Back again. Been on a writing kick, and writing this story makes me happy. Don't judge me. I have needs. Mostly, I'll be petting my cat or making a sandwhich which suddenly in an almost epiphany type moment I'll think of something amazing and I'm just like okay, I need to work on this story. Which is basically how the last 5 days played out. Ay.

And which out further BS, I give you chapter 5 of The Crazy Life of Ben Reilly.

Chapter 5: You're My Hero

Ben was currently walking down the hallway of Gotham High, killing time in between his classes. He greeted various students as he walked down the hallways, without having a real destination in mind. He didn't really like the majority of his coworkers, as he felt too many turned a blind eye to bullying in the school. As he continued to walk, he let himself drift into his thoughts.

It had been 2 months since they'd started therapy. Both had made progress, but neither were completely over their individual demons. But progress is still progress. Tea no longer flinched from loud noises or when Ben got irritated with something. Tea and Ben had talk about their nature as clones, which had helped them get closer, because they understood each other in ways no one else did. It was why they styled their hair differently than the originals. It offered them a small bit of individuality in their artificial existence. Tea's black hair made her stick out from Kara just like Ben's blonde hair distinguished him from Peter.

Jason and Ben had been introduced to Constantine's more...sketchy side over the course of their friendship. Mostly? He asked them to beat the hell out of the criminals while he... appropriated any magical items he felt would serve him better. Or look good on his coffee table. Either way, he didn't attempt to scam them...though he did skip out on the bar tab. They chalked it up as part of his charm, and didn't worry too much about it. He made it clear that it was just how he dealt with things, since he usually had be the most underhanded in the room, and it was habit. John did mention his partner Zed tended to...encourage him not to be an asshole. When both Ben and Jason raised an eyebrow in questioning, John lit up a cigarette and refused to elaborate, though he did have a slight grin on his face.

Ben's work with Lex and Harrison was also progressing quite nicely. Ben had performed a variety research on biochemistry, genetics, and cloning for both men. Nothing too strenuous so far, as Ben was mostly a consultant to get the departments up to Lex and Harry's impeccably high standards. They hadn't really had any big projects since the Arc Reactor, though to be fair, he had accomplished a lot with that alone. They would also occasionally invite him to joint galas, especially now that he was a rising star in the biochemistry field as the 'illustrious Dr. Benjamin Reilly'. He honestly hated them, and both of his billionaire friends enjoyed his discomfort at brushing elbows with the "elite" of the world. Galatea always seemed to enjoy them as his 'date'. When he asked why she had so much fun, she replied she didn't want anyone trying to take advantage of him because "he was really awkward" and she made him look better. Whatever that meant. He'd stopped questioning some of her odd behavior these days, and chalked it up as part of her charm.

Galatea was hard to get a read on. She was still haughty and arrogant to most other people, but she wasn't like that around him. She was...softer, less caustic in how she conducted herself. Whether it was how he would catch her scarfing down icecream at two in the morning randomly(which would make her really embarrassed), or how she'd float around the apartment while bobbing to her music on her phone, occasionally singing really REALLY badly. But when other people came into the picture she was harsher, and infinitely more hostile. She had only briefly mentioned what her past was like, only that Ben was literally the only other person to show her kindness next to her father, who was dead now. When he asked if he wanted to talk about that, she had clammed up immediately, becoming despondent. That caught his attention, and when he'd tried to reach out to her, she'd recoiled like he'd struck her. That...had hurt Ben's feelings a lot. He felt like she was keeping things from him, and while he didn't mind, he had shared a lot more with her than she had with him, which bothered him, considering how much he had come to rely on her.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He reached into his pocket to pull it out, when he lightly bumped into someone. He turned to apologize and saw it was Ernie's twin sister, Emeline. Despite being identical twins in terms of appearance, Emeline was nothing like Ernie. Honestly, Emeline was the opposite of Ernie in pretty much every conceivable way. She was a prissy socialite, whereas Ernie was more introverted and geeky. He didn't much like Emeline that much, though it was mostly because she rarely payed attention in his class.

