They sat in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was the perfect kind of silence, and neither of them wanted to break it. Finally, it was Edd that broke it, with a deep chuckle. He laughed without much humor and sighed, placing his head in his hands.

"What are you going to do about Anthony?" Edd knew already what Kevin was planning on doing, but he didn't like it.

"Nothing… the school won't believe me, especially since it would be against the school's top athlete. And what if it gets out to the s-students? They'll never let me hear the end of it…" Kevin knew what kids were like, especially in their school. He would be mocked, beaten, maybe even raped again, who knows what they would do to him.

"You are aware that I cannot allow you to live with this without getting revenge on Anthony for hurting you, correct?" Edd lifted his head and looked at the redhead, who glanced away and nodded, smiling sadly at the blanket covering his legs.

"Yeah… I figured that's what you were going to do. .."

"Well, since you know what I am going to do anyway, what are you going to do about this?"

"I don't know…" Kevin honestly didn't know what he was going to do. If he went to the school, nothing would happen. If he went to cops, he would be interrogated and ignored. If he went right to Anthony, he would be actually killed.

"Hmmmm…." Edd didn't responds, but simply looked at Kevin. The smaller started feeling strange, having Edd stare at him, so he tried to stand up only to have such intense pain in his hips that he fell back into the bed again.

"Arrgghh!" The sound that came out of Kevin's mouth wasn't very human. Edd put a hand on the redhead's shoulder and made him lay down completely.

"Rest, please. I have to make a phone call, but when I get back I'll make us something to eat." It wasn't a question, and Kevin knew he had no say against what Edd had planned, so he just nodded and closed his eyes. He didn't realize how tired he was until he did so, and almost fell asleep instantly. Edd stood and grabbed his phone from the nightstand before leaving.

"Glad to hear you made it out in one piece Jacob." Edd let himself smile into the phone. It only took ten minutes to track down his group from Juvie. Out of the original seven, three were dead – including James – and two were still in Jail. The other two were released and were living within a hundred miles of Edd.

"Glad to hear you weren't sent back to Juvie Eddy boy!" Jacob laughed from the other end. Edd didn't realize how much he missed Jacob.

"Not without temptation, my dear friend…" He trailed off suddenly, his tone darkening. "That's actually why I called you." Jacob heard the change in tone instantly.

"What happened?" Jacob wanted the whole story, but Edd wasn't sure if he wanted to tell the whole story three separate times.

"Can you get Nathan on the line as well? I do not know if I can tell this story several times."

"Glad to see you defrosted, Ice King." Jacob said sarcastically, but there was a rustling on the other line before he came back. "Okay, I'm going to hang up and get him on the line."

Edd grunted in acknowledgement and hung up. While he waited for the call back, he listened to the birds in the birds singing. It was strange, listening to such a peaceful moment after how crazy the previous day was. Edd let himself relax and try to forget what was about to be planned while he could. His moment lasted only a few minutes, because in no time at all his phone was buzzing again.

"Let's get to the point." Although Edd kind of wanted to catch up with his friends, but this moment was crucial. "A dear, dear friend of mine was horribly attacked. I need to bring this asshole some sweet revenge, but if I do this alone I will be sent back for murder."

"When and where Edd? I'll be there." Nat was ready.

"At least give us the whole story Edd." Jacob, however, was not.

"Fine. Kevin was being bullied at school, which ended with him being violently raped in the library and left to be found by teachers days after. If I had not found him, he would have laid there until Sunday at the earliest. His wounds are extreme and he is still bedridden. I am going to hunt down the man who did this to him and destroy him." He finished with a growl so deep it would have curdled blood. The other lines were silent for a moment.

"We're in. Send us the address." Edd grinned darkly and relayed the information to his friends. This was going to be a fun.

!

By the time Kevin woke up, there was a lot of noise downstairs. Pots and pans clashing, voices going from whispers to shouts. He sat up groggily and checked his phone, and almost threw it across the room when he saw what time it was. He had been sleeping for almost twelve hours? That means it was Saturday evening, right?

He tried sitting up again and was happy to find he wasn't in as much pain. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Kevin eased himself up. His legs were a little shaky, but the pain was manageable. Besides, his stomach was growling so hard he would have crawled to the kitchen if he wasn't able to stand.

He inched his way down the stairs, putting one foot on each step before descending down another. It took him an insanely long amount of time to reach the bottom of the stairs, but since he had gone so slow and quietly, no one in the kitchen noticed him.

There was someone new in the kitchen. He was tall and lanky, much like Edd himself. His hair was dyed teal, but his brown roots starting to show already. He had a wide grin and an eyebrow piercing. Kev thought he was very handsome.

Kev wasn't watching where he was going and stubbed his toe into the door frame, yelping loudly and drawing the attention of Edd and his guest. They stared at Kev, and Kev tried hard not to make eye contact for too long. Before Kev could say anything, the one with the teal hair rushed forward and scooped him into a hug. Kev's wounds were jostled, but he was too shocked to make any sounds of pain.

"Oh geez Edd! You never told us he was such a cutie!" He placed Kev back onto the ground and quickly had to steady the injured redhead.

"Nathan, if you could refrain from hurting Kev any further, it would be much appreciated." Edd said cooly from where he was leaning up against the sink. Nathan, as Edd called him, took a step back with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry Edd, but look at him! I could just-" Suddenly there was a fork sticking out of the wall about a foot from Nathan's head. they turned to Edd, whose hand was still outstretched. Nathan chuckled nervously and put his hands up in surrender. "You know what? Never mind that last thought there. Man, you're just as good at that as you were last time I saw you."

"I'm Nat by the way." Nathan put his hand out for Kev to shake. "I tried forever to get Edd to call me by my nickname, but he refused…" He hesitated and furrowed his brows. "But he calls you Kev… How curious." His smile curled into a Cheshire grin and Kev quickly moved away.

