Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or its sequels, spin-off and related characters. All is the property of Man of Action and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Growth

Chapter Two: Adjusting to Life

"The boys have been missing a lot of school these past two weeks." Gwen commented as she ran a finger idly around the rim of her coffee mug.

She, Ben, and Grandpa Max were holding a sort of 'informal meeting' in the living room of the Plumbers Headquarters. They hadn't really planned to sit down and discuss all that happened since Kevin's release from the Null Void. But both Devlin and Kenny were out attending their mandatory bi-weekly counseling session and Kevin offered to drive them. With all three of them out of the house, it was easy to talk openly without having to worry about being overheard and misinterpreted and the conversation just sort of started happening.

"Kenny hasn't been his normal happy-go-lucky self either." Ben added. Normally his son was energetic, optimistic, sometimes a little vapid. But since coming back from the Rooters' base, the teen Tennyson seemed tense and edgy. "Not since Devlin absorbed his Omnitrix."

Gwen nodded. "Devlin's been acting differently too. Nothing really big or significant. I'm sure I only notice it because I'm his mother but… he and Kenny don't sit next to each other at breakfast anymore and he's been spending a lot more time with Kevin. Not that I'm complaining about that!" She added quickly. "I'm glad Devlin is getting to know his father finally. But he was so resentful of him for so long, and so awkward around him when he came back, I just think this new attitude toward his father is very… sudden. Like it happened over night."

"Well, Kevin is the only other person in the universe who can relate to him right now." Ben pointed out in an uncharacteristic moment of empathy and understanding. "No one else has absorbed an Omnitrix, gone crazy, and tried to kill someone important to them. Just them two."

Gwen had to admit that was true and nodded grimly. But even taking that under consideration, she knew her son. Devlin inherited a double dose of stubbornness from both her and Kevin. Even with Kevin being the only person on Earth -or in the known universe- who could understand him, it was still to soon for Devlin to be as chummy with his father as he had become recently. She didn't mention any of this, however. Gwen didn't want Ben to overreact. And considering that Kevin 11,000 was involved, Ben 10,000 would definitely overreact.

"Speaking of Kevin," Max cut in, "what are you and he doing, Gwen? He's got a Presidential Pardon, but that only absolves him of crimes here on Earth. Because of that, he can't go back to being a Plumber. What's he going to do for work? I don't mind you and Ben supporting him while he gets back on his feet, but he can't live off you two forever."

"I've got a five terran bill in my pocket that says he'll be selling contraband tech again by the end of the summer." Ben scoffed.

Gwen wanted to deny the accusation, but she had to admit that her lover didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to staying on the right side of legal when it came to brokering for merchandise. She would be lying if she said it wasn't something she also worried about. But so much had been going on since he was released that there wasn't really any time to stop and actually think about it critically. Truth be told, she still didn't want to think about it critically. Instead, she changed the subject. "Speaking of summer, its nearly the end of term at the Weekend Academy. The boy's Psychologicals will be coming up."

Ever since Kevin's mad rampage sixteen years ago, where he tore through the galaxy absorbing the powers and abilities of 11,000 alien species, the Plumbers changed their regulations about who was allowed to be given a badge and how cadets were to be trained.

Now, a person had to be of the age of majority for their respective race before they could become a Plumber. No more child or teen deputies. Before they reach the age of majority and enroll in the official Academy in the Galvan System, prospective cadets must attend an informal Academy in their home system. No more kids jumping in feet first and falling in over their heads. Finally, along every step of the way, before they could continue to the next term of whatever Academy they were attending and before they could get their badges, all cadets and prospective cadets must take a psychological exam. If they pass, they advance. If they fail, they're out. No more Kevin 11,000s. Never again.

They changed a lot of rules because of Kevin.

"I don't-" Ben hesitated. Then blazed on ahead anyway. Tact never was one of his strong suits. "I'm sorry, Gwen, but… I don't think Devlin's gonna pass this year. Not after the thing with the Rooters. I know he was under mind control and all, and it wasn't really his fault. But he did kidnap Speedy. I know Pierce has him attending therapy with the other kids, but… He probably won't bounce back from that before the exam."

"You think he's gonna fail the Psychological?" Max asked.

Gwen pursed her lips. That was another thing to worry about.

Ben only nodded.

…

"Shot-gun!"