"Oh, Mr. Reilly, I'm so sorry! I was, like, not paying attention to where I was going at all."She replied in her usual haughty tone. She was clearly the queen bee of the school, and she made sure people knew it...though, Ben really didn't care that much since that was kind of a useless title. High school popularity was honestly one of the most overrated life achievements anyway. When he realized he needed to respond to her, he waved off her apology.

"Don't sweat it, Miss Edgars. I wasn't paying attention either. I was just killing time until class started anyway. Don't let me hold you up from...whatever it was you were doing." Ben replied as hastily as possible, trying to get away from the girl he perceived as rather vapid and uninteresting as quickly as he could. She harbored rather grand delusions that she could pass his class by merely batting her eyelashes at him. If it didn't work with Tea, who was infinitely more attractive while simultaneously not being jailbait, Emeline had not a snowballs chance in hell. Wait, did he just call Tea attractive in his head? Weird. That came out of nowhere.

"Um, Mr. Reilly?" Emeline's voice yanked him out of his thoughts once more, prompting him to bite back his annoyance and refocus on the teenage girl in front of him.

"Yes, Miss Edgars?" His tone belied none of his annoyance, something he was proud of.

"Um, do you, like, know where my sister and her boyfriend are? I know you are something of a mentor for them and stuff." This prompted a raised eyebrow from Ben.

"I'm afraid I don't Miss Edgars. Why?" Emeline began to blush a bit, and began to twirl a bit of her hair.

"Oh, I heard Derek was taking pictures of that hero Sideways, and I'm a huge fan of that guy! I wanted to ask the school paper to run an article on him and I needed pictures for that." Ben was baffled a bit at that. He didn't really expect Emeline to crush on anyone, let alone blush like Ernie did whenever Derek would something cool. And on Derek's hero alter ego too? Ben wondered how Ernie would take that bit of information.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't help you there. If you see your sister before I do, though, please tell her I need her to submit her paperwork for the internship at STAR Labs by Friday. Have a nice day, Ms. Edgars." And with that, Ben walked away until he reached an alcove, at which point he unlocked his phone to see what had prompted it to go off.

Looking at the screen, he had three text messages. The first was from Harrison, which was a joke about Schrodinger's cat. It was a running gag Harrison and Ben had, where they'd hit each other with the nerdiest joke they had off the top of their head whenever they met up. The second was from Jason, asking if they were on for beers with the girls later tonight. Ben decided to be extra and take a selfie holding a thumbs up, and sent it. Jason responded two seconds later with the following text:

"You look fucking homeless with that scruff." Good old Jason. Always the positive reinforcer, that one. Ben shook his head. He then opened his phone to a picture of Galatea mimicking Ben's tendency to hang out on their ceiling. She also threw up a peace sign over her left eye and was winking. She even had the his pose down, generally speaking. She was wearing a black tank top that...accentuated her killer figure, though Ben didn't focus on that much. He could also see she had on some white sweatpants, and her black hair was now getting down to her shoulders, and her bangs were now parted to the right. She also wore her typical confident smirk, that said 'I'm out of your league.'

It was captioned "Spider Woman, reporting for duty ;)"

Ben: Why are you hanging out on our ceiling, Tea...

Tea: Because I want to see why the hell you do it sometimes. Lol

Ben: Mostly to weird you out. That, and it's a different perspective.

Tea:...Sure it's not just so you can see down my shirt? ;p

Ben: If you really think I'm a perv like that, you don't know me at all.

Tea: I'm just kidding. Don't get so angry, Benny.

Ben: Please don't call me that.

Tea:...Did I make you mad? I was just kidding...

Ben: No, I'm not mad. You still want to go have beer's at Noonan's with Jason and Kara tonight?

Tea: Yes! I don't get to go out much.

Ben: Haha maybe you'll actually meet someone tonight.

Tea: Not interested. Nobody meets my standards anyway. :p

Ben: Sorry, you know I just want you to be happy, Tea.