"Kev, you should be in bed."

"Um… I w-was hungry…." Kev felt awkward around strangers. He wished he could just go back to sleep but he really did need to eat. Edd looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before slapping the palm of his hand to his forehead. Nat gave him a weird look but Edd ignored him.

"Of course you are. I am sorry Kev. Allow me to make you something." Edd moved to the fridge and began pulling out ingredients while looks were being exchanged behind his back. Kev watch amazed as Edd moved gracefully through the kitchen, pulling out pans and food, like he was born to do it. Kev shook his head a little. That was silly, the thought to himself.

"Are you going to make me something Edd?" Nat smoozed his way next to Edd and gave him a wide smile. Edd met his smile with a sneer.

"Get your own food. There's the fridge. Help yourself." Edd turned back to Kev's food and Nat slunk over to the fridge.

"Still so cold…" Nat murmured under his breath as he opened the fridge.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Kev, who was standing by the doorframe of the kitchen, automatically went to answer it. There, on the other side of the door, was another guy around his age. He was as tall as Edd, but was muscular. The sides of his head were shaved, leaving just the middle handing down a little. He had a big grin that only grew bigger when he saw who answered the door. Letting himself in, he went to shake Kev's hand.

"I'm Jake. I've heard a lot about you."

"Kev." The redhead shook Jake's hand, his own hand eaten by the larger appendage of the other boy. Kev never realized how small his hands were until he met Edd's friends.

"Hey! Jake finally made it!" Nat's voice rang through the house. He laughed and threw himself at the newcomer. They collided and slammed each other on the back.

"Alright gentlemen." Edd walked out of the kitchen with a plate and a glass. He handed the food to Kev and ushered the other too back into the kitchen. "Go upstairs and eat. Please do not put more stress than necessary on your body. We have… things to discuss. I would suggest not coming down until I come for you."

"Um… alright Edd." Kev took the plate and the cup and headed up the stairs. He really was curious about what they were going to talk about, but knew better than to go against Edd. Besides, he was tired again.

As soon as Edd was sure Kev was safely up the stairs, he turned to his gathered friends and sighed. They were sitting at the table, so Edd leaned up against the counter again.

"Now that we are all here, we must discuss our course of action."

"I say we kick his ass!" Nat slammed his fist onto the table. Jake raised his eyebrow at him.

"Oh yeah Nat. Let's get sent back to jail. That's a great idea!"

"I actually have an idea." Edd quickly stepped in between the fight that was sure to break out between the two. Both looked at him expectantly. "Kev does not want to report this incident to the school, for he fears Anthony would find out and attack him again. If we can bring evidence, and protect him, he might be able to survive this endeavor."

"Alright but how do we play into this? Can't you keep an eye on your boyfriend yourself?" Jake leaned back in his chair and looked directly into Edd's eyes. The Ice King's face lit up red and his usually cool eyes widened.

"B-boyfriend? N-no that's not-"

"Cut the crap Edd." Nat grinned at Edd, enjoying watching him fall apart. "We know, and we're happy for you."

"He's not my boyfriend." Edd sounded resigned.

"Do you want him to be?"

"…Yes, but courting him after such events would be a very bad idea." Edd closed his eyes and gathered his composure. Nat and Jake had to agree that it wouldn't be a good idea to push a relationship with Kev at the moment.

"It's a real shame…" The kitchen went silent for another moment.

"So here's the plan…"

"He is still asleep, and I am willing to guess he will stay asleep through this. The sleeping pills I crushed up into his dinner are supposed to keep a grown man down for at least eight hours." Edd moved into the room with arms full of bandages.

"You drugged him?" Nat asked, one eyebrow almost lost in the bangs that hung over his forehead. He was holding a camera in one hand and more bandaging in the other.

"I needed him to rest, and Kev is too stubborn to stay resting on his own." Edd placed the bandaging on the edge of the bed and clicked on the bedside lamp. The warm light was bright enough for their purposes but not bright enough to make the redhead stir.

Edd started undoing Kev's old bandaging and waved to get Nat to come close. Both gasped as they saw the extent of the damage. Nat steeled his nerves and began taking pictures of the bruising and scratches, as well as the fading bruise along his ribs.

The whole process took about twenty minutes, but they had almost one hundred pictures to use as evidence. As Nat left the room, Edd paused at the foot of the bed. He moved, going to sit next to Kev's shoulder. Edd thought to himself, Kev looks so young when he's asleep. The redhead stirred and Edd quickly stood and left the room.

"Um… W-why are you coming to school with us?" Kev adjusted the strap of his backpack, in better shape than he was at the beginning of the weekend. The extra Monday off gave him more time to recover. Edd had driven Kev home to pick some things up but refused to let the smaller student stay home alone.

"Cuz we're bored." Nat blew a bubble with his gum and tried to make it as big as possible before it popped and stuck to him nose. Kev shot him an unbelieving look but didn't push it. Spending the last two and half day with them, Kev learned not to questions the things they did.

The four of them walked to Edd's car, the back seat now cleared out for the newcomers. Edd felt weird driving a whole carful. He was used to it being just himself, and maybe Kev. Over the weekend, Jake – bless his hacker soul – managed to break into the school's data bases and enrolled Nat and himself as seniors. He managed to make sure at least one of them was in Kev's class at all times. They hoped no one would call them out on it, but it only had to last a week or two. Then their information would be erased from the system.

They pulled into the parking lot and sat in the car for a moment, gathering their thoughts.

"You okay sweetpea?" Nat placed a concerned hand on Kev's shoulder, causing him to flinch away.

