"Time's up."

"No way! I just started!" Kevin continued to write as fast as his hand would allow him.

"Not according to the clock."

Kevin glanced at the clock on Gwen's bedside table, which, to his discontent, proved her right. Where had the time gone? Defeated, he placed his pen on the table and sighed deeply, rubbing his sore wrist. "I was just over halfway done," he murmured, hunching forward and resting his weary head on the table. "I'm off my game today."

Kevin was now far enough in his GED journey that he had learned all he needed to know and had advanced to doing practice tests. Sticking to the time limit for each test turned out to be difficult, particularly when it came to writing essays. Sometimes, like today, he'd spend minutes racking his brains trying to think of what to write, which didn't leave a lot of time to put pen to paper.

Gwen left the bed and went behind him to pat his back in consolation. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone has days like that." Her touch migrated north to weave her fingers through his long black locks, raking her nails against his scalp. The sensation caused an inexplicable calmness to radiate throughout his body, and he purred in pleasure. Hearing such a strange sound come out of him made her giggle. "Feel better?"

Somewhat abashed, he mumbled, "A little." She somehow knew all the right ways to put him at ease, and he loved it.

She picked up his notebook to read his essay, tracing a finger under the words on the page. "Hm, I can kinda see what you were going for, but a lot of this looks like word vomit. You didn't actually answer the question." Kevin responded with a groan, a clear sign that his brain had switched off.

Rolling her eyes at his dramatics, she put his book down. There wasn't much use in reviewing his work in his current state. "I think it's time for a break," she cooed into his ear. He wasn't sure what he liked more; her suggestion, or the way she had said it.

With renewed vigor, Kevin rose to his feet and effortlessly carried Gwen over his shoulder, eliciting an abrupt laugh from her. He gently set her on the bed, and she scooted to make room for him. Laying on his back, he settled into a comfortable position and drew her close by wrapping an arm around her upper back. She reclined her head on his chest, draping her leg over his. Kevin was grateful that the weather was hot enough for both of them to be wearing shorts. He relished any and all skin-to-skin contact between them.

Gwen reached for Kevin's free hand, interlocking her fingers with his own calloused ones. "So, we're pretty deep into this GED thing. How do you feel?"

A pause preceded his reply as he cocked his head in thought. "Cautiously optimistic."

She briefly raised her head to lock eyes with him. "Careful with your word choices," she joked. "You're starting to sound like me!"

A blush blossomed in his cheeks. "Just one of the many ways you've had an effect on me."

Taking his response as a compliment, Gwen craned her neck to peck him on the lips before returning to her spot on his chest. "What's holding you back from being totally optimistic?"

"I dunno." He stared at the ceiling while he spoke. "It hasn't been a total disaster like part of me thought it was gonna be, but I'm still not as good as I should be. I mean..." He trailed off, gesturing at his unfinished essay on the desk, and her gaze followed.

"We'll look that over later." She turned to him, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. "Overall, though, I think you're doing great. You've managed to grasp most of the subject material, and you've been doing well on some of those practice tests. Is there room for improvement? Sure, but you'll get better at those things eventually. I'm proud of you for how far you've come since you started. You should be, too."

He hummed softly, the faintest of twinkles in his eyes. "Yeah, I... I guess I should."

Gwen lifted her head once more to look at him. "Say it."

"Hm?"

"Say 'I'm proud of myself'," she encouraged him.

"Do I have to?" he whined. She was trying to pull a psychological trick on him, he was certain. He had read somewhere that saying affirmations out loud makes them more impactful, but the concept was alien to him. What difference would it really make if he said something out loud instead of thinking it?

Sternness crept into her voice. "Say it." Releasing his hand, she climbed on top of him to straddle him, sitting between his legs. "Or I'll tickle you." A mischievous grin stretched across her face as she wiggled her fingers in anticipation. Unfazed by her threat, Kevin defied her with a snort. Her fingers slipped under his shirt, one hand hovering over either hip. "Last chaaance," she warned in a singsong tone, her grin widening.

Stubborn as always, Kevin casually put his hands behind his head, his temerity on full display in the form of a smirk. "Make me."

Oh, well. She did warn him.

Gwen's fingertips teasingly stroked Kevin's sides with feathery touches. She chortled when he squirmed involuntarily, pursing his lips as tight as humanly possible to prevent the laughter bubbling within him from escaping. His face was a deep red from breathlessness, but he wasn't going to let her win.

His efforts were for naught as, when Gwen sped up her pace, the dam broke. His body convulsed in fits of uncontrollable laughter as her fingers travelled all over his body. He tried to grab her wrist to stop her, but she was quick to evade him. As much as his mind wanted to hold out a little longer, his body couldn't take the torture anymore. "O-Okay, okay! I g-give!" In between fits of laughter, he slapped the mattress to signal his yielding.

Accepting his surrender, Gwen stopped, and realized that during the chaos, his shirt had ridden up to his chest. She refrained from pulling it back down, drinking the sight of his well-defined physique. Several seconds passed, the only sounds in the room coming from Kevin as he regained his breath. Once his breathing stabilized, she bent down so their faces were separated by mere inches, and affectionately cupped his cheeks while she waited for him to speak.

"I'm proud of myself," he finally admitted with a shy smile. Psychology was right. That was more impactful than just thinking it, albeit much more awkward.

"Good." Tilting her head slightly, she leaned in to tenderly merge her lips with his in an ardent kiss. In turn, he held onto her cheeks, pulling her closer. Their hearts beat rapidly as the intensity between them grew. Time came to a standstill as the rest of the world seemed to fade away.

When they broke apart for air, she moved her body down to nestle her head under his chin, splaying her hands on his shoulders. His hands leisurely ventured under her shirt, roaming aimlessly around the soft skin of her sides and back.

