This is a 100 Challenge, found on Deviantart and copied from LiveJournal. Originally, it was intended to be for drawing, but I figured why not use it for writing?
It's is the first 100 challenge I've attempted and I really hope I'll get through it all! There are a few prompts that are going to be hell to write!
It'll be broken up into ten separate chapters, each with ten drabbles. Most, if not all, will be centered around the characters Ben and Alicia, and their relationship. There will be mentions of Reed/Sue too, and, of course, our favorite fire starter Johnny will be included from time to time. But I do intend to make it mostly Ben/Alicia.
The prompts won't be in order, aka 1, 2, 3, etc. I write the prompts in the order that I get inspiration for.
Sorry for the wait! I just started my senior year and it's been way busier then I could've thought. I've been preoccupied with homework, projects, soooo much reading, and my job on top of that. But, fear not, for I have returned with ten more drabbles out of my 100 drabble challenge! 30 down, 70 to go!
18. safety first-
"Ben, please," Alicia entreated, following him down the hall. "I can take care of myself."
"I know, but I don't want you hurtin' yourself."
"If I get hurt, it's my own fault. I'm not a child!"
He didn't answer.
Alicia stopped, grabbing his shoulder and jerking him around to face her.
"You listen to me, and listen well. I am not porcelain. I am not a precious antique to be guarded over and protected! I've taken alot of tumbles, Benjamin, and I've lived through things that would break most women! Do not think that I am some. weak creature. I. Am. Not. Weak."
By the end of her tirade, Alicia was red faced and breathing heavily. Ben had been frozen to the spot under her glare, not daring to speak until she had calmed.
Alicia sighed and smoothed down her hair. "Look, I-I didn't mean to yell, but this is something you need to hear."
"Alicia..." He looked down guiltily, then reached forward and gathered her into a warm hug. "I'm sorry. I know I'm overprotective and I know you're too independent to be watched over, but I can't help it. You're my everythin'. If somethin' happened to you, I..." He trailed off and his arms tightened around her.
She squeezed him affectionately. "I know you worry. It's one of your many endearing qualities. But too much is too much."
"So back off?"
She smiled. "In the most loving way possible, yes- back off."
19. broken pieces-
When she first met him, his heart and soul lay shattered in a thousand and one pieces.
She could feel it just by touching her hand to his cheek. Feel the sadness and heartbreak that lay beneath.
His words were stern and he was a bit standoffish, but she knew that deep inside, the only thing he wanted was to pull her close, cry, and thank her for understanding. For seeing him as more then his outward appearance. For giving him a chance.
She was not a fan of self pity or dwelling on the past, but somehow she knew that what he felt truly rocked him to his core. He was different then those sniffling, sobbing people that refused to move on. He wanted to move on. He wanted to be happy again. But he had no idea where to begin, or how to do it. He didn't even know how to pick himself back up on his own two feet again.
Despite what some might say, she didn't take him in because he was a 'stray', or because she took favor to the 'odd'. She helped him because she genuinely felt moved by him. By the power and potency of his soul.
And she knew that if she could save that wonderful soul from falling any further then it already had, she would discover something beautiful and loving and pure.
50. heaven-
Every morning, Alicia would wake up in the arms of the man she loved, cradled gently to his chest in a protective, loving guesture. The sheets would be tangled among their legs, and sometimes completely off the bed depending on what happened the previous night. She would lay still and listen to his soft snoring and the ambiance of the morning, then she would stretch, groaning and resettling in his arms. By now he would wake up and chuckle as his eyes met her disheveled appearance.
"Good mornin'."
"Morning."
Their lips would meet in a tender kiss, and they would lay there for several minutes, soaking in the peace and quiet, enjoying the others presence. Inevitably, something would arise that broke them from the moment, and reluctantly one of the two would pull themselves out of bed to start the daily routine.
But on those very special occasions, when they were permitted more then just a few minutes together, Alicia would look fondly up at him and smile.
"This is heaven." she would whisper. "...Heaven."
55. rejection-
Ben looked lovingly down at his girlfriend, comfortably situated in his lap and listening to Beethoven.
"Hey babe?"
She glanced up. "Mhm?"
He kissed and nipped at her neck. "I was thinkin' later you and me could-"
She stopped him and smiled apologetically. "Not tonight Benny- I have a headache."
Johnny snickered as he walked by. "Oooh, rejected!"
77. circus-
Bright colors and floodlights shone about them, all sorts of flashily dressed characters and exotic animals setting the stage for the cities annual circus. Dozens of people crowded into the gaudy red and yellow circus tent, scrambling for the best seats. Conversation level was at a dull roar, interrupted every couple of minutes by a noisy elephant. Among the attendees were Ben and Alicia, sitting ringside thanks to special tickets complimentary of the General.
