CHAPTER 1

A sudden beam of green light hit the sleeping young girl's face, causing her to stir. Usually, waking up was a simple task for the girl who liked to consider herself an adult. Being a morning person would mean she would be more productive, but this time, she groaned grumpily.

Turning to her side, Gwen tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes while blocking the bright light. "W-What? Oh, man…" She groaned while trying to reach for the clock on her bed stand. "Did my alarm-" Gwen stilled, momentarily shocked, when she saw her cousin who she thought was miles away from her was suddenly standing in front of her. Inside her own bedroom.

I-Is that, Ben?! Blinking in shock, the girl was tempted to rub her eye just to make sure what she saw was real. But she didn't want to damage her pride and dignity by acting like a child.

The sleepy haze was still clouding her mind and it took her a few seconds to absorb the situation. What is he doing here? Is this another one of the doofus' pranks?! Gradually, as the fog inside her head was disappearing, both anger and frustration were rushing up in her chest as she took everything in.

"DOOFUS!" Her hoarse voice cracked as she had just woken up. But Gwen didn't care. Her mind is all occupied with the fact that out of nowhere, her cousin was inside her room when he was supposed to be miles away. Plus the fact that he had woken her up in the middle of the night had set her off even more.

"You-" She felt tongue-tied. "What are you doing here, dweeb?!" Gwen screamed as each of her words dripped in anger. Rising out of bed, she glared at her doofus cousin who was acting weird.

Instead of making fun of her or cracking jokes like he always does. Ben was just standing still with a weird expression on his face while staring at her.

If he hoped that she would just let this go, he was dead wrong. Narrowing her eyes, Gwen silently deliberated what she should do next – what words to say and her next actions.

Granted they are about the same age, but people around them know how childish Ben sometimes was. Maybe a few smacks would help the world by knocking some sense to the kid. And maybe that would warn him from entering my room in the middle of the night.

"I don't care if this is one of your grand pranks, dweeb! This is-" Her yells that were gradually getting louder suddenly disappeared when she felt a warm body tackle her.

The weight of Ben almost knocked her back on the bed. Her mouth dropped in shock as her mind tried to process what was happening. But despite her anger and confusion, her reflexes were quick enough to catch him before he fell to the ground.

"What- Ben! If you're gonna apologize, it's too late! You-"

When she felt Ben's arms clutching her in a massive hug, her next words were swallowed as the young boy started sobbing in her arms. She had known her hyper-energetic cousin for years and she always knew how to respond toward him.

But this time, Gwen was too stunned to speak as she felt Ben's body violently shaking in her arms. The strength of his tremors also affected Gwen's body as she held tight to it.

He's having a panic attack.

Gwen's heart dropped as soon as she realized this. Multiple waves of emotions were washing over her at the same time. Questions were piling up in her mind. She couldn't fathom why the hyperactive and strong Ben that she knew would tackle her into a tight hug as if he needed her.

In fact, most of the time they spent together would be arguing and insulting one another. And it wouldn't end if it weren't for their grandpa Max who would stop them both before they might destroy something.

No, this must be one of his pranks. The young girl concluded. He must've upped his game after reading a comic or something.

This thought made her eyebrows furrow in anger. I would rip this doofus to shreds if this turned out to be a prank. It was one thing to make jokes or contradict her claims, which were correct most of the time. But waking her up in the middle of the night and inside her room was a different story.

Gwen was debating on pushing the dweeb's body away from her and giving him a good verbal scolding.

She didn't care if the dweeb had an omnitrix around his wrist. He shouldn't have messed with her if he knew what was good for him. Her thoughts on pushing him away were about to win when she felt a few wet spots on her shoulder.

Her whole body froze as she realized that Ben was crying for real. It wasn't an act. Not that the doofus can act well. He sucked at lying.

Confusion was plastered on Gwen's face. She couldn't believe that her cousin, who was more often than not egotistical, would shed a tear in front of her. But a loud gasp and another heart-wrenching sob made her second guess her thoughts.

Is this really the doofus I know? Gwen could feel his body shaking as he pulled his body closer to her. As if he knew that she was considering pushing him away.

After internally debating for a few moments, she decided not to hurt her cousin, but she was still wary of him and of what was truly happening. Her actions were full of hesitation when she slowly lifted her arms to hug him back.

As soon as her palms touched Ben's back, she could feel the tension on his back slightly disappear. Slightly. He was still trembling and sobbing, but this time, Gwen made an effort to comfort him without words.

In a way, Gwen didn't know what to say. She was stumped with the realization that her cousin was crying- no, sobbing in her arms. In the middle of the night. Inside her room. All she could do at the moment was rub his back to comfort him and assure him that she was there with him.

And it was working as Ben's trembling was gradually lessening and his sobs were getting softer. While Gwen did this, her mind was buzzing with thoughts about what could've happened and how she needed to approach this.

