A/N: With the weekend comes forth another chappie! Hooray! Read on!

Chapter 5: He's Totally Worth It

The next morning was a rude awakening for the Eds. Loud and rude, with minor bruising.

"You big Lugheads!" Pow. "You went and ate what we left for Double D!" Smack. "Admit it!"

"Have mercy, depraved sibling!"

"Ed! Your sister's gone crazy!" Eddy tried to escape, only to face the angry mob barricading the doorway.

"Not cool!"

"How could you?"

"Pretty rotten if you ask me!"

"You have broken the trust of a son of a shepherd!"

"Nice going, dorks."

Eddy backed up cautiously, biting back like cornered prey, "Oh, come on! Why can't you guys ever just leave us alone?"

"Ahem, excuse me…"

The new voice stopped the commotion dead in its tracks.

"Really, there's no need for all the aggression," he assured, gesturing to his two chums. "To be fair and honest, I did share your gifts with these two upright fellows, mainly because I couldn't eat it all myself, but also since they were willing to stay by my side the entire night. I will say that all your gifts were very thoughtful, and you all have my immense and most sincere gratitude."

Their answer was a lengthy pause, their faces paralyzed in shock.

Edd's grin faded uncertainly. "…er…"

"DOUBLE D!" A furious storm of excited voices bombarded him at once, and he met each of them with a smile or a laugh.

The other two gave them room, honestly satisfied with their reaction and glad they were being attacked anymore.

"You okay, Ed?" Eddy glanced up to meet the happiest battered face he ever did see.

Ed grinned brightly past his black eye. "Happy place, Eddy! Everybody's in it!"

"…yeah, I guess so."

At that point, all the fears and anxiety plaguing the neighborhood had been swept away into a bad memory.

Edd had been released from the hospital later that day, and he was more than eager to return home. One could find them moving down the hallways, Ed proudly pushing Edd's wheelchair as if escorting royalty and Eddy strolling faithfully beside, hands casually in his pockets and face unusually soft.

Reaching the lobby, however, Edd motioned for Ed to stop, gaze fixed unbelievingly on two figures he had spotted near the front desk. Before anyone could stop him, he leaped from his wheelchair, ran across the tiled floor on bare feet, and flew into his parents' arms, clutching his mother's skirt with his free hand and nuzzling his father's suit. For the first time in his life, their hugs, draping his shaking form, were warm and wholehearted, and within them he felt emotionally secure, even though he was out of breath and sobbing quietly.

Ed grinned expectedly at the tender moment, but Eddy viewed it much more bitterly.

Now they decided to show up? After all that pain and fear that they should've been around for? What a load of bull.

Eddy wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to forgive them after all the disappointment they brought to their neglected son, but at least he was decent enough not to bring it up and ruin the moment.

Of course, they had to leave right away to return to their demanding jobs, much to no one's surprise. Edd lingered in that same spot, weakly waving as they hurried out the glass doors and once again left him to wait… wait for that blissful moment of parental love to happen again. Deep down, however, he knew that he would be waiting for a long time.

To his surprise, an arm suddenly wrapped around behind his waist, carrying that same exact warmth he had been hoping for. Confused, he glanced up to find Ed latched to his side, flashing a shy smile that held a hidden message, one that Edd couldn't quite decipher. Nevertheless, he accepted the comforting gesture, and didn't squirm away when Ed pulled him in closer, head too full of thoughts for him to worry about it. He barely noticed and barely cared when the gentle oaf softly buried half his face in his hat.

Eddy looked on with a sideways glance of utter puzzlement, noting not only how affectionate Ed was suddenly becoming, but also how Edd remained in that warm embrace longer than he needed to.

Man… Eddy really did choose the weirdest friends.

Edd spent the majority of the week resting at home, enjoying the company of his books, his ants, and on occasion his best friends, whenever they could find the time. He found their daily chats about nothing in particular to be quite therapeutic; due to his past medical records, the doctors offered sessions and even medication for whatever post-trauma symptoms he could've had, but he politely refused all the offers. For once, all the remedies he needed were right in the comforts of his own home. Why waste the money when he could have a good read or a good laugh instead?

