Note: This story takes place sometime between Seasons 2 and 3 of Alien Force.
Gwen tossed and turned in her bed, trying her hardest to fall asleep. Her eyes were shut, and her body was relaxed, but her mind was wide awake, consumed by thoughts of Kevin. It took longer than she would have liked, but they'd recently made their relationship official, and she was becoming more enamored with him by the day. She didn't think it was possible for her to be so head over heels for someone, let alone Kevin Levin of all people. She wasn't about to complain, though. He'd been a constant source of joy for her in the time that they'd properly known each other, and she couldn't imagine her life without him. Although they'd been spending just about every day together for the past few months, there was still so much she'd yet to know about him and so much she wanted to do with him that didn't involve fighting crime.
Upon coming to terms with the fact that she wasn't about to go to sleep anytime soon, she opened her eyes and switched on the lamp on her bedside table, groaning in annoyance. She thought of catching up on homework, but she remembered that, in typical Gwen fashion, she'd finished all of it. She glanced at her digital alarm clock, which read 11:24 PM. There wasn't much she could do at home at this hour. The only TV in the house was in her parents' room, and she'd already read all the storybooks in her possession. She decided to give in to the temptation and grabbed her phone to dial Kevin's number.
A groggy voice came from the other end of the line. "Gwen?"
Hearing him speak immediately made her night better. He sounded extra cute when he was drowsy. "Hey, Kev. Did I wake you up?"
"Uh, yeah, but-" He interrupted himself with a yawn. "It's no big deal. What's up?"
"Never mind." It hadn't occurred to Gwen that Kevin might have actually gone to sleep early tonight. Maybe he decided to heed her advice for once. She realized their roles were somewhat reversed in this situation. Some nights, he would wake her up with a phone call or a text. He normally used boredom as an excuse, but there were times that he sounded distraught. She theorized that it was because of his nightmares, but he never mentioned them, and she didn't want to come off as nosy. She found it more important to be there for him.
Any indication that he was tired suddenly disappeared from his voice. "You alright?" Gwen assumed he was now in 'protective boyfriend mode', listening to see if she was in trouble and needed his help.
"It's sweet that you're worried, but it's nothing." She heard him exhale in relief. "Can't fall asleep, that's all."
"Tried countin' sheep yet?", he suggested.
Though he couldn't see it, she rolled her eyes. "Hilarious."
"I usually am.", he remarked.
She absentmindedly curled a strand of her hair around her finger. "So, um, I know I'm kinda springing this on you out of nowhere. It's late and you're probably tired, so you can say no, but... do you wanna go out?"
"Sure! Be there in 10."
No hesitation, and no questions asked whatsoever. Gwen knew she was the only person he gave special treatment to, and that alone was enough to make her grin until her cheeks hurt. "You're the best. See you soon!"
"See ya." With that, Kevin hung up. Gwen excitedly got out of bed, changed into a short-sleeved blue blouse and a dark red skirt, brushed her hair and snuck out of the house to wait for him. She felt like somewhat of a rebel. She was no stranger to sneaking out, though she usually did it purely for crimefighting purposes. Her parents had become relatively understanding of her responsibility to protect Bellwood, but they certainly wouldn't approve of her going out so late for fun, especially if Kevin was involved. Oh, well. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. The way she saw it, she had more than earned the right to do normal teenager things for once.
Kevin's car came to a halt outside Gwen's house not a minute too soon, punk music blasting out of its speakers. How he hadn't gone deaf from constantly playing music so loud was a mystery to her. She opened the front passenger door and climbed in. "Any louder and you'll wake the whole neighborhood up.", she joked as she closed the door. He merely stared at her in confusion, prompting her to reach for the dial on the radio to reduce the volume.
"Oh."
She keenly stretched her arms out towards him, waiting for a hug. He was more than willing to oblige, unbuckling his seatbelt and enveloping her in a tight embrace, despite the gear shift dividing their seats. She slowly withdrew from him, admiring his features as the distance between them grew. "Thanks for doing this."
He smiled. "Don't mention it. Ya hungry?"
"A little. Can we go to the diner?", she requested. Skipping dinner earlier appeared to be the right call.
