Keane- Somewhere only we know (For the second half of this chapter)
When Kevin Barr woke up the next morning his body was sore because after their conquering Kevin's trauma moment they practiced a few more self-defense moves. He groaned sitting up while rubbing his eyes and looked around. He was in the bedroom...though he swore that they had fallen asleep once again on the couch. He remembered after their practice that they had lay down on the grass and watched the stars above in silence until it was one in the morning. They had headed back quietly in hand, the cool breeze kissing their skin and only the sound of their footsteps and rustling of leaves filled their ears as they walked back to the cabin. Too sleepy to walk any further they crashed on the couch, Kevin had closed his eyes and let himself be taken by sleep as he leaned further onto the others side not caring how close they were. He frowned feeling a small hint of disappointment having woken up somewhere else than where he had fallen asleep.
His freckled hands searched through the covers and under the pillow searching for his phone. Finding it tangled somewhere among the sheets he found that there was a missed call from Nazz with a couple of messages from his friends and his father. He smiled warmly at the messages and decided to give his father a call, now ready to hear the man's rusty voice.
"H-Hey dad, did I call at a bad time?" He asked knowing his dad was most likely at work. Hearing his father's chuckle lightened his nerves, he really couldn't be mad at his old man for long. They chatted for only for ten minutes Kevin excitedly telling him about their little adventures and simply hearing his father's happy voice filled him with joy. They were definitely going to have a better talk when Kevin returned home.
Once he had ended the call with his father he put down the phone to hear for any sounds from downstairs. By now he would normally hear noises from the kitchen, but today it was completely silent. Could it be that the raven haired teen was still asleep? He wouldn't be surprised the guy had to sleep in now and then right? So he decided to return the call from Nazz, who was probably ready to explode of excitement based on her message. "Kevin! Oh my god finally!" he heard the girl yelp.
"Well, good morning to you too" he chuckled in response
"Never Mind that! HAPPY BIRTHDAY you dork" she giggled loudly in excitement through the phone.
It was as if Kevin could feel her hug him tightly "Thanks Nazz" he smiled missing his best friend at the moment.
"How you've been? How's the cabin? Are you in some old creepy horror movie like cabin? Oh god does Eddward have some secret torment room? Oh my god, what if there are like a million dead bodies buried all over!" she shrieked clearly anxious about the get away with just him and the swimmer.
"Hey Hey calm down" he sighed "It's all good Nazz, no torment room, no dead bodies, and the cabin is nice as hell" the ginger laughed looking around the room "I'm alright, and I've already told you he not what he seems" Kevin thought back to everything he used to think Eddward was. A mother fucker who hated everyone and everything, a spoiled brat who didn't give a fuck about anything, an egocentric douchebag who enjoyed the pain of others…and well there was much more but he knew now there was so much more than the swimmer had let on. He was observant, thoughtful, gentle, and "actually sweet and caring…"
"…Are we talking about the same person? Or have you been kicked in the head really hard?" Kevin heard Nazz's confused and worried voice break his trance of thoughts.
"What?" he asked
"You just said he's actually sweet and caring…If there is one thing I know is that putting the name Eddward and the words Sweet and Caring in the same sentence is asking for a death sentence." The girl talked as if Kevin was actually crazy "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, don't worry about me. He's actually taking this seriously this time and he cares Nazz. I'm not saying this just because I'm delusional or whatever but I actually see it in him this time around" he paused thinking of the previous night "I know you don't believe me but he's really changing for the better…" he smiled feeling a sense in pride in the other.
The blond girl gave a little sigh "…Fine, so long as he does his part in keeping you away from the J's"
"Nazz, I'm not doing this because I want something out of him" Kevin sat up straighter remembering what little details Eddward had told him about the weird system the bullies had. Somehow Jimmy was keeping Eddward in check even though Eddward lead their little gang. Also how there was that one big boss guy manipulating bullies from peach creek and lemon brook. "Something tells me there's only so much he can do…" he mumbled out wondering how much power this big guy had in their hands.