"Y-yeah… just a little nervous." Kev didn't miss the exchange of looks, but didn't know Edd already filled the other two in on what happened so he quickly tried to cover up his mistake. "Nervous for a test! Oh yeah we have a big test in my robotics class…" He laughed awkwardly and opened the car door.

"Well I'll see you guys at lunch I guess!" Kev waved once before awkwardly pulling his hand from the air and speed walking away, peeking behind him every once in a while. Edd and his two friends watched Kev walked away with faint smiles.

"I can see why you want to protect him." Jake turned from the retreating boy and checked his phone.

"If you didn't have dibs I would totally snag him up myself." Nat laughed at his own joke, but didn't miss the look Edd shot him.

"Come along. The next few days are going to be very interesting." Edd locked his car and started towards the school, not waiting for the other two to follow. Soon, two sets of footsteps followed behind Edd.

"I would like to welcome a new student today. It was very last minute… I wasn't told until this morning actually. Anyway, if someone could get Nathan here the notes, it would make my job much easier." Kev's biology teacher wasn't a bad teacher, just frazzled. She was seven months pregnant, and it was staring to make her a little scatter brained.

Nat turned to the class and shot a glimmering smile to the students. Kev heard a few gasps, and knew if this was his first time meeting Nat as well, he probably would have gasped along with them. Nat really was attractive, but not his type. The taller teen make eye contact with the ginger and his award winning smile turned into a shit eating grin before moving to sit next to him. A few sounds of disappointment came from around the room, but Nat didn't notice.

"What are the odds pumpkin? Us being stuck in the same class like this." He grinned and watched Kev rummage through his backpack.

"Here are the notes, if you wanted to copy them but…"

"But what, chickadee?" Nat's grinned widened. Boy he loved to tease Kev. The redhead's face turned the same shade as his hair as he stuttered a little.

"I um, w-wasn't sure if y-you would w-want to do all that extra work."

"Why thank you dearling. You're so nice to me… be careful, or I might just fall for you." Nat wiggled his eyebrows as he stuck Kev's notebook in his bag. Kev's face, somehow, turned slightly more purple than red. Nat chuckled and turned his attention to the teacher. He just had to wait five more hours before shit got real.

"We have a new student joining our little robotics class!" Kev's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. How had Jake and Nat manage to get into every one of his classes? This was the fourth class of the day, and Nat had been in three, Jake in two including the robotics class.

"Hey. I'm Jake. I've been tinkering with robotics since I was about five, but my old school never offered any classes." He smiled warmly, so different from Nat's cocky grin. One of the student's started to ask a question, but the teacher cut them off, saying there was too much work to be done and that they could talk to him after class.

Class went by smoothly for Kev, so he wasn't sure why he felt growing dread in his stomach. By the time the bell rang, he was bouncing his foot and clicking his pen. Jake nudged him at the bell and Kev quickly jumped up from his chair. His stomach growled, reminding him that lunch was next. He usually didn't eat lunch at school, preferring to get work done during the free period, but today he was starving.

"Hey Kev. Want to walk to the cafeteria with me? I still don't really know my way around." Jake asked Kev, efficiently cutting off the student from the beginning of class that tried to ask a question. Kev gave them an apologetic look and led the way.

"So the cafeteria is kind of hard to miss. It's the biggest area in the school next to the gym. I usually skip lunch to finish work, so I don't know if there will be seats…" Kev trailed off. Jake gave him a once over and thought that maybe he shouldn't be skipping meals anymore, with how skinny he was already.

They made it to the lunchroom just in time. They slipped into the lunch line right as the room flooded with people. The line was almost out the door, but thankfully Kev and Jake managed to snag their meals and get out of the masses.

Kev looked around, hoping to find a nice empty corner, when he caught teal out of the corner of his eye. Nat saw him and waved, calling them over.

"Where are your lunches?" Is the first thing Kev asked when he sat down. Neither Edd nor Nat had food in front of them.

"We were waiting for the line to go down. Wanted to make sure we snagged a table before they all filled up." Nat leaned back on his chair, almost tipping over. Edd smirked a little at his friend, and Kev couldn't help but think he looked quite handsome when he smiled.

Lunch went smoothly. After Edd and Nat managed to get their lunch, the period was filled with casual conversation, until Nat suggested playing a questions game. To get to know each other, he had said.

"Kev." It was Jake's turn. "How in the world did you get Edd to use your nickname?" Kev stopped mid bite and slowly put his sandwich back onto the Styrofoam tray. Edd gave the redhead a concerned look but Kev felt he could trust these people, at least a little.

"I, um… had some bad experiences and having people use my full name makes me think of that, so I told him about it and he respects it and wants me to be comfortable…" The table went silent for a second while Kev thought of a question for his turn. "Edd? Why do you always wear that beanie?"

Edd blinked at Kev, almost owlishly, and put his fork down. With a swift motion, he took off his beanie and bent his head down a little. On the left side of his head was a large scar, about three inches long. Kev couldn't help but give a small gasp. Edd smirked a little and put his hat back on.

"Back when I was a kid, well you guys know about all the scams I was a part of. Anyway, one of them went wrong, but thankfully I was the only one injured. It was several years before the one that send me to jail. I was in the hospital for almost a month, but thankfully the concussion wasn't so horrific that it interfered with my intellect."

Kev was shocked. He had no idea that Edd's childhood was so dangerous. He wanted to know about all the scams he was a part of, all the stories Edd had of his child hood. Kev caught his train of thought and blushed lightly. He turned his head away to look at anything but Edd's confused face. As he turned away, he made eye contact with the last person he wanted to.

Tony was sitting maybe four tables away. The two locked eyes, and Tony's grin tuned feral. He put one finger up to his lips and winked at Kev. The redhead felt like he was going to throw up. In fact, he knew he was going to.