Once again, Tennyson's irritatingly chipper and obnoxiously friendly spawn say in the passenger seat. Kevin didn't say anything and hadn't said anything since he appropriated his ride back from Devlin, but it should have gone without saying that, that seat was reserved for his son! Kevin wanted Devlin to sit next to him in the front seat, not Tennyson's thoughtless and entitled brat!

Kevin looked up at his son's reflection in the rearview mirror. It was clear even to him that it bothered the younger Osmosian as well. Not for the same reason, Kevin knew Devlin had no great desire to be close to him -and that also bothered Kevin- but it was still as plain as day that something about Kenny sitting in the front bothered him. Kevin watched him throw his backpack on the vacant space next to him, slump down in the seat, and stare at his hand, rubbing his thumb over his palm as if remembering the feel of something.

"Ugh! I can't believe they're doing this to us!" Kenny exclaimed as soon as he was belted in. But before Kevin could ask, he continued. "I don't wanna talk about it. Lets just go home."

"This car doesn't move until you're both belted." Kevin announced, still watching Devlin in the rearview mirror.

The younger man lifted his head, as if suddenly remembering that he was in a car and wordlessly pulled the seat belt across his chest. Satisfied, Kevin turned over the ignition and merged into the regular traffic flow.

"So, Kevin," Kenny began. Jezus Christ! Did this kid have to talk to him every time they were in the car? Why couldn't he focus all his attention on that stupid Gameboy and ignore him completely like Tennyson used to do? The apple couldn't have fallen that far from the tree. Why did the brat have to be so friendly? "How many days in a row have you worn that proto-tech armor?"

"Since I got it?" Kevin asked. "All of them."

Because he was done with borrowing clothes from Tennyson, and Devlin was just a little to skinny for Kevin to borrow anything from him.

"Ah." And it looked like the brat was done. Quiet. Not gonna say anything more. Until… "Um, I'm not sure if there's a polite way to say this, but… you stink. Like, badly. You should really get Aunt Gwendolyn to take you shopping. Or just buy something for you next time she's out. Because you smell liked a used gym bag."

In the backseat, Devlin face palmed. He seemed to do that a lot when Tennyson's brat spoke.

Kevin was about to growl out a retort. Decided his language would not be appropriate and instead changed his reply to, "I'll let her know."

"She probably already knows." Kenny continued with absolutely no tact what so ever. "Since, ya know, you two are sharing a room and all. But everyone's been so busy since your release, I just don't think anyone thought to make it a priority. It needs to be a priority."

"Kenny." Devlin cut in.

"Yeah, Dev?"

"Stop talking." Seriously. Devlin was about eighty percent sure his father wouldn't kill his cousin for insulting him, but he could still beat him up pretty bad. Plus, there was still that twenty percent that Devlin wasn't sure about. Kevin was supposed to be a super evil guy. Terror of 11,000 worlds and all. He just might kill Kenny for as slight an insult as saying he smelled. The truth was, Devlin really didn't know. He didn't know his father that well.

"I do shower, ya know." Kevin informed them.

"Yeah, but if you're putting on the same dirty clothes after you shower, its almost the same as not showering at all." Devlin remind him.

With a growl and a sigh, Kevin dropped the issue. They were right. Gwen probably never said anything because he showered right before bed and so was nice and clean when he slipped in between the sheets next to her. But if it was already starting to bother the kids, then it wouldn't be long before it started bothering her too. He needed some real clothes, and soonish.

They drove in silence the rest of the way back to the Plumbers Headquarters that the Tennysons called home.

The boys couldn't seem to get out of the car fast enough. Kevin couldn't decide if it was because he smelled or because they just plain didn't like him still. Either way, he was insulted.

"Alright, I got just enough time to run a mission on League of Legends before dinner! Nobody bother me until foods ready." Kenny was about to sprint out of the hanger, but Devlin put a hand to his shoulder to stop him. The boy jumped. Instantly spinning around to face his cousin. A look of panic on his face for just a second before it was quickly replaced by a smile of forced goofiness. "Yeah, Dev?"

Devlin paused for just a moment before saying what he was going to say. "We, uh, we should probably study." He said soberly. "I don't like school either. But we've been missing a lot of it lately and finals are coming up. That is, unless you wanna be put in summer school."