The smell of popcorn, cotton candy and the summer night combined into an odd scent that made Alicia wrinkle her nose. She grimaced even further when she realized her foot was nearly glued to its spot in a sticky puddle of half evaporated soda.
"God, you'd think they would try and keep the place cleaner." she muttered.
"Come on Alicia, have some fun." Ben encouraged. "Ain't you ever been to a circus before?"
"Once, when I was little." she replied, snatching a handful of popcorn from the bag Ben held. "Not that I can remember it all that well. It's kind of vague. I do recall being afraid of something though..."
"It was probably the tigers. You never realize how big they are 'til you got one roarin' in your face."
She smiled. "Says the man who out roared a bear in the Black Forest, if memory serves?"
"Yeah, yeah. I meant when I was a kid." Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the entire tent was plunged into night. The darkness acted as a silencer- automatically the crowd fell quiet.
Alicia leaned closer to Ben. "What just happened?" she whispered.
"Lights dimmed. The show's about to start."
A tall, peculiar man with a pointed beard and a dark orange tuxedo walked out, isolated in a beam of light that followed him as he moved. He paused at the center of the floor, removed his top hat with a flourish, and in a large voice boomed, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to my circus." Applause and cheering broke out while the circus man took a bow. "Thank you! You may call me Berkley, and I will be directing your entertainment tonight! Now, what is the circus without laughter? Nothing, I say. So first off on tonight's list is the wonderful performing Berkley's clowns!"
Warm and colorful light flooded the tent, illuminating several clowns that had taken their position across the tent floor. A small car drove in, and at least ten more clowns piled out, met with laughter and clapping.
One of the clowns broke away from the rest, rushing to the crowd and doing the typical spiel, producing balloons animals from nowhere and spraying people with fake flowers.
Apparently Ben and Alicia caught his eye, because he rushed over with an exaggerated grin. "Hiya, folks!" the clown exclaimed, his voice somewhere between terrifying and ridiculous. "What's this lovely lady's name?"
Alica rose a brow and, almost imperceptibly, shifted closer to Ben. "My name's Alicia."
He reached out a white gloved hand. "Nice to meet ya Missy! Ya can call me Chuckles."
"....Chuckles the Clown?" Her voice held an air of disbelief and amusement. "Original." She took his hand and jumped half out of her seat, snatching her hand back. "Ow!"
Chuckles laughed hysterically, wriggling his fingers. "Electric hand buzzer!"
Alicia shook her tingling hand, glowering. "Funny."
"You okay babe?" Ben asked.
She dismissed it. "Yeah, just a little shock is all."
"Well would ya look at this!" Chuckles attention was automatically diverted to Ben. "Who's Mister Big Guy ya got here?"
"That's my boyfriend."
"A little out of your league, dontchya think?" he said to Ben, thumbing towards Alicia. Ben glared at him, fists balling.
Before he could continue, Chuckles felt a tap on his shoulder from behind and turned curiously. Alicia beamed brightly at him before drawing back her fist and connecting solidly with his jaw.
As the clown hit the floor with a resounding thud, Alicia turned to Ben and smirked.
"I remember what I don't like about the circus. Clowns. I hate clowns."
83. delicacy-
"You know, in some countries, calamari is actually considered a delicacy."
"Look, you can keep your fried octo-squid-thing. I'm stickin' to burgers."
89. curly-
She sat on the edge of Ben's bed, tugging at the springy curls of her hair. Sighing frustratedly, she turned to the figure lying in the spot next to her.
"Ben, do you like my hair?"
He looked at her, caught off guard by the question. "What do ya mean, do I like it?"
"You don't think it's too curly, do you?" To illustrate that, she pulled a handful of her hair up and let go, only to have it bounce back into place.
He laughed. "No, I think your hair is fine."
Her brow creased slightly. "Really? You wouldn't like it better if it was straight like Sue's?"
"No, 'course not. Why are you even askin'?"
"I guess it's because I was the only girl in class with curly hair growing up- and all the boys liked the girls with pretty straight hair."
He fixed her with a look of disbelief. "...You're worried that I don't like your hair 'cause of somethin' that happened in grade school?"
She cracked a smile and buried her head in a pillow. "Ridiculous, I know." came her muffled reply.
"Well, I can tell you two things-" he said. "One, I ain't in grade school anymore, and two- I love ya, curly hair and all."
91. nightmare-
"You know, if you could see me, you wouldn't be sayin' that."
