Writer's block, whoopee. Here's one I've kicked around for a bit, and I'm hoping it turned out okay.
Twelve year old Ben Tennyson lay in his bunk, curled up under his blanket, shuddering as he struggled to regain control of his raging hormones.
"I'm okay... I'm..." He screwed his eyes shut. "...not okay."
Earlier that morning, Grandpa Max had pulled the Rust Bucket into a RV Park, and Ben had to alleviate his boredom by jogging around the park.
Of course, he had come back incredibly sweaty and tired. So, when he entered the Rust Bucket and saw that Gwen had curtained off their room, he
stalked over and yanked the curtain aside. "All right, Dweeb. Some people need to-" His eyes widened, Gwen stared at him for a moment with a towel wrapped around her waist. It slid down her flattened chest, she shrieked and wrapped her arms around the towel.
She rushed forward and shoved Ben out and onto his butt. Ben's face went red as Gwen glared down at him, she snarled.
"Pervert!" She yanked the curtain shut, leaving her stunned cousin with blood flowing through his body.
Ben stood in the shower, cold water flowing over his scalp and wetting his brown hair. and began headbutting the tile wall. "Why. Did. I.
Have. To. See. My. Freak. Of. A. Cousin. Naked!?" His head thunked against the wall, water running into his eyes. He stood in silence, then
scrubbed himself clean, rinsed, and stepped out of the shower. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist, and quickly ducked out of the bathroom
and into the bunk room he shared with Gwen. He yanked the curtains shut, then got on his knees and searched for his dufflebag.
He quickly pulled it out, placed it on the top bunk, and began tugging on the zipper. "Oh, come on." He released his grip on his towel
and placed his other arm on his dufflebag, finally managing to unzip the bag. Three things happened in the next few seconds:
First, Ben reached into his bag and began pulling out his clothes. Second, Gwen pulled the curtains aside. Third, Ben's towel fell to the floor.
Ben glanced over his shoulder as he heard a gasp, then vainly tried to cover himself. "G-Gwen!" She blushed furiously, then grinned mischievously.
"Guess we're even then, Doofus." She averted her eyes with a blush on her face, and yanked the curtain shut.
Gwen stalked away from the Rustbucket, her fists clenched. She ran straight to the quiet lake, and dunked her head into the cold water.
She stayed under for around ten seconds, before coming back to the surface with a gasp. As the cold drops of water ran down the back of her scalp
and into the back of her light blue cat shirt, she shook herself. Deep within her was a fire, a fire that she couldn't even extinguish, and
the water did nothing but make the fire flare up. Gwen plopped on the dry grass, running a hand through her soaked hair.
"What in the name of all that is holy, am I feeling?! And why am I feeling it now!?"
Her thoughts turned back to the summer before, to the boy who had stuck beside her the entire time.
The boy who protected her and their grandfather when they couldn't, the one who was willing to end it all when he had seen her supposed demise.
Of course it had to be him. Gwen blushed, bringing her knees to her chin and wrapping her arms around herself. "Thanks a lot, Ben."
She muttered, the sarcasm that would ordinarily be dripping from that sentence was absent, surprising Gwen.
Ben's eyes shot open, a feeling of clarity washed over him. He wasn't okay, he wasn't feeling guilty. He wasn't feeling guilty about walking in on
his cousin after her shower, or even feeling angry that she had seen him naked! Instead, new feelings were making themselves known.
Ben screamed into his pillow, before sitting up. What was he doing? What was he even afraid of? He was a Hero!
He had fought aliens, tech-powered knights, super-powered freaks, and even an Alien Warlord!
New feelings for Gwen should be a breeze for him! He dropped from his bunk, then strode with confidence toward front of the Rust Bucket.
He hesitated as his hand hovered over the latch for the front door. If it was a breeze, why was he feeling so hesitant?
What if he confessed to Gwen, and she freaked? She'd tell Grandpa Max, and he'd probably be grounded for the rest of the summer,
or the rest of the year! He wouldn't get grounded over something this stupid! 'If it's stupid, why hesitate?'
Ben let out a huff, then shoved the door open. It clattered against the RV, shattering Ben's last bit of resistance. "All right, let's do this."
Gwen lay on her back, staring up into the bright blue sky. Cicadas buzzed in the distance,
a frog croaked from somewhere in the expanse of water, a twig snapped. Gwen strained her neck backward,
watching as her cousin slowly stepped towards her. "Gwen?" She raised an eyebrow, rolling over onto her stomach. "Yeah?"
Ben shuffled his feet, not meeting her gaze. "We gotta talk." Gwen nodded, gesturing for him to sit down.
While the redhead appeared calm to her nervous cousin, she was screaming internally.
'Is the Dweeb gonna blackmail me!? Should I be thinking of a spell to wipe this from his memory!?'
Ben sat down beside her, and she rolled onto her back. "Look, I was a total Dork-Wad for walking in on you like that."
Gwen's eyes widened, her jaw dropped. "Wait, you're..." Gwen closed her jaw, her eyebrows shooting up.
"...Are apologizing to me?" Ben sighed, his bangs covering his eyes as he nodded. Gwen averted her gaze, biting her lower lip.
"Well..." She sighed. "I'm sorry for walking in on you, too. I kinda overreacted." She grimaced as the memory of him walking in on her came back. "Aaaand I sounded like a pterodactyl, didn't I?" Ben's head shot up, his right eyebrow raised.
"You're admitting it? Okay, who are you and what did you do with Gwen?" He asked, a smirk on his face.