"What are you talking about? He's the leader I call bullshit if he isn't willing to stop making you their target." She responded angrily. "Kevin, I've told you he's isn't worth it"
"No, it's not that. It's just—there's so much you don't understa—"
"No Kevin, no, don't you dare tell me I don't understand. How many times have you told me that? Tell me then, tell me so I can understand" her voice fading from frustration to sadness.
Kevin felt so guilty not being able to tell his best friend these kinds of things. He couldn't, no wouldn't betray the teen's trust. These things were painful, scarce and private. He had no right to tell Eddward's pain to anyone else. Besides what would he be getting out of telling her everything else? She was impulsive and who knows what she would do with the information "I-I can't…" he spoke.
"…fine…fine then" Nazz voice was clearly heartbroken "you know what, it's fine…I-I don't want to spoil your birthday…just wanted to make sure you were ok and I hope you enjoy today"
The ginger boy frowned further "I'm sorry" he murmured looking down at his freckled hands.
He heard her breathe out softly "I love you ok?" she whispered out.
"I love you too" he said lovingly, wanting nothing more than to hug the girl tightly at the moment "and miss you too"
"yeah same, but hey I'll be back in three weeks" she seemed cheerful again "I'll drag your ass all over town to make up for the fun we've missed this summer"
Kevin groaned "I don't think sitting in a changing room waiting for you to make up your mind over a new skirt is what I would call fun" he chuckled "how about the first thing we do when you come back is buy two boxes of Hawaiian pizza, because it's your favorite, and we can spend the entire day by the beach?"
"YES!" she screeched loudly making Kevin remove the phone away from his now aching ear
"Cool, and you can tell me all about Mr. lover boy and how you both danced endlessly until the clock stroked twelve and you ran away and left a glass slipper behind" he laughed.
This had made the girl laughed along "Actually there was also fireworks" she giggled before going silent just hearing Kevin's breathing "please take care" she whispered out.
"I will" he smiled
…
The curious ginger teen made his way down stairs looking around for any potential signs of Eddward around the cabin. When he saw something in the middle of the table… as he made his way closer to it he began to recognize the item. He smiled fondly staring down at a chocolate strawberry shortcake. If there was one thing Kevin was weak against it was chocolate covered strawberries, but how the fuck did Eddward know?
Smiling he turned and scanned the inside of the cabin looking for the raven haired teen. No sign of him… he looked back down to the cake and surpassed the urge to pick up a strawberry and eat it. "Eddward" he called out looking out the porch and seeing nothing. He decided to step outside. Perhaps the teen was still out on a run.
He sat on the steps placing his hands on his cheeks waiting with a giant smile on his freckled face. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long because the raven haired came walking around the corner distracted with the phone in his hand. "Good Morning" Kevin called out with a smirk.
The taller teen clearly surprised by his presence jumped slightly. Kevin giggled into the palm of his hand unable to peel his eyes away from the sight. Eddward put his phone away in his jeans pocket blushing and moved his lips as if he was going to say something then closing them and walking closer. "Morning" he smirked awkwardly. He leaned against the porch and looked down at the small ginger without breaking contact with those bright green eyes.
Kevin hid a smile under the palm of his hand he leaned on staring back at the taller teen. "You didn't have to" he decided to break the silence first.
"I didn't have to do what, exactly?" the other teased crossing his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You know, the cake" Kevin smiled wider
"Ah" the raven haired nodded his head now turning his gaze out to the forest in front of them "And what makes you think I got it for you?" he continued to tease turning his attention back down.
At this Kevin rolled his eyes and stood up lightly punching Eddward on the arm and chuckling. "Thanks…again" he smiled up.
