Side note: Sorts ties in with 'Weary Heart', but you don't need to read that to understand this.
A/N: The next one I write will be a Bevin. But ah, enjoy this one. (I feel slightly bad for making Ben feel bad.)
Disclaimer: No ownership.
A voice from the kitchen stops the brunette boy from sneaking off to his room. It beckons in a quiet, yet firm voice. Enough authority to mkae him stop in the first place, yet gentle enough for him to know that his punishment may not be so bad. After a minute or so of silence on both sides, the voice repeats his name.
"Ben."
He stops. Mom. He didn't dare turn to look at her; that I-am-gonna-scold-you-for-something-you-did tone was evident in her voice. Or was that her I-am-disappointed-in-something-that-concerns-you voice?
"You were late for dinner again, dear. Second time this week now."
She sounded apologetic now, and oh. So that was why he felt the nagging feeling two hours back, when he, Gwen and Kevin find that elusive Plumber's kid. He thought it was just him being nervous about the dangers that were in-store for them when they went into that abandoned shoe factory. Ben didn't hesitate to hide the scowl on his face. He should've known better; maybe it was the situation they had been in, or the mood he was in at the time…
But those thoughts are put aside. His mom is the priority at the moment, not the past mission.
"Sorry. Guess I just lost track of time." Ironic really, considering the fact that the Omnitrix was anything but a watch. At least he told the truth this time. The excuse he used three days ago was all lies: he wasn't sorry (his mom accidentally turned his green jacket a puke-green color, and the teasing from Kevin made things worse), he didn't lose track of time at the arcade and he did, almost on a daily basis, do it again. It didn't mean he felt any less horrible after lying through his teeth. Lying was never something he would get used to, no matter how much he did it or what Kevin told him.
He leans against the wall near the opening to the kitchen, and is startled when he hears his mom chuckle softly over the running water from the sink.
"Well then, maybe you should get a new watch. The one you have now doesn't seem to be helping you remember where you should and shouldn't be."
Ben fiddled with a loose end on his shirt, the guilt and regret overwhelming. Fighting the urge to just tell her about the true purpose of the Omnitrix and all of his lying, he smiled sadly, knowing full well that she couldn't see the pain in his eyes or know that secret. For her safety and well-being, he would never tell her.
"It's not totally useless. I'm still sorry, Mom."
A sigh (from him or her?) is emitted, then a beat, until she finally spoke up. Ben noticed that she had turned off the faucet, the sound of her hands being wiped on a paper towel. It filled it awkwardness, yet it didn't really.
"It's fine. Just…go wash up and I'll set out some leftovers for you."
He let out a shaky sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow. Dodged another bullet he most certainly deserved.
"Alright. T-Thanks."
He turns on his heel to leave, and it isn't until the 5th step that he took that she spoke up once more.
"Ben?"
Ben stops.
"I love you dear."
A pause in his breathing.
"Love you too."
He wonders if that's a tear or just sweat running down his cheek.
-End-