A/N: Thanks for all the support and feedback on these stories! I really appreciate it.
Consequences
Gwen stabbed the ground with a trowel for the thirty-seventh time that day. She placed a few seeds in the hole then quickly covered them. Usually, she didn't mind helping Verdona garden. But today it was being done under the guise of punishment. She placed the small shovel down. It was time for a break.
It was late Wednesday afternoon. Homecoming was in two days. Not that that mattered. Not with the three-day suspension she was currently serving. She pulled off her gardening gloves and aggressively pinched the bridge of her nose. To say that yesterday's cheer practice was a disaster would be an understatement.
Marci crashed it. Surprisingly without Blair and Olivia flanking her. But then again, having Kai at her side more than made up for it.
"I'm just here to have a friendly chat." Absolute bullshit.
The two girls were nosy. They wanted to know who Ben's homecoming date was. It was clear his rejection had bruised Kai's ego more than she'd like to admit. Gwen didn't give them the information they came for. So, they took a page out of Cash and JT's book.
"Could it be that he's not taking a girl at all?"
"He does sure spend a lot of time with that Alan Albright kid, doesn't he?"
Then things really went downhill. From Lucy rubbing Emily's romantic history with Ben in Kai's face to Marci saying some very unsavory things about the innocent brunette. In the end, Gwen and Michelle were aggravated, Kai had a broken nose, Lucy a sore hand, and Marci was thoroughly terrorized. She screamed something in the principal's office about having her family lawyer sue them all for emotional distress.
Gwen sat down on the back-porch steps, squinting up at sunlight that filtered through the canopy of trees. Her mind went to the doofus. Only a few days ago they confessed to each other. Well…kind of. Neither of them said it outright. Saying it directly made it too real. Too difficult to deny. Too hard to pretend nothing had changed.
The her from less than a month ago wouldn't have given a shit about missing another school dance. But then Ben asked her to this one. He spent his money on tickets and that necklace. He'd already told her it was okay, but that didn't matter. She'd find a way to make this up to him. She had to.
Closing her eyes, she leaned back on her elbows. The sun felt good. Hopefully, it wouldn't be enough to cause a burn.
The girls decided to not tell the rest of their friends all the details of what happened. As far as everyone else knew, the fight was over Marci and Kai claiming that Ben was into guys. Considering Lucy's history with Kai, no one was too shocked. Ben, however, was slightly offended. Not because of the rumor. He was used to those. But because their grandfather felt the need to let him know it was okay if it was true.
A small chuckle escaped Gwen's lips as she remembered how uncomfortable Ben looked as Max hugged him tightly and let him know he would be loved and supported no matter what. She and Verdona met each other's gaze, both hiding smiles behind their hands.
"What's so funny?"
She startled. That was not her grandmother's voice. She turned around. Michelle, Lucy, and Emily hovered in the doorway behind her.
"Sorry, girl. Your grandma let us in." Gwen smiled, standing up and brushing her clothes off. She eyed Lucy suspiciously.
"Shouldn't you be ground-" Lucy slapped a hand over the redhead's mouth. She put her lips to her ear; whispering.
"My parents don't know about yesterday." Gwen's look of confusion quickly turned to one of disapproval. That explained why she witnessed Mrs. Mann acting more like her daughter than herself. Pulling away, Gwen shook her head.
"You're impossible." Lucy shrugged, an innocent expression on her face.
"So, what are you guys doing here?"
"Do we need a reason to visit our sexy, redheaded bestie?" Gwen narrowed her eyes at her cousin, crossing her arms. The blonde relented; shoulders slouching.
"Okay. It's because we're bored." Michelle raised her hand to protest.
"Oh no, you don't. I was perfectly fine staying at home minding my own business."
"And I was going to help Cooper build some custom circuit boards."
Lucy rolled her eyes. Verdona popped her head out of the back door.
"Why don't you girls come inside. I made cookies."
Lucy beelined through the door with renewed enthusiasm. The rest of the group followed, not far behind.
Gwen was surprised to see a familiar mop of brown hair at the kitchen island. Ben's mouth was stuffed, chocolate smeared across his cheek. Their friends greeted him with teasing smiles while Gwen only rolled her eyes; huffing. She walked over to him, stopping short of standing between his legs. Using her thumb, she wiped his face clean. Not even thinking about how the gesture would look, she licked her finger. Ben gulped, swallowing his mouth full; face getting slightly flushed. The other girls had all sat at the dining table facing away from them; the cookies the only thing on their minds. The witch herself eyed her grandchildren from in front of the fridge. With a small smile, she placed a pitcher of lemonade on the table.
