too long in his cramped head of his. He raised a brow before looking back down at his wrists.

"Kevin?" Double D questioned wondering why Kevin was still holding his wrist so tightly.

"Sorry, I just don't like it when you leave before me. Makes me feel like you are going off to be alone, and we can't have that now can we?" He teased, hoping it didn't sound too corny but he could tell it made the dork smile a little, which was a start.

"Yes, well, I need to go to the bathroom, nature calls." Double D said looking a little embarrassed. "Plus, it's 7pm, your mother came in and said she had finished dinner. I think it is spaghetti." He said smelling the air and sure enough the smell of tomato sauce and pasta was being cooked and the smell of garlic bread strong enough to reach the upstairs of the house and behind the cracked door of Kevin's bedroom.

"Oh really? Sounds delicious. Okay, go ahead." Kevin said letting go of Double D who he thought seemed a little too cynical for once. Kevin stood up and went to his closet, remembering that he hadn't showered or put on a clean pair of clothes for the day. He went and put on his sweatshirt, not bothering with a shirt of all things and a clean pair of jeans. He walked out of the bedroom and just in time when Double D was finished in the bathroom. Kevin smiled at Double D and decided to tease the dork once more. "Did you fall in?" He said snickering a little with a large smile. He could tell the dork wasn't that amused, embarrassed was more like it.

"Just because I have a petite stature does not mean I am a twig." He stated, harumphing as he walked passed Kevin, sounding like a little brother who hated to be teased and now angry with Kevin for even considering such a preposterous idea.

Kevin smiled and followed Double D down the stairs, both heading to the dining room table next to the kitchen as Kevin's mother was setting the table. She smiled, hoping everything was alright and that Double D would enjoy it.

Double D smiled, a beam of excitement on his face that he was finally having a well-cooked meal, especially with family. He tried not to think about his own parents, how dinner was mainly tupperware leftover dinners he found in the fridge when his parents were out to work. He had to learn how to cook for himself and he gotten really good with basic dishes, treating it like science, which he knew was true. Cooking was a science and he wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to partake in a science experiment.

Double D sat down at an open seat next to Kevin, not knowing where to sit but he figured it would be next to his new "brother". He smiled at the dishes and smelled the food, realizing that the father had already started grabbing food and licking his lips. Double D smiled, enjoying Kevin's father who was a macho man, tall and wide. He could tell by how big and muscular Kevin's dad was that he use to be in football as well as possibly wrestling. He reminded him of Mr. Incredible which made him want to rewatch that movie again. Ed, Eddy, and him watched it months ago for the first time, knowing it would be a good movie and liking the idea of superheroes having a family and fighting together as one. He always hoped he could have a family like that, but he knew it was impossible.

Kevin watched Double D and was watching his expression, noticing that he was observing his dad and possibly suggesting a few things about what his dad might be into to be so masculine and huge. Kevin started to grab some food and motioned to Double D to start filling his plate as well as they waited for his mother to put the rest of the food on the table. Kevin looked at the plates: spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, and his mothers favorite, Fluff which was a concoction of whip cream, cottage cheese, mixed fruit, and jello powder mixed together and refrigerated in a large glass bowl. He did enjoy it and it was a smart method to make a fruit salad with sweet things like Cool Whip and Jello flavoring in order to get kids to eat more fruit.

Double D's eyes went wide at the bowl of blue Fluff, enjoying how good and sweet it looked, especially with fruit. He loved fruit, namely blueberries which were piled on top. How Kevin's mother ever knew he enjoyed them so much was a mystery to him but he figured maybe Kevin had mentioned it to her earlier or gathered some info from his friends Eddy and Ed.

"That looks positively delightful!" He said, his mind completely engulfed in the sight and smell of the blueberry Fluff, the cold fruit salad sitting before him waiting to be scooped up with the spoon embedded in its fluffy texture.

"Please, dear. Have some!" His mother said looking ecstatic someone openly liked her cooking. She then glared at Kevin, wanting some sort of approval from him for the dinner she spent an hour and half on.

"Oh yes, it looks wonderful mom, as usual." He said with a smile.

She then looked at her husband who had already started to eat his spaghetti. She glared at him, shaking her head disbelieving the fact that she thought he might change for a second and actually wait to eat until everyone was seated and had their food on their plates already. She then smiled and teasingly started to wag her finger. "Mind your manners! That is no way to eat in front of everyone." She said before she grabbed her spoon and lightly started to whack him over the head so he would learn how to behave.

"Ow! Yes dear! I'm sorry, it's just so delicious and I'm starved." He whined, wanting the pounding to stop.

Double D smiled and giggled, wondering how such a large man could be rendered helpless underneath a spoon and be so frantic over his wife's bickering about table manners.

Kevin watched Double D, glad he was smiling and so happy and content around his family. He was glad that the sign of a warm family didn't frighten Double D into some state of illusion and distress. He was glad about that. He hated to see the kid upset.

The rest of dinner was spent eating their meal and talking happily as if they were always a family. The father had asked for seconds and Kevin wanted more bread. Double D wanted more fluff and it seemed that the food was practically gone before their eyes. The mother usually cooked for three so creating more portions for four was a bit difficult to balance out, but at least there were no leftovers and that meant less tupperware to clean.

Double D started to help wash the dishes while Kevin and his dad went to the couch to watch some mixed martial arts. Double D dried the dishes and by the time they were half done, the doorbell rang.

Kevin sighed and knew his father wasn't going to get out of his daze with the TV so he opened the door himself to see a police woman standing outside. He was hoping it wasn't anything that would trouble Double D.

"Hello there, we are here to speak to the son of the household across the street." She said, looking at her notes to gain the name. "Eddward is it, with two D's." She said looking at Kevin confused at his uneasy expression. "We were told he was staying at this household for the time being, may we talk to him?"

Kevin gulped and started to gain the courage to speak. "Will you be taking him to the station to speak with him?" Kevin asked, worried that might upset Double D.

"No, we simply wish to ask him a few questions to gain his perspective on the matter."

"Oh, okay, then please come in." He said moving out of the way so the nice woman could enter.

She looked around before she noticed the boy in the sock hat. She smiled at the father who was still engulfed in the fight and wished she could join him, being a fan as well. She slowly walked up to the kitchen and smiled at the mother and Double D, Kevin following after her.

"Excuse me, Eddward?" She asked, sounding soft as to not frighten the boy, knowing well enough he has had a traumatizing time with his parents in the state they were in now. The scene was horrific, not that she hasn't seen it all before but it was sad to think that this boy was now alone, orphaned with no where to go.

Double D looked up, confused as to who was addressing him, a female voice speaking behind him. He saw the officer, Kevin next to her looking worried. He then grew worried himself. "Y-yes?" He stammered, gulping at what was the matter and why the officer was speaking with him.

"Hello, I'm Officer Cynthia Wells, I'd like to ask you a few small questions about the incident that played out last night." She said, hoping she was sounding sweet enough to not make it seem like the boy was in trouble or to force him to relive that horrendous night.

Double D gulped, not wanting this good feeling with Kevin's family to end or to remember his parents. It was them who kept dragging him back into hell.

"Certainly." He said setting down the last dish he had wiped, leaving Kevin's mother to finish the little bit they had left to do.

The officer went to a room with Double D, to speak with less noise, the TV still blaring and the father not really noticing what was going on.

Double D gulped, looking back at Kevin who wanted to join them, for Double D's sake. Double D looked at the officer as he stood in the doorway. "May my friend, Kevin, join us? You can get some input from him as well." He asked shyly.

The officer knew that if it would calm the boy's nerves enough to get him to open up to him then she had to say yes. "Of course."

Kevin was glad he could come in and he closed the door behind him, both of them sitting on the small couch in the den with the Officer in the desk chair, her notebook out in hand to take notes.

"Now, Eddward, can you tell me why your parents did this?" She asked, wanting to know where it all started.

Double D gulped, but Kevin held his hand to let him know he was there with him through this which helped give Double D more confidence to tell the story. He was shaky and he knew his words would come out in a stutter and he was embarrassed by it.

"Well, you see." He gulped one last time. "I over heard my parents last night fighting. They fought constantly when they were home. It was actually quite p-pleasant to be alone when they were out on business trips and work. It was only within the last few years that they were home more than often and started to fight constantly. My mother was always going on about how she should have listened to her mother, that marrying a man who got her knocked up was a foolish idea, but mother wanted...I mean to say, she didn't want to do the unthinkable to an unborn child. So she married my father for my sake, and they raised me. At first it was a normal childhood, they were friendly and caring and they acted like they really enjoyed their lives together. One could say, they were friends at least. But I don't know what happened three years ago. I was 13 and my parents weren't as busy as they were before when I was 8-12-years-old. I was sad they weren't around but also at peace, I enjoyed the quiet."

Double D could feel Kevin's grip on his hand tightening him, which help him calm down some more to speak further.

"Last night, I was hiding in my room. I was tired of the fighting, so I hid. I heard them fighting, my mother was breaking dishes, and I could hear mostly her screaming and crying. It was my dad who was silent, until...until..." Double D gulped, the horror coming back but he tried to be brave, knowing Kevin was there with him. He held onto Kevin's hand tighter, hunching over to hide his face so he could pull himself out of it. "That was when I heard loud shots, echoing throughout the house. I ran out of my room, slamming the bedroom door open. I looked down the stairs to see my mother laying on the ground, surrounded in blood. Then my father, not even noticing me, pulled the gun his mouth and shot himself. I tried to pull it together, but by the time I hovered over my mother and father, touching their lifeless corpses, I knew it was too late." He started to cry, trying hard not to break in front of the nice officer lady.

Kevin wrapped his arm around Double D to comforting him, letting him cry in his shoulder as he held onto him. He wanted to shout at the officer for making Double D relive that moment, the hell he was trying to avoid and save Double D from.

"I see. And, Kevin was it?" She asked Kevin forcing him to look at her with a curious face. "How did he end up here?" She asked curiously.

"He's my neighbor from across the street. I was walking home and I saw him standing in the street. When I saw his face in tears and blood on his hands, I was worried about him. He then freaked out on me and started to tell me small bits of the story, not in great length but he seemed kind of out of it." Kevin stated, not mentioning the slits on Double D's wrists. Double D had to tell her, not Kevin.

"I see. And afterwards?"

"I got him to pull himself together, to stop him from saying any more about being a mistake. He was still out of it. The shock I'm sure, but, my parents and I were thinking of taking him in, adopting him. It would be better to live with people he knew in a place he was aware of then to have him jumping around different families or moving away somewhere foreign. That's why he is here." Kevin said holding Double D tighter, Double D, ceasing his sobs and finally relaxing again.

"I see. That's nice. Are you helping him through it?" She asked, a smile on her face, one that was sincere and not work-related.

"Yes. I'm going to be here for him and help him out of that hell his parents created for him. He still has hallucinations but I am hoping he can come back to reality again and be happy and himself again." He said showing the officer his determination.

The officer looked shocked but proud. She was glad the kid had a good place to stay.

"Well that's all the questions I have. We will check the house for any sort of will or find any of the finances on the house so we can put somethings in order on what to do with it. The city will of course put it up for sale after we clean up the the aftermath in the living room. If the kid still has valuables in the house, he can still get his property before the house is situated for resale, but if anything in a will states that he owns it, he can decide what to do with it then. Thank you for your time. It was helpful." She said standing up before she knelt down and placed a hand on Double D's shoulder. He looked up at her, seeing the kindness in her eyes and smile. "Don't worry, you are in good hands and I'm sorry for your loss and what you went through." She said hoping it was something to ease the boy's pain.

Double D sniffled but smiled as he rubbed his eyes. "Thank you. I appreciate it." He said feeling better now.


	6. Chapter 6

Double D was exhausted. Horror took a lot out of you and crying only prolonged the stress, now having a headache and neckache from the crying. He seriously wanted to go to bed and put this whole ordeal behind him.

Kevin was polite and saw the police woman out, noticing Double D fatigued and lifeless. He even noticed Double D rubbing his forehead and neck, quickly running to the medicine cabinet and grabbing some Ibuprofen and a glass of water. He followed Double D upstairs and let him take the medicine.

"You okay?" He asked softly.

Double D gulped down the water and swallowed the pill, feeling a bit better by the water rushing down his throat.

"Yes, thank you." He said handing the glass back to Kevin.

"By the way, I have a surprise for ya." Kevin said grabbing Double D's hand and leading him to the second bedroom, opening the door and showing Double D the surprise.

Although Double D was in no mood for surprises and his head wasn't up to the challenge, he was greatly ecstatic to see most of his stuff there. He walked up to his pets and smiled at them, waving his finger at them and mentally counting them. He then went and checked the bookcase and drawers and if something needed to be in order, he redid it to feel more at ease. He went to the closet and started to organize the clothes, making sure everything was in the way he had it at his house. He then went to his bed and sat down, looking around and thinking how wonderful it was to have a room. Not that he was complaining about sleeping with Kevin. He just felt like he was a bother at times and that Kevin was not too pleased with his constant sobs during the night. He looked at Kevin and looked sincerely grateful.

"Thank you Kevin, I really appreciate you doing this for me." He said happily before Kevin sat next to him.

"No prob, Double Dork. Yet, if you are still uneasy sleeping alone, you can always come to my room. I'll be right there with ya." He said rubbing Double D's shoulder to calm him.

"Again, thank you. I don't know how I can ever repay for your kindness." He said before he leaned up against Kevin's shoulder, resting his head on it and sighing, content with where he was right now.

Kevin was a little uneasy but seeing Double D so content made him forget the uneasiness and let the dork lay against him as long as he wanted.

Moments went by in silence, time seeming almost as if it had stopped, not knowing how long they stayed like that. What seemed like hours was only minutes before Double D spoke up.

"Hey Kevin." He asked hesitant to even dare speak up about it.

"Yeah D?" Kevin asked, wondering what was going to spit out of that dork's mouth now.

"Can I tell you something personal?" He asked, hoping he had enough faith in Kevin to tell him this.

"Certainly, I'm all ears." He said with a smile to ease the dork into spilling the beans already.

"There was one thing I left out when speaking to the officer earlier." He started slowly.

"Oh?"

"It was about a crucial detail in why I believe my parents started to bicker three years ago. I haven't even told Ed and Eddy this so please, don't freak out or tell anyone either." He said looking up with pleading eyes at Kevin.

Kevin looked down at him, curious as to what was so private that would start something like his parents fighting and ending in death and something so private he couldn't even tell his two best friends. He knew whatever it was, was something Double D must have been regretting all this time and and burdening himself with for who knows how long. He knew he had to keep this a secret. If it was what Double D wanted then he would do his best not to freak out and keep it a secret for him.

"Alright, tell me." He said.

"Promise you won't tell?" Double D reassured them both that once it was said, it couldn't be undone so he had to know up front he could trust Kevin.

"Promise." He said with a smile. "Now spill."

"Well, remember when we had to watch that very informative but disturbing video, "Your Body and You"? Double D seemed a little embarrassed by remembering such a video.

Kevin took a while before he remembered. "Oh right, the puberty video that told guys about their voices changing, excessive hair growth, and their balls dropping. What? Did you find out you were a girl?" He teased, nudging Double D that he was only kidding.

"No, well, I do know that I am not particularly as manly as you are and that I don't have any body hair." Double D said embarrassed.

"Damn. Like a hairless cat." Kevin teased some more to try and cheer Double D more and to not make this conversation awkward.

Double D looked a little offended. Not really wanting to be associated with a naked cat. He wasn't even particularly fond of furry cats, let alone naked ones. He then calmed down to continue and let the teasing subside. "Well, it is the matter of the second half of what they showed us." Double D said even more embarrassed now.

Kevin tried to remember the second half till he remembered, blushing a little before smirking. "Oh, you mean the sex vid. The one that informed guys about safe sex and some parts of the woman's body to know more about the Birds and Bees. I thought that the parents would tell kids about that in their own way. My dad told me that women are like a bike, considering I like bikes and all and he was trying relate to what I knew. He said, women are like bikes, you have to attend to them till they are ready to ride, then ride them down a hill and don't stop." Kevin smiled a little embarrassed when Double D looked up at him, trying to hold back a giggle. "My dad's weird..." Kevin said even more embarrassed that Double D giggled at it.

"Yes, well, to my point. I was a little unnerved by that video. I found it aesthetically interesting to the body's natural bodily functions but not so much on the content. It wasn't to my standards and I had no real interest in it personally. So, after the video, I did my own research and experiments and wrote them down in a journal. Well, it seemed that after a few entries, my mother found the journal, probably assuming by the cover that it was simply one of the books I had been reading from my bookcase. I had left it on my bed unattended and I believe she read a few entries." He said now worried about what it was he was to tell Kevin, Kevin seemed interested, finding this information somewhat juicy. Finally, he could hear Double D open up to him and learn more about him on a personal level.

"I remember what I wrote in the first two entries, the most detailed of the entries were my first encounters with the research. I had written about the video we were shown in class and how deeply unsettling it was for me. It was only until after that that I noticed the physical changes in my body and yet not really knowing what to do with those changes. So with further analysis through search engines, I came across a few videos that I believed were for biological concerns on the matter of the body. However, when finding that the entries were not professional videos on biology or by any means focusing on it from a sociological or political standpoint, I still used them as a means to gather information about relationships and intercourse."

"Wait. Are you telling me, in this long-winded entry, you were watching porn!?" Kevin said looking a little dumbfounded and shocked that even Double D had seen porn.

Double D gulped and blushed, turning his head away. "Well, in latter terms, yes. I had come across a few videos that were edited to show a small portion of what I believe to be a longer video of people partaking in sexual activity. However, when I had written down that the ones that I found to have a personal affect on me in a, well, positive way I guess I could say and allowing me to partake within my own experimentation in response to it..."

"You were masturbating..." Kevin said, wanting Double D to get to the point or stop explaining it with such vague and long-winded details.

"Umm, yes..." He said embarrassed, pulling his hat over his eyes to hide his flushed face.

