A/N: Based on the "Vendetta" episode.
"Anything?" Ben asked.
"You can stop checking in every two seconds, Ben. We've got this. You're the one who trained us, remember?" Pierce said, and Ben could tell he was grinning by his tone.
"More like I just helped you realize that it's better when all of you are working together instead of doing things on your own. Besides, I can't just ignore everything that's going on. I'm not used to it," he said.
"I get that. But I promise we'll call you the moment there's anything we can't handle," Pierce said.
"I'm holding you to that. I'll leave you to it then. I have to get back to studying trigonometry," Ben said, eyeing the textbook with no small amount of distaste. "It says something when I would prefer a day of aliens over this."
"It can't be that bad," Pierce said with a laugh.
"You don't take the subject," Ben said with a laugh of his own. "Later Pierce."
"Later."
Ben ended the call before blowing out a puff of breath and going back to his book. He considered calling Gwen to help him study, but that practically screamed "bad idea." It was bad enough he was having a hard time stopping her from popping up in his thoughts in the first place. Having her here would only be worse.
"Probably wouldn't answer anyway," Ben thought sullenly.
He hadn't seen hide nor hair of Gwen since Kevin caught them dancing. She was more than likely avoiding him, and honestly? He couldn't fault for it. He hadn't exactly been seeking her out lately either. Even thinking about dancing made his palms sweaty.
Slowly but surely, he was getting the answers. Math was never something you could straight up memorize. That was something he was really good at. Numbers? Not so much.
"Tennyson," Ben heard Kevin say, causing the Anodite to look up from his book. The Osmosian was standing in the doorway. "I need some information."
"What do you need to know?" Ben asked, closing the book while using a finger to hold the page.
"Some information on a creep named Ragnorak," Kevin said.
"Never heard of him. He rip you off or something?" Ben asked.
"Something like that. I just need to find him," Kevin said, and Ben noticed the seriousness on Kevin's face. Something that usually wasn't characteristic unless the situation called for it.
"I can help you find him. It sounds better than doing Trig," he said, setting the book face down.
"I didn't ask for that," Kevin told him.
"I know. But I'm offering it," Ben said with a smile.
"Forget it. I'll..." Kevin was cut off by Ben putting a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Let me go Tennyson."
"No. Whatever this is, it sounds like it's serious business. And if it was just some random guy, you'd call me and Gwen and we'd go and kick this guy's butt. But you didn't. It sounds like this is personal," Ben said, his tone as serious as Kevin's expression.
"So what if it is? This is something I have to do," the Osmosian told him.
"Not alone. We're a team. And we always will be. If this guy did something to screw with you, we'll all be there to help you," Ben said, putting a supportive hand on Kevin's shoulder. Then his expression hardened. "I'm not taking no for an answer."
"No wonder Gwen likes you. You can be just as pushy as her sometimes," Kevin said, forcefully shrugging Ben's hand off his shoulder.
"Usually for all the right reasons. Now, if you can honestly tell me this guy isn't a big threat, I'll help you out with no questions asked. But if he is, I'm going to at least need some of the story," Ben told him.
Kevin closed his eyes, his expression flitting with a pain that Ben was familiar with. But then that pain hardened into an anger that was beyond anything he'd ever seen on Kevin's face.
"He's dangerous, alright. He murdered my dad," Kevin said, his voice grim. Ben's eyes widened before his eyes suddenly chilled to where they were resembled chips of ice.
"I'll get Gwen," he said seriously.
"No. I need to do this..."
"No. You don't. When I was looking at Vilgax or Ghostfreak, did you leave me alone, despite how angry I was? No. And I don't plan on starting a tradition where we turn our back on friends who need our help," Ben said seriously before his eyes met Kevin's. "I can kind of get what you're feeling right now. And I know you want to handle this yourself. But I'm not going to let this guy get the chance to kill you. You're my best friend. I don't want to spill more blood than I feel I have to, but Vilgax will have some company in Hell if things go bad."
Kevin held the eye contact for a moment before nodding. Ben immediately hit the communication option on his Omnitrix, tuning in to Gwen's Plumber's badge. And unlike most cases, Gwen took quite a bit of time to answer.
"Yeah?" Gwen asked, her voice sounding raspy.
