took me a long time to write this chapter since i kind of lost interest in this story? but im buckling down to finish it! hopefully it measures up.

"Do you remember the first time you called me smart?" Kevin asked his boyfriend. Edd was currently reading the assigned literature from English, and Kevin was laying on his boyfriend's bed, tossing a baseball up into the air and catching it. Only after promising Edd that he wouldn't break anything in his room, gosh!

Double D smirked, his eyes never leaving his book. "Have I ever?"

Kevin rolled his eyes and smirked. "Ha-ha babe, you're hilarious. "

"I'm hilarious?" Double D mocked his boyfriend's sarcastic tone while he cocked an eyebrow, his stoic facade daring to break into a smile. "My words are so entertaining that you're literally going insane?"

"I'm serious." Kevin said as he caught the baseball. "Do you remember it?"

Edd thought for a moment, and he put his book down as he seemed to give up. "I'm afraid I don't recall. Care to jog my memory?"

Kevin sighed, half out of embarrassment and half out of reluctance. He sat up. "Like…I asked you if I was smart, and you said yes."

"Well, you are" Edd responded softly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kevin blinked. "Oh." He looked away, a bit sheepishly. "I, uh... I was just gonna ask if you thought I still was."

Edd stared at his boyfriend for a second before clearing his throat. "Kevin, does this have anything to do with what my parents said?"

"No!" He responded harshly, too quick. "I mean…I dunno! Maybe?" His voice cracked, which was a dead giveaway to his feelings. "Probably…? Okay yeah, it does. It really does." He responded weakly.

He knew that Double D tried not to sound exasperated, but his little sigh betrayed his feelings. Ugh! Kevin didn't want to be high matinence! He really didn't!

Edd closed his book and straightened his posture. "But Kevin, they've apologized. Why is this still bothering you?"

"I don't know!" He cried, startling Double D. That was loud, even for him. "I don't know," he replied, a little softer. "I'm just…sensitive, I guess." he shrugged. "I don't like when people think I'm dumb. Which sucks because like, everyone thinks that."

With that revelation, Edd's expression softened. He got up and sat next to his boyfriend.

"Kevin," he began, a small smile on his face. "I can assure you that no one thinks you're dumb."

Kevin sighed sharply. Man, they're both pretty dramatic. "They do, though. You're like, the only one who ever thought I was smart, like, at all."

Double D scoffed. "That's not true, and you know that. Your grades last semester were marvelous."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "I guess, but you know. That's only because you were there."

"Why sure, I helped you, but you did all that work on your own. I didn't force you to get those grades, now did I?"

"Well, not physically, but to be honest babe, you kinda did." Kevin smiled back at his boyfriend. "I dunno I just…I mean I guess…I dunno what I wanna say." He shrugged again.

"You can not let them make you feel inferior, Kevin. My parents only met you for a few minutes and they asked you highly biased questions. It was unfair of them, and they realized their mistakes."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Kevin rolling around his baseball and Edd staring down at the floor. Until suddenly, Edd spoke up.

"Tell me."

"What?" Kevin replied, looking up from his baseball.

"I want you to tell me when I first called you smart, and why that stuck with you after all these years."

Kevin grinned. "Haha it was only like, a year ago maybe. But alright, if you insist."

"You must think I'm a joke." Kevin said one day after he tried and tried and tried but could not get a chemistry concept down. "It must be nice, being that smart. You must think everyone's like, really stupid compared to you."

Edd shrugged. "On the contrary. I believe that everyone is smart, Kevin." he said quietly, almost like, nonchalantly like it wasn't a big deal.

This threw Kevin for a loop. "Wait, what? You really think everyone's smart?"

Edd nodded. "I do, in their own way of course."

Kevin gave Edd a "yeah, whatever" look. "Haha, what? No way. You're just saying that."

Edd crossed his arms. "I can assure you that those are my true feelings on the subject. Scout's honor."

Kevin gave a lopsided grin. "Okay, humor me. How on earth are Ed and Eddy smart?"

