So uh, this is a taste of another AU I've had tumbling around in my washer/dryer combo I call a brain. I call this AU; 10vs16.
In it, Gwen is ten years old, she has shared at least one summer with Ben and Max. Meanwhile, Ben is sixteen, a baseball player, and way more responsible than in the original series. If I can actually write a semi-decent plot for it, I plan to deal with Ben having PTSD, Gwen dealing with night terrors, and other horrific things. :3 Also, Kevin is seventeen. Making an energy drain scene I've got written out in my head extra creepy. Also, some of the ideas I've had for it I stole from what little I know about the later series. Story time over, real story time NOW.
Ten year old Gwen Tennyson gripped the arm rests of the passenger seat, gritting her teeth as her older cousin; Ben,
sped his way through and out of the home base of The Forever Knights. Their summer had only just begun,
their grandfather was missing, and considering they had the RV in their possession;
Gwen and Ben assumed they had been behind his disappearance. In the moment, Gwen was less terrified by the lasers being shot at them;
and more terrified by Ben's sudden inability to keep the speedometer under 80. "Ben, slow down you idiot. We're gonna crash!" Ben grinned, scanning a console that had appeared beside the steering wheel. "Great idea, give me a second..." He slammed his hand on a button,
a large cannon popped out of the front of the Rust Bucket, and fired a large glowing salvo into the wall about thirty feet ahead of them.
They plowed through the wall and out into the sunlight.
They slowed to a stop about a mile later, and Gwen quickly got out. "Hold on, Gwen. It's not safe..." Gwen turned on her cousin,
anger evident on her face. "From what?! From those Medieval Times rejects? From Kevin?" She folded her arms, letting out a long sigh.
"We're fine. I already used my magic to look for tracking devices, there is nothing." She eyed her cousin, who relaxed slightly.
"And it's not like Kevin is going to find us, out here, in the middle of nowhere, right?"
Ben tensed up for a moment, then gestured to the RV. "Just get back inside Gwen, please." Gwen huffed,
shooting daggers at her older cousin as she stormed into the RV.
There was a tense silence for the next few hours, Gwen sat quietly at the dining area table with her laptop,
while Ben continued their drive back towards civilization. The two sat in the pained silence, both ignoring the other for various reasons,
until Ben pulled the RV to a stop. He pulled the keys from the ignition, then stepped towards the doors. Gwen glanced up at him,
an eyebrow raised, but a displeased look still on her face. Ben sighed, trying to smile at her. "I'm getting a burger, you want one?"
Gwen opened her mouth, but her stomach beat her to a response. Ben chuckled, a genuine smile forming.
Gwen frowned, her face an embarrassed shade of red. "No pickles, all the way with cheese, right?" Gwen slowly nodded.
Ben opened the door, and took a step outside. "I'm ordering extra fries!" He called back to her.
The sixteen year old dropped the soggy bag of fast food on the table, earning a look of disgust from his cousin.
Ben rolled his eyes, giving Gwen a smirk. "Trust me, these are the best burgers in the Northern states.
Grandpa and I stopped here on my first Summer trip." He pulled a wrapped burger from the bag and handed it to Gwen.
She pulled the soggy wrapper off and dropped the burger onto a plate. Ben took a quick bite of his,
then dumped the fries out onto a large plate he had grabbed from the cabinets. "Take note; Gwen." He said,
pouring some ketchup on a corner of the plate. "Communism only works with food like this." Gwen took a bite of her burger,
chewing slowly and thoughtfully at Ben's strange comment. She took a look down at her plate, then at the Communal fry plate.
"I'm surprised Grandpa's dishware survived our escape." Ben chuckled through his mouthful of burger and fries. "Grandpa built this thing to last."
Gwen snickered, and took another bite. Ben wasn't wrong, this was probably the best burger Gwen had ever had.
Silence reigned that night, Gwen lay in the bunk room, staring at the bed hanging above her. She glanced at her cellphone, letting out a sigh.
It was almost 11:42, and she couldn't get to sleep. It wasn't the adrenaline, Kevin and The Forever Knights were out of mind for a moment, something else was missing. She thought back to the past few nights, heat rising to her face as she connected the dots.
Ben swiped left through his social media, browsing memes kept his mind off of the more important things.
The soft thump of footsteps caught his attention, and he looked up to see Gwen crossing the RV towards him.
He smiled softly as she clutched a pillow and blanket to her chest. "Hey, Kiddo. What's up? Can't sleep?" Gwen shook her head,
not meeting his gaze. "Ben... Can you...?" She tightened her grip on her pillow, meeting his eyes. "Can you sleep with me, on the couch?"
Ben's eyes widened, realization dawning. The two of them had shared beds at the motels all Summer.
With Ben's car being a less than comfortable place to sleep, the two had rented motel room after motel room. Usually singles,
to avoid ridiculous rates. One bed, either double or single, they had shared it.
Strangely enough, it was Gwen who had refused to let Ben sleep on the nasty floors or hard sofas.
"J-Just until I get used to the idea of sleeping alone again, so don't g-get any ideas d-doofus."
She stuttered, blushing brightly. Ben smiled softly and his phone off. He got to his feet and led Gwen to the Rust Bucket's sofa.
He flipped on a hanging light, then laid down on the cushioned seat. He placed a pillow behind his head, then let Gwen climb onto his chest.
She stuck her pillow just below his chin, laying her small head down only a minute later. As she got comfortable,
Ben tugged the blanket from her hands and pulled it over the two of them. Gwen let out a loud yawn, nuzzling into the pillow.
Ben laughed softly, stroking her hair. "G'night, Doofus." She mumbled, smiling as Ben turned off the overhead.
As her breathing steadied, Ben placed a soft kiss on her forehead, smiling lovingly down at her. "G'night, Dweeb."