"So, you kids going back to the park today?" Max asked the next morning at breakfast.
"Hell yeah!" Ben replied.
"Ben…"
"Heck yeah!" he corrected. "There's at least, like, ten more rides we need to go on still. And maybe we can go back to the arcade. There were a ton of games we didn't get to last time."
Gwen took a bite of her toast as she nodded in agreement. "What are you going to do today, Grandpa?"
"I've gotta hand over our little ghost problem to the proper authorities," Max told them, tapping his hand against a folded-up map on the table. "It's a bit of a drive to the drop-off point, so I'll be away most of the day. I'll be back in time for the fireworks, though."
Gwen froze.
Shit.
She and Ben had told Mandy and Randy that they'd watch the fireworks with them. They couldn't bring Grandpa along for that.
What if he tells them we're cousins? Or what if they tell him we're dating?
Gwen tried to shoot a look of concern towards Ben, but if he noticed anything, he didn't seem to show it.
We've gotta call it off with one of them. It would be rude as heck to ditch Grandpa. But we just made some new friends, and who knows when we'll get to see them again?
Gwen wondered if it would've been possible to watch the fireworks with both parties separately. They could go with Grandpa, then go hang out with Mandy and Randy for a bit, then meet up with Grandpa once again before the show ended.
Is that sort of sitcom trope even possible to pull off in real life?
Gwen noticed Ben was looking at her funny. He must have been able to tell that her mind was working overtime at the moment, but he probably still hadn't figured out why.
Whatever, Doofus.
"Hey, Grandpa?" Gwen began, thinking she may have found a decent middle ground.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Um, about the fireworks…" She glanced at Ben, trying to give him a heads up that she might have been moving into dangerous waters. "Ben and I met some other kids at the park yesterday, and, well, we kinda told them we'd see the fireworks with them already."
Ben's eyes opened wide with realization. "Oh! Shit, we did, didn't we?"
"Language, Ben," Gwen scolded him before Max got the chance to. Then she cleared her throat and turned her attention back to their grandfather. "So, uh, do you think maybe we could watch the first part of the fireworks show with you, and then watch the end of it with them?" She winced, still feeling as though she were being rude.
However, Max did not seem offended. Instead, he smiled warmly. "Oh! It's good to see you two making friends," he commented.
Gwen quirked a brow, then remembered her and Ben's track record.
I guess we do usually kind of suck at making friends…
"Well, sure, sweetheart. I think that would be nice," Max finished.
Gwen let out a sigh of relief. "Great. Thanks, Grandpa."
Now we just need to make sure Mandy and Randy never meet him…
"Okay, we need to get a few parts of our story straight," Gwen told her boyfriend as they entered the park together that morning.
"What?" Ben looked confused. "Story?"
"For Mandy and Randy," the redhead clarified. "When we tell them about your grandpa."
"My grandpa?"
"Exactly." Gwen had to step out of the way to avoid the fast-moving crowd. She took Ben's hand and pulled him along with her, trying to avoid getting separated as they made their way to the meeting point.
Ben sighed, then chuckled. "Oh. Because he's Max Tennyson?"
"And I'm Gwen McCullough. Remember that, too," she warned him. "Never call Grandpa our grandfather. And if we talk about my parents at all, don't call them 'Aunt Natalie' or 'Uncle Frank.'"
Ben burst out laughing. "Gwen, come on. This stuff is never gonna come up. We went all day yesterday without even mentioning last names until they wanted to add us to their contacts."
"We've gotta be prepared, Doofus," Gwen insisted. "I don't like lying like this, but we both know we have to. And if we're gonna be lying together, we need to keep our stories straight."
"Fine, fine."
Gwen was more than a little frustrated with how he was acting, but she couldn't exactly blame him. She knew she was being paranoid, but if this secret relationship was going to work, she needed to be. As usual, Ben wanted to do something fun yet dangerous, and it fell to Gwen to be the responsible one.
It's like the Omnitrix all over again…
She knew it probably wouldn't be so bad, however. Ben was right about one thing. It was very unlikely that any of the stuff she was thinking about would ever come up. It was just in her nature to overprepare, as Ben constantly reminded her.
"Hey, there's Mandy."
"What?" Gwen turned her head.
"Over there." Ben pointed toward the swinging pirate ship ride in the distance. It was pretty far away, but Gwen could see the girl he was talking about. She was just getting off of the ride with a bunch of other park goers. At least Gwen thought it was her. She had Mandy's hair and her jeans shorts, but she was too far away to make out her face clearly enough, and Randy was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Randy?" Gwen asked, scanning the crowd getting off of the ride.
