Pricingham One Shots!

Afternoon in the Waves

“Come on Kevin! Hurry and help me build a wall before the waves knock down my castle!”

 “I’ll be there in a second-!” Kevin replied as he opened up an umbrella and stuck it into the sand by their towels and cooler. It had actually been his idea to go to the beach with Arnold that day, and, he was pleasantly surprised by how well the day was going. Typically their days out were a bit of a mess, but, today was going exactly as planned.

 After taking a moment to admire his work, Kevin joyfully skipped over to a mildly distressed Arnold.

 “Okay, I’m here! What do you need me to do?”

 Arnold looked up at him from his spot in the sand and blushed (or perhaps that was a bit of a sunburn?). Kevin was dressed sharply in a clean pair of white shorts, which fit him nicely Arnold must say, and a pale blue collared polo shirt with the three buttons undone. Maybe it was sinful for Arnold to be feeling the way he did in that moment, but, he couldn’t help but admire how handsome Kevin appeared that day.

 Arnold was broken out of his Kevin-induced trance when he felt his sand castle collapse onto his feet.

 “AH! MY CASTLE!!!” He shouted as he began to desperately pick up clumps of sand, attempting to repair his dilapidated castle. Kevin chuckled and slowly slid into the thick sand beside him.

 “Maybe you shouldn’t have built your castle so close to the waves, love.” Kevin snickered as he began to help rebuild.

 “Well, I need to build it close to the waves so that I can get the wet sand! This kind of sand is like concrete, and it makes the best castles!” Arnold whined, hastily reforming one of the towers. “Also, are you sure you want to get your shorts all sandy?”

 “They’re swimming trunks.” Kevin deadpanned as he moved out in front of the castle so that the waves wouldn’t hit it. He began to build a tall wall to protect it, smiling egotistically at the longing gaze Arnold was giving him. It was then that his watch went off, alerting him that 30 minutes had already passed since they’d first arrived at the beach. Swiftly turning the alarm off, he stood up and walked back to their towels.

 Arnold turned around to watch him, mildly perplexed. “What’cha doin’?” Kevin swiped a bottle of sunscreen out from his bag and promptly applied it to his arms, legs, and face.

 “Sunscreen must be reapplied every 30 minutes!” Kevin practically sang as he walked over to him. “Here, let me do it for you…” Before Arnold could question it, Kevin was already applying it to his back.

 Kevin would not say that it was pleasant to do, but, he understood how hard it was to apply it to your back by yourself (that’s why he wore a shirt). It was a kind gesture that he knew was greatly appreciated. Thankful that the job was done, he tapped Arnold on the shoulder and handed him the bottle so that he could do the front side himself.

 “Ah thanks, Pep.”

 “...Pep?”

 Arnold simply giggled, knowing that Kevin fully understood the nickname. Putting a small bit of sunscreen on his index finger, he leaned forward and poked the tip of Kevin’s nose, making a perfect white dot on the end.

 “Boop!” He smiled brightly at Kevin’s oddly annoyed expression. “Hey!” His face suddenly lit up with an idea as the water splashed lightly upon his toes. “Wanna go swimming??”

 Kevin scrunched up his nose and cast a strange glance at the water. “...I’ve never actually been swimming before…” Arnold startled him with a loud exaggerated gasp.

 “WHAT?????”

 Kevin fidgeted slightly in the sand, his cheeks heating up. “It’s not that big of a deal…”

 “YES! YES IT IS!” After taking in a breath to calm down a bit, Arnold continued. “We need to go swimming right now!!”

 “Okay, okay.” Kevin chuckled defeatedly, taking his shirt off and balling it up before tossing it onto their towels. “Just hand me the sunscreen then.” Arnold obeyed, averting his eyes and whistling, obviously trying to not creepily watch him apply sunscreen. “Uhm…” Kevin’s voice made Arnold turn back to face him, and he saw Kevin handing him back the bottle. “D-do you think that you can put this on my back as well…?” He asked with a blush.

 It took Arnold a minute to process that, since Kevin did not typically appreciate any sort of physical contact, unless it was under certain situations. With an excited giggle that almost made Kevin regret asking him for assistance, Arnold grabbed the bottle and walked around the castle, landing down in the sand behind him with a loud plop.

 “Don’t worry bud, with me in charge, you won’t get any sunburns!!”

 “I would hope not.” Kevin replied with a weak chuckle, shivering when his back was slathered with the cold lotion. It took only a few seconds, and he was relieved when he heard Arnold snap the cap shut. He rose to his feet and held out his hand for the bottle, wiping the sand off of his backside before quickly putting the sunscreen and his balled up shirt back into his bag. When he walked back to the castle, Arnold had risen to his feet as well, beaming at him with radiating anticipation.

 The second he reached him, Arnold grabbed his hand and excitedly bounded into the water, dragging Kevin hesitantly behind him. Before they knew it, they were knee-deep in the chilled waves, their grip slipping from the slick sunscreen.

 His gut was filled with only the smallest tinge of fear, but it was soon overtaken with excitement. Letting loose a bubbling chuckle, Kevin felt blessed that he was allowed to enjoy something as simple as an afternoon in the waves with the love of his life.