Ben had gotten just a little tired of the cat and mouse game his friend and cousin were playing with each other. They'd flirt and fight, dance around each other, never really getting to the point of anything. Ben knew his cousin liked Kevin, and that Kevin liked Gwen. So why were they beating around the bush? All the sexual tension was getting a mite annoying.
But Ben was never one to just sit back and take things. No, he was a mover and a shaker. When Ben Tennyson had a plan, he saw it through, no matter what.
And my goodness, this was quite a brilliant plan.
"I'm not feeling well."
"Oh my God, Ben, what's wrong with you?!" Gwen asked, staring wide eyed at her cousin. Ben was standing in the doorframe wearing his pajamas and looking extremely sick. He was pale and shivering, a blanket around his shoulders.
"Just a cold," he said through chattering teeth. He was trying not to smirk. This effect was easy enough to get after chilling some bath water with Big Chill's icy breath. A quick transformation into Swampfire would warm him up quite nicely. "I'll be fine…r-r-really."
"You look awful," Kevin said. "I mean, more than usual."
"You two go to the concert without me," he said, sucking up snot through his nose. Kevin and Gwen looked at each other, both turning slightly pink. "We already bought the tickets, right? Might as well go…"
"B-but…" Gwen began, but Kevin cut her off.
"I-I…I think it would be cool if we went together," he said, and Gwen turned to look at him, her eyes wide. Was Kevin actually asking her out? "Only if you want to—"
"I'd love to," Gwen said quickly, and Kevin smiled at her. "See you later Ben. Feel better."
"Yeah, and try not to get snot all over yourself," Kevin joked. "You look enough like a DNAlien without spewing that gross yellow stuff."
"Ha, ha, very funny," Ben sighed. "Have fun."
He watched the two of them walk off, and to his delight, he saw Kevin put a tentative arm around Gwen's shoulder, leading her towards the car. Ben smiled and shut the door just as his father, Carl walked in. "Ben – you look awful."
"Nothing to worry about," he said, walking up to the stairs. "I'm about to feel a lot better."
"Hey, weren't you supposed to go to that concert with Gwen and Kevin tonight?" Carl asked, and Ben smirked.
"Yeah, change of plans," he said knowingly. "Third wheel's taking a break tonight."