Title: Locks

Rating: K

Genre: Romance/Family

Pairing: None

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Kevin

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I tried to throw myself into working on the car. It was a nice car, this cherry red sports car, with only a minor problem that probably could have been fixed at home rather than paying a mechanic, not that I was complaining since that mechanic happened to be me. It belonged to a fairly pretty blonde who had a habit of walking by in short skirts while I was underneath the car. She called the car 'Arnold' and almost burst into tears each time she left it. I wanted to ask her questions, see if she was really into cars or just this particular car, show off the Camaro I'd rebuilt myself, but she never stuck around long and I'd resigned myself to the fact that she wasn't my type anyway, not really.

Ben came by after he finished school with two smoothies and kept me company. He came by a lot, not just here but at the apartment, too, and Laine and I spent quite a bit of time at his place as well. He, unlike most people, didn't constantly check to see if I was paying enough attention to them and wasn't at all put off by having to talk to someone who had the conversation from underneath a vehicle.

"Is it three-thirty yet?" I kept asking, and Ben kept telling me no, giving me a time that seemed way too early for the amount of time it felt like I'd spent here.

Finally I finished the car and sat down next to Ben on the workbench, sipping a delicious berry smoothie and trying to forget my problems by talking to Ben, which was surprisingly easy. Ben could take anything and turn it into an interesting conversation, which I appreciated.

Despite the fact that there was snow outside, it was ridiculously hot inside the garage and I stripped off both of my shirts, leaning against the wall.

"Do you want to go outside?" Ben queried.

"Can't. Promised Ed I'd watch the garage while he was gone," I replied, taking another long drink of the berry smoothie. After a moment I realized that Ben was staring at me.

"What?" I demanded, and when he didn't reply, I shoved him. He jumped, startled, and shook his head.

"Nothing," Ben answered. "It's nothing. So are you and Laine planning on doing anything tonight?"

"I was thinking of watching a movie or something and letting her eat all of the ice cream in the fridge, but that's just an idea," I answered with a shrug. Ben laughed until he almost fell off the workbench, would've fallen off if I hadn't caught him by the arm, tugging him back.

"God, it is hot in here," Ben groaned after a moment of silence, tugging off his top shirt and tossing it to the ground, leaning back against the wall.

"I think the heater's about to explode or something," I grimaced. "I've been trying to turn it down all day, but it's not doing a thing."

"Great," Ben sarcastically muttered. "You can't fix it?"

"Only if by 'fix', you mean smash to pieces. I fix cars. That's about it." Ben laughed again and I shot him a wary glance. He managed to stay on the bench this time, so I allowed myself a laugh, too.

"You're welcome to join us, if you want, Benji," I offered after another moment of silence. Ben glanced over at me.

"Are you sure you don't want it to be just, like, a family thing?" Ben queried, and I shrugged.

"It's Lainey's night, and she loves you. She'd love to have you there."

"What about you? Do you want me there?"

I glanced at him, lifting an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I wouldn't invite you if I didn't want you there."

"Okay," Ben shrugged, but I could tell there was something on his mind, something he didn't want to tell me.

"What's up with you?" I asked, not harshly.

"There's a lot up with me," Ben grinned, laughing, and I laughed too even though I felt like pressuring him to tell me. I wasn't in the mood to make him mad, didn't want to be left here alone.

"You should really put a shirt on," Ben decided, poking me in the chest.

"Why? It's just us."

"Because it's sort of awkward, sitting next to someone with no shirt on. Especially in January."

I shot him a huge grin. He really shouldn't have said that. "Oh, so you're uncomfortable, then?"

"Yeah," Ben answered, grinning back. He knew my every game. You would think that would make it less enjoyable, but he always played into them just as much as I did. I tackled him and we rolled onto the floor about a foot down, wincing as we collided with the concrete but immediately wrestling in the small space between the workbench and the car. I pinned him and grinned.

"Does this make you uncomfortable, Benji?" I asked, and he laughed, shoving at me, wrapping his legs around my waist and trying to flip me over. I let him win if only for the chance to flip him over again, and we wrestled for a few more minutes before he firmly pinned me, his knees on each side of my waist, hands pinning my arms to the ground.

"There. That's better," Ben smirked, his face inches from mine, and I suddenly had a strange feeling, one that started in the pit of my stomach, warming me from head to toe.

I very suddenly wanted to kiss Ben.

This was surprising, yes, but not the first time. It was just as confusing as ever. Before Ben, I had never had a best friend before, so I wasn't sure whether having the sudden urge to kiss him was normal. I never had these urges towards, say, Gwen or Elena, my other two closest friends, only Ben. I had no idea what made Ben so exclusive, only that it seriously confused me and was very awkward.

Ben noticed my lack in movement or response and he released my arms, backing away from me a bit before standing up and offering me a hand. I took it and let him pull me to my feet.

"You okay?" Ben asked, and I shrugged.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I replied. Ed walked in then.

"You can go, Kev. Thanks for all your help," Ed remarked. I handed him the keys to the cherry red sports car and tugged my shirts and jacket back on, handing Ben his jacket as we walked out the door.

"Hey, Kev," Ben remarked, "it's three-thirty."

I cheered and ran to the car, slipping on the ice and falling hard on my butt. Ben, naturally, burst into laughter and ran over to help me up, falling down right beside me.