Tea: I know, Benny. You're sweet. I'll see you tonight okay? Also...don't be mad when you get home.

Ben:...Why would I be mad?

Tea:...haha :P It'd be easier to just show you.

There was a pause in the texting followed by a picture. Tea was holding a fluffy ass black cat that looked about 3 years old. Ben couldn't help but notice how how...beautiful his friend looked with the million watt smile she was currently wearing. The cat was curled up in her lap, and was looking really content. It was...cute. Both Tea and the cat.

Ben:...What did you name him? It IS a him right?

Tea: Um, I was expecting an angry phone call. Yes, his name is Salazar.

Ben: I should never had let you get into Harry Potter.

Tea: Hush, silly Ravenclaw. Your Slytherin Queen commands it! :p

Ben: Ha. Ha. Yes, I am clearly just a peasant beneath you and Salazar's feet. -.-

Tea: But isn't he just the cutest?

Ben: I'll be honest, I wouldn't have expected you to like cats so much. You're wearing the bracelet so you won't hurt him right?

Kara had gotten Tea a bracelet that emitted red sun radiation to suppress her powers. When asked why she needed one to begin with, Kara just blushed and Jason got a far away look on his grinning face, and only said: "Best broken hand ever". Kara swatted him on the head, but he kept grinning.

Tea: Yea! I would never hurt Salazar.

Ben: But why a cat?

Tea: Because Kara hates cats, so naturally I love them. Because I'm superior in every way.

Ben shook his head. He checked the clock on his phone, and noticed he needed to get back to his classroom for his afternoon classes.

Ben: I gotta go, Tea. Spam pictures of Salazar as he does cute things.

She didn't reply with a text, only with a picture of her doing a mock salute.

Ben shook his head, and headed back to his classroom. Hopefully, Salazar liked belly rubs, because that cat had a very fluffy belly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Several hours later...

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, and Ben found himself back at his apartment door faster than he expected. He was about the turn the knob to the apartment door when it was flung open, followed by a very fluffy, and very confused black cat being placed in front of his face. Ben was confused, only to see Tea's excited face poke out from the side of the cat, a bright smile on her face/

"Say hi to your dad, Salazar!" The cat looked back and forth between them, before meowing at Ben. "Good boy!" She rewarded the cat with chin scratches and head pats. She was wearing a green and black hoodie, and some sweatpants. She looked good, though Ben would be damned if he admitted it aloud.

"So this is our new buddy." Ben proceeded to have a staring contest with the cat. This went on until Tea flicked him on the nose. Ben rubbed his nose a bit before deadpanning at her.

"Stop staring out our new child, and tell him you love him, damn it." She looked annoyed and was tapping her foot impatiently, eyes starting to glow. Powers or not, those eye lasers hurt like a bitch.

"Hi, Salazar. Your father loves you very much." Ben stated awkwardly, before patting the cat on the head, getting loud purrs from the cat. "So, uh, what's his story?"

His question prompted a cross look to appear on Tea's face. She looked like she wanted to break someone's face in.

"He's a rescue, and the shelter was giving him away. His previous owners were...abusive, but he's better now. Isn't that right, precious?" She then moved the cat in front of her face and proceeded to ask it in baby talk, prompting Salazar to lick her nose. This prompted high pitched squeals of joy, and a round of hugs for the cat, who seemed quite at home on Tea's rather ample chest. Ben was definitely oddly jealous of the cat in a strange way, though he didn't know why. He coughed to get the attention of his super powered friend once more.

"So, a few things to go over. First, did you ever get your fake glasses from Kara?" At this, Tea produced a glasses case from her hoodie pocket. She then placed them on her face.

"How do I look? Do I pull the cute nerd look off well?" She placed a finger on her lip, and bit it seductively, causing Ben to gulp. This made Tea burst into laughter, and pat him on the shoulder in a conciliatory manner. "You're too easy to mess with, Benny."

Ben just shook his head, and ignored her. "Whatever, did you ever think of a hero name for yourself?"