Eddward didn't really know what to say. He hadn't done something like this in years. The last time he had celebrated someone's birthday it had been Ed's and he had gotten him an entire completed edition of Ed's favorite comic book series. Now, Kevin? He had realized last night that he had no idea what Kevin liked besides his quiz bowl cap, robotics, and the music they shared in common. So at three in the morning he had carried the ginger to the bedroom to sleep more comfortably and he had headed to his own. Of course, he wasn't able to sleep, and instead contemplated on what to do. Around 6 in the morning he had received a message from Ed. They had exchanged numbers to Eddward's dislike, because if he was going to leave town Sam was obviously going to know about it and put someone else in charge of his designated area until his return. Ed was the one keeping careful watch and making sure no one was aware Kevin was with him. Besides the usual updates on any of Sam's followers, the brunette had also mentioned something at the bottom of his text which was exactly what he was looking for.
[BTW, IDK if he's told u but it's Kevin's BDAY today. He likes chocolate, strawberries & pancakes. U better make it good DD ;)]
The raven haired teen had frowned at the message annoyed with the brunette insisting on calling him Double D, but forgetting his frustration as he quietly made his way out to his car and drove down to Walnut Creek.
Eddward smiled down and ruffled the ginger hair "it's a miracle you don't have your silly hat on"
"I could say the same thing about you" the smaller teen raised an eyebrow and smirking
"Touché" he retreated his hand and shoved them into his jeans pockets "Come on, I'll make some pancakes for breakfast" he walked up the stairs past the other.
Kevin's ears perked up "Wait a second!" he called rushed back inside after the other "How the hell do you know?"
"Know what?" Eddward asked tying his hair back (which always seemed to bring a fluttery feeling to our little ginger teen).
"First a chocolate strawberry cake now pancakes! How do you know they're my favorite?" he lightly slammed his hands on the kitchen counter.
"Are they?" Eddward washed his hands with a smirk on his face. He hated to admit it but he thanked the tall brunette.
"Uh yeah"
"Hm, lucky guess I suppose" the raven haired teen shrugged his shoulders getting the supplies out.
"Bullshit" Kevin mumbled pouting a bit about the fact that Eddward wouldn't tell him how he had figured it out. Though that soon faded and his smile was back almost immediately as he watched the other begin. "Here, I'll help you" he said rushing to wash his hands.
The smaller teen playfully bump into Eddward taking the bowl with the mix from the other and continued to swirl the ingredients. The rest of their morning continued to be just as peaceful and playful, and Kevin wouldn't have it any other way. This wasn't the Eddward he had met back in freshman year…was simply Eddward. The one who cared and play fight, and had a wonderful smile that radiated for miles. Sometimes, little Kevin thought that the past two years have been a nightmare, because the Eddward now was so different…
They had enjoyed the cake sitting on the couch, leaning against one another and binge watching Stranger Things for the rest of the afternoon. They discussed over Barb's death having made Kevin mad and Eddward only laughed earning a shout from Kevin "Don't laugh!" and a small shove.
That little shove was the beginning of a wrestling match between the two. Eddward of course toning down his strength to let Kevin win. They pushed and shoved at each other, hands going all over the place and before he knew it their little match had ended just as quickly as it had begun. Kevin of course knew the other had been going easy on him and it made him remember the previous night when they had been practicing for real "Do you think I can actually win?" he asked looking down at his small hands.
Eddward knew Kevin was referring to winning against Jimmy and Johnny "I do actually, though not by force" he smirked. This made Kevin stare at him like he was crazy and he further explained "With the right techniques you can. They might be stronger but that's all they have" he settled back comfortably on the couch "They're complete idiots, they fight messy but if you look for the right openings you can escape easily" he looked over to the other kneeling beside him "It's not about winning the fight, it's about getting out as fast as you can as safely as possible" he stared at Kevin firmly.