"Enjoy, ladies." They all uttered a thank you in return as the older woman exited the room.
After a minute or so, Lucy's eyes lit up.
"I have an idea." she chimed; mouth almost as stuffed as Ben's was. The rest of the teens groaned in exasperation. She glared at them.
"No, seriously." A smile took over her face.
"I think you'll all like this one."
The Dare
Ben parked the car. They were in the middle of nowhere. The only other possible sign of life was the faint glow that lay ahead past the trees. He shared a look with Gwen. His eyes wandered down to her neckline where the necklace lay. He gestured at it.
"Why'd you decide to wear that tonight?" She gave him a small shrug, reflexively reaching up to touch it.
"Because you bought it for tonight. Right?" With that, she opened her car door.
She reached down at her feet to grab some bags of junk food before getting out. Ben let out a puff of air before following suit. His green jacket already hung around her shoulders. He was starting to think she was leaving her jacket at home on purpose. He didn't mind though. At this point he expected it. Anticipated it. Wanted it. She looked good in his clothes. He abruptly shook his head, trying to drive away the not so innocent image that was forming. Gwen gave him an amused look as she handed him one of the bags. The two made their way through the trees using the light glow of what they hoped was a harmless campfire to guide their way. Making it to a clearing they found Michelle, Emily, and Cooper.
"Hey, guys!"
"Took you long enough." Gwen rolled her eyes at Michelle good-naturedly.
"You're the ones that decided that doing this in the middle of the woods was a good idea." The other girl shook her head.
"No. That was Lucy."
The two teens sat the bags down with the rest of the snacks. Cooper handed Gwen some sticks and chocolate while Michelle tossed Ben a bag of marshmallows and gram crackers. Gwen looked around the clearing.
"Wait. Where is Lucy?" Michelle gestured behind her.
"With Paul. Something about a surprise she needed help with."
The Tennysons sat across from the other teens. Ben impaled a marshmallow onto each stick before taking one from Gwen.
There was some rustling at the edge of the clearing.
"Hey, you losers! Guess what we've got!"
The missing blondes appeared toting a large cooler. Paul set it down in front of the group. Lucy opened it with a flourish. The other teens looked in it to find -
"Alcohol." Gwen deadpanned. Michelle alternated between shaking her head at Lucy and glaring at Paul.
"How did you even get this?"
Paul raised his hands, backing away slightly.
"Don't look at me. I'm just the muscle."
Lucy grinned wide, pulling a card out of her pocket. Gwen took it holding it for everyone to see. Michelle rolled her eyes.
"Really, Luce? This license belongs to a forty-seven-year-old Filipino man." The blonde only winked, grabbing a large bottle of clear liquor from the cooler.
"What can I say? I'm a very convincing actor." Michelle looked to Gwen who feigned ignorance; shrugging. Ben hid a smirk.
The brunette shook her head before grabbing her cup and holding it out to Lucy.
"Fuck it. Pour me some of that."
...
The beer was cheap, but the tequila was strong.
Emily only took one sip of the drink Lucy made her before handing it right back. The boys all opted for beer instead. Michelle was still nursing her spiked fruit punch. Lucy was drinking straight from the bottle. And Gwen was somehow on her second spiked soda. Lucy's behavior was no surprise. But Gwen? Paul stared at the usually high-strung redhead in disbelief. Michelle just shook her head. Gwen giggled and snorted at one of Lucy's bad jokes as the blonde leaned over to top her off. She casually rested on Ben, fiddling with her necklace. Michelle eyed her curiously. She'd never seen her wear it before. Hell, she'd never seen the girl wear a necklace ever.
Without notice, Lucy shot up.
"Ooh, ooh, ooh! I have an idea! Let's play truth or dare."
Usually, the group would flat out refuse, but with a little booze in their collective system, they felt generous.
They all exchanged nods and shrugs. Lucy clapped; bouncing.
"Great! Now, who wants to go first?"
Gwen raised one hand in the air as she used the other to down her drink, nearly gagging at the burning sensation.