Tea perked up yet again, and puffed out her chest proudly. "I sure did. Say hello to Ultra Woman!" At this, tea pulled out her phone, and began flipping through her pictures, and 'accidentally' flipped past some risque ones while trying to find the ones of her outfit. She definitely enjoyed Ben's awkward discomfort. Finally, she found the one she was looking for: a picture of her in a black leotard, with a red symbol of House El on it. She had a half mask over the bottom half of her face, which just made her look more mysterious. It also had some web like patterns on the back, which she didn't offer any explanation for.

"Not bad, Tea. You look pretty badass."

"I always look badass, dork. You're the one who looks like a bum half the time."

"Whatever. You should go ahead and get ready. I wanted to get something to eat before we go to Noonan's. That former hitman knows a good brew but he's no chef, that's for sure. Unless you don't want to-OOF!" Before he could finish Tea had rushed over and muttered 'thank you' about a thousand times into his chest. Tea had been overly...affectionate in her thanks lately. Ben wasn't really sure what to make of the normally haughty and arrogant girl. She treated him a whole lot differently than she did his other friends. She didn't hate them by any means, but she was lot less...mean with her jabs at him. Hers were almost...fond in nature. He'd have to ask her about that later. She hadn't let go of him yet either.

"Um, Tea? Everything okay?" Ben tried to convey as much concern as he could. He didn't want his friend to keep secrets from him, or feel like she couldn't share her burdens with him. His question snapped her out of her trance.

"Oh. Yeah! Everything is...great!" She was waving her hands in front of her emphatically. 'Like I can just tell you I wanted to kiss you stupid handsome face off!' she added internally.

"O...kay... Well, you know you can tell me anything right? You won't ever have to hide something from me. Okay?" He spoke softly, to which she smiled back him. "Even if it's because you have a crush on a random guy or something. That's it right?" Galatea's eyes widened a bit, then twitched as Ben kept talking.

"No, I-" Before she could speak Ben cut her off.

"That's it, isn't it? Maybe I can help you get the guys attention!" Ben started to get enthusiastic, before he sombered a bit. "I don't want you to feel like you can't start dating just because of me, okay? I won't get in the way just because I'm pathetic." He let out with a self deprecating laugh.

"Ben, that's-"

"Will the guy you have your eye on be at the bar tonight?"

Tea stopped, but sighed, he wouldn't stop unless she gave him something, though she was very touched that her happiness meant that much to him.

"Yes, he will be. But I'm not going to tell you who it is. You have to figure it out. If you do, I'll tell you why I like him. Deal?" Tea said exasperatedly, and while she was very apprehensive about this, she was also excited to a degree. She just hoped he wouldn't hate her because she was in love with him.

"Deal!" Ben said with a grin, happy that he would be able to help his friend. She deserved to be happy. Much more than him, given how shitty her life had been. "Now what do you say we go get some food? How about Curry from that Indian place up the street?"

Tea laughed happily and nodded, and Ben for the first noted how much he liked his best friend's laugh.

Xxxxxxxxx

Later, at Noonan's Bar...