"Dude, it's natural. I am just shocked that even little Double D, the brainiac of the Cul-de-Sac can also have those urges but if you were using it for scientific means I guess that is more believable."

"So did my mother. She didn't seemed outraged that I had responded to it in a normal way such as masturbating. What she was more outraged was with the fact that I had mentioned that the video I was watching was of two guys..." Double D said looking a little shaky that he had finally admitted it, even to at least one person.

Kevin looked shocked but deep down he didn't seem entirely shocked about it. He had a feeling that Double D might be into that, but he didn't want to assume anything or judge. But then it hit him. "Wait, so you are telling me, the reason why they started to fight was because they were ashamed that their child was more interested in gay porn?" He said almost looking infuriated at the thought.

"Yes." Double D said sadly. "My mother was upset but when she told my father, that is when the fighting started. They were blaming each other for why I was like that that and at one point mentioned that if they had known ahead of time that their son was gay, they would have aborted him when they had the chance rather than having to live together all this time."

Kevin clenched his fist and looked angry. "That's not right..." He said, something stirring up inside of him. Double D looked up at Kevin's face, it crinkled up in a knot it seemed in a fury of hate and anger. He even noticed that Kevin was clenching his fists, possibly a little too tightly because he drew blood.

"Kevin!" Double D said looking worried about Kevin hurting himself because of him.

"That's not right!" Kevin said before he punched the wall, making his knuckles bleed.

Double D looks scared, worried that Kevin had lost it.

"How can they call themselves parents when all they have done to you is make you feel like you aren't worth shit to them!? Pfft! Rather abort than have a gay child. Shit, I'm glad their dead!" Kevin shouted. "Saves me the time of having to kick their ass for being such dicks to you." He said looking like he was really upset about this.

Double D looked petrified that Kevin had admitted something so awful but he knew that was just how Kevin was. If that is how he thought and felt, then so be it. There was nothing he could do to defend his parents at this point let alone stick up for a couple of dead bodies.

Kevin pouted and sat down, finally calming down. His face was as red as his hair from the anger creeping back down his throat and into a pit in his stomach, now feeling sick at such awful news.

"Kevin..." Double D said, looking worried.

"I'm sorry Edd. I just don't like that. Just because you are different or happen to be interested in something, doesn't mean someone should put you down for it or make you feel inferior. If that is how they thought, then it was their own damn fault for how they ended up. If they couldn't accept it at least, to put you, their son, above their own misguided opinions then they have no one else to blame but themselves. You did nothing wrong but test a theory and found a muse with it. I am just pissed that you had to go through that for three years, and alone for that matter. I am more shocked you told me instead of Ed and Eddy."

Double D agreed. It was weird he was telling Kevin and not his friends, but after the last couple of days with Kevin being there for him, it seemed better to tell someone who seemed so determined to protect him from his thoughts and also to test a new theory, how would Kevin fair to the news he just told him? Would he also be like his parents and shun him for being who he was or would he be more understanding about it? He wasn't going to assume that everyone was going to hate him for being gay or at least liking men more than women, but he was going to be careful on who he told. Kevin just happened to know the whole truth now. He felt a little at ease, like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe it was part of recovering from the horror he had been feeling for so long. He did feel like he had made it up a level out of Hell though which felt great.

"And the cuts?" Kevin said, finally asking, seeming a little blunt about it but he had to know.

Double D looked confused, not expecting the blunt remark but then he looked down at his wrists and sighed. "They are simply a reminder of my parents as well as a mark that they are always with me and that maybe with my blood I could ease the pain they have been feeling all these years, for being such a burden to them. They live on with me now as scars, something I will always hold onto." Double D said kind of feeling at peace by saying it out loud.

Kevin looked heartbroken. How could Double D think that by cutting himself he could bring them back even in memory? Why would he want to be reminded of them? Especially, if he still thinks that he was a burden to them and that this was his way of saying he was sorry for troubling them with all that he was, that his blood and body could ease everyone's pain except his own? Kevin reached down and held onto Double D's wrists, putting them down in Double D's lap. He leaned in a bit closer to Double D, almost too close to really see past the blur of going cross-eyed. He looked into Double D's eyes so he could finally hear him when he said this.

"You are nobody's burden but I wish you would stop burdening yourself with everyone else's perspective of you. Their opinions should not affect you, because no matter what they say, it is what you think of yourself that truly matters. If you think being gay isn't a problem then why should you care if it is a problem for someone else?" The look in his emerald green eyes were dead serious.

Double D looked lost in those eyes, as if he could see Heaven for the first time in his life. He gulped deeply, feeling his heart pound and yet at the same time, not from embarrassment, from something else. What was this even stronger feeling he was having for Kevin. He wasn't embarrassed that he just told Kevin his deepest secrets or that they were so close they could barely focus on the other's face. It was something deeper than that. It was as if Double D's heart could not get enough of Kevin and that it desperately wanted to sink into those emerald eyes and sail away to their own Garden of Eden, one where the fruit of knowledge was plentiful and welcomed to taste.

"Are you okay with me being like this?" Double D asked, wondering if Kevin had a problem with him being gay, if it changed his perspective of him.

Kevin didn't even need to think long and hard on that one. He knew that no matter what. Double D has always been Double D, and that being gay was part of who he was and that deep down he has always accepted him that way.

"Yes."

Double D smiled a little before he hesitantly took one of his hands out form underneath Kevin's and placed it on Kevin's cheek, slowly closely the gap between them before their lips met. Double D had to test the next new theory waiting to be written down in his journal.


	7. Chapter 7

Kevin looked a little stunned by the sudden kiss. It was soft and sweet and he thought he would be a little bit more creeped out by it but he wasn't. He wasn't ashamed that a boy had just kissed him, namely the dork from across the street. He had admired Double D for a long time and at moments thought his giggles and little mannerisms were adorable, more like adorkable he thought. However, he never thought of Doulble D like that, to want to be closer to him to the point where kissing felt natural, like it did right now. He had hoped that the kiss would turn him off so he wouldn't think about it but he actually did like it, more so than he thought.

Double D didn't hold the kiss long but he wanted to go further. He has seen enough "research" to really gather a sense of how it was done even if he has never performed the acts himself. He did feel as if he he had always hoped to do this and now that he did it, he felt at ease by it. He had always admired Kevin, and he knew that Kevin was his type: tall, athletic, handsome, masculine, everything he was not. He even liked Kevin's laid back attitude and didn't mind that he was once his bully. He knew he had always liked Kevin, and even his name sent chills up his sensitive spine. The fact that he got to see the nicer, more considerate side to Kevin was a plus even more for his crush on him. Crush? He knew he liked and admired Kevin but did he really have such feelings for him? It was then that he realized, yes. He has always had feelings for him, they just never matured until now when he had the perspective to know what it actually feels like truly have feelings for someone this way, namely a boy, and even more so, Kevin.

Kevin looked down at Double D, not knowing what to say and not wanting to hurt the dork's feelings let alone turn him down. He had hoped that he had some more time to think about it before he was able to truly understand what was going on between them, more so then the incident that brought them closer together.

Double D smiled at Kevin, making it a little more awkward but at least the tension had died down. Double D then laid his head back on Kevin's shoulder and then pulled back and held his nose. "Did you shower at all today?" He asked, his obsession for hygiene returning.

Kevin was glad that the tension finally died rather than subsiding some. He laughed and stood up, petting Double D's head before walking out to go take a shower. "Fine, squirt, if it will make you feel better." He then turned around and pointed at Double D accusingly. "Don't do anything stupid till I return." He teased, smiling after looking so very serious about his words.

Double D giggled before he haughtily crossed his arms and harumphed teasingly. "Stupid isn't a word I consider of taking part in." He winked out of one eye at Kevin who smiled and left, waving his hand to tell Double D, "Later."

Later that night, Double D could feel the memories returning, wishing he wouldn't have to face them anymore. He had been sleeping in his own room, surrounded by his own things which other than the layout seemed to resemble his old life and it made him think back to that night again as if he was reliving it. However, he knew where he was. He knew it was Kevin's house and he was afraid that his memories would somehow recreate that night but through Kevin's parents. He was afraid that he had brought a curse upon Kevin's family, the nice people who really seemed normal and caring. The true family he had expected.

He couldn't take it. He had to get away from the loneliness in his room. He got up out of bed and walked to Kevin's, creeping in his bedroom before he noticed Kevin, bare-chested, smelling better than before. The smell resembled an Axe body wash and it was a mild scent that didn't overpower the room. He stared at Kevin for some time before he started to feel a little uneasy. He had never seen Kevin so closely before, observing him for so long. He had to admit, Kevin's body was truly his type and all he wanted to do was play the masseuse and graze his hands along Kevin's body and feel every inch of him, every crevice where the bone protruded, the muscles that created every form, and the skin that was soft and firm at the same time to the touch. The thoughts were building in his head and trailing down to his groin. He was getting aroused just by the sight of Kevin and it made him feel a little concerned for what was about to happen next.

Double D slowly approached Kevin's bed and placed his hands down close to the foot of the bed, slowly but surely crawling on top of it. The closer he got the more could see Kevin better, the darkness not blinding his vision as much at it had been doing from the door. He could see past Kevin's waist and to his boxer shorts, noticing the outlined form of Kevin's manhood. He knew now that he was definitely aroused and he was almost on the verge of running away to suppress it, to get out of the war zone before he was bombed with a flood of emotions.

His instincts kicked in and he slowly crawled on top of Kevin's hips and sat down, wondering himself what he was doing but at that moment he couldn't think, all he could do was feel. He could feel Kevin's lower region in between the crack of his backside, practically forming together as if they were two pieces of a puzzle that were correctly placed together. It felt good.

He was sure Kevin would wake up and he had hoped that Kevin would, to stop him from what he was thinking on doing, putting research into practice. He was afraid and was more impressed at his own inhibitions kicking in, that even he was capable of such forwardness. Who knew he could be so dominant at times, so wild. He surely didn't.

Kevin stirred slowly awake, blinking his eyes twice before the vision in front of him had finally kicked in. Double D was on top of him, sitting on his lap. He was a little confused and surely thought he was dreaming but when he finally noticed that he was indeed awake, he couldn't help but wonder, why was Double D on him like that? Was he planning on taking advantage of him? Surely, the kid didn't have it in him but now he wasn't so sure.

"Double D?" He questioned, wondering what the kid was doing on him and hoping for a logical response.

Double D blushed, looking embarrassed he was caught but he wanted to be caught. The anticipation if he would or not arousing him more. He wanted Kevin to know what he was doing to him, to know that he was capable of doing this even with thought it seemed.

"D?" Kevin insisted not knowing why the kid was remaining silent.

"I-um, I didn't...well, you see that is...I couldn't sleep and I wanted to sleep with you again tonight." He said hoping he didn't seem inconspicuous.

Kevin cocked an eyebrow and suddenly snickered, smirking at the dork now on top of him. "So your first thought was to sit on my lap, cowgirl style?" He teased, almost finding it a little erotic that Double D had made the first move on him, twice.

"Umm...well, I didn't want to startle you awake. Some people actually freak out when they are awoken in the middle of night by someone else and think they are being attacked." He said trying to sound believable and somewhat logical at the same time.

Kevin smiled, sitting up a little, making his groin rub against Double D's and forcing a soft moan from the twerp. Kevin smiled and sighed as his face got closer to Double D's. He raised one hand once his body was able to support itself sitting up and began to rub his hand up along Double D's face, watching him shudder under the touch, before his fingers trailed through Double's hair, pulling the hat off with it.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Kevin asked considerately.

Double D looked at Kevin, his eyes growing hazy and his breath becoming a little more thicker.

"No, but being alone in a room that looks like my old one made me think that I was placing a curse on your family and bringing in the horror with it." He said honestly, hoping Kevin would be understanding.

"Want me to make the bad memories go away?" He asked, trying not to sound so obvious for what he was about to do.

"Please." Double D said without hesitation, deeply hoping Kevin would help the bad memories fade away and be replaced by good ones.

"As you wish." Kevin said before his hand had grabbed the back of Double D's neck, kissing him deeply, feeling the dork's lips mold in with his own, opening softly as his kiss began to grow deeper and stronger.

Double D instinctually kissed back, wanting to taste every nook and cranny of Kevin's mouth, glad it tasted like spearmint. It seemed even at a moment like this, hygiene was important.

Kevin opened Double D's mouth more, sticking his tongue inside, rubbing against Double D's, their mouths becoming hot and wet with each molding kiss.

Double D rubbed his hands up Kevin's chest and around his neck slowly, pulling Kevin in further into the kiss, his groin growing bigger and harder, his lower half begging for attention as it wiggled within Kevin's lap, rubbing against Kevin and causing a moan between them both.

Kevin couldn't take it, he wanted to possess Double D and take him, but he didn't want to push Double D too fast. He stopped the kiss, allowing them to breathe for a few seconds before Double D couldn't handle it anymore, wanting more. He pushed Kevin down, getting off his lap before he turned around, his face now above Kevin's boxers. He pulled out Kevin's hard member, its length satisfactory and his urge to experiment growing with each stare. He then took what he had used as research to use and licked Kevin's tip before taking it in, starting off slow before he was able to engulf more of it in his mouth.

Kevin was shocked to see Double D so forward with something like this. He was always the shy and quiet type, how was he able to actively partake in this so openly? Was he testing out new theories for his journal or was he just repressed and needed some sort of outlet to keep the urges contained? He was worried that the incident changed Double D, but then he remembered his friends mentioning that it was always the quiet ones you should watch out for, that they were animals in bed. Was that true? If caught with the urge, did quiet types like Double D just let their inhibitions go and run wild with them? It was arousing to see Double D like this, but not as much so as the feeling he was getting from Double D's mouth on him.

Double D could hear Kevin moan and pant as his manhood grew harder in his mouth. Double D was enjoying it, more so than he thought, the taste surprisingly not that bad and that he didn't feel like he needed to sanitize or sadly use protection. He was actually comfortable doing this, especially with Kevin. He had only wondered what Kevin was feeling with his mouth engulfing his member in his mouth, licking up and down the shaft and sucking on the head. Was it truly different from masturbating? It had to be better right?

Kevin couldn't take it anymore, he wanted to perform the same thing on Double D, his mouth lonely and needing something to "snack" on. He was hungry for Double D. He noticed Double D's lower half was facing him, so he used his hands and positioned Double D till his lower half was directly above him, pulling off his boxers and taking Double D's already hard head into his mouth. He could feel the dork shudder from the touch and moan out loud enough to wake the neighbors. Double D was embarrassed he just yelled so loudly. He forced his mouth back on Kevin's head to muffle his moans, his panting growing louder to occupy his loud moans, thankfully.

Double D was now feeling what he was doing to Kevin and it felt wonderful, totally better than a hand job. He continued his end of the ordeal as they both took each other's in their mouths and bobbed their heads up and down, the motions growing a little more heavier and faster until they both felt their own climax rising and into each other's mouths.

Double D was frantic, not expecting the sudden burst in his mouth. Kevin, however, knew it was coming and he gulped it down, not even caring. He then handed a kleenex to Double D who took it graciously and spat out Kevin's cum into it, not particularly keen on the taste but it was interesting to try it for the firs time.

Kevin felt relieved, more at ease now that that was finished. He actually liked his first time with a boy and was happy it was Double D. Who knew he and the dork would be together like this? Who would have thought in their wildest dreams that the two of them would enjoy one another's company and go as far as pulling a sixty-nine?

Double D threw away the kleenex and came back to Kevin's bed, laying by him and cuddling up to him, shyly smiling and hoping his words didn't sound too awkward for him.

"Was that...pleasing?" He asked curiously.

Kevin laughed, "Very much so. You are actually pretty good at this sort of thing? Was this your first time?" He asked in return, hoping it was. He didn't want to be second rate or jealous of any one else who may have had Double D before he got a chance to taste.

"Yes, I have done my research but I wasn't sure if putting it to practice was as much intriguing as I had thought it would be."

"Was it?" Kevin had to ask, hoping it was.

"Yes, it felt great." He said looking embarrassed he just opened up his mouth to say something so honestly but he truly showed he was happy that they did that and Kevin was not grossed out by it.

Kevin smiled. "It's alright to be honest about how you feel. In fact, you taking charge was kind of a turn on for me." He said realizing he liked dominant recessive types.

Double D smiled before he kissed Kevin once more. "Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8

Two weeks went by and school was close approaching. Kevin was glad Double D had some time to get back on his feet and gain his strength, but he was still not ready for Double D to go to school. The dork was still not ready to face the crowds and further torment of school, but the dork insisted. He was not going to be absent or tardy for even one day of the school year. He had a reputation to keep up and he tried to convince Kevin that he was ready, that he has put most of the incident behind him. Kevin wasn't convinced though.

Double D was thankful he had Kevin to help him through this. The past two weeks have been a jumble of emotions. He had to face his parents a few more times, despite him not wanting to. The police did find a will that sustained enough money for Double D for college. He was thankful to his parents for that. There was no news of the house, and he was also thankful for that. That house to him was now a haunted reminder of the horror he had faced and he never wanted to go back, not even on Halloween.

Double D's relatives even visited after sadly hearing the news. He saw so many people he never knew because none of them visited nor met until that moment. He didn't realize he had an Uncle, a happy-go-lucky prankster. He was sure him and Eddy would get a long great. His Uncle was a little awkward meeting Double D, unable to stop talking and not really knowing what much to say considering his brother just killed his wife in cold blood and then killed himself. He felt awful about it and more so for Double D's sake having to go through it all at such a young age. He didn't know who to be mad at, his brother or himself for not being around to help be the middle man and talk some sense into his brother and sister-in-law.

His grandparents were the opposite, completely silent. All they did to him was pinch his cheeks and offer him cough drops as candy. He wanted to protest how bad that was to give a child a cough drop as candy because of all of the medicinal elements that were in it but he did notice his grandparents weren't entirely with it. His parents were in their early forties, his uncle in his mid thirties, and his grandparents were somewhere pushing eighty. He knew his grandparents were getting to that point that being anti-social and forgetting things were common, but he didn't expect them to give him dirty looks from time to time, as if blaming him for his parents killing themselves.

