The First Thing
By Chibi Hime
AN: A random drabble. Gwevin. Ben 10 belongs to Man of Action.
"Kevin, could you pull over for a second. I want to ask you something personal,"
In an instant, the car slowed and eased over onto the side of the road where it came to a gentle stop.
Gwen shifted in her seat so she was facing him. She smiled when she saw his face had turned slightly scarlet. After all they had been through at the army base and with PAradox, he was still nervous about their "relationship", whatever it was at the moment.
"Kevin...back there on the base...when...when that space time monster was wreaking havoc, you cared more about fixing the car then, well, fixing you. Why did you care so much about some parts and metal?"
Kevin seemed to scowl while trying to find the right words to convey what he was feeling.
"It's mine," he answered simply, as if he expected Gwen to understand everything with just two words.
Gwen craned her neck and looked him in the eye with a raised eyebrow. Kevin swallowed and gestured with his hand, as if trying to think of another word to convey what he was thinking.
"Well...it...it was the first thing that ever was mine. Really mine, you know?" he asked.
Gwen shrugged and he realized he was on the verge of describing what he meant.
"I mean...I mean it is the first thing that I paid for. The first thing no one could take away from me," Kevin said proudly.
Gwen raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. That explained a lot.
"That's not all. I mean, I did everything legit for this car. I took the test, got the license, It was mine. I worked for it. There's nothing wrong with this car. It is all mine and no one can take it away from me," Kevin said, nodding to emphasize his point.
"How did you get the money?" Gwen asked.
Kevin's face suddenly fell slightly. He pursed his lips and drummed his fingers nervously on the steering wheel. Gwen leaned forward, slightly, smiling encouragingly.
"You can tell me," she said lightly.
Kevin sighed.
"It was a tech deal. Okay, several illegal tech deals. But...but I did them so I could have something of my own. Something I didn't have to steal. I wanted something that could really be mine, you know?" he said quickly, as if she was judging him on every word he said. His eyes glittered, as if he were about to cry.
Gwen put a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"Hey...it is alright. I can see where that's coming from. It was a big step. I can see why it is so important to you," Gwen added supportively.
Kevin looked up with large, puppy dog eyes.
"You do?"
"Sure, a lot of people have things that are theirs that are important to them. I have my drawer full of magic things...Ben has Furry Freddy," Gwen continued.
Kevin looked a little more relaxed and Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. His face became unreadable. He looked up at her as if he expected to be scolded. To his surprise, Gwen leaned over the console and wrapped her arms around him. Kevin nervously placed his arms around her, tentatively looking for a place on her soft body to grab that wouldn't seem opportunistic.
"Well that is all fine...but...but...I don't know what we'd...I'd do if something happened to you we couldn't fix," Gwen sniffled into his shoulder.
Kevin frowned. Hearing her say that made him feel stupid. It made him remember that no matter how much he loved it, his car was just a thing. No matter how much love he put into it, it didn't return the favor. People...Gwen did.
His car might have been the first thing he cared about...but it wasn't the last.
Not anymore.