The dingy bar was slightly less crummy that evening, and actually had nice ambiance to it. There was soft jazz music playing in the background, though Kara, Jason, Tea, and Ben were the only ones really in the bar. The criminal element hurried out the second they recognized Jason as the badass bodyguard of Bruce Wayne. So the only ones left were the four of them, and a few other regulars who didn't stand out much. The interior atmosphere was a mixture of nostalgia and blues. In the center of bar you had a small dancing area, with a jukebox that always seemed to either play the blues or jazz. On the other two sides, it had the bar itself and various scattered tables along with the main entrance. All along the walls, there were a few booths, and pictures of the owner and their family, along with a few neon signs. Ben was actually seated in a booth, with both Tea and Kara. Tea was seated next to him, while Kara was across from them. Tea was bobbing to the riffs of the sax from the music, and her fingers kept brushing up against his, which he just assumed was because of how tiny the booth was. She was also bickering with Kara about something random, as they often did though it wasn't as heated as they typically were. They were currently waiting for Jason to get back with the drinks. Ben stopped to really take in his best friend. She was clearly excited, about their little game no doubt. Her light blue eyes were alight with cheer and happiness he wasn't used to seeing in her. She had an admittedly beautiful smile, and she was wearing it freely tonight. Her barbs at Kara were lacking the usual venom. She was wearing a green and silver scarf he'd ordered her online from the Harry Potter merchandise store. As for the rest of her attire, she wore a black leather jacket over a gray sweater, and some basic jeans. She wore her fake glasses, and had some emerald earrings that Lex had gifted her for a ball they'd attended, and she also had a Slytherin locket that she'd begged Ben to get for her at the mall. She never showed him what she put in the locket though. Her black hair shined in the lighting of the booth, almost forming a halo around her head. All in all, she looked...stunning. Ben had never really stopped to think about how pretty she was, and for the first time since they'd known each other, Ben felt a pang of envy for the guy who'd managed to catch her eye. Ben shook his head. He refused to think like that. He would be happy for her, regardless of who it was...unless she was trying to homewreck Jason and Kara, at which pount he'd be upset with her. But she kept looking at him. Almost like she was wondering if he'd figured it out yet. She raised an eyebrow at him, noticing his eyes were darting around the bar.

He leaned over, so he could whisper in her ear. "Don't worry, Tea. I'm gonna find the guy so I can get your relationship going okay?"

If he'd been paying attention, he'd have noticed how she shivered when he whispered, or how her face fell a bit when he mentioned the other guy.

"It's okay, Ben. Let's just try to have fun okay?" She muttered half annoyed and half pleased that she meant so much to Ben, despite how dense he was. She was about to say something else, when Jason returned with their beers from the barkeep. He was wearing a typical leather jacket, red t shirt, jeans, and combat boots. He had two .45s tucked under the jacket. He set the 4 bottles on the table, and took his seat next to Kara, who immediately snuggled into his side. Jason sighed and wrapped his arm around her, but he had a wry grin on his face that showed how pleased he actually was. Ben looked on, and was immediately struck by how good of a couple his friends made. Kara was always kind and caring, whereas Jason was a little rough around the edges and had issues expressing himself. She complimented him with traits he lacked, and became better together from their relationship.

"You guys are really good together." Ben agreed with the words, but he was really surprised to hear Tea say them. "I'm happy for you, sis." Now Ben's eyebrows were near his hairline. He hadn't expected that at all. Kara seemed shocked as well, but her face lit up into a smile at Tea.

"Thank you...sis. It means a lot." Whatever moment they shared was ruined when Jason grunted.

"Enough with the mushy stuff. Let's chill out and have some fun, yeah?" He said blankly, though he tugged at Kara tighter, who just sighed in content.

"So they can get buzzed like us with their bracelets?" Ben asked curiously, as Tea didn't really drink much at their place.

Jason nodded in confirmation. "Yeah they can. Kara here is kind of an affectionate drunk." This of course prompted her to swat his arm playfully. Ben took a beer from the tray and passed a bottle to Galatea. She looked at it curiously.

"Is it good?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh, have you never had been before? You may not like it. If you don't, I'll see if Noonan can make you a mixed drink that tastes better. Okay?" Seeing her nod, Ben offered his bottle to clink with hers. "Cheers." She looked confused a moment, but hesitantly moved her bottle to his, and clinked it. She took a sip, and immediately made a disgusted face.

"Ewwww, Ben! It tastes so gross!" She said disdainfully. She then haughtily looked down her nose at the bottle. "Your queen requires alternative refreshment." Ben laughed a bit, but slid out of the booth and walked to the bar. It was a short walk, and he took a minute to scan the crowd. His brow furrowed in confusion, because there weren't really any guys around Tea's age here tonight, and she was adamant that the guy would be here. Did...did Tea get stood up? Damn, that must be it. He'd have to comfort her with her favorite movie and chocolate when they got home, assuming she didn't drink so much she passed out the moment they got home. He had no clue how much she would drink since it was her first time doing so, so he would try to make sure she didn't go overboard. Walking up to Noonan, he nodded his greeting at the middle aged former hitman.

