Fantasy (Ben/Kevin, Pg-13)

[perhapsormaybe]

"Kevin!" Gwen ran down the bus's stairs and embraced him for a moment. "Where's Ben?" she asked as she released him. Kevin shrugged.

"Dunno."

"Kevin...did something happen?" Gwen asked, hiking the shoulder up on her backpack as it started to slip. Kevin shook his head. "Okay. Well, are we doing anything tonight?"

"No patrol," he said simply.

"Fine, fine, but what I mean is...are we doing anything together? You know...you, me, and Ben? Like we usually do on nights we're not fighting aliens...and nights we are, really, but I'm talking about just grabbing a bite to eat."

Something seemed to occur to Kevin, and he nodded. "Yeah...you and me. We're gonna go to that cafe on 31'st tonight. Okay?"

"All right, I'll call Ben and tell him," Gwen started to dig for her cell, but Kevin grabbed her hand. "What?"

"No Ben. Just you and me. You know... a date."

Gwen raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. "All right, Kevin. Give me a ride home?"

"Yeah, sure."

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"Hey, Gwen, do you want to hang out tonight?" Ben asked, his tone hopeful. He was over needing alone time - now he needed someone supportive. They were both sitting on her front porch step.

"I'd like to, Ben, really, but Kevin already asked," Gwen admitted. "I was getting ready when you came over."

"Oh..." He said softly. "Wait...Kevin's going to be here?"

"Yeah...In a few minutes..."

"I better go," Ben said, grabbing onto the stair railing and using it to hoist himself up. "Don't tell him I was here, okay?"

"Okay, but it might help if you told me what was going on. Kevin was acting funny when he came to pick me up, and now you're acting weird too..."

"It's a long story...oh no, that must be him!" Ben dived into the bushes, certain he'd heard Kevin's car racing up the street.

"Ben...get out of the rose bush. It's just the neighbors."

"Oh..okay," Ben rose to his feet and brushed himself off. "But I'm gonna head out now, before Kevin gets here. Bye." He took off running, slamming the face down on the omnitrix as he went. He transformed into Jetray and took off.

It was good timing on his part. Soon enough, the car coming up the street really was Kevin's. He pulled into the driveway, still looking a bit out of sorts. Gwen sighed. This was going to be a hard night for her...

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"Are you going to eat or not?" Gwen asked, watching Kevin push the eggs around on his plate.

"Guess I'm just not hungry."

"All right, that does it," Gwen insisted, setting down her fork. "You and Ben are both always scarfing food down here. If you're not eating, something's wrong. Spill."

"No. It's stupid."

"Is this about Ben?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kevin admitted, shifting in his seat. Gwen's gaze was piercing, and it was making him feel like she was examining him. "But I don't wanna talk about it."

Gwen sighed. "Fine, then. But what brought you around?" Her voice was softer now.

"To what?"

"You finally asked me out. I've been bugging you about it for months, and you never made a move before. What pushed you?"

"Nothing pushed me," Kevin insisted, "I just wanted to go on a date with you. Thought you'd like that."

"I would," she admitted, "If I thought it was what you wanted."

Kevin's eyes finally met hers. "What do you mean by that? I've liked you a long time."

"You used to," Gwen agreed. "Maybe you still kind of do, but ....I already warned you months ago, Kevin. Each time you had a chance with me and you let it pass by, you were letting some of what you felt for me go. Maybe some of it's still left, but now..."

Kevin had jumped up from his side of the booth and now had his lips pressed to hers. She kissed back, her arms automatically going around his neck. A moment later, they broke apart. Gwen looked close to tears, and Kevin merely felt confused.

"That...that wasn't how I imagined it would feel," Kevin admitted. He was still standing beside her, and once again, he was determined not to make eye contact.

"Yeah, I know. You don't like me this way anymore, Kevin. This isn't what you want."

"I know...but...but I'm not gay, Gwen. Ben told me he likes me. Me. I don't know what the hell he's pulling here, but it's not funny."

