Title: Blood in the Water

Rating: M (Mature 18+)

Fandom: Ed Edd and Eddy

Pairing: Rev!Edd / Normal!Kevin

Summary: After an accident in the summer before his Freshman year of High School left Edd in a badly injured state he developed a new attitude on life. Now in his Senior year of High School, Edd is known as a bully, a trouble maker and a delinquent genius. His rival, Kevin, is captain of the Baseball team and the only one in Peach Creek who challenges Eddward physically.

Now in an attempt to get into Dartmouth, Edd is forced to realize that his less than reputable actions have inhibited his chances for acceptance. Kevin can't get by on his baseball scholarship alone, and will need to better some of his grades in order to get into college himself. Edd seeks a letter of recommendation from his teachers, however they see this as a chance to bring together two boys who really need each other's assistance.

Note: Rev!Edd belongs to Asphyxion

Chapter One:

Edd never wondered why he had taken to the water as easily as he did - though it was not, in fact, easy at all. It was perhaps the only artistic, poetic thing about the young man; his attraction to water stemmed from its closeness to both death and life. Though his body was comprised of mostly water, it would take less than a teaspoon more to drown him. Though the water made him feel weightless and free his muscles burned with such fury when he pushed himself to fly faster than the rest.

Though Edd was a man of science, the water was his liberation. The competition and the infamy simply came with his passion…

It was a cold Tuesday afternoon - the school's final bell had chimed over an hour past, many of the students had gone home and the swim team did not practice that day. Eddward practiced every day and had no worry of his class work, it had all become too easy for him and the lack of challenge drove him to exert himself in other ways. The pool was not heated and the air was cold, it sank into his bones and created a light tremble that he pushed past. It was beautifully numbing to both his body and his mind.

That day was perhaps worse than most days however. Today he swam not only as a way to burn energy so that he could sleep that night, but to get out the frustration of persistent memories. Dark thoughts he tried to keep hidden from everyone around him, especially himself.

A new girl had started at the school that day - Edd wondered what fool started in the middle of a semester however it was hardly the point - a cute little thing named Cally. She was nice and bubbly, a perky little body that was sure to guarantee her a spot on the Cheerleading team. She shared third period with Edd, apparently she was some sort of Math whiz, even had the gall to sit beside him.

She attracted a lot of attention and inevitably the question came up as she leaned in to whisper to another student, "What's up with that guy?"

Perhaps she had asked because of the dark aura Edd kept around him as snugly as his leather jacket. Perhaps she asked because she had queried him about his hat and was answered with nothing more than a little glare. Most likely it was because he had gathered his things and walked away when she pushed her desk closer and attempted to 'reach out' to him. However he had not left before hearing her whisper.

There were few who did not know why Edd was the way that he was. Fewer still challenged his aggression or cynicism as those who did would come to regret their decision.

None had forgotten except for himself, when he was able.

He wanted to forget the pain and darkness. He had come so far and worked so hard to get here. He did not want to remember, however he knew that if he did not let them flow they would eat at him once more.

#

Edd had tried to warn Eddy. They were getting involved with the wrong people, they were trying forces that were beyond the scope of their childhood pranks. Even Ed seemed nervous about it. Despite Edd's warnings and logical arguments he was shot down every time.

"Stop being such a pansy Double-D!" Eddy had said, "What, are you not confident that your plan will work?"

"Given our previous track record Eddy, I would make no such promises to the outcome of this endeavor! These are not neighborhood bullies, I am afraid that we are getting in over our heads." Edd had stated firmly.

It was the summer before their Freshman year of High School; Eddy was once more following one of his brother's credos - "The best way to get popular is to get in with the Seniors." Always admirably (or stupidly, Edd could never decide which) loyal to his brother's word, Eddy had charged headlong into finding the biggest and most 'popular' incoming Seniors.

Edd was unimpressed with the rowdy bunch of mongrels Eddy had chosen, a pathetic batch of chain-smoking skateboarders who loitered behind the convenience store just down the street from the High School. At first they laughed and scoffed, but at Eddy's pestering (oh he was so terribly good at that), they finally said that if Eddy were to prevent the rival Skateboarding team from being able to compete in that weekend's competition, then he would be 'cool' in their books.

Edd was not convinced. However that did not excuse him from involvement in the planning and act of sabotaging this rival team.

This rival team practiced at a local park, and many of their skateboards were locked up in a storage locker within. Edd had the means to get the three Eds' into the locker, and had devised a brilliant plan to prevent the rival team's competing.

"Simply breaking their skateboards would be far too obvious," Edd had stated during their little group meeting beforehand, "However if we sand down one side of their wheels just enough, it's nearly undetectable and will guarantee their inability to ride effectively within the competition."