Kevin stared at him just as intensely feeling an eerie feeling manifest itself in his stomach. The way Eddward spoke creeped him out, maybe it was that the swimmer mostly likely knew the J's would be far ruthless this coming school year. Kevin knew Eddward wasn't going to always be there to save the day and this meant he needed to know how to save himself. He nodded in response before sitting back and resuming the episode.
It had gotten pretty late in the afternoon when the series finally came to a conclusion and the raven haired had drifted to sleep. Kevin wondered just how much sleep Eddward got on a daily bases. There were always dark circles under his striking blue eyes and they never seemed to go away making Kevin worry. He thought to the various times he had seen and heard the raven haired teen have nightmares, and wondered if he still had them. The little ginger couldn't help but wonder what his nightmares consisted of clearly being something scary enough to leave the poor teen without sleep.
The small scar presented itself gracefully carved into the tan skin, as Eddward's hair draped over the couch armrest. Kevin leaned in taking a closer look at it observing it closely. This was the first time he was able to truly look at it though prominent on his skin it wasn't disliked. Rather Kevin thought that if the scar wasn't there then it wouldn't be Eddward anymore.
When and how had he gotten this scar? And why did Eddward think it so important as to cover it up? Was the mighty king truly insecure about his appearance? He leaned further on top resting an arm on the sleeping teen. The other freckled hand reached forward to Eddward's head getting a sudden urge to touch the lovely scar.
Lightly his finger traced the outline of the scar, and felt the small bump it had. The small portion of flesh was much lighter standing out in comparison to the teen's pretty olive skin. He hadn't dared to ask Eddward on the topic of his scar since that morning in the swimmer's room. His curiosity has been placed in the far back of his mind because he knew the taller teen would in due time tell him the story behind this pretty little scar.
…
They continued to enjoy the company of one another throughout the days. Kevin decided to join Eddward on his runs in the morning and the little teen had discovered they were quite rewarding as they often were early enough to catch the sun rise. They would stop and watch for a few minutes as dark purple faded away by a blanket of bright yellow and clear blue. Sometimes they sit and stay a little longer enjoying the view and fresh air before the temperature raised. During these times Kevin found peace and tranquility in his state of mind.
Throughout their afternoons, they stayed indoor as the sun burned too strong and the air was simply too hot. The teens continued their little language lessons to pass time. Every other day Kevin would sit down an hour to practice Spanish, though it seemed to be easier for the smaller teen because he had taken some beginning classes in school. Kevin found that he loved hearing Eddward speak Spanish. It was a pleasant sound, his tongue rolling the r's perfectly and so naturally it made Kevin smile like a fool. Eddward would read to him, and Kevin would try to mimic the same pronunciations. Of course it brought out many chuckles from the raven haired and flushed freckled cheeks from the other. Kevin would stick his tongue out, and Eddward would pinch his freckled nose playfully before taking the novel from the other's hands and voicing the words correctly.
The same could be said for their French lessons, though the only difference would be that Eddward was more involved studying alongside. Their studying involved watching a bunch of old black and white films. This was the little ginger's favorite studying method as he laughed at the awful acting and terrible effects.
Kevin would talk to Eddward about Nazz and her summer romance even though the swimmer had little interest in it, he was always willing to listen to the smaller teen ramble. It was delightful for the raven haired, though he himself contributed only a mere fraction to these conversations. Kevin's bright eyes and wide smile reassured him that the small teen was doing well and truthfully was enjoying himself. The swimmer had known of course that perhaps coming up here was something that would positively benefit the other, and he smiled relishing in the fact that he was witnessing the most alive he had ever seen Kevin Barr be.
Guilt and regret did however only grow stronger in the pit of Eddward's stomach the more he spent time with the little ginger. The roots of these emotions wrapped themselves around his bones and squeezing painfully tight at his organs. Every fiber of him regretted everything bad thing he had done to the freckled teen. He still couldn't believe that after everything he had done, Kevin Barr had stubbornly stuck around out of his own will.