Double D did like his uncle though, he seemed nice, a little goofy but nice. His uncle over a week really wanted to get to know Double D and promised him he would visit. He couldn't take the kid in and he knew that taking Double D all the way to New York was a bit much for the kid. He did suggest that the kid visit him once he graduated high school and that he'd show him the city and help him get some good resources for college and job interviews. He told Double D that if he had references of people he knew in high professions, he could get a really good job in a profession he was interested in. Double D was glad that one family member actually cared about him and he asked his Uncle if they could stay in touch through email so they could talk and get to know one another a little more. His uncle was ecstatic that the kid actually wanted to get to know him, but he did inform him that if he didn't respond frequently it was because of his job taking so much of his time but he promised to stay in touch, even for a little bit.

Double D was glad he didn't have a big family. He didn't have any cousins and most were out of the country or too busy to attend the funeral. Double D had hoped that his parents wanted to be cremated and for their ashes to spread into the ocean, for a few reasons: 1) he didn't want a physical location to be reminded of where his parents stood for eternity, 2)he had researched the paranormal and knew that if a body was not burned, their spirit could remain possibly in torment of where the negativity lied namely his house, and 3)He wanted them gone forever, not even on a mantle or in the ground, but a place where never had to visit them ever again. He felt bad for thinking it, but it was just how he felt. It was all he wanted from them as a last minute farewell. Peace.

Kevin met Double D's relatives and wasn't too fond of some of them, namely the grandparents who treated Double D like he was just a kid rather than a teenager. He could tell why his parents were so uptight, the grandparents looked like they performed a structured lifestyle that left no room for leniency. The only exception was Double D's uncle who did seem fun and the type to stray away from the group of stiffs to fulfill his own dreams and lifestyles. He liked the uncle but he could smell booze on him as well as if the guy drowned himself in beer at nights because he had his own problems to deal with. He hoped Double D wouldn't notice so he could have some hope in family, that not everyone was selfish and pig-headed as most of them seemed to be.

He attended the funeral with Double D, holding his hand as Double D cried in his arm. He knew the kid's thoughts well, how he didn't want to be standing here, reminded of his dead parents, that he might even want to have their ashes spread across some ocean so he didn't have to have some physical place to be reminded of them. He didn't blame him. If he had gone through the same thing Double D went through, he'd want it as well. No one wants to be reminded of Hell, but he was curious if his parents were there considering how badly they treated their son and that his father had committed suicide. He was glad that Double D's cuts weren't suicide attempts but tally marks. It still didn't make it right but at least Double D wasn't trying to kill himself. He would have probably followed him, not having any dork to tease or bully. He would be alone without that dork neighbor from across the street. It made him sad to think about Double D leaving him, clenching his hand in Double D's tightening his grip to calm his thoughts as well as remind Double D he was there with him.

Kevin was glad all that negativity was passed him and over the last two weeks, Double D was good about staying strong and not having any hallucinating episodes. He was recovering which was a plus for them both. He didn't need to console Double D like that one night where they were experimenting with one another. He had hoped they would get another chance together because he really liked being with Double D. His thoughts over the last two weeks were focused on Double D and how he felt about him in that way. He was convinced that he may want to be with Double D as more than just a friend or a brother. He wanted to be Double D's boyfriend. He liked the physical side he could have with him even if it was for comfort. He wanted more of Double D but he never got an opportunity to make a move on him.

Double D slept in Kevin's room most of the time until his mom insisted that Double D face his room alone for a few nights and sleep in his own room. Double D tried and at times couldn't handle it, sneaking back into Kevin's and sleeping with him. But that was all they did, sleep.

With those thoughts aside, Kevin was even more glad that they were able to go to the court and have Double D officially a member of the family. He had a brother, and he couldn't have asked for a better one. Yet, a brother was just part of what he wanted from Double D, he wanted to be more to him than just that because he knew Double D needed more than just family, he needed love too.

Double D was packing for school, making sure he had all the right utensils and a full stack of paper. He had gotten all of his stuff from his house, from Kevin's visits there, that was his and his room at Kevin's was now resembling his own, except for the labels which he didn't want to do so quickly, thinking it would still bring up bad memories. He even asked Kevin to mess his room up from time to time so he could get pass his OCD of having it neat and clean. The method failed numerous times but he was not as structured as he once was. He knew that the main reason why he was like that was to please his parents. He got good grades so they would finally notice him and be proud of their son, the one they resented for having for being gay. All he ever do was try and gain their love and in the end, got nothing in return.

Kevin was downstairs with Double D sitting on the couch and playing video games. Kevin insisted they have one mindless game before a semester of knowledge and information tossed down their throats at school. The doorbell rang and Kevin sighed, pausing the game before he got up to answer it.

"Hey Kev!" Nazz shouted, looking happy and cheerful.

"Oh, hi Nazz, long time no see." He said not expecting Nazz, one of his childhood friends and old crush to come over. He let her in, her hands holding a pie.

"Hi Double D!" She said happily.

"Uh, h-hi Nazz." Double D said with a nervous smile. "How are you doing?" He politely asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing. I'm sorry about your parents D. I know it is a little late, but I spent the last couple of weeks learning how to bake the best blueberry pie. I heard blueberry was your favorite." She said with a shy smile, looking nervous it wasn't to his liking but she was hoping he would enjoy it.

"Oh why thank you." Double D said happily before he went to Nazz and took the pie in her hands slowly and smelled it. "Mmm, smells wonderful. Do you guys want a slice?" He asked considerately before going to the kitchen to cut them a piece.

"That would be wonderful." She said before she turned her head to Kevin, hoping she had some private time to talk to him. "So how is he doing?" She asked, her cheerful smile dying, looking worried and upset Double D had to go through such an ordeal.

Kevin didn't want to be too specific but he also knew he could talk to her about anything. They were friends, after all.

"Better. He has really tried to pull through and be tough about it. He still has moments wear he reverts back and can't help but cry but it's been getting better."

"That's good to hear."

Kevin nodded before he heard Double D start crying. He looked worried and saw Double D holding a knife, staring at it as if it the sharp edges were reminding him of his parents again and the reoccurring memories were flooding back. He rushed to Double D and held him from behind, place one hand on top of Double D's and pushing it down on the counter so Double D didn't freak out and start cutting himself or the people around him. He held his hand tightly, forcing Double D to let go of the knife, the clanking of it on the counter top echoed throughout the tiled walls of the kitchen. He slowly merged his fingers in with Double D's, holding him close and trying to calm him down, squeezing him tightly to let him know he was there.

"Shh. It's okay." Kevin said before he looked at Nazz to go, solemnly hoping she didn't have to witness the downside to Double D's scenario. He could tell by her nod that she was understanding and that she wouldn't say a word to anyone else and headed out the door.

Kevin waited till she was gone before he kissed Double D's cheek. "Come on, come out of that place already. I'm here." He said before he found himself kissing Double D's neck, feeling the boy in his arms trembling and the sobs becoming faint. It was working, he was pulling Double D out of there, slowly but surely and hoping that he could one day rid Double D of that nightmare, that hell he was so accustomed to.

Kevin tightened his grip, his mouth still against Double D's neck. "What more do I have to do to free you from that hell?" He asked, beginning to tear up himself, tears welling in his eyes. "What do I have to do to save you once and for all?"


	9. Chapter 9

This one is a bit longer and sorry it is a bunch of thoughts and repressed urges. Lol Enjoy it though! :3

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Morning had arrived and it had a been a long night. Kevin knew that Double D was still not fully recovering from his condition. He was still unable to break free of that hell and he didn't know what would upset the poor kid next. He let Double D sleep in his bed again, yet they both seemed too upset about the incident before to get much of any sleep. Kevin sighed having awoken on and off for hours it seemed and he was tired. He had hoped he got enough sleep, knowing he had practice after school.

Kevin woke up first, looking at the clock. He grumbled at the time, 5am. He woken up too soon and he was wanting more sleep. How could he fall asleep knowing he had to get up in 2 hours? It was an annoying conundrum.

He looked down at Double D, his eyes red and swollen from crying. He remembered earlier that day when Double D freaked out over a steak knife. The memory in the razor edges of the knife probably reminding him of his thoughts of when he cut himself. Kevin remembered holding Double D from behind, holding the top of his hand in his palm and kissing his face and neck to comfort him. It had been a few minutes before Double D finally stopped crying and slowly turned his hand to intertwine his fingers with Kevin's, glad he was there to help him.

Double D had felt bad that he promised Nazz a piece of pie and then she never got to try it or see how much he enjoyed it. He still wanted a slice, asking Kevin if he could have a piece before dinner. Kevin obliged and cut him a slice and it slowly helped Double D relax till he was too upset again to really eat dinner. Kevin was thankful that his mother was going to be home late so they got pizza and wings. Kevin had been dying for some hot wings and Double D tried them for the first time, actually enjoying the buffalo sauce with some blue cheese. He was glad the kid was eating but it didn't seem like a lot at one time, except for the leftover Fluff his mother made them. That was the one thing Double D couldn't get enough of it. He still didn't understand much of what went on through Double D's head. He wish he could dig in deep and pry those nightmarish thoughts from Double D's thoughts, recreate his memories for him and alter them to be replaced with good memories, wonderful dreams, and happiness.

Good memories. Kevin thought. He then remember the time he spoke to Double D about making the bad go away and replacing them with good, they had sucked each other off that night. The memory of it still lingering in his mind and he could feel his groin growing with excitement. He begged his lower half to chill out already and go to sleep. He didn't need morning wood right now, not while D was right next to him. He didn't want to wake the kid up with a few motions of his wrists on his hardened cock. It would be embarrassing to masturbate in front of Double D while thinking about him.

Since when did he have feelings for this dork? He couldn't possibly think of being with him in that way constantly, could he? He thought that night was just what you would call, "under the circumstances", where Double D was scared to be alone, had a nightmare, and wanted to be comforted. But, then again. Double D was the one sitting on his lap that time and initiating the first moves. Was Double D...hitting on him? Was it because he was aroused by Kevin to the point where he could barely contain himself and he wanted to be a little kinky?

Bah! The urges were growing stronger the more he thought about it. He liked Double D being dominant on him and a little forceful. He must like it when the woman is dominant and pushing him down and making the first move. However, that wouldn't mean he would not take control himself once in a while. He just happened to think it was a little hot.

Dammit, now he was really aroused. He had to think of something terrible. What was terrible? Being cut from the football team? No...he could live without that luxury. Eddy in a speedo. Ugh! That will never leave his mind. He was right, it was working. Eddy in a speedo was pushing down his urge but what really helped was Double D dying. That brought him down to the point where he could feel himself wither away as his erection died down. Wow, there was actually something worse than Eddy in a speedo...That's a first.

Kevin sighed, glad the erection had died and he tried his best to calm his thoughts. He slowly drifted to sleep for the next two hours and through his dreams he thought of Double D, happy and carefree like he always was but without forcing a smile. He was content with his schoolwork, working hard, assisting the nurse, attending to the garden and bug clubs, and for some reason Eddy in a speedo forced him to think of Double D in a black speedo on the swim team and excelling like he always does at what he is good at. Double D would be great on the swim team, he thought. He would be strong and fast at a sport for a change. It made Kevin proud and he thought it would be a great thing to push Double D to do, it would be good therapy for him and if he succeeds well enough and improves greatly, maybe the bullying at their school would cease a little on Double D, and if it didn't he would surely protect him from it.

Kevin grumbled when he felt his his body heavy and the loud, obnoxious sound of a buzzer going off around him. He stirred away and realized the alarm was going off and Double D was sitting on top of him. Double D looked annoyed and had been in the middle of shaking him awake.

He stared at Double D who looked sassy and pouty at Kevin, insisting that he wake up already.

"We're going to be late if we don't get up now." He said, getting off of Kevin and heading to the bathroom to take a shower, not even bothering to speak to Kevin nicely. Man Double D was grumpy in the morning, that or he really hated to be late.

Kevin laughed to himself before he got up. He went and got dressed, simply spraying himself with some Axe spray and headed downstairs for breakfast. He knew his parents left early for work, his dad a proud coach at the local gym and his mother a cosmetologists at the mall who usually has to set up before the mall opened. He was proud they were fulfilling their dreams. He just wish he could follow his own. He didn't really want a scholarship for football. He really just saw it as a pass time, something he was good and liked but not what he loved to do, not like his father did who at sometimes pushed him to follow in his footsteps which was annoying. He really liked Criminology and hoped that one day he would be a crime investigator or detective. He always really enjoyed those kinds of shows, even in comics and video games. He thought of even minoring in Sociology as a bonus.

He was kind of curious of what Double D wanted to do officially. He was already good at science, math, english, biology and chemistry, even physics. He could do anything he set his mind to but what did he want to do, what were his goals and where did he want to end up in the next ten years? He could be an inventor, he was really creative and could make anything out of junk and household items. He even made a plane once to help Eddy escape from school. It was a silly idea Eddy had but Double D nearly made it possible even though the fence wasn't that tall and they could have just walked out without anyone noticing.

Kevin started to fix pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns, He was good at cooking, he helped his mom for years when growing up and yet he still couldn't make a lot of the dishes she could cook from scratch. He wish he could. He liked to cook, it was almost like a hobby of his at times, yet he would never openly admit it to any of his football friends. He wondered if they knew about his feelings for Double D and his hobby for cooking, would they think he was gay? He didn't have a problem with gays personally, and he was pretty sure he was bisexual. He wasn't just going to straight-up assume he was gay simply because he liked one guy. Same goes for if he just happened to like one girl, didn't mean he was necessarily straight. Doesn't change how he feels inside if he also happened to think boys were attractive in their own way. What was the difference anyways? Orientations didn't make you who you are, just what you were interested in when it came to gender and sex.

He liked Double D, no questions asked. He would even consider dating him if it meant openly being closer to him. He then wondered how it would actually play out? Should he ask Double D out to dates? A movie, to the new planetarium, the mall, or maybe a carnival? Any of those sounded like fun and he could go to those places with his friends, namely Nat or Nazz, but would people assume they were dating simply because they wanted to go out and have fun? Surely not because no one thought he was interested in Nat, maybe Nazz. Double D was his brother now, under the circumstances they would surely avoid assuming such ridiculous accusations. But he would know that it wasn't just under the circumstances, he'd go there on a date with Double D if it meant growing closer to him and being able to do more than just as friends or brothers. He'd consider dating Double D and would ask him out in the best way possible, but how?

Kevin was startled out of his thoughts when Double D came in, smiling up at him and smelling the food.

"That smells delicious, you really have a knack for cooking." He complimented before he grabbed a plate so he could be served.

Kevin smiled. "Thanks, it is more of a hobby. My mom taught me a few simple things here and there." He said as he put a few of the food items on Double D's plate, the squirt humbly denying the bacon, calling it greasy and not something he usually eats in the morning. He didn't want to start the day off with something greasy in his system. He did have pancakes and blueberry syrup, hash browns, and some eggs, and grabbed an orange from the basket on the island. He sat down at the table and started to eat, Kevin joining him soon afterwards, glad he got the extra strips of bacon.

They finished their meals, washed the dishes before heading out together, Kevin insisting they take his motorcycle. Double D was a little scared about the machine. He was unaware of how it worked and that in itself scared him but what scared him more of the dangerous vehicle was with the distance they had to travel, afraid they might end up in an accident.

Kevin reassured him that he has done it for years now, riding his motorcycle to and from school if he didn't feel like walking. He even had his license and was careful on any roads. He was not a daredevil driving 90mph in the HOV lane like some idiots.

Double D wasn't sure but he didn't want to be late, hopping up on the back of the bike and holding onto Kevin for dear life, even before they started driving. He wrapped his arms around Kevin's waist and it made Kevin a little bashful, usually a girl was behind him but now, it was Double D.

It only took about ten minutes to get to school on Kevin's bike. He pulled into one of the motorcycle parking spaces up front and they had enough time to make it to class with time to spare.

Double D looked exhausted but the ride was actually not that terrifying. He tried it for the first time and it didn't kill him but that didn't mean it still wasn't dangerous.

Kevin smiled at Double D, taking of the helmet he gave him and carried it with him so he could put it in his locker later. They walked inside school and as they entered, a flood of whispers were echoing throughout the halls, the topic Double D. It seemed that most of the school knew about his incident and they were all curious about what happened. All they knew of was the small report on the 6 o'clock news of a murder-suicide.

Double D looked shy, hiding behind Kevin who looked like he could pulverize all of the kids talking about Double D like he wasn't even there. He glared at a few of the closest ones, them cowering back to their lockers before he led Double D and himself to theirs, not that far from each other it seemed.

Kevin was sad he only had about three classes excluding lunch with Double D. Most of Double D's classes were AP something or another and the ones they did have together were not entirely social classes where they could get to talk that often. They had Speech, Art, and History together but that was about it. Kevin sighed, sad he couldn't stand by Double D's side but he told any of his friends who had classes with Double D to look out for him.

They parted ways, waving good-bye to one another and in hopes to see each other in their next class together or at lunch. Double D sighed, hoping that the horrors he faced wouldn't travel with him to school. This place was his one sanctuary away from his parents and if he could, he'd camp out here every night if he could just to get away from them. He enjoyed the place despite the constant bullying from the jocks and annoying flirts he got from the girls who for some reason, found him attractive. It was a mystery because he thought girls mostly went for the handsome, tall jocks who had muscles that could rip open shirts, or as far as Eddy described it.

Double D went to his home room class which was his first period. His teacher was a beautiful, blond woman in her mid thirties who enjoyed to talk about AP Biology with him when the other students weren't around. Some even called Double D "Teacher's Pet" and at one time started a rumor that they were dating. The absurdity of such a false accusation simply to adhere to fantasized observations was beyond his comprehension. So what if he was practically friends with his home room teacher, or the nurse or the librarian. It didn't mean he was dating them or considering a romantic relationship with them. He had no interest in the female species despite his observation of their beauty. They weren't to his liking physically and he wasn't interested in conducting any "research" with them.