Sprinting to the bathroom, ignoring the calls after him, Kev ran to the bathroom and into the nearest stall. He barely made it into the stall before throwing up what he managed to eat. He wasn't hungry at all anymore.

A hand landed on his shoulder, causing Kev to jump and slam his head into the rim of the toilet. He faintly heard voices through the ringing in his ears.

"Kev? Holy fuck are you okay?"

"Kev, please try to breath."

"Woah watch his head."

The three of them surrounded Kev, trying to give their own forms of comfort as Kev shook violently.

"I-I'm f-f-fine." Kev finally stopped throwing up enough to wipe his mouth and get his friends to back off.

"You're not fine!" Nat was petting his head, his red bangs being smushed down.

"It's nothing… just some bad food."

"Kev, you should know by not that I will not stand for lies, especially from you. " Edd stood and walked out of the stall. It was getting really crowded.

"I saw Tony…" Kev spit into the toilet, wishing he had some water or something to wash his mouth out with. Edd clenched his hands into fists and let out a shaky breath.

"I'm going to kill that bastard." Edd growled out, and his tone caused Kev to shiver in fear. Jake went over to Edd and Placed a hand on his arm, gripping it tightly.

"Remember the plan." Jake said close to Edd's ear, trying to calm him down.

"What plan?" Kev managed to stand completely and walk out of the stall with Nat just in time to hear that sentence. Edd turned away from the mirror and faced Kev. The taller gave a small smile and ruffled Kev's head.

"Do not worry about it Kev. We have it all under control." Edd was the first to leave the bathroom, but waited outside of the door for the other three. They made their way back to the table, Jake keeping Kev's attention away from the looks the other two were giving the athlete at the other table.

Despite being away from each other for several months, Edd and Nat still had the perfect intimidation faces. It was the look they would give the guys at Juvie that were causing trouble. It was the kind of look with the wide grins that held zero joy and the crazy eyes that cause your blood to run cold and the shadows covering the tops of their faces to make it all seem even more demonic. Tony's face went from smug to deathly white as Edd and Nat sat down.

After that, the lunch period went smoothly. Kev managed to eat a few more bites at the insistence of Jake. As they left the cafeteria, Edd, Jake and Nat formed a wall around Kev, one on either side and one behind. They were looking around, but somehow Kev didn't notice anything was off, which Edd was thankful for.

The four of them headed to English, the only class the four managed to get together. As they walked and bantered, Kev was lost in thought. He had never had anyone to walk with him to class before. He was always the one that walked alone in the halls. This was… this felt amazing, to have friends to walk with you… Kev was overwhelmed.

They entered class the same way any group of three ruffians and a nerd would enter a room. Loud, rambunctious, and late. The teacher glared at them before she realized who they were. Poor little Kev, silent but always on time Edd, and the two new students she was told about literally five minutes after making it to work that morning.

"Erm, we have two new students today, Nathan and Jacob." They waved respectively and the class gave a monotone greeting as if they were in an AA meeting. The teacher awkwardly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pile of papers. Passing out the papers, she started to explain the daily activity.

It was like the last one, where the students were to get into groups and read the paragraphs, and discuss the questions on the second page. Since the four of them were already in a group, she didn't see any point in breaking them up.

As usual, the teacher let the students do their own thing as she messed around on her computer. Kev's group did very little work, but did a lot of talking.

"Hey Kev." Jake looked up from his phone. Little did the redhead know, the other three were texting each other at that moment, working out the final touches to their plan. "It's been a while since I've worked out. Could you show me the weight room after school?"

"Oh sure Jake, but what about Edd and Nat?" Kev looked up from his questions, because he was actually answering them for a grade, unlike the rest of the class.

"Eh don't worry about us." Nat was trying to balance his chair on two legs, and was wobbling dangerously. "I have a problem with my schedule so Edd's gonna show me to the office after school. We can all meet up after and go get ice cream."

"And how are you planning on paying for this ice cream?" Edd raised an eyebrow as he watched the teal haired boy almost fall completely over. The chair legs screeched along the tiling floors, causing half the class to look back at them.

"Well, I snagged some extra dough from my mom before booking it out here, and I think today is the perfect time for a celebration." He grinned and rested his head on the desk.

"Why would we celebrate today?" Kev was confused. Was there something happening today?

"Our first day of school sweetcheeks!" Nat gave Kev a thumbs up, ignoring the texts on his phone yelling at him for almost letting Kev know something was up. Kev just laughed and nodded, going back to his work. The trio gave an inaudible sigh of relief and went back to talking.

When the last bell of the day rang, the two groups went their separate ways, Kev and Jake heading towards the gym while Nat and Edd went to the office. Just as they were about to leave, Jake gave Nat and Edd a nod. The plan was in action.

Edd opened the door to the office and went directly to the secretary, Nat close behind. Both had dropped their smiles.

"Hello. My name is Eddward. I have an appointment with the principle." Edd said in his smooth voice. The secretary nodded and called the principal's office, making sure he was still there. She waved them in, and they paused at the door.

"Come on dude. We have to do this."

"I know Nathan… I just worry about the repercussions." Edd whispered before finally opening the door. The principle was an older man, with greying hair and a goatee. He had taken off his jacket during the day, and had the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up.

"Welcome boys. Come, sit. Tell me what the issue is." Mr. Boarden said, gesturing towards the two seats in front of the desk. Edd and Nat took his suggestion and sat, neither of them sitting all the way back.

"We have some… rather disturbing news." Edd nodded to Nat, who pulled a folder from his bag. Mr. Boarden's eye brows raised and his friendly smile fell.

"That doesn't sound good." He leaned back in his desk chair and folded his hands. "Please, continue."

