Reviewer Responses:
Figs: Ah yes, and therein lies the problem. Both boys really can be dense at times, and I don't want to move the story too fast. Another reason for the fast updates – I have so many scenes I want to write, and I don't want to write them until it's the right time.
Misery Loves Fanfics: At first, it wasn't going to be Gwen, but then I realized no one's dreams are that neatly laid out, so I had to figure out how to explain it…and Gwen was right there, so, there we go. And there's nothing wrong with staying up till 5 in the morning thinking up plot bunnies. I only stayed up until about 2 in the morning with plot bunnies, but that was also because my back was killing me and I had heart burn…anyways, kind of freaky we had the exact same idea. I'm a mind reader, yaay!
LadyLasa: Yeah, I have been busy. (laughs). Now more of your fanfic. Pwease?
Minty Chinchilla: Thank you for using the word 'realistic'. I was determined to not only have a good story, but have one that was in character and seemed plausible. And don't worry, the Gwevin's all done with now. It won't hurt you anymore.
Lovemug: personally, I don't find a Gwevin kiss revolting, but you're entitled to your opinion. I just felt it was important for Kevin to work out his feelings for Gwen, otherwise he couldn't move forward with Ben. I just can't write a "I see the light! I am fruiter than a fruit salad! Come here and kiss me, Ben!" kind of thing (…I really hope no author actually does that.). I felt they needed a pretty involved back story before we got to this point. But, as I promised Minty Chinchilla, the Gwevin's all done in this story. No more.
Author's note/Cry for Help:
"Ben?" Gwen tapped her cousin on the shoulder. He looked up from his smoothie, but said nothing. "Hey…what's wrong?" she asked as she slipped into the other side of the booth. She hadn't even had to track Ben to find him – he was, of course, at Mr. Smoothy's.
"Nothing," he lied, taking another sip of his smoothie. "How'd your date go?"
"Awful," Gwen said, noting that Ben immediately leaned forward, waiting for her to explain. She said nothing for a while, then added "Some good came out if it, though. I still like Kevin, but I'm starting to get over him now."
"So, nothing really happened?" Ben tried to keep the hope out of his voice, but Gwen knew him too well. She smiled.
"We kissed.."
"What?!"
Gwen smirked. "Jealous, Ben?" He crossed his arms without answering, hoping she wouldn't go into detail. His stomach felt sick as he tried to block the mental images. "Relax. There really wasn't anything to it. …Not for him, anyways."
"What do you mean?"
"Ben, Kevin's been over me for a while now. He just hadn't realized it."
"How do you get over someone without realizing it?" Ben demanded.
Gwen laughed. "You forgetting about Julie already? You got over her before you'd realized it," Her expression changed, her tone becoming far more serious. "Kevin knows now that he doesn't want to be with me. He wants you, Ben."
"Yeah, right."
"I'll admit he doesn't get it himself yet, but he needs you to help him," Gwen explained. "Will you at least go talk to him?"
"I don't think he wants to see me. I already let it slip I might have feelings for him. You didn't see the look he gave me, Gwen. I don't want to see that look ever again."
Gwen sighed, wondering how to get through to either boy. But she had to try, and Ben was much easier to convince than Kevin. "Ben, if you guys don't work this out, we're not going to have a team anymore."
Ben scoffed. "I doubt Kevin's going to want to spend more time with me after this…" he searched his vocabulary for a word strong enough to describe it. "This…fiasco. He couldn't wait to get out of my room after I told him. If I keep pushing him, he might stop fighting all together."
"Maybe," Gwen admitted, "That is a possibility. But if you don't at least try, you could still lose him. From the team, I mean."
"Great, so it's a lose-lose," Ben muttered, finishing off his smoothie.
"It's your choice, Ben," Gwen's eyes glowed for a moment. "If you change your mind, Kevin just got back to his place. He's still awake…"
"You're not going to leave me alone until I do this, are you?" Ben asked. Gwen shook her head.
"Ben, this really hurts. I felt pretty strongly about Kevin, and realizing he wanted you instead of me…it was like someone was stabbing me. If you don't—"
"You don't know that he feels the same," Ben interrupted. "Just because he doesn't like you that way anymore doesn't mean he –" He stopped at the hurt expression on his cousin's face. "I'm sorry, Gwen. I know you're just trying to help."
Gwen managed a weak smile. "It's all right. I missed my chance. That doesn't mean you should, too. In fact, if you don't make a move and someone other than a Tennyson gets Kevin, I'm never going to forgive you."
Ben gave a light laugh. "All right, all right. I'll do it. But if this backfires, it's on you, okay?"