The thought of it made him think back to that night Kevin and him had conducted their own experiment. He had hoped for another chance at it but so far, they had no opportunities. Part of the reason why he was so sassy this morning when waking Kevin was that he knew Kevin was awake at 5am as he tried to pretend to be asleep. He knew Kevin was growing aroused. He could vaguely sense the movement in the sheets rising or shifting, mostly from Kevin's nervousness from trying to keep it under control. Part of it excited him to want Kevin to make a move on him. He always wondered what it would be like to adhere to his own fantasies, one being to be touched by someone he liked while half asleep. The thought made him blush as he walked into his home room and he was ashamed he had admitted something so embarrassing in his head.

Double D sat down at his usual seat up front, his teacher smiling sweetly to him before she started to call roll after the last bell. She stopped at Double D's and looked confused.

"Eddward?" She asked confused by the name on her roster.

"Yes ma'am?" He asked, not understanding the inflection in her confused voice.

"Did you change your last name?" She asked curiously.

Double D had forgotten he was now adopted by Kevin's parents and that he had to sign up for school under a new name. He had planned on telling his teachers in advance before classes started and in private so he could avoid the drama of his peers.

He blushed and nodded. "Yes ma'am, I did. It's kind of a personal matter you see." He said, knowing that his little innocent act was not going to change anything in how his teacher's treat him but it did allow the teacher to consider the matter as something that should not be spoken out loud to the class.

"Then tell me after class." She said not daring to say the last name in case anyone else would question as to who it belonged to as well, namely Kevin.

The matter was quickly dropped as she continued the roster and then class. When home room was over with and the new syllabus of the new year had been neatly organized in his binder, he waited till the rest of the students had left before he went to his teacher to explain to her why his name had changed.

"So Eddward," she started before even giving him a chance to speak up. "What seems to be the matter."

"Well, you see Miss Williams, my parents had an unfortunate incident at home that sadly led to their demise, and Kevin's family from across the street has graciously adopted me into their care." He started, trying not to sound shaken up about it.

The teacher was silent for a few moments before she grabbed his hand into hers and looked up at him softly. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm also sorry for your loss. It must be hard on you." She said looking concerned.

"I-it's quite alright. Kevin and his family has been really wonderful and has been helping me overcome the matter. Over the last few years it had felt like I really didn't have parents to call my own, so it is not like a total burden on me that they are gone now. But there is something I should concern all my teacher's with." He stated, hoping he could admit this without getting emotional about it.

"And what is that?" She asked.

"Well, it seems the incident at home has created a post-traumatic stress disorder on me and I have yet to overcome it, so if I freak out or start to cry in class, I am truly sorry in advance." He said, looking shaken and noticing his teacher still hasn't let go of his hand, making him blush.

"Well thank you for telling me that. I'm sorry about that and I hope you can find the strength to overcome it. And you are free to leave the class at any point to freshen up or see the nurse. Just raise a finger up if you feel you are going to have another episode and I will let you leave without warning, and I won't mistake it as you raising your hand to answer a question either."

"Thank you. I really appreciate that." He said with a nervous smile.

"You're welcome. Now, you better head off to your next class otherwise you'll be late." She said, letting go of his hand and scurrying him off to his next class. He smiled again at her and she smiled back. Double D was happy his home room teacher was almost like a mother to him, she has been so helpful and supportive for him over the years that it almost felt like if he could, he would consider this home, if he didn't already have Kevin as his home. Thankfully, his next class was with Kevin in speech class.

Double D was about to leave the classroom before the teacher had stopped him.

"There is one thing I need to mention." She said sounding a little hesitant to speak to him about it which worried Double D all the more.

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Also, sorry for the cliffhanger but it was getting longer and I needed a stopping point but also I wanted to stop it at a crucial point that kind of leads to the next set. :3


	10. Chapter 10

Kevin looked annoyed that Double D wasn't in class. They had Speech together in second period and he knew Double D well enough to know he wouldn't be tardy or miss a class in his entire life. His leg was shaking nervously underneath his desk, staring at the empty seat next to him in the front of the class knowing well it was Double D's spot. Double D always sat at the front on the right hand side of the class facing the front, second row. He was worried that Double D was in trouble, that he was facing something traumatizing and he just wanted to run out and find him.

He sighed almost ready to raise his hand and ask to go to the bathroom to find Double D till Double D slowly walked in nervously and went up to the teacher.

"I'm sorry, my previous teacher wanted to talk to me." He said handing his Speech teacher a note to excuse his tardiness, which was not something he was proud of but he didn't want a blemish on his record. The teacher nodded and let him have his seat, knowing that this was a first for Double D so he would let it slide. He always assumed that Double D was a straight-A student with no blemishes on his record and was probably keen on being Valedictorian one day, and if a teacher needed to talk to him, it was probably for the sake of his education.

Kevin was glaring at Double D as he walked to his desk, wanting an answer as soon as possible about what was going on and why was he late to class. He wouldn't let his glare drop as Double D sat down next to him looking up at a Kevin bashful. Kevin frantically wrote something down on the side of his notebook, his handing writing atrocious when he was in a hurry, a message to Double D so he could read it and communicate while the teacher was still talking.

_"What happened? Why are you late?"_

Double D looked down at Kevin's note and then sighed, writing his own in his own notebook and slowly sliding it over his desk so Kevin could read.

_"I had to tell my teacher why my name suddenly changed over the break."_ Kevin read it and looked a little bashful that he had just gotten so mad at Double D, forgetting that Double D now had his last name as well. He should have known it had to do something academically because Double D was not one to skip a class even if he came down with something so the only other possible reason would be that he was called after class for something important with a teacher. He then continued to read. _"She then talked to me about my extra-curriculars which I will need in order to get into a good university. There is something I need to ask you about on that." _

Kevin sighed as Double D handed him the sheet of paper. It looked like an organized checklist that were separated into parts. Double D had already checked off "Assistant to Nurse" as one of his extra-curriculars. The rest was blank. There a few things the kid could consider, the fourth category was a blank line that had been written in pen the word "Jobs" in a handwriting he didn't recognize as Double D's. He knew that applying for a job and gaining the experience would count as an extra-curricular to help a student become well-rounded students, something all top-notch universities considered. He then noticed the section of sports, and Double D had placed a question mark in pencil, not sure if he should consider it. Kevin looked at Double D, busy taking notes but he did look over looking shy and confused as to what to do. Kevin smiled before he instinctively circled one of the sports and handed it back to Double D.

Double D looked at the circle over the word "Swimming" and it made Double D a little confused on why Kevin wanted him to take Swimming, was it a weird fetish for Kevin to se him in a speedo, something he was not comfortable with or was there something else to it? Kevin then wrote down, _"I think you would be really good at it."_ He said before smiling at Double D.

Double D blushed, turning the page of his notes to continue writing, embarrassed that Kevin actually thought he would be good at a sport, the King of Sports complimenting _him_ on the subject. It was a shock to Double D to even consider himsel fin a sport and yet something he was interested in. He had always hoped to learn a sport other than Chess or Badminton. He wasn't physically capable of much that was out there but that didn't mean he was a complete wimp. He just lacked much of the stamina, strength, and confidence it needed to apply for much physical activity. Thank goodness he learned how to swim, it was just the basics of swimming competitively that worried him.

Kevin smiled at the dork before he wrote something new down._ "Dork! I can teach you how to swim on a team. We have a pool ya know."_ He smiled at Double D who cautiously looked over when the teacher wasn't looking and kind of blushed when he forgot that Kevin had a pool since last year. He nodded and was wondering how Kevin even knew what he was thinking, was his expressions just too obvious? Or was the fact that Kevin was somehow really good at understanding people and knowing them by their reactions or place in society? Why? He never took Kevin as one to be observant of everyone else. Kevin was the type that stuck to what he was doing in the moment such as sports or girls. Why was Kevin so aware of Double D at every single minute they were together? Actually, even as kids Kevin seemed to observe Double D, as if he was observing a rabbit in its natural habitat, freeze up when in the presence of another creature only to run when in fear. The thought of it made Double D pout, wondering why he thought of himself as a rabbit. But did that make Kevin a wolf or a fox? He wasn't conniving like Eddy or dumb like Ed who could be more of a bear in stature and his obsessiveness to give really great bear hugs.

Double D sighed before a thought occurred to him, what was on Kevin's agenda for college? Did he have any interests other than sports. Double D wrote down a simple question to Kevin on his notepad. _"What do you want to pursue in?"_ He asked curiously.

Kevin looked at it then at Double D and smiled before he wrote down the words: _"Criminology and Sociology."_

Double D finally understood how Kevin was so so observant, he was use to observing people in their environments or how they have grown up but was Kevin considering it because of what happen to Double D? Or was he legitimately interested in the field? It was interesting that Kevin was interested in such a thing, but he didn't find it too shocking because they did play a detective game just a few days ago and watched a few sci-fi detective shows. Kevin was really good at conducting hypothesis for who was the murder and why. He knew his stuff well and even understood the inner-workings of the human brain being subjected to social and psychological experiences. Double D just wondered how much of Kevin did he know and how much of him did he not know?

Kevin noticed the dorks constant thoughts clear on his face. He wondered how many highways the kid have of thoughts going many different ways before finally finding a destination. He sighed and wrote down, _"And you?"_ The question intrigued Double D before writing down, _"Astronomy and Physics." _

Kevin smiled, rolling his eyes knowing it was obvious Double D would pick one of the hardest, coolest things ever as a profession. That is, if you can master it well. Kevin loved astronomy, namely the stars and galaxies. Before he and Double D became a family, he wished on a shooting star. Now the kid was majoring in the topic. Kevin still felt guilty that he may have caused this whole ordeal but one thing was for sure, he was kind of glad Double D and him had a means to talk to one another outside of school and on a closer level. Before, it was just beating the kid up for tagging along with stupid scams and annoying him half the time. Other than that, there was not much they could have talked about being on opposite ends of the status quo.

Double D sighed when the class bell rung, his next two classes AP Algebra and Art with Kevin. He liked having an easy class right in between harder classes. It kept his mind active rather than overwhelmed. He loved his classes dearly, regardless of their content and level of difficulty but even he needed to unwind every now and then. He overlooked his schedule noticing that his last class was study hall which was always perfect for him considering he did enjoy heading to the library to read and study before heading home to a hectic environment. It was his homework away from home time. However, he knew why his last period was open, it was to take in place of an athletic event such as a sport. He could use that space for anything he wanted electively, and he decided to take Kevin's advice and check out the swimming pool before he went home, that is if he could find it.

He walked to his Algebra class and looked around, noticing most of the students were nerds with glasses and buttoned-up shirts. He did notice Nat there, a wonder he even made it into an AP class was a miracle considering, he was usually the one asking for advice from Double D on how to do something as simple as Matrices. He decided he might as well sit by Nat anyways, considering Nat was one of Kevin's good friends.

Nat smiled up at Double D and tripped him till Double D was sitting in Nat's lap. "Yay I got the best nerd in the class with me!" He cheered as he hugged Double D around his waist from behind.

Double D was a little shocked by nearly being tripped and now in Nat's lap, Nat was hugging him from behind. Double D was a little nervous being in a guy's lap other than Kevin's. It was enough to make you tremble in fear of what might happen if in a predicament for too long. Nat was handsome but not nearly as handsome as Kevin. Kevin was athletically built with strong, firm muscles encasing his body, while Nat was more lanky and slim but still pretty toned. Double D had a thing for guys with near-perfect body types and Nat was halfway there. He just didn't physically excite him like Kevin did. However, considering his orientation, it didn't matter if he was in Kevin's lap or not, he was going to get aroused by such an intimate and sweet position. He was human after all. It was hard to swallow the urge and his trembling fear before speaking.

"Umm, salutations Nathan. How are you?" He asked, trying to break free from Nathan's grip.

"Fine! And you squirt? I hear you had a traumatizing August. I'm really sorry." Nat said before he looked like he was about to cry, hugging Double D a little more comforting now, the class avoiding eye contact.

"Umm, yes. It was a little hectic but nothing I can't endure." He half-lied, wishing Nat would let go of him already for the feeling of sitting so heavily on Nat's lower half causing him to feel a little uneasy, especially in a public setting.

Nat let go and let Double D sit in his chair next to him. Double D sighed, glad he didn't stay in Nat's lap for long. What on Earth would Kevin say to that? To the Nat hugging him like that and Double D's urges peaking to almost pure arousal? Kevin would either disown his best friend for even putting Double D in such a position and it nearly made his heart sink in fear that he'd come in between two wonderful people who have been friends for years. How could he live with himself knowing he had become yet, another burden on someone he cares about.

"Hey Double D?" Nat spoke up curiously, pulling Double D from his conflicted thoughts.

"Yes, Nathan?" Double D asked looking at Nat who obviously, had his head in the clouds.

"When you stand up, where does your lap go?" Nat said, smiling dorkily at Double D who obvious didn't have an answer for him but giggled at the thought.

"Excellent question, even I am stumped by that one." He said smiling cheerfully at Nat.

"Hah! I got a one up on the dork!" Nat cheered, his fist in the air before the teacher slapped her yard stick on his desk to make him calm down and be quiet as she called roll.

Once class was over, Double D walked down the hallway to Art with Nat, who was only walking him to class to keep an eye on him till the got there. Nat was bragging about his scores he got last year in Math which helped him get into AP Algebra. He mentioned how excited his mother was he was doing so well and how hard he tried to improve. His mother even put his grades in a folder to keep as a reminder of his excellence.

"So what is your next class, Nathan?" Double D asked.

"Photography. I am hoping to create an amazing portfolio this year so I can have a lot of wonderful stuff to show off. I plan on majoring in Film Production and Performing Arts." He said with a cheerful smile, the red in his cheeks contrasting the lime green of his hair.

"Wow that's cool! What classes are you taking?" Double D asked, seeming really impressed.

"Theatre, Screenwriting in place of Creative Writing, Photography, World History 1, English 2, AP Algebra, and Football/Baseball." He said with a smile. I am also the President of the AV Club and going to be the star role in the fall production of Dracula: Dead and Loving It. School wants more humorous plays to appeal to younger audiences. I play Dracula." He said giggling a little at the thought of it.

"That's really cool. I can't wait to see it!" He said cheerfully.

"Productions in October, of course!" He said happily as if he couldn't wait. "What classes are you taking."

"Oh the usual AP classes: AP Biology, AP Algebra, AP French, Speech, Art, History, and a free period which I may consider Swimming." He said a little bashful about admitting it so lightly.

"Swimming! Aw man! That sounds tight! I can't wait to see you in a mermaid costume." Nat teased, loving how red the dork's face got.

"Yes well, that would be far less revealing than the ridiculous speedo they make the men wear, and I'd have to actually join the team first before you can see me actually swim." Double D said, surprised his sass was actually open in public view for most to see, considering how he thought the only sass he had was towards Kevin.

"Got me there. Oh look, your beloved brother is waiting for you." He said waving to Kevin from across the hall as he was waiting by the door to the Art room.

"I escorted your brother for you." He said, saluting to Kevin as if it was his duty.

"Yeah Yeah, thanks. You didn't corrupt his mind did you?" Kevin teased sarcastically, the frown on his face not changing.

"Why I would never corrupt the mind of innocent peers. Now if you'll excuse me, I have innocent minds to corrupt over there. Tootaloo!" He said flirtatiously to Kevin and Double D before speed-walking down the hall to his Photography class.

"Weirdo." Kevin said before he lightly pushed Double D into the Art room.

"He's nice." Double D admitted, not really agreeing with Kevin's statement.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't buy into his little dumb facade, he's smarter than he looks and can easily outwit you if you let him." He said looking a little jealous.

"Do you mean, he is highly more aware of what he does around people but acts as if he doesn't?" Double D asked.

"Yup. He's tricky. He's even good at chess. Don't tell anyone he beat me, got it!?" Kevin threatened but Double D took it as a friendly threat rather than a brutal one.

"Got it." He then wrapped his hand in Kevin's and led them to their easels to draw, thankful this was a high school class and the only subject matter to draw was the still life on the table rather than a model in their birthday suit.

* * *

Nat has joined the scene! I did mention him and someone asked if he could join in so here he is. :3 I even added my own view of his background but I hope overall I got his personality rather spot on, if not please let me know! I know he is a fan character and open to use but I really don't know much about him personally other than what I see on Tumblr. But I hope you enjoy. :3

Also, isn't it fitting to see Nat as an AV nerd? I plan to use his skills later on as well. I got something plan. 3 Just you wait!


	11. Chapter 11

The rest of the school day had been boring for Double D. He enjoyed his time with Kevin in Art and History but French was posing as a problem. His brain was not ready to endure a new level of foreign language even when he was fine in AP Algebra. He had no one he knew in French class and he was lonely and bored, thinking of matters other than basic sentence structure as a review from the previous year. He sighed while looking out the window, something he has never done before in school. He was for the first time, daydreaming.

Double D was thinking about what it would be like on the swim team, how good he might be or how good he wanted to be. He had ridiculous notions in his head about where he excelled and what he possibly needed work on, despite whether or not they were true. He knew he could swim and he was happy about Kevin teaching him basic maneuvers in swim competitions later. He was good with floating on his back for long periods of time and relaxing, that is until Ed cannon balled into the pool and scaring him half to death that he may drown. He almost did drown once when he was five. He was thankful to an older boy for saving him at the community pool. He had told Double D it was dangerous to be wearing any clothing while wet, pointing at his hat but Double D refused to take it off. He was comfortable with having his hat on when wet but he did know it posed a problem.