And now Eddward feared nothing more than the loss of this companionship
The loss would surely be the death of him. How in the world was he supposed to function properly if he didn't know how to live justly without the freckled teen around? He wasn't supposed to get attached, he had been warned, and he had tried to be cautious. This trip was supposed to be only for Kevin and his wellbeing. Yet it proved to him just how dependent he was on the teen. Every smile and laugh calmed his guilt, and filled them with a bubbly sensation. The brightness Kevin radiated was something he never wanted to stop observing. He never wanted this to go away, though he knew it might with the start of the new school year.
As the sun would go down and they had eaten the two boys would head on over to the hidden spot and continue their self-defense training. Kevin was quick to remember every word Eddward spoke as he demonstrated, encouraged and reassured the freckled teen. His piercing blue eyes engraved into his mind as they stood facing each other.
At one point during their training Kevin was thrown on the ground and before he had any time to react was mounted by the raven haired teen. Both his hands were trapped under the grip of the other, and all he could see in that moment was how gorgeous those crystal eyes illuminated in the dark sky and how perfectly his wavy locks framed his face as they fell loose from his ponytail. However, that thought was quickly pushed away by a feel of embarrassment and nervousness. He could feel his face become hot and flushed even though the breeze was cool.
"What are you going to do now?" Eddward's voice broke through his trance.
He looked back up with a raised eyebrow "T-Try to get away?" Though how in the world was he supposed to do that in this position. His mind began to scroll through different tactics but was unsure.
"Don't stop to think, just fight. In a real fight you won't have time to think, you have to act quickly" Eddward's free hand lightly touched at Kevin's neck. "So what will you do to get out of this?"
With that Kevin squirmed underneath the other until he was able to free a hand and pushed hard with his legs. He pushed and kicked until he was able to turn and attempted to quickly crawl away until he felt a hand push him down on the ground. "You did well until you turned away from me" Eddward lifted his hold on the other "That left you defenseless, always face your attacker"
Kevin turned around "So what do I do?" he asked
"Lay down again" he instructed and the smaller teen did as he was told placing his hands above his head as they had been. As soon as the raven haired straddled him his embarrassment and flushed cheeks were back. "Now, what I want you to do is to use your hips to push me off, roll over and come on top of me and start striking" he instructed.
This of course only embarrassed the ginger teen further and he was terrified that Eddward could feel his burning skin. "If the attacker let's go of a hand or if you free your hand" He grabbed Kevin's left hand and lead it up to his face "Strike at the head, roll on top and strike"
"o-ok" Kevin mumbled sheepishly
"Alright, buck your hips with as much strength as you can"
With as much power he found in his embarrassment of wanting to get out of the position Kevin raised his hips and successfully pushed the taller teen off. As they turned, Kevin came on top of the other though the new position didn't make his embarrassment and nerves calm down one bit. "Now that you have the upper hand, you can strike as hard as you can" Eddward moved Kevin's arms to demonstrate. He placed one of Kevin's hand on his shoulder "Hold your attacker down with one hand and with the other…" he closed the ginger's other hand to form a fist "Attack. Hit with a fist or elbow to the head, and try to move out as quickly as possible. You don't want to sit and fight your attacker, but you definitely want to fight them off." He moved Kevin's arms again "You want to strike the face, poke their eyes, grab their hair and slam their head against the ground, strike at their weak spots as hard as you can, just anything to slow them down alright?" he asked making firm eye contact with the other.
"T-That's a bit intense don't you think?" Kevin hesitantly asked processing every instruction that had been given.
"No, I think it's reasonable" Eddward stated letting go of the other's hands and sitting up instead now holding onto Kevin's shoulders "You know as well as I do Jimmy and Johnny won't have mercy. Don't hesitate to be extreme Kevin, if you do you're done for"
Kevin's uneasiness was calmed by the gentle shoulder rubs Eddward provided. "Yeah, you're right" he whispered out. It was difficult to think he could ever engage in such a fight, but if it meant being safe and alive he would resort to such violent measures like Eddward had told him to.