"I'll go." She croaked out, clearing her throat. Lucy gave her an impish smile.
"Okay, Gwenie. Truth or dare?" Gwen smirked.
"Truth." Lucy booed her enthusiastically.
"You're no fun." She sat down next to Michelle, crossing her arms with a pout.
Michelle took a small sip from her cup then rested her chin in her hand.
"I have a question for you, babe." Gwen gestured for her to continue.
"Where did that stunning necklace come from?"
Gwen's eyes widened slightly before going back to normal. Ben almost choked on his beer. She stared down her best friend for a beat before replying flatly.
"The mall." Michelle leaned in more.
"Who gave it to you?" Gwen wagged a finger, nose in the air.
"Only one question at a time." The other girl sat back up sticking her tongue out at her. Gwen giggled before a devious smile took over her face.
"Alright. Who's next?"
…
Lucy sauntered over to Michelle, finishing off the tequila bottle.
"Enough chitchat!"
The game had gone on for almost an hour. Now it was Lucy's fourth turn.
She took off her hoodie, sitting down on Michelle's lap facing her. She ran her hand across the other girl's cheek, stopping to bop her on the nose.
"You will remember this moment for the rest of your life, you sexy cheer goddess." Michelle raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.
"I'm sure I will."
Paul cut Lucy's performance short when she went to unhook her bra. He and the other boys would be lying if they said they didn't want the show to continue. Hell. Even Emily was entertained, and Michelle could barely breathe through her laughter. Still. Motorboating her friend's boobs was not on her high school bucket list. College? Definitely. But not high school.
Paul helped Lucy put her discarded clothing back on before giving his girlfriend a look. Michelle responded with a bemused one of her own, not sure what he was signaling. After pulling her hoodie over her head, Lucy was back in business.
"Okay! Who's gonna be my next victim?"
Surprisingly to her, there were no volunteers. She pursed her lips.
"I guess I gotta pick then." She stared down each of the other teens. Abruptly she pointed at Cooper, causing him to flinch.
"Eenie…meenie…miney…BENJI!" Ben groaned, running his hand down his face.
Michelle smirked, leaning forward.
"Truth or dare, soccer boy."
Ben furrowed his brow, weighing his options. Judging by the way things were going, if he picked dare, there was a high chance of him having to make out with Paul or perform a striptease for Cooper. He visibly shuddered.
"I'll pick truth." It was back; Lucy's grin that would give the devil anxiety.
"My dear, Benji. If you had to fuck any of us here who would it be?" Ben reflexively glanced to his side before fixing the chaotic blonde with a blank stare.
"No." Shockingly, Gwen booed him with Lucy quickly joining in. The others snickered.
"Come on, Benji! That's cheating!"
"Yeah! You've gotta do it, doofus!" Ben pinched his nose, then looked up. A drunk dweeb was on par with a sober Lucy. He really should have just stayed home.
"Fine! I changed my mind. I pick dare." Lucy's grin returned even bigger.
"Alright. I'll give you a dare. But no takebacks this time! Understand?" Ben nodded solemnly.
"I dare you to kiss Gwen." She paused for dramatic effect, watching the realization dawn on his face.
"On. The. Lips."
This time, Ben didn't get a chance to object. Paul and Michelle beat him to it.
"Come on, Lucy! That's too far."
"You can't force them to do that."
As Lucy went back and forth with the couple, Gwen scooted closer to Ben. He looked at her, expecting to see her signature over-Lucy's-shit expression. However, instead, her face looked strangely calm, her eyes zeroing in on his lips. Taken aback, he moved away from her. It didn't take her long to close the gap between them. She positioned herself between his legs, putting a hand on his cheek. He stared at her motionless, not sure what to do.
Did he want to kiss her? More than anything. But not like this. Not with an audience. Not with neither of them being able to think straight. Not while they had barely put their feelings into words.
Still. The second her soft lips touched his, time froze. Everything went silent.
Then she pulled away and locked eyes with him, a small smile on her face.
"See? No big deal." With a little too much energy, she turned to the others.
"Woo! This is fun! Who's next?"
Ben simply stared at her awestruck, mouth agape, fingers pressed to his lips. The fire did nothing to hide the crimson of his cheeks.