"Did you just wake up or something?" Ben asked.
"No, I hit another stage of puberty and this is what I sound like now," Gwen said sarcastically. "What?"
"We need your help with something. It's important," Ben said.
"What is it?" Gwen asked.
"There's someone we got to catch. Name of Ragnorak. We want you with us before we go and look for him," Ben told her.
"What about the Helpers? Shouldn't they be watching Earth?" Gwen asked.
"Would I be asking you otherwise?" Ben questioned, and he could hear Gwen huff in an annoyed fashion.
"Give me a few minutes," she said before abruptly hanging up.
"She's in a mood today," Ben said with a frown.
"Wonder why?" Kevin said, and either Ben didn't notice the sarcasm in his tone or ignored it. He was banking on the second one. "Whatever. Why didn't you tell her the situation?"
"That's your choice for her to know. Not mine. If you want me to keep it a secret, I will," Ben told him.
"No. She ought to know what she's getting herself into. Besides, she'd eventually pry it out of you," Kevin said with a small smirk of amusement. But it didn't take long for him to sober up. "When we find this guy, you let me take care of him myself. Don't you dare jump in."
"If you don't need our help, yeah. But if you get into trouble, we're stepping in. That is the whole point us coming along after all," Ben told him before a flash of pink signaled Gwen's arrival. "Hey."
"Hey," Gwen said idly, her gaze directed at Kevin. She hadn't even glanced at Ben yet.
"Guess I'm not the only one who feels awkward about this," Ben thought sourly.
"Who are we looking for?" Gwen asked. Kevin looked hesitant to say it again, so Ben decided to step in.
"Some guy named Ragnorak. An old criminal. And the guy who killed Kevin's dad," he said in a grim tone, causing Gwen's eyes to widen.
"Oh, my God. Are you..."
"I'll be fine as soon once we find him. Anyway, the first place he visited when he came to Earth was my mom's house. He ransacked the place like he was looking for something," Kevin explained.
"So he's trying to find something that your dad had. Alright. It'll be easier to find him if we can figure out what he's looking for. Do you know of anything your dad might have wanted to keep secret? Some old Plumber tech or something?" Gwen asked.
" of this happened a long time ago, and even my mom doesn't know what he wants," Kevin said.
"Well, whatever it is, it's safe to assume we don't want him to find it. So let's try and think ahead of him. Is there anything your dad owned? A garage, a safe, a locker... something?" Ben asked.
"A storage facility on the other side of town," Kevin said, suddenly perking up. Then he immediately stalked off outside. "Come on."
The first clue the storage facility was the right place were the sounds of things being thrown across the room violently. Kevin's face suddenly hardened the moment they got close; his expression resembling that of stone.
"Ready?" Ben asked.
Kevin didn't even respond verbally. Just walked out of their hiding spot to approach Ragnorak.
"Where is it Plumber? Where did you hide it?" they could hear Ragnorak mumbling.
"What difference does it make? You'll never get to use it," Kevin said with a look of pure loathing. Gwen and Ben approached on either side of him, their arms crossed as they stared at Ragnorak with hard expressions.
"You're an Osmosian, yes? Who are you?" Ragnorak asked, narrowing his eyes before turning his gaze onto Ben. "And an Anodite?"
"My name is Kevin Ethan Levin. You killed my father. Prepare to die," Kevin said, absorbing the ground underneath him before turning his hands into a hammer and spiked mace respectively. Ben, meanwhile, was raising an eyebrow at Kevin's words.
"Did he just..."
"Yes, he did. But I don't think he ever saw that movie. Let's just..." Gwen quickly glanced at Ben when he stopped her from moving forward.
"I promised I'd let him take him alone if he could handle it. We only jump in if he can't handle it," he told her.
"That sounds like a terrible idea," Gwen said with a frown.
"Can't say it's not the first one I've had," Ben said, and Gwen immediately turned away from him. "That is... I mean..."
Ben immediately stopped himself from saying another word, resisting the urge to hit himself in the head. Now was definitely not that time for this.
Kevin rushed Ragnorak, and the gray skinned alien ducked under one of Kevin's swings before smashing his face into the wall. The blow did little to stop Kevin before he retaliated by swinging his mace into Ragnorak's gut, causing the gray skinned alien to bend over in pain. Then, winding his hand back, Kevin sent the alien flying through the garage door with a blow from his hammer hand that was powerful enough to break a normal person's jaw.