Kenny grumbled some colorful words under his breath but hefted his backpack on his shoulder anyway. When he left the hanger, it was to the living room instead of his bedroom. Apparently he was taking Devlin's advice. After all, no aspiring hero could afford to be stuck in summer school! Summer was the biggest hero season of them all.

"What was that about?" Kevin asked before Devlin could follow the younger boy out.

"What was what?" The other Osmosian asked in his best 'I don't know what you're talking about' voice.

"Tennyson's kid totally flipped out when you grabbed him."

Damn it! Devlin really wished Kenny hadn't freaked out right in front of Kevin. It was bad enough that he did it at all. The young Osmosian chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking of a way to explain away Kenny's edginess around him. The real reason wasn't hard to figure out. He had been uneasy and jumpy around Devlin ever since he absorbed the faux-Omnitrix. Absorbed its power. Went crazy. Tried to kill Kenny. Just like how Kevin did, not once, but twice in the past. So, in a way, this was really all because of Kevin. After all, if Kevin wasn't his father, or if Kevin wasn't an Osmosian, then Devlin wouldn't have the powers he had. He never would have done the things he did.

"Gawd, you ruin everything!" He informed the older man and was about to storm out of the hanger. But he paused, remembering his deal with Kevin. He would be more respectful to Kevin, call him 'Dad' instead of his name, spend more time with him, and not storm off like a pissy bitch when he was upset. And in return, Kevin would keep his secret that he never really was under Servantis' mind control. So, while all Devlin wanted to do was stomp off in a huff, he waited. "That is… I mean, uh…"

There was a beat of silence.

"Go." Kevin sighed. "Go do your homework. We'll talk later."

Devlin wasted no time getting away from his father. Kevin sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Were things with his son really supposed to be this difficult? In all honesty, he really didn't know.

Kevin never really had a stable or consistent father figure growing up. His mother's fiancé bothered him to the point of causing Kevin to run away from home at the age of eleven. In prison he was mentored by another inmate in how to control his powers, but then he died -shot in the back. Tennyson and Gwen's grandfather, Max, didn't start mentoring him until he was already a man. And now, just recently, Kevin learned that the man he thought was his father, the man he thought his mother loved and had died when he was still just an infant, never even existed in the first place.

Kevin didn't have enough pieces of father figured to make one whole one. Because of that, he had no idea what he was doing with his own son.

No matter what Kevin seemed to do, it only succeeded in making the boy resent him more.

With an exasperated sigh, Kevin tried to push it out of his mind by working on the Rust Bucket. The spaceplane had its cockpit blown out two weeks prior in a little altercation with Cooper and the replacement parts only just came in.

It was only after Kevin started calibrating the new steering column that he realized repairing the ship was something he and Devlin could do together. Since they shared a common love of all things mechanical and gained great enjoyment from building or repairing different kinds of tech. Especially hot and fast tech like the Rust Bucket or the car -or, 'Lexie' as Devlin named her. The Osmosian paused in his repairs. He would make the kid do the rest with him.

Kevin went to the kitchen for a beer. It was great that Tennyson kept a healthy supply of cheap, white-trash-quality beer in the house. Cold can in hand, he went looking for Gwen.

She was also in the living room. Reading on her Kindle as a pretext for supervising the boys doing their home work. It didn't take Kevin long to learn that -without a semi-responsible adult to keep them on task- both Kenny and Devlin tended to slack off. Finding any excuse to avoid doing school work until the assignment was past due. Admittedly, these past two weeks, both boys had perfectly legitimate reasons for not having done their homework (or even gone to school in the first place).

But now all the multiple crises were over, Gwen was cracking the whip down on her son and her nephew (second cousin). The boys might not care about their education, but she did.

Devlin kept his head down over his work, but his eyes followed Kevin as the older man crossed the room and flopped down on the couch next to his mother and casually threw an arm over her shoulders. No words or glances were exchanged, but Gwen leaned into him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if they'd always been together and he hadn't spent the past sixteen years in prison and she hadn't dated other men during his absence.

With an uncomfortable amount of effort, Devlin forced his eyes back to his math homework. He still wasn't used to his parents being so openly affectionate. In fact, he wasn't used to seeing his mother be so openly affectionate with any of the men she dated -ever. He would be lying if he didn't admit the sight of their casual displays of affection didn't make him a little uncomfortable. Not to mention how unconcerned or offhandedly they discussed their… not quite so casual affection. That made Devlin's skin crawl.