"Hey, Noonan. How's business treating you?" Ben asked the resident barkeep in a friendly tone. Noonan was a guy in his mid 60s, and was built like a linebacker. His hair was only slightly gray, and while he had a beer gut, you could tell her could still fight if he needed to. He had a cigar in his mouth and a lopsided grin on his face, which had a scar on the cheek. From one of his less pleasant interactions with a woman, was the explanation given. He didn't elaborate further.

"Ah, Mr. Reilly, or rather, Dr. Reilly. Welcome. I didn't pass my regards through Jason because I felt the occasion was something that needed to said between two men, yeah? So what can I do for you? I take it your date didn't like the beer, eh?" Noonan asked jovially, clapping Ben on the shoulder in a good natured way.

"She's just a friend, Noonan. And in her defense, that was her first time drinking beer. She had a...sheltered upbringing." Ben explained patiently. "Oh, I appreciated the card you sent. It meant a lot." The burly older man waved him off.

"Don't mention it, kid. You remind me a kid I used to work with. Real brain on that kid. And I know just what your friend will like. Give me a minute." Noonan went to work, mixing several ingredients in his "laboratory", before he set a drink in front of Ben.

"So, I know you would try to poison my friends or myself, but she's gonna want to know what she's drinking." That got a laugh out of Noonan, who shook his head with mirth.

"A mojito. I learned about them during some work I did in Cuba. I was taught by a bartender in Havana how to make the good ones. She'll love it." He said with a wink, and went back to his work. Shaking his hand at the antics of the older man, Ben turned on his heel and walked back to the table. Kara and Jason were talking to each other, and Tea was on her phone, playing some anime game she'd been brainwashed by social media into getting. She heard his footsteps, and looked over to him, flashing him a wide smile.

"Welcome back, Benny!" Her smile shifted into a frown a bit. "You didn't actually have to get me a new drink, you know that right?"

Ben just waved her off. "It's not a big deal. I got to catch up with Noonan, and I got you something you'll actually enjoy drinking." He then placed the cool and damp glass in front her. The sight of the clear beverage made Tea tilt her head to the side in a rather cute way.

"What's it called?" Her voice taking on the qualities of a curious child.

"It's a mojito. Cane sugar, white rum, mint leaves, soda water, and lime juice. Noonan is pretty good at matching drinks to the person." Ben exlpained as he took his seat. At hearing the explanation,

Tea nodded her head, before she took a sip. Her eyes widened immensely! "Benny! It's so good!" Ben glanced over at Noonan, who just had a smug grin on his face the whole time. "I really like it and it tastes delicious."

"Um, Tea, that has more alcohol than the beer so make sure you take it easy with it okay?" She frowned but nodded, not really seeing the big deal. In her head, she wondered why Kara would suggest drinking enough to be honest with Ben. She shook her head. She didn't need to be distracted. She had to be aware of what she did, so she wouldn't make any missteps with Ben. She was Ben's friend first, and madly in love with him second.

"Tea, if you want to drink about you can. I can swing us home. I know you've never gotten to drink before, so I'll tell you when you've had enough okay?" She nodded again at her friend. He really tried to help her live her life to its fullest.

"Okay, I will. But I don't want to get drunk. Just a little...tipsy? I think that's what Kara called it." Ben raised an eyebrow, wondering what the context 'tipsy' had come up in, but didn't think about it too hard. It was probably from Kara explaining why people drank alcohol or something.

As Ben sat with his friends, he realized how lucky he was to have them all. He was still struggling to verbalize a lot of what he felt now, but he was thankful they were so patient with him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

2 hours later. (Roughly 10pm)

Ben was webswinging through the Gotham skyline with Tea giggling on his back. She had indeed gotten a bit tipsy. She was...happy, and more carefree than he'd seen her before. She had begged him to dance with her, and they'd ended up just making goofy faces and dancing like idiots in front of Jason and Kara. That, and a few more rounds of drinks, though he'd stopped Tea at two mojitos, and that's how they ended up on their way home.

