It felt warm now.
Of course, Ben had found some sheets that had suspiciously appeared, but he hadn't questioned, since he was feeling cold before, and he had cursed himself for not bringing his hoodie with him to a different dimension.
But it felt cozy now, too. And the room was awfully dark. He was still so asleep, and there was a weight on his chest...
Wait, what?
His eyelids widened, allowing him to take a look at the room. The curtains were closed, allowing no external light in. Only candles lightened the place, and they burned with a purple fire that Ben suspected it wouldn't extinguish. But...
Oh.
He was... no, she was... when had she returned?
Like, he understood not sleeping on the ground, he was the guest, after all. Thus, why he chose the edge of the bed to lie down, he didn't mind short spaces anyway. But...
Maybe he had rolled back to the middle of the bed, since, now, he had a very clear view of Hope kind of snuggling against him. Her arm was leaned over his shoulder, and she slept with her hair untied, wearing her black outfit, her coat resting over a chair nearby. She was probably very tired...
Ben couldn't help but blush furiously. That wasn't what he was expecting, sleeping with Charmcaster-
No, don't think that. That only made his blush intensify.
But here he was, snuggling with one of his oldest villains. The literal arch-nemesis of her cousin. That had tried to kill them both countless times. That had killed them, along with Kevin.
And the real question was, why did he enjoy it so much?
Do friends snuggle like that?
Why was he thinking this? He just broke up with Kai! It was still early and she...
No, she wasn't coming back.
Ben looked at Hope again, her features relaxed. She was beautiful, he had to admit. It just felt weird. This wasn't something Ben had prepared for.
But...
Oh, damn it all.
Suddenly, she moved slowly, her eyes opening slowly. With a long stretch, she yawned and looked at him. It was curious that she didn't choose to move an inch away from him.
"Hello, Ben."
"Hi." Ben gulped.
Hope seemed to notice how flustered he was, and a slight blush appeared on her face. "Sorry. I was just... feeling down. I will give you some space."
"No." He replied. "I mean, it's okay. You can stay. I don't mind it."
"Alright..." She trailed off, choosing to lean her head onto his shoulder. "I'm still so tired."
"What did you do?"
"Spoke with people I can trust." Hope stated. "I rule Legerdomain once more. Though there isn't too much to rule, I fear."
"Are there not people here?"
"Most either fled, like me or my uncle, or..." Her lack of words told enough. "A few remain, some not even human, but the Realm of Magic will never not be crucial for one to control. You don't mind me having ambitions, do you?"
"Just as long as you don't strike me..." Ben said. It was weird to think about when they were quite literally snuggled against each other.
"I'd never, hero," Hope reassured him. "I only arrived a few hours ago. You slept a lot. It is another day already?"
"I wouldn't know," Ben said, looking at the candles and closed curtains.
"Oh." With a wave of her hand, the fire in the candles was put out and the curtains opened just slowly enough so the dim light outside wouldn't hurt Ben's eyes, at least not too much. "How are you feeling, Ben?"
"I'm... fine? Why?"
"I was just worried... Don't pretend you haven't been through a lot."
"Your situation is worse."
"Even if it is," She pressed. "It doesn't nullify what you're feeling."
"I'm worried about you, Hope," Ben said, and she sat straight on the bed, taking the hair out of her face.
"Okay. We can talk about it."
Ben took a deep breath. "Do you want to kill him?"
"I believe it is the better option." Hope declared. "I do not wish to live a day longer with the threat of this monster ruining everything."
"Before... you trapped him, didn't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"The totems," Ben recalled. "You turned him into a totem."
"A totem needs a proper place to contain it." Hope explained. "And my bag has been confiscated by your cousin."
"I could try and take it back..."
"Don't. It is hidden deep within her quarters, protected by spells and traps." Hope tied up her hair. "Without it, he could free himself."
"So..."
"The best option is to kill him." She spoke. "He is comparable to Vilgax. Someone I don't quite understand why he is still alive.
"It's not easy..."
"I know, but-"
"Hope, I saw what a future version of me became when I killed Vilgax, or at least thought I did." Ben cut her off. "I became selfish. Arrogant. Angry. I wasn't a psychopath or anything, but I couldn't believe that was me. I managed to change him, eventually, but... I don't want to end up a jerk."
"You wouldn't." She stated, bringing her hand to his. He wasn't expecting it to be so soft and also cold. "You would be doing a favor to the universe. And... Ben, I'm the ruler of Legerdomain. I will order someone to kill him if you don't."