"If it was a joke," Gwen said slowly, "I think Ben would be here to laugh at you about it." She removed some money from her purse and set it on the table. "I'll see you later, Kevin."

"Yeah...night, Gwen."

"How long are you going to stay here?"

"Dunno. Did you need a ride home?" Kevin asked. Gwen shook her head. "Well, I'm just gonna be here a bit longer, then. I ...I need to think about somethings."

"All right, Kevin." Gwen rose, and Kevin sat back down in the booth, staring down at the table. Gwen hugged him around the neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she hurried off, wondering how soon she could perform damage control for Ben.

[perhapsormaybe]

“Ben?” Gwen tapped her cousin on the shoulder. He looked up from his smoothie, but said nothing. “Hey…what’s wrong?” she asked as she slipped into the other side of the booth. She hadn’t even had to track Ben to find him – he was, of course, at Mr. Smoothy’s.

“Nothing,” he said, taking another sip of his smoothie. “How’d your date go?”

“Awful,” Gwen said, noting that Ben immediately leaned forward, waiting for her to explain. She said nothing for a while, then added “Some good came out if it, though. I still like Kevin, but I'm starting to get over him now.”

“So, nothing really happened?” Ben tried to keep the hope out of his voice, but Gwen knew him too well. She smiled.

“We kissed..”

“What?!”

Gwen smirked. “Jealous, Ben?” He crossed his arms without answering, hoping she wouldn’t go into detail. His stomach felt sick as he tried to block the mental images. “Relax. There really wasn’t anything to it. …Not for him, anyways.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ben, Kevin’s been over me for a while now. He just hadn’t realized it.”

“How do you get over someone without realizing it?” Ben demanded.

Gwen laughed. “You forgetting about Julie already? You got over her before you’d realized it,” Her expression changed, her tone becoming far more serious. “Kevin knows now that he doesn’t want to be with me. He wants you, Ben.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I’ll admit he doesn’t get it himself yet, but he needs you to help him,” Gwen explained. “Will you at least go talk to him?”

“I don’t think he wants to see me. I already let it slip I might have feelings for him. You didn’t see the look he gave me, Gwen. I don’t want to see that look ever again.”

Gwen sighed, wondering how to get through to either boy. But she had to try, and Ben was much easier to convince than Kevin. “Ben, if you guys don’t work this out, we’re not going to have a team anymore.”

Ben scoffed. “I doubt Kevin’s going to want to spend more time with me after this…” he searched his vocabulary for a word strong enough to describe it. “This…fiasco. He couldn’t wait to get out of my room after I told him. If I keep pushing him, he might stop fighting all together.”

“Maybe,” Gwen admitted, “That is a possibility. But if you don’t at least try, you could still lose him. From the team, I mean.”

“Great, so it’s a lose-lose,” Ben muttered, finishing off his smoothie.

“It’s your choice, Ben,” Gwen’s eyes glowed for a moment. “If you change your mind, Kevin just got back to his place. He’s still awake…”

“You’re not going to leave me alone until I do this, are you?” Ben asked. Gwen shook her head.

“Ben, this really hurts. I felt pretty strongly about Kevin, and realizing he wanted you instead of me…it was like someone was stabbing me. If you don’t—"

“You don’t know that he feels the same,” Ben interrupted. “Just because he doesn’t like you that way anymore doesn’t mean he –“ He stopped at the hurt expression on his cousin’s face. “I’m sorry, Gwen. I know you’re just trying to help.”

Gwen managed a weak smile. “It’s all right. I missed my chance. That doesn’t mean you should, too. In fact, if you don’t make a move and someone other than a Tennyson gets Kevin, I’m never going to forgive you.”

Ben gave a light laugh. “All right, all right. I’ll do it. But if this backfires, it’s on you, okay?”

“Of course,” Gwen agreed. “Now get going.”
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Kevin leaned back on the couch, holding a cold soda to his face, letting its touch cool him. This was not how he’d expected his first date with Gwen Tennyson to go. He’d imagined it over and over again, and before it had always ended with them going steady. The kiss…the kiss he had always imagined being so passionate fell much closer to the old expression “like kissing your sister”. He still felt a shock that he’d been over Gwen for a while and hadn’t realized it.