"See? He's got this," Ben assured Gwen.
"Yeah. Maybe the fight..." she trailed, staring at Kevin with a concerned expression on her face. The anger on his face resembled Ben's expression when he fought Vilgax. It was the kind of hatred that could turn good people into monsters.
Though Kevin's advantage in the fight didn't last long. Ragnorak rose up almost immediately being sent crashing through the garage door. He dodged two of Kevin's blows and punched him in the stomach to wind him before grabbing his head and slamming him into the ground.
"So. The Plumber's spawn before I eliminated him. Then you can tell me where to find my key," Ragnorak said, speaking directly into Kevin's ear.
"Eat dirt murderer," Kevin said angrily before maneuvering his foot to sweep Ragnorak's legs from under him. Then immediately got to his feet before absorbing the steel from the garage door, turning his right hand into a long blade.
Before he could stab him though, Ragnorak fired a yellow energy blast from his hands that sent Kevin flying. Gwen quickly created a mana barrier that resembled a cushion to stop him from flying any further. But it was clear the Osmosian was not grateful for the help.
"Stay out of this Gwen!" Kevin yelled before charging back at Ragnorak, dodging the blasts the alien was sending his way.
"We can't just stay here and do nothing! He needs our help!" Gwen exclaimed, looking to Ben.
"Not yet he doesn't," he said, keeping an eye on the fight critically.
"We're a team and his friends. We should be helping him," Gwen insisted.
"We are helping him by letting him have this. And until..." Ben cut himself off when Kevin started flying through the air, failing to get to his feet immediately when he hit the ground. "That's our cue."
"Oh, so now you want to help," Gwen said in an annoyed tone before blasting Ragnorak in the back with a blast that sent him flying. Ben teleported in front of Ragnorak and kicked him in the face while he was in midair. But the criminal recovered by flipping and landing on his feet.
"And here I thought you wanted to send your friend to his doom," Ragnorak said before aiming a blast at Ben that the Anodite blocked with a shield.
Gwen flipped over Ragnorak and kicked one of his legs to make him kneel before kicking him in the back, immediately hitting him with an energized mana blast that blasted a hole through his shoulder.
"Insolent little child," Ragnorak snarled before rapidly firing yellow energy blasts that Gwen blocked by projecting a shield in front of her.
"Kevin!" Ben exclaimed, causing Ragnorak to wheel around. But it was already too late.
With an angry yell, Kevin caught Ragnorak with two punches across the face the moment he turned around. Then with a hard knee to the elbow, he broke the gray skinned alien's arm and stomped on his knee to force him to kneel.
Ragnorak immediately attempted for an uppercut the moment his good knee hit the ground, but Kevin stopped that cold by bringing his elbow down on Ragnorak's fist, breaking his middle finger and hitting him with an uppercut of his own that knocked the alien on his back and broke a few teeth. This time, he stayed down while clutching his broken arm.
"Thanks," Kevin said to Ben and Gwen before looking down at the injured Ragnorak. Then he turned his hand into something that resembled a machete. "Now for what I came here to do."
"Kevin, wait," Gwen said, putting a hand on his arm.
"Please listen. I know..." Kevin immediately shut any sentence Ragnorak was about to say up by kicking him in his mouth. And broke the last of his teeth with a second hard stomp.
"Don't you dare say a word, you son of a bitch. You don't deserve the mercy you're trying to beg for," Kevin spat at him before turning back to Gwen. "And do you really think you can talk me out of this? I'm not Ben, who you can sway with a few soft spoken words. I know I won't regret doing this."
"How do you know? If you've..." Gwen slowly trailed off when she saw the unyielding look in Kevin's eye.
"I told you a long time ago. There are some things that you don't know about me. And that's why..." Kevin trailed before swinging his hand blade horizontally, cleanly cutting off Ragnorak's head. "...I don't feel bad doing that."
Gwen grimaced and looked away while Ben watched the action with a grim expression on his face. One day, that was something he'd have to do to Vilgax. Hit him in a way that the alien couldn't come back from. And he couldn't really say that he was looking forward to it. Not one bit.
