A voice rang through Ben's head that sounded just like his cousin Gwen, and it was saying, "Be respectful..!"
He missed her. He missed both Gwen and Grandpa Max.
At this moment he'd even miss Rex if it meant he didn't have to stay in this room alone with Prime. Ben didn't believe that was the hooded guy's real name even for a minute, but what else was he to call him? Rex didn't seem like a real name either, when he thought about it. He had seemed real hesitant before saying Prime's name the day before, and Ben could have sworn Prime had given Rex a look under his hood. It was the stance he had. The tilt of his head. The squaring of his shoulders.
But the voice in his head told him to be nice, and so he crosses his arms, sits back in his chair, and glares at the back of Prime's head as he makes them breakfast.
Everything in this house is small. The bedrooms are small, the bathrooms are small, the stove is small and the kitchen is small. The kitchen table is smack dab in the middle of the room and takes up most of the space. It reminds him of the Rustbucket.
He really misses Gwen and Grandpa Max.
Rex is on patrol. He was gone before Ben had even woken up, which meant that he had the pleasure of being surprised awake by a black shirt and some shorts being thrown over his torso with the phrase "Shower is next door" coming from the front of the room.
He's wearing the shirt now, but he'd be darned if he took some shorts from that guy. He's stuck with Prime for now, but once he figures out where his family is, he's getting the heck out of here.
The sizzling of the stove causes a chain reaction in Ben's stomach, along with the savory scent of fresh bacon and sausages. His mouth is watering and the ache in the pit of his stomach only grows more tortuous as the seconds pass by.
Finally, Prime sets a plate down in front of him and without even fully taking it in, Ben begins chowing down. Salty scrambled eggs melt in his mouth and he almost cries in joy. As he eats the rest of his breakfast, slowing down after a while to truly savor the flavor, the door into the kitchen from outside opens up.
Rex walks in wearing the orange and red jacket he'd given Ben the day before, plastic bags in hand. He gives Ben a good morning and a wave and walks the few feet it takes to get over to Prime at the counter. Then he leans into Prime's space and kisses his cheek. Or Ben assumes that's what happens. With Prime's back turned and hood up(does he ever take that thing off?), Ben can't really see the skin contact.
He looks away and gets back to his food.
.
They whisper only four feet away from the ten year old.
"Everything was clear."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
"...Mm."
"Do you think he came alone? Or maybe they landed somewhere else?"
"There is nowhere else for them to go? If they're related to me somehow then they'd be here."
"You don't know that..."
"Then why are all the surrounding cities completely devoid of people, Rex?"
"We could be in Wyoming?"
"You're joking, but that wouldn't explain completely vacant, wholly undamaged towns..!"
"Shh!"
Silence.
"Look, Ben, we can't come to any conclusions yet, alright? Paradox or my brother or whoever will find us and we can go back home."
"You really expect Caesar to travel infinite dimensions to find you?"
"... Paradox will find us and we can go back home."
A sigh.
"Or… We can find that thing you were talking about before."
"The thing?"
"Yeah, the thing."
"... You forgot what it was called, didn't you?"
"That's not important."
Silence.
"You forgot it too, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
A kiss. "Real cute."
A laugh. "Love you too."
In unison. "But you're an idiot."
"How did I know you were gonna say that?" Rex laughs and glances behind him, then stops laughing. "Uh." He turns around. Ben follows his gaze. "Where'd he go..?"
.
Ben has to find Grandpa Max. He has to find Gwen. He can't stay in that raggedy old house anymore with that secretive hooded guy and that overly-affectionate jock. He wants his family. He wants the Rustbucket. He wants Sumo Slammers and bad food and dumb state attractions and Gwen's nagging.
He wants to beat up some bad guys.
Finding the city isn't too hard. He just has to follow the creek past where those Eon guys were, down to the edge of the trees leading into the main road. Easy. Easy easy easy. He walks and walks and walks until he gets there.
He finds no one. The streets are silent, as he knows them to be here. The sky's grey. Ben swears he hears a tumbleweed going through the roads. No cars outside of the abandoned ones. The cashier is still in the grocery store, this time standing up straight but still zombie-like.
He's alone again.
No villains, no grandpa, no cousin.
He screams.
He turns into Four Arms and he throws a car, slams his fist and dents another one. Dents it again, and again, and again. He gets to his knees, breathing harshly, sobbing without tears. The watch times out and he slumps against the car, screaming still. It's empty, and no one comes to help him.
He starts running. He doesn't know where, but he moves forward, pumping his legs until they burn. The watch recharges and he turns into Stinkfly, moving farther and farther away from the cold, distant town and its wrecked buildings, from its silence and its wind. He never loses the grey sky.
As soon as he finds the buildings starting to get farther and farther apart, opening up into what looks like farmland, he flies faster, as if there was something gaining on him, as if there was anything to stop him.
And yet he is. He's stopped.
He hits something. A heavy boing sound follows the sensation of his face smashing into rubber. There's nothing in front of him but he can't move any farther past the threshold. He pushes at it, spits at it, calls it mean names. He turns into Overflow and spews water at it. Heatblast: fire. Wildmutt: smashes into it.
He ignores the sound of an engine and the wind splitting behind him. It comes to an end soon enough, but then a hand is on his shoulder and a soft voice says, "Stop."
He lets himself turn around and look Rex in the face. Rex says, "Let's go home."
He stares past him and sees Prime. Then he glares.
.
They're in the kitchen again, Ben in the chair closest to the door this time, Prime leaning against the counter, tapping his finger on his wrist.
Rex walks in with a new set of clothes in his hand. "I got you these in town this morning." He sets them on the table.
Ben looks down at them. "Did you steal them?"
Rex frowns. "What?"
"I thought you said the townsfolk didn't talk to you."
"No. I said they didn't want us around." He looks at Prime. "Unless, of course, they need us."
"And you're ok with that?"
"Well, no, but what can you do?"
"Convince them! Change their mind!" He gets to his feet.
Prime stands up straighter, the wrist tapping coming to a stop.
Ben turns toward him. "Are you okay with this? Is that why you hide your face? Because they think you're ugly?" He's shouting.
"Whoa!" Rex's expression turns sour and he reaches for Ben's arm as he rushes towards Prime.
Ben dodges and presses a finger into Prime's chest. He looks up into Prime's hood, sees dark, cloudy eyes. He notices the pattern on Prime's bandana, a twisting and vining of dark green over black. "Who are you? What's your deal?"What powers do you have, he wants to ask.
Silence.
Prime slowly lifts a hand to his hood, and the other to his bandana. He pulls them both down.
Ben moves back.
Be respectful! Gwen's voice echoes.
"What the heck! There's nothing wrong with you!" He was expecting a scar covering half of his face. Maybe an alien he's never seen before. Or even a promiscuous tattoo from one cheek to the other, like Hex's. But there was none of that!
Messy, bushy black hair tumbles out of the hood, curling at the ends. Fat rounded eyebrows raise under the patch of black locks, reaching above blue, thin-almond eyes. His skin was fair, not red or blue or green, nor was it ghost white.
Prime shrugs.
Ben screams in aggravation.
.
Rex follows young Ben with his eyes as he grabs his clothes and goes into the living room, then down the hall to his bedroom. After a few quiet seconds, he notes, "Your hair looks good for having just been dyed."
Ben brings a finger to his lips, trying not to grin. "Shh."
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