"Hope-"
"I am only listening to you because I believe you are right, that we should be better. But he deserves far more than a quick execution. And also, because you're my friend. I value your advice."
Ben looked down at the sheets, trying to think. "I won't stop you. Just... Hope, don't prolong it."
She narrowed her eyes. "You are too merciful, Ben."
"A swift end is the best you can do. Don't try to seek revenge. Make him pay for his crimes. But don't go too far. And don't do it yourself."
Her purple eyes remained fixated on him for a few moments. "Okay... Fine... Just because... I care about you."
"I care about you too. That's why I don't want you to go down that path again."
"Fine."
...
Ben was amazed with how well-made the food was. The breakfast was somewhat basic but Hope's servants – and yes, she had them in her castle – made the food taste just fine.
Just then, Hope returned, a grim look on her face. "It's done."
He turned to face her, quickly munching on the bacon still in his mouth. "Really?"
"Yes." She sat down, seemingly angry.
"So?"
"I didn't feel good about it."
"You shouldn't have."
"I still felt relieved. But it wasn't... I was expecting to relish in his execution. I... even had to help."
"Oh."
"His mana started to manifest, fighting back. Even if he was unconscious. I needed to contain it. It was never easy. I wouldn't have won if you were not here. Not in the mental state I was."
"Atomix is pretty overpowered." Ben joked, trying to light up the mood, and Hope at least gave him a smirk.
"Indeed. I... burned his remains. I still gave him that honor. As an enemy."
"Sometimes you notice that you wouldn't be who you are now if bad events didn't happen." Ben immediately recalled his experience with Aggregor and Kevin. "But It's over, at least."
"Can you hug me?"
Ben was taken aback by that request. "Sure. Of course."
Without wasting a moment, Hope lunged at him, her head resting on his shoulder.
The best thing he thought he could do was to hold her tightly.
"I don't feel good about this."
"Like I said, it's better that you didn't."
"I didn't want to prolong it any further than necessary."
"That's good," Ben said. "I'm not blind to justice. But I also don't support cruelty. You are not Addwaitya, Hope"
"Do you promise?" She looked up into his eyes, tears threatening to show up.
"I do. You're better than him."
...
"Is that the only reason why you stopped?"
"No," Ben said. "At least I think it was. I... I had the equivalent of my finger in the trigger. Gwen helped, but... I couldn't do it. Not to him. I thought I wanted it, he injured so many, but..."
"He was your friend."
"He is. Even though we were enemies, he was a psycho when he was a kid. But even then, I liked him, when he wasn't trying to kill me. And he changed."
"Huh..."
...
"And then he ordered the Knights to kill those aliens being held hostage, and I kinda flipped."
"What did you do?"
"I pushed him to the wall and almost impaled him." Ben awkwardly recalled. "And I threatened him. I think that was the moment I could have killed. But he was smart enough not to do that."
"He was such a jerk when recruiting me."
"Oh, I remember that thing at Mount Rushmore. We kicked your ass."
"Don't relish in it."
...
"And then she... left?"
"I didn't get it at the time. I was confused, sure. But I think I didn't even process it at the time. She just dropped that we were breaking up, and them..."
"She left."
"Oh, Ben. I'm sorry."
...
"Why date Michael?" Ben nonchalantly asked.
"Why date Kai?" Hope retorted with a smirk.
"Look, she had her... issues, but she wasn't Darkstar."
"I was lonely." She argued. "And he was a breath of fresh air. To think he forgot my name..." Her eyes burned with fury. "Only you to stop me from killing him."
"And it will stay like this."
...
Ben stretched his arms, sitting at the large table, breakfast served over it. Hope was already sitting down, wearing casual robes that matched her hair color.
"It's not that hard ruling here, is it?" Ben questioned.
"No, I'll give you that." Hope ate something akin to a scrambled egg. "It is easy when you think of it comparing to a nation or something. No, my rule is light, I only seek to grow my power and to bring some harmony to my home."
"Fair." Ben, for himself, munched on some toast. "But honestly, I expected we would have a lot less time together."
Hope nodded. "I have been pleased, however. When would I have expected that scrawny kid with the weird watch would be good company?"
"And when would I have expected that weird witch that Gwen had beef with would be so awesome?" Ben answered with a smile.