Ben shrugged. "Dunno. Think she started without him?"
"Maybe," Gwen said.
As she watched Mandy, Gwen saw the other girl break away from the crowd, only being followed by a blond-haired boy who looked about their age. The two of them stopped near the fence and talked for a moment. They both laughed before continuing. Then, Mandy leaned in and kissed the blond boy on the mouth.
"Wait, that's not Mandy," Gwen realized. She suddenly felt like a weird stalker, having been staring at some random girl from across the park and watching her kiss her boyfriend.
"Oh, yeah," Ben agreed. "Unless Randy dyed his hair since yesterday."
Gwen laughed lightly. "You know, you might look good as a blond," she joked.
"Duh. I'd look good as anything," Ben replied with a confident smirk.
The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Would I look good as a blonde?" she asked. "You know, like Lucy?"
Her boyfriend seemed to stare at her head for a moment. "Why? Everyone knows redheads are the best," he said, sounding as though he were stating a simple fact.
"Shut up." Gwen lightly smacked his arm, smiling from the compliment. She turned away in an attempt to hide her blushing. When she did, she spotted the girl who wasn't Mandy again. The blond boy had disappeared, and she was walking down a path that was taking her closer to where Ben and Gwen were waiting. A second later, Gwen also spotted Randy coming down the path from another direction.
"Hey, there's Randy," she pointed out to Ben.
Oddly, Randy and the girl who wasn't Mandy seemed to spot each other. The two of them hurried to meet up, much to Gwen's confusion. The redhead then watched as the other girl kissed Randy, the exact same way she'd kissed that blond boy.
"Wait, what the fuck? That is Mandy," Ben said aloud, sounding surprised and confused. Gwen was, too. She shared a look with Ben.
"Let's… not jump to conclusions," she said, slowly putting the pieces together and realizing the implication.
"What other conclusion can we make? We just saw her kissing some other dude!" Ben replied, clearly not happy about that.
"I mean, that still could've been a different girl. We took our eyes off her, didn't we?" Gwen rationalized, although she could see Mandy was clearly wearing the exact same clothes the supposed other girl had been wearing.
Her boyfriend looked at her skeptically before glaring at the other girl again.
"Ben, seriously, don't blow up on her," Gwen pleaded. They'd only just met this other couple, and she didn't want to ruin things over what could've been a simple misunderstanding.
"We're gonna ask her about this," Ben asserted.
"Okay, fine. But let me do it," Gwen insisted. If she could ask diplomatically, maybe they could clear up the misunderstanding without upsetting anyone or making a scene. Striding forward, she headed towards the other couple.
Mandy and Randy both waved when they spotted Ben and Gwen. Gwen waved back, but Ben didn't.
"Hey, guys!" the dark-haired girl greeted them first.
"Yo," Randy said.
"Hey." Gwen smiled uneasily. "We saw you over there on the swinging ship ride," Gwen said, pointing over to the ride.
"Yeah, Randy was taking forever, so I figured I'd get a head start," she replied. "It was fun, too! I thought the swinging might be a little much for my stomach, but it wasn't bad. You wanna give it a go?"
Judging by her reaction, Mandy didn't seem nervous or guilty at all. However, she didn't mention the blond boy.
"Who was that guy you kissed?" Ben blurted out.
Gwen was mortified. "Ben!"
"Who, Hector?" Mandy replied without skipping a beat, smiling. "He's a friend from our school. I ran into him this morning."
"Oh, Hector's here?" Randy didn't seem bothered at all.
"Yeah! I asked if he wanted to join us, but he said he was here with a bunch of other people, so."
Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. She shot Ben a look, hoping to tell him to back down. They hadn't just witnessed Mandy cheating. It had been a misunderstanding after all.
See? Just like I said!
Ben seemed to accept that as well. In fact, he looked pretty embarrassed, but he tried to cover it up by moving on like nothing had happened. "So… you guys wanna try the log flume ride?" he suggested.
"Yeah!" Mandy answered.
"I'm game," Randy agreed.
"You sure?" Gwen asked the other girl, remembering how she'd responded to thrill rides the other day. "It won't be too much motion for you?"
Mandy glanced over her shoulder, seeing the large ride in the distance. "It should be fine," she replied. "It looks like it's mostly just one big drop, which shouldn't be enough to mess me up."
"Alright. But you get to pick the next ride, 'kay?" Gwen suggested.
"Sounds good to me!"
The four of them set off down the path together, making their way through the crowds. Mandy latched onto Randy's arm pretty quickly, which, of course, forced Gwen to do the same with Ben. She felt weird about it for a split second, worried that somehow their grandfather would magically appear behind them and catch them. However, her fears subsided as they walked. Even with the awkwardness that had ensued a moment ago, things were already beginning to feel the same as the previous day.
