Disclaimer: Ed, Edd, and Eddy isn't mine.

Author's Notes: hjahnfjdhauofbreiuabgTIRED. No, really. Tired. Tired as all fuck. I'd be more coherent, but I'm too...burnt out to talk right now.

Dedications: To Evil-Pixie-Dust. I told you I'd write this, love, and I did!

Becoming Silhouettes

"Surely you can't be planning to miss such a momentous occasion such as this?"

Eddy shrugged absently, picking at his ear with one fingernail. "It's not really all that important, is it? I mean, it's just a lunar eclipse."

Sighing harshly (how in the world had he managed to pick these ignoramuses for friends anyway?), Double D fidgeted with his hands, twisting his fingers around themselves as he tried to explain, "It's not just any lunar eclipse, Eddy! It's a full lunar eclipse! And on the night of the Winter Solstice! Such an occasion does not occur every month! In fact, it only happens once every four hundred years." He paused with a heartfelt sigh, smiling excitedly. "Don't you get it?"

His two friends looked at each other, then back at him.

"Not really," Eddy admitted callously, examining his fingertips. "What's the big deal?"

"What's the big-" Double D cut himself off, pursing his lips in frustration. "What do you mean, 'what's the big deal'? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity! Of course it's a big deal!"

Something flickered through Eddy's eyes, but he only shrugged, shoulders rising in a hugely exaggerated motion. The familiar soft sounds of the cul-de-sac filtered through the window in the silence that followed, and Edd stared up at Eddy's ceiling in frustration. Why couldn't he make them see? Why could he never make them understand?

Eddy broke the relative quiet with a scornful scoff. "Where are you going to go watch this lame…" he waved his hand vaguely, "thing anyway?"

"The playground, of course! It has one of the clearest skies around here, and I've calculated that the moon will be in full view for the entire night!"

At that, the stocky boy laughed, a short bark of amusement, and he shook his head before asking, mouth stretched wide into a grin, "Really? The playground? You're going to watch an eclipse on the playground? Count me out, seriously."

(Ed just sat between them, ignored and content to look between them until they were done talking.)

His mouth turning down into a hard frown, Double D finally just shook his head, ignoring the slight pang of hurt that curled under his sternum, prickling and poking and ever-present. "Well, fine. Even if you won't show up, I'm still going to watch it. It's a fantastic opportunity, and I, for one, am not going to pass it up."

Eddy shrugged one shoulder roughly. "Whatever. Let's go do something."

"You can go by yourselves," Double D replied, the words snapping slightly around the edges. "I'm going to prepare for the night." And he stood, smoothed out his shirt and pants, checked his hat, and strode out of Eddy's room.

Anger propelled him quickly out of the house and onto the street, but even as his feet crunched through the new snow, Double D felt himself begin to cool down. He had probably been too harsh back there. He knew Eddy and Ed had no interest in the fine pursuit of scientific fact.

But still… he made so much effort for Eddy, going along with all of his crazy schemes. Surely it was time for some reciprocation?

Mist billowed around his face as he exhaled harshly, acknowledging silently that Eddy wasn't the sort to do anything like that for nothing. And Double D was feeling a little tired of putting forth all of the effort all of the time. He slowed to a halt, the last of his footsteps resonating hollowly in the silent landscape. Turning, he looked at Eddy's house and briefly considered turning around and going back.

No.

Not this time.

And with that, he pushed forward to his own house, and began to gather the materials for his expedition later that night.

Holy extensometer, it was cold.

Double D hugged his arms around himself, trying vainly to protect himself from the wind as he curled into a ball on the hard, raised platform of the playground, his knees tucked tightly under his chin. Of course, all of his scientific equipment had made it out with him, but he hadn't remembered to bring anything to keep him warm! How stupid could he be?

Looking up, he saw the moon, hanging large and low over the trees, a small, dark red sliver cut out of one edge. Another gust of wind made him shiver harder, closing his eyes against it.

"Knew it."

Double D twitched in surprise, too cold for any larger motions of shock. He looked down to meet the eyes of … "E-Eddy? Wh-wh-what are you d-d-d-doing here?" he asked, teeth chattering, staring at his friend.

His friend, who was carrying a stack of blankets and food, and was looking up at him with a half-smile and a raised eyebrow.

(Double D felt his eyes watering in gratitude. Or maybe that was just because of the cold. He couldn't tell anymore.)

A blanket was tossed up at him, hitting him in the face with a soft whump. Shivering, he attempted to maneuver his frozen fingers to grab and pull the blanket across himself, struggling with it and failing time after time. Eddy clambered up the play-set, making the entire frame vibrate gently after his footfalls, and Double D managed to snag a corner of the blanket and hoist it closer to his neck.

Eddy eyed his attempts to cover himself and rolled his eyes, expression clear even in the moonlit night. "God, you're hopeless," he muttered, leaning down to adjust the blanket properly around Double D's shoulders, tucking it close to the slender boy's body.

"E-E-Eddy, y-you didn't ans-s-swer me," he sighed as he burrowed into warmth surrounding him now.

Double D heard a thud as Eddy plopped down next to him. The huskier boy started snacking absently on the food he had brought, avoiding his eyes. "What?"

Sighing, Double D leaned into Eddy's shoulder, feeling warmth seep back into his fingertips. "Oh alright, if you don't want to answer…."

"I just didn't want to leave your skinny ass out here to freeze by yourself! I knew you would forget a blanket and food, Mr. I'm-going-to-watch-the-moon-all-night!" Eddy finally sputtered, and he jerked the warm cover off of Double D's side (Double D refused to admit that he squeaked when the cold air hit his finally-warming skin), scooting closer and covering himself with the blanket. "So take that."

Double D covered his laugh with his hand and settled in closer against Eddy's shoulder. "Alright, Eddy, how much do you know about lunar eclipses?"

"Oh no, I should've known you were going to turn this into a science lesson…" Eddy grumbled, and Double D pushed him playfully with his shoulder before settling in to explain why this particular occasion of lunar activity was special. They talked for hours, watching the slow progression of the red cutout across the moon. (Double D had felt a small burst of pride when Eddy said that the lunar eclipse looked cool. It was a concession. A small one, but a concession nevertheless.)

A small silence fell between them after hours of talking, and they both just watched the moon, completely covered by the red shadow.

"I wouldn't do this for just anyone, you know."

Double D blinked, looking over at the dark-haired boy beside him. "…Eddy?"

Eddy was staring fixedly at the sky, the lack of light making it hard to discern his exact expression. But his posture was rigid, nervous, fidgety.

Feeling a warmth blossom and curl inside him, Double D just leaned a little closer, rested his head on Eddy's shoulder again, smiled into the curve of Eddy's skin.

Nothing else needed to be said.

Alright, this is March's one-shot, a few days late. April's probably will be late too, since I haven't started it, and I have finals and tests at the end of April. But UGH am I glad this one is done. I love this pairing, seriously, but I just... I'm just so tired right now.

Reviews are appreciated!