"Hey, Babe, do I stink?" Kevin asked spontaneously.

"You have a 'manly musk' to you." She answered.

That also happened to be when Ben was walking through the living room on his way to the kitchen for a smoothy. "Dude, you are asking the wrong person." He shook his head. "Remember you're talking to the woman who thinks your rancid motor oil and BO stench is an aphrodisiac."

Devlin slammed his calculator down on the coffee table. "Oh, gawd! I did not need to know that!"

All three adults looked at him for a moment, startled by his outburst. As if they were somehow surprised or confused by the fact that Devlin did not care to hear that his mother found his father arousing. As if they didn't understand how hearing -even just an implication- about their sex-life might make him uncomfortable. As if he was supposed to feel bad for thinking the idea of his mother having sex with anyone (but especially Kevin Levin) was gross.

Then they turned their attention back to each other and continued.

"Anyway," Ben shrugged, "how long have you been wearing that proto-tech suit?"

"Since he got it." Gwen answered for him. "Kevin's to stubborn and proud to keep borrowing stuff from you."

"Yet he has no problem living under my roof and drinking my beers." Ben observed as he plucked the open can from the Osmosian's hand and proceeded to take a big swig of it.

"Hey! That's mine! Go get your own!" Kevin grabbed it back.

"I did get my own." Ben informed him. "A whole case of my own." He, once again, took the can from Kevin and exited the living room with it before the Osmosian could steal it back or protest.

Kevin slumped back on the couch with a hmph. Sulking like a child.

"I have some time this friday." Gwen said. "We can go shopping then. Devlin, I want you to come too. You've been ruining a lot of your own cloths recently."

He had been doing a great deal more transforming of late. Every time he transformed into his mutant form, his hulking alien body no longer fit in his human clothing and they always ripped to shreds. Wings and extra arms tearing through shirts. His tail splitting open the back of his pants. Shoes bursting. Yup. He could do with some new clothes almost as much as Kevin.

"But Friday is when we go to the Weekend Academy." Kenny reminded her. And that struck Kevin as odd, because usually it was Devlin that was the first one to cry about being late to or possibly missing his precious Plumbers pre-Academy. "The Psychologicals are coming up."

"Kenny." Devlin cut him off. "Its fine. Remember what we were told at Group."

That their Psychologicals, -Kenny, Devlin, Billings, and Ally's- might be postponed on account of their involvement in the Rooters fiasco.

"And you're okay with that?" The younger boy raised a skeptical eyebrow at his Osmosian cousin.

Devlin said nothing. Just went back to his homework.

"What did they tell you at Group?" Gwen asked.

"Don't worry about it, Mom." Devlin said, not looking up from his work.

"They think we're all still to crazy to take the test after what happened with Proctor Servantis." Kenny explained. "So they're giving us special treatment and postponing our Psychologicals until the shrink says we're all better."

"That's good." Gwen nodded her approval. She had been having her doubts of whether or not her son could pass the psychological exam after basically kidnapping a family friend, absorbing Kenny's Omnitrix, and then trying to kill him. But if the test was going to be postpones, that might just give Devlin the time he needed to bounce back and be his regular self again.

"I don't get what the big deal is." Kevin admitted. "We went through way weirder stuff and a lot more of it when we were you age, and we never got a bit of therapy for it."

Devlin just shook his head at his father. "That explains so much."

…

The morning routine changed slightly now that Kevin was a regular fixture in the household. When, originally, the morning tradition was for Devlin to rise early, put on his karate dogi, and run through a couple sets his with mother. He now rose early, put on his mechanic's jumpsuit or stayed in his pajamas and went to the hanger to either help Kevin repair the Rust Bucket, or take lessons in matter absorption.

This was part of Kevin's master plan of blackmailing Devlin to spend quality time with him. The boy was so active, his schedule so busy that it would have been easy for his son to avoid him if Kevin didn't force him into spending time together. He knew Devlin resented him for it. But what else could he do?

Since Devlin hadn't bothered to change out of his pajamas and grease stains were hard to get out, this morning found them working on matter absorption. Something Devlin found increasingly difficult -bordering on the impossible- to do. Kevin couldn't understand why it was so hard for his son. Devlin was so clever, and so smart, and so well read. He was like Gwen. If Gwen suddenly woke up with Kevin's powers, there was no doubt in his mind that she could and would figure out how to use and master them before the day was ended -without help.