Just a double date at the amusement park. Nothing weird going on here at all.
"See? It was fine," Gwen whispered to her boyfriend as soon as she had the chance. The other couple was walking a little bit ahead of them, so she was certain she wouldn't be heard over the noise of the park.
"It's still fuckin' weird that she kissed that guy, though," Ben replied.
"No it's not. Some people are just affectionate like that. Like Lucy."
"Whatever."
Despite being early in the day, the park was crowded, so a line had already formed for the log flume ride. With a few minutes to kill, the two couples decided to make small talk while they waited.
"So, whaddya guys think of the aliens?" Randy asked all of a sudden.
Ben and Gwen froze.
What the hell? Do they know something?
Mandy laughed. "Jeez. What's wrong with you two? You look like you've seen a ghost."
What the-?!
Gwen laughed nervously. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah, what aliens?" Ben joined in.
Randy shrugged. "Any of 'em. Y'know, like that green one that went viral last week. Or that big lizard thing that was a meme for a while."
Gwen sighed with relief. Randy didn't know anything more about aliens than the average person did, it appeared. He was just curious what she and Ben thought about the whole thing.
"I think they're freakin' cool!" Ben replied. "You ever seen that red one with four arms?"
"Yeahhh!" Randy snapped his fingers, then held out his hand for a fist bump. "I saw one vid where it, like, quadruple-punched a tank and just completely obliterated it."
Gwen tried to remember if that had been something Ben had done as Four Arms, or if Randy had seen a video of a different tetramand.
"We don't know that they're aliens, technically," Gwen joined in. She had the benefit of knowing for a fact that the aliens that had been popping up over the last few years were indeed real aliens, but she decided to sow some seeds of doubt. "They're weird, sure, but they could still be from Earth."
"So what do you think they are?" Mandy asked curiously.
Gwen shrugged. "Government experiments? Mutants? Creatures from deep underground? Or deep underwater? Could be anything, really."
"Hell, they could be magic for all we know, right?" Ben added, smiling playfully at Gwen.
Mandy shook her head. "Nah. They're totally aliens."
"Yeah, there's no such thing as magic," Randy agreed.
Gwen laughed. "Oh, what? So you can believe space aliens traveled millions of lightyears to get here, but magic is going too far?"
"Ah, you went through a 'witch' phase at some point just like Mandy did, didn't you?" Randy asked.
"Hey! That was in, like, fifth grade, asshole." Mandy's cheeks went red, clearly embarrassed by her boyfriend bringing up a cringey phase from her elementary school days.
"When Ben was, like, five, he used to go around picking up sticks and waving them around, saying it was the legendary sword he would use to vanquish evil." Gwen thought it might help Mandy feel a bit better if she brought up some embarrassing memories of theirs, too. Ben didn't seem bothered by that one, though. He laughed along with everyone else.
"Wow, you two have known each other for that long, huh?" Mandy noted.
Gwen's eyes went wide, realizing she'd allowed herself to reminisce too freely about their past together.
Shit.
She forced a chuckle. "Yep. So, you don't think the aliens or whatever are dangerous?" she asked, hoping to steer the conversation back to the previous subject.
"Well of course they're dangerous," Ben answered. "Except the hero ones."
Gwen couldn't help but wonder if it hurt him at all to talk about this. He seemed okay, but she knew that losing the Omnitrix had been really tough on him, and she didn't want to hit on any sore spots.
"Some probably are, but I bet the government's got some kinda 'Men in Black' thing to take care of 'em," Randy speculated.
Ben and Gwen shared a subtle look, smiling inwardly with their knowledge of the Plumbers.
"Most of them are fine. It's just the destructive ones that end up on the news," Mandy pointed out. "Most of them probably live normal lives, hidden among us."
Like Lucy.
"I wanna see one in person," Randy said. "Maybe they can take me to another planet!"
"Ask them to take Ben with you," Gwen quipped. She was enjoying herself quite a bit now. Talking with Mandy and Randy seemed as easy as it had been the previous day. She was already looking forward to spending the rest of her time at the amusement park with them and Ben.
After the log flume ride, the two couples spent the rest of the morning trying out different rides they hadn't gotten to yet. They also re-rode a few of the best ones, since each couple had been on a few rides the other couple hadn't tried yet, and none of them wanted to miss out on anything.
