"Like a child (oh baby)
Just like a child..."

Kevin watched as Nick tried to get the kite flying for the sixth time.

"Nick, I don't think the kite will be up in the air, 'cause there is no wind at all," Kevin commented, showing a bit of frustration by digging the tip of his shoe into the sand and grinding deeply into it.

"It will, Kev. Trust me. The wind is circulating up there," Nick argued, pointing his finger towards the sky. In his mind, he jolly well knew that Kevin's words were true. However, having a never-giving-up-so-easily spirit, he looked around the beach for some inspiration to get the kite up in the air.

Lady luck was smiling down at him when he spotted a man cycling past the concrete path along the beach. He pushed the kite into Kevin's hands and chased after that man. "Hey sir, wait up!" Nick yelled. The man on the bicycle stopped and Nick went up to him with a friendly smile.

For the second time of the day, Kevin wondered once again what Nick was up to this time.

When the man walked away, Nick motioned for Kevin to bring the kids over. "What are you doing with this bicycle?" Kevin asked.

"I just bought this from that guy," Nick replied.

"What?" Kevin said. "You bought this?"

"Yup! I had an idea to get this-" Nick said, tugging a bit at the kite which Kevin was holding. "Flying up in the air in no time. Now, I need your help."

Kevin could not believe that Nick would actually buy a bicycle from a stranger just for the sake of getting the kite to fly. 'The determination of this boy,' Kevin thought, slightly shaking his head with a smile.

Nick took the end of the kite's string and wrapped it around his middle finger a few times. "You hold on to the kite and run together with me when I tell you to run. And when I tell you to let go of the kite, you let go, understand?"

Kevin nodded his head like a three year old kid and Nick chuckled.

As Nick got on the bicycle, Kevin instructed Ilyssa and Scott to stay close to him while he and Nick tried to get the kite to fly.

Nick started to cycle slowly and after a few seconds, he yelled out to Kevin to run, holding the kite up in the air. They began to pick up speed and Nick felt it was ready for Kevin to let go of the kite. He turned his head to face Kevin and yelled, "Kev, let go of the kite!"

Kevin did a small motion of throwing the kite up into the air and watched as it soared into the sky. He started to get ecstatic and yelled out to Nick, who was now cycling around in circles, watching the kite soaring higher into the clouded kingdom.

"Nick! The kite! Oh my god! It is up!" Kevin was so happy and he took Ilyssa and Scott's hands and did a little silly celebration dance.

Nick smiled, watching the happy family of three doing the silly dance. He decided to let them indulge in their celebration a little more before cycling back and so he cycled around for a little while.

When they finally stopped their dance, the three of them stood at their spot, watching the kite soaring up to new heights. The kids were certain that the kite was going to get the sun by sunset and yelled up to the kite above, "Get the sun! Get the sun!"

Kevin laughed heartily and wanted to tell them that it was impossible for the kite to reach the sun. But looking down at the innocent faces, the thought was thrown to the back of his mind. Who would have the heart to burst the precious and innocent bubbles of these kids? Certainly not him, he thought.

Nick noticed that they had stopped their dance and cycled back to them. He handed the kite over to Kevin and pushed the bicycle to a palm tree and leaned the bicycle against it.

"Daddy, kite! I want the kite!" Scott pleaded desperately.

Kevin smiled and ruffled Scott's hair before handing him the kite. "Go on and play with it with your sister. But stay close to us."

Scott nodded obediently, taking his sister's hand and went for a walk with their little kite flying.

"Let's go breathe in some ocean scents and take a stroll," Nick suggested, winding his arm around Kevin's.

Kevin could almost feel a tingling sensation running inside of him as Nick did that. "Nicky, this is a public place."

Nick gave him a hurt look. "There is not even a single soul around now except us-" he looked over to Scott and Ilyssa who were still yelling 'Get the sun!' to the kite, "And two very excited kids trying to get the kite to reach the sun."

Both Kevin and Nick started to laugh as they walked the path down to the beach.

...

"Think of what our love could be
If our hearts could set us free
Like a child..."