"You got it." They both buckled their seatbelts, and Kevin drove out of the neighborhood. The streets of Bellwood were nearly empty tonight, which wasn't surprising since the town wasn't known for being lively, alien activity notwithstanding. If Kevin wanted to, he could have sped his way to their destination, but he opted to drive at a leisurely pace. Anything to prolong the time he had with Gwen.
A new song began to play on the radio, and Gwen started singing along, hitting each note flawlessly. She rarely, if ever, sang in front of anyone, which Kevin considered a shame since she had the voice of an angel, though she was far too modest to share that opinion. "I thought this kinda music wasn't your style." He temporarily took his eyes off the road and saw her shrug. He recalled the various times she criticized his taste in music, practically begging him to change stations whenever she was in the car. Hearing her sing along to one of the songs she once vehemently deemed near-incomprehensible noise almost made him think she was replaced by an imposter.
"Guess I'm warming up to it." She playfully nudged him. "You must be rubbing off on me."
"Careful. I'm a bad influence.", he teased, placing a hand on her thigh.
Relishing the way his calloused palm felt against her smooth skin, she moved his hand higher, right to the hem of her skirt. "I'll take my chances."
The diner was relatively empty. Besides the staff, there were only two other people, sitting at separate tables. Gwen and Kevin sat at a booth by the window with a good view of the streets outside. He watched intently as she sipped some of her chocolate milkshake, happy that she was happy. He must have been staring too hard, because she locked eyes with him, expecting him to say something.
"That outfit looks good on you!", he blurted out. Gwen had a rather simple sense of fashion compared to most girls her age. She wasn't the type to go overboard on makeup or flashy clothes, which Kevin didn't mind at all. She didn't need anything fancy to look beautiful, and he made sure to remind her of that as often as he could.
"Thank you!" She grabbed a french fry off the plate in the middle of the table, pointing it at him before dipping it in ketchup and eating it. "I like what you're wearing, too." Her eyes lingered on his shirt. It was verging on being too tight, outlining every muscle perfectly.
"What, this old thing?" His gaze followed hers and he noticed a few stains of motor oil near the hem of his shirt, from his time in his garage earlier that day. "It's kinda dirty."
"Doesn't mean you don't look good in it."
Her compliment was enough to make him blush. Being complimented was alien to him, and he had to remind himself that it was going to be the norm now that they were dating. Adjusting to their new dynamic was strange but definitely worth it. "Thanks."
"Speaking of clothes, I'm thinking of switching up my style." Gwen pushed her milkshake to Kevin's end of the table, giving him a chance to drink some. "No more heels, for one. Or at least, not when I'm out fighting bad guys."
"Y'know, I never understood how you could stand wearin' 'em while pulling off all those sick karate moves." He loved how skilled she was in the field. She could hold her own far better than he could, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. In fact, that made him even more attracted to her.
"Don't forget judo and Taekwondo!", she reminded him, almost in a bragging manner.
"Yeah, yeah. My girlfriend's a total martial arts master, got it." Kevin aimlessly swirled the straw around the glass. "What else are ya changin'?"
"I'll probably start tying my hair, but beyond that, I don't really know." Gwen snatched the glass from Kevin, which was now half full.
He pouted, which she found endearing in an odd way. "Aw, man!"
She motioned him to wait while she drank more of her milkshake, pulling her lips away from the straw after a pregnant silence. "If you want it so much, you might as well get one for yourself."
"No, your hair." He tossed a few fries into his mouth and swallowed. "I like it when it's untied.", he mumbled, embarrassed.
"I'll still let you play with it whenever we hang out, if that's what you're worried about." She paused, noticing that he smiled. "I just can't have a bunch of hair flying around in the middle of a fight."
"Guess that makes sense." He ran his fingers through his black locks with his clean hand, checking his reflection on the window by their booth. "Mine's gettin' pretty long, too. My mom's been buggin' me about gettin' a haircut, but eh, I like it this way."
His mention of his mother reminded her of a question that had been at the back of her mind for weeks, and she saw it as the ideal opportunity to change the topic of their conversation, after devouring more fries. "What does your mom know about me?"