"You can do it, just breathe" Eddward smiled further encouraging Kevin who smiled back.
…
They would go on early hikes up the mountain exploring, eventually once stumbling upon the mountain lion from afar. Kevin had spontaneously pulled out his phone and pulled the taller teen lower to take a selfie with the lion a mere spec in the background. Kevin had a wide smile and Eddward had looked so surprised and flushed in the picture Kevin giggled every time he looked at it. By far this was his favorite picture out all the aesthetically pleasing ones he had taken, it was silly and darn it… it was cute.
They spend some days out by the lakes, sometimes up in the smaller one after their long hike, other times splashing at each other in the bigger one. Kevin had dared Eddward once to dive from top of the waterfall of the smaller lake. So all mighty King of sharks unfazed by the challenge smirked and dared the little ginger to jump with him. Kevin would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit afraid of jumping from that height, but the wild look in those crystal eyes made him feel more adventurous. So, he grabbed at the raven hair's hand and led their way up to the top of the waterfall. Sure, the height of the waterfall wasn't that big, but it was big enough to stir the nerves of the freckled boy.
They took one look at each other before squeezing their hands and stepping off the ground, Eddward with a wide grin, and Kevin with a wider smile on his face. Within seconds, water enveloped them completely, each boy still clinging tightly to the other's hand. They rose up to breathe and Kevin stuck his tongue out playfully making the other roll their eyes and lightly splashed the freckled teen. This of course only sparked Kevin's playfulness and splashed back and soon became a water splashing fight.
…
One night Kevin had stumbled upon the third room in the cabin where he saw all the boxes and furniture. It wasn't his intention to enter the room however he couldn't help it seeing the door slightly opened welcoming him inside. He could easily make an educated guess on who's belongings these where, though he didn't ponder on this too much. Instead he saw a guitar by the door and smiled. Finally something he could show the great Eddward Vincent. He picked it up, and peeked outside where the raven haired teen was watching the bonfire they had made.
"Hey, look what I found" he stepped out holding the guitar out for the other to see "Didn't meant to look inside, but the door was open—"
"It's alright" Eddward interrupted softly smiling at him.
The smaller teen breathed out and smiled sitting next to the other. "So, let me guess oh so talented Eddward knows guitar, and like a thousand other instruments?" he giggled.
Eddward leaned back in his seat looking at Kevin "mm, well a thousand might be exaggerated. I've only played three instruments, though it's been years."
"Really, what did you play?" he asked curiously
"Piano, Violin, and Guitar" The raven haired teen explained eyeing the guitar in Kevin's hands he leaned his hand on his hand. "I mostly fiddled with the guitar, only ever learned one song my mother taught me"
"Can I listen to it?" Kevin asked handing the guitar over with a shy smile.
Eddward looked at the guitar and leaned forward taking a hold of it from the other's hands. He steadied it on his legs, his long fingers slowly tracing the wood full of scratches and bumps "It's been years…" he mumbled "I barely remember"
Kevin folded his legs underneath him and eyed the other curiously, patiently waiting. He heard Eddward strum the guitar getting a feel for it and tuning it to get it right. Then the swimmer's eyes closed remembering the tune of the song. Kevin wasn't sure if Eddward was aware, but the taller teen began to faintly hum the tune before his fingers began to play.
The song was pleasant, and had a light feel to it. Eddward played it softly and smoothly as if he had spent a long time practicing and memorizing the notes. It was lovely listening to the lively notes though halfway through Kevin could feel a hint of sadness to the song. The flames illuminated Eddward's olive skin in a pretty manner somehow making his crystal eyes shine.
As the song came to an end Kevin realized he had had his eyes closed for most of the song. His green eyes met ocean blue with a smile "What's the song called?" he asked quietly.
