React and Interact

Pair: Double Dee/Kevin friendship

Requested by KittyKatBella

-/-/-

"I- I'm terribly sorry, but I really can't…"

Kevin paused, attention caught by a familiar voice down the hallway to his left.

"You're a senior, you must know the dress code. No hats are permitted."

Kevin rolled his eyes. This happened every damn year.

"Yes, I am aware, but I… I can't just…"

"Hey," Kevin cut over Double Dee's stuttering as he turned the corner, approaching the boy and a woman who was, undoubtedly, a new teacher, "What's going on?"

"Kevin, what are you doing here?" Double Dee looked distinctly glad, if surprised, to see a familiar face.

"Coming back from the bathroom." Kevin shrugged, then repeated, "What's going on?"

"It's not any of your concern, young man. You should return to class." The teacher was saying, even as Double Dee spoke at the same time—"She is insisting that I must remove my hat."

Certainly, everyone was aware of Peach Creek High School's "no hats" policy, and every time a new teacher joined the staff, they seemed to zero in on Double Dee's ever-present stocking cap. Kevin had no problem removing his own hat during school hours, but Double Dee was another story entirely. "Well, I'm making it my concern," Kevin said to the teacher, doing his best to sound polite, "And he's got permission."

"Excuse me?" The woman cocked an eyebrow at the pair.

"I- It's true, I do have permission. I usually carry the note with me, I've had it laminated, and I curse my lack of foresight in having not carried it with me into the hallway, but I can't- I can't…" Double Dee reached up and grasped the edges of his hat, "I'm very sorry, but I really just can't…"

"He can't take off the hat." Kevin finished for him.

"And why not?" The teacher demanded.

Double Dee cleared his throat, looking away from the teacher's searching eyes. Kevin merely shrugged. "He just can't. You wanna go take it up with the principal, he'll tell you; but seriously," Kevin jabbed a thumb at the flushed boy beside him, "Do you really think the guy who's up for valedictorian is gonna try and pull one over on a teacher just so he can wear a hat?"

The new teacher looked back to Double Dee, who did his best to look back, though he refused to release his grip on his cap. Finally, she sighed. "Fine. We'll let it slide this time. You two get back to class."

"Y-yes, ma'am." Double Dee nodded quickly, hurrying down the hall with Kevin on his heels.

No sooner had they turned the corner than had Double Dee sunk down onto the polished floor, head between his knees and hands firmly on top of his head, breathing heavily.

A few years ago, Kevin had found this behavior bizarre—and somewhere in the back of his mind, he supposed it still was—but after growing up with the kid, most everyone in the cul-de-sac had grown used to Double Dee's eccentricities- and his anxiety. "You okay?" Kevin asked, slouching down on the floor beside him.

Double Dee cleared his throat. "Yes, I- yes. Thank you, Kevin." He replied, the major remaining tell of the minor panic attack showed in the shaking of his hands, "We… should return to class."

Kevin shrugged. "Few more minutes isn't gonna hurt. Sit down for a few, you look like you're gonna pass out."

Indecision crossed the other boy's face, but after a moment, Double Dee leaned back against the wall of lockers and took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"Whatever." Kevin muttered, but offered the other boy what he hoped was a reassuring glance all the same.

-/-/-

Words: 611

Note: Forget it! Just forget it, word count means nothing anymore! (This one has actually been sitting in my brain for a while and it was super self-indulgent and fun to write, so just… fuck the word count, I'm pleased I got to write this)