Halfway through the week, however, he received a call from the Peach Creek Sheriff's Department, informing him that a man by the name of Jack Anderson had been arrested for Friday night's hit-and-run, having confessed after being booked. Suspicious, Edd summoned his friends for an interrogation, discovering that they had helped in gathering the information that led to the arrest. He didn't ask how, but it really didn't matter at this point.

"You got yourselves involved after I specifically told you that the police had it under control?"

"Well, obviously they didn't!" Eddy countered. "Double D, nothing ever happens in Peach Creek. All the cops ever do is make traffic stops and write parking tickets. When something like this happened, everybody was too chicken to tell them anything!"

"…So they told us instead," Ed quietly added.

"Right! So we got the scoop they needed to book 'em!"

Edd placed his working hand on his hip in his familiar lecturing pose. "And what exactly motivated you, hmm? A monetary reward, perhaps?"

"As if! They couldn't even give us a reward 'cause they're so low-funded! We did it for you, Sockhead! The least you could do is be a little grateful!"

Edd was taken aback, not expecting such an argument. "…I… I see. Well, even though you did go directly against my wishes…"

Eddy groaned irritably.

"…I suppose knowing that man won't be able to hurt anyone else while serving his time is an encouraging thought."

"Right!"

"…so, thanks anyway."

Ed cheered. "We defeated the warlock, Double D!"

This seemingly irrelevant statement received strange looks from his pals.

"…what on earth are you talking about, Ed?"

He paused, unaware that he had spoken the thought aloud, and retreated back into the sofa. "Uh… nothing."

"Whatever…" Eddy dismissed it and mentally filed it as another random Ed-ism, whereas Edd took it more seriously, trying to solve one of the riddles Ed had been throwing out lately. He gave up on trying to unravel the mystery for now, placing it at the back of his mind for later analysis.

The entire week was wet and humid, the summer air left moist from precipitation as numerous puddles reflected the ever-cloudy skies above. Other people had every right to be annoyed by the inconvenient weather, but the Eds found themselves not in the least bit discouraged by it. Eddy was too preoccupied with scheming for their next scam, Edd was raptly marveling how fresh and clean the air smelled, and Ed was enjoying how happy he was about it.

A week after the accident, the boys were up to their old shenanigans again.

"Are you serious, Double D?" Eddy exclaimed as they walked down the street towards Ed's house, disturbing small puddles they stepped in. "That's what a junkie is?"

"Pretty much," Edd answered, strolling beside him.

"No way, you're fibbing."

"Why would I lie to you, Eddy?"

"…so that's why my parents freak out whenever I say it…"

"But you're still going to use it to drive them crazy, aren't you?"

"You know it!"

"Of course… At least you know what it means and can use it in context now."

"In your dreams!"

Edd sighed, giving up. Eddy won this round.

"Hi, guys!" Ed greeted as they met him in the backyard, loose wood and other supplies scattered about. "Double D! What happened to your cast?"

"Oh, I went in last night and they removed it," Edd explained, gesturing to the simple sling and splint that replaced it. "It hasn't finished healing quite yet, but at least I'm slightly more functional this way."

"Did you keep it?"

"Of course I did! I couldn't let them take it, not when all the others had signed it, especially with your drawings, Ed. It's sitting on my desk at home right now."

Ed beamed typically, and Edd could almost swear he saw him blush again.

"When you girls are done catching up," Eddy interrupted. "…we can get started on making up for two weeks' worth of fleecing the masses!"

"You have no idea how much I've missed that," Edd muttered, his sarcasm flying right over their heads. Truth be told, Edd missed the daily scams as much as a toe would miss a hangnail. "Go on, Eddy. What brilliant scheme have you come up with now?"

"It's the scam to end all scams, boys! After this, we'll be financially set for life!"

"Care to enlighten us already?"

"It's a cinch! Mother Nature'll be doing most of the work for us! After all, it is the rainy season, is it not?"

"…I'm sorry, Eddy, but that's incorrect," Edd, who just had to put in his two-cents, interjected. "This week was only a random dosage of precipitation, probably left over from the late May showers. Next week's forecast is nothing but sunshine!"

"Quite ruining the hype, Double D! You think I don't know that?"