Double D knew he was going to check out the pool to see how deep it was and what its dimensions were. He even wanted to check the chlorine level and also find out where it was so when try outs came around, he knew where to go. He was curious if he'd be alone, if anyone would be there waiting until school let out before closing the area off. He remembered his freshman year. The senior football players are always gun-ho about tossing in weak, nerdy freshmen into the pool as a welcome party for them to high school. He was sadly the first one in. He remembered Kevin had just joined the team and was suppose to be the one tossing him in but instead Kevin didn't want any part of it. Double D was thankful for him for not initiating it but standing by and watching it happen made you just as guilty as the ones doing it. He had hoped Kevin would stand up for him and maybe stop them, but he didn't. All he did for Double D, was wait till the rest of the football team had left before helping him out of the pool. That was the first time Kevin had given up bullying him even when Double D was so sure Kevin was going to give him a personal beat down of his own.

Double D was surprised when the bell rang and he was free to find the pool. He slapped his cheeks and was reading to find the place rather than dreaming about it. He grabbed his stuff and left the classroom, heading to his locker first to grab a smaller notepad to write stuff on rather than filling his notebook up with useless information. He put his textbooks away so he wasn't carrying such a heavy shoulder bag, and knew he could always come back to it.

He rushed to the basketball court, assuming that the school was old-fashion and had the pool underneath the gym floor like in that one movie he really enjoyed. He didn't find any levers or lines in the center of the floor that would allow for a pool underneath. He sighed and went into the locker room and noticed the further he went in, the more wet footprints there were on the floor. He was getting close when the smell of chlorine hit his nostrils. He smiled when the other end of the basketball locker room was the pool area. He smiled when he saw the long rectangular pool, divided up into eight sections with floatation rope. He saw the buoys bouncing in the pool as they divided the strips of competing lanes. The room was long and rectangular with a high ceiling, the side wall parallel with the pool were nothing but glass windows that extended all the way to the ceiling. The other wall, perpendicular to the pool was solid, containing the fold out bleachers that extended to the other parallel wall halfway, stopped by a section in the corner that hosted the offices and cleaning supplies.

He smiled when he touched the cool water with his fingers, marking down on his notepad that the temperature was fairly cool but not luke warm even with the glass window-paned walls were allowing the sun to shine through onto its crystal waves. He then got out his tape measure and started to measure each side of the pool, making sure it was indeed symmetrical. He then used his tape measure to test the height of the water, not believing it was seven-feet-deep and he was right, it was 6.8 feet deep. Every centimeter counts. It was then that he tried to test the chlorine level, having his own chlorine and pH tester he borrowed from the science lab. He checked the levels and wrote it down before he was suddenly startled by a dark shadow hovering over him.

He looked up behind him to notice a tall, athletically, slender senior standing there. He had long, fluffy brown hair, bangs covering his forehead and the back of his hair falling softly to the base of his neck. He was wearing nothing but a speedo, making Double D blush at the sight of it so close to his face. He admired the guy's figure, it similar to Kevin's but more slender in the waist. He was definitely a swimmer. He had a towel in one hand and a swimmers cap in the other. He looked down at Double D with a smile on his pretty boy face. Did Double D cross some line he wasn't suppose to by being here without permission? Was this guy going to scold him for being so reckless for even stepping near the pool without a life guard? Double D sure would have to his friends, reminding them that pool safety is key and it should be respected as such.

Double D stood up quickly and looked bashful and nervous as he gazed up at the senior with his head down shyly. "I-I'm sorry if I'm t-trespassing." He admitted, sounding really nervous he was going to be beaten up by this handsome senior.

The senior just laughed and slapped Double D on the back. "You aren't trespassing but you are a little over-dressed to be swimming." He said with a happy-go-lucky smile.

"Umm, well you see, I am not here to swim..." Double D admitted, clenching his fists tightly that by talking to the senior, he was disrespecting him.

The senior looked confused, cocking an eyebrow before he finally understood who the underclassman was.

"You're Double D aren't ya!" He said sounding happy about it.

"Umm, yes...how do you know of me?" Double D asked curiously.

"Well, duh! You're the smartest kid at this school and weakest in sports. You also had a terrible incident this month with your family. Rumors spread pretty fast here." He said, his smile fading once he mentioned Double D's parents.

"Oh right, I guess it does." Double D said nearly forgetting that just this morning the student body were whispering about him while he walked in the door to his locker. He didn't understand why it was such a big deal. Lots of kids at their school had only one parent or were foster kids. Why was his condition any different than theirs? Was it because his status as smartest dork in school has something to do with it or was it because it was on the news that his parent left behind their only son.

Double D knew his deep train of thoughts were creating a rather awkward silence between him and the senior. He had almost forgotten that the senior was there waiting for him to speak up or break the silence with something that changed the subject, but instead it was the senior who broke the silence, bending over and leaning in, his face close to Double D's as he looked deeply at his face. Double D didn't know what to think. This handsome, nearly naked older male was so close to his face he could see the two-toned eyes, one teal green and the other teal blue. They showed him the sea, the embodiment of the ocean and Poseidon himself. He was truly a marvelous fish out of water, handsome and breathtaking but masculine and tall. He nearly out bid Ed in height, but didn't. He was probably an inch or two taller than Kevin but his skin tone was far darker in tan. This senior was making Double D go weak in the knees just by staring at him and being so close to him. He was wondering why the guy was standing there for so long, what did he want?

The senior simply smiled, glad he got a reaction out of the dork in front of him. He lifted up his right hand and presented it to Double D to introduce himself. "Name's Jason. I'm captain of the Swim Team and Assistant Coach." He presented, smiling at Double D before he shook his hand graciously.

"Please to meet you. I'm Eddward, or Double D as most people call me, but you already knew that." He said now embarrassed he had just presented himself to someone who already knew about him. He gulped before continued to speak. "I'm looking to try out for the swim team this semester. I need some extra-curriculars."

"Ahh yes. fresh fish to fry." He said sounding a little sarcastic. "Try outs are on Wednesday. If you need a sheet on what we will be expecting I can offer you one." He said, walking to the office door against the wall by the pool.

"Umm, yes. That would be most helpful." Double D said as he followed him to the office door, leaving Jason to search for an introduction sheet to the swim team. Double D smiled, noticing the office was fairly cluttered with papers and folders but neatly organized. There were already signs up about schedules and meetings and practice dates. He looked them over from a distance, memorizing them to see how many competition days there were and how many practices they had or when they met.

He was interrupted from his observation with a paper handed to him, Jason smiling at Double D to take it. Double D nodded shyly and took the paper in his hand and skimmed over it and smiled. "Thank you, this will be most helpful. I will surely practice beforehand before the try outs on Wednes-" He said before he was suddenly trapped against the wall with the large, half-naked body in front of him, Jason's arms leaning against the wall, trapping Double D in place.

Double D gulped, his body was shaking in fear, wondering if Jason was going to turn on him and beat him or possibly threaten him to not show him up and take his position as captain considering Double D has done that a few times with various clubs, taking over and proving he was better fit for the job than those already in place.

However, Jason didn't seem harsh about his actions nor did he seem to want to threaten Double D. Instead he grazed his index finger along Double D's chin and forced Double D's head to look up at him as he closed the gap between them even more, smiling when Double D started to blush and tremble in fear, his knees nearly forcing him to slide against the wall to the floor.

"Such an interesting specimen you are." Jason spoke up before he chuckled. "They say I am a possessive person, that I take what I want when I want it. That I am not afraid of what stands in my way. I always get what I want, and what I want is some Double D." He said before he slowly placed his lips on Double D's neck, caressing it gently before kissing it. He went lower and lower down Double D's neck till he bit an area most people wouldn't see, biting it and causing the blood to rise to his skin. He chuckled when he heard a moan from Double D's throat, his body trembling as his panting grew harder.

"I look forward to your arrival, Eddward." Jason whispered into Double D's ear. "Don't disappoint now otherwise I may have to hunt you down outside of the swim team and claim you as my own." He said before he pulled Double D into a possessive kiss, forcing his tongue in and making the kiss deep and passionate, long enough to force Double D's face to turn red from lack of oxygen.

Double D didn't know what to think. He has never had men pin him against a wall like this and force themselves on him. It was much rather they forced their fists on him rather than their lips. Double D couldn't help but grow arouse from the seductive contact, his cock already hard with pleasure. He had hoped Jason wouldn't notice but he sure would know now now that his leg was in between Double D's thighs, pressing up against his groin. Double moaned in the kiss, not sure what to do. He enjoyed it yes, it was deeply arousing but the only thing he could think of was wanting Kevin to save him. He knew he only wanted Kevin to force himself on him like this, but his body was being too honest about how it was being treated. It was times like these he wished he wasn't so sensitive to the touch.

Jason didn't bother touching Double D any further. He only wanted to arouse Double D and let him know that Double D belonged to him whether he wanted it or not. He would have Double D, he would own him, possess him, make sure he was his and only his. No one was to have Double D. He was his pet, his little fish he could encase in a tank only allowing people to watch him from behind glass, never in arms length.

Jason let go of Double D, smiling his goofy smile once more. He stepped back and patted Double D's head and shrugged the kisses off as an initiation for all recruits, but that was a lie, Double D was the only one who was going to be bullied like that. The initiation was a special one, just for Double D.

Once Jason had completed tormenting the boy, laughing it off as a prank and smiling as if it was in good fun to watch Double D squirm, he allowed Double D to leave, the final bell of the school day finally ringing, its sound completely lost to Double D as he was now a whirlwind of emotions. Dazed and now completely hard, his only option left was to finish the job himself.

He walked out of the pool area slowly, Jason putting on his cap and diving in the pool as Double D dragged himself into the locker room. He was glad there was no one around to watch what he was about to do. How could he get so aroused by someone he barely knew doing something so perverted like that to him? He couldn't even think straight, all he wanted to do was relieve the rest of his urges into a toilet and go home. Maybe seeing Kevin will ease his mind long enough to forget all about Jason, at least so he doesn't have to worry Kevin with what the senior had just done to him.

When Double D found the toilet, he relieved himself of what little dignity he had left. He was helpless against attractive men it seemed. Despite his personal feelings for Kevin, he was still human it seemed and even he gets aroused just by a small amount of contact by someone he doesn't even know. He covered his eyes with his arm, trying hard not to cry as he pumped his cock over the toilet. Thankfully, his release was quick but the memory was painful. He felt like he was cheating on Kevin, that his heart wasn't devoted to him and that he was an awful person who had just sold their body to someone simply because he was too weak to fight back. He wish he had Kevin's strength and courage to fight others off, to defend himself, and not be pushed around so easily. He hated being this weak, always needing someone, like Kevin, to come and save him. Even thinking about it was not going to make it happen in the moment. Kevin was at Football practice, and this time, he wasn't going to save him.

However, how was Double D going to explain the hickey now on his neck, or his red eyes that were clear as day. Kevin will think he was beaten up or that he was threatened on his first day back, which was partially true, but it still didn't make it that much easier to hide. It didn't make it any easier to explain.

* * *

Sorry it took so long! I was working on a character design of Jason and I wanted to post them both at the same time. Check out my primary tumblr Bulletproof-Serenity to see a visual of the douchebag. Lol.

Jason is for the sake of drama, nothing more. I wanted to create not only my own character to the fandom but also add in drama. There are other drama elements I will add later, but for now, let's watch Kevin get jealous, Double D get tossed around between two guys, and more juicy goodness. It's like a soap opera. Kevin has an evil identical twin! Stay tuned for next week's episode!

He is free to use for any other fanfic or imagery. He's not very exciting of a character. I'm not good with designs of interesting characters. Look for him on my tumblr to know more about him. :3


	12. Chapter 12

Double D went back to his locker, grabbed the books he needed that night to do homework that were asked of him that day, namely Algebra, French, and History. He didn't want to carry a lot at one time, especially on Kevin's bike, home.

Kevin. Just the name struck fear in him. How was he going to explain the incident with the Swim Team Captain? He knew Kevin to have a temper, one that could lead to violence and having his new brother beat up the captain to the team he wanted to join for an extra curricular, was not something he wanted to be the cause of. Kevin has been protecting him for weeks now, mainly from his own demons that his parents caused for him. If Double D had a new threat, how would Kevin react? This threat was alive and possibly his new captain on the swim team. He needed this opportunity for college, and considering his strive to excel for the sake of education, he wasn't going to let anything stop him from achieving that goal, even if it was Kevin. However, would that mean he would need to endure this threat called Jason? Or was there a possibility he could stand up to him and tell him, he was nobody's property. He was his own person and could choose who he wanted to be with or interact with in that way. No one was going to force him into anything, especially when his education was at stake.

Double D sighed at his locker and was startled when the door slam shut on him, thankful his fingers and head were out of range of the door's vicinity. He was worried it was a bully or possibly Jason, but no it was Kevin, his knight and shining armor finally arrived, but a little late it seemed.

"Oh, hi Kevin." Double D said shyly, knowing that if he acted indifferent to Kevin, Kevin was surely to catch on.

"Yo Double Dweeb, have a nice day?" He asked with a smile but was really worried about how Double D was managing in such a hectic environment.

"Well. School has always been a safe-haven for me so it was nothing disconcerting for me." Double D said as he pulled his shoulder bag over his head, not seeming convincing about school being a breeze for him.

"Uh huh." Kevin said not buying it but he wasn't going to start anything while at school in front of everyone who were still sort of whispering about Double D's incident. Kevin wanted to shout at everyone staring, knowing that if it was Double D confronting them, he would possibly notify them that staring was rude. It was rude, but more so unnecessary. Kevin was not going to take anyone's shit about the matter, Double D has already been through enough, it was time for the horror to end. However, he did notice the dweeb's sudden nervousness around him and possible fear building up within him, as if Double D was keeping a secret from him. Something happened and whether he asked or not, he would get the information he needed.

Kevin rolled his eyes before he grabbed Double D's arm and pulled him along outside to his bike, glad they were up front and able to leave quickly. Kevin had his helmet underneath his arm, his free hand pulling out his keys from his pocket and not much else on his person other than his backpack which seemed oddly light. Kevin was not one to do homework right away, not like Double D who's top priority was to get it over with before it piled up on him. It was smart, Kevin knew that, but he wasn't highly concerned with it at the moment. The only thing on his mind right now was Double D.

Double D didn't mind being dragged, but the touch made his skin crawl. His body was still sort of aroused from before despite relieving his urges. Every time Kevin touched Double D, he was remembering Jason, which was not something he wanted to do. He didn't want this sort of intimacy with Kevin to be forced into yet another horror of his. He enjoyed being Kevin, his sight, his smell, his touch, his voice. Everything about Kevin was heaven and yet because of one forceful, possessive student, he was suddenly feeling very uneasy being touched as if that negativity of being forced into something that he didn't want was turning, even Kevin's presence, into a nightmare. He was associating the intimate touches as negativities simply because he was harassed sexually. Double D nearly started to cry, wishing the tears back so Kevin wouldn't notice. He didn't want Kevin to know that, he too, was becoming a horror to him simply because of someone else's actions. He didn't want to have to see Kevin's touches as the same as Jason's, and yet he was still feeling uneasy even by the touch of Kevin's hand.

Kevin looked back, noticing the dork's uneasy thoughts fighting inside that hat of his on what to do, contemplating some sort of idea or thought that was spiraling out of control. If Kevin didn't know any better, he would have thought the hat would skyrocket off of Double D's head from the pressure building up from underneath.

Kevin handed the helmet to Double D, waiting till they were both on before backing up and heading back home. The drive was quiet and somewhat unnerving for the both of them. Kevin didn't care if he made a few mistakes on the road here and there, minor ones that didn't cause really too much damage to their safety. Double D, however, believed it would even though they were still perfectly fine.

When they got home, Double D took his bag to his room and set it down before going to the bathroom, running the bath water. He locked the door to be alone as he sat down in the tub, naked, holding his legs to his chest. He just wanted to relax and free his thoughts of that awful moment with Jason. It was causing his body to shake, his anxiety building and almost causing an attack.

Kevin groaned when Double D went straight to the bathroom, locking the door in the process. He was glad he heard the water stop, but his worry was still rising. He finally got one of his mom's bobby pins and picked the lock, scaring Double D who cowered closer to the wall of the tub.

Kevin glared at Double D, looking annoyed. He closed the door behind him and locked it before he went and sat by the tub, staring at Double D like an intrigued cat, hoping for a burst of answers to spill out of Double D so he didn't have to ask.

Double D simply gulped and looked away and it was at that moment that Kevin couldn't stand it. He didn't like it when Double D averted his eyes from him. Something was up.

"Dork, what's wrong? You haven't said much to me since school. Actually despite a few words in the hall, you haven't really spoken regularly to me since History class. Now spill. What has got you so worked up that you feel the need to avoid me?" He asked, the hurt in his voice clear despite the anger behind his eyes.

"I'm not avoiding you..." Double D said, knowing clearly it was a lie.

"Liar! Just by averting your eyes you are avoiding me! What happened!? Did someone bully you?" Kevin said, pretty observant it seemed, causing Double D to flinch in fear of the memory.

"Dammit, someone did bully you didn't they!" Kevin said looking like he was about to flip the tub out from the wall.

"Not...entirely...I don't know if you could call it bullying." Double D stated not realizing he was fairly honest with Kevin naturally, as if he could tell him anything as an instinctual response. Lying to Kevin was just not in his nature, despite his fear of worrying him.

"Then what happened?" Kevin said, his voice turning calm so it would ease Double D a little into telling him more openly rather than finding back doors around the question.

"You promise you won't take immediate actions against the person in question?" Double D said, begging with his eyes to Kevin that he didn't want Kevin to get too actively involved.

Kevin understood Double D's words, knowing clearly well that what he was asking of him was a hard task for Kevin to do. If someone hurt the one he cares about, he'll seek vengeance, no matter what, but in order to get an honest response from Double D, he had to give up trying to make things right by causing more violence.

Kevin sighed. "If it means that much to you then, yes. I won't attack the person in question. So spill." Kevin said, leaning in more over the side of the tub to get closer to Double D.

