#jjedgar

JJ knew that wasn't true. At least not totally. There was an obvious attraction between him and Edgar. He could tell from the way Edgar called him pet names in a tone that was far too flirty to just be Southern charm. Or the way his eyes lingered on JJ when they spoke. Or the way he blushed all the way to the tips of his ears, when JJ picked fights with him during class. That had to mean something. Didn't it?

"I've changed my mind," he announced, "I'm not asking him out. I'll just be alone forever and whither away as he gets a husband and a really cute dog or something. And then I'll die."

"Dramatic," Kie said.

"No, you got this!" John B exclaimed, turning around to face him. "You've been talking about doing it all week, you can't back out now. You already stole that flower from Mrs. Reynolds." JJ glanced down at the orange and purple lily in his hand. He'd picked it because it reminded him of a night he'd shared with Edgar a few weeks ago.

They'd been sitting outside of the church, because JJ was done fixing the wobbly podium and Edgar was done his homework, and neither of them wanted to go home. They sat there, talking about nothing as the sun set. Edgar was hypnotized by the changing colors of the sky, and JJ was hypnotized by the way they reflected off of his skin.

John B continued, pulling him back to the present. "It doesn't take a genius to see that he likes you. There's no way he'll say no."

JJ nodded, biting the inside of his cheek. He could do this. What was the worst that could happen?

+

It was time. The longest time between classes of the day was happening – the bell between second and third period – and Edgar was at his locker.

JJ's hands were sweating so bad that they felt sticky. Nevertheless, he walked towards him.

Edgar glanced over as he stopped beside him. An easy smile took over his face and JJ's heart started breakdancing. "Hiya, JJ," he said, voice warm. He glanced down at the lily. "What's 'at?"

JJ cleared his throat. "It's for you."

"For me?" His suprise was written on his face, with the cute little wrinkle between his eyebrows. He took it from JJ's outstretched hand, tilting his head up at him in confusion. "Why?"

Oh, fuck, now he actually had to do it. "I have, uh, something to ask you." Edgar nodded. "Would you, um, would you, like.. wanna go out with me? Sometime?"

There was a long moment, where Edgar looked at him, the lily, and the people around them.

JJ squirmed, turning his thumb ring around and around and around, as he waited for a response. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting John B and Pope's eyes. Pope sent him a questioning look and John B gave him two thumbs up.

As he turned back to face Edgar, he met eyes with a few guys from the football team, who were watching with rapt attention. A few of them were snickering, amused by the situation. He bit the inside of his cheek.

Finally, Edgar said, "That's not funny." His voice was cold and hard, like the statues inside of a museum.

Oh no. "I'm not tr–"

Edgar handed him back the flower. "'M not gonna let you make fun a me. Definitely not wit' the same joke as Tommy freakin' Walsh."

Oh fuck. Last year, Tommy Walsh had asked Edgar out in front of everyone, dated him "as a joke" for a month and a half, then dumped him in front of everyone.

"Eds, I'm n–"

He kept his head high, but his voice wobbled as he said, "Thought you were better 'an that, JJ."

Then he turned on his heel and walked down the hallway.

JJ stared down at the lily. "What the fuck just happened?"

+

Edgar wasn't in any of the places JJ thought he'd be. It was their lunch period, and he wasn't in the cafeteria. So, he checked the bathroom closest to the gym that no one used because the lock got stuck if you didn't wiggle it right, and he wasn't there. There was only so many places he could be. He didn't have that many hiding spots.

"JJ? Why aren't you in the cafeteria?"

He glanced over and was face to face with Schmitty walking towards him. "Looking for Edgar. You seen him?" He came to a realization. "Is he eating in your room?"

Schmitty crossed his arms over his chest. "Where he is shouldn't concern you. You should be focused on where you're supposed to be, which is the cafeteria."

"I need to talk to him. It's kinda urgent." He needed to clear the situation up as soon as he could. Edgar could reject him all he wanted, but he had to know that JJ was being sincere. If he still didn't want him after that, then so be it, but he couldn't just sit back and let him think JJ didn't actually like him.

Schmitty's expression softened. "Is this about that nasty rumor I heard about you guys? Something that happened this morning?"

"Yeah. I, uh, asked him out and he got the wrong idea. He thought I was making fun of him."

Schmitty frowned. "Why would he think that?" JJ sent him a knowing look. He definitely knew about the Tommy Walsh ordeal because he had Tommy in his class last year, and he was telling anyone who would listen about his so called prank. "Right. Were you?"

JJ scoffed so hard that it hurt a little. "No! I would never do that. You can think I'm the worst guy alive, but I'd never hurt Edgar."

He didn't know how to explain it, but he had an incredibly intense need to protect him. To shield him from the bad things of the world. He wanted to keep him safe. And also kiss the shit out of him.

Schmitty sent him a thoughtful look, then, quietly said, "He's in the library."

+

He was sitting in the middle of a pair of bookshelves, cradling a Stephen King book, squinting at the pages.

"What ya reading?" JJ asked, tapping his foot against his knee.

Without looking up, he replied, "Misery." He averted his eyes from the page, and he glared when he saw who he was speaking to. "Go away. I ain't speaking to you."

JJ sat beside him, sitting closer than what was probably necessary.

"But I need to talk to you. You ran away before I could explain myself."

Eyes back on the book, he grumbled. "You don't need t'splain yourself. I don't wanna talk to you."

JJ snatched the book from his hands, dog-earing the page, and shoving it in his backpack – right next to the wilted lily.

"I was readin' that, you cretin."

JJ snorted. "Not without your glasses. You're blind as shit."