So why did I still think I liked her? Kevin asked himself, setting the soda can down on the coffee table. She’s pretty, so maybe that’s what got me. …Nice body…great eyes… Kevin felt jolted. The eyes he imagined were distinctly Ben’s, not Gwen’s. “How can I even tell the difference?” He demanded of himself. “They’re the same color!”

But while that was true, there was a different look to the cousins’ eyes. Gwen’s were caring and fierce; Ben’s were often clouded over with confusion, but mainly they had that strong look of determination. And the pair Kevin had thought about were confused and hurt green eyes…the look Ben had given him right before he’d walked out of Ben’s room. After Ben had said…had said that.

Kevin groaned, throwing his head back. “Just stop thinking about it. Tennyson’s just a buddy. He didn’t mean it that way, he was just having fun with you.” The lie wasn’t convincing Kevin, and he knew it wouldn’t fool anyone else.

The doorbell ringing jarred him, making him wonder who would be at his place so late. “Door’s unlocked,” he called.

The door opened, and Ben walked in. He shut the door behind him and studied it. “Is it really smart to not lock the door? I mean, you’ve still got a lot of guys after you, right?”

“What kind of guys?” Kevin hissed, assuming Ben had meant guys in a different way than he’d truly been getting at.

“I mean tech traders. You know…guys who want you dead? Guys you've double crossed?” Ben explained. Kevin let the tension go out of his body.

“Oh.”

“So…how’d the date with Gwen go?”

“It was all right,” Kevin said, wondering why Ben would care. “Decided to just stay friends. You know…less complicated that way.”

Ben smiled. “Gwen already told me the truth.”

“Then why did you ask?” Kevin demanded. Ben shrugged, and took the recliner beside the sofa that Kevin was perched on. “What are you over here for, anyways?”

“I’m surprised you’re talking to me,” Ben admitted. “That’s part of the reason I came. To make sure you’re not going to quit the team.”

“I already told you once, Tennyson, you’re not gonna be able to do this without me. I’m not gonna let some alien scum take over the planet just because you got an odd sense of humor.”

“So you thought I was joking?” Ben asked softly, his hands clasped together as he gave Kevin a desperate look.

“Of course you were,” Kevin insisted. “Right?”

Ben stood up from the chair. For a moment, it seemed like he was about to leave. But then, instead, he sat down on the couch, beside Kevin. “I wasn’t joking.”

“Yeah right. And I’m telling you, it’s not funny. Stop playing around with this mess.”

“What’s it going to take for you to realize I’m being serious right now?!” Ben demanded. Before Kevin could answer, with a surprising show of strength, Ben had knocked Kevin over on the couch and had his lips pressed to the older boy’s.

For a moment, they stayed that way. Kevin had been too surprised by the action to try to stop it. But his strength returned to him, and he shoved Ben away. “What the hell, Tennyson?!” He wiped at his mouth with his hand.

Ben took a deep breath, allowing himself to calm down. “I’m sorry. It’s just…this isn’t a joke. Not to me, at least. I'll see you around, Kevin.”

With that, Ben got up and left, leaving Kevin all alone in his apartment.

Kevin was not going to get any sleep tonight. Not when two questions weighed so heavily on his mind. Why did he enjoy that kiss? And why had it felt the way he used to imagine it would with Gwen?

[Lady Lasa]

I left you a review on FFNet and I'll mention it here too.

You are doing an amazing job with this. Poor Kevin doesn't know what to do with these realizations and Ben is finally starting to come to terms with it. Love it.

[perhapsormaybe]

....so...I wrote the final chapter. On here. Guess what? My net went out exactly at the same time that I went to post it. I was really happy with how it turned out, and I want it word-for-word, but I'm too grumpy to write it over again right now. I'll write it up again tomorrow morning.

[perhapsormaybe]

well, let's try to rewrite it from memory now while it's still fresh....

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Kevin hadn't looked at the clock in hours. So it was rather jarring when he finally glanced at the digital numbers and realized it was 1 p.m. He'd stayed up all night and about half the day, thinking.