"Vincent by Don McLean" Eddward handed the guitar back to the ginger teen and leaned back in his chair.
"Vincent?" The smaller teen chuckled at the similarity of names.
"Uh huh, every heard of The Starry Night painting?" Eddward asked looking up at the sky now
"Oh yeah, it's hella famous" Kevin hugged the guitar to his chest.
Eddward chuckled and looked down at the ginger teen "Well, the painter's name is Vincent Van Gogh. The song is about him"
Kevin hummed in response "I'll look it up some time. I remember my middle school art teacher rambling about what a tragedy his life was"
"Indeed it was, Misunderstood and tragic" Eddward said as he eyed the guitar again "Do you want me to teach you guitar as well?" he smirked.
Kevin blush at this "No, I can actually play some. My grandpa taught me"
The raven haired only smirked further "Well then, play a song for me" he leaned back and eyed the other with interest.
"Ok" Kevin smiled and shifted to comfortably place the guitar in his lap. "You my good man are about to witness my great guitar skills" he dramatically strummed the guitar bringing out a laugh from the raven haired teen. Kevin chuckled as well a wide smile on his face upon hearing the other's laugh. "Ok, for real this time" he giggled and paused for a moment feeling nervous to play for the other then he begun to carefully strum the guitar.
Eddward immediately recognized the song as Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra and smiled. He ran his fingers through his raven hair as he listened to the upbeat song. Kevin was rusty here and there but in no way did it take away from the pleasant sound. He enjoyed listening to Kevin and in all honestly the sight of the concentrated ginger was quite beautiful. The taller teen relaxed in his chair, cheek against his hand watching the other play the lovely song. There was a soft smile on the other's freckled cheek as he played, the fire's red flames enlightening his orange short hair, his green eyes bright and focused.
"…Lovely" Eddward murmured softly when Kevin was done "Did your grandpa teach you that song?" he asked.
"Yeah" he nodded placing the guitar on the ground beside him "Said it was his and grandma's wedding song. Actually it's the only song I know how to play" Kevin chuckled sticking his tongue out teasingly and leaned back in his chair facing the other. "Haven't touched a guitar since his passing"
"Seems you two were close" Eddward hummed looking back at the freckled teen.
"You could say that…I am their only grandson after all" The smaller teen pulled his knees to chest "W-what about your mom?" he hesitantly asked. The ginger could see some tension in the other's though he seemed willing enough to speak.
Eddward raised his gaze up to the sky once again, now seeing the brightly shining stars "I remember her as a good woman…before she left…" Eddward inhaled in slowly "She taught me everything, always caring and willing to play with me even though she was busy" he bit his lip running his finger through his hair again "I memorized the ingredients she used because I was always observing her on top of the kitchen counter as she sung to me…so you can thank her for that" he chuckled looking over at Kevin who was smiling back. "She loved to bake pumpkin pie…" He looked up at Kevin and grimly smiled "Do you know what was one of the reasons why I picked on you the most?"
Kevin shook his head carefully listening. Eddward pointed at Kevin's head "Your hair" he smirked "She loved everything that had to do with pumpkins and your hair color reminds me of pumpkins" he chuckled and fixed his gaze at the bonfire in thought "Pumpkin…the name suits you" he murmured quietly.
The ginger teen blushed immensely at the nickname, though he would be lying if he said he didn't prefer it a thousand times more to Minnow.
"I just…" Eddward paused frowning "I always thought that at least she be the one to come back…"
Kevin smiled faded to a frown as well "If she did come back…would you forgive her?"
The raven haired teen rose a hand to run through his jeans, his hand stopping at a bump of the dog tags safely stored in his pocket. He shrugged, and shook his head "I don't know…perhaps not…" He turned to Kevin "Your situation is different, you don't know what a mother's love is like. I on the other hand not only did know what is was but I also know what it is like when that same woman rips it away from you and that…that is a painful thing Kevin"
Kevin leaned forward in his seat "Eddward we've both been abandoned by our mothers. Mine came back, what makes you think yours won't"
"Because I know she won't…" he frowned further
"How do you know that?"