Of course, planning and doing were two different things entirely. The park was far darker at night than Edd had anticipated and the silence was unnerving. However they reached the locker without fuss, Edd got them through the lock and once they were inside he knew it was just a very simple act and they could leave.

The first two had gone by slowly. Edd had not anticipated how long it would actually take to work down the wheels to an effective degree for inhibiting a skater's flow. He was also working primarily off of theory and estimations.

It was partway through the third skateboard that the door suddenly burst open. Where Edd had expected to see a rival member of the Skateboarding team, all three boys were startled to find that they were joined by the desired 'friends' of Eddy's.

The three boys scattered in their fear. There were more enemies than expected however. Eddy was a slippery little bastard, the fastest to get away and not look back. Ed was brute muscle and barreled through the grabbing hands and angry shouts.

Edd was neither of these.

He remembered being grabbed, remembered the shouting and a blinding pain as his head was slammed into the concrete. After that, the night was quite a blur of pain. Logically, Edd knew that he suffered no memory loss of this event; his brain had suppressed the tormenting memories and agonizing pain to spare him further duress.

He awoke in a hospital bed, bound down and unable to move, with only the sound of the heart monitor to keep his ailing mind company. Each breath was quite painful and the sight of the IV drip and his inability to move or speak created a cold panic in his chest. His mouth would not open. Something cold was holding it firmly shut.

When a doctor finally did arrive to assess Edd's chart he saw that Edd was awake. He asked Edd if he could hear him, understand him, and asked that the man blink once for yes and twice for no. Edd did understand him, but he quickly learned that their system of communication was limited and one sided, and the only way he could relay his fear was through the terror in his eyes.

The doctor held his shoulder gently and explained, "You took quite a beating, lucky to be alive I'd say. A jogger found you collapsed on the sidewalk in the park and called 911."

After the doctor left, nobody came. His parents were somewhere in Bermuda, and Ed and Eddy could have been anywhere. He remembered at the time hoping that they were safe, wondering if they too had suffered a similar fate.

Later Edd had discovered the true extent of the damage from that night.

Two concussions.

Three broken ribs.

A shattered wrist.

Dislocated shoulder.

Fractured femur.

Broken jaw.

Broken nose.

Minor spinal damage.

Edd was damn near in a full body cast and left to nothing but the sound of the heart monitor and his own mind while the doctors tended to his injuries. Boredom gave way to anger, anger to hatred, hatred to rage. However Edd could do nothing. Nothing but listened to that damned heart monitor. He measured with precision the exact rate of his own heart, learned that with enough concentration he could control it, faster, slower, even…

Rage gave way to insanity.

Three days passed in the lonely void of his own head. It was more agonizing than the beating he had taken, more cruel than the harsh words. Sleep did not find him without a fight and he felt he always awoke more exhausted than when he started. He wanted to scream. He did scream, in fact, several times, if only to get the nurses to come running over, if only to pretend that their concern was company.

His parents showed up finally. They sat at his bedside and told him that they came as soon as they heard. Edd knew it was a lie, however he would not reject any companionship. He tentatively squeezed his mother's hand when it slipped into his own, but the pain that lanced up his arm was almost not worth the effort.

They were eventually asked to leave, and though he tried to beg them to stay he could not speak his peace.

They left, and he spent another night within the confines of his own mind.

The next morning he was 'graced' with Ed and Eddy's presence. He immediately took stock of both boys, neither one of them injured. Ed ran over to him, crying and apologizing, however Eddy looked as uncaring as ever with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Some part of Edd said that he was worried deep down, however that little logical voice that still held faith in his friends was weak.

Ed and Eddy remained for some time, until Eddy got bored and called Ed to leave.

Edd was released to his parents a week later; wrapped in a blanket and wheeled around in a chair. His jaw was still wired shut, but he was learning to write with his left hand to communicate.

He remembered all of the sympathetic looks from doctors, nurses, his parents… He was asked questions about his assault and had no hesitation giving over the names of the ones he knew. He wondered what more they could do to him at that point, he figured that if they came to kill him they would be doing the boy a favor.

Edd did not attend High School his Freshman year. It took him three months to be able to walk again, to hold a pencil. Even after the wiring was removed from his jaw, the nerves in his face were damaged and he found himself unable to truly smile anymore. The best he could manage was a lopsided smirk on the left side of his face.

His parents tried to be encouraging. They stopped going on extended vacations, took positions at a local hospital as surgeons, and tried to coax their son back into the world. More importantly, back into his Independence. Edd saw that they grew bored of their stationary lifestyle very quickly - it simply was not in their nature.

Physical therapy was truly agonizing. It always ended in tears, in Eddward yelling at the therapist, screaming obscenities he had learned from Eddy at the top of his burning lungs.

Soon enough though, he was able to walk again and sadly, his parents were gone. Edd never left his house except for food, ignored all phone calls except for his parents, and kept the door firmly bolted shut.