After that, the four of them got lunch together in the food court, and then they spent another couple hours in the arcade. Just as they'd done with the air hockey game, they found as many games as they could that would allow them to compete in doubles matches. They stuck with Ben and Gwen vs. Mandy and Randy for the teams most of the time, although a few times they switched it up so they could do boys vs. girls. Then, after tiring themselves out in the arcade, they decided to catch a few more rides before the evening fireworks show.
Throughout the day, Gwen had a few more minor slip-ups in which she felt like she had almost divulged too much information about herself and Ben, but for the most part, she was having so much fun that time just flew by.
Gwen's worries about her and Ben giving themselves away had mostly dissipated as the day drew to a close, but she was brought back down to Earth when it came time to meet up with Grandpa.
The two couples walked side by side, with Gwen and Mandy each latching onto their respective partners. The sky was darkening, and most of the other park patrons were already headed in the direction of where the fireworks show would start.
"Lookin' like it's about time," Mandy commented, checking the time on her phone. "You guys wanna head over now? We know the perfect secret little spot to watch the fireworks."
Gwen ran her hand over Ben's back, hoping to subtly signal to him that it was time to put their guard up and make sure they didn't say anything suspicious.
"You guys go on ahead and we'll catch up with you in a bit," Ben told them. "We promised my family we'd watch the start of the fireworks show with them."
Ben's response made Gwen smile with pride. Not only had he avoided saying something like 'our grandfather,' but he had taken the initiative to say 'my family' instead. It wasn't technically a lie in any way, but it also gave off the illusion that it was more than just his grandfather that they were going to see. It might have seemed odd if he was traveling for the summer with just his grandfather and his girlfriend. It was probably more believable to say he was on a family vacation, and he'd been allowed to bring his girlfriend along as well.
"Alright," Mandy replied, not appearing the least bit suspicious of them. "Lemme show you where to meet us before you go, then."
As they followed the gathering crowd, the two couples came to an area of the park that resembled a garden. Many families and other groups of people had set up picnic blankets on the grass, claiming their spots before the fireworks began. Mandy and Randy pointed towards the top of a wooded hill in the distance.
"See that up there?" Mandy asked. "There's a path that leads up the hill through the woods," she explained, moving her hand to give directions. "There's some comfy places to sit, and the view is perfect."
"It's the perfect place to make out, too," Randy added.
Mandy giggled and hit him playfully, but she didn't deny it. Ben and Gwen shared a look.
"Um. We don't wanna, like, interrupt you or anything…" Gwen said uncertainly.
"No, no, no, it's fine," Mandy insisted. "So, yeah. We'll be up there if you can get away from Ben's family at some point."
"Sounds good," Gwen agreed, internally laughing at the phrase 'Ben's family.'
"Later, guys," Randy said, waving as he and Mandy departed.
"See ya." Ben waved back.
Gwen waved as well, and she kept her eyes on the other couple until they were so far out of earshot that she lost them in the crowd. "Good job, Ben," she praised her cousin, happy with the way things had been going so far.
He shrugged. "I didn't do anything."
That made Gwen smile, a little apologetically. "Look, I know I was being a little paranoid earlier, but thanks for listening anyway. Seriously. It's sweet of you."
Ben laughed a little at that, perhaps a little embarrassed by her praise. "Don't call me 'sweet,' Dweeb."
"I'll call you whatever I want, sweetie," the redhead replied smugly. Right then, she really wanted to hug him. She wanted to do a lot more with him, too. However, she needed to change gears. They were about to go spend time with their grandfather, so she needed to switch from 'girlfriend mode' back into 'cousin mode.'
"Did Grandpa say where he'd be?" Ben asked, standing on a low stone fence in an attempt to look around the garden area.
"I'll call him." Pulling out her phone, Gwen speed dialed her grandfather and held the phone to her ear.
"Hello, pumpkin!" Max answered after a couple of rings.
"Hi, Grandpa!" To hear him over the crowd gathering in the area, she pressed a finger against her other ear. "We're in the garden. Where are you?"
"I'm here, too. On the south side."
"South side, got it. We'll find you there."
"Come quickly. I've got a great spot picked out. See you soon."
"See you soon," Gwen repeated back to him before hanging up. "He's-"
"He's over there." Ben pointed. In the far distance, their grandfather had set up three camping chairs on the grass. "Alright." Ben hopped down from the stone fence. "Let's go."
"Hot cocoa?" Max offered, holding out a thermos.
"It's like a thousand degrees out her, Grandpa," Ben replied, tugging at the neck of his sweaty T-shirt. For some reason, Gwen couldn't help but stare at his neck.
Max shrugged. "And you, sweetheart?"
Gwen smiled. "I'll have some, Grandpa." She grabbed one of the styrofoam cups Max had brought with his picnic supplies and held it up.