Eddward stared at Kevin sadly "I'm a mistake, Kevin…I'm defective. I was never meant to be the way I am, but no matter what I do I can't fix it" his hands had formed into fists "I can't ever make them come back…I can't ever make them love me..."
Kevin hated hearing the other talk about himself so negatively "Well fuck them ok!" he huffed sitting up in his chair looking at the bonfire "Fuck them, because if there was one thing that they ever did right in their stupid lives it was having you!" he wiped at some tears that began slipping out of his eyes with a scowl "You're perfect Eddward. You are so fucking perfect ok?"
Eddward stared at Kevin with wide eyes stunned at the other's outburst "T-there is no perfection—"
"Well there is, and it's you! You are so fucking talented for god's sake!" Kevin furiously turned to face the other "You play guitar, piano, violin. You can speak English, Spanish and fucking French. You can cook as if heaven was your fucking kitchen!" The freckled teen sniffed "You are a genius, the first in our class! You can get into any fucking university with a full ride if you wanted" he chuckled "You're tall and strong and the unbeatable captain of the swim team" he breathed in calming down a bit "You have the most beautiful fucking handwriting I've ever seen and you have proven to be so caring of me, and—and if they won't love you for who you are then fuck them ok! Fuck them because I will" Kevin angrily wiped his tear stained face.
For the longest time Eddward sat speechless staring at the other as he calmed down from his fit…
He just didn't know what to say, what was he supposed to say? Kevin…Kevin was just so unexpected. The ginger's words were slowly processing through his mind and every word that had slipped from the other's mouth had filled him with a bubbly sensation. He let out a chuckle placing a hand to cover his eyes.
Kevin looked at Eddward who had now erupted into a full on laugh "Why are you laughing?" he scowled at the raven haired teen.
Eddward shook his head "N-no" he tried to contain his laughter "I-It's just" he chuckled out and continued to shake his head "Thank you" the swimmer smiled as he felt his eyes fight back tears.
Kevin stood up and knelt down beside Eddward taking hold of the taller teen's trembling hands "How can you confidently say all that after everything" Eddward whispered out looking at their intertwined hands.
"…Because after everything up until tonight you are perfect to me" Kevin smiled up "We all make bad decisions Eddward, all you have been trying to do is protect yourself from the entire world. But you need to change those voices in your head because not everyone is going to leave you…" Kevin tightened his hold "I won't ever abandon you so long as you don't abandon me ok?"
Eddward let a tear fall at this and a smile crept to his face as he lazily nodded in response. Kevin smiled relieved and hugged the taller teen tightly. Strong arms found their way around the ginger's small frame. Both teens held on just a little bit tighter, the only sound was the soft sniffles of the raven haired teen, the crisp fire behind them. The faint breeze moved the trees around them as fallen leaves waltz to the ground, and the silent river gently passed by somewhere far off.
This emotional moment underneath the bright moon, and shining stars with their tangled limbs being kept warm by the other's heat and the flame was their last memory in the cabin before the teens would head back to Peach Creek.
…
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Oh God i LOVED writing this chapter haha Sorry i had to speed up the get away and i think i will only write two more chapters for their summer break. I really want chap 40 to be the chap when their school starts again. I hope though, that even if i sped up that the chapter was still satisfying for you all.
Also i'm very happy to finally use Kevin's new nickname 3
EDIT (was too sleepy to remeber to put this in lol): You can find the songs they played if you typed in the name and add in fingerstyle Guitar cover. Both are covers are done by James Bartholomew.
Please leave a review, I enjoy reading them very much and helps me stay motivated! :3
Let me know if you have any thoughts, predictions, and any feels!
Look forward to the next time I update! and let's see what happens next.
I hope you have a lovely Day/Night XOXO