Insanity dove into depression.

The couch had become Edd's best friend, and the lights his worst enemy. Curled up with a laptop and the TV he wasted many weeks doing absolutely nothing except wallowing in self-hate.

One day the darkness became too much, and the depression weighed too heavily. In a sudden act of rage he threw his laptop to the ground, stood from his couch and left the house. It was dark, nighttime outside and the air was beginning to warm up with the promise of summer.

Still in his pajamas, he walked to the forest and followed an almost invisible path until he came upon the creek. He steeled himself as he kept walking without hesitation, came to the edge of the bank and threw himself into the water.

Despite the warming air the water was a physical shock of cold that lit up every nerve in his body. In that moment he felt more alive - he simply felt more than he had since the night of the incident. When he resurfaced he shook his head, then dove back down and pushed all of the air from his lungs.

All he needed was one breath. One teaspoon to end his life. He chanted to himself to take a deep breath and soon it would be over…

He felt the pull of the creek slowly taking him downstream, felt the sand and the rocks pulling at the bottom of his feet and sliding between his toes. He felt… He felt.

When he knew he could hold out no longer he prepared for the rush of water and panic, and instead felt himself pushing up and air graced his lungs. He could not bring himself to do it.

Instead he began to swim against the current, reveled in the burn of his muscles working and how the cold water made his skin both sensitive and numb at the same time. It made his thoughts melt away into nothing, his fears drowned in the water below.

"Strange time to be goin' for a swim." The voice was familiar, though surprising. Edd startled and looked up to the shadowy bank of the creek and saw the figure of a girl blue hair and a curious raised eyebrow.

"Marie?" Edd asked as he swam closer and pulled himself out of the water. It was only at that moment that he realized that water was absolutely filthy.

The girl made her way closer and folded her hands over her chest, "You ok Double-D?"

The question caught the boy off guard. It had been many months since his accident, there had been many therapy sessions both physical and psychological and his parents had cared for him until he was well enough to stand on his own again, however this had been the first time someone had ever asked him straight if he was alright.

He remembered collapsing to his knees and huddling in on himself, shaking his head, "No…" he whispered finally, "I'm not ok."

Despite all of their problems in the past, Marie turned out to be a surprisingly good listener. She sat by Edd's side and hugged him close as she listened to him cry and confess his intentions. It had been the first time he had spoken so honestly about himself ever.

When the sun began to rise, Edd felt a little better. About his accident. About his life. About himself. Marie smiled at him tiredly, and he told her to go to bed, told her that he would be ok and he actually believed that.

The event at the creek had sparked a friendship between the two that began to pull Edd away from his depression. She came to his house every day after school, he agreed to tutor her in the subjects she was struggling (horribly) with.

His mind kept straying to the water however. His memory of the cold, the burn, the weightlessness kept distracting him. Eventually Marie pulled him from his home one afternoon and drug the boy to the local pool. Edd was still appalled by the disgusting water, but a literal shove from his new friend helped him get past that fear as he was pushed into the deep end.

Instantly the freedom returned. No longer powerless, no longer helpless, no longer weak, he swam without inhibition and felt that lopsided smirk pulling at the left side of his face.

Every day that next summer he could be found at the pool. He studied different strokes, different exercises and was surprised to find that his body was adapting to his new hobby. His muscles were stronger, his stamina greatly increased and his confidence rose sky high. He found that when girls now giggled and pointed at him, it was from admiration instead of teasing.

Ed and Eddy stayed well away. The few times they had tried to initiate conversation, Edd gave them the cold shoulder or a swift splash to the face. He no longer helped with silly schemes, no longer gave in to annoying prattling, no longer cared about anything except for Marie and the water.

The new school year was starting, and while Edd would have liked to believe that there were many eager for his return he was not surprised nor disappointed when he came back and saw that few batted a lash. That was, however, until his third day back during lunch.

Eddward had learned that High School was a much different experience - a menagerie of stupid and pitiful wrapped up in drywall and desks. Testosterone mixed with animalistic displays of aggression and alpha-male behavior equated to most of the decisions made by the males, especially for anyone involved in any form of competition. It was one of these Neanderthal-minded buffoons who thought it wise to display affection towards Marie in the act of pushing her plate from her hands, knocking some of the food into Edd.

The young man and his companions thought themselves safe in their numbers, laughing and mocking in turn. Perhaps Edd had no patience that day, for even his new sense of confidence rarely made him so bold as to return the favor, and with a smooth flick of his wrist he shoved his own plate into the man's football jersey, thankful that he had chosen the mashed potatoes and gravy that day for its rather messy stain.

In a flash Edd was grabbed by two of the young man's friends as he sputtered his shock. This created panic, a flash of the accident only a year ago dredged up. Adrenaline that he had only experienced while swimming roared in his veins and in an act of panic he wrenched himself from their grip and threw himself into a haphazard punch and felt the crack of bone beneath his knuckles.

