Disclaimer: I do not own either Ben 10 or Ben 10: Alien Force. That honor belongs to Man of Action, among others.
Author's Note: Now that Avatar: the Last Airbender is nearly done, I have a feeling this show could become my new obsession. This is just a silly, little scene set between "Everybody Talks About the Weather" and "Kevin's Big Score."
Dressing RoomA lot of things had changed in five years, but there were at least two things that hadn't: Gwen Tennyson still loved shopping for clothes, and her cousin Ben Tennyson hated it.
Ben leaned against the wall with Kevin while they waited for Gwen to come out of the dressing room. Ben felt completely foolish. He didn't understand why Gwen needed a new wardrobe right now, but she'd seemed to think that their errand to get parts for Rustbucket II was the perfect opportunity to do a little shopping for herself. She wasn't even coming out to show them what she was trying unless she'd already made a decision, which made the whole exercise doubly boring. Not to mention pointless – if she didn't want to get the boys' opinion on anything, why bring them along?
"So, uh, Ben," Kevin said after clearing his throat.
"Hm?" Ben grunted noncommittally. He tried to shift his position. His feet hurt from standing so long.
"Do you think she'll ever see me as anything besides a bad guy?" Kevin blurted out. Without Gwen within earshot to impress, Kevin didn't seem nearly so confident. It was a nice change.
"She's already more friendly with you than I'm happy with," Ben answered.
"Okay, but more than friends," Kevin pressed. Ben shrugged emphatically.
"I doubt it, but who knows?" He gave his former enemy a long look, adding, "I guess there's no accounting for taste."
"You should talk, pipsqueak," Kevin retorted sourly.
"You may be bigger, but I'll always be better looking," Ben shot back, grinning impudently. If there was one thing he'd learned from the Omnitrix, it was that size wasn't everything. Sure, it was nice to have something like Four-Arms or Humongasaur in a fight, but Ditto, Echo Echo, and even tiny Grey Matter had their uses, too.
Truthfully, it was a little odd to think of Kevin and Gwen dating. Gwen was his cousin, not his sister, but he still didn't completely trust Kevin. Old habits die hard, after all. Besides, Ben was having trouble thinking about anything other than finding his grandfather. Gwen always said he had a tendency towards obsessions – Sumo Slammer, the Omnitrix, finding Grandpa Max – and she was probably right.
Ben turned his thoughts to Julie. He'd scarcely spoken to her over the past few days. He was planning to ask her out soon, but it was hard not to consider all of the things he'd have to keep from her. At least Kevin and Gwen were in this thing together. Whatever "this thing" was.
Ben sighed and shifted his feet again. Choosing to put the Omnitrix back on had probably cost him his chance at a normal life, at least for a while – another thing Gwen had been right about. The sound of a door opening drew his and Kevin's attention.
"Well, how do I look?" Gwen finally stepped into view, and Ben raised his eyebrows. His cousin was dressed in a tight black dress that, well, showed somewhat more leg and cleavage than he would have been happy with if he had been her brother.
Meanwhile, Kevin's jaw had dropped, and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.
"I – you look – it's…great," he faltered.
"What on earth is that for?" Ben put in.
"I don't intend to spend all of my time fighting aliens, you know," she sniffed, tossing her long, red hair.
"Right, because the mini-skirt is so practical for that," he drawled.
"Don't knock it 'till you try it. Professional ice skaters and tennis players wear them, you know."
"Whatever." Ben rolled his eyes, not wanting to get into a long argument about this. "Are we done here?"
"Just let me pay for this," Gwen nodded, sighing at his impatience. When she turned back toward the dressing room, Kevin touched her arm. He pulled back when she looked at his hand meaningfully.
"Don't change back," he requested, trying but not quite succeeding in not sounding like he was pleading.
"Yeah, just pay for it," Ben added. Anything to get them out of here faster. "I'll pick up your things."
"Okay," Gwen agreed readily, just getting her purse to take to the counter. Ben caught the smug expression that flashed across her face before she turned and realized that she knew exactly what she was doing. He shook his head while he collected her other clothing.
As much as he might hate to admit it, Ben needed Kevin's help. If Gwen was able to make him follow after her like a puppy, Ben supposed he ought to be grateful. Way to take one for the team, Gwen.
At the very least, he expected the two of them to be entertaining to watch.