I don't own BEN 10

"You never do get tired, do you?"

"Of what?"

"Of making a mess while you eat! Urgh! Just look at what you did to my lap top! And the sink! Where did those dishes come from? Ben!!!"

"Hehehe! Sorry?"

He said with a goofy smile. For a moment Gwen stared at him, torn between yelling at him for being such a jerk again or laughing at him; his face was messy with food stain. She couldn't actually decided, having a ten year old cousin who acts too childishly wasn't an easy task. A sigh escaped her lips and instinctively began fixing the table of the riot Ben made.

"Look, if you wanted a mid-night snack could you please try not to eat with all the food flying all over the place?"

"Um, ok!"

Ben happily concluded that his cousin was tired; only a yell, not a flying toaster aimed at his head. Night is the best time for bothering people, he thought. But naughty and childish as he is, he didn't have the audacity to watch Gwen do the chores while he just sits there.

"Let me do it…" he said, and grabbed the plate from Gwen's hands.

The girl was surprised. Ben helping out? Who would've thought of it?

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, I was the one who used it wasn't I?" Ben proudly declared.

Gwen smiled at him and proceeded to wipe his face clean with a moist cloth. Ben couldn't protest because he was holding the plate with both his hands (lets suppose it was heavy) and because he was absent-mindedly enjoying it. Then he heard her giggle.

"What?" he asked, somehow insulted.

"Your cheeks are soft and thick. Ben, I think you're getting fat." She said

"Am not!"

He walked over the sink and placed the plate on top of the pile of dishes.

"Man, am I gonna wash all this?" he said, after realizing the load of work looking up at him from the sink.

Gwen chuckled, and walked towards the other side of the sink.

"It's ok, I'll help out."

Ben was a bit apprehensive, fearing that the pranks he pulled on her would come back to him. She didn't appear like she's in a playful mood though, so Ben thought it better not to let her rare charity pass.

At half pass 11, they were still not done. The two kids were shoulder to shoulder, not saying anything but simply washing one utensil after another. Being quite wasn't something that could make Ben comfortable. Gwen being silent could mean she's thinking or she's mad at him. Either way, he better make her speak.

"Gwen…"

"Ahh!"

Ben's attempt to catch her attention ended up surprising her. A plate she was holding fell on the floor, shattering to pieces and making the girl winced. Something braking wasn't a very pleasant sound for her.

"Butter finger…" she whispered to herself as she bended over to pick up the pieces.

"So-sorry…" Ben said with a guilty tone of voice, "…I didn't mean to scare you."

"It wasn't your fault. I was just, OH! Gwen, you idiot! Mmm…"

Ben went down to where she was sitting and noticed she was holding out a finger with a cut. Gwen looked at him with a pitiful expression, as if expecting some sort of a mock.

"Let me see…"

"It's ok, I can handle this."

"We had first aid classes at school so you better let me check that."

Gwen sourly held out the bleeding flesh. Ben examined it for a while, and then glanced at his cousin's cutely pouting face. She completely fell for the first aid thing. No matter, he thought, grandpa thought me how to handle this sort of stuff.

"It's not that deep," he began, talking as if he was certain, "but we need to get it cleaned."

"There's a bottle of alcohol in the cabinet beside the… Ben?"

Before she could even finish, Ben had his lips firmly pressed on the wound, cleaning out the overly secreting blood and letting the antiseptic content of his saliva do their purpose.

Gwen couldn't move, protest or even believe what she's seeing. Either Ben was making fun of her or he's just being his weird old self again. Or maybe he's…

"There, the bleeding has stopped."

Their eyes met, and both kids fell into an awkward silence. Emerald was trying to read emerald. Ben's hands were still clutching Gwen's and this he didn't notice even after he realized his face was getting hotter. Gwen was likewise. Her eyes were twinkling with a strange current of emotions.

"Um, thanks."

She managed to say squeakily. Ben got the drift and immediately retracted his hand, getting the full blow of embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry." He stammered, stood up and quickly walked in front of the van by the driver seat. He intended to hide his face from her so as not to get any teasing which he assumes is going to be thrown at him any minute now, but nothing came. Remembering that the dishes were still waiting, he returned to the company of Gwen, sitting beside her again. The said girl, sitting pretty on folded legs, was all eyes on Ben, wondering what surprising thing he's going to do next. Her face was still slightly red.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Ben, it's just a cut. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, I know. Well, better rap things up."

He stood up and was about to go towards the unfinished chore when he noticed Gwen was following suit.

"Nope, not you," he said to her, putting a hand gently on her shoulder, "we don't want that thing infected."

"But it's just a cut, com'on!" Gwen protested. She knows Ben's not going to finish anything, or at least not quickly, without her help.

"Sit down." He smiled at her, a strange wave of gallantry forming inside him. "on second thought, I think you should get some sleep. Its way pass our bed time."

Gwen looked at her watch. It's a 12 quarter. Imagine, all that time went by as if it was a flick of a breeze. Strange…

"Yeah, I guess your right."

She stood up, gave Ben an affectionate smile, and went to her room.

Ben had his attention digging on Gwen's pretty lips curving upward. Regret was slowly punishing him now that he sent her away. But hey, the danger of the obvious is kept safe with the absence of the catalyst. He stood up and began finishing the task at hand.

Not a few minutes after, the night air began collecting moisture. Coldness was building up, and Ben was not an exemption from its grip.

"Brr… Talk about frost-bite! I better get this done or the water's going to freeze."

His shoulders were shivering a bit, in line with the mentioned temperature change. Just then, a warm feeling enveloped him and he immediately caught a pleasing scent.

"Gwen?"

The girl had her arms wrapped around Ben's waist. She was wearing a jacket which she now shares with him. Her face was buried on his messy crop of brown hair which smells like the sun. Her slim body seems to fit perfectly around him, and there's no denying of the comfort this position is giving the both of them.

"Um Gwen…"

"Do you mind?" she asked. Earlier in her room she couldn't sleep, she was thinking about him. She didn't know why, she just knows that Ben's sucking her cut clean had a message in it.

"Nope,"

She gave her a squeeze, like the one she'd usually give her teddy bear. Ben liked it, and leaned his head backward on Gwen's face.

"Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow, you take a bath."

A moment later, Ben smiled, finding something in Gwen's suggestion that could be most pleasing to him. His green orbs sparkled with mischief.

The end!

hope you enjoy it