Max obliged. "So, did you kids have fun together?" he asked as he filled her cup.
"Together?" Gwen's eyes went wide for a split second, then her rational brain kicked in. She giggled lightly in embarrassment. "Yeah! We went on a bunch of rides and played around in the arcade again."
And we totally held hands and kissed like a couple and everything…
Her heart beat rapidly while she took a sip of the unsurprisingly hot cocoa. Their grandfather didn't know anything, she reminded herself.
"Oh, that's right. You were with some new friends today as well, weren't you?" Max asked.
"Yeah, the ones we met yesterday," Ben reiterated, sounding proud of himself for some reason. "They're really cool."
"Well, I'd love to say hi and meet them before we leave tomorrow," their grandfather continued.
Ben and Gwen shared a look. "Yeah, maybe," Ben answered noncommittally.
And by that, he means, 'No chance in hell.'
"Do you have any marshmallows, Grandpa?" Gwen asked, hoping to avoid discussing Mandy and Randy with their grandfather.
"Of course! Can't have cocoa without marshmallows." Max reached for a bag he'd brought and dug through it.
Gwen briefly recalled a time when their grandfather had given them marshmallows that were hard as rocks. She hoped he just had a store-bought brand this time.
"Man, are these fireworks ever gonna start?" her cousin complained, fidgeting uncomfortably in his camping chair.
God, I want to cuddle with him on that picnic blanket so bad right now…
Gwen reminded herself that she would only have to control herself for a little while longer.
"How'd everything go with the, uh, you know…" Gwen began to ask their grandfather about his task to turn over the captive Ectonurite to his Plumber contacts, but she realized halfway through the sentence that she had to be careful when mentioning stuff like that in public. "Your delivery?"
Ben perked up at Gwen's question, more interested in alien activities than waiting for fireworks. "Yeah! What happened? Is she going to prison? Or getting launched into the sun?"
Max laughed. "No, Ben. Nobody's getting launched into the sun. We don't do that anymore."
"Anymore?" Gwen asked.
"We?" Ben repeated excitedly. "Are you a Plumber again? Do we get to be Plumbers, too?"
"Ben!" Gwen wanted him to stop. Not only was the conversation becoming too sensitive to be had in public, but she still wasn't entirely happy picuring Ben as an interplanetary law enforcement agent in the future.
This park trip would have been completely safe and peaceful if it hadn't been for that alien. Why does he always have to seek out trouble?
"Nothing's changed, Ben," Max told him. "I'm not coming out of retirement any time soon. I just used an old contact, that's all."
"Okay, but how do we become Plumbers?" Ben asked, not dropping the subject.
Max smiled. "You know what? Why don't we save this discussion for another time?"
Ben opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped when he saw a bright light exploding in the sky. Many people in the garden gave it an "Ooh!" Many others clapped at the signal that the show had started.
"Sounds good, Grandpa," Ben replied, his eyes already cast up to the skies, awaiting the next explosion.
Gwen had never been more happy to see fireworks. As the next ones went off, she was impressed by the color scheme and coordination. "It's beautiful."
"Boom!" Ben shouted, pumping his fist after a particularly loud firework went off in the sky.
Gwen smiled, watching as the colorful explosions lit up Ben's handsome face. She loved seeing him happy like this. No pain of losing the Omnitrix, no fear of their enemies getting to them, just enjoying the summer.
And being together.
That was the best part about their summers. And yet, at the same time, that was sort of the worst part - she and Ben were together, but as long as their grandfather was around, they were never truly together.
With that confusing thought in mind, Gwen watched the fireworks and snuck glances at her secret boyfriend for as long as she could bear it. Then, after a few rounds of fireworks, she finished her mug of hot cocoa and placed it on the ground beside her chair. "This was nice, Grandpa," she said as she stood up. "But Ben and I should get going if we're gonna meet up with our friends before the fireworks are over."
Ben perked up immediately. "Oh, yeah," he said, sounding like he'd nearly forgotten. "Let's go."
"Alright. Have fun, you two. I'll meet you back at the Rust Bucket after the fireworks. Try not to be out too late." Max waved to them as they left.
"Okay. Bye, Grandpa!"
"See ya later, Grandpa."
Gwen felt like she was holding her breath as she counted down the seconds. She was eager to switch from 'cousin mode' to 'girlfriend mode' again. As much as she enjoyed a good fireworks show, having to enjoy such a potentially romantic moment with her boyfriend tantalizingly close to her while also being completely unable to even touch him - it had been maddening.
