OALL- Rewrite Ch5

Kevin held the sobbing brunette close to himself, wishing with every fibre of his being that he was healthy, and wasn't going to leave him. He never wanted to be apart from the brunette in his arms. They had been apart once before, and it was a dark and painful time for both of them, and neither wished to go through it again. But it was unavoidable this time, and it hurt Kevin indescribably to know he would cause Ben that much pain, and be unable to heal it.

"I love you" He murmured over and over again, each time recieving a mumbled response of the same from the brunette as he shook in Kevin's arms

The raven looked up to the sky for a moment, a soft sigh escaping him before he looked back down to Ben. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before leaning forward to whisper in his ear

"Would you like to dance?"

Ben moved away, blinking at the teen in front of him as Kevin's hands lifted to wipe away his tears

"Huh?"

"Dance with me?" he said again

Ben blinked once more before a small smile dared to grace his lips and he nodded his head

"I'd like that"

He stood, brushing the sand off his pants before holding a hand out to help Kevin up. The ruffian grasped it and stood, mimicking Ben's actions of wiping the sand off his pants.

"You have to sing though, Benji" he smiled deviously

Ben let out a soft laugh

"Okay, Kevin" he agreed easily

His hands grasped the ruffians, squeezing them gently before slipping up his arms, coming to a rest on Kevin's broad shoulders. Kevin wrapped his arms around Ben's waist, pulling him close as he began turning them in a slow rhythm. After a few moments Ben decided on a song

"Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world, for once, in perfect harmony
With all it's living things" He stared at Kevin expectantly, a smirk tugging at his lips, and it took Kevin a moment to realize that the brunette expected him to sing. Holding back an indignant huff, he joined in

"So many things to tell him
But how to make him see
The truth about my past? Impossible!
He'd turn away from me" Ben smiled, eyes shining with undisguised joy as he pressed closer to the ruffian, still moving in the same graceful dance

"He's holding back, he's hiding
But what, I can't decide
Why won't he be the king I know he is
The king I see inside?" he winked at Kevin, and Kevin rolled his eyes playfully

"Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world, for once, in perfect harmony
With all it's living things

Can you feel the love tonight?
You needn't look too far
Stealing through the nights uncertainties
Love is where they are"

Kevin leaned down and kissed the brunette softly, Ben reciprocating instantly, smiling slightly at the raven when they parted. Before Kevin could release him, Ben spoke

"Can we... Dance one more time?"

"Sure" Kevin murmured, pulling him back into the same elegant pattern as Ben thought of a song to sing, resting his head against Kevin's chest when he finally picked one

"Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday" his grip tightened on the ruffian

"They said 'I bet they'll never make it'
But just look at us holding on
We're still together, still going strong"

"You're still the one" Kevin whispered

"You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life"

"You're still the one"

"You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight.

Ain't nothing better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missing
They said 'I bet they'll never make it'
But just look at us holding on
We're still together, still going strong"

"You're still the one"

Tears filled Bens eyes and he blinked them away, refusing to ruin the moment by crying.

"You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life"

"You're still the one"

"You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight"

"You're still the one" they fell briefly silent, holding each other as close as possible

"You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life"

"You're still the one"

"You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight" he sang softly

"Im so glad we made it... Look how far we've come my baby..." they finished together, Kevin leaning down to press a gentle kiss to the top of Ben's head

The brunette smiled into his chest

"I love you"

"I love you too" Kevin whispered

"That was cute"

Ben jerked away, cheeks turning red in embarassment that someone other than Kevin or his mother had heard him sing. Kevin simply pulled the brunette back into his arms, Ben's cheek pressing against his chest. He sighed in defeat

"Want to go swimming while I make lunch?" Gwen offered

"Gwen, you don't have to-"

"I know. I want to" she tossed their swim trunks at them and put up a solid mana shield around them so nobody could see them change.

Not that there was anyone but her on this section of beach anyways.

The boys changed quickly, calling her when they were clothed, and she dropped the shield, already clad in her own swimsuit, and shoed them away. Kevin held his hand out to Ben and the teenager grasped it securely in his own, the couple sharing a smile before taking off into the water.