"You'll admit it's highly unlikely."

"Unlikely, but not impossible!" Eddy pulled him closer by the shoulder, wearing his trademark sly grin. "After all, what's that saying of yours?" He put on a fake look of contemplation. "Hmm… I think it goes along the lines of 'Summer rains…'"

"'…you can never predict them,'" Edd finished lowly, defeated by his own repeated analogy.

"Right!" Eddy slapped his back, causing him to cringe, before leaping onto a high pile of timber. "That'll be the slogan that reels 'em in! It's perfect!"

"Slogan for what, Eddy? Get to the point!"

"You can't rush genius, Sockhead, so don't even try. Anyways, we're talking about the gear that keeps you dry when rain's falling from the sky!" He paused for dramatic effect, then proclaimed, "Ed's Raincoat and Umbrella Emporium!"

Edd allowed the idea to sink in, found it to not be too terrible, and began to meditate on the details. "Well, alright… the stall will be easy, but for coats and umbrellas, we'll need colored plastic, aluminum, buttons, needles and thread, and plenty of nylon, or at least a decent substitu…"

When Edd stopped talking, Eddy thought for a second that his mouth had truly sealed up this time. But he turned to gaze upon something a little more shocking.

"…E-Ed…?"

"Yes, Double D?"

"…are you holding my hand?"

"…I'unno…" Ed's gaze dropped simultaneously with Edd's, and between them, they found each other's hands entwined quite comfortably. "…uh…"

"WELL…" The awkward moment was interrupted when Eddy cleaved his way between them and pulled Ed aside. "You start drawing up the designs, Double D. Me 'n Ed will… um… gather the supplies."

"Um…ehem…" Edd coughed uneasily, left with a nervous tremble as he forced out a smile. "…r-r-right."

"Let's go, Lummox!" Eddy roughly jerked him around the side of the house, leaving Edd to regenerate his composure as he shakily pulled out his brainstorming pad and pencil.

He spent a few uncertain minutes staring at the blank page sitting in his lap, as another object besides raincoats was running throughout his thoughts and utterly distracting him.

"Just what the heck was THAT all about, Ed?" Eddy began his inquiry with the demanding question.

But his reply was only a longing stare as Ed looked past him, past the house walls, and at the subject of his intense fascination, seated in a lawn chair in contemplation.

That is, until Eddy delivered a back-slap to his face. "ED! Pat attention to me! What has gotten into you? You've been acting weird around Double D ever since the accident!" He paused. "…well, weirder than usual. And don't think I didn't notice because I did!"

Trapped like a cornered deer, Ed did the only thing he could think of doing. He plopped down in the grass and began to sob.

"Oh, for crying out loud…!" Eddy slapped his forehead in exasperation, then clasped Ed's shoulder firmly. "Look, I'm sorry, Ed, but you gotta tell me what's going on between you and Double D, and you gotta tell me now."

Sniffling, Ed looked up at him timidly, wiping his damp eyes with one green sleeve and his runny nose with the other. "…Don't laugh, okay?"

"I can't make any promises, Ed."

"Eddy!"

"Okay, alright, get off my back!" Eddy leaned on the nearby fence, crossing his arms expectantly. "So? Start explaining."

Ed fidgeted, not sure where to begin. "…um… well… remember the story I told you? About the movie I saw?"

"Vaguely."

"The sleeping and true lover's kiss part?"

"Well, yeah, you only mentioned that part fifty times."

Ed hesitated and averted his gaze, his insides tied up in knots. "…well… When I looked at Double D, still sleeping, I… I thought about Princess Bianca and Sir Lloyd and… and then I thought about all the things I missed about him the whole week he was gone and… and…"

Eddy raised a brow, wondering what the heck this was leading up to. "…And?"

Ed bit his lip. "…and… I really wanted him to wake up, so…"

Eddy gaped ever so slightly, stunned. "…You didn't."

Ed blushed furiously, his head sinking halfway down into his jacket in embarrassment. "I did."

All Eddy could reply with was a fixed stare of complete befuddlement.

"B-but Eddy!" Ed leaped up and grabbed him by the arms, pulling him in desperation. "R-right after I kissed him, he woke up! No lie!"