"Ben! You should teach me how to do this! It's so much fun!" Ben chuckled a bit, before adjusting his grip on the black haired beauty in his arms.

"Tea, need I remind you that you can actually fly?" This sent her into a fit of giggles.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. I don't know, I think I prefer being in your arms better though." At that, she rested her head against his chest, confusing him more. Ben was silent a few moments, before he figured he would tell Tea what his plan was.

"Hey, Tea?" She looked up from her perch in his arm.

"Yea, Benny?"

"I'm sorry your guy never showed up, and you got stuck with me. So to make it up to you, I'm going to stop by a convenience store and get you some ice cream, then we can watch Princess Mononoke when we get home. How does that sound?"

She didn't reply verbally, but she squeezed him tighter.

"Who says he didn't show up?" That confused Ben even more. They had just landed on the roof adjacent to the store he was going to stop by, so they weren't at risk for smacking into a building.

"What do you mean?"

"Ben, you're so smart but so stupid." Tea decided that fortune favored the bold, and bold she was. She kissed him on the cheek, and pulled him into a full body hug. "I didn't want to tell you, but if I didn't do it now, then I was afraid I wouldn't be able to."

Ben's heart started beating a mile a minute. "Tea?"

"I like you, Ben. Well, more than like you. You saved me from a hellish existence under the Joker. You do all these kind things for me and never ask me for a thing. You don't perv on me, even though I kind of want you to. You buy me things even though you know I'm not shallow, but you do it so I won't get bored at home. And you didn't get mad when I brought home Salazar. Honestly, it'd be a miracle if I hadn't fallen for you. You're a hero in every sense, and you are definitely my hero."

"Tea, I don't know what to say-" He felt her shake her head against his chest.

"You don't have to say anything. I know it's soon. I just needed to tell you for me okay? It was killing me not to let you know how much I love you. Even if we have to just stay friends I-MMPH" She was starting to ramble, and Ben didn't know how else to cut off her word vomit. So he tilted her head up and kissed her. It was like...lightning. Not in the getting hit by Electro sort of way, but as if every neuron in his body was arcing on his nervous system, and setting him ablaze. It was slow, and it was deep. He gently rubbed his thumb along her cheek, enjoying how flush she was. Soon, they parted, needing oxygen.

"Ben, do you mean-?" Tea sounded so insecure in that moment, and while Ben wasn't sure that if she had told him before now, he would have been able to give an answer, he knew he had one now.

"Yes, Tea. I'd like us to try and explore our feelings. But I want to take it slow okay? My...father had an issue taking things slow, and his relationships were often times trainwrecks. So I want to do this...somewhat old fashioned." She nodded, and hugged him again, placing her head on his chest, content to listen to his heartbeat.

"But we can still kiss and cuddle right?" She murmured into his chest, causing him to laugh.

"Yes, I know I care a whole hell of a lot about you, Tea, and while I don't know if it's love just yet, I know that I can't hang onto Patty forever, and that I need to move on. I loved her...but I also feel like I can love you too. So...I'd like to give it a try...okay?" Again, he felt her nod against his chest.

"...can I still have ice cream and watch Ghibli movies? And cuddle with you and Salazar?" Ben let out a laugh at that. He kissed the top of her head, before stroking her hair.

"Of course. Let's go."

xxxxxxxx

To Be Continued...

So No action in this chapter, and that's something you should know. I fancy myself a romance author before anything else, with humor and then action as my genres. However, there will be action again. I find it facilitates growth in interpersonal relationships in fiction quite well. And I hope this made you guys ship them a little more. :)

Also, I need to commission some fan art of Ben(who looks like a mix of blonde Peter and scruffy Peter from Into the Spiderverse) and Galatea, who looks like black haired version of DCAU appearance, with glasses and slightly longer hair. Obviously, I'd have them wearing house scarves. I just need to find a good artist for the commission. That, and set up a so I can pay them LOL.

Anyways, that's all for now, guys.

Raizen out.