So, as soon as there was enough crowd between them and their grandfather, Gwen snatched up Ben's hand in hers, gripping it tightly. The dopey lovestruck smile on her face must have been very revealing, because it made Ben laugh.
"And here you were telling me to be careful," Ben commented in amusement, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of their grandfather.
"Shut up, Doofus. Just let me enjoy you for once."
"I feel like you say that a lot nowadays."
Gwen didn't respond to that. In truth, she enjoyed his teasing, and walking hand-in-hand with her boyfriend through the crowd was endlessly enjoyable.
Together, Ben and Gwen followed the path leading to the wooded area on the hill that Mandy had pointed out to them earlier. Once they made it to the trees, Gwen noted that, while there wasn't really anyone else around anymore, it wasn't really much quieter. The fireworks were still going off in the sky, and the distant crowd was still uttering sounds of wonder and amazement. So, they had some privacy, but it didn't really feel like they were alone. That wouldn't matter, however. The plan right now wasn't to be alone; it was to continue their double date with the other couple.
"You see them anywhere?" Ben asked, pushing his way through the branches of a nearby bush.
"No. But I think we're going the right way," Gwen replied, hoping that her sense of direction was good enough.
"Oh, wait. I think that's them up there." Ben pointed through the trees.
Gwen saw he was right. It was difficult to see with little more than the light of the fireworks and the general light pollution from the park, but the other couple was sitting on the ground, leaning against the base of a large tree. Upon spotting them, Gwen excitedly raised her hand, ready to call out to them. However, she stopped herself when she got a little closer.
Oh.
Far from simply watching the fireworks together, Mandy and Randy were clearly making out. And quite passionately, Gwen might have added.
Ben started laughing with his mouth closed, as if he were trying but purposefully failing to resist.
"Shh! Quiet, Doofus!" Gwen grabbed her boyfriend and tugged him behind another tree, obscuring them from view.
Shit.
She felt stupid for not expecting this. Mandy and Randy were spending a romantic evening together, watching fireworks in a secluded area. They'd even all but said they were gonna make out.
Why'd they even invite us? Would a double date even be fun like… this?
In the distance, she could hear the other couple giggling. And, right next to her, she could hear Ben giggling.
"What the hell's so funny?" Gwen whispered as quietly as she could.
"You," was all Ben said before he planted his lips on hers.
Gwen was too surprised to do anything, but the fireworks going off in the distance pretty accurately reflected what was going on in her head at that moment. She soon closed her eyes and kissed him back. When he shifted his position and put his hand on her waist, she suddenly had to giggle herself.
Less than five minutes ago, they'd been pretending to be normal cousins in front of their grandfather. Now, they were making out while hidden a short distance away from another couple they'd just met yesterday. All of this felt very wrong… but for some reason, that only served to make Gwen even more excited. While she wasn't usually a rule breaker the way Ben was, something about doing it like this was exhilarating.
Gwen pushed Ben back for a second so she could swing one leg over to the other side of him, straddling his lap and crossing her arms behind his back. With their foreheads pressed together, they both smiled, their identical eyes staring deeply into each other.
"You changed your mind pretty quickly," Ben noted with a cocky smile.
"I told you to be quiet," Gwen reminded him before shutting him up with another kiss.
Ben's hands traveled up Gwen's thighs, returning to her waist. She felt his hands touching her, but she made no move to stop him. She only giggled and continued kissing him.
"Okay, maybe we should stop now."
Ben and Gwen both froze when they heard Randy's voice.
This was followed by Mandy giggling. "Why? It's just us here."
"I mean, Ben and Gwen are probably gonna show up soon, don'tcha think?"
"Yeah, and we're hot. Who'd complain about seeing us make out?"
Randy laughed at that. Ben did as well, so Gwen shoved a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise.
"You guys can keep going. I'll just head out."
Ben and Gwen froze, staring into each other's eyes in confusion.
That wasn't Randy's voice…
"Nooo, stay!" Mandy pleaded, followed by some obvious kissing sounds. "I haven't been with you both like this in forever."
"It's been, like, a week," came the stranger's voice. "Besides, Randy's right. Didn't you tell your new friends to meet you here?"
"Yeah. Let's not make things weird for them," Randy added.
Gwen's heart beat rapidly. She now realized she and Ben were overhearing something they weren't supposed to, even if she didn't quite understand what it was. "Ben," she whispered. "I think we should leave."
Ben simply nodded. The two of them went about disentangling themselves from each other and attempted to step out from the wooded nook they'd been hiding in. However, it proved to be more difficult than expected in the dark. The pair of cousins ended up tripping over each other, each landing with a grunt of pain and rustling the nearby foliage in a very noticeable way.
"What was that?" Mandy asked.
