Title: Revelation
Rating: M
Summary: Takes place several years after Alien Force. Kevin discovers Ben and Gwen's relationship is not as straightforward as it seems. What's more, he discovers he's jealous – of Gwen. AU, BxG, with some one-sided KxB. Partly inspired by Desdemona Kakalose's excellent story "Scylla and Charybdis."
A/N: Originally this story was BxG with some one-sided KxG, but Desdemona Kakalose's stories made the whole Kevin-having-unrequited-love-for-Ben thing so fascinating that I changed it. I'm not into slash, but I have to admit it is a much more interesting take on the eternal triangle.
The Rustbucket II was shaking. Strange, he thought. Kevin moved closer to investigate. Had the aliens returned? Where were Ben and Gwen?
He crept stealthily along the side of the RV to the back window to look inside. The curtains were drawn, but he could make out a shadowy figure.
And then he saw her. He saw them…
She wrapped her arms around him tightly as he kissed her. She loved the way his skin felt against hers. She could feel the heat and power radiating from him, and it nearly overwhelmed her.
He kissed his way down her neck, just the way she liked. He never failed to arouse her.
She felt very naughty, sitting on the kitchen counter of the Rustbucket II, utterly naked, while he ravished her body. She had protested at first but then he had made her forget all her objections. He had a talent for doing that.
He could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. Not to mention persistent. When he was in one of his moods, he wouldn't take no for an answer, and she wasn't going to have a moment's peace until she gave him what he wanted.
She wanted it too, she had to admit. She found him irresistible. She could never deny him anything.
Even though they spent almost all of their free time together, there wasn't much opportunity to be alone. There were always more villains to fight, more people who needed saving. So they had to seize every precious moment of privacy that they could.
It wasn't easy. Their relationship was a secret, so they couldn't even explain to others their need for time together or be openly affectionate in public.
Fortunately, no one ever asked any questions.
Their parents were oblivious. Even Grandpa Max didn't have a clue. Though sometimes she was afraid he might suspect.
But right now, Grandpa Max was away on Plumber business, and the Rustbucket II was their temporary headquarters.
They were both fond of the old trailer. They'd had so many good times there, so many pleasant memories.
Now it was time for making pleasant memories in the new trailer.
Very pleasant…
It was difficult to maneuver in the cramped space, but somehow they managed. They always did.
"Gwen…" he murmured as he entered her. He filled her completely.
She moaned. No matter how many times they made love, she could never get enough of him.
He felt the same.
She wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to move. It felt so right…
Kevin quickly backed away from the RV, shaken by what he had seen. He leaned against a nearby tree for support. He couldn't believe it.
His mind was having difficulty accepting the images that were now burned into his head. He wished he could rewind and erase what he had just seen, but it was too late for that.
Part of him wanted to run as fast and as far as he possibly could, but part of him wanted to confront them immediately. He had to know the truth. No matter how much he dreaded facing it.
He waited. Minutes later, they emerged from the Rustbucket II, rumpled and disheveled. Ben whispered something to her, and she smiled. Kevin felt hot jealousy overtake him. Gwen looked stunning. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen. She tossed her long red hair over her shoulder.
He knew now that he would never have the one person he desired most. The fury almost blinded him.
Kevin stepped out from behind the trees.
"Well, well, well. Isn't this cozy," he sneered.
Startled, they both jumped back.
"Kevin? What are you doing here?" Gwen demanded.
"I thought you might need my help. But obviously you don't." He shot them a meaningful look.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I'd forgotten – the two of you are a team. A very exclusive team."
Ben caught on. "Quit beating around the bush, Kevin."
"I always knew you lusted after her, Tennyson," Kevin snarled. "But I never would have guessed that Gwen here would turn out to be such a little slut."
Gwen gasped.
"Don't call her that," Ben warned him.
"Why not? It's true!"
"It's not like that," Ben said quietly. "You've got it all wrong. I love her."
Kevin snorted. "Of course you love her. She's your cousin. You SHOULD love her. But you shouldn't LOVE her the way you were doing on that countertop five minutes ago."
"You saw us?!" Gwen exclaimed, in disbelief and outrage. "You were spying on us?"
"I could hear you moaning from halfway across the trailer park," Kevin tossed back. "And anyone could see you if they were walking by the window. Quite a show."
"You pervert! I can't believe you were watching us!" Gwen said angrily.
"You were banging your cousin five minutes ago, and I'm the pervert?" Kevin asked incredulously.
She glared at him. "We don't have to justify anything to you."
She grabbed Ben's hand and dragged him away before Kevin could say another word.
Kevin walked for what seemed like endless miles, lost in a daze.
It had finally hit him what had been bothering him so much – the way they had looked so comfortable and at ease during their lovemaking, and how easily Ben had brought her to climax.