She didn't protest. She deemed it fair given what she did to him earlier. In fact, she quite enjoyed feeling his skin on hers. It was only when his hands wandered into the back pockets of her shorts that she spoke up, her words accompanied by a gentle chuckle. "Awfully handsy today, aren't we?"

Caught red-handed, he let out a sheepish laugh. "Guilty as charged."

"I didn't say I didn't like it." She pushed against his hands, prompting him to decide against pulling them away. Savoring the weight of his hands on her, she sighed in contentment, then posed a question to him. "Have you thought about going to college?"

Gwen had asked a valid question. College was where most people his age would go after finishing high school or getting a GED. Most normal people, anyway. "I should get through the GED first, don'tcha think? Besides, I dunno if I'm cut out for it. Sittin' in a room and listenin' to some uppity professor drone on and on for hours ain't my thing."

"There's more to college than that," she tsked. "But you're right. Let's get you through the GED first. We should think about signing you up soon."

"Soon, sure. Not now." Kevin's tone indicated he was preemptively shutting down further discussion on the topic.

Sensing that she had struck a nerve in him, Gwen lowered her voice, letting her hands fall from his shoulders to her sides. "Sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot."

"No, no, I ain't mad." He planted a lingering kiss on the crown of her head to reassure her. "I'm super burned out right now, that's all. Can we talk about somethin' else?"

Her voice returned to its regular volume. "Sure. Like what?"

"Like... are you okay?"

"Peachy." Remembering where his hands were, she swiftly added, "No pun intended. Why? Do I not seem okay?"

"With all you've been doin' lately, you've got more on your plate than usual. I wanna help out." If he had to burden her with his GED, the least he could do was be useful.

Gwen sat up, ensuring he could see the sincerity on her face as she spoke. "I'm fine, Kevin. I'm good at juggling responsibilities. You know that."

"Doesn't mean I can't do somethin' anyway," he insisted.

"Okay," she relented. "Since you're offering, I'm sorta in the mood for a grilled cheese."

"Ya sure your folks won't mind me usin' your kitchen?"

She brushed his question off with a wave of her hand. "They're not gonna know."

"'Kay. Gimme a minute." He took his hands out of her pockets and placed them on her hips. Before she could even think about telling him to put them back, he lifted her off him and set her down beside him, causing her to squeal in surprise. Then, with a fluid motion, he rolled over, hovering over her. "Listen, grilled cheese wouldn't be enough to make it up to you for all you've been doin'. Let's take the Rust Bucket out for a spin this weekend. We'll go anywhere you wanna go, on or off Earth."

Gwen's face lit up at Kevin's words, making a mental note to make a list of places she had long wanted to visit. "You can be a real sweetie sometimes."

"Only when it comes to you." He stared into her vibrant green eyes, not once breaking contact as he gingerly took her hand and brought it up to his lips to press a kiss against her palm. The touch of his lips on her skin sent a tingle down her spine. "You deserve the world," he declared, his admiration for her evident in every word. Dropping her hand, he leaned in and very slowly planted kisses across her neck, allowing each one to linger. A breathy laugh left her lips when he nipped at the junction between her shoulder and neck.

Picking up a tiny bit of speed, his trail of kisses traced up her throat, ending when he fervently melded his lips with hers, their bodies pressed together. Amidst their passionate embrace, he hummed in delight, the vibration reverberating between them.

All too soon, their lips parted, leaving an ache for more. "Not yet," she pleaded, her voice barely audible. With a desperate whimper, she clenched a fistful of his shirt to tug him back in for one more stolen kiss, prolonging their euphoric connection. When the need for air became too great to ignore, he begrudgingly pulled away and rolled onto his side. They lay in silence for a minute, shoulder-to-shoulder, basking in the afterglow of their little moment.

Chest still heaving as he recovered his breath, Kevin turned to Gwen and tapped on her thigh to catch her attention. "Wanna watch me make your sandwich?"

"Make that a grilled cheese and a cup of tea." She readjusted herself to lay on her side with her elbow on her pillow, propping her head on her hand. "Maybe I can take a proper look at your essay while you go downstairs. We should get back to work."

"C'mon, five more minutes!" he begged. "My brain's fried."

"What's in it for me?" she asked, eyeing him with a small smirk.

Desperate to prolong their break by any means necessary, he ignored that she was using one of his own tactics on him. "I'll give you a piggyback ride downstairs."

"Do it both ways and I'll add another five," she bargained.

"Deal!" He sat up and positioned himself at the edge of the bed, then gestured at his back. "Hop on."

Gwen crawled to Kevin and dangled her arms over his shoulders. He held onto her wrists for support and stood up once she was securely on his back, wobbling as he found his footing, adjusting to the added weight. She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Good luck trying to balance everything on the way back up here," she teased, her warm breath tickling his ear.

He tightened his grip on her wrists. "You're just gonna have to hold on real tight."

"Oh, no," she said sarcastically, her voiced filled with mock worry.

"Ready?"

"One, two-"

He didn't give her the chance to finish counting, sprinting out of her room and down the stairs, the house filled with the sound of her laughter.

I wanted this to be rot-your-teeth levels of sweet, so if you think I went overboard, I probably did a good job. :P

Originally, I wanted to bring up how Gwen's about to go to college, thus transitioning the story into the timeframe of Omniverse, but I've already written a short story with that premise (and I wanted to keep this story focused on Kevin), so the story will remain in its Ultimate Alien setting for the remainder of its run, which will be another chapter or two.

Also, I have no plans in this story to follow up on Kevin's offer to take Gwen somewhere, but I may make a companion story about that if there's a demand for it.

Thanks for reading, and feedback is appreciated as always!