Author's Notes: Well here we go with another oneshot. This one was random, and it came to me when I was walking downstairs for dinner. Yeah, weird stuff goes on in your head at the weirdest of times. I had trouble deciding on what theme this works with, so I grabbed one that slightly fit. For those of you who don't know, Kevin's middle name is in fact Ethan. Now enjoy on this early New Year's gift!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.

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"Okay, using the dreaded middle name is not the best way to forge a bond."

-Adam Brody

35. Hold My Hand

"Hold up, your middle name is Ethan." Gwen said, miraculously keeping a straight face as she spoke. However, Kevin could catch the small twitch of her lips, obviously containing giggles.

The two were outside the movie theatres, about to buy tickets for a horror movie Kevin had been dying to see and Gwen had agreed only to spend time with him. Their conversation had gone down a road that Kevin had hoped wouldn't come up for a long time. Unfortunately for the boy, it had come up. A conversation about one's middle name is never one to be enjoyed especially if she made the same connections he had made years ago.

Kevin sighed and with some impatience muttered, "…Yeah, so what?" He really hoped she wouldn't start thinking about it, but that hope was a false one. Her badly hidden laughter showed him she had already drawn the connections.

Gwen bit her lip, but a few giggles escaped the girl. "So Kevin Ethan Levin… Or should I say Kevin E. Leven?"

At this point, it was too much. Her body began trembling as she giggled. Soon, those giggles turned into hearty laughs and her shoulders shook. Kevin watched with little expression on his face except for some hints of boredom and impatience. A small amount of delight that she was laughing filled him, but it faded away as minutes passed. While he did love making her laugh, it was tiring to have laugh about his middle name. They were supposed to being going out, not hanging around and laughing at his middle name. This was what he got for getting the courage to ask her out.

"Okay, quit it." Kevin grumbled, placing a hand on Gwen's shoulder to steady the hysterical girl. "It's not that funny."

Slowly, Gwen regained control of herself. It was tough, controlling her trembling body and she had to clamp her mouth shut to hold in the laughs. After a while, the need to laugh began dying and she opened her mouth to take in large breathes. Laughter had ceased for the most part, but her cheeks were still rosy from the excessive laughter and she still wore a large smile. A giggle escaped her lips as she took in the air she so desperately needed after such a laughing session as this one.

Kevin watched her carefully, half expecting the girl to fall back laughing. This was not supposed to be how a first date went. They were supposed to go to the movies and then get something to eat before heading home. If things went well, maybe they would kiss. Okay, so things were never that simple, but laughing at his middle name had not been one of his ideas of what could happen on this date. It hadn't even struck him that it could happen anytime soon, let alone on their first date.

"You're right…" Another giggle escaped as Gwen failed to stifle it. "What were your parents thinking?"

Kevin tensed slightly at the mention of his parents and shot back defensively, "What were Ben and your parents thinking when they made all their kids' names rhyme?" Gwen winced slightly and gave the boy a small shove though she knew she deserved it after the ridicule his name had been faced with.

"No need to bring that up… You've already laughed about it enough times. It's not my fault that my parents wanted to make our names rhyme."

"And it's not my fault my parents wanted my middle initial and last name to sound like a number." Kevin answered back, smiling. "Maybe they wanted people to laugh at it. It certainly does brighten your mood up."

"My mood was already good. It just got better, that's all." Gwen smiled back at him, glad that he held nothing against her for laughing at him. Kevin's smile widened slightly, happy that Gwen was having a good time on their first date. If he had messed up anything, he would never have forgiven himself.

"Now, we should head inside. Don't want to be late." Kevin said, slipping his hand into Gwen's. He had been a bit nervous to do it, but he had always wanted to and now was as good a time as any. When Gwen smiled at him and grasped his hand, he knew he had done the right thing.

"Whatever you say, Kevin E. Levin." Gwen murmured, giggling.

Kevin simply rolled his eyes, secretly relishing the sound of Gwen's laugh. Hopefully he would be hearing it a lot more this night.

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A/N: Seriously, try and say Kevin E. Levin aloud. It'll sound like Kevin Eleven, or very close to it. I didn't notice this until I was telling a friend about how Kevin's middle name was Ethan. I laughed for quite some time on this one. Well, I hope to update soon. Until then, you can review if you want to make me happy or go and eat chocolate! Or even better, both.

Twilight Phantom Dragon