"Well, she's figured out that we're tight, but I haven't told her we're, like, official or anythin'. She's asked to meet you, actually." His hand extended across the table to clasp hers. "No pressure, though. If you ain't ready-"
She cut him off, speaking in a more enthusiastic tone than he would have anticipated. "I'd love to meet her!"
Though Kevin had a gut feeling that Gwen would get along fine with his mother, he assumed she would have preferred to wait a little longer before meeting her. After all, she was still getting to know him on a deeper level. "You're not freakin' out? I mean, this is kind of a major step for most couples, right?"
Gwen held up a hand, lowering a finger every time she finished a sentence. "One, it'd take a lot more than that to freak me out. Two, we're not most couples. Three, you've met my parents, so it's only fair that I get to meet your mom. Four, from what you've told me, she sounds like a lovely person, so I have nothing to worry about."
"Huh, okay then. I'll get her to invite you over for dinner sometime." He was already thinking of ways to break the news to his mother that Gwen was his girlfriend now, though he doubted it would come as much of a shock to her.
"Can't wait!" Gwen ate a few more fries in succession, not wanting them to get cold and disgusting. "So, where to next?"
Kevin stopped outside a park near Gwen's neighborhood. He climbed out of the car and hurriedly walked to the other side to open the front passenger door for Gwen, who stifled a laugh. "You drove us to the diner, paid for the food and opened the door for me? I almost feel like I haven't been pulling my weight."
He closed the passenger door behind her. "Sue me for tryin' to be a gentleman.", he jested.
"One of these days, I'm gonna have to spoil you somehow." She trailed her hand down his arm to intertwine her fingers with his, pinching his bicep on the way. "Thank you."
He planted a kiss on top of her head, which elicited a giggle from her. "Anythin' for you." Hand in hand, the two stepped onto the cobblestone path and walked into the park at a leisurely pace. "Come here often?"
"Not as much as I'd like." Her eyes wandered, admiring the lush greenery that surrounded them. Ever since she resumed being a crimefighter, she seldom had time to do things she enjoyed. The park had always been one of her favorite places in town. She had fond memories of running around with other kids as a young child, and, as a teen, she'd spent more than a few afternoons taking a stroll to clear her head.
He squeezed her hand. "Good thing we're here tonight, then." As they approached the playground area of the park, he led her to the swings. "Haven't been on one of these things in ages." Memories from his early childhood of his mother pushing him on the swings came flooding back. It seemed like such a silly thing, but he longed to experience those moments again. He was forced to grow up too quickly, what with his time on the streets and in the Null Void, and felt that he was robbed of his last few years of being a kid.
Gwen, of course, knew Kevin well enough to know what was going through his mind. Though she couldn't change his existing memories, she was determined to help him create many new, meaningful ones. "Sit.", she instructed with a smile, gesturing at the swing closest to her.
He pointed at the swing next to it. "What about you?"
She waved her hand dismissively, then gestured at the swing again. "Sit, Kev."
He did as he was told, holding on to the ropes on either side of the swing. She positioned herself a few steps behind him and placed her hands above his on the ropes, pulling him towards her. Her intentions were made clear to him. "I think I'm too big for this."
"Well, it hasn't broken yet, so..." With as much physical strength as she could muster, she pushed him, launching him forward into the air. When he swung back to her, she pushed again. Very soon, they found a good rhythm. He momentarily shut his eyes, reveling in the sensation of swaying back and forth with the wind blowing in his face. He wasn't going as fast or as high as he did when he was much younger, but it nonetheless brought back a unique sense of peace he hadn't felt in years.
"You know, I have a tire swing in my backyard." Gwen grunted in exertion, pushing Kevin as he swung in her direction. "It's too small for me now, but I'm too attached to it to get rid of it."
"If you want me to, I could find a bigger tire and make you a new one.", he offered.
"I appreciate it, I really do, but-" Another push, another grunt. "My dad built me that swing. I'd feel bad for taking it down." When he swung back to her this time, she put her hands on the ropes again to keep him in place. "More?"
"Nah, gettin' kinda dizzy." Gwen sat on the swing next to Kevin's, and he turned to look at her. "Uh, thanks, y'know, for that. It was nice." Before Gwen could respond, he spoke up. Something in the distance caught his eye. "Hey, I've got an idea."