Hope rolled her eyes, drinking from a glass that looked more like a potion container. "When are you going back?"
"I... well, I thought you were coming back with me."
"I will. Soon. But I have to stay for a while longer." Hope grimaced. "Addwaitya didn't have many willing supporters, but he certainly had monsters. I can take care of them easily."
"I can help-"
"No." Hope firmly stated. "You don't need to help. Ruling Legerdomain means no being native to this land can hurt me."
"Can't or won't?"
"Can't. They're no match for me. I say this without hesitation." She cleaned her mouth with a napkin. "You have your realm to take care of."
"They have the Alien Force if things come to blows." Ben was still a bit jealous about the whole ordeal, especially the name of the group.
"That little group is strong, but you could beat them all with not much difficulty." Hope argued. "They're no match for an actual foe of yours. Like Vilgax for example."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ben remembered all too well the beating the former Plumber's helpers took from his arch-nemesis. "I still want to stay with you for a little while, though."
Ben was sure Hope noticed how his ears reddened, judging by the way her eyes brightened. "Alright, Ben. I'll admit I don't want you to leave either."
What other reaction he could have instead of a big dumb smile?
...
This place was nice.
I mean, Lucy was accustomed to big spaces. Lenopans needed their extra room, since most of the time they would stay in their natural form. Only with the Plumbers coming to the scene, did she get used to this lesser form. And it was alright, she didn't mind it too much.
A base of operations like this could rival the Plumber's facility in orbit. Lucy did feel happy, but... she felt like only Cooper shared her delight. Since there had been an underlying tension in the air between the former Rooters and Manny, Helen, and Alan. Lucy knew of their history; she had looked into the Rooters to see what was up and she was a bit shocked with what she found. But at the same time, it was clear that this was a house divided.
Most of the team was on a mission, but since it was something small, Lucy had decided to sit it out. The only ones still here were both Rooters. Leander was quiet, choosing to stay on his own for most of the time. Even on missions, he would take Cooper's orders without hesitation and mostly do his job.
But with Swift, the aerophibian... it wasn't so simple. She tried to replicate Leander, but it was clear feelings were way too high for that. She and Helen would constantly keep exchanging death glares, and it was a matter of time before they got into a fight. Considering both women were hybrids of humans with species that could move at supersonic speeds, while Lucy would admit it would probably be a nice show, it was the last thing they needed right now.
Lucy was surprised, however, to find out that Leander and Swift barely stayed together. The man really wanted to be alone, even if that left her to be on her own against the others.
And that was why Lucy was observing Swift from afar, the aerophibian seated on the couch, seemingly not watching anything, just staring upwards at the roof.
Why not, eh?
"Swift?" Lucy called, and the woman was startled. She had finally come off her black Proto-Tech Armor, wearing human clothes that were adjusted to her alien form.
"Yes?" She answered, looking at Lucy with her deep crimson eyes.
"How're you doing?"
The aerophibian narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Why?"
"I was just worried." Lucy sat on the couch's arm tray. "You're always so alone."
"It's of my choosing." Swift tried to argue, but even Lucy could sense how she didn't mean that.
"Look, I know you got a bad history with... the others." Lucy paused. "But I don't want this to be a job only. At least not for me! Just know that you can count on me, okay?"
A flicker of hesitation appeared on Swift's face, her emotionless mask cracking slightly. "I... okay. Alright... Lucy." It wasn't the first time Swift had chosen to call her by her name instead of 'lenopan', but this time it seemed like she meant it.
"So, do you have any hobbies?" Lucy leaned closer.
"Not... really. I was raised a soldier. I didn't have much time for anything."
"Oh, I see." That didn't deter the lenopan. "Anything you have grown interested in since you came to Earth?"
"Reading." Swift promptly answered. "I never quite imagined I would like records of fiction this much."
"We could go to the Public Library if you want," Lucy suggested. "There are countless books we can get for you!"
"Is there really something like that?" She had to remind herself that while Swift was human originally, her understanding of Earth was very limited due to her time in the Rooters.
"Of course!"
"Alright." Swift got up. "I just got to switch my clothes-"
"You're looking just fine, girl. Don't need to wear armor everywhere."
"Are you sure, Lucy?" She looked down at her clothing like it was the most inappropriate thing she had ever seen.
"Of course! Do you see me wearing armor?"
"Alright." Swift conceded. "May we go, then?"
"Sure thing!"
...
"Almost ready..."