"On Friday evening, after school, one of your students was violently raped in the library." Edd didn't want to tip toe around the subject. He had learned in the past that avoiding the dangerous topics lead to the outcome being understated. Mr. Boarden was sitting up straight now, his palms flat on the desk.

"That's a dangerous accusation Mr. Vincent. You better have some evidence to back that up." He sounded grave. Edd smiled bitterly and handed him the folder as he began his story.

"I had left to handle a personal event, and Kevin Barr was to accompany me. When he did not meet me, I figured he just went home, so I left. I received a call from him, hours later. He was crying, could barely form a full sentence. I rushed back to the school, afraid of what I would find. I knew where he was, in the library in that far corner. The whole library was dark, the librarian had obviously left for the day, without checking for stray students, I may add.

"I found Kev curled up on the ground, trying to cover himself with a ripped shirt. His trousers were ripped and around his ankles. He was covered in red and white, and if you don't know what I'm implying, I would be more than willing to give a more direct description." Edd made eye contact with Mr. Boarden, who had gone white as snow. He just shook his head and waved his hand, telling Edd to continue his story. He had flipped through most of the pictures and felt his lunch about to come back up.

"He could not speak in full sentences. His hips and neck were covered in bruises, his neck openly bleeding from bite marks. When I asked him what happened hoe simply told me he was 'free'. I asked him from what, but he didn't want to say. After much pushing, I found out that it was Anthony Person that did this. According to Kev, Anthony promised to leave him alone if he promised not to breathe a word of the encounter to anyone.

"Kev passed out, and I took him back to my house. He refused to go to the hospital, for personal reasons, so I treated him myself. There were wounds around his wrists, hips, back, neck and shoulders, as you saw in the pictures, along with self-harm scars along his wrists and stomach due to bullying from Anthony. He forced Kev to complete all of his assignments, threatening to hurt him even more if he refused to comply. I was lucky enough to be able to help him with the work, and after the incident. Otherwise, he would have been all alone…" Edd's voice trailed off sadly, falling into his own thoughts. Mr. Boarden cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over his face.

"There are some serious accusations, but with this evidence I don't see any way this could be a joke… I just don't know what the school board is going to do about this… You, you can go boys, but expect to be called down several times in the coming week."

"Thank you sir, for believing us. I am afraid I would have had to go to drastic measures to ensure Kev's safety." Edd said with complete seriousness. Mr. Boarden's face paled even more as he showed the two boys the door.

"Have a good evening boys" He closed the office door, leaving the two in the hall. Nat turned to Edd and grinned.

"Well that went well."

"Yes, I suppose it could have gone worse." Edd replied with a grin of his own. He pulled out his phone and send a text to Jake. Within minutes, he got a text back.

No sign of A. Heading to the car now. –J

"Everything went smoothly. Let us meet at the car." Edd slipped his phone into the back pocket of his jeans and grinned at Nat again. Nat laughed out loud and jumped onto Edd, wrapping an arm around Edd's shoulders in that way boys do when they're having fun.

Even Edd let out a laugh, the weight on his chest lifting a little at a time. It felt good to laugh, Edd thought as he did it again.

"Man… it's been forever since I heard you laugh…" Nat's smile faded as he stared into the distance. "You know… we were all afraid for you after the… James thing. We thought, we thought we were going to lose you too. You guys were always so close, and after he- well, I'm glad to see you smiling again. I think Kev's a big part of it, so I'm happy to be helping him in any way I can." Nat stopped walking and turned to face Edd.

Even though Nat was shorter, Edd was slouching slightly. Nat slipped his hand into Edd's and sighed. Leaning in close, Nat placed a soft kiss to Edd's cheek. He pulled away, just an inch, before pulling away completely. With his smile back in place, Nat laughed once and turned away again, his usual pep back in his step.

Edd stopped walking in shock, not sure what just happened. He never thought Nat could have feelings like that for him… He thought back to his time at Juvie.

Nat sat next to Edd, picking food off his tray with a fork and a lazy grin.

Nat falling asleep in Edd's dorm and leaning up against the taller teen.

Nat only ever opening up to Edd, not even telling James his deepest feelings.

The look on Nat's eye when he first caught Edd with James.

The look he gave Edd when he realized James had killed himself…

Edd blinked back to the present with a heavy heart. He picked up his step to catch up with Nat, who had made it to the end of the hallways while he was daydreaming.

Nat watched Edd from the corner of his eye, and although he wouldn't even admit it to himself, he was proud that he managed to fluster the Ice King, even just a little. He kicked open the front doors of the school and hopped down the front steps two at a time. He made it to the car before Edd even made it down the stairs.

"Hey there Kev!" Nat ran over and high fived Jake, who was sitting on the roof of the car. Kev was sitting on the hood, looking at something on his phone. He looked up and smiled brightly as the sight of the other two members of their group.

"Hey Nat! Did you fix your schedule?"

"Yep! They wrote me down for two classes at once. We cleared it up nice and pretty. Have fun working out?" He said sarcastically, grinning wolfishly at Jake.

"I ran on the treadmill for about twenty minutes before getting bored and messing around on the yoga balls with Kev. We learned some seriously deep things about each other on those partially deflated yoga balls." Jake stared into the distance dramatically, but could only hold his straight face for a moment before chuckling. He turned his head to Edd. "Any more… complications in the future?" The meaning was clear to the three.

"Most likely. Computers can mess up quite easily. I would suspect being called down a few times to work out any… bugs." Edd examined his finger nails and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders before climbing into the driver's seat of the car. "Load in everyone. Nat owes us ice cream." He grinned wide, and Kev felt his heart skip a beat. He sat in the passenger seat, but could barely hear the sarcastic comments from Nat over his own heartbeat. Kev really, really hoped his face wasn't as red as he felt it was.