Completely unaware of the mood shift, Gwen leaned against him again. Lucy stood in front of them speechless. Sure, she loved to pick on her cousins. But never in a million years did she expect them to go through with a kiss for a dare. Both Emily and Cooper found their shoes very interesting. Michelle blinked in disbelief.
"Crazy girl…" Paul absentmindedly nodded in agreement.
"White girl wasted..."
After a couple of minutes, he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"I think that's enough games and alcohol for the night."
Nearly everyone nodded in agreement.
...
After sobering up – from the alcohol and the kiss – the group said their goodbyes. Paul and Michelle left with a passed-out Lucy in tow. With the blonde's arms and legs firmly latched around his girlfriend, Paul looked more like the third wheel. Emily shyly took Cooper up on his equally shy offer to take her home. And taking a page out of Michelle's book, Ben scooped up a drowsy Gwen and made his way back through the trees.
…
Back at the Tennyson residence, the two teens slowly made their way up the walkway towards the front door. Gwen clung to Ben, sleepy and equally giddy. Giggling, she attempted to land a third kiss on his cheek. Her laughter got even louder when the red rushed to his face in response. He shushed her quickly. It was past their curfew again. He was hoping luck was on their side tonight. When he opened the door, it was clear that it wasn't.
Both Max and Verdona sat at the kitchen island. Verdona with a cup of tea. Max with a tired expression. Ben sighed.
"Shit…" Max stood crossing his arms.
"Language, Benjamin." The boy gave his grandfather an apologetic look.
Gwen giggled, poking him in the cheek before teasing him in a singsong way.
"You got in trouble."
Their granddaughter's odd demeanor finally caught their attention. The older woman stood and made her way towards the teens. She placed her hands on either side of her granddaughter's face.
"Gwendolyn, are you drunk?"
Gwen's eyes got wide, but she said nothing. She looked down, avoiding her grandmother's eyes. Ben rose to her defense.
"There was some tequila in her soda. I drank too. A beer. But that was over four hours ago."
Verdona didn't look happy, but she did look slightly relieved. Max ran a hand through his hair, staring up at the ceiling. His wife gave both teens' shoulders a light squeeze before turning to him.
"Max, honey, they're teenagers." He shook his head, turning away.
"Exactly. They're still children, not adults."
She walked over to him. With a small smile on her face, she placed a hand on his chest.
"You still remember your first drink, don't you?" Max's expression softened slightly.
Both he and his wife had their first tastes of alcohol in their teen years. Verdona smirked remembering the bottle of wine she foolishly downed at sixteen one Saturday night with her friends. They looked at their grandchildren. Ben was practically carrying Gwen to keep the tired girl upright. And was that lipstick smeared all over his face? They shared a look before coming to a decision silently. Sure, they didn't like this. And there would be consequences. But they'd gotten their wish. Their grandchildren were living relatively safe, normal lives. And that's all they and their children ever wanted.
Max sighed, then gestured to the staircase.
"Go. Put your cousin and yourself to bed. We'll talk about this in the morning.
Ben nodded, leading her away.
...
After awkwardly helping Gwen strip down to her shirt and underwear, Ben tucked her into bed. He turned to leave, but before he could she latched onto his wrist. He met her eyes. They had striking clarity, all things considered.
"Stay." He shook his head, the hint of a small smile on his face.
"You know I can't do that."
"Please?" His resolve broke slightly. He leaned back down to kiss her forehead.
"Goodnight, Gwen."
She released her hold on him, but her voice made him stay right where he was.
"I hate this, you know." She wrapped herself in her comforter turning away from him.
"Why does every facet of our lives have to be complicated? Our parents. Our responsibilities. Our hearts. Why can't we for once just catch a break?"
Ben didn't respond. He was not ready for this conversation. They barely talked about their parents, and they never talked about the Omnitrix or anything hero related anymore. And, yes. They knew how each other felt. But they also knew how everyone else would react if they knew too. She was right. Everything was too complicated. It wasn't fair.
After a few minutes of silence, Gwen continued. Voice noticeably groggier and slurred.
"I just wish I could say it…" Her voice began to trail off.
"That…I…I love you…"
Her breathing changed after that; a clear sign that she had dozed off. Ben let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He walked out of her room, closing the door. He went to his and landed face-first on the bed. He didn't even bother to take off his shoes. Something that either Verdona or Gwen would scold him for later. Once again, his brain was doing more work than warranted on a Friday night.
Part 3: End