Eddy blinked, still left in shock. "…no way."

"Yeah way!"

"…weird," he finally muttered, too flabbergasted to come up with a wittier retort.

Slowly, Ed put him back down, wearing a distraught frown. "…it was a true lover's kiss that broke the spell, Eddy…" He looked away. "…which means…"

Eddy followed his gaze towards their third party of interest as he scribbled erratically on his pad, unaware of the sudden attention he had garnered.

Eddy glanced between the two of his buddies unbelievingly, then frowned at Ed and made his proclamation. "You can't be serious."

But his conviction lost all its power when Ed turned to give him the most serious look that had ever crossed his face.

At first, Eddy had no idea what to make of all this, and the way he was at a loss for words deeply irritated him. Looking frantically for a comeback, he gazed at an oblivious Edd again and regained some confidence. "…Well, okay, but… him? Mr. Know-it-All Blabbermouth? What the heck do you see in him?"

At this point, Ed put on a loving smile, sighing dreamily. "Lots of things, Eddy… He's smart… he's nice to everybody… he always listens to me…" He squeezed his cheeks giddily. "His smile's oh-so-cute, and when he's happy, his voice sounds so pretty…" He let out another deep sigh. "I bet he could sing really good if he wanted to."

In spite of his overall uncertainty, Eddy couldn't help but be amused by Ed's appealing description of their Sockhead, finally reaching a conclusion with a smirk. "Man, you've got weird taste."

Ed pouted. "Eddy…" he whined. "You said you wouldn't laugh…"

"Hey, chill, I ain't laughing!" He pushed off the fence and sat on the muddy ground before him in order to be more level and honest with him. "But before you jump in head-first like you always do, there're some things you gotta know."

"Really? What are they, Eddy?" Ed eagerly leaned forward. "Hurry, tell me!"

"Okay…" Eddy paused, looking for the right words. "Well… there are two kinds of people in the world, Ed. First, there are people like me called 'heterosexuals.'"

Ed made a face. "Heterosecicals?"

"Sexuals," Eddy corrected. "They like people of the opposite sex. Boy like girl, girl likes boy. You follow so far?"

He was slightly surprised when Ed nodded back. Never before had he been so attentive to anything besides the television.

"Good. Then there are people like you called 'homosexuals.'"

"Homosexicals?"

"Sex-u-als," Eddy sounded it out, slightly annoyed. "They like people of the same sex. Boy likes boy, girl likes girl."

Ed thought this over, frowning. "…is that bad?"

Eddy was thrown off for a second, but contemplated the question and continued. "Well, I guess it depends on what other people believe in and stuff… one thing's for sure, it's different, and there're gonna be people who hate you for it."

Ed gasped lightly, tears welling up in his eyes. "W…why?"

"…y'know, I don't know, Ed. They just will."

The cruel fact was a very discouraging thought that left Ed in bitter confusion and heartache as he began to weep again.

"BUT!" Eddy disrupted his sorrow, grabbing his near-nonexistent chin to direct his head his way. "With that in mind, you only gotta ask yourself one thing." He turned his head towards Edd in the distance. "Is he worth it?"

Ed gazed at him longingly and felt himself nod. "…y-yeah. He's totally worth it."

"Alright, then, in that case…" Eddy gave him a grin. "Those other losers can go jump in a lake for all you care, right?"

"…Y-yeah!" Ed beamed through his tears, gaining confidence. "We'll be happy, and that's all that matters!"

"Well said, my fish-faced friend." Eddy patted his shoulder before clambering back down into the grass. "Now onto the second issue. How do you know Double D swings that way?"

Ed cocked his head. "…swing?"

"It's another way to say homosexual."

"Oh…" His face faltered. "…I dunno."

"Right, you don't." Eddy took this problem into consideration. "Normally I'd say the risk ain't worth it, but hey, if you really feel that way, you gotta go talk to him."

Ed paled in dread. "T-talk?" he stuttered, glancing Edd's way, this time in horror. "I… I can't do that, Eddy!"

"What do you mean you can't?" Eddy exclaimed, gesturing a hand towards their friend. "Ed, are you gonna watch Double D from a distance for the rest of your life?"