"Of course," Gwen agreed. "Now get going."
Kevin leaned back on the couch, holding a cold soda to his face, letting its touch cool him. This was not how he'd expected his first date with Gwen Tennyson to go. He'd imagined it over and over again, and before it had always ended with them going steady. The kiss…the kiss he had always imagined being so passionate fell much closer to the old expression "like kissing your sister". He still felt a shock that he'd been over Gwen for a while and hadn't realized it.
So why did I still think I liked her? Kevin asked himself, setting the soda can down on the coffee table. She's pretty, so maybe that's what got me. …Nice body…great eyes… Kevin felt jolted. The eyes he imagined were distinctly Ben's, not Gwen's. "How can I even tell the difference?" He demanded of himself. "They're the same color!"
But while that was true, there was a different look to the cousins' eyes. Gwen's were caring and fierce; Ben's were often clouded over with confusion, but mainly they had that strong look of determination. And the pair Kevin had thought about were confused and hurt green eyes…the look Ben had given him right before he'd walked out of Ben's room. After Ben had said…had said that.
Kevin groaned, throwing his head back. "Just stop thinking about it. Tennyson's just a buddy. He didn't mean it that way, he was just having fun with you." The lie wasn't convincing Kevin, and he knew it wouldn't fool anyone else.
The doorbell ringing jarred him, making him wonder who would be at his place so late. "Door's unlocked," he called.
The door opened, and Ben walked in. He shut the door behind him and studied it. "Is it really smart to not lock the door? I mean, you've still got a lot of guys after you, right?"
"What kind of guys?" Kevin hissed, assuming Ben had meant guys in a different way than he'd truly been getting at.
"I mean tech traders. You know…guys who want you dead? Guys you've double crossed?" Ben explained. Kevin let the tension go out of his body.
"Oh."
"So…how'd the date with Gwen go?"
"It was all right," Kevin said, wondering why Ben would care. "Decided to just stay friends. You know…less complicated that way."
Ben smiled. "Gwen already told me the truth."
"Then why did you ask?" Kevin demanded. Ben shrugged, and took the recliner beside the sofa that Kevin was perched on. "What are you over here for, anyways?"
"I'm surprised you're talking to me," Ben admitted. "That's part of the reason I came. To make sure you're not going to quit the team."
"I already told you once, Tennyson, you're not gonna be able to do this without me. I'm not gonna let some alien scum take over the planet just because you got an odd sense of humor."
"So you thought I was joking?" Ben asked softly, his hands clasped together as he gave Kevin a desperate look.
"Of course you were," Kevin insisted. "Right?"
Ben stood up from the chair. For a moment, it seemed like he was about to leave. But then, instead, he sat down on the couch, beside Kevin. "I wasn't joking."
"Yeah right. And I'm telling you, it's not funny. Stop playing around with this mess."
"What's it going to take for you to realize I'm being serious right now?!" Ben demanded. Before Kevin could answer, with a surprising show of strength, Ben had knocked Kevin over on the couch and had his lips pressed to the older boy's.
For a moment, they stayed that way. Kevin had been too surprised by the action to try to stop it. But his strength returned to him, and he shoved Ben away. "What the hell, Tennyson?!" He wiped at his mouth with his hand.
Ben took a deep breath, allowing himself to calm down. "I'm sorry. It's just…this isn't a joke. Not to me, at least. You don't have to feel the same way, but I do want you to get that I'm not kidding around here." Ben looked at Kevin with the same sad look Kevin had imagined just minutes ago. "I'll go now. See you around, Kevin."
With that, Ben got up and left, leaving Kevin all alone in his apartment.
Kevin was not going to get any sleep tonight. Not when two questions weighed so heavily on his mind. Why did he enjoy that kiss? And why had it felt the way he used to imagine it would with Gwen? The answers would keep coming to him, over and over again. And each time, he would try to push them away, searching desperately for a different answer. But none ever came. The only explanation was that Ben really did like him...as for what Kevin felt about it....well, he wouldn't let himself think on it. He couldn't. Because the feeling he kept pushing back down was threatening to rise up in him and take him fully. And he couldn't stand that. He didn't want that to happen.
But it was getting harder and harder to fight it off...
Author's note: So, I know, pushing Ben away and practically cursing at him (for those who consider 'hell' a curse word) seems very harsh. However, to me, it also seems very Kevin. Within the terms of the show, I think Ben would have a much easier time realizing he's in love with Kevin than Kevin would with realizing he's in love with Ben. Heavily influenced by discussions with LadyLasa.