Something was off about Gwen. Thirteen years old, and Ben Tennyson was just now figuring that out, right? No, not that type of off.
She sat across from him, her eyes glued to her laptop as the Rust Bucket drove on.
She glanced up, quirking an eyebrow. "What's up, Doofus?" Ben stared at her, his face scrunched in concentration.
Gwen scoffed, a slight blush and a smirk on her face. "Take a picture, Doofus. It'll last longer." Ben shook himself, a slight blush tinting his face as well. "Sorry, it's just..." Gwen frowned, her right eyebrow rising high. "Since when have you worn glasses?" Gwen glanced away,
nervously brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Since I was eight, but I convinced my mom to let me use contacts."
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "After last summer though, the doctor founds two lenses stuck on my eyes. So it was back to glasses for me."
Ben folded his hands in front of him, his elbows propped up. "Hmm..." He stared at her thoughtfully, then shrugged.
"I don't get why you don't wear em'. You look fine." Gwen huffed, turning her attention back to her laptop.
"If I was interested in comfort and not what the boys at school thought about me, trust me; I would."
She glared at her monitor, staring at a blank browser. "Well, I think you look cute." Her head snapped up, eyes wide as her cousin glanced away.
His face was a slight red, and he began scratching his cheek nervously. He met her eyes, a frown suddenly on his face. "What? It's true."
The two Tennyson's broke their gaze away from each other, each finding more interesting things to look at.
What exactly was she supposed to say to that?
Ben, who was a boy mind you, told her she looked cute. He wasn't just a boy, he was Ben!
The Doofus who constantly teased her over stupid things, the dork who made fun of her for attending a college tour back when she was ten!
He was also the idiot who stood tall during summer trips, fighting evil, and protecting her and their grandfather.
He was also the moron who made her relax, stress less. But he was Ben and she was Gwen.
She glanced up at her cousin, thoughts running through her head. He had stopped staring at her,
and was currently engrossed in whatever game he was playing on his handheld. She stared at him for a moment,
wondering why he had mentioned she was cute in the first place. She saw him glance up, his eyes widening like he had been caught,
then they went back to his game. Gwen blushed, her eyes suddenly glued to her laptop.
Crap, she'd almost caught him. Ben kept casting glances at his cousin, his mind racing.
Noticing that she was cute had set off a chain reaction, thoughts streaking through his head uninhibited.
Now he couldn't help but notice the little things, Gwen sticking her tongue out as she concentrated,
Gwen tucking a stray bang behind her ear, the twinkle in her eyes when his met with them.
He sighed, tossing his game aside, and just plainly stared at his cousin.
He cleared his throat, and she glanced up. His breathing stopped, his heart thumping in his ears.
A bright red tint graced her face, she quickly tucked a stray bang behind her ear. Ben slowly leaned forward, his eyes wide.
Gwen leaned in as well, the distance closing. Their grandpa swore, and they bumped heads.
"You kids okay back there? An idiot in a red Volvo cut me off!" Max huffed, glancing back at his two grand kids.
The two cousins shared a look, then nodded at their grandfather. "Just keep an eye on the road, Grandpa." Ben said, a grin on his face.
"Don't want to miss that idiot getting pulled over, do we?" Max chuckled, turning his attention back to the road.
Ben turned back to his cousin, who gripped his collar and pulled him into a kiss.
She pulled away with a smile, her face bright red. "Too bad Grandpa missed the idiot getting pulled over, huh?" Gwen whispered,
a smirk on her face as she released him. Ben gaped, attempting to stutter out a response.
Gwen quickly slipped a strand of hair behind her ear, glancing away.
Ben nervously fidgeted, hoping Gwen would say something. But she had turned her attention back to her laptop.
Later that evening, Max had checked them into a motel for the weekend. The three of them had just finished dinner and had returned to their room, only for Max to leave the two kids alone. "They've got a weight room downstairs, your grandfather needs to stay fit."
He smiled sadly as he stood at the door. "How can I keep you two safe otherwise?" He slipped out of the room; leaving Ben on the sofa flipping through channels on the TV, and Gwen lying on one of the two beds reading her spell book.
The moment Max left, Gwen stealthily crept across the room; her socked feet making no noise.
She slipped onto the couch beside Ben, who tensed as her elbow touched his. He glanced over at her, his face red. She had her eyes on the book, but Ben could tell her attention wasn't 100% taken. "Uh, cuz... About earlier." Gwen's face reddened, but her focused expression did not change.
"Uh-huh." Ben glanced away, scratching his neck. "What was that?" Silence reigned for a moment, Ben turned his gaze back to Gwen.
"Wasn't it obvious, Doofus?" Gwen met his eyes, her face still buried in her book. Ben slowly shook his head, Gwen huffed in response.
"Let me spell it out for you, dork." She said, a slightly angry- yet very smug,
-look on her face. She raised a finger, which glowed a bright blue. She traced a heart over her left breast,
then with her other hand, traced a glowing green heart over Ben's left breast.
With her two fingers, she drew green and blue lines connecting the two.
Her blush deepened, her eyes going from his green heart to his bright green globes. Ben's breath caught in his throat,
and he pushed Gwen backwards onto the sofa. He was now straddling her, her head resting against the right-hand armrest. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open, her breath hitched as Ben leaned down. Ben softly kissed Gwen He kissed her forehead, her brow,
her nose, both of her eyes, then placed a very tender kiss on her lips. Thoughts and Emotions burned him,
like one of the Omnitrix transformations. He had figured out how she felt by her freaky magic, but the freaky magician was what made him realize what he felt, she had bewitched him. He kissed her again, trailing kisses down her chin and neck.
His hand went for the hem of her shirt, which she seized. She stared up at her cousin, love and uncertainty in her eyes. "Ben, I love you."
He smiled softly. "I love you too." He tried for her shirt again, she gripped him with a bit more force.
The two frowned at each other for a moment, then Ben scooted back. "Sorry." He muttered, looking away. "It's okay, Ben."
Gwen straightened herself out, picking her spell book off the floor. She placed a hand on Ben's knee, a soft smile on her face.
"I'm not ready yet, doofus." She leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek.
"Maybe one day, when we don't have to worry about what our parents would think." Ben paled, realization setting in.
"Oh, Crap. Right." He squeezed his legs together, a grimace on his face. This was a secret he'd have to keep for five more years.