It was the first time Edd was ever suspended, yet he could never bring himself to regret his decision. The next several months Edd would become known as a troublemaker, a bully, and a lit fuse waiting to go off. Though his GPA never dipped below 4.3, he found himself easily irritated and bored by the School's minimal standards.

Joining the swim team had ebbed some of his outward aggressions and he suddenly understood the alpha male behavior he so often mocked. There was, however, a distinct difference between himself and the squalid swine that was the rest of the school; Edd was the Alpha Male, the top dog (or shark, as many referred to him). He was not only strong and fit, but intelligent and cunning.

He was no longer the pathetic little Double-D, trickster and pathetic nerd. He had reformed himself, he had been reformed, into something far more dangerous - and he loved it.

#

Eddward hauled himself out of the pool, and though he trembled lightly from the cold, biting air and the fire burning in his muscles he was grinning. He pulled off his goggles and fixed his black swim cap, he would not remove this until he was inside of the locker room at least.

He was long, lean, toned and tanned; he was a perfect male specimen save for the gap between his front teeth. He took obsessive care of his body to ensure that he was always in prime condition for his swim meets - and the adoring looks from his fans was of no issue either.

His towel was waiting for him on the fence as he adorned his feet with his sandals and made his way inside. Already he could hear the raucous laughter of the baseball team in their post-practice high.

He walked in, scanned the room and caught the eyes of two of the team members. They knew not to disrupt the swimmer as he made his way to his locker, which was thankfully distanced away from the majority of the team. Edd was careful to scan his surroundings before he opened his locker and pulled out his beanie.

There was one private shower in the locker room and Edd was often the only one who used it. He closed the door, made sure that it was securely locked and hung up his beanie before finally pulling off his swim cap. His dark hair was short and manageable, however from the top of his forehead on the left side to the back of his head on the right side was a long and grotesque scar that ran jagged across the skin. Hair would never grow there, and only his hat was enough to cover it.

He washed quickly yet efficiently in the shower, knowing he would take a more thorough one once he got home. Towel in hand, he dried his hair as best he could before pulling the beanie back on and walking out. Most of the baseball team had gone, leaving only a few chatty stragglers.

Among them was Kevin… The two exchanged looks, glares even. Ever since Edd had come out of his proverbial shell, he and Kevin had been at odds in a new way. No longer the cul-de-sac bully of their youth, Kevin had become Edd's rival and there were often casual scuffles between the the captain of the baseball team and the swim team.

Eddward dressed quickly and quietly, listening to the chatter really not worth his attention. Kevin closed his locker as Edd was pulling on his black leather hooded jacket, and as the red head passed behind him could not help himself. His foot slipped back and he smirked when he felt Kevin's ankle collided with his and sent the young man flying.

Kevin caught himself, spun around, "The fuck do you want sockhead?!" he snarled. Normally both boys were levelheaded, yet around each other their tempers flared swiftly their voices rose and their fists were fast to fly. Two alphas in close quarters.

"I want nothing from you, perhaps you should watch where you are walking." Edd shot a sidelong glare at Kevin, slammed his locker closed and shrugged his bag onto one shoulder.

The few remaining members of the baseball team were gathered loosely around them. "You tripped me!"

"I did nothing of the sort." Edd was keeping his calm for now.

Kevin suddenly invaded his space and the tempers flared, "You did and you know it." He reached out to grab Edd's collar but found his own wrists snagged in the swimmer's hands, being spun around and rammed into the lockers before being pushed back until Kevin toppled over the slim bench in the middle of the locker row.

"I would advise against touching." Eddward hissed before he turned to leave.

"Bastard!" Kevin snarled, jumping up to rush the swimmer.

Kevin was a linebacker for the Football team as well, and so when he the two connected, Edd had the wind knocked from him as he hit the ground with a grunt.

Edd jerked and tried to roll away but Kevin was still upon him, the two knocked into the lockers with a clatter and Edd snarled as he tried to move to kick the man off of him. Kevin met every attempt with similar aggression.

Suddenly there were hands on both of them, grabbing them by the arms and pulling them up onto their feet and apart as they tried to make one last lunge at each other. The baseball coach had Kevin and two of the members of the baseball team had Edd, both of them visibly struggling until the two boys calmed down.

Hank, the baseball coach, heaved a sigh. He was a bulky man who appeared to have no place as a coach for any sport. His beard covered most of his face and his tiny eyes were covered by skewed shades, knocked off balance by the struggle to hold Kevin back. "You know, I should be surprised. Both of you get detention tomorrow!"

Edd jerked out of the hold of the two boys and grabbed his bag. He stepped over the bench and walked out of the locker room with an annoyed grumble.