Ben found himself regarding the blind woman curiously, as she didn't seem to be deterred by his subtle hint to leave him alone. Quite the opposite, actually. She folded her cane up and slipped it into her bag, smiling all the while.
"Then let me see you. Can I?" It wasn't so much of a question as a notification. She had already stood up and was approaching him. Ben sighed, fixing his old friend Ernie with a look. Ernie only shrugged as if to say 'why not?'. When Ben turned again, she had already gotten to the bar, running into a stool but seeming unabashed by it. Her footsteps slowed and her hands lifted up. Holding her breath, she reached out and touched him, her hands coming to a rest on his stomach.
He jolted. The first human contact he'd had in...days? Weeks? Far too long to be isolated, anyway. She worked her hands upward, fingertips leaving trails that burned like fire. Ben's breath caught in his throat. He didn't want to admit it, but she was having an enormous soothing effect on him. He almost wished that it would never end and that she would stay there with him. But as her fingers reached his face, her hands dropped suddenly and she stepped back. "Oh my God." she muttered, a frown gracing her beautiful features. In a tone that sounded almost disgusted, she asked, "What are you?"
Ben's heart dropped so heavily, he felt he would be sick.
"W-What?" She backed farther away. He wanted desperately to reach out and stop her. "But I thought-"
"Look, I don't know what you thought," she interrupted coldly, gathering up her bag. "but apparently neither did I." She slapped a bill on the bar and strode quickly past him to the door. "I was mistaken. I thought you were....well, human. Not a thing." She turned, and with a pitying smirk, seemed to look directly at him. "Sorry Ben. You're not good enough. Not for me."
She flung the door open and walked into the chilly night. Ben threw his hand up, outstretched towards her, shouting.
"No! Wait, please! Please!"
Ben woke with a start, bolting upright in bed and screaming into the darkness. "No!"
It took him a moment to register where he was. The Baxter Building, in his room. He sighed, a deep shuddering sound.
The bedsheets rustled beside him. Alicia sat up, concern scrawled across her features. "Ben? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" she asked, her hands coming up to touch his arm and hands. He looked over at her and a sharp pang of hurt crossed his heart. She noticed his hesitation and her hold on him tightened. "Ben?"
He hesitated. "...Y-You love me, right?"
Her brow creased. "Of course I do. You know that." Her eyes searched for him, even in the blindness of her world. "Did something happen? You're shaking."
"I just needed to be sure." he murmured, taking her hand in his. "And I'm fine, I just had a nightmare- a bad dream, that's all."
She didn't look too convinced, but nodded and laid back down. He did the same, and she moved close to him, fitting her form against his. "If you say so Benny. I'll see you in the morning."
"Night, babe."
"Sweet dreams, love."
95. glare-
"Benjamin Jacob Grimm, you get back here right now!"
It wasn't often that Ben found himself on the receiving end of one of Alicia's death glares, but when he did, he knew he was in big trouble.
99. bewbs-
"Okay Benny, I'm going out with the girls!" Alicia called, hurrying towards the elevator, purse and heels in hand. "I'll see you later on tonight."
He heaved himself off the sofa and walked out into the hall. "Hey, hold on a minute," His girlfriend turned, a peculiar look of being caught doing something wrong on her face. "You be safe and-- what in the hell are you wearin'?!" Ben's eyes nearly bugged out as he lay sight on Alicia's evening wear. A sparkly, shimmering golden dress clung to her shoulders and breast, the neckline dipping well below her cleavage. The bottom hem stopped just short of mid-thigh, and the back exposed her shoulder blades and all the way down to her lower back.
Ben had to admit, she looking incredibly alluring, but there was no way in hell that his woman was going to prance around in front of other guys dressed like that!
Alica rolled her eyes heavenward. "It's just a dress Ben."
"A dress? It's a scrap of fabric, that's what it is!"
She crossed her arms. "I'm a grown woman. Can't I feel sexy once in a while?"
"Not where all the pricks out there can get a good eyeful!"
"So this is about you being jealous of all the other guys I'm not with? Jealous that they only get to see what you can touch?" Ben balked, wordless. She smirked. "I'm flattered Benny, but I'll see you later tonight. Then you can be as overprotective and jealous as you want." She stood on her toes and pecked him on the cheek before running to the elevator and disappearing from sight.
He stood there for several silent moments, then shook his head and walked away.
"Women..."
30 down, 70 to go!
Safety First and Bewbs came from the idea that Ben would try to be really overprotective over Alicia and she would just hate it. it seemed plausible, because Ben is protective when it comes to loved ones.
Oh, and about Circus, I always thought it would be funny if Alicia had some odd phobia or fear, and clowns seemed to fit as well as anything.
Review please!