Gwen rolled her eyes, a smile slowly working a way onto her face. "Okay, okay. You got me. I'm a shape shifter, my name is Jennifer."
Ben let out a guffaw. "Any relation to that child actor?" Gwen grinned. "Maybe." Ben sighed, staring off into the distance.
"Then, you wouldn't be weirded out if I told you I think Gwen is pretty awesome?" Gwen's grin turned into a soft smile.
"Nope, I've always thought she was awesome." Ben continued to avoid her gaze, worry sprung up in Gwen's heart.
"Then, would you be weirded out if I said she was cute?" Gwen's breath hitched, her face going red. A sudden sickness
descended on her gut, not nausea, but a guiltiness. Every moment during the previous summer she had with another boy,
or a school, or something she had deemed important, she had shrugged Ben off. Yet, without being forced to,
Ben had stood by her side as all of those things fell through. "No, I wouldn't." Gwen said, a smile forming.
"In fact, I think she'd call you hopeless if you thought she was anything else." Ben's head whipped up, his eyes meeting hers.
"Besides, you're a wreck of a hero without her by your side." Ben scoffed.
"Well, maybe if she was better at defending herself, I wouldn't be such a wreck!" Ben sighed, a sad smile coming to
his face. "If I'm honest though, I don't mind playing hero... As long as I'm her hero."
Gwen blushed, eyeing her cousin. Ben snickered, glancing over at her. "I think her chest is flat." Gwen's eyes flared blue, Ben put up his hands in defense. "But it's cute!" Gwen's eyes faded to green, while her face brightened into a tomato red shade.
She quickly got to her feet, then brushed herself off, and turned her back on him. Ben got to his feet, worry evident on his face.
"She thinks you're short." Ben frowned, Gwen turned around, leaned own and placed her lips on his. Ben tensed under this sudden assault,
then stood in silence as she pulled away. "But she couldn't do this otherwise." Ben's face stayed neutral. "Really? She's never done that to me."
He gave her a lopsided smile, then stood on his tiptoes. "I wish she'd let me do this." He kissed her on her nose, eliciting a giggle from his cousin.
She quickly pecked his forehead, then pecked his nose. Ben scrunched his shoulders together, making a grossed out face. "Ewwww, cooties!" Gwen frowned, then gave him a quick peck on the lips. Ben stood there for a moment, a blush on his face, then smiled. "Actually, I think I'm okay with cooties."
The two stood in silence for a moment, before Gwen let out a roar and lept onto her cousin. "Ah!" Ben found himself in the dirt, the back of his head hurt, with Gwen straddling him. She was a bright red, a grin on her face. Ben's mind was racing, what was going to happen now? Were her feelings stronger than his? As he reached up for her face, she quickly pinned his arms. She leaned down slowly, Ben whimpering as his body responded,
and she whispered in his ear. "Pinned you." She quickly got off with a laugh, her blush vanishing. Ben huffed, his face bright red. "Tease!"
Gwen extended her hand, and pulled Ben to his feet. However, this shift in weight sent Gwen backward and into the lake.
Ben guffawed, then began laughing. Gwen shot to the surface with a gasp, then glared at her chortling cousin. "It's not funny, Dweeb! I'm soaked! Help me out!" Ben wiped his eyes, walked to the edge, and extended his hand. Gwen pulled him in, a grin on her face.
Ben resurfaced beside her with a glare, only for Gwen to bust out laughing. Her laughter, which Ben found beautiful and contagious,
soon started him laughing. As the two climbed onto the bank, Ben kicked off his shoes and pried his socks from his feet.
Gwen kicked off her slip-ons, then vainly tried to wring the water from her t-shirt. Ben however, yanked off his t-shirt
and began unbuckling his pants. He laid his wet clothes on the dry grass, then jumped back into the lake with a whoop.
Gwen grinned, her t-shirt going over her head in a flash, then pulled off her capris. She hesitated for a moment, then tried to cover herself.
Ben glanced up at her, blushing as she stood there in her black and green striped underwear. "You coming in, Doofus?"
Gwen's blush faded, and she cried out. "Cannonball!"
The two tweenagers laid in the grass, their clothes drying out beside them, a comfortable silence between them.
"Gwen?" Gwen glanced at her cousin, her green eyes meeting his. "Hm?" His eyes averted hers for a moment,
as he searched for the words he needed. "Do you feel any different?" Gwen's eyes drifted towards the horizon,
where the sun had begun it's decent for the afternoon. "To be honest, not really." She let out a sigh.
"I mean, it's a step forward; whatever this is..." She glanced at Ben, a smirk on her face.
"But let's be honest, this was probably going to happen sooner or later." Ben hummed in agreement, his eyes never leaving hers.
"We're going to have to tell Grandpa, you know. There is no way we can keep this secret for an entire summer, let alone our entire lives."
Gwen blushed as those last words left Ben's mouth. "Yeah, and our parents will probably freak." Ben had a wry grin on his face, then rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, but they'd be even more freaked if they found out I could shape shift and you're a witch." Gwen smiled softly, then took Ben's left hand in her right. "I love you, Ben." Ben's gaze didn't waver as he spoke. "I love you too, Gwen."
Ben and Gwen sat across from each other in the Rust Bucket, Ben absorbed by his Gameboy Advanced SP, and Gwen with her laptop.
Max eyed them in the rear view, he smiled as he saw Gwen's expression change suddenly. "All right, Ben. No footsies!"
The two tweenagers blushed, making Max chuckle. "This summer's gonna be interesting."
So? How is it? Read and Review then.