Gwen watched in silence from her place on the beach as she laid out a blanket, placing stones on each corner so the wind couldn't catch it and blow it away. Using her mana she lifted a picnic table from a few feet away and placed it beside the blanket. It was there that she set up the grill, taking out a box of burgers, some hot dogs, and a cooler. The cooler contained smoothies, and a few other drinks; mostly water, since all her cousin and his boyfriend drank were smoothies. Though, she was almost just as bad.

While the grill started up she rummaged through the bag she had brought and pulled out the other things she had decided to bring; pillows and blankets, two tents, a cover for the bikes to protect them from the elements, a few bags of chips, marshmallows, lighters, and sticks for roasting marshmallows and hotdogs over a fire.

In another bag she had brought with her was their pajamas, a change of clothes for each of them for the following day, as well as shampoo, conditioner, and soap for a shower before they left, since after the saltwater she was sure they would need one.

Finally locating the condiments she placed them on the table with the cheese and buns, tossing a few burgers and hotdogs onto the grill. It was then that she turned her attention on the boys in the water. She watched for amoment, a fond smile on her face, before she fished her camera out of a bag, clicked it into video mode, and formed a mana disk to carry it around, flicking it in their direction to film their antics.

As the meat sizzled on the grill behind her she watched her boys, a sharp pang of grief striking her heart as she watched them, knowing there weren't going to be many more moments like this. She felt her own tears welling up, and tried in vain to blink them back; they spilled over as she watched Kevin lifted ben up and twirl him through the water as Ben shrieked between laughs.

Kevin's laughter easily melded with Ben's, creating a sound so beautiful and familiar and... comforting... that Gwen couldn't help the small sob that escaped her. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she forced herself to turn her back on her boys, returning her attention to the food, flipping and turning them as required, tears slipping off her cheeks and hitting the grill, evaporating with a light hissing sound.

When she felt she had better control over her emotions once more she allowed herself to turn around once more, just in time to spot Ben rushing down the beach, Kevin right behind him, Ben shrieking between laughter.

"H-Help!" he cried, cheeks flushed with laughter, a laugh choking his cries for help "He's going to get me!"

Kevin chose that moment to dive, tackling him into the sand and sending them rolling several feet before coming a sprawling stop with Ben on top. He parted his lips to cry out in victory, but Kevin lurched up and flipped their position, pinning Ben into the sand.

"No fair!" he cried

"Gotcha Benji" Kevin practically purred as he straddled the brunettes waist "Now, guess what you get"

Ben's eyes widened

"No!" he exclaimed frantically, trying in vain to writhe free, and Kevin's smirk grew "No!" Kevin's hands moved to Ben's sides "Gwen hel-" he broke off as a shriek of laughter escaped him

Gwen couldn't stifle her giggle as Kevin mercilessly ticked her cousins sensitive stomach and sides, the brunette writhing and struggling beneath the larger teen, eyes wadering as he practically howled with laughter.

"No! St- haha- stop, Kevin-!" he was cut off by more laughter "You win! Uncle!"

Kevin leaned down so their lips were brushing

"Hmm" he drawled, pretending to think about it "Well, when you make me sound so fabulous" he relented the asault on Ben's abdomen, and the brunette exhaled sharply in relief.

Kevin pressed their lips together before leaping off the brunette, whom cocked an eyebrow as Kevin stooped and poked him. However, before he could say a word, Kevin let out a childish cry of

"You're it!" and took off running in the opposite direction down the beach, laughing hysterically the whole time

Ben lurched to his feet and raced after him

"Cheater!" he cried through a laugh

"Can't catch me, Benji!" Kevin called playfully over his shoulder

Gwen giggled, flipping the food once again. When she looked back up Ben had tackled Kevin into the sand and both were wrestling, trying to pin each other. She snorted, and called them for lunch. Both instantly froze, heads shooting in her direction, and then both scrambled up and rushed back toward the table, Ben's hand finding its way into Kevins along the way.

The mana disk stopped above Gwen's hands and she took it, ending the video with a smile. She then clicked it back into camera mode and held it up toward her boys

"Smile!"

Both leaned closer together, wide smiles in place, and she clicked the picture. Right after, they pulled her over for a group photo. She settled between them, as per request, and wrapped her arms around their shoulders as they pressed close to her, camera -held by her mana- clicking the picture before returning to its place on the table.

She freed herself from their grips and grabbed the camera, moving it away from the eating area as she grabbed plates and held them up

"Who's hungry?" she grinned