"Well, in the midst of collecting data for my possible admittance onto the swimming team, I came across an ... individual who at first seemed fairly normal. That is until ...they...conducted a sort of active experiment of their own with possessive proposals..." Double D tried to continue before he was interrupted.

"So, someone forced themselves onto you in the pool building?" Kevin asked, trying to understand Double D's explanation.

"Yes..." Double D said, hesitant at first to admit it but it was the truth.

Kevin looked more pissed and he grabbed Double D's wrist, pulling him closer to Kevin's face. "What did they do?" Kevin ordered urgently.

"Umm...well...first, I was suddenly trapped by a body hovering over me...then..my neck was suddenly kissed...and..." Double D said looking away, forgetting about the mark on his neck, causing Kevin to look pissed.

"They did this to you!?" He said noticing the hickey and nearly digging his nails into Double D's wrist.

"K-kevin..." Double D said, his wrists hurting. Kevin let go and then he pulled Double D's face to look at him. "They gave you a hickey?" He said more calmly, ordering Double D with his eyes to tell him.

"Yes. After the kiss on my lips..." Double D said, blushing that Kevin was so close and yet scared of Kevin's anger, as if Kevin was his bully again.

"What else!? Did he force you any further!" Kevin shouted, automatically assuming the individual in question was a male student or possibly a teacher and had raped Double D on school grounds.

"I never said it was a he." Double D stated.

"It's obvious it was." Kevin assumed. "Now, did they do anything else?" He persisted.

"No." Double D said before his lips started to quiver. He suddenly found his face buried into Kevin's chest, clinging tightly on Kevin's shirt. "Oh Kevin! It was so awful. I was waiting for you to come save me! I was so afraid he was going to take all of me right then and there! I was so sure by his words that I was his and only his and no one else could have me that he'd finish it for me." Double D started to cry loudly into Kevin's chest, the fabric muffling his words slightly.

"Finish it?" Kevin asked looking confused.

"Even by the sudden abrasiveness of his actions made me aroused. All I could do after he had shrugged it off as a joke, as an initiation for all recruits, was to relieve my urges in the bathroom! Curse these hormones! This is not how I wanted to test out my preferences, whether my physical attraction or a personal one was the cause of my intrigue towards the male species." He said, sobbing and hiccuping into Kevin's chest before he was pulled back from out of the cotton fabric of the shirt.

Kevin looked upset, saddened by Double D's words, but not because the dork admitted that he too had certain physical preferences in others that he was attracted to, but by his reaction to them. It sounded as if Double D was resenting himself for what he was interested in, for what made him who he was to the core.

"D, tell me. Honestly, tell me. What kind of attraction did you get form him?"

Double D was stunned by the sudden curiosity and that Kevin was wondering if Double D's liking to a certain type and its details was excluding Kevin from his personal preferences.

"Umm, well. He was tall, masculine. The same body type as you but more slender. He was a pretty boy, the type of pretty boy which is pretty common and boring but nonetheless attractive. He was wearing nothing but a speedo so obviously I was a little embarrassed by his sudden astuteness in front of me. He was handsome yes, but I didn't know him, personally. We had just engaged in introductions not moments before. His forwardness and possessive attitude is what scared me. That and the fact that my body was suddenly reacting to his touches even when he was a stranger to me and yet I was still aroused by his touches. It was so, primitive. I never expected to react in such a way to just anyone who fancied my sexual desires, but apparently even I'm human. Not my most proudest moment." Double D said looking ashamed.

Kevin looked fully interested in Double D's analysis. He still felt a little hurt that Double D had openly exploited his human natures to someone other than himself. He thought that they had something special, that only Kevin was able to fancy Double D's needs and conduct research with him, but it seemed that Double D was as normal as anyone else with a libido. It didn't changed how he thought of Double D. Double D was not some sexual deviant like his assailant, just human with common urges. If it had been a fat, bald, old man, Double D probably wouldn't have been aroused so quickly despite the contact. Instead, he might have had the courage to high-tail it out of there as quickly as he could before something serious happened.

_"I was waiting for you come save me." _

The words echoed in his mind. He wasn't there to protect Double D. Something he told Double D that he he would do, that he promised him to always be there for him. He failed him. It was partly his fault that Double D was just sexually assaulted by somebody he barley knew. The feeling ached him so much he could feel his fingers cramping. It was painful but not as painful as Double D's face. He was truly upset about this, about being so aware of his own sexual desires that he couldn't fight them and had to resort to completing the job left undone so he didn't face public embarrassment in the process. This dork was not having a good time, horror was everywhere around him and it wasn't just caused by his parents, there were more devils roaming about, waiting for him to be cornered into a trap that furthered his PTSD.

Double D looked at Kevin before he reached for Kevin's hand and pulled him closer to him. He then raised his hand to Kevin's chest and pulled Kevin into a kiss. He kept it simple before his eyes started to tear-up again.

"He made any physical touch seem like a hell to me because all I could do was remember what he did to me. I don't want that to be that way between us. I don't want your touches to seem like a nightmare to me simply because of his actions. Please, make the hell go away." Double D pleaded, his somber eyes and hopeful expression making him even more exotic to Kevin's gaze, not to mention he was butt naked right in front of him.

Kevin smiled before he pulled Double D into another kiss. "I won't let that happen, babe." He said before continuing the kiss, passionately fusing their lips together before they were completely out of oxygen. Kevin broke the kiss, noticing Double D fighting the nightmare of the touches as best as he could to make them feel good again.

He then smiled. "You know what they say about sex right?" Kevin asked, nearly laughing at Double D's shocked expression as if Kevin was asking him to go all the way with him.

"No what?" Double D asked, looking nervous, his heartbeat growing faster with anticipation.

"Sex consists of two parts. Where there is pain, pleasure is surely to follow. So if you are ever in any pain, I'll replace it with pleasure." He said with a smile, loving the expression on Double D's face when he finally got it and giggled soon after. He then flicked Double D's ear and looked displeased. "And I wouldn't just force you into it without first taking you out to dinner first. Even I'm a gentlemen." He said before smiling.

Double D, held his hand over his ear, the shock of his ear being flicked so suddenly startling him before he smiled at Kevin's remark and looked embarrassed he assumed Kevin's words were relating to actually going all the way simply to end the horror he was feeling now. There were no such thing as quick-fixes, he knew that. He was ashamed he thought Kevin was anywhere close to Jason's forcefulness.

"Thank you, Kevin. I'd be honored to go to dinner with you." He said.

"Oh no! I don't want our first date to be just dinner or a movie. That's too cliche. I have something else planned." He said with a smile.

Double D looked a little stunned before he giggled. "And what would that be?"

"Not telling. But Saturday is our day, got it?" He demanded, looking smug and a little cocky.

"Kevin, you do realize that we're brothers now. Dating is highly illogical."

"Dude, we have kissed and sucked each other off, we're pass being just brothers." Kevin pointed out, his point quite accurate.

"I suppose you're right." Double D said, trying not to get into a confrontation about facts right now with Kevin.

"By the way, dork." Kevin started, creating an unnerving confusion in the pit of Double D's stomach. "Are you still going back to the swimming pool even after what that guy did to you?"

Double D was most intrigued by the thought. He thought about it for a while before he came to his conclusion. "I have to. It is probably the only sport I may be good at and I need it as an extra-curricular for college. I can't back down now simply because I was faced with an awful experience with someone on the team. I have to face the road blocks ahead of me and not look back. I want to be stronger, if not physically than mentally and emotionally as well. I have to do this, Kevin." He said, his eyes looking determined and pleading to Kevin to understand.

Kevin was almost shocked by Double D's resolve but he smiled and hugged him warmly. "I'm proud of you Double D. You are trying to overcome your problems and face them head on rather than run from them. But I'll still be there to help you so you don't have to do it alone. But if you need any self-defense moves, I'm more than happy to teach you."

Double D smiled and leaned into the hug, hugging back. "Thank you, Kevin. I appreciate that. Speaking of teaching, you were going to teach me some swimming moves."

"Oh right. But you might want to wait a while. You're already pruny. When is try-outs?"

"Wednesday."

"Then we'll do some moves later and tomorrow. Also, I'll make sure I am there for your practices to watch you. I want to cheer you on as well as help you face this jerk."

Double D nodded before he drained the water and crawled out, purposefully pinning Kevin down on the bathroom rug before he kissed him. Kevin kissed back, not minding the forcefulness of Double D's actions. He let Double D kiss him a while, not minding that they were both wet and Double D was naked and on top of him. In fact, anymore physical contact and he may have to give up on his word of being a gentleman.


	13. Chapter 13

Double D's second day had been a relenting one. He had finished his day as he would any other day. Homework was beginning to overwhelm him for once and he was starting to understand how it felt to be a normal student, one who was unable to really grasp complex equations and information. He felt ashamed that he was letting his psyche get to him so harshly. He had never had problems before when it came to retaining the information in his classes. He sometimes was able to teach the class himself when the teacher was running late. He thought of being a professor at one point despite the fact he had difficulties getting any respect from the other students, finding his substitution as free time to do as they pleased.

Double D was in the library gathering some books for his own personal reading list. He was in the non-fiction section looking up quantitative data collecting in sociology, finding the topic more invigorating now that Kevin said it was his minor. He wanted to get to know Kevin a little more and understand him better, taking an interest in his likes rather than simply focusing on his own. It was also a good opportunity to broaden his horizons in subject matter and learning something new. He loved Sociology, especially when it came to peer pressure, social norms, and cliques. He always wondered why bullies acted the way they did and why couldn't the nerds stand up for themselves? Was it a matter of lacking in physical strength or more from a psychological aspect, preventing them from taking a certain initiative in defending oneself? The ideal of survival was the fight or flea method but why was that also a social aspect as well?

Double D shook his head, clearing his long-winded head of the overwhelming mountain of thoughts. He looked around, noticing the time and realizing he was standing there thinking while staring at the cover of the book for almost seven minutes. He sometimes wished he could dissect his own brain and figure out why he was able to focus so heavily on his thoughts without being aware of them. His subconsciousness was a mystery to him and he knew that only Sigmund Freud could provide him with the analysis of the subconscious mind.

He went in a different isle of the library and found Sigmund Freud, grabbing the book and smiling at the cover. He loved to collect books, if not for the reading but the collection of knowledge and physical copies of books in his bookcase at home. He wasn't fond of the new technology allowing one to read from an electronic device for a decent price to avoid the clutter of the physical books. He agreed that it was a smart idea to have millions of books on a tablet to read for a reasonable price, it saved on paper, and it made it light for ones backpack or handbag. He wished they would make e-Textbooks more affordable for a tablet, then he could take all of his textbooks home without breaking his back or falling over. He hated carrying so many heavy books with him, but he knew that he needed them to study and do homework from. It was a conundrum and he hated it.

He went to an open computer and started to research online more about the subconscious mind until he saw Kevin come in. He looked confused, wondering why the ginger teen was in the library during seventh period. He had practice, didn't he? Double D gulped when he saw Kevin come up and sit next to him at a computer, yet avoided eye contact like he wanted to be discreet about his appearance. Double D smiled when he noticed Kevin looked embarrassed about being in the library. I guess jocks seen in a nerdy place was shunned upon in the popular world. He then went back to his research and reading, writing down his own personal notes on the topic before his computer beeped with a message.

The school had set up a messenger that linked the library computers together, to save on shushing the students from talking to one another and risk getting louder and louder as their conversations grew in length. He looked at the message, it from a computer's number, the one next to him.

Kevin had written to Double D, finding it easier than whispering.

_"Yo, Double Dweeb. If you are wondering why I am here, practices are only on Mondays and Fridays. So I got the rest of the week to do as I please during seventh. I figured, I join you in No-Man's Land."_

Double smiled and typed back. "_Good to know. Are you going to be studying while you are here?"_ Double questioned, looking over rather bashfully, the silent messages somewhat uneasy for the talkative intellectual.

_"Nah, I finished some of my homework already. What are you reading?"_

_"Sigmund Freud on the Human Subconscious. I figured I'd analyze the anatomical study of the human mind and conduct my own research of psychoanalytical theory. I want to learn more about why social and psychological norms developed one's personality and mannerisms as they are."_

_"Dude...you type just like you talk. Did you get to the part about pscyhosexual development yet?" _

Double D looked stunned by Kevin's response, looking over at him before the redhead sent another message.

_"What? I enjoy psychology and sociology. I read that book last year. It talks about the Oedipus complex, where as a child matures in emotion and idea, they unconsciously progress to desire for their parents of the opposite sex and considerable desires towards incest. There is another book at the public library that talks more about it in specific detail towards neurosis, paedophillia, and homosexuality."_ Kevin smiled before he added another message afterwards._ "Right, bro?" _He teased adding a winking smily face afterwards obviously to the fact of their own current relationship at home.

Double D blushed by the thought of the topic despite the fact it intrigued him. He was even embarrassed that Kevin was hinting at the fact of their most recent, somewhat incestrous acts on one another in the house. They were brothers now, if not biologically but legally they were. They were now considered siblings, a family, and yet they still had feelings for one another. Double D was curious of the Oedipus complex referring to step-siblings as well and the social perspective of it as well.

He started to raise his fingers to the keyboard before they started to shake, not knowing what to talk about now. He had nothing more to say on the topic and wanted to move on from it but he didn't want to seem rude to his neighbor talking with him on the subject. He was then brought out of his saddened, confused daze by a hand touching his own while in his lap. He blushed before he looked up at Kevin who looked eagerly worried about Double D, probably thinking that Edd was having, yet another drawback in his condition while talking about the matter.

Kevin then whispered in his ear, ending their electronic conversation. "It's alright, we don't have to continue talking about it." He said, looking around to see if anyone was watching before he kissed Double D's cheek, forcing Double D to blush and move back in his chair, looking around frantically as if he expected someone to see them. When he realized no one was watching them he glared angrily at Kevin for doing that before he playfully slapped his arm, making Kevin laugh before he went back to his computer.

They made it home after the last bell had rung and they both immediately got dressed into their swimwear to practice the moves they never got to do the day before. Kevin had already gotten dressed and was in the pool doing laps himself, impatiently warming up as he waited for Double D.

The ginger teen looked up, hearing the sound of a bottle hit the glass table out on the wooden deck and noticed Double D hesitantly coming out and looking bashful, a towel wrapped around his shoulders. Kevin smiled and laughed before he teasingly leaned against the side of the pool and motioned for Double D to join him.

"Come on, dork, you'll burn that delicate skin of yours." He smiled, loving to watch the little teen squirm uneasily before him. It brought old memories of them together as kids.

Double D gulped before he came to the pool and sat down, his feet in the water, him reluctant to take off the towel. He was embarrassed by his feminine figure, not to mention the hickey still on his neck.

"Come on dork, nothing I haven't seen before." He said pulling the towel off of the dork, crumbling it up and tossing it to the deck, it landing perfectly in the chair.

Double D gasped, blushing and holding onto his legs, embarrassed to be outside half naked. This, however, wasn't as worse as when his ugly, speedo that Eddy had forced him to wear ripped and he was stuck in the inflatable pool practically all night. He never wanted to feel that way again.

Kevin smiled when Double D hopped slowly in the pool, blushing at freezing cold water touching his barely warm skin. He looked frantic that he forgot to put on sunscreen but Kevin smiled and told him to wait there while the more athletic teen hopped out and grabbed it, helping Double D by the stairs put some on his body and himself as well considering he had forgotten to put any on himself.

Once they were finished and got situated, Kevin showed Double D a few moves in the pool, a few proper ways to swim in a competition and told him to watch carefully when he turned under the water to switch directions. He stopped after a while and smiled before his expression changed dramatically, unable to believe Double D was actually taking notes.

Kevin grabbed the little table and tossed it to the table, it landing in the same place as the towel.

"No. This isn't about remembering something from words and rereading them. This is about muscle memory." Kevin stated, looking annoyed at how dense Double D could be.

"Muscle Memory?" Double D questioned not understanding what that meant in terms Kevin was describing.

"Look, sports is about experience, practice, memorizing moves. It is not about being perfect or precise or gaining a grade. Sports is about training your body's performance with improvements and practicing to be better than you were the day before. You train your body to study, not your mind.

The words the more athletically experienced teen was saying was breezing by Double D's head. He wasn't sure what to make of this idea of memory through physicality. He then tried to think about it in his own terminology, to relate it into something he has experienced already.

"Like calligraphy or handwriting?" He asked kind of curious if that was a good symbolism."

"I guess. Like you practice your handwriting for years and try improving with it till you are satisfied with it right?"

"Yeah. I spent my whole life since I could learn to write to make it eligible to the precision to how I wanted it to look. Is that the same with swimming? I practice the pre-demonstrated moves repetitively until my body can naturally replicate it without thought, improving the body's performance until it is satisfactorily acceptable?"

"Exactly! Okay. So you practice till your body is able to naturally perform the moves without thought. Which may be hard for you...You over-think things."

Double D looked feisty about the comment, knowing well it was true but not too fond with Kevin's blunt words about it. He sighed and gave in, accepting defeat to the truth."I do...which may be the reason why I was never good at sports. I always tried to calculate the trajectory of an object to its destination with the variables at hand."

"Yeah, don't do that. This is more individually based to where you are focusing on your own performance and speed and doing well on your own in comparison to everyone else next to you. You are trying to get ahead of your competitors in the quickest amount of time to win." Kevin explained.

"Okay. So the focused elements are speed, performance, and form performed with practice." Double D said reaching for something to write with then he raised his hands up and sighed in disbelief, forgetting he didn't have it and that needing it had always been a necessity for him so it was hard to get over. He then chuckled and mumbled. "Muscle memory..."

Kevin smiled before he went to one side of the pool. "Okay, you know how to do a stroke right?"

"Yes, but I am not sure of my form." He stated, walking over to where Kevin was before the ginger started to demonstrate again the movement of the arms and the head. Double D watched, nodded uneasily, unsure of whether or not he really understood how the action was suppose to be performed correctly without doing itself.