Kev was lying awake in the guest room at Edd's. He had planned on going home after ice cream, but Edd had convinced him to stay a few more days. His reasoning? Edd needed someone to keep Nat and Jake in line until they settled down a little more.

He grinned at the ceiling at the thought. He was needed. Edd needed him. He giggled and buried his face in the pillow.

Kev thought back to the day and felt his smile falter. Today was… perfect. But perfect things never last. Spending time with Nat and Jake and Edd, like friends… it was like he was normal. He never wanted them to leave. Selfish of him, he knew, but he needed this.

"I wonder…" Kev climbed out of the bed and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders before creeping out of the room. He skipped the stairs he knew would squeak and made his way to the living room. Jake was sprawled across the couch and Nat was in the recliner, his jaw open and snoring gently. Kev felt a stab of guilt for taking up the guest room while they slept in the living room, but Edd had convinced him after he rearranged his "parent's" room, there would be plenty of space for everyone. Kev wasn't sure how long Edd would make him stay.

"Psst Nat? Nat…" Kev reached out and shook his shoulder, causing him to jerk awake with a snort.

"Kev?" He slurred, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What time is it?""

"Um, about three in the morning." Kev fixed the blanket that was slipping off his shoulders. Nat yawned and sat up.

"What's wrong babe?" Nat reached over and pulled Kev into his lap, like a father would with a child who woke up with a nightmare.

"I, um, couldn't sleep."

"Yeah I know how that goes." Nat yawned again and sat back. "You can stay with me sweetpea. I've always found it's easier to fall asleep with someone in your arms."

"Nat? When are you going to leave?" Kev mentally smacked himself. He could have worded that a little smoother. He felt tears building up at the thought of his friends leaving.

"Woah there kiddo. We're not going anywhere anytime soon. We just got here! Besides, it would be so much work to transfer schools again." Nat grinned at Kev in the darkness, his words only helping a little to calm his nerves.

"I just… It's been so long since I've had any real friends… and I can't stand the thought of losing you guys." That did it. Kev sobbed quietly and quickly tried to wipe away the tears. Nat woke up completely and wrapped his arms around the smaller teen.

"You're not going to lose us pumpkin." Nat spoke a little louder, trying to wake Jake up. It worked, the sleeping teen jerking awake and sleepily looked around trying to figure out what woke him up. When he heard the crying, he sat up completely, placing his feet flat on the carpeting.

"Kev?" Jake's voice was deep with sleep, but held concern for his wellbeing. Was Kev hurt? Did something happen? Nat got Kev to stand and brought him over to the couch, sitting the redhead in between himself and Jake.

"We're right here, see? We're not going anywhere, not even Edd." Nat rubbed Kev's back, helping his breathing return to normal. None of them knew the fourth was listening at the top of the stairs. He had heard Kev leave his room and needed to make sure he was okay. He didn't expect what he heard though. Why did he come to me? Edd thought to himself as he listened to his best friends comfort the boy he may love.

"What's the point of making friends when they're all going to leave you?" Kev's tears had slowed, but his voice was still shaky.

"Because when you meet the right people, they never really leave. Look at us and Edd. We met in the worst situation, but we're still thick as thieves."

"Yeah, you guys do seem pretty close…" Kev agreed, but he doubted he would ever be as close to them as Edd is.

"And we're pretty close, aren't we cutie?" Nat ruffled his hair until Kev had to cave and laugh along with him.

"Yeah… I guess." Kev couldn't help but smile.

"I guess? I guess? I'm hurt dollface! Here I thought we were best friends!" Nat pretended to wipe away a tear before grinning at Kev, who couldn't hold a straight face.

"Alright fine! We're best friends."

"Hey what about me?" Jake poked Kev's cheek and pouted.

"You too. You're both my best friends." Kev grinned widely, his fears from before all but forgotten.

"Good. Now that that's settled, let's get back to sleep." Jake pulled his blanket so it covered all their laps and laid his head back on the couch. Kev rested his head on Nat's shoulder, and Nat rested his head on Kev's.

Kev hadn't been able to fall asleep so quickly in weeks.

Edd smiled and returned to his own room. At least Kev was safe, and he became such good friends with Nat and Jake. Kev needed more support in his life, Edd thought to himself as he laid back down in his bed. He fell asleep thinking of red hair and freckles.

The tension in the air was thick enough to suffocate Kev, but he didn't know what was wrong. There were more cops around the school, which normally wouldn't bother Kev, but the officers were looking wary of the students, which struck him as odd.

Tony was called to the office during first period, over the loud speaker. That also struck Kev as odd. Usually the secretary called the individual classrooms. The class erupted into whispers, but the teacher quickly silenced them with a quick glare and a cough.

Kev noticed Jake pull his phone out and send a text, the third thing that stuck Kev as odd. Jake was always so attentive in class. Kev never saw him text in class, except in English where no one pays attention.

There were no more interruptions until his robotics class. Kev's teacher answered the phone, and his easy going smile dropped by the inch as he listened to whoever was talking. His eyes darted to where Kev was sitting and paled.

He took the phone into the hallway, almost closing the door all the way. The class was silent, no one really sure what was going on, least of all Kev. When the teacher came back into the room, he looked like he had just been given the worst news in the world.

"Um, Kevin and Nathan, please go see Mr. Boarden…" He wrote the two of them passes but refused to say what was wrong.

"Are we in trouble?" Kev was tearing up. He had never been in trouble before, except that one detention he got last week. His record was perfect…

"Nah. We haven't done anything wrong sweetcheeks. It takes me at least a full week before I can get into any real trouble." Nat flashed his best smile, hoping to calm the redhead but saw it really wasn't working.

They made it to the office, but Kev's nerves weren't calmed when the secretary's face fell at the sight of him.

