Author's Note: For KayRose09

*Buzz, Buzz*

Edd turned his head from his physics textbook to his phone that was buzzing on his nightstand.

"I guess a study break is in order," he thought as he walked from his desk to his nightstand where his phone was charging, his late Grammie's voice echoing in his head, "All work and no play makes Eddward a very dull boy".

Pressing the Power button to light up the backscreen to reveal the reason why he was being notified, his jaw dropped at the text message on the screen. Between the message and the sender he didn't know which to be more surprised about.

KevB: Can u marry me?

Quickly unlocking his phone and opening his text message center, he tried to formulate a coherent thought as to why Kevin of all people would be texting him such a thing. They weren't dating and Edd would only consider him a very good acquaintance at best. Despite their past experiences growing up, between dealing with Eddy's atrocious brother and just growing up, they had a very superficial friendship at best.

What did Kevin really want?!

But the redhead answered his questions for him with another message.

KevB: Plz D? I need $$$ & FASFA's only giving me UNSUBSIDEZED loans unless I have a kid, turn 24 or get married. SO MARRY ME! I SWEAR ITS JUST 4 SCHOOL!

Double D fell back on his bed with a relived giggle, dropping his phone as he did so. Money for school. That's what Kevin's strange request was about.

Whew!

He then went back to his desk and opened his laptop. He understood Kevin's predicament. When he came out sophomore year as gay, his parents disowned him. But because he was 16, he was able to be fully emancipated from them. His maternal grandmother nearly forced him to come live with her, in Berryville, four hours away from Peach Creek. But when she came to "visit," after his emancipation cleared, even though he was living with Eddy, she saw that it was better for him to stay with his friends and finish out his high school years than to move away from all that he knew and loved, despite receiving none from his parents.

But it was hard. His emancipation granted him some assistance from the state and he got a social worker to help him navigate the new system of life he was going to be living, but it was still tiring on his psyche. He had to leave the cul-de-sac, get his own apartment, a job and some mode of transportation. But the cul-de-sac circled around him as best they could. He got rides whenever he needed one, and learned as much as he could about Peach Creek's public transportation system for when he couldn't. When he got a car, he still would set time aside to catch rides with his friends. More so for their sakes than his as he knew they missed him now that he wasn't a permanent member of their little half circle of the neighborhood anymore.

Ed's job at the grocery store and Rolf's farm kept him fed. Kevin's mechanical skills kept his car in shape. Nazz's shopping expertise and Jimmy's fashion sense saved him tons on clothes. Eddy's side hustles (which he never questioned) kept him in "fun money," as his best friends always got a cut of the profits. And Grammie helped to pay half his bills. When he graduated, he moved to Berryville to go to school at the small private school that his grandmother worked at as a secretary to the Dean of the Business College. As a direct family member to a staff member at the university, he got a 50% discount on his tuition. He lived with his grandmother to cut the rest of his expenses. When she passed away last year, she left him the house and a sizeable insurance policy.

Still, he was majoring in physics and education. He wanted to teach on the college level, so knew he'd be in college for a while. He had a few grants and a scholarship that covered his tuition and books. Anything else was on himself and he couldn't work as often as he wanted because of his classes and lab work. He was debating whether or not if he should dip into his 401(k) or drop a few classes. But that would cut into the money he set aside from his Grammie's insurance for his Master's and Doctorate degree programs.

But if he married Kevin, they'd both be able to stay in school and not come out on the brink of bankruptcy with debt. Plus, Kevin was bi. Came out junior year. Seeing him in a couple relationships with guys helped ease Edd's conscious about making what would be a charade of a relationship believable. He was a nice enough boyfriend to those guys and the girl or two he dated as well. A bit rough around the edges, but apparently a total sweetheart, even if he was a bit clingy. Edd could do clingy. He was friends with Big Ed, the clingiest friend in the world. So when they'd have to fake it, he knew he could roll with it. And Kevin was cute. Nazz called him an Adonis, and Edd had to agree.

If this marriage were real, Edd wouldn't mind being in it. Kevin knew his strong suits. He didn't have the grades to get a scholarship at Peach State right off the bat, so he went to a junior college for two years and played baseball while he was there. He got his associates in Automotive Technology and was a certified mechanic. He got scouted for Peachville University's baseball team, but the scholarship was small. Edd figured he probably needed the money to cover the expenses that being a double major in Automotive Maintenance Technology and Business would bring.

Just two years. That's all the time they would need to pull this off.

Retrieving his still buzzing, dropped phone from the floor, he unlocked it and opened his message center again.

KevB: D u there?

KevB: Plz say yes! I knw it's crazy but I got no other choice. I need $$$ 4 summer school & class stuff in the fall

DD: According to my research, we can do it, but we can't get divorced until after we both get done with our bachelor's degrees. When do you graduate?

KevB: OMG I LUV U! May 2018.

DD: Mother's Day weekend, right?

KevB: Yeah Y?

DD: So do I. If we wait a week, then we can pull this off without raising too many suspicions as we live in a no fault state. Neither of us have kids or major pieces of property so there would be no need to involve lawyers and an uncontested divorce is only a couple of hundred dollars. Between what's left over from FASFA between us, the government can pay for the divorce.

KevB: L O L THAT.

DD: Yes, THAT, Kev. Also, we're going to need witnesses to the ceremony, and the marriage application costs $40. We can each pay half and I think Jimmy is an ordained minister so he can file for us.

KevB: SWEET! Yeah he did Marie & Jonny's wedding. U missed a helluva party.

Edd rolled his eyes. He did not go to the wedding because he didn't want to give his long time crush a reason to leave poor Jonny at the altar, even though there was no chance of anything to happen between them.

DD: So I've been told. :p

KevB: Lol well now she'll KNOW she can't get w U. I don't share.

DD: I KNOW. No worries.

KevB: So we doing this?

DD: I'm ready when you are.

Plans were made for them to come back to Peach Creek over spring break for a wedding. Married life would be a whole new ball game for them both.