Kevin swam back and noticed the uneasiness of Double D's expression and then turned him around and hugged him from behind, grabbing his wrists and helping with with the arm movements slowly, leading him to bend his arm as he came up striking his arm out before windmilling it back around, arm bent before continuing the motion.

"Like this, dork." Kevin said, mesmerized by Double D's scent mixed with the chlorine of the pool. He smelled like blueberries which made Kevin wonder if the smaller teen ate nothing but the fruit and started to turn into one. He enjoyed the scent but more so then the feel of Double D's back pressed up against his bare chest, the warmth mixed with the cool droplets of water that pressed against him felt nice, enough to make Kevin wish that this moment could last forever, never letting go of Double D.

Double D blushed, unable to focus on his arm movements but he understood how his arms should move, but Kevin seemed to be mesmerized in the moment, unable to break free of the love-daze hold the pose had on him. He gulped, unable to figure out how he could free Kevin, until he finally looked up him, Kevin dropping Double D's hands to his side, staring at the gap-toothed face kid in front of him, holding on to him as if never wanting him to go.

Kevin was then weakened by that smile, that gap-tooth smile that made him go weak in the knees. He couldn't help himself, unable to focus on the task hand, his lips having a mind of their own as they pressed into smaller teen's mouth. He kissed him deep and passionately, letting his tongue slide into Double D's, tasting him fully, unable to break free of the grip the dork had on him. It was in that moment he realized, he didn't care if anyone saw them out in the open, in a pool, in nothing but their bathing suits french kissing like love-sick puppies. He wanted Double D, more now than ever.

Double D was stunned by the kiss, unable to break free from Kevin's overwhelming grasp. Double D was worried that they may be seen, especially by Eddy who was right next door. He wanted Kevin to break free from the kiss so they could at least breathe, until he finally gave in. He turned around, freeing his hands from Kevin's and wrapping them around Kevin's neck, pulling Kevin deeper in the kiss and for some reason, instinctively jumping up into Kevin's arms, his legs wrapped around his hips. It was a summer love in the fall, one they would never forget.


	14. Chapter 14

Double D was still embarrassed by yesterday's unfortunate events. He remembered Kevin and him making out in the pool, Double D's instinctive leap into Kevin's arms, his legs clenching around his partner's waist. It was after that that things started to get heated up almost making their pool a hot tub.

Kevin had knelt down, forcing Double D to sit in his lap as they were half submerged into the cold pool during the surprisingly, hot fall day. He couldn't believe that they were making out, passionately merging their mouths together to allow their tongues entrance into the others hot, eager mouth. They were growing aroused and the feeling of their members growing firm in the cold water was a contradictory feeling of calm and arousing sensations that neither of them were ready for.

Double D couldn't bring himself to touch Kevin anymore than he could for fear he may fall backwards into the water, getting water up his nose and ruining the mood. But nothing ruined the mood more than hearing the front door open and close in the house, Kevin's mother returning home early for once. Kevin was in the midst of kissing Double D's neck before he saw a shadow in the house. He knew it would make a scene with his parents knowing that their now two sons were experimenting with each other, probably deducing it as a young teen phase rather than a pure emotion of love and lust.

Kevin let Double D off of his lap gently, trying to return to normal without suspicion. Double D did good about practicing the turn underwater move to change positions, Kevin watching and giving Double D a few words of encouragement before his mother came out and smiled.

"Here you two are." She said with a smile, glad to see the two boys getting along well and Kevin being so good with Double D.

"Hey mom, just teaching the squirt a few swimming moves." He said, hoping his voice wasn't hesitant and shaky like Double D's was.

"I'm practicing to join the swim team." Double D said smiling, hoping to give his new mother a sense of pride, unlike his own mom. She now had possibly two athletic kids in the house, make that three concerning her own husband.

"How wonderful! I hope you make the team. Good luck!" She said before she went back into the house to start dinner.

The two boys sighed a heave of relief before Double D started to float on his back while his new brother submerged his embarrassed, his red body underwater to cool off. His skin was mimicking that of his hair as if a dye had run off his head and soaked into his skins cells.

Double D sighed when the memory of yesterday began to subside. He was never so embarrassed in his entire life, nearly caught in a dirty, perverted act such as making out with your own step-brother. He worried that Kevin's parents may not be so open to the idea of two boys becoming infatuated with one another as well as engaged in sexual activity. He didn't know of his new parent's political, social, or religious views just yet and he feared that he may cause yet another negative scene as the one that had occurred in his own home. He didn't want his new parents to hate him or to think poorly of him. He didn't want them to see Kevin in a different light then they already did or to disown him like his own parents had done. He wanted to be with them as a family, to get to know them and care for them as if they were his own. He wanted that more than anything. He was scared that his new parents knew he was gay and that he and their son were hitting it off the way they have been, that they may get rid of him as a nuisance and send him off to a foster home or to his uncle. He didn't want to move away. He had friends here, an education to tend to, and a new brother he really admired, possibly even loved.

Double D, gasped at the thought of having any sort of emotion of love towards Kevin. He assumed that these little acts they were partaking in were just a phase, something to help him get over his hell that he for the most part had started to forget about. He hasn't had another outburst or panic attack in days and he was worried about it reoccurring and causing more trouble. He wanted to be free from that hell but was Kevin truly the right guardian angel to do it? Could he face those demons in Double D's head, the ones that were forcing him to see himself differently.

It was still History class and the class was having a silent self-study session. Double D had asked to go the restroom for a little bit, privately to clear his head but expectedly to use the facility. He sighed in front of the mirror, glad he was alone before he studied himself in the mirror. He was curious as to why his body was suddenly more bigger and taller, his style seemed more darker, and his eyes seemed colder. He gasped when he realized what he was seeing, his own demon. The one that was causing him to falter into an abyss. He was changing and not in the way he had hoped. He was not himself because of the demons he was facing. He wasn't who he normally was, what he once was before. He was changing, and he was afraid for the worse.

He looked at his other self, the darker side of him was the one who was much more open to doing things than he would naturally do himself. He was seeing himself as someone who was much more like Kevin but not as good-natured as Kevin. He feared that deep within him, he was a monster. That it wasn't demons he was facing in Hell, but himself as the demon. He didn't want to fall further into the cracks, to forget why studying and caring for people despite their negative sides were important to him. He did notice he was a lot more forward and open than he had been and he didn't think much of it, that it was a bad thing but was this what he was becoming? A delinquent who couldn't care less about studying, education, about his friends who he hadn't seen much of lately, about his sense of style of living, his obsessive quirks that made him who he was? Was he becoming the monster before him?

He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, glad that when he opened his eyes he saw himself in the mirror again. Was he hallucinating? Was he seeing things that weren't really there but merely in his head? Was he losing his mind? He thought he was recovering from his condition, from that hell and because of Kevin he was returning to himself again. Yet, he knew that wasn't it. He was relying on Kevin for support and not caring about what mattered to him. He wasn't recovering, he was falling deeper in that hell and becoming the very demons he was facing, someone who was allowing his suppressed urges and newfound freedom get the better of him. He wasn't in a constructive environment like he was before where sticky notes and labels marked everything for him, and that excelling in school were for the sake of getting his parents to notice him, his main purpose for living. He didn't have them there to impress anymore and because of that, he had no purpose to study and perhaps that was why he was slacking off in class and his notebook wasn't even a tenth complete yet. He always needed ten notebooks per class because of how much he wrote down. Now, he would probably only have half of that by Easter time. He was slipping through the cracks into Hell and he knew having a guardian angel couldn't save him at this point. He had to save himself, he had to rid himself of that negative side of himself that was so persistent in taking over. He was afraid of the person he was becoming, who he saw in the mirror just moments ago, and he knew that fighting him was the only thing he could do. That running away and ignoring it wasn't going to solve anything. He had to face it, if not now, but soon.

He had to get ahold of himself, to put himself back together because he was evolving into something worse than what he expected to become after he had stripped away the old layer into a much more proud, mature version of himself, not a delinquent, badass who didn't care two wits about school, friends, and even his new family. He felt like he was using Kevin simply to please his own desires without giving it any thought to as to what Kevin wanted and to his feelings.

He decided that from this day forward, he would not rely on Kevin for support. He would not visit him in the night or make a move on him the way he has been simply to make the bad memories go away. He would not rely on Kevin anymore. He would stay in his room, sleep in his own bed, finish the labels in his room and maybe some in the house if his new parents would allow it and he would communicate more with sticky notes. He would return back to his own style of living and try to be his old self and fight these demons the best he could, on his own.

Kevin was getting antsy that Double D hadn't returned back to his seat from the bathroom. He was worried about him and was tired of staring at his textbook without really reading it. He sighed, almost ready to ask the teacher if he could go find Double D and make sure he was alright, given his condition Double D had talked about with the teacher the day before.

It was at that time that Double D returned, apologizing softly to the teacher before taking his seat and strangely, avoiding eye contact with Kevin which made Kevin a little suspicious that something happened and Double D was just keeping it to himself. Kevin was sitting behind Double D and with light kick to Double D's chair, he half-expected the twerp to turn around and face his neighboring peer, but to no avail did Double D comply with Kevin's persistent attempt to get his attention.

Kevin was astounded by Double D's resolve to ignore him but paid it no mind for the next ten minutes before the bell rung and he attempted to catch Double D before he had to go to his next class but it seemed Double D was in a rush to leave and it made Kevin suspect that the dork was avoiding him for some reason.

Double D made it to his next class and then when French was over he was ready for swim practice and yet he was nervous about it as well. He was starting to panic and he knew that was never good, however, he didn't want to worry Kevin over his weird little outburst so he sucked it up and went to practice, nervous about seeing Jason again.

When he arrived and found the locker where he put his new black speedo and towel, he looked around, worried he would be seen getting undressed, sadly he was right. He was startled by a hand on his shoulder, Jason standing behind him and enjoying the view of the naked teen in front of him and loving the expression on his face when he realized he was caught undressed.

"Glad you showed up. Ready for practice?" He asked, seeming oddly polite to Double D.

"Uhh, yes I am. I just hope I can do a good job." He said looking a little uneasy about performing and not making the cut. He then looked embarrassed, realizing he was fully naked in front of Jason. He didn't understand why but he was actually getting a response in his lower region from being stared at by a stranger who had made a move on him once before.

"If you'll excuse me I need to go to the restroom." He said taking his stuff with him to change into one of the stalls before Jason pulled him back and pinned him to the lockers smirking.

"I can sense you're having some difficulties. You aren't your usual self today. Very evasive and discreet. Don't let that mindset hold you back in your tryout today. I would hate to have to disqualify you from the team simply because your mind isn't in it." He stated, smirking and leaning in to kiss Double D before a hand pulled Jason back by the shoulder, the football star glaring at him roughly.

"Chill out fish boy. Keep your mind out of the swamp before I throw you into one infested with crocodiles." Kevin threatened, standing in between Jason and Double D now.

Jason looked a little startled before he glared at Kevin, a smirk crawling on his face. "Why if it isn't the jock from the land of football here to meddle in my business, yet again." He said acting resentful against Kevin for some odd, personal reason.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin questioned not understanding who this guy was and why he seemed to hate Kevin for no particular reason.

"I guess you don't remember your fifth football game in freshman year. You and your little gang picked on a little kid who always wore yellow, didn't talk, avoided eye contact, constantly rocking his body back and forth, and always carrying around a stuffed turtle. You picked on him with your little football squad, taking his toy away and made him cry and freak out then insisted on beating him up to shut him up."

"That sounds like autism." Double D interrupted looking upset and sympathetic before glaring at Kevin for doing such a thing.

Kevin was speechless, knowing he was at fault in this situation and not knowing how to make it up to the swim captain. He knew he had to not only for Double D's sake but also because it was the right thing to do. "I know my actions that day were out of line and there is no excuse for what I did, not even peer pressure of fitting in would suffice. I'm sorry. I had no idea. I don't even think I understood what autism was at the time and ..." He stopped looking at Double D before looking depressed. "Even if I didn't know, I would never want to bully someone simply because they are different or smarter than me." He said looking upset and seeming like the truth was harder for him to accept than it was for anyone else would in forgiving him.

Jason looked upset, not expecting Kevin to apologize and act like he was truly upset about what he did. It put Jason at ease some but it didn't change the fact he didn't like Kevin. He then sighed and looked pouty, looking away before noticing the two of them together.

"Whatever, so what is your relationship?" He asked to Double D and Kevin.

"We're siblings...now." Double D added in order to clear up the misunderstanding about not always being brothers before recently.

"Oh, I see." Jason said before he walked away. "Head to the pool, nerd. You might be first." He teased before heading back to the pool area form the locker room leaving the two siblings together, something Double D hoped to avoid. Kevin looked at Double D, not caring if he was naked and hadn't gotten dressed yet. His eyes looked stern and serious, as if he was forcefully insisting that Double D explain what the deal was earlier with avoiding him and why he seemed so out of it. The look gave Double D a sense of panic, but he didn't speak up about it. He didn't want to and standing there in the silence with Kevin was becoming a deafening torment that he wish would end so he could avoid the matter at all cost.


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry it has been so long and that I have neglected these stories. I have been really busy with an online class, really lethargic and more interested in drawing than writing. Also I am playing minecraft way too much lately. Lol I promise that I will update more. I found the right mood to kind of kick myself back into working with these and finally was able to post something. If needed, don't be afraid to message me to get off my lazy ass and continue working with these. Sometimes a little kick in the rear is all I need. :3 Enjoy! 3

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The moment Kevin and Double D spent in silence in front of one another, an awkward feeling neither one of them had experience with the other had occurred. It was a silence neither one of them had experience even when they were younger. They had moments where they weren't close enough to talk to or have such an awkward silence, but after now, it was a new feeling for the both of them.

Double D looked bashful, acting like he was in front of a stranger he had feelings for but didn't have the courage to pursue them. He looked shaky and uneasy, ready to dart out of there so he didn't have to tell Kevin what he had experienced earlier. He didn't want to confess to something as a hallucination in the bathroom mirror. He wanted to keep his lips shut about it until he was ready to talk about it. He soon put his swim trunks on and switched out his hat for a swim cap, making sure to hide his scar and most of his hair.

"Uhh, I better go..." Double D stated, gulping as Kevin stared him down, giving him a very stern look before Double D tried to sneak off. Kevin had grabbed his wrist to stop him and continued to look at him with the same stern expression.

"Kevin, I need to-" Double D started before Kevin cut him off.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Kevin growled, looking upset as if he was truly hurt by it.

"I'm not!" Double D responded, giggling as if the notion was ridiculous. "You're thinking too much. Really! I'm not-" Double D said before he was pulled into an embrace, the hug sudden and unexpected to the smaller teen but he didn't pull away.

"Stop pushing me away, dork. It makes me worry more." Kevin said, squeezing the smaller teen more, their bodies nearly fusing together.

Double D didn't know what to think. All he could focus on was his confusing thoughts in his head that he had no courage in accepting just yet. He sighed, his eyes hazing over with tears but he held them back as he slightly pulled away from Kevin's embrace, hoping Kevin would understand that it wasn't him he was avoiding, it was the feelings he had for him and the confusion behind them. That he needed time to sort it out himself before confronting Kevin about them. "I'm sorry Kevin...I just can't talk about it right now..." Double D said not wanting to mention it right now.

"That's fine, but don't push me away or avoid me. You will tell me one day right?" Kevin insisted, not wanting the matter to simply drop, he wanted to know what had Double D so upset to the point where he felt like avoiding Kevin.

"Of course. Can I go now?" Double D persisted, wanting to go to his swimming tryouts and get it done already.

"Sure." Kevin said, letting go of Double D but still holding onto his arm, smiling at Double D till he looked up at him. "You'll do fine Double Dweeb." He said with encouragement.

Double D smiled and waved at Kevin before he went to the pool area and stood in line with the others, noticing Kevin sitting down by the bleachers to watch and support Double D.

"Alright, Hello and welcome to Swim Tryouts. I'm Jason, your swim captain and assistant coach. With only five additional spots on the team, two of you may not make it. So do your best. Best times win. If anyone of you swim over two minutes, you will be disqualified." Jason said looking at his check list and giving the swimmers some time to stretch, adjust, and prepare themselves. "We will begin in five minutes."

Double D stood next to a petite, young boy with long, white-lilac hair and lilac eyes. He was paler than Double D and looked a little nervous. Double D was worried that this petite peer might not make it so he tried to encourage the little guy to do his best.

"Don't worry, You'll do great." He said with a smile.

The petite swimmer looked startled and frantic before he coward and covered his face with his arms.

"Don't eat me!" He shouted, getting odd looks from the other peers and a worried, startled look from Double D. Jason looked over and rolled his eyes as if he has experienced this sort of them with the teen far too many times to find his little outbursts ridiculous.

"Umm, no, I won't ...eat you." Double D responded looking confused at the weird terminology the smaller student was saying. "I'm Double D, I just wanted to wish you luck in your tryouts and to encourage you to do your best." Double D restated.

The smaller teen looked hastily up at his slim neighbor in line. He wasn't sure whether or not to trust Double D but he was open to at least being polite.

"Sorry. Thank you. You too. My name is Gavy." The smaller teen looked shy, his voice soft and with barely any recognizable tone as if he was whispering the words.

"A pleasure to meet you. Any advice for swimming competitively?" Double D asked, worried he wasn't going to do well and that he need a little advice from someone who has probably swam more than he has in his life..

"Don't get water up your nose." Gavy responded, seeming serious about it even when the remark seemed a little too obvious to be considered serious.

"Oh, why thank you. I will make a note of that." He said, gulping before looking up at Kevin who nodded at him that it was going to be alright.

"Alright folks. Time to start. First up, D'Eon, Gavin. You're up." Jason said to Gavy before smiling. "You can do it Gavy." Jason appeared to know Gavy well and encouraged him warmly.

Gavy nodded and started to stuff most of his hair in his swim cap before starting up at the platform, his body was shaking and Double D could faintly hear the smaller teen mumbling the same thing over and over like a chant. It sounded like he was saying something similar to, "I won't dissolve, I won't dissolve."