"Is that what you really want to do to Vilgax? Something like that?" Gwen suddenly shot at Ben, who was caught off guard.
"No. I don't want to. But it's something I have to do. Or Earth will never be rid of him," Ben said, putting his hand in his pocket.
Gwen fixed him with a look that was equal parts anger and concern. Then she teleported away immediately, not even bothering to respond to his statement.
"She doesn't understand," Ben said, looking down at the ground.
"She doesn't want to understand. Talking about doing it is one thing. Seeing it is completely different. And doing it is worse than all of them combined," Kevin said grimly as the metal fell off his body. Blood still stained his hand and shirt.
"How many people have you killed?" Ben asked.
"Just one. It happened back in the Null Void when I still looked like all of your old aliens mixed together. Some Teramand was picking a fight with me. It didn't really matter that I looked like some science experiment gone wrong. All he saw was a kid who looked like a freak, and needed to know who was in charge," Kevin said distastefully.
"You know me. I didn't really take well to that. And him being a Teramand made me feel like I could, at least in my mind, beat you down for trapping me in that hellhole. So I attacked him after he tried 'asserting his dominance.' I used my speed and hit him with a punch that sent him flying. When I fired Diamondhead crystals at him right after, I expected him to dodge. You always did. I had to move fast, or I was going to lose. Again."
"Only, that guy wasn't you. He was some thug who wasn't even a fraction of the fighter you were. Even at ten. And because of that, he didn't dodge the crystals I sent and they hit him in the throat and chest the moment he hit the ground. I had never seen so much blood before... I was too surprised to even think about helping him. No one else cared enough to bother, so he wound up choking on his own blood."
Kevin told the story with a detachment in his tone that wasn't very characteristic of him. Ben looked to the side, processing the story he was told.
"How bad is it? The aftermath?" he asked.
"You're gonna think about it a lot. You're probably going to hate yourself for doing it a few times. But give it enough time, and it won't really bother you anymore. Nowhere near as much as the first couple of weeks, I'll tell you that," Kevin explained. "Besides, I only ended up killing some guy who picked a fight he shouldn't have and not some innocent person. That alone made it ten times easier to live with. But even considering all of that, even considering how much Vilgax majorly deserves what's coming to him, you'll still change. You may not want to, but you will."
"I know you're tough enough to handle the aftermath. The only question is how long it'll take for you to come to terms with it," Kevin finished.
"I don't know. Looking at it now... it doesn't seem like as good of an idea as it was before. Once it happens, a line will have been crossed. One I can't uncross. Not to mention that look on Gwen's face..." Ben trailed, recalling the grimace on her face before she looked away. "I know things won't be the same with us once I have blood on my hands."
"Things will definitely be different, but if we're being honest Tennyson, she'll never hate you for it. She loves you too much for that," Kevin told him.
"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there. We've been through just about everything together," Ben said, looking to the sky thoughtfully.
"That's not what I meant. I meant, that she loves you," Kevin said, emphasizing the word.
"You literally just said that. What's the point of saying it again?" Ben asked. Kevin was about two seconds away from smacking his friend upside the head with a hammer.
"Oh, for crying out loud... I'm talking about dating like! You know? Similar to the way you wanted to date that Julie girl, but you know... more intense?" Kevin said rhetorically.
Ben froze before looking at Kevin like he was crazy. Then that look changed into one of confusion. Which finally settled on amused. Kevin didn't even smile.
"If that's your idea of a joke, I've definitely heard better," Ben said with a grin.
"I'm not joking Tennyson," Kevin said in a serious tone.
"Good. Cause it wasn't funny," Ben said, his grin disappearing as he put a hand on his forehead. He paced back and forth for several seconds before stopping. "This is about the day you caught us dancing, isn't it?"
"Believe me. Seeing that was just the last few nails in the coffin. So believe me when I say that I know you both have a thing for each other. And don't even try to say it isn't love. You both admitted you loved each other before. It just wasn't romanticized before," Kevin said, and Ben's purple skin started glowing green out of embarrassment. Something that Kevin had only seen once.
"Just say I believe you for one second. You may be sure about me, but how can you say the same for Gwen?" Ben asked.
"For one, she's not much more subtle than you. You just have a penchant for ignoring the obvious when it comes to her. But if you don't want to take my word for it, your grandma probably got it out of her, so you can always talk to her," Kevin said.
