Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Ben 10, if I did would I be sitting here writing this?
The story takes place in the future, in which Ben 10 is now known as Ben 10,000. So, what he's like 20-ish? Or something to that effect…
A Mutt's Life
Chapter 1: Of Muses and Wishes
"Ben, you're sure you're alright?" Gwen asked, concern dripping from every word.
Ben scoffed,
"Yeah, no alien scum could best me! I mean, I am Ben Tennyson!" He finished haughtily.
"Of course you are." Gwen replied with a simple eye roll as she walked out of the room, "How could I possibly forget."
Ben waited for the familiar click of the door locking before letting out a large groan and flopping onto his bed. Yeah he was fine, if you called a head splitting migraine and a few bruised ribs fine if that were the case he was fan-freaking-tastic!
By those standards, Ben was just peachy.
Sadly, those standards didn't seem to apply to him because in all sincerity he was not fine, to add the metaphorical cherry on top, not only was his body close to shutting down on him he had a severe case of complete mental exhaustion.
Ben was beyond stressed.
He tried not to complain or show any weakness in front of Grandpa and Gwen; he knew if they got even a whiff of how truly exhausted he was they'd force him to take a break and that was the last thing he wanted. Ben loved his job, he loved the action, the adventure, pounding bad guys, defending the weak and just being an all-around hero. What he didn't love was how many villains seemed to be popping up as of late.
He could hardly finish one baddie before he received a report of another one causing mayhem across town. Sure Grandpa Max and Gwen helped, even those Enforcer weirdos pitched in, but all the villains wanted to defeat Ben 10,000, they all wanted the Omnitrix and they weren't above harming innocent people to draw Ben out.
Ben let out a ragged sigh and gently touched the growing bruise on his cheek. He couldn't let anyone get hurt for him. He'd take every blow and settle every battle personally, even if that meant he came across as an arrogant and pig-headed dweeb (Gwen's words).
Despite his body's major protests, Ben managed to roll over and stare blankly out the window.
"I wish I could just go somewhere and relax for awhile, with no cares or concerns. I wish someone would look after me and protect me, instead of me always needing to look out for other people."
Ben chuckled and threw a tired hand over his face.
That's never going to happen, he hummed, I'm Ben Tennyson, owner of the Ominitrix and the Universe's number one super hero. What would I need protection against anyway? The day I need protection is the day I become a submissive lap-dog.
Ben suddenly let out a bark of laughter as an image of Blitzwolfer fetching newspapers and burying bones in the backyard danced through his mind. His light laughter soon turned into an all out guffaw as he then imagined Wildmutt, the drool covered cesspool that it was, covered in ribbons and bows politely waiting for a treat or rolling on its back for a tummy rub.
"Who would even want a pet like Wildmutt? Even I can admit he's no pedigree pooch and he definitely wouldn't win any beauty pageants." Ben let out a few more subdued chuckles that soon petered off into a loud yawn.
Despite the absolute implausibility of his thoughts they were amusing and Ben felt as if a great weight had been lifted from him and his head didn't pound quiet so mercilessly.
I guess being someone's pet wouldn't be too bad. It would be nice to do nothing, to have no responsibilities, no missions, no aching limbs. All I would do is eat and sleep and maybe rip up a few flower beds, just for the fun of it.
Ben let out one last sleepy chuckle as the final thought of the night crossed his mind.
Yeah, a dog's life sounds great. I wouldn't mind being a pet for a day.
Dark shadows danced across the wall as the Omnitrix screen light up and began displaying the various forms of Ben 10,000. The images continued to zoom across the screen before suddenly halting on a familiar four-legged form. As if a button had been pressed, the green light magnified ten fold, hiding everything in its intensity, and leaving only an empty room in its wake.