"N-no!" Ed bit back, hugging his arms as if just noticing the cold air. "…I-I wanna hug 'n kiss him again… he felt really nice to kiss, Eddy."

"Ed, you can keep that information to yourself."

"Sorry…"

"Look, Ed, the only way you're gonna find out if it works out or not is if you go up and tell him how you feel. There's no way around it."

"…but…" Ed looked at him fearfully. "…b-but will he like me back?"

"I don't know, Ed! It all depends on whether he's like that or not." He glanced at the person in question. "To be honest, if he is, I wouldn't be that surprised."

Ed was ever-hesitant. "I dunno, Eddy…"

"Look, burrhead," Eddy turned Ed's head back to face him, dead serious at this point. "Whether you like it or not, you're going to tell him how you feel. You're gonna accept whatever he feels, and you're gonna do it yourself. I am not going to hold you hand this time. In fact, I'm not gonna hold your hand at all because I don't swing that way."

"But what if he doesn't like me back, Eddy?" Ed wailed.

Eddy replied with a smack to get him under control. "Get a hold of yourself, geez! …Look, if he doesn't, at least he'll be decent in his… um…" He searched for a kinder word for rejection. "…refusal. Heck, he won't even hate you for it. If I know one thing about Double D, he ain't a hater. At the very least, you'll get all this off your chest, right?"

Eddy had presented all his convincing arguments, but Ed was still swimming in a pool of overwhelming doubt and fear. "…I dunno…"

Irritated, Eddy switched to another strategy, holding an imaginary phone to his face. "Hello, who's this?"

Ed stared blankly at his pal.

"Opportunity? Call for Ed? Well, darn, he's just not willing to take any calls right now. You wanna leave a message? Oh, you're never gonna call again? Gee, that's harsh…"

Ed straightened up in realization, desperately grabbing Eddy's hand and holding the "phone" to his own face. "W-wait, I'm here! Ed is here! He'll take it, he'll take it!"

"Alright, alright, calm down!" Eddy pulled his hand away, glad to be getting somewhere. "Now, we gotta set up a time for you two to talk. I'll even give you guys your space."

"…okay," Ed muttered softly, gazing at his crush.

"We can do it tomorrow or even Sunday if you wanna wait that long…"

"Eddy?"

"What?"

"I wanna do it today."

Eddy was surprised by Ed's sudden bout of confidence. Usually he would refuse to let this kind of thing interfere with his scam, but he had to admit that Ed succeeded in impressing him. "…well, alright. We'll do it today."

"What about the scam, Eddy?"

"Bah, we'll postpone it. No big deal."

Ed blinked in appropriate shock. "Eddy… how come you're being so nice to me about this?"

Eddy paused, wondering the same thing. "Well… my brother told me once that flirting is one thing, but true feelings of love aren't to be taken lightly, or something like that…"

"Your brother said that?"

"Yeah, I know. Don't tell anybody. I don't wanna be in a world of hurt when he finds out I tarnished his reputation."

"Can I tell Double D?"

"Okay, fine, whatever! Just no one outside Double D, okay?"

"Okay…Eddy?"

"What, Ed?"

"Are you gonna hate us?"

Eddy was taken aback for a second, then scoffed. "Pfft, no. Why should I care about your sexual preference? As long as you don't force it on me, I'm cool with it. We're all buddies anyway, right?"

"…Right.." Ed beamed brightly, sniffling. "Thanks, Eddy."

"No prob, Monobrow. Let's get those supplies anyway so Sockhead doesn't have a bird about it."

"Okay!" Greatly cheered up, Ed bounded into the house. His friend only shook his head with an amused grin, following him inside.

Eddy may have chosen the weirdest friends, but hey. At least they weren't boring.

A/N: Woof, long chappie, huh? I know this is breaking Eddy's character a little, but I tried my best to make him sound like a jerk without actually being a jerk… if that makes any sense. XD I'm just tired of reading fics were he's a total jerk all throughout; don't get me wrong, it's easy to make such a two-dimensional character. But a good character is more than just one-sided; there's more to them than what comes out often. That's what I was trying to accomplish. And I'm just tired of Eddy being a jerk all the time. XD Well, review, anyways!