The chant seemed weird to Double D but watched carefully to see how a person was to start off and dive in before beginning their meet. Jason had his stop watch around his neck ready in hand, waiting till Gavy was ready. "Ready. Set. Go!" He shouted, Gavin jumping off and swimming almost like lightning across the water, turning fast and starting again in the opposite direction to the other side of the pool.

Double D was in awe and apparently so was Kevin, by the looks of it. Double D measured the length of the pool and was really impressed by the speed Gavy was portraying down such a long length of a pool.

Jason smirked, proud of Gavy for improving himself after all this time, that his fear of dissolving in water was behind him and that it wasn't going to stop him from excelling in what he loves to do. He looked at Double D and noticed the confused and shocked expression on his face and decided to fill Double D in on a little bit about Gavy.

"He thinks he is going to dissolve in the pool so he swims as fast as he can so he can get out of there as quick as he can." Jason explained, mainly to Double D who was directly beside him.

"You sound like you know him well."

"You could say that." Jason said with a smile as he watched Gavy closely till his last touch to the wall, clicking the stop watch and smiling. "Good job, Gavy." He said writing down the time, looking proud of his peer with such a great time.

Gavy got out of the pool and took his cap off, rinsing out the wet strands of hair, not caring what his time was. Kevin looked down at Gavy at the bleachers and decided to move in closer to congratulate him.

"Good job." Kevin said.

Gavy looked up at Kevin and then looked stunned. "You're the football star aren't you?"

"Uhh yeah. You know me?" Kevin asked a little perplexed.

"Yeah, you defended me from some stout person in the hallway once." Gavy mentioned before looking a little embarrassed. "He was hitting on me and saying I was a really pretty girl..."

It took Kevin a while before he finally remembered. He did remember Gavy, the petite, long-haired boy in pre-teen girl overalls that Eddy had mistaken for a cute, little girl. Eddy was flirting with him and was surprised when Kevin had confronted him about Gavy actually being a boy, that his faint essence of an adam's apple was proof of that. He laughed when Eddy looked a little grossed out that he just hit on a boy.

"Oh right, I remember now." Kevin said smiling a little. "Eddy's face really hilarious when he realized you were a boy." Kevin admitted, finding too much amusement in the misfortune of his natural enemy, Eddy.

Gavy nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "Thank you for saving me from his advances. I wasn't sure how to respond to them and wasn't sure how to correct him." Gavy said looking shy again and kind of nervous.

Kevin smiled before he realized Double D was up and the last one to compete, diverting his attention to Double D who was looking nervous. He waved to Double D and sent him an encouraging smile, receiving a nod from the smaller teen.

Double D sighed and began to review the procedures in his head on how to swim, hoping he didn't mess up. He then realized that over-thinking it was causing him to forget more and more so for once before excelling, he cleared his mind, took in a deep breath and let it out then positioned himself to get ready, head facing forward, waiting for the sound of Jason's words to let him start. He was nervous but somehow he felt comfortable, like he was meant to be there, doing this and taking a chance for once on something new. He was a hardworking student devoted to self-improvement, productivity, and promptness. Now he was facing one of his biggest challenges, athleticism. He wasn't sure if he could do this, but he had to try.

"Go!" Jason shouted out and instinctively Double D dived in the water and started going. He practiced all yesterday on his form, breathing, and stroke. He even practiced multiple times how to correctly turn underwater and swim back around. He was doing well and he felt exhausted already halfway down but he pushed and endured as long as he could till he was finished.

Double D had Kevin on the edge of his seat and for once he finally knew what it felt like to be the fan in the stands cheering for the friend on the team during a game. He was always on the receiving end when it came to cheers and now it was a thrilling experience to be the one cheering for someone else. He clenched his hands tightly, swinging them up and down as if he was pounding hard on the ground, telling Double D to go and strive for the gold, despite the competition being a practice run.

Double D finally finished, exhausted breathing hard. He didn't have that much experience like the others did in excelling at the sport but he did his best, wishing he made the team.

Jason smiled and marked down the times then he wrote down on paper the names on the list that won the five additional spaces in order of fastest time. He tacked it on the bulletin board and got out of the way, allowing everyone a chance to see their name up there if they made it.

They gathered around. Double D slowly walked up to the bulletin board and waited till everyone else had their chance to view the board. He then looked at the board, expecting himself to be at the bottom of the list with the longest time allotted and was shocked when he noticed, he wasn't at the bottom, but second to the top. He achieved the second fastest time of the try-outs, Gavy being first.

Double D smiled and instinctively jumped into Kevin's arms when he turned around, half-expecting him to be there to congratulate him and he was, happy for Double D for finally becoming a jock. He held onto the dork, his embrace seeming more affectionate than proud, Kevin rubbing Double D's wet back as he rubbed his thumb on Double D's arm.

Jason looked perplexed by the strange embrace of the two newly joined siblings. He wondered what was their true relationship and confirming his feelings for the smaller teen being embraced, made his blood boil but was suddenly brought back to his senses when he saw Gavy standing in front of him, looking like he was wanting a congratulatory hug as well but form his respected friend. Jason knew he couldn't play favorites but considered they were somewhat considered friends, he obliged the weird teen with a hug and a few words of encouragement.

"Good job, squirt. You beat your time from last year." He said happily as he hugged the small teen, surprised that Gavy wasn't running from him like he would usually do with other teens who touched him.

"Thanks, Jason." Gavy said, sighing a little in content but looked bashful and slowly pushed away like the hug had exceeded its friendly welcome.

Jason smiled and knew he had to address his knew team. "For those of you who did not make it, I thank you for coming. All of you did well and if you didn't make it this year, there is always next year." He said, the two who didn't make it sighing disappointedly and leaving the pool area. Jason cleared his throat to speak to the teammates. "Practice is every Wednesday and every other Saturday at 3pm. You are all required to make practice, if you can't for any legitimate reason, please notify me or the coach forty-eight hours in advance. You may all go home. See you all next Wednesday." He said allowing the team to leave for the day, waving as he went to his office.

Kevin smiled at Double D. "At least it isn't every Saturday, you and I have a "d-a-t-e" He whispered teasing Double D who blushed and looked away. Kevin saw the expression on Double D's face and looked a little nervous. "That is if you still want to, that is." Kevin said rubbing the back of his head.

"Of course I do, we already made plans, right?" He said looking worried he might have blown the deal with his troubling thoughts.

"Nope, still on." Kevin said as he wrapped his arm around Double D's shoulders, pulling him into a head lock and giving him a noogie as he walked back with him into the locker room. "Still on, dork."


	16. Chapter 16

Double D couldn't believe that Saturday had finally arrived. He spent the rest of the week thinking about what Kevin had in store for them today. He was nervous about this day coming and what Kevin had planned for them and their so called "date". Double D could barely sleep the night before and he found himself waking up every few hours or so until 6am. He remembered getting up once to go to the bathroom then another time to grab a drink of water. He ran into Kevin's father at one point who wasn't a very chipper person when he was half tired. He had known his new father to be a happy-go-lucky guy who was pretty optimistic about a lot of things in life, but apparently, that was only the side of him that got eight-hours of sleep on a daily basis. If ever woken up halfway in the middle or any less than normal might result in a very scary man who craves chocolate-chip pancakes at three in the morning.

Double D sighed a hearty relief that morning had finally come but was it too early for their date, or did Kevin plan on starting this early anyways? Kevin didn't mention on what they were going to do, just that he had something in store for them and that it was a secret. What sort of secret could it be? Would it be a simple date like going out to the mall to have lunch and shop, get something to eat and see a movie, or something more active like sports or an adventure that they both could enjoy? Double D wasn't sure about what it could be, but he trusted Kevin to make the best, possible choice for their first date.

Date. That word started to strike a fear in his heart that he could not understand. He liked Kevin, that much was certain, but why were they going so far to get to know each other as more than just friends, peers, and now brothers? Was their feelings for one another truly worth persevering in? Did Kevin truly care for him in the same way Double D cared for Kevin? It would be pointless to proceed in such experiments if it wasn't mutual.

Again Double D sighed, sitting up in bed before sitting on its edge. He knew his thoughts were preventing him from going back to sleep, so he got up before his new parents and took a shower. He could at least be ready for whatever activities they had in mind to do today.

Double D went to his closet then realized a heavy thought. What should he wear? He scoffed at the thought, not understanding why it occurred to him just then. Why was his appearance so important with this? Kevin has known him for years, what he wears shouldn't matter, however, in his mind it was weighing heavily on him. Why? What did it matter what he wore as long as it wasn't his birthday suit, which he knew Kevin would not object to, oddly enough.

Double D blushed before he grabbed one of his nicest polo vests and buttoned shirt and jeans, keeping it simple but also his usual, nerdy self. He went to the bathroom and closed the door, panting as if he had just run one percentage of a mile, which for him was quite a bit of exercise.

He couldn't handle all of this constant wandering his mind was doing, pacing back and forth in his skull and giving him a headache. He had to shake off this worry of what was to lie ahead based on a few ridiculous, ineffectual assumptions. It was pointless to assume something before having the facts to back it up. He knew that first hand through many scientific research and studies, not to mention his hasty calculations with Eddy's ridiculous scams. He was ashamed of himself for making such mistakes and internally kicking himself to not make the same mistakes again. It was pointless, to say the least.

Double D finally got out of the shower and got ready, and then came downstairs to notice Kevin already up. He blushed, gulping slightly that his ginger brother was already up, eating breakfast. He blushed when Kevin looked up at him, his eyes still groggy from sleep and his expression not very warm-welcoming. He jumped when Kevin spoke up, groaning as if he was angry with Double D.

"Took you long enough. I have been waiting to use the bathroom." He protested, not giving Double D much hope for the rest of the day being fun and eventful.

Double D looked stunned but then sighed, glad Kevin wasn't truly angry with him. "My apologies. You can use it now if you desire." Double D said, wondering why he was speaking so formally with Kevin all of a sudden. He hasn't spoken so formally in years. He was told by Eddy to calm down with the intellectual talk all the time, that no one could understand his level of speech and it was pointless to explain things in long-winded, analytical speeches when he could easily just say a few words to sum it up. Even his teaches recommended him to sum up his conversations and over time, he was able to speak more normally to his peers without making himself seem uptight and conceited for knowing so much.

Kevin got up, finishing his eggs and bacon and then he started to walk to the stairs to go use the bathroom, walking by Double D without a word. The silence froze Double D where he stood, shocked that Kevin wasn't bothering to even say Good Morning or mention the date they were about to have later on.

Kevin stopped in his tracks behind Double D, his hands in his pockets with a serious, lazy expression before his words cut through the silence, proving to Double D that he hadn't forgotten. "Mom and Dad went to work, I told them you and I will be out for the day. I said we will be home before dinner. Once I'm ready, we can go."

Double D was speechless that Kevin had spoken up about it, as if he was reading his thoughts. He couldn't bring himself to speak up about it, allowing Kevin the liberty of continuing on with his pace up the stairs and to the bathroom. Double D sighed then went to the table, noticing the food on the table and the leftovers on Kevin's plate. He grabbed a piece of the toast Kevin hadn't finished and started to munch on it himself, not caring about the germs that were probably on them from the bites Kevin had already munched on.

Double D was then brought to the realization that he was beginning to not care about germs as much as he use to. Since when?

"You're a disgusting pig, eating after someone else. How can you live with yourself?" A voice spoke up in the kitchen, spooking Double D and nearly dropping his toast.

He looked behind him to see the man he saw the other day in the mirror, the one that looked like him. Double D was struck with a sense of fear. He backed up as the figure drew closer to him, trapping him against the countertop, not knowing what to do or what to make of this new encounter.

"W-who are you? What do you want?" Double D spoke up, losing his grip of the counter top and nearly falling over.

"Isn't it obvious? I am you." The man spoke, smirking seductively before licking his lips. The very sight of him creeped Double D up a storm and he wasn't sure what to make of this new visitor.

"Me? You are me?" Double D questioned. "What do you mean?"

"I am the self of you that becoming as well as your subconscious. You have changed little one, and I am not happy with it." The man said before he grabbed Double D's shirt, picking him up.

"Let me go! Put me down!" Double D shouted, squirming in the man's grip.

"You aren't yourself since the incident. You have neglected your organization, your studies, now you are loose with sanitation. I will not have you changing who you are now simply because you have no purpose left in it."

"No purpose?" Double D questioned, his struggling fading and his fear turning into curiosity.

"You did all of that, to be the proper son with perfect scores, perfect attendance, hygienic lifestyle, proper etiquette, speech, and style. Now because you have no parents to impress, you are neglecting who you are. Just because things have taken a turn for the worst, does not mean you should stray from who you are simply to stay strong. Otherwise, Kevin may stop caring about you."

Double D gasped, hoping what this twin of his wasn't right about what he just said. Kevin not care about him? That was preposterous, someone can't just stop caring about someone close to them simply because they change. Sure, his parents changed ending in their death, but this was a different matter. Kevin took him in, was there for him when he needed him, and has been by his side this entire time. Just because he wasn't himself half the time didn't mean Kevin would turn him down. He wasn't a weakling as he once was, or constantly annoying people with his proper speech and lifestyle. He was better than before, wasn't he?

"Stop contemplating on my words. You know it is true. You are afraid he will stop caring for you if he knew how much you have changed, especially if you are turning into me. That is why I am here. You are afraid of what you are becoming, you feel like you are becoming me, a delinquent who doesn't care."

"But you said you were me, my subconscious, aren't you? Wouldn't that mean I have that part of me inside me. It is the part I dare not show for fear of deviating from the norm of things?"

"Even if I am part of you, does not mean I am what you wish to be. Everything you are is because you are not me, because you are who you are, proper and upstanding. Without that, you become me. You are afraid of falling through the cracks, of someone who has lost himself to terror, fear, and change. You are afraid that without your parents to live up to and impress, you will not want to stay the way you were and eventually become me, someone who is your complete opposite, the devil inside you."

Double D looked at the man's cold, dark eyes. He was right. This man, this version of himself was someone he did not want to become and to do that, he had to remain as he was. Strong and independent as himself, proper, perfect, and smart. Without those guiding factors, he would turn into this person, to let go and not care about the world around him and how it affected him. It was who he was. He had to accept that despite the lost in his life, he must remain what he has tried so hard to become in order to be great.

"You're right. I can't be you, even if you are me. I am who I am because of my parents and without them to drive me to become great, I would have become you, someone who doesn't care about anything and everyone in his life to want to be good or proper." Double D started to cry, realizing that even with what he had just said was true, it still hurt to admit it to his other self. "But...you are still me..."

The man looked confused about what the little twin was saying, his expression turning from cold to contemplative.

"Even if I don't want to become you, you are still who I am. Just because you are not proper and upstanding, doesn't mean I am still not you. I have moments where I am wild and forward, more outgoing and carefree. It was a part of me I didn't know I have, that I can be more...forward in bed. It seems I am much more pushy and flirtatious than I had expected. But it is still me. Just because I don't wish to be you, doesn't mean I am not still like that. I am still you and you are still me. Without that part of me, I wouldn't be who I am. I wouldn't be a complete me with both halves of a whole. Everyone is like that, we all have the side of ourselves we dare not show the public for fear of being ridiculed as a deviant to society, but we all have it. We all masturbate, we all have sociological imaginations and fantasies of what we wish we could be or what we take interests in. Mine is to be more dominant to Kevin, yet still giving him control. I am what you call a dominant, submissive type, I guess. " Double D admitted, tears welling up in his eyes as he hid his face from his other half, feeling ashamed of himself for even admitting the truth to himself.

The man smiled, letting Double D down back on his feet. "I'm glad you finally accepted yourself whether you are who you are on the outside or the inside, without either, you aren't you. That's all I wanted to help you with."

"You...you were here to help me?" Double D questioned, wiping his eyes of his tears.

"Of course. I am your subconscious. Sometimes a hallucination isn't just an annoyance but a helpful guide that your subconscious creates to better understand a situation. And this situation was weighing too long and too hard on your mind. I needed to help you." He said with a warm smile.

Double D smiled back. "Thank you. I needed that realization." He said happily. "Maybe now I can be myself again without worry."

The taller half of him started to close the gap between them, "I bid you farewell, little one. If you ever need me, I am always here to help guide you." He said before his lips touched Double D's, his body vanishing soon after leaving Double D with a shocked yet empty heart to see his other half go so soon, bringing tears back into his eyes, as if he had just lost a beloved friend. He his eyes shook in sadness but he smiled. "Thank you. Thanks for helping me come out of that place again."

He said with a sigh before he was brought back to reality by Kevin, standing there looking confused.

"Dude, you're talking to yourself like a weirdo." He teased before he went over to Double D and placed his hands on his faces, pinching them to see if Double D was awake. "It's not nice to daydream so early in the morning. Unless it's about me and something naughty." Kevin teased again.

Double D looked confused before smirking. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Double D flirtatious added leaving Kevin speechless before walking passed him.

Kevin was about to say something but was speechless and wasn't sure what to make of the more open Double D.

"Say what now?" He questioned, not understanding what just happened.

"You heard me." Double D teased again, sticking his tongue out at Kevin.

Kevin looked a little shocked before he smiled and grabbed Double D around the neck and started to give him a noogie. "You're becoming a little wise-ass aren't ya!" He said teasingly as he enjoyed watching the little squirt squirm in his arms. He then let go and before he petted Double D's head. "Eat so we can head out soon." He said noticing Double D didn't touch any of the food on the table.

"Oh, right." He said before he started to grab a plate full of his food, reheating it back in the microwave to warm it up a little.

"So where are we going?" Double D spoke up.

"You'll see dork. Just be patient." Kevin said, smiling a little that Double D seemed so eager about their date today.

"Don't have to be so stingy." Double D stated before he grabbed his food and begun to eat.

"Better be nice, or you won't ever know." He stated, hinting that they didn't have to go if Double D was going to give him lip about it.


End file.