Double D cracked a small smile. "Ignoring the snide tone that you used when referring to my best friends...Ed and Eddy are both tremendously smart. For one, Ed possesses a natural artistic talent that is yet to be matched across the school. And his ability to retain information…rivals my own. He can read a comic book once…" his eyes sparked as he looked into the distance. "One read through, that's all it takes! And he can tell you the innermost workings of that fictional world, and he can recall it when he wants to reference it again. At any time! Just incredible. And Eddy…" he chuckled. "Eddy picks up on mannerisms fairly quickly and he can use them to his advantage. He knows how to get what he wants" he giggled. "I mean, it stopped working on you. And most of our peers in the cul-de-sac. But when he meets other people, he's very suave. And he exudes confidence and is a wonderful public speaker. Both of these are problem areas, even for adults. And yes, Kevin, even for me." his smile diminished, and he looked sad. "Both of them are quite creative and passionate. If only they would apply themselves to academia…I have no doubt in my mind that they would have exceptional grades." He sighed. "But they refuse to, so I have to resort to being the 'mom' of our group."

"Well, to be fair..." Kevin started, and he giggled a bit. "You're pretty much the mom of the cul-de-sac." Edd gave him a light swat and it made Kevin laugh even harder.

"Alright, alright." he snickered. "Do me."

"I…beg your pardon?" Edd replied.

"You said everyone was smart, Right? Well, why am I smart?"

Double D giggled, a bit nervous, but he continued on. "Well… You're very analytical. Which is part of the reason that you're so gifted in sports. You can look at the opposing team, and study their past games to determine what you think their next move is. And that's why you excel in math and science, but you're doing poorly in chemistry. Math and science never used to go together, and now that it does, it's not so clear. It's why you don't do well with word problems, and English in general."

"Uh..." Kevin gave a coy smile. "I speak English."

Double D paled as his own words sunk in. "Oh, I meant no disrespect! But you see…" he cleared his throat, trying to find an explanation. "It's hard for you to analyze a poem or written work because there really isn't a right answer, um, y-you see? It's not cut-and-dry like math, science, or sports are! If I make any sense...?"

Kevin laughed. "Haha! Yeah. That makes sense, nerd." Edd pouted at the nickname, but Kevin gave him a nudge and the two fell into a laughing spell.

Present-day Double D had a happily surprised look on his face. "I can't believe I forgot that event had transpired. That moment was what I attributed to when our friendship first began..." He was blushing slightly, and so was Kevin.

"Yeah, I held on to that for a while." Kevin smiled.

"Do you feel better now?" Double D asked, slightly more serious. "After sharing that memory with me?"

He gave a long, over-dramatic sigh. "I guess…" he responded, but he had trouble hiding his smile.

"You can't fool me, Kevin Barr!" Double D started laughing and he pressed his forehead to Kevin's. And once he did that, Kevin started laughing along with him.

He treasured his boyfriend, he really did. He gave Edd a quick peck on the lips and it make them giggle even more.

"Don't worry about it," Edd whispered as he put his hands on Kevin's cheeks, after they calmed down. "Don't worry about it," he whispered again as he squished Kevin's cheeks together. "Please, don't worry about it. " Edd whispered a third time as he kissed his boyfriend on the lips. "You are more than what you think you are."

During the next month, the two boys started to apply for colleges. They both decided to only go to one they were both admitted to, despite Kevin's protests.

"But baaaaabe. Babe. Baaaabe. I'm not gonna get into those Harvard-ass schools like you will. What if we have to stay here?" His greatest fear was holding his boyfriend back from his potential greatness. The anxiety that Edd's parents instilled in him never quite went away.

"And what of it?" Edd shrugged. "The worst case scenario is that we attend an in-state university, saving money on tuition, while still surrounded by our family and friends. Besides, you don't give yourself enough credit. " he put a hand on his shoulder. "I know some great schools will accept you on your grades alone. You've done so well. You were always smart, but your grades were overshadowed by your performance in sports. I know you will do great." Double D giggled. "and, Harvard-ass schools, Kevin? Really? They're Ivy League schools. Now they won't accept you because they were so offended by your crass language!"

"Oh no! I ruined it for us, babe." Kevin started to laugh as well. "We'll have to resort to Cornell or something!"

"Oh no, not Cornell!"

Yeah, everything will turn out alright.

not super satisfied with how it ended, but I accepted the fact that if I intended to write more than one more chapter, it would never get done. I never really had a plan for this story, so it kinda went along with what I was into at the time (like, the pool party chapter? i was really obsessed with "pool party" by the aquabats. yeah, real subtle!) so i don't think this story is that well written.

i hope you enjoyed this wild ride, for those of you that stuck with me since april of 2013. i have a desire to write another kevedd fic, so we'll see how that goes. thank you all once again!