"Right this way Mr. Barr." She pointed the two of them to the principal's office. They followed her direction and hesitated outside the door. Kev knocked gently and opened the door when he heard a faint 'come in' from behind the door.

Opening the door, Kev was shocked to see Edd and Jake already there. The principle looked like he hadn't slept at all that night.

"Good morning Mr. Boarden." Kev greeted him quietly. He just nodded in greeting before motioning Kev to sit.

"So Kevin, I've heard some… unsettling things from your friends here. I need to ask you a few questions to make sure everything runs smoothly. So please, I ask you answer as truthfully and as accurately as possible." By this point, Kev had a sinking feeling he knew what this was about, and he would rather be beaten than answer the questions that were sure to come his way in the next few minutes. He felt sick to his stomach, but nodded anyway.

"W-what's w-wrong?"

"What happened Friday after school in the library Mr. Barr?"

Silence. Kev could feel his breath catching in his throat. His vision began to blur with the effort of trying to breath. A strong hand came down on his back, giving him something to focus on. He glanced to the side and saw that Edd had sat in the empty chair next to him. Edd smiled at Kev and nodded in encouragement.

"Um… I-I erm, I was in the library a-and, and I w-was just m-minding my own b-business. I w-was w-w-waiting for someone to, um, well, m-meet me so I could g-give them- them some work? And um…" Kev was shaking violently, tears splashing on his hands as they fell from his flushed cheeks. This was so not what he wanted to talk about. Ever.

"Please continue Mr. Barr."

"He um, well he w-was there and he, erm, he-he f-f-forced me to…" The images were coming back fast now, the flashbacks making him want to throw up.

"It is alright Kev. Please, just breathe and continue. It will be taken care of soon, I promise." Edd whispered soothingly into Kev's ear.

"Who was there Mr. Barr?" Mr. Boarden made sure to speak softly, as to not upset Kev further.

"I can't say." Kev whispered.

"Kevin, you have to tell me or else nothing can happen to fix this." Mr. Boarden was getting a little impatience. After spending the morning with Tony, he was at his wits end.

"He'll h-hurt me if I tell." Kev started crying harder. He knocked his glasses off in an attempt to wipe his face. Nat bent down to pick them up and held onto them for Kev, who was in no position to hold something breakable. Edd reached over and took Kev's hand.

"No he won't. You have me, and Nat and Jake to protect you. We aren't going anywhere."

"It was Tony… Tony r-r-raped me…" Kev barely choked the word out.

"Can you describe what he did to you?" Boarden felt bad, pushing Kevin like this, but he needed to make sure the stories added up.

"He, um…. Gagged me. And, um, r-ripped my pants… H-he just- just… oh god." Kev started hyperventilating, and the edges of his vision started to blur. His hand was squeezed, and he managed to look over to see Edd. He managed to get his breathing under control after a few moments and continued. "He just… no prep or anything. It h-hurt so badly… there was b-blood running d-down my legs, but he didn't s-stop… He told me, as l-long as I keep my m-mouth shut he would leave me alone…I don't want to be hurt anymore…"

Boarden stopped writing to look up at the sobbing child. He felt his heart break at the sight. No one should ever have to go through something like that, least of all someone so small. Kevin's story matched up with Edd's and the wounds in the pictures, which means Anthony was lying when he was brought in that morning.

He sighed, knowing this meant a lot of paperwork, news coverage, maybe even an assembly… sometimes he hated being principle.

"Alright. Thank you Kevin. I know it was hard to talk about something so scarring, but it was very brave of you. You four may return to class, or you may rest in the nurse's office for a little while. If you wish to leave school early, just remember to sign yourself out at the main desk." The four students thanked him and left the office, Kevin being supported by Edd.

"It's okay Kev. It's over. Tony's gonna be sent to jail, and we'll be here to protect you." Nat hugged Kev, trying to calm his shaking.

"Hey Kev. Do you want to get some food? Or go back to class?" Jake asked in a calm voice, trying to distract Kev.

"Um, let me go to the bathroom. Then we can go back to class." It was clear Kev was going to throw up, so the trio rushed him to the nearest bathroom. There were only three stalls in the boy's room, and the two smaller ones were occupied. The handicapped stall was the only one open.

Kev rushed to the last stall and slammed the door shut. There was a moment of silence before a scream rang through the bathroom. Immediately Edd, Nat and Jake were ready to run to Kev, but the two stall doors were thrown open and two guys walked out of each.

"Anthony's cronies, I would presume." Edd smiled bitterly and cracked his knuckles. Another scream, and the trio launched themselves. Three on four? Edd remembered when the odds were even worse.

Kev was cowering in the far corner of the stall. Somehow he didn't noticed Tony in the stall with him until it was too late. The tall blonde gave a bloodthirsty grin and cracked his neck.

"Long time no see, fag. I thought we had an agreement." He took a step towards Kev, who screamed in fear and tried to scramble away. Tony stepped on Kev's ankle, pinning him to the ground. "But it looks like you went and tattled on me... I think you need to be punished."

Kev turned to the side and threw up, splattering the toilet with his breakfast. Tony sneered in disgust and kicked Kev in the ribs. Kev cried out in pain, but was met with grunts and groans from outside the stall. Edd must be putting up one hell of a fight, Kev thought. It made him smile a little, to think of his friends fighting for him. His smile was quickly wiped away when he came face to face with the barrel of a shot gun.

"Y-you wouldn't…" Kev's heart skipped several beats. In fact, Kev thought his heart had stopped completely in fear.

"I'm going to jail anyway… might as well get revenge while I still can!" Tony laughed manically and turned off the safety.

"Why d-do you even have a gun!" Kev was desperately trying to buy time.