"Ben? Gwen?" Randy called out upon spotting them. Mandy and a third person stepped into view as well.
Ben and Gwen scrambled back onto their feet, looking back at the other teens in embarrassment. "Um… hi," Ben said.
There was an awkward silence. Nobody seemed to know what to say. "Um… we were just gonna go-" Gwen began.
"No, wait!" Mandy pleaded. Her hands nervously toyed with the hem of her shirt. "Uh, it's okay. Um, could you come over here for a second? Please?"
Ben and Gwen looked at each other, then silently agreed. They slowly walked out of the woods, into the clearing at the top of the hill. Up close, it became clear that the third voice they'd heard had belonged to Hector, the blond boy they'd seen Mandy with earlier. Gwen still wasn't sure what to make of that.
Randy and Hector were both staring at the ground awkwardly. Mandy looked extremely guilty, but she met the other couple's gaze. "Ben. Gwen. Uh, you saw him earlier," she said, reaching out her hand to grab the blond boy's. "This is Hector. He's, uh… He's my other boyfriend." Upon saying that, she reached out with her other hand to grab Randy's, holding hands with both of them at once.
Gwen stared at them in shock. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but even though it should've been obvious from what she'd overheard, it still came as a total surprise to her.
"And, uh, Hector. This is Ben and Gwen, the couple we told you about," Mandy went on, finishing the introductions in an obvious attempt to fill the awkward silence.
"Hi," Hector said simply, waving half-heartedly.
The silence continued for a bit longer. After staring at Mandy's hands gripping those of her boyfriends' for a while, Gwen finally looked up to meet the other girl's eyes. The dark-haired girl had a look of dreaded anticipation on her face, and Gwen realized why.
She's waiting for us to call her a slut, or call her boyfriends losers, or call them all freaks…
"It's… nice to meet you, Hector," Gwen said, forcing a smile. She suddenly felt a lot of empathy for Mandy, and she wanted to let her know everything was alright. She quickly tapped Ben on the side.
"Uh, nice to meet you," her boyfriend said.
"So, when you were with him earlier…" Gwen began to ask.
"I lied," Mandy blurted out. "Sorry. I didn't just bump into him earlier. He was supposed to meet us today, but then we made plans with you guys, so I thought I could at least see him in the morning, and, and, and…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to explain herself, clearly feeling guilty about the circumstances.
"Mandy, it's okay," Gwen tried to assure her. She gave a side glance to Ben. She wanted to admit something, hoping Mandy would feel better if she knew she wasn't the only one who'd been keeping secrets about her relationship. Ben seemed to get the picture, so he subtly nodded his consent. Gwen nodded back. "We, uh, we've been lying to you guys, too," she admitted. "Or, rather, there's something we haven't told you. We're, uh…" Gwen took Ben's hand in hers. "We're cousins."
The silence returned, but this time, it was because the other three teens were the shocked ones. However, a look of relief washed over Mandy's face, which soon led to a smile creeping onto her lips. She started giggling. Gwen soon followed, and then everyone was laughing.
"You know, yesterday, we actually thought you guys might be brother and sister or something," Randy admitted.
"Yeah. Because of the eyes. You guys have the exact same eyes," Mandy added, waving two fingers in front of her own eyes indicatively.
"Yeah, we get that a lot," Gwen said.
"But no, we're not that weird," Ben added with a chuckle.
"Well, least we're not the only weird ones," Hector noted.
It took a moment for everyone to realize it, but there were no more loud noises or colorful lights coming from the sky. The fireworks show had ended.
"Do you guys… wanna stay and talk for a bit?" Mandy asked.
"Yeah," Gwen replied with a nod. That sounded like exactly what she wanted to do at the moment.
"So, do your parents know?" Mandy asked. She was sitting on the ground between her boyfriends, the three of them leaning back against the base of a large tree.
Ben and Gwen laughed, the two of them sitting against a tree across from the others. "Hell no," Ben answered. "Her mom would kill me."
"What about you guys?" Gwen asked.
Mandy, Randy, and Hector shook their heads. "Back home, everyone thinks we're all just friends," Mandy explained.
"Everyone back home thinks that we're just cousins," Ben said, which got a few laughs out of everyone.
"So you guys don't really get to date openly either, huh?" Randy asked.
Gwen shook her head. "Nope. The only time we can do that is when we're someplace where no one knows us, like here."
"Ugh, that sucks," Mandy said. "I know just how that goes." Leaning back, she planted a quick kiss on each of her boyfriends' lips. "It is so nice to be away from home for a bit."
"You guys are pretty far from home, right?" Hector asked.