"Wait, how does Verdona fit into this?" Ben asked with raised eyebrows.
"Because she knows Gwen loves you. You two are good at hiding that fact from the rest of the world, and refuse to acknowledge it to each other regardless of it staring you in the face, but not that's not gonna fly with me," Kevin said before starting to tick off with his fingers. "You're always touching. You grin like an idiot when she calls you hero. Gwen could've gone with any guy to go to her dance, and she chose you..."
"I was her last option, and you know it," Ben said, but it sounded like a lie the moment it came out of his lips. Kevin snorted.
"Yeah. It might've been able to slide when she first said it. Now? Not a chance. She has eyes for you and you alone. And neither of you are going to do anything about it unless someone gives you a kick in the ass. Well, consider me your ass kicker," Kevin said with a small smirk.
"I don't..." Ben started, but his head jerked back from the impact that just landed on his nose. "Did you just hit me?"
"Yeah. I did. Cause you definitely need it if you're attempting to even argue the point," Kevin said while rubbing his temples. "Plus it makes me feel a little better. This whole thing with you and Gwen has made me want to stick my head in the ground and pretend like I never knew a thing."
"Oh. Right," Ben said, rubbing the back of his head. Kevin did come to him asking for advice on asking Gwen out. And now... this was going on.
"Look Tennyson. I like Gwen. I may not have the unknowing, devoted love that's straight out of movies and books like you do, but I think she's damned amazing. She's smart, pretty, and got one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. She believes in people. She believed in me when she had no reason to. Things I'm sure that you're more than aware of. So there's a chance I got a little upset when I realized that I lost to her damn cousin," Kevin explained as he started to pace. He tried to stop himself from sounding bitter while saying it, but he was not successful.
"That is..."
"Let me finish Tennyson," Kevin said with an irritated scowl. Ben raised his hands in surrender before remaining silent.
"Thank you. Now, while that fact was difficult to swallow, you two are my friends. The first true ones I've had in a long time. So I can be happy for the both of you, because I know the two of you deserve it," Kevin said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down for the next sentence. "My problem is neither of you will do anything about it. I've never known either of you two keep secrets from each other. And the one you're keeping now is the one most likely to screw you over. So I suggest you grow a pair and go over there and talk to her."
"It's not that simple," Ben said, unable to make eye contact with Kevin.
"Sure it is. Just go over to Gwen's house, lead her to a private spot and say, "Hi Gwen. I love you. Do you want to go out sometime?'" Kevin said in a reasonable imitation of Ben's voice. "She'll say yes, you kiss, and you start going out."
"It's not as easy as you're making it sound!" Ben yelled, putting a hand on his forehead. Then he started to rapidly pace back and forth, but it only made him more restless instead of calming him down.
"Tennyson, easy has never been a word any of us could use to describe our lives. You love her and like her enough to date her. That's all there is to it. Do you need more evidence than what I gave you?" Kevin told him before ticking off his fingers again. "Until recently, you two are always smiling when you're around each other. You go to each other for literally everything. And do I even have to mention that dance photo? Now that I think about it, the both of you looked so cozy."
"Shut it!" Ben growled, balling his hands into fists.
"No. Not until you do something about it," Kevin said calmly, jabbing a finger into his friend's chest. "Because if you don't, it's just a waste. Besides, Ben Tennyson isn't supposed to be afraid of anything."
"I don't who told you that crap, because I am definitely not fearless," Ben said while gripping his hair. "Do you have any idea what it's like trying to come to terms with this? The fact that the smart, kind, and beautiful girl you want to date is your cousin?! How do you deal with something like that?"
"By facing it. It'll either turn out good, or it won't. No sense waiting around. But Gwen clearly doesn't want to talk about it right now considering how, contrary to most days, she barely even spoke to you today. So that's why you have to take the initiative here," Kevin told him in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
"Kevin, I can't do this," Ben said, shaking his head.
"No, you won't do it. Because you're scared when you shouldn't be. You wanted a girl you didn't have to hide your secret from? One who could take care of herself against aliens? Well, Gwen fits that bill more than anyone I can think of. And as for what happens when people find out, why should you care? Your family will learn to be happy for you. It'll definitely be weird for them, but I know they'd eventually get used to it."
