Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he'd feel this... thing. It was the weirdest, most radical tugging sensation he'd never felt before. Not even with Nazz. Sure he'd had a crush on her for as long as he could remember- he still felt hot all over when she'd touch him. But over the years, and after a failed first kiss, he knew (and she knew) that they'd never be more than just friends. So what did that make Double D? As much as he hated to admit it, he was scared to find out.
Thankfully he had Nat to confide in. Well, "thankfully" might be too strong a word. Regardless, the dude was there for him.
On one uncommonly hot afternoon, they'd retreated to the football field for lunch. Nat lounged against the metal bleachers, a lazy smile dangling on his lips. Kevin, for his part, had a little more trouble relaxing.
"Dude, they're doin' it again."
"Doin' what?"
"... Hovering. I wanted to talk to you about somethin', but I can't talk about that somethin' with those guys hangin' around!" Kevin jerked his thumb towards the top of the grandstand.
Four men in perfectly pressed suits and dark shades (complete with ear-pieces) sat beneath the skybox munching on what appeared to be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
"Y'mean my 'butt-lers'?" Nat quirked an eyebrow, his smile growing wider.
Kevin rolled his eyes. Leave it to Goldberg to bring butts into a serious conversation. "Yes. Could you tell 'em to take a hike? At least until lunch is over?"
"Sure thing," Nathan turned around in his seat. "Hey fellas, take ten for now. I'll see you in U.S. History, okay?" All four bodyguards nodded in unison before ducking through a gap in the bleachers and disappearing from sight.
"Better?"
"Much."
"So what's the super-duper-top-secret somethin' you wanted to talk about?" The green-haired boy leaned in so close they were practically nose-to-nose with one other. Kevin instinctively scooted back about an inch or two.
"Y'know that thing you were askin' me about on the first day of school?" A blank stare. "In Chemistry class?" he prompted. Nat mouthed an "O" as the events of that day dawned on him. A crooked grin stretched across the width of his face.
"Are we talking about Double Dreamboat?" he teased, batting his eyelashes.
Kevin pulled his hat forward, tugging the brim over his face.
"... Yes," he mumbled under his breath.
The squeal tore through the entire stadium and sent Kevin flying off the bench and flat on his rear end.
"What the hell, man?!" Kevin righted himself on the bench, glowering at his friend as he did so.
"Oh my God, does this mean you're finally ready to ask the little dude out?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said anything about asking him out? I just... I just wanna know what's wrong with me," the jock buried his face in his hands.
"There's nothing wrong with you."
Kevin looked up at Nat through his fingers. His face was entirely serious. No joking, no perverted leering- just honesty. Not even a hint of pity.
When Kevin still hid his face, Nat sighed out loud and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, man, I know that you're confused and all... but ya can't keep running away from how you feel. I figured out I was pansexual early on and just kinda rolled with it. A lot of people didn't understand when I told 'em, but I felt better just knowing what I was," he looked directly at Kevin as he spoke. "Do you really wanna spend your whole life not knowing?"
For a moment, Kevin just stared at the palms of his hands while he let Nat's words sink in. His thoughts drifted to Double D. How smart he was. The way he couldn't go more than a few minutes without using some big, complicated word. The way the tip of his nose and his cheeks turned pink when he got embarrassed. How his eyes looked like shards of sea glass. That damn gap-toothed he closed them into fists, his brow furrowed.
"I like him," a bar of red rushed to his cheeks, " I mean, I still like girls and all... but he's something entirely different. He's... special."
"Do you want to go out with him?"
He had his answer before it left Kevin's mouth. The redhead scratched the back of his neck, meeting his gaze.
"Yes."
Nat clapped a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Then let 'Operation: Get Some Double Delicious Booty' commence!"
Kevin busted up laughing, bracing his stomach with one arm. "You suck at making up code names!" His laughter shifted into a smile. "But thanks... bro." He brought his free hand into a fist.
Nat returned the smile, bumping his fist against Kevin's, "Anytime, bro."
"For the first step of 'Operation: Booty'-
"Can we not call it that?"
- you need to get to know him."
"Dude, I already know him. I grew up with him for fuck's sake!"
"Yes, Mr. Potty-Mouth, you did. But are you the same person you were back then?"
Kevin shook his head.
"So what makes you think he hasn't changed? If you wanna go out with the guy, you gotta learn more about him- see if you're compatible. Ya get me?"
Kevin nodded slowly, but then crinkled his nose. "How'm I supposed to figure out if we're compatible?"
"Spend time with him, duh."
"I dunno man... Won't he think something's up if I just start hangin' around him all of a sudden?" Kevin bit down on his lip, his eyes tight with uncertainty.