Thinking of ways to try to pretend like Ben kissing him hadn't really happened. Trying to persuade himself that Ben had just been playing a really unfunny joke. But the hours had passed in frustration because Kevin knew that neither one was true.

The kiss had happened.

Worse, to him at least, Kevin had...enjoyed it. Not conscious of his actions, his fingers went to his lips, reliving the warmth that had traveled through him when Ben's lips had met his. He shuddered. "No. No way. This is crazy," He insisted. The apartment echoed back the word 'crazy' at him. He shook his head. "I am not in love with Tennyson. He's my friend. Nothing else."

This time, the apartment echoed back 'else'. "Oh, shut up!" Kevin said to the walls. His words came back at him again, as just 'shut up'. Kevin growled lowly, a sore temptation to beat his own walls down almost overtaking him.

He decided against it, of course. It was only an echo. He could deal with that. "Guess I should just talk softer," Kevin said in a much lower tone of voice. He waited a moment, certain that the walls would mimic some comedy scene and echo back something he'd said earlier at him. But of course, nothing like that happened. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I should get some sleep," He said, leaning back into his recliner. He wasn't expecting to get any sleep, not with his mind rushing the way it is. But the moment his eyes closed, he somehow managed to drift off....

Kevin was on a playground. Ben was playing on a see-saw. Well, playing was probably not the best word for it. He was trapped at the top, because no one was on the other side of the see-saw.

Gwen was standing beside Kevin, watching Ben.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked her.

"He's waiting."

"Oh yeah? For what?"

"For you."

Kevin frowned at her. "Gwen, 'with great power comes great responsibility'," He quoted at her.

"Why are you quoting Spiderman at me?"

"Why are you tampering in my dreams?" Kevin returned, his voice hard.

Gwen smiled. "Is it that obvious? Ben didn't get it..."

"Yeah, well, Ben can be kinda slow sometimes," Kevin said with a shrug. "But I never have dreams like this, and usually what people are saying doesn't make any sense."

"I'm sorry," Gwen apologized. "But Ben never would have kissed you if I hadn't--"

"And what if I thought that was a good thing?" Kevin said harshly.

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do. Gwen, this whole thing is freaking me out! I..." Kevin shook his head. "I'd rather not deal with it."

Gwen pointed towards Ben. "So you want him trapped up there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Ben needs someone by his side. Someone who knows about the alien stuff, and someone who's going to be there for him, and who Ben can be there for. And he wants that to be you."

"Well, maybe I don't wanna be that person."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Liar."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I know how you look at him," Gwen said simply. "You...you used to look at me that way."

Kevin's eyebrows raised involuntarily. Gwen continued. "Back when you liked me. The whole 'mooning' thing. You're doing that to Ben now, only you do it a lot more to him...sometimes he's looking right at you when you make that face...and he still never realized.."

"Gwen, I ain't gay."

Gwen crossed her arms. "You're still in love with my cousin. When are you going to tell him?"

"I'm not in love with him."

"This...this isn't your first dream I entered," Gwen admitted, her voice rushed. "Before I never actively took part, but I watched...I know you were dreaming about Ben a lot lately. And..he was dreaming about you."

"You know, you're too nosy for your own good sometimes."

"If I wasn't, neither one of you would ever have come to terms with this," Gwen defended herself. "Look, tell him or don't. It's your choice. But don't get all jealous when someone else comes and takes him. Ben's a great guy. He doesn't have to wait on you forever."

Kevin kicked at the dirt on the ground, sending a few rocks flying. "I..." He paused, and looked at Gwen carefully. "You're right," the admittal came reluctantly, but Kevin was finally too tired to keep forcing it down. "I...I may have some feelings about Ben."

"Don't tell me that. Tell Ben. You'll wake up in about one minute...head to Mr. Smoothy's. Ben will be there, his usual booth."

"OK...thanks," Kevin said. "And Gwen?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm...I'm sorry. That it didn't work out with us, you know? You're still really great I just..."