She smirked. "You won't fit in the slide." Not that she wasn't willing to try to make him fit, if he wanted her to.
"Not that." He got up and grabbed her hand, bringing her to a large, empty patch of grass opposite the playground. Letting go of her, he lay down on the grass. He patted the spot to his right, inviting her to join him, which she did. He put his right arm around her waist to pull her close. "This okay?"
She wrapped her arms around the middle of his torso. "More than okay." As she began to get accustomed to his warm body around her, she rested her head against his chest. "This is really nice. I've never cuddled with anyone before."
His left hand moved to her leg, drawing random patterns on the soft skin of her thigh with his finger. "Not even with your exes?"
She slightly pulled away and tilted her head up to gaze up at him. "What exes?"
He stared at her blankly. She could almost see the gears rotating in his brain. "Wait... I'm your first boyfriend? You were so forward when you told me you liked me. I thought for sure that you'd been with a couple guys."
"Nope! You, Kevin Ethan Levin..." Suppressing the urge to chuckle at his full name, she placed a hand on his cheek to bring him out of his trance. "...have the honor of being my first ever boyfriend."
"You're tellin' me none of the guys at your fancy school asked you out?"
"Some of them did. I went on dates here and there before you joined the team, but things didn't work out." She silently thanked the stars for that. Those other boys weren't bad per se, but she knew she was happier with Kevin than she would have been with anyone else. Her hand travelled down Kevin's neck, stopping at his chest to press a finger against him. "What about your exes?"
Kevin swore he could write a book about his previous relationships. None of them went particularly well. Sometimes, it was the girl's fault. Other times, it was his. He didn't really want to recall any memories of those girls, much less talk about them. "Stories for another day."
"Okay, then. Can you tell me something else about yourself? Like, a story or a secret or something?" She felt bad that she'd done the bulk of the talking tonight, and wanted to let him dominate the conversation. She also wanted to learn more about him, but she didn't want to push him. She had come to accept that Kevin was a secretive person, and the only way to get him to confide in her was to let him decide what to tell her and when.
"Uhhhh..." He had many, many stories and secrets, but he didn't feel like sharing most of them, since they had to do with his criminal past. Gwen hadn't given him a reason not to trust her, but he still wasn't ready to open up. Nevertheless, she did have a right to want to know more about him, so he felt he owed her some information about himself, even if it was something mundane. "I... sing..." He winced as he finished his sentence. "I sing in the shower."
The very idea of Kevin goofily singing in the shower was equal parts ridiculous and delightful, causing Gwen to burst into a short fit of giggles. Vivid images filled her mind, which she held onto for longer than she assumed was acceptable. "I- I mean, you have a really nice voice! Might as well put it to good use, right?"
Unsure of how to deal with the awkwardness of the situation, Kevin merely nodded, and chose to distract himself from his lingering embarrassment by studying the night sky, dotted with several twinkling stars. He found it funny that he was mesmerized by the view despite likely having seen some of those stars up close during his many trips to outer space. It was a human thing, he supposed. Looking up at the stars was a good way to remind himself how small he was compared to the ever-expanding universe. "I've never been the type of guy to appreciate the sky or whatever, but it really does look good tonight."
Gwen briefly looked up at the sky. "Mmm, it does, but I've seen better views."
"Yeah?"
Keeping one hand on his chest, she cupped his chin with her other hand, guiding his eyes to hers. "I'm looking right at him."
He didn't bother hiding the wide grin on his face. He squeezed her tighter, his hand on her thigh trading out drawing patterns for gentle caresses. "Y'know, I think you stole somethin' of mine a while ago. Might need it back."
"Darn. I thought you would've forgotten about that by now.", Gwen muttered under her breath. "Fiiiine, I'll give it back to you tomorrow."
"Huh?" He blinked, waiting for her to elaborate.
"Your handkerchief. That's what you were talking about, right?"
