A hectic car chase was currently unfolding in the streets of Bellwood. A large van that held a dozen of low-life aliens, armed with stolen and dangerous weaponry was being closely followed by a familiar plumber truck. Rook Blonko was maneuvering his vehicle as carefully as possible, so as to avoid hitting nearby cars and still be on the criminals' tail, while his partner – Benjamin Tennyson – was busy selecting a suitable alien on his watch. Ben slammed the dial and allowed the accompanying green light to change his DNA, assumingly to that of his speediest alien, XLR8. Ben was surprised to instead find himself in his Incursean form.

"Meh, beggars can't be choosers, I guess," he rumbled. Bullfrag leapt through the sunroof of the Proto-TRUK with little effort, holding onto the roof while Rook approached the van they were pursuing. Two aliens appeared from either window of the vehicle, both equipped with a blaster and shooting the front of Rook's truck. He attempted to evade most of the blasts, but alas the truck sustained some damage. As a result, the truck slowed down considerably to keep a safe distance away from the criminals' blast range.

Distance was no issue for Bullfrag. He took a powerful a leap from the edge of the Proto-TRUK, somersaulting through the air and landing stomach first on the top of the van. The unmistakable sound of a charging blaster met the Incursean's ears and his frog-like tongue lashed out to disarm the enemy currently engaging him. Bullfrag had very limited knowledge on how to use such a device – it was a stolen piece of intricate alien technology, after all – so he was not prepared for the results when one of his thick fingers brushed a random button. A blast tore most of the van's roof clean off, creating a convenient entry for the Incursean.

"That could work too."

Understandably, he was met with a couple of low-lives who charged at him immediately. Fighting in confined spaces had its difficulties, but Bullfrag thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't turned into Four-Arms. There was just enough space for Bullfrag to move and twist about, as he used his inhuman strength to immobilize and outpower the aliens, even as they outnumbered him significantly. However, that was when they all decided to jump him at once and Bullfrag came crashing upon the driver, causing the vehicle to drive off the street and straight into a wall. Rook followed close behind, quickly making sure no civilian had been injured in the crash just now. He then readied his Proto-TOOL and went after Ben.

Rook spotted the wreckage of the criminals' vehicle against a wall in between some smaller stores. While the criminals were either unconscious or moaning in pain on the ground, Rook stood ready before them with handcuffs and an angry look on his face.

"You are all hereby under arrest for the theft of illegal and dangerous alien weaponry," he started, cuffing them each. "as well as assaulting two Plumber agents and-"

"Jus' tell 'em they're going to jail and call for backup already," Bullfrag groaned as he appeared by the smoking van. He rubbed his aching skull as he staggered towards his partner, wobbly on his feet. "Boy, my head's spinning. . ."

"Ben," Rook said and turned his head to regard his partner's state. "Are you injured?"

"Nah," Bullfrag assured with a thumbs up and a grin. "I've shaken off worse concussions."

Bullfrag went to peer at the backdoors of the van that had fallen to pieces. "Er, the stolen tech should be fine. I think. If not, I decline any responsibility."

Rook shook his head, relaxing a little. "I took the liberty earlier of calling for a team to escort these criminals back to headquarters. And you would do well to go to the medical bay for a checkup."

"Aw, really?"

"I prioritize your wellbeing over catching petty thieves, Ben. Partners look out for each other, no?" Rook smiled.

"Gee, fine, you don' have to get all mushy," Bullfrag replied with an irritated swat of his hand to which the Revonnahgander chuckled. He sauntered over to the destroyed vehicle, where the smoke faintly rose from overheated engines. When Bullfrag opened the backdoors, he saw the stolen weaponry lying scattered across the floor where he had been fighting a while ago. The Incursean picked up a blaster, admiring the complexity of its design from behind dark glasses, running his fingers over its exterior to feel the craftsmanship and – perhaps if he became a bit more skilled – its firepower.

Betcha Attea would love to have one of these babies.

As quick as the thought had entered his mind, unbidden, he had shaken his head to clear it. Certainly, he hadn't been wanting to think that way intentionally – but then again, it hadn't exactly been intentional to flirt with the princess in question either, during a tense situation where the Incurseans had almost conquered Earth.

Ever since Ben had acquired this new Incursean DNA from Azmuth, new and strange feelings had started to grow; a newfound fondness and appreciation for the wild and untamed princess of the Incursean Empire. Talk about living dangerous. Of course, Ben had tried to deny the existence of these feelings; he thought being a charmer was the persona that came naturally to Bullfrag and that Attea had nothing to do with it. Ben refused to believe that the problem lied within himself. Attea was his enemy and despite the truce, despite the strange feelings that may or may not exist, he was not attracted to her.

It didn't stop his Incursean self from pocketing away one of the blaster without Rook's knowledge.

Inside her training room was Attea, the teenage princess of the fearsome Incursean Amada. She was currently fighting off a dozen of her servants, all terribly outmatched by her cunning skills and agile movements. One by one, they were struck down until the teen was the only one left standing on the training pad. Deeming herself sufficiently warmed up, Attea dismissed her crew and went to clean up. Minutes later, she found herself staring into the endless cosmos with a clean towel around her naked shoulders and a cool water bottle beneath her fingers.