But Devlin seemed unable to.

Kevin didn't know if it was because the boy was sabotaging himself, resisting the lessons, or secretly didn't want to learn Kevin Levin's go-to combat strategy. Or because Devlin literally was physically incapable of absorbing matter. Servantis did say that not all Osmosians had the same powers. All Osmosians were an evolved form of 'supemuans'. Carriers of the OSM-1 gene. But the OSM-1 gene manifested differently in different individuals. There was no reason to assume that just because Devlin was Kevin's son, that Devlin would have all the same powers.

Servantis also said that no other Osmosian would ever be as 'perfect' as Kevin was. But he chose not to pay that any mind. In Kevin's opinion Devlin was more perfect than him, because Devlin came from Gwen and anything that came from Gwen had to be spectacular.

Watching Devlin struggle to absorb something, though…

Sitting on the cold hanger floor, holding a socket wrench in his hands, knuckles white from gripping it to hard, shoulders shaking from effort… Kevin did have to wonder.

Maybe he was just a terrible teacher. It wasn't like he'd ever taught anyone anything before. He didn't know how to teach and he really didn't know how to deal with children either. Maybe it wasn't because Devlin wouldn't do it, or couldn't do it. Maybe it was because Kevin was just the worst kriffing teacher in history or teaching.

After a few more moments of struggling with no results, Devlin tossed the wrench to the side in frustration. "Ugh! I don't understand how you can do this!"

Kevin sat on the floor next to his son and placed -what he hoped- was a comforting arm around the younger man's shoulders.

"So you're not instantly mastering it right way. Its not the end of the world. We just have to figure out what's blocking you and break through that barrier." That was adequately supportive and encouraging, right? Kevin wasn't sure. He'd never exactly done this before. "When I learned to absorb matter, it wasn't in a safe comfortable environment like this. I was in prison and had just reverted back to my human form after my first mutation. I was small and vulnerable and needed a way to defend myself, because -let me tell you- prison guards in the Null Void don't give a flying kriff if you get killed in a riot. I learned out of desperation. You don't have that critical of a motivator."

"Are you saying I'm not motivated?" Devlin stared at him incredulously. "Because, let me tell you, the only powers I have right now are to absorb energy, or transform into a gross, mutated, alien, monster! Believe me, Kevin, I'm plenty motivated to learn something else. Anything else!"

"I'm not saying you're not motivated. Just not as motivated as I was back then." The older man clarified. "You don't have the same desperation. Also, the name's 'Dad' to you."

Right. That was a big part of the deal they made. Kevin would keep his secret. Make sure nobody besides them ever learned that he wasn't under mind control, and in return Devlin would spend time with the older Osmosian, let him drive the car, and -most important of all- call his 'Dad' instead of 'Kevin'.

"Sorry, Dad." The younger man lowered his eyes. This was actually a lot harder than he thought it would be. Both the absorbing matter and the being friendly with Kevin. Neither one was coming to Devlin easily. As much as the boy did want to learn to absorb matter and finally have one useful power that didn't change him into a beast, or instill fear in his companions, whenever he was with his father, all Devlin wanted to do was get away. "Would it… would it be okay if we paused here today? Kenny and I need to get ready for school. Finals are coming up and… we've been missing a lot of classes lately."

Kevin sighed in resignation. "Go. School is important -or so everyone tells me. Let me know when you kids are ready and I'll drive you."

Devlin was half way out the hanger before Kevin called him back.

"Uh, Devlin," He hesitated as the boy paused to look back at him. "Tennyson's brat -uh, Kenny- are you two okay? I know you two are close, but it seems like these past few days he's been… tense around you. I'm not good with the touchy-feely feelings stuff, but I have a lot of experience fixing broken friendships. So if there's anything I can do to help…"

The boy's knee-jerk reaction was to tell the older man to go to hell. He only just recently came into his life. It was his fault Devlin had the powers he had. He never would have absorbed Kenny's Omnitrix if Kevin wasn't his father. As far as Devlin was concerned, all of his problems with Kenny were all Kevin's fault. But he couldn't tell the older man to go to hell. As per their deal, Devlin had to -at least make an effort- to be respectful to the older Osmosian.

"Thank you, but no. Kenny and I are just fine."

…