"I was talkin' about my heart. I was tryin' to be romantic. That's somethin' guys tell their girlfriends, right? That they stole their heart?" Maybe he didn't say it right. After all, the only references for what normal couples acted like were the few romantic movies Gwen had made him watch with her. His relationship with Gwen had been healthy so far, but, as Gwen highlighted to him earlier, it was nowhere near normal. Normal couples didn't put their lives on the line on a regular basis to stop alien attacks. "Though this explains why I haven't been able to find one of my handkerchiefs."
Now it was Gwen's turn to be embarrassed. "Heh, s-sorry." She mentally cursed herself not only for ruining what could have been a romantic moment, but also for reminding Kevin that she kept his handkerchief. She figured, though, that since the cat was out of the bag, she might as well see if she could have it. "Um, do you still want it back?"
He shook his head. "Nah, keep it. Maybe we'll look back at this someday and laugh about it."
She forced a smile, still mortified beyond belief. "Thanks."
Kevin held Gwen's hand that was on his chest, and slid it to the left side, over his heart. "Do you wanna know why you stole my heart? Other than the fact that you were- and still are- adorable, gorgeous, and all-around awesome, of course."
His compliments made her smile shift into a genuine one. "I'd love to."
His arm slipped out from under her waist, moving to wrap around her shoulders instead. "That night at the train station, the way you looked at me, the- the way you talked to me... that was the first time in a long time that someone treated me like I was more than a lowlife. You were nice to me. I know that's a pretty low bar to clear, but ya gotta understand, most people aren't nice to me, and- and it wasn't just that. You believed I could be better even though you had no reason to. That was enough to make me feel good about myself, y'know? Didn't take long for me to wanna follow you around like a lost puppy."
"I know this is long overdue, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything that happened when we were kids." She often wondered how things would have turned out if Kevin had accepted Ben's offer to join the Tennysons on their summer road trip when they met. Maybe all those crazy threats would have been easier to handle. Maybe Grandpa Max would have helped Kevin control his powers better. Wondering about what could have been wasn't of much use, but she couldn't stop herself, especially since she knew she could have done more instead of letting Ben deal with him on his own.
"No, it's okay. I'm making up for all that now, thanks to you." Kevin thought it was surreal that he had changed so drastically in the span of a few months. He went from being a criminal who looked out for no one but himself, to someone who helped save the universe and had a team he had come to regard as the most important people in his life. He was a Plumber now, just like his father, and he hoped to be at least half the man he was. He still wasn't exactly where he wanted to be in life, but he was making progress, and that in itself was an achievement, but not one that he accomplished all on his own. "You make me a better person. I like who I am when I'm around you. I- I guess a better way to put it is that you make me believe in myself, so... thank you. I'm happy I have you, Gwen."
"And I'm so, so happy I have you."
Kevin's car arrived at the end of the street, slowing down as it approached Gwen's house. As much as they would have liked their date to last longer, they decided to be responsible and end it so they could get some sleep. There was no telling when some villain would decide to wreak havoc on Bellwood, so they needed to be as well-rested as possible and ready for battle.
Gwen unbuckled her seatbelt, turning away from the window to look at Kevin. "Thanks again for tonight, Kevin. I had a great time!"
"No need to thank me. I like spendin' time with you." His hand crossed over the gear shift to hold hers. "See ya tomorrow?"
"Mm-hmm! As usual." She opened the passenger door. "Drive safe."
He chuckled. "No promises."
Just as she was about to step out of the car, Kevin's grip on her hand tightened, and he unbuckled his seatbelt with his other hand. He reached over and planted a long, wet kiss on her left cheek. As he pulled away, he brushed his palm against her other cheek. "Good night, Gwen."
"Good night, Kevin." Wearing a big smile on her face, Gwen exited the car and closed the passenger door behind her. She walked to her front door and waved him goodbye, before entering her house and making her way up to her room. As soon as her head hit her pillow, she drifted off into a blissful slumber.
You wouldn't believe how many little changes this story went through. :P It took a long time to write, but I'd say I'm pretty proud of how it turned out.
My main goal with it was to show Gwen and Kevin just being happy in each other's presence. I tried to make it as wholesome as I could while also showing that they're still adjusting to being in a relationship. I felt it was important to have them talk about minor things here and there to make it more realistic. I also included a bunch of continuity nods to tie it into the show a bit more. See if you can spot them all!