Attea was somewhat annoyed, that much was clear. It had been weeks, months since she had had a real challenge. A mission that provided her with a kick of adrenaline, some excitement in her otherwise boring daily life. There was only so much conquering and destroying that could appease a young soon-to-be Empress before it became routine. Gods, how she loathed that word.

She wanted something new. She needed something new.

I miss Bullfrag. I miss Ben.

Attea couldn't really argue with how she felt. Ben was probably the only person she wanted to see right now. Truth be told, he fought bravely and faced any challenge before him, and she respected him for that quality. Her minions were nothing compared to him. Ben had this strange aura of recklessness and danger about him that exuded in his every quip and defiant breath. She was practically Empress now, thanks to him. As much as there had been bad blood between them, Attea assumed her current position more than confirmed that it was water under the bridge. Besides, he had flirted with her as Bullfrag, surely that meant something as well? Perhaps she was reading too much into things.

Attea set out to her quarters to wash the sweat off her when she heard knocking. After granting permission, it appeared to be Raff, accompanied by a guard who was holding a package. Before Raff could address Attea respectfully, she cut him off with a flick of her hand. Red eyes narrowed impatiently.

"I got no time for fancy titles, Commander Raff. Just tell me what the matter is."

"Very well," the Commander replied, motioning for the underling to come closer. "It appears a package has been sent to you this morning. I thought you would like to know."

Attea fixed her eyes at the rectangular package, regarding it with very little interest. Nothing in particular stood out. "Well, what is it?"

Commander Raff blinked. "Would you like for us to open it for you? Very well-"

"No, no, wait, on second thought-! Don't," Attea interrupted sharply. Her voice cut through like a knife, effectively ceasing the Commander's next order. "Just give it to me and continue your duties. I ain't got all day."

Raff bowed before the soon-to-be-Empress before snapping his fingers. The guard hurriedly delivered the package to Attea and the two of them promptly left thereafter. Attea studied the package with a curious look; gifts weren't common unless it was from a planet who was desperately bribing the Incurseans to get them to back off. If that was the case, a measly package this small would be an insult. Of course, it couldn't be a harmful package either, since the Commander deemed it important for her to receive it personally.

A personal gift, perhaps? If not a present for the Incursean Amada, then maybe it was for Attea only?

As unlikely and unthinkable as that was, it was an entertaining thought, nevertheless. Who would possibly fall for a killer like her? Attea produced a small knife that she used to carefully tear off the packaging of the gift. Putting the knife aside, she proceeded to open the box to examine the content inside.

Attea was silent.

Between a stack of lovely, pink petals laid a brand new, hand-held plasma cannon. Attea's red eyes racked over every detail inside, instantly recognizing it. The newest model of war weaponry to every grace her eyes, currently in her possession. She was certain this edition hadn't even been released on the black market yet, let alone for public consumption. Stolen weaponry for her? Attea wasted no time weighing the beautiful piece of technology in her grasp, tentatively aiming with it. She couldn't stop marveling it. Its smooth exterior, the multiple firing settings and the internal energy source were flawless. It was amazing. It was perfect for her. A breathless smile had settled on her face before she had even noticed it.

Just who was this benefactor? Her own father never even came close to knowing what she wanted for her birthday while this stranger had hit spot on. Approaching the box again to gather clues, Attea found a white note amongst the red and pink petals strewn inside.

Thinkin' about ya makes me wanna do bad things.

- Bullfrag.

No way.

Had the Benjamin Tennyson – pillar of the community himself and legend to countless planets – stolen a piece of secured, alien technology and handed it to the Incursean Princess as a present?

Attea's green skin took on a tinge of red at the thought. The note itself carried a faint scent of sweet roses and Attea closed her eyes to appreciate the smell. "Aw, Bullfrag, you shouldn't have," she giggled. Her red eyes carried a sparkle of mischief.

Sitting properly on her bed, Attea began to think of a way to repay this deed. Surely, it mustn't have been easy for the hero to have smuggled this sort of weaponry without the Plumbers knowing. That's not even taking into consideration that Ben needed to find a way to pinpoint the location of her ship. And he had taken the time to be romantic about it as well, erasing any previous doubt about the nature of their relationship. If this was Ben's way of presenting her with flowers, Attea was definitely going to reciprocate with a similar gesture.

"I'll conquer my next planet in your honor, Tennyson," she announced to herself, picking up her new weapon and watching her reflection gleam across its glossy exterior. Attea couldn't wait.

EDIT 03/10/18: I read a new review for this old story and decided to clean it up somewhat. I've been wanting to do so for 80% of my stories, but I keep forgetting to do it lmao. I think this is supposed to be a story I intended to flesh out four years ago, but I believe it works as a short story too, of sorts. Bullfrag acting as an intermediate of sorts that makes Attea and Ben develop feelings for each other, instead of the Ghostfreak-esque thing I originally planned to do lol. I think this works fine as is.