Nat grabbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger. After a moment, he pounded his fist into his palm. "I got it! Study partners!"
"Study partners?"
"Yeah! You've got Chemistry together, right? Just tell him you wanna keep your grade up for football and ask him to be your study partner. It's genius!"
That was how Kevin found himself staring at the back of Double D's head.
He memorized the exact shape and pattern of the three moles on the back of Edd's neck, but he would never know what happened in Chemistry that day. Mr. Troy did mention Bohr a couple times. Like, "I am Bohr-ed" or "This is Bohr-ing." That made sense. But for the most part, Kevin had been too focused on Double D to pay attention to the actual lesson.
Guess it's a good thing I'm gettin' a study partner.
Of course, it didn't help that Nat would look over at him every five minutes and jab him in the ribs with his elbow. After the fourth time, Kevin took a swing at him and missed.
"What d'you think you're doing?!" he half-whispered, half-shouted.
Nat looked toward the front of the classroom- Mr. Troy continued lecturing, completely unaware. "Ssshhh!" he pressed a finger to his lips, "Kev, were you even listening? Troy is giving us a project!"
Still more than a little irritated, Kevin stared back at his friend uncomprehendingly. The boy smacked his forehead, releasing a sharp breath.
"P-r-o-j-e-c-t. You. Double D. Partners."
"Gotcha. But what about..." he rolled his eyes to the front row, Nat following his gaze.
Eddy sat sprawled in his seat, idly scratching his stomach. Next to him, Double D was hastily writing notes as though he were hanging on Mr. Troy's every word. It was almost enough to make Kevin laugh. Almost.
"... What about Pipsqueak?"
Nat winked at him, "You just leave Shorty to me."
The final bell reverberated throughout the entire building, dismissing the students for the day. In a matter of seconds, Nat was out of his seat and walking up the aisle. Kevin watched in horrified fascination as Nat coiled an arm around Eddy's shoulders and practically dragged him out of the classroom.
"Hey! Lemme go, Greenie!" Eddy swatted at the boy's arm, but couldn't shake him off. "Beat it!"
"Lookie here, Shorty..." the pair was out the door before Kevin could hear the rest of their conversation. Edd stood at his desk, packing his binder and textbook into his messenger bag. Sucking in a deep breath, Kevin collected his things and strolled up to Double D's side.
" 'Sup Double D?" Anxiety knotted his stomach like a rope of daisy chains.
"Hello Kevin!" Edd readjusted his ski cap before fumbling with the strap of his bag, "I must say, I'm looking forward to the project Mr. Troy has assigned us! Are you excited as well?"
This is it, Kev, the perfect lead-in. Just ask him!
Unfortunately, a disconnect between his brain and his mouth resulted in a sputtered, gagging sound. Edd raised a questioning eyebrow, gently touching Kevin's arm. Leaning forward, he began heaving a series of dry coughs to cover his nerves.
Shit, shit, shit! Abort! Abort!
"My goodness! Kevin, are you alright?" Double D patted Kevin on the back with the flat of his hand.
The red-head kept his head down as his coughing subsided. "I'm fine." Real smooth, Kev. God, why do I freak out when I'm around him? I must look like a total loser. "I'll see ya."
"Kevin."
Spindly, soft fingers linked together with his own calloused digits. The skin-to-skin contact sent a shiver rolling down Kevin's spine.
He swallowed thickly. "Y-yeah?"
"It appears as though Eddy has a partner for Mr. Troy's project... Nathan, was it? Considering that we are both without partners ourselves... I was wondering..." Maybe it was the fluorescent lights flickering overhead, maybe it was Kevin's imagination; whatever it was, Edd's eyes seemed to shimmer like sunlight on the ocean. "Would you like to be my partner?"
In the quiet of the classroom, Kevin allowed his walls to come down. He squeezed Double D's fingers in his own and took the plunge.
"I'd like that. How 'bout you come over to my place after practice? I'll be home 'round five thirty."
His face split into a grin. "Excellent! It's best that we begin work as soon as possible. As Thomas Jefferson once said, 'Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today'." Double D pulled his fingers free and walked to the door. "I will see you this evening, Kevin!"
Kevin flexed his fingers, already feeling the absence of Edd's hand in his own. He tucked his hand in his pocket, whistling a bright tune as he strode after the boy in the beanie.
Step one is a go! Nice job, Kev.
Author's Note: First, I hope everyone is having a safe and happy New Year! I'd like to thank you for reading. Every review, comment, and follow really makes my day. It has been fun writing this story and I appreciate all of your positive responses! I've been more than a little neglectful with my other stories and will try to update those (relatively) soon. However, this story still has far to go! So please, feel free to let me know what you think. And, again, thank you!