"Yeah. We go on a road trip with our grandfather every summer," Ben explained.
Upon hearing Ben mention their grandfather, Gwen checked her phone, realizing it was getting late. "Speaking of which, we should probably head back now."
"Aww, okay," Mandy said as Ben and Gwen stood back up. "But hey, let's keep in touch, like we said. Maybe we can meet up again next summer!"
"Sounds good," Ben said.
"You guys gonna head back now, too?" Gwen asked, wondering if they should say their goodbyes now or if they were gonna walk down the hill through the woods together.
"Nah." Mandy gripped her boyfriends' hands tighter, giving each of them a knowing smile. "We're gonna stay here a bit longer."
Gwen knew that meant it was time for them to make themselves scarce. "Alright, well, goodbye for now, then!"
"See ya, guys!"
Everyone said their goodbyes, then Ben and Gwen headed back down the trail.
"Well, that was somethin'," Ben said a few minutes later once they had some privacy.
"Yeah," Gwen agreed. "I didn't expect that at all. Having two boyfriends? She must be…" The redhead quirked her brow, trying to think of the right word.
"Horny?" Ben offered with a smirk.
"No!" Gwen smacked him. "I was gonna say she's… like Lucy."
"I already said horny."
Gwen smacked him again, but they both laughed.
"I mean she's got a lot of love to give, okay?" Gwen clarified. "She probably just loved both Randy and Hector too much to pick either one of them, so…" She trailed off, realizing just how similar Mandy was to Lucy in that regard.
Oh.
"Well, they're all cool, whatever the case," Ben asserted. "If they're okay with us dating, they can do whatever they want."
"Yeah," Gwen agreed. "I don't think I could ever date anyone else, but if that's what they wanna do, that's their business." She took Ben's hand in hers. "Plus… it's nice that we have someone else that we can be open with about our relationship now."
"Except we'll only see them once a year, probably," Ben pointed out.
"Still, though." Gwen pulled on Ben's arm to stop him, then leaned in to give him a kiss. "I love you, Doofus. I wish I could tell everyone that."
"I love you too, Dweeb." Ben kissed her in return. "And who knows? Clearly there are other weirdos like us out there," he said. "Maybe we'll meet more someday."
Odd as it was, that thought was very comforting to Gwen. "Yeah," she agreed. "I hope so."
Holding hands once again, the cousin-couple walked together all the way back to the Rust Bucket, ready to turn in for the night.
Author's note:
Apologies once again for the big gap between the last chapter and this one. I threw out two previous versions of this chapter because I wasn't happy with them, but I think this rewrite came together well.
In this chapter, I was experimenting a bit with my ability to misdirect the audience, both with the way the story is going and with the relevance of the chapter title. I hope I didn't get too cute with it.
My plans for the future of this story are to do one more preview arc for the month of August, which will finally close out Year 4. Then I'll take an extended break from posting in order to build up a backlog of actual Year 5 chapters so that I can start posting with some regularity. Thank you for being patient with me, as I haven't written the whole story ahead of time like I did with IWWISTD.
Also, while I still haven't posted the final few chapters of it, I am basically finished with my massive Legend of Zelda story, which I've been working on ever since I finished IWWISTD. Please go check that out if you have any interest in that series.
Now for a few comment responses.
Angry9guy: "can't wait for Lucy best girl"
Glad to see my readers still know who best girl really is!
adriandragonus: "Woow new chapter! It's nice that you insert some action into the story, won't be a Ben 10 story without it! Will I be excused if I expect more action in the future? Ben using gadgets combating aliens instead of omnitrix is actually an interesting concept to explore, but nothing beats omnitrix! I'm also waiting for longer arc for the story, either about Bwen or about the alien stuffs!"
There will be more action this time around. I've gotten some practice writing action scenes from my Legend of Zelda story, so I'm not as hesitant to include them anymore. I have plans for a longer story arc that will take place across Year 5, and it will necessitate some more action as well.
Lin17: "Uww, spooky. I forgot about the whole ghostfreak thing. Thanks for clarifying that this is still a preview arc cause i was getting a bit confused with the pacing. Good to know that Ben is as smooth as ever lol"
Zs'Skayr was one of the better villains from the original series, and I think the events of his storyline make for some good PTSD material. I apologize once again for the pacing, I hope to give Year 5 a steadier release schedule. And yes, Ben is one smooth operator, haha.
lordlogon: "The truly amazing thing is that I haven't seen a single "When is Ben getting X variant of the Omnitrix?" question. Thanks for all your hard work making these amazing stories and sharing them with us."
I fully expect to see lots of those questions in the future, lol. Thank you for the kind words!