Kevin had been with more than his fair share of women. He was good-looking when he wasn't a mutant, after all, and he had a certain roguish charm. In his experience, it wasn't that easy to satisfy a woman, especially the first few times. Every woman was different, and most women were very particular. Yet Ben had brought Gwen to the heights of ecstasy in only a few minutes, as if he had done it a million times before. Because they had done it a million times before, Kevin realized with a start. It had probably been going on for years.
The worst part was his realization that when he'd seen them and what they were doing, it was not him that he'd envied most, but her.
He'd been obsessed with Ben Tennyson for years. When they'd first met, he'd been thrilled to meet someone else who had powers and who could understand what it was like. He'd craved company. And Ben had seemed to think he was so cool at first. He'd felt admired and respected.
But at the first sign of trouble, Ben had taken off and gone back to his grandpa and goody-goody cousin. He'd abandoned him. Not only that, but he'd tried to stop Kevin from having his fun and getting the money he deserved.
And even after that falling out, Ben had still tried to convince him it didn't have to be that way, that things could be different. Ben had told him that he could go with them and use his powers to help people.
But Kevin hadn't wanted to use his powers for good. He didn't truly trust anyone. He'd been hurt by so many people who'd professed to care about him. Even his parents, who were supposed to care about him above all else, had thrown him out. He'd learned early on that everyone had an ulterior motive. They were only looking out for their own best interests.
The harder Ben had tried to persuade him, the harder Kevin had resisted. He'd tried to show Ben that compassion was weakness. That the world was a shitty place, and that if you didn't lie, fight, scheme and steal as much you could, you'd be dead.
It hadn't worked. Ben had stubbornly continued to believe that the universe was worth saving and that he had to use his powers to be a hero. Always the eternal optimist.
Yet the fact remained that Ben had been the first person who'd ever really seen any good in him. He hadn't been able to figure out what Ben's ulterior motive had been, and he'd eventually been forced to conclude that maybe he didn't have one.
And that scared the hell out of him.
When it came down to it, he couldn't ever truly accept that maybe Ben was right, because that would mean admitting that he really had injured and killed innocent people. It would mean that there were good people in the world, that the world was not such a bad place after all, and that he had been wrong about everything. It would mean it might even be his own fault that other people feared him and treated him like crap.
He couldn't deal with that. He needed to have other people to blame. The alternative was too awful to even contemplate.
He'd come to an uneasy compromise in the last several years, but ultimately he still believed in looking out for number one.
He had hated Ben with a passion but also, strangely… wanted him. He didn't know why. He'd tried not to want him. He'd tried his best to forget about him. He'd slept with countless people – male and female – in an effort to do just that.
It had been pointless. For reasons he could never understand, he was completely fascinated by Ben Tennyson. It ate away at him. He wanted to possess him.
It was horrifying, but there was no longer denying the truth.
He knew it could never be, but it was only just now dawning on him just how impossible it really was.
He'd never imagined the two of them would be getting it on secretly. Apparently they weren't as innocent as they pretended to be.
However he hated to admit it, it made sense. They were both so hot, and they were always together. They'd been side by side since they were 10. It was inevitable that they would get together eventually.
This was no causal fling, either. It had to be the real deal.
He'd had sex many, many times, but never with anyone who he really cared about. Most of the time he was just looking for an easy lay. He used it as a way to forget his misery temporarily, but it never really worked. It was so far removed from what he had just witnessed. He was pretty sure he'd never experienced anything remotely like that. Not just the sensuality and the intense passion, but the intimacy and tenderness of two people lovingly, freely, openly sharing themselves with each other. That was love. Genuine, earth-shattering, no-holds-barred, we-are-soulmates-and-belong-together-always love. It was beautiful and terrible to behold.
His heart sank. It meant that he didn't have a chance.
He'd known he never had a chance, but it hadn't stopped him from hoping. Being confronted with this brought it home that there was no hope.
He felt lonelier than he ever had before. He wanted what they had. They'd always had each other. Their powers had manifested at around the same time, and they'd always been a team. They understood each other, and they shared everything.
He was always the odd man out.
He couldn't help but be drawn to Ben. He'd been attracted to Gwen too, but it just wasn't the same. He'd never really paid much attention to her when they'd been younger. She was just Ben's cousin. She'd never liked him or trusted him then. She'd seen him as nothing but a no-good punk trying to corrupt her precious cousin. And she'd been right. She'd had no idea just how right.
At 15, she'd been attracted to him, but he'd had a feeling she'd just been going through a phase. She'd only liked him because he'd seemed exciting. He was unpredictable and dangerous. Teenage girls were always into that. He'd been around the block enough to know.
It seemed he'd been right about that too. She'd lost interest after a time and had fallen for a guy who was her perfect match. A nice guy who was stable, sincere and sensitive. A good guy. One who could give her everything she wanted.
Everything Kevin wanted.
The End