He huffed but didn't argue.

"You gonna let me talk now?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, he grumbled, "If you must."

JJ laughed. Even when he was being a stubborn jerk, he was so goddamn cute. "Okay, well, for starters, I wasn't making fun of you. I wasn't joking. I was being serious. I want to date you and kiss you and shit."

Edgar rolled his eyes. "Oh, how romantic. I'm swoonin'."

JJ swatted his shoulder, earning a kick to the knee. "I mean it. You're, like, my dream boy or something corny like that. I like you. I like that you pretend that you don't need glasses when we both know you can't see shit. You probably can't even see me right now. I like that you're smart as hell and you don't hide it, even though people are dicks to you about it. I like your smile, and your eyes, and, like, your whole face honestly. And that you're the nicest person in all of Kildare, while also being stubborn as fuck."

As he spoke, Edgar's face went through many expressions. Annoyance, surprise, awe. Now he was looking at JJ with the softest expression that everyone had ever given him. His eyes shone and his cheeks flushed as he smiled shyly.

"Okay," he said, quietly.

JJ wrinkled his nose. "Okay, what?"

He laughed. "Okay, I'll go out with you, dumb dumb."

JJ's brain flooded with endorphins, or endolphins, or whatever the fuck they were called. "Really?" He nodded, smile widening. "Yes!"

His outburst got him shushed by five different people. "Okay, cool, cool, cool. Awesome. Um-" The bell rang, signaling the end of their lunch period.

"I'll meet ya at your locker, and we'll talk 'bout it then, sugar plum," Edgar smiled, obviously amused by his babbling, "Go 'fore you're late."

JJ nodded, stumbling to his feet. "Okay. Yeah, uh, I'll see you then."

Edgar stood as well. "Bye, Jay."

"Bye." JJ almost tripped over his own feet, not wanting to look away as he left.

Edgar laughed. "Turn 'round 'fore ya fall."

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Edgar frowned again, pressing kisses to his bare skin. "What happened?"

"It's not a big deal. Let's just go back to sleep."

His voice was too shaky for Edgar to believe him, but he wasn't going to push. He'd tell him in his own time.

+

Not even ten minutes later, he was woken up again by JJ thrashing and nearly shoving him to the floor.

"Oh goodness gracious," he grumbled before reaching out and shaking him awake.

JJ startled awake with a yelp. "Ah! What?"

"Ya almost pushed me offa the bed cause you were squirming around like a worm."

He sighed in relief as he seemingly realized where he was. "Sorry."

Edgar waved off the apology. "It's fine. But now you gotta tell me what's bothering you."

He ran his hands over his face, obviously not pleased with that. "Do I have to?"

"Sure do."

"It's ridiculous," he complained, throwing himself back onto the pillows.

"Most things you do are ridiculous, sugar plum," Edgar joked as he laid beside him.

JJ wrapped an arm around his waist, his hold a little tighter than usual. "It's about you," he started. He traced a heart on Edgar's back through the fabric of his shirt. "You, uh, being taken by your dad. You not wanting to come back."

Edgar's heart crumbled to dust in his chest. "Oh, honey bee."

JJ hid his face in the pillow he was using. "I told you it was stupid."

"It's not stupid," he argued, "I have nightmares about that too. 'Bout you not wantin' me no more. 'Bout me not making it back."

It had been horrific. The fear that he might actually die. The fear that he'd never see the people he loved again. He was always the one who was left behind. He knew that pain, knew it like the palm of his hand. And JJ knew it too. From his mother. His father. Who knows who else.

Maybe, with each other, they wouldn't have to feel that pain anymore.

"But.. don't worry. I'm stayin' right here. Just you n' me, till you're sicka me."

JJ grabbed his hand, pressing a kiss to his dolphin ring. "Well then I guess you're stuck with me forever because I'll never get sick of you. That pretty face is why I keep you around."

JJ's eyebrows furrowed. "It's two in the afternoon." There was no way. Edgar had only been lying there for ten minutes, tops. "I get off at 1:30 on Saturdays, remember?" He reached out, pressing a grease covered hand to Edgar's forehead. "Oh shit, you're burning up."

"I think I'm dyin'."

"You can't let a cold take you out after you survived being stabbed and almost being beaten to death," JJ said, seriously. "Do we still have soup?"

Edgar shrugged. "Maybe. I think you ate the last can on Thursday but I ain't a hundred percent sure."

"I'm gonna check. Don't move." Edgar had absolutely zero plans on doing anything other than lying there and praying that his death was quick and painless. He replied with a shaky thumbs up.

Five minutes later, JJ reappeared in his coat, holding his keys and his wallet. "I'm going to the store. You're not allowed to die until I get back."

"No promises. Love you."

JJ walked over and kissed his overheated cheek. "Love you too. I'll be back as quick as I can."

+

Edgar fell asleep almost instantly after he left.

When he awoke, who knows how long later, it was to JJ shaking his shoulder through their blanket.

"Wake up! I made soup!" he exclaimed as Edgar groaned.

"Leave me to die, Jay. Save yourself," he grumbled, swatting his hands away.

JJ laughed, before he was climbing under the covers. "Think you're being a little dramatic, Bunny." Brushing Edgar's hair from his eyes, he said, "C'mon. You've been sleeping all day, you should get up. And I literally made you soup from scratch. You have to appreciate my effort."

Edgar's heart went all warm and fuzzy the way it did when JJ was particularly charming. "Ya made me soup from scratch?"

He nodded, eyes shimmering with pride. "Mhmm. Called your mama for help and everything."

"I love you," Edgar said, before coughing directly into his face.