Ben was silent, so Kevin continued to talk.
"Look, you're a good guy. You kick ass, take names, and protect people. All without expecting anything in return. You've got your problems, but everyone has problems. They're lying if they say they don't," he said, crossing his arms. "If people say you can't date your cousin while there are actual human people out there that screw aliens with four arms, run at blinding speeds, glow in the dark, and are on fire, then give them the finger and do it anyway."
Ben cared for Gwen for a long time. He'd do just about anything to protect her. He didn't know when his feelings for her turned into... this, but the reality that they did was painfully real. And right now, the main obstacle blocking him tackling the situation head on was himself. Because he was afraid of the consequences. But overcoming fear was what made him into the hero that he was in the first place.
"It's not gonna be easy," Ben said, plopping on the ground with an ungraceful fall backwards.
"No. But do you think it's worth it?" Kevin questioned.
"Yeah. No doubt about it," Ben said with no hesitation before looking up at Kevin. "I got a question."
"Shoot," Kevin said.
"How the hell did you of all people get so damn wise?" Ben questioned, and Kevin looked surprised for a moment before laughing loudly. After a few moments, Ben joined in with laughter almost as loud. Both of them kept laughing until tears came to their eyes.
"That shouldn't be as funny as it was, but... my mom said something about people learning from old experiences naturally become wiser. Guess she wasn't wrong about that," Kevin said with a shrug.
"I'd say she was right. You've certainly come a long way since we were eleven," Ben said with a smile.
"Damn right. I'm glad I ended up getting my life together. And I'm even more glad I had you guys to help me," Kevin said sincerely.
"I'm glad we decided to trust you. But right now, I should be the one thanking you. You didn't have to do this," Ben said gratefully.
"No I didn't. But I figured you'd need the push. You're a little less stubborn than Gwen, so I figured I could probably get through to you. I'm just glad it's over with it," Kevin said, plopping down next to him with a similar lack of grace.
"And, you know. Um... sorry about Gwen," Ben said awkwardly. "I didn't..."
"Save it Tennyson. I'm not upset. It's not like it's something you tried to do. Plus the way I figure, she was always yours. Whether anyone realized it or not. So I had already missed my chance. So I can deal," Kevin said, putting his hands behind his head.
"Still. You have to deal with that and this whole Ragnorak business. The fact that you're still holding together like nothing's wrong is nothing short of amazing," Ben said.
"Hey, it may look like nothing's wrong, but the thoughts swirling around in my head make me want to crawl into a bottle of something with a lot of alcohol in it. Or at least a really good smoothie," Kevin said, making Ben smile. Then he pointed an accusatory finger at Ben. "I blame you for that second one."
"But it is something I can readily help you get. So how about some Mister Smoothy's? It's on me," Ben offered.
"I'm going to empty your pockets Tennyson," Kevin said with a grin before getting to his feet and dusting himself off before offering a hand to Ben. The Anodite took it and Kevin easily hoisted him to his feet.
"Never in a million years would I have imagined that I'd be friends with Kevin Levin. I'm sure if our younger selves could see us now, they'd faint from disbelief," Ben said with a grin.
"You maybe. I'd probably try to kill the both of us, and I'd yell at him to grow up," Kevin said with a laugh.
"If that happened, I would just hope you would be ready for that ass kicking to catch up to you," Ben said with a smirk.
"Well, I just verbally kicked your ass, didn't I?" Kevin said with a smirk as they stepped in the car.
"Yeah. And it was exactly what I needed," Ben said before Kevin started driving off.
A/N: Ok, I used Vendetta as groundwork for Kevin to spill to Ben about what he's noticed with Ben and Gwen's interactions. Why? Don't really know. Felt like an appropriate time to talk about some serious stuff. Plus Ben and Kevin having an actual moment that shows how good of friends they are to each other was too good to pass up. Kind of wish we got more of it in canon.
Plus, I've also developed Kevin in this timeline to be a lot more mature than in canon. He's gotten his hands bloody, which isn't exactly outside the realm of possibility canon wise. Who knows what happened in the five years Ben hadn't seen him?
But anyway, there are only a few more chapters left in this. Hope you all are ready for the finish line. The ending's certainly going to be something.