As the both of them strolled along the beach hand in hand, the sun cast a vast golden light onto the ocean. Nick smiled at the beautiful seascape and his glance drifted to Kevin. 'He looks even more alluring in this evening weather,' he thought.

"I noticed you checking me out."

Nick slapped on Kevin's arm playfully. "Yeah, so what if I am? You are good to look at. Perfect eye candy," he chuckled.

"Well, so are you," Kevin said, tightening his grip on Nick's hand. "I wish that this is forever." He briefly looked at the fluctuating waves above the ocean, dancing against the ball of golden flame and inhaled the moist atmosphere. "You, me, the kids and a house by the sea."

"Beautiful picture, Boo. Well, I have a house by the sea and so that is not a problem," Nick grinned.

Kevin nodded. "But we have a bigger obstruction before we reach that forever," he said, letting go of Nick's arm and bending down on his knees. He picked up a drinking straw off the sand, which was probably thrown away by some kids and started to draw something in the sand. "People should learn to be more considerate and start to love the earth by not throwing rubbish all around."

Nick rolled his eyes a little. He was used to it. Kevin always jumped from topic to topic whenever he was fed up of thinking and facing the truth. "Boo, when are we going to break this to the guys?" Nick pulled the earlier topic back, ignoring the comment Kevin had made about the rubbish.

The air was still and the beautiful waves of the sea were smoothed down a little. Kevin stopped his drawing for a while and looked at the eastern sky, which was slowing changing from faint blue to a darker blue.

"Nick, I am afraid. Afraid of Brian. I know the others will more or less accept this but Brian..." he returned to drawing in the sand, trying to find the right words to tell Nick. "I am starting to sound like a coward, huh? I started all this... all this crap-"

"Hell, it's not crap, Boo!" Nick exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "You think this relationship is crap?" he turned his back to Kevin and folded his arms, taking in a deep breath and holding back his emotion.

"No, Nick..." Kevin threw the straw onto the sand and quickly went over to Nick, wrapping his arms tightly around Nick's waist. "I didn't mean... God, this relationship is not crap. I don't know what I am talking about... Please don't be mad at me," he pleaded, but Nick kept silent.

"Nicky, I don't care if Brian is going to hate me but I don't want him to hate you. He is your best friend and it will hurt me so bad if I ever heard him say that he hates you."

"If you are not going to care if he hates you, then what makes you think I will?" Nick said, softening at Kevin's words. "He may be my best friend, but you are my lover. Don't forget, I belong to you, not Brian and certainly not others. If he hates me or if the whole world hates me, I know that I still have you."

A sparkle lit up Kevin's eyes. "I like that sentence."

"What?" Nick asked.

"You said you belong to me."

"Hmm. Did I say that?"

"You did! You said you BELONG to me!" Kevin stressed on the word. "Say that again."

"You'd wish!"

Kevin knew that Nick was trying to tease him and wriggle his fingers at Nick's side. "OH... HAHA... DARN! HA... NOT HA... AGAIN! HAHAHAHA... OKAY, OKAY, I BELONG TO YOU!! I BELONG TO BOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

"That's better," he whispered into Nick's ears as Nick struggled to get his breathing back to normal. "Nicky, let things take it's natural course. When I feel that it is ready, I will let Brian know. And I think by now, more than one person must already know."

Nick raised his eyebrows and spun around. "You have told someone already? Who is it?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"Tell me, Boo..."

"You will get to know it soon. Just be patient."

Nick pouted and wanted to dig out the answer from Kevin when the kids started yelling for them. They walked back to the path and continued to fly the kite with the kids. Scott and Ilyssa were both a little disappointed that their 'mission' had failed but when Nick made some funny faces, the bright spirit in them came back at once.

Inside Kevin's mind, he had a thousand 'thank you' to say to Nick. He had brought his favorite part of childhood back to him. And it was all done without Kevin speaking one word of it at all. If someone told him that their souls had already merged as one, he would believe it. He knew that Nick was definitely part of him now and most definitely belonged to him.

'Definitely.' he thought, a smile creeping onto his face. The four of them stayed till the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon before Kevin and Nick brought the kids back.

- Song featured: [Backstreet Boys] Like A Child

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