8 years ago

Tears and quiet sobs came from a little girl with fiery red hair who was sitting in a swing set attached to a tree branch. She gripped at the rope of the swing ever tighter as the distant sounds of laughter and running echoed on behind her.

The throbbing and stinging pain from the scrape on her knee only reminded her of how mean other girls her age typically were. She knew she should have stayed reading her beloved fairytale books, the ones that consisted of powerful mages with otherworldly magical powers and abilities. Or those that consisted of a princess being saved by a knight in shining armor. She felt safe and accepted in those books not judged just because she liked school or her teachers or for always achieving the highest grades.

Eight-year-old Gwen Tennyson regretted the second her mother pulled her away from her precious books that afternoon and sent her to play with the other kids at the playground like a normal child.

"Ugh, normal." Gwen thought to herself, feeling unamused and disgusted knowing just how well trying to be normal has gone for her so far.

Gwen looked over her shoulder to see her mother on a park bench speaking with another woman who had a large belly. Her biology textbook had said that was what's called pregnancy. The woman had a somewhat worrisome expression while Gwen's mother kept talking while counting up on her fingers.

To Gwen's assumption, her mother was probably stressing the woman and applying pressure as she normally does to countless people not dependent on size or age.

"That's a Larson for ya." Her daddy once had told her during a visit to Disney Wonderland when her mother verbally obliterated another man twice her size due to the man having been somewhat rude to the Tennyson family.

Speaking of the Tennyson family, Gwen now turned back to see Ben Tennyson her cousin who stared with wide eyes at her. Gwen only gasped at his sudden announced intrusion.

"Dweeb? Why are you crying?" Said the other eight-year-old who had a baseball cap over the mess of brown hair identical to a bird's nest in Gwen's eyes, and was wearing a minor league baseball uniform.

"What! I-I'm not crying, doofus! What's wrong with you!" Gwen shouted at him, embarrassed and covering her eyes with her right arm.

Ben only stood unfazed until looking at his cousin's scraped and bleeding left knee. In a flash, he knelt close to her knee and removed his cap.

Gwen now having stopped her sniffling and removing her arm from her eyes, surprised once again asked,

"D-doofus w-what are you-"

Ben's only response was a long lick to the wound.

Gwen's response was an immediate pain-filled moan, a long pause to process the moment as an unknown heat filled her face, and then a lightning-fast shove to Ben, then she stood with fists clenched.

"Wh-what was that?! Y-you big doofus! Why did you just l-lick my knee?!"

Ben now sat up and was rubbing the back of his head. But to Gwen's surprise, he wasn't laughing like a goblin as he would normally do when playing one of his trademark pranks on her.

"I was only trying to help you, dweeb! You told me to pay attention in science class for once and I did, they said animals did this to treat their wounds." Ben fired back in defense.

The heat contained in Gwen's fists died out then as she unclenched them. But the heat in her face and the beating of her heart only ramped up.

Only feeling it all cancel out as she finally caught sight of the big bruise on her cousin's forehead which had been covered by the cap. The little redhead bolted toward the little brunette, practically pouncing onto him and pushing his mess of hair out of the way of the ugly bruise on his forehead and gently placing her fingers on it feeling how swollen it was.

Her cousin hissed in pain causing her to yank her hand back as if having touched a hot pan.

Ben tried to wave it off by saying it was no big deal. That was before the deep pain calmed and he opened his eyes again only to see Gwen sitting on top of him but most importantly on the verge of crying once again. He'd rather be receiving daily wedgies from JT and Cash than see or let alone be the cause of his cousin crying so he blurted out whatever he thought would fix his current situation.

"JT was pitching!"

Ben has a habit of digging a deep hole while already being in one. He was now fully aware of it himself as that distinct look that promised pain had found its home in his cousin's deep green eyes, only they weren't aimed at him but ahead to the baseball field where teams were currently practicing.

The little boy watched as the girl of his same age and size stood and marched forward, her eyes and expression as bright and determined and as much of a flame as her hair, with one goal in mind to administer pain to the one who dared to hurt her cousin regardless of the consequences and dangers.

Ben already knowing full well the ramifications of such actions having learned from first-hand experience, bounced to his feet and ran over, grabbing the vengeance-demanding girl by her hand. She didn't turn around, however, only letting out a growled, "Let go."

Ben knew from eight years of experience with his cousin, that that tone meant no convincing was going to be forthcoming.

Having no choice but to act on something that his dad did for his mom after she fought over the phone with her mother and seemed to work well to calm her down. Ben was hiding behind the kitchen counter at the time.

Now however he felt as if he was on the frontlines of the war stories his grandfather would tell him of, now and then. Him and his heart both as it thumped against his chest as if trying to burst out.

Ben turned Gwen right around ignoring all restraint and pulled her into a tight hug. All he had was his hearing for his eyes were shut tight the rest of him bracing, expecting a massive shove.

One that never came. Instead came two arms wrapping tight right around him and fingers digging into his uniform. He then heard her sniffle and felt her head along with some tears and shaking shoulders accompany his body.

Ben thought he had just messed up worse than humanly possible about ready to believe he was some foreign doofus alien.

Until he heard her soft muffled small and broken voice let out a, "Thank you Ben."

After what felt like forever they pulled away feeling the slight cool in the air now that they were apart.

Gwen dried her eyes and sniffled once more, now smiling at Ben.

The breeze picked up then but In an almost calm soothing and greeting manner.

"I'll always protect you."

It took a second to process the fact that both cousins had said the same thing and were in sync. It took them only another second to laugh out loud like the eight-year-olds they are.

Then the little girl with fiery red hair held out her pinky.

"Promise?"

The little boy with messy brown hair then wrapped his pinky around hers.

"Promise."