"I always carry it in my bag. Back home, I never know when I'm going to need to defend myself… I never leave home without it." Tony's eyes gleamed crazily, and Kev realized this really was the end for him. He deflated and closed his eyes.

Kev just really hoped it would be quick.

There was a bang, and Kev cried out. But there wasn't any pain? He cracked one eye open and saw Edd wrestling Tony to the ground of the stall and the gun being picked up by a bleeding Jake. Kev scrambled up, almost falling over. Nat caught him at the last second.

Nat carried Kev from the bathroom stall, where the four cronies were lying unconscious in a heap in the corner. Nat sat Kev down gently and began checking for injuries.

"Looks like a bruised ribs and a sprained ankle, but other than that you're okay." Nat's voice had never been so grim, and Kev didn't think the tone suited him.

Edd and Jake worked together to carry a now unconscious Tony from the handicapped stall, both sporting new wounds. Edd's nose was obviously broken and still gushing blood. There was a gash on his right arm, which was drenching his jacket. One of the cronies had a knife, Nat said to him quietly. Edd's lower lip was also split pretty badly.

Jake's eye was already swelling, and he was missing at least one tooth. There was a cut on his cheek that ran from his ear to the corner of his mouth, but he was smiling anyway.

Nat wasn't as bad, but he was still bleeding pretty heavily. There was a large cut on the side of his head, probably from someone bashing it into a sink. His cheek was going to bruise pretty bad and he was bleeding heavily from a gash on his stomach.

"You're all hurt…" Was the only thing that came out of Kev's mouth. The three just stared at him for what seemed like hours before all bursting out laughing.

"This? Oh we've had worse in a tussle between ourselves." Nat grinned at Kev, the swelling in his cheek more obvious. There was a commotion outside of the bathroom, and Edd threw himself in front of Kev. It was all a blur at first, but soon Kev realize they were cops, not more cronies.

The cops removed Tony and his friends first, getting them up on stretches and cuffing them. Then they focused on Kev and friends.

More stretches were called in, but all four refused them. They were led to an ambulance in the parking lot, where they were treated. Edd's nose had to be set and the gash on Nat's chest needed stitches, but both opted to have the injuries treated there, without painkillers.

As one was being treated, cops were questioning the other three. There was no end to the questions, and soon Kev felt himself drifting off to sleep. They were finally allowed to go as the sun was setting. Edd, sporting a new bandage on his face and his arm wrapped up nice and tight, Jake, with an ice pack on his eye, a bandage on his cheek and a grin, and Nat, also with an ice pack and a bandaged chest and head.

Kev himself had his chest bound again, to support his bruised rib, and a wrapped ankle. Edd wouldn't let Kev walk on his own, even though the redhead tried to convince them he was fine. Out of the four of them, Kev really was the most unharmed.

The car ride back to Edd's house was silent. The walk into Edd's house was silent. The time it took to get inside and sit in the living room was spent in silence. Edd went into the kitchen to make something to drink, something hot to calm everyone's nerves.

As soon as Kev sat down in a familiar setting, with familiar people, he finally reacted. It started with a quiet hiccup, but it quickly developed into complete sobs. Nat and Jake tried their hardest to calm him down, but the situation was finally hitting Kev fully, and he was just too overwhelmed.

Edd rushed in, leaving the drink in the kitchen. As he ran to Kev, Jake took the initiative and went into the kitchen to finish the drinks. Edd wrapped his arms around Kev, letting the smaller teen cry into his chest.

"It is okay Kev. You are safe now. You are with friends. Nothing can hurt you now. You are safe. It is okay. You are safe.' Edd just kept repeating himself as Kev sobbed into his chest.

"Thanks Edd…" Kev finally calmed down, sniffling and wiping his face. He pulled back a little, but not out of Edd's arms.

"I would do anything for you Kev… Hearing you scream? That was one of the scariest moments in my whole life."

"What? Edd, what about-?"

"Even scarier than that. The thought of losing you… it killed me." Edd swooped in and kissed Kev on the lips, gently because of his own split lip as well as how fragile the other was.

"Edd!" Kev pulled away in shock, but didn't push the taller away completely. His face was bright red, but so was Edd's, so it was an even compromise. What broke the moment was Nat wolf whistling loudly from across the room. Both jumped apart and sat on the couch, a foot away from the other.

Jake reentered with the mugs, both unaware but able to connect the dots on what just happened. Handing off the mugs, Jake sat in the recliner as Nat sat on the ground. Kev moved closer to Edd, who watched warily from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you Edd. For everything." Kev smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss the corner of Edd's mouth. Edd just blushed again and stared at the redhead with shock. Kev giggled and turned to whatever show Jake decided to put on.

This was perfect, Kev thought. Everyone together like this, safe at last and together. He looked around and couldn't help but smile, despite what just happened to them. He never wanted this to go away. Nat saw the weird look on his face and frowned.

"Is everything alright babe?" Nat raised an eyebrow at Kev, who blinked and smiled.

"Yeah… just thinking."

"About what Kev?" Edd asked.

"About how perfect everything is."

"You were almost killed Kev." Jake said with concern.

"Yeah, but now? Now everything is perfect." Kev smiled at everyone, who couldn't help but smile back. Yeah, Kev thought. Perfect.

Wow, it's been a crazy ride. This is the final chapter of Hidden Angel and it's over 10k words, and one of my favorite things I've ever written.

Jake is an OC from a personal story I'm writing. I actually didn't have a name for him in my story for the longest time. I switched between half a dozen names, but I really think I like Jake the most.

Thank you everyone who supported this story. It was hard sometimes, and I know I'm an ass for updating almost every day then ignoring it for months….

It's sad to see this end, but also relieving. Now I can focus on my other two stories, Love Yourself and Purify the Timelines, which are both Undertale stories.

Until next time!
~Starlight