Seeing that the boy in her arms was still affected and quivering, Gwen made a gesture to slightly push him away, but this was met with opposition. Ben wanted to stay in her arms.

Taking a deep breath, Gwen silently brought him closer for a tight hug. She could feel the warmth of his body through her pajamas. And she knew that Ben could feel that as well.

She didn't stop there. The young girl continued to rub his back while pressing her forehead to his. Gwen could feel a sheen of sweat on Ben's forehead, but she didn't care. This only made her worry more for the obviously scared boy.

Not caring that their bodies were way too close, Gwen hugged Ben closer. All she cared about at the moment was to comfort him. Nothing else. But this didn't mean that she didn't notice how intimate they were.

Their closeness enabled them to breathe the same air and Gwen could feel Ben's hot breath fanning her face. And if she could smell and feel Ben, he could also smell and feel her as well.

This thought made the girl blush, but she pushed her emotions down as her only focus right now was Ben.

The series of actions she made to comfort him was proven to be effective when she felt Ben's aura and state slowly settle down. He wasn't trembling anymore and his sobs have quit. But the two of them were still in each other's arms.

The lack of distance between them would've never happened if they were still on their trip with grandpa max. But at this moment, the two of them were immersed in their own world. Each with their own thoughts.

Once Gwen felt that Ben was now stable and calm, she pulled him onto her bed and gently pushed him to lie down. She could see the hesitation in Ben's eyes, but Gwen was firm on letting him lie down beside her.

She couldn't think of anything to say. It wasn't only Ben who was shaken up, she too was also affected. But her mental strength was better in adapting. And she knew this.

Without a word, Gwen pulls the covers over their bodies. Although she was still shocked, she knew that they both needed rest right now.

As she laid her head on the pillow, she could feel Ben's green eyes staring at her face, but she ignored them as she pulled him in a hug. Immediately, they could both feel the warmth that their bodies were sharing.

Gwen heard her cousin letting out a small sigh of relief and a small smile crept its way to her face. Without a second thought, she pulled him closer so that their bodies were touching underneath the covers.

Ben opened his mouth to speak. "Gwen, I-"

A sharp look from Gwen made him shut his mouth. "Right now, we are going to sleep… You and I need this sleep." Her eyes had a fierce look and it was understandable. She was woken up in the middle of her sleep and it had been an eventful night. Gwen couldn't wait to get back to sleep but she knew she also had to care for the shaken-up doofus beside her.

Ben stared at her as she continued, "After we wake up tomorrow, we will both shower…" She paused as she tried to formulate her next sentence.

"Then we will discuss what… what just happened tomorrow. At least at that time, we can think straight after a good night's sleep." She quipped.

In truth, Gwen was still contemplating whether this was real or a dream. But she will soon find the answer to that in the morning.

With her green orbs looking straight at him, Ben silently nodded in slight shame. Breaking eye contact, he turned to stare at the ceiling above.

Seeing Ben act like this made Gwen feel a little bit guilty. She was so used to seeing Ben all energetic and happy that she felt weird seeing him like this. So quiet and meek. As if he had seen or experienced something.

But she will get to the bottom of this tomorrow, even if she had to change the plans she had already made for tomorrow. For Gwen, her cousin was her priority at the moment.

After a few seconds of reflecting, Gwen spoke. "Maybe- maybe after we talk about it, we can head to the rust bucket and grandpa max."

Her words made Ben glance at her again. She could see that she was able to sweeten the deal for the doofus. A small smile made its way to Ben's lips as he replied with a weak yes. And that was good enough for Gwen.

After everything that had occurred, Gwen pulled Ben's body closer and the young boy nuzzled closer to her. A few minutes passed by and the now dark room was enveloped in silence. But this dark silence only made Gwen's other senses heightened, and she discovered something.

She thought that everything was now fine. That was until she could hear soft thumps coming from Ben's chest. His heart was still racing.

Her eyebrows furrowed and Gwen felt a little sting in her heart at Ben's issue. Even though she doesn't know the full story, it doesn't take away from the fact that her cousin is clearly affected hard by it.

Without the slightest hint of hesitation, Gwen slowly released a gentle wave of mana into Ben. A soft glow was emitted from her palms that were placed on Ben's back as the mana flowed inside his body.

Gwen could immediately feel the quick effect her mana had on Ben's body. His whole body was relaxing and she could hear his heartbeat gradually slowing. With the aid of the moonlight shining through the window, Gwen saw a small smile forming on Ben's face.

Immediately, a warm feeling swelled in her heart at the look of content and comfort on Ben's face. It was contagious. She couldn't stop herself from leaning closer and giving the boy a small peck on his forehead.

With that, Ben and Gwen were pulled into a deep slumber, unaware of what changes were coming their way.