Two interconnecting one shots. Brought about because the song "I'll Follow You Down" by the Gin Blossoms often reminds me of Ben and Kevin's original relationship and slightly with their 'new' relationship. "I'll follow you down, but not that far".
Probably crap, but I've been wanting to get this out and I finally did, so there's that.
Disclaimer-I own the rights to nothing present in this story.
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Gwen, Ben, and Kevin were sitting outside Mr. Smoothy's at their favorite bench. The conversation was light, the earth was saved for the time being and like any teenager, the demand for a sliver of normalcy needed to be heeded.
So, as usual, Ben suggested smoothies and here they are. Today, the fast food joint seemed to be trying out something new: a speaker system. A few black speakers the size of a shot glass were hung in various places around the overhang of the building belting out soothing music from the local station that plaid the oldies alongside the new hits.
The DJ said something quirky that would have earned a few chuckles from anyone paying attention before playing the next song. It was not until the chorus that Gwen stopped talking and listened.
"Gwen, what's wrong?" Ben asked, surprise evident on his face. She usually stopped in the middle of a sentence when something important came up.
"Isn't this your song, Ben?"
Ben tilted his head, he could barely hear it, but tilted his head and strained his ears, noticing that Kevin was doing the same, though trying to be subtle.
Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down,
I'll follow you down, but not that far.(1)
Ben blushed and shot Gwen his best stink eye. Why did she have to bring it up? Why did it have to be played? Did he offend someone? He knew what was coming, he already felt embarrassed for his future self.
"It is, isn't it?" She was practically glowing.
"Gwen~!"
"I don't get it, how is it his song?" Kevin asked, looking to Gwen. He knew Ben would never tell him.
"Actually, it's y…"
"Gwen!"
"Ben, he asked a question."
"Yeah, but I don't think he wants to know the answer, it's embarrassing!"
"Can we stop shouting? We're gonna get kicked out, ya know." The cousins became silent. "Now, what's the big deal, it's just a song?"
I know we're headed somewhere, I can see how far we've come
….
Let's not do the wrong thing and I'll swear it might be fun
Ben grit his teeth and growled slightly, eyes on Gwen before jerking his head to face Kevin. He sighed, steeled himself and rapidly fired:
"I was thirteen when I heard this one day and thought of you and me. I thought this was fitting, cried, Gwen saw me and tried to calm me down, now she's trying to make me confess and possibly kill me!"
Kevin stared wide-eyed at Ben. He was slowly processing what was spoken in rapid succession that he was almost sure he misheard him. There's no way…But then why did Ben look so scared?
Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down,
I'll follow you down but not that far.
It made sense, Ben followed him around everywhere like a puppy the first day they met. But that was before the subway incident.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Kevin asked. "Do you like me, Tennyson?"
"Yeah," it was a whisper.
Inside Kevin was ecstatic, but he saw the look on Ben's face and he didn't show any emotion. Ben did not even look at him; finding the concrete more interesting. He could not see Gwen, but knew she was watching with interest like he saw a couple ladies do while watching some stupid soap opera.
Kevin stood, Ben raised his head in surprise and fear, expecting the worst, but received an outstretched, open-palmed hand.
So what the hell now, we've already been forever damned
"Come with me, Ben." Kevin spoke in what he hoped to be a soothing voice.
Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down,
I'll follow you down but not that far.
Ben tentatively took the offered hand and Kevin led Ben away from Mr. Smoothy's towards his Charger. Kevin drove out of there, burning rubber in hopes to quiet his nerves as well as—hopefully—stop Ben from thinking about turning alien and leaving him before he could reveal what he was planning.
Gwen sighed, yes she was left stranded at Mr. Smoothy's, but if her plan worked, it would be worth it. Besides, she can teleport, much faster.
She could laugh if the urge to throttle them was not as strong. She knew how Ben felt from the day Ben mentioned. She knew how Kevin felt the first day they saw him a few years ago. He was not as subtle as he hoped, he even tried to place those hints on her, which prompted her to play the part.
Hey, it seemed to work on TV, and TV isn't always such a bad mode of inspiration. She hoped she would only pretend for a day or two of being the flirty girl. Ben would become jealous or Kevin, feeling repulsed by her would then come clean…She didn't plan on their stubbornness making her keep her part for years. She even became bitchy, calling him out on his bluff, for crying out loud!
"Thank goodness for their new speakers." She thought as she stood up threw their smoothies away. "We would have had a wreck if I tried doing that in Kevin's car."
She teleported home.
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1)Basically, what you're seeing is fragmented lyrics. Why? Because when you listen to a song, isn't there one part more noticeable to you than the rest? This story is pretty much about that. It's that segment that makes it ours, so to speak.