"Love someone else," Gwen finished for him. She shrugged. "Make it up to me by making Ben happy, okay?"

"Ok."
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"How many smoothies have you had tonight, man?" Kevin sat down across from Ben, surveying all the empty cups.

"Seven," Ben said with a shrug. "This is my eighth. I go on a bit of a binge when I'm upset, I guess..."

"Upset about?"

"Gee, I wonder," Ben said sarcastically, going back to his drink.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually," Kevin said, grabbing one of the empty cups and fiddling with it nervously. "Uh...well...about those dreams you'd been having."

"That's not what I'm upset about, Kevin. You know that," Ben's tone was practically acid laced. "And I know you don't want to be around me right now. It's okay. I'll get over it. But not if you keep popping up."

"Well, first off, those dreams are your cousin's fault," Kevin ignored Ben, feeling he needed to explain the full thing. "And secondly, I'm glad she did them."

"Why?" Ben demanded. "You seemed to think I was just joking with you, remember?"

Kevin shook his head. "Denial, I guess. It's just that I...well, Ben...I might," Kevin coughed awkwardly into his hand. "I might feel the same way about you."

"Might?" Ben repeated, setting his smoothie down. But he didn't sound angry anymore. He actually sounded...hopeful, Kevin realized. "When will you know for sure?"

"Umm...well..." Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. "There's one way to test it, but I'm not so sure I'd like to do that in public, you know?"

Ben laughed. "Still worried about your rep, Kevin?" Kevin shrugged.

"It's just a bit awkward, okay? I ain't gonna lie, it'll be weird. But it's the only way to see if it was a fluke or not..."

"If what was a fluke?" Ben asked.

"...that I enjoyed you kissing me," Kevin said softly. "Look, can we go out in the alley or something? This is just..."

But Ben had hopped up from his side of the booth and was now sitting beside Kevin, blocking his route of escape. "Oh no. If you want to try this, and really want to be with me, then you have to be okay with public displays of affection."

Kevin crossed his arms. "And if I say no?"

"Then we just stay friends, I guess."

Kevin sighed. "You know, between you and your cousin, one of you two is gonna drive me crazy."

"Yeah, I know," Ben said cheerfully. He seized that opportunity to give Kevin a very quick peck on the lips. "How'd that feel?"

Kevin smiled at him. "Guess Gwen was right..." He admitted. "I could get used to that. Even in public. But it might take me a while, okay? I'm not saying we can't be together yet, just that...just that it's gonna be weird for a while and it's gonna take me a while to adjust."

Ben nodded. "That's fine with me." A sudden thought seemed to hit him, and he dug around frantically in his pocket before pulling out his cell phone. "There's one thing I have to take care of before we can be together."

"Oh yeah? what's that?"

"...I completely forgot that Julie and I never officially broke up," Ben explained. "I still have to call her to make sure it's completely called off.

Kevin laughed. "I think she knows."

"Well, it's only fair to make it official," Ben grumbled, starting to dial the phone.

Kevin seized it from him and set it in his own pocket. "You can call her later. It's rude to call your exgirlfriend while you're on a date."

"Is this a date?" Ben asked. "I thought it was going to take you a while to adjust?"

"It will," Kevin admitted. "But dating's step one. Hugging in public's step two, then kissing...then other things."

"Oh," Ben said simply. "So, when are you going to be ready to announce this to everyone? Even like...the dealers you trade with?"

Kevin frowned. "I have no idea. Just give me some time, all right, Ben?"

"Yeah..." Ben agreed, "I think I can live with that."

The end

Author's note: I changed a lot from the first...I like parts of this better and parts of the other one better so...who knows?

[Lady Lasa]

Wonderful conclusion. You have no idea how much I enjoyed this story. Bravo, my friend.

[perhapsormaybe]

Thanks. I wanted to write fluffy wonderful stuff, but Kevin wouldn't cooperate. This was the most I got out of him without him stepping into OOC territory (which I was so determined not to go to). So, instead we get a compromise...they're together, but they have to take it slow. ...Poor Gwen. I totally tortured her. *hugs*