Chapter 03: Run Together: Part 02
When tales of the history of Ben and Gwen Tennyson are eventually told, one of the biggest mysteries would end up being how in the world Frank had managed to convince Natalie to let the kids study together.
Despite never understanding how it happened, Max and the others just accepted it and didn't try to ask too many questions. For a strange reason, the woman had been very open to the idea of Gwen helping Ben improve his grades. Of course, the true reason for him wanting to improve was never offered up, instead a more generic excuse of wanting to get into a good college was used.
When Max had pressed Gwen about it, she had claimed up and down to have not used any kind of magic on her mother and was just as confused as anyone else.
With the blessing of all parents involved, all of whom were happier with the knowledge that Max would be there to supervise, Ben and Gwen started the week meeting at the Rust Bucket after school on Monday.
Ben arrived first and set his backpack down on the kitchen booth and was pulling out his homework before he had even stopped bouncing on the seat. His smile grew from ear to ear when he heard the sound of the door opening. He shot out of his seat and all but tackled the redhead as soon as she stepped through the door.
She tried to protest but her lips were quickly captured by Ben's and she melted into the kiss, her hands coming up to wrap around his back and pull him closer, deepening the kiss.
As much as he was enjoying the happiness they were showing Max had to be the adult and get them on task.
"Ahem," he said as he cleared his throat, the couple pulling away blushing red, grins still spread across their faces.
"Sorry, Grandpa," they chorused as Ben helped her to stand, their hands entwined as they closed the door and walked to the table.
Gwen smiled when she saw that Ben already had his homework out.
"What do you need help with?" she asked as she sat next to him and pulled her notebooks out.
"Math," he replied with a sigh as he put his head on the table, "the other classes are doing ok so far, but I may need help later." He admitted.
Gwen giggled as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"Come on, Ben," she told him with a smile, "we'll get you through this, don't worry. We do have a goal after all," she reminded him.
"Yeah," he replied as he enjoyed the feeling of her fingers in his hair, his head turning to look at her. "Even if I have to wear that dorky uniform, seeing you every day will be worth it."
"It's not dorky," she defended as she pulled her hand away and crossed her arm in a feigned huff, the smile fighting to reach her lips.
"Whatever you say, Dweeb," he replied as he pushed himself up from the table and pulled his notebooks towards him.
"Alright, let's do this," he said as he looked at Gwen, a smile breaking across his face.
She returned it as she opened her notebook to some scratch paper.
.o.0.o.
The months passed quickly for the couple with school being the most significant event that happened.
Despite their days being filled, they still managed to get in some time to just be a couple.
Grandpa had let them have a movie night a few times when they were supposed to be studying, he had of course remained nearby just to curb too much affection.
All too soon the year rolled away, and November had arrived, more importantly, Thanksgiving was that day.
As the days had passed the physical affection that Ben and Gwen gave each other grew to the point that neither was sure how they'd be able to make it through the family gathering without someone noticing. Thankfully, all the physical affection during the day helped to stave off the nightmares at night.
When they broached the subject with Max he had thought for a moment before offering a simple solution.
"If you have to touch each other, why not just place a hand on the other's shoulder, nothing out of the ordinary about that," he had offered, the simplicity of the solution making both teen's eyes light up in joy.
"However," the older man cautioned with a raised hand, "don't let your touches linger too long, people will start noticing then."
Ben and Gwen had agreed and were able to limit their touches to brief encounters, unfortunately, they got harder to keep brief the longer the night went on.
At dinner, they had managed to arrange it so that they were able to sit next to each other and used the passing of the food to touch hands or arms, or shoulders. Under the table, their feet were touching as often as possible with an occasional brush of their legs whenever they could manage it.
They were almost caught a few times when an adult left the table for whatever reasons and returned before Ben and Gwen could move their socked feet away from the others. A slightly suspicious glance from Carl during one incident drove a spike of fear into both teens before the man shrugged and sat down again, resuming the conversation he was having with Frank about the evilness of Max's cooking.
Ben and Gwen shared a look of fear. Using an unspoken conversation with just their eyes and body movement, they agreed to be more cautious.
Eventually, the meal itself ended and the adults retired to the living room to have coffee and just talk. Ben and Gwen were left alone with the simple injunction to not get into any fights.
Ben wasted no time in grabbing her hand and pulling her to the hall closet to grab their coats. Once they had them on, he grabbed her again and pulled her to the back door. Opening the door he pulled her out into the cold, laughing as she stopped to close the door.
Dragging her into the woods behind his house Ben made sure to put plenty of trees between them and the house. Once he was sure they were clear he pressed her to a tree and captured her lips with his own, her arms encircling him as he held them against the tree.
Pulling away he kissed her jaw before slowly peppering her face and neck with gentle kisses even as Gwen's hands held his shoulders as the euphoria of his touch threatened to make her legs give out.
Ben paused for a moment to catch his breath, placing his forehead against hers he just stared into her eyes.
Gwen's breath hitched at the love she saw shining in his emerald eyes, she'd seen her own expressive eyes in the mirror, but she'd never seen the emotion pouring from his before in either of their matching eyes.
Gwen was overcome by the love and could not contain herself, she pressed Ben away and flipped them to press him against the tree, her mouth finding his and smothering him in kisses.
Ben gave a small gasp and Gwen seized the opportunity and gently slid her tongue into his mouth, her arms wrapping around him as they deepened the kiss, their tongues waging a small war as they let the feelings wash over them.
Eventually, they broke apart for air, foreheads pressed tightly against each other.
"I love you, Gwen," Ben said as he sucked in air, placing small kisses on her neck.
"I love you too, Ben," she said in a moan as his lips burned a fire across her throat.
Reluctantly he pulled away from her again, a small moan of displeasure breaking from her lips. He smiled at the sound and kissed the tip of her nose.
"I love you, Gwen," he repeated, "I know these feelings are mine and not influenced by the Omnitrix."
Gwen's eyes shone in joy when she heard this.
"I know," she whispered as she looked at him. "I feel the same way."
Ben smiled as he pulled her into a hug, her head nestled against his neck.
Reluctantly Ben finally pushed her away gently.
"We should get back before anyone starts to get suspicious."
"Yeah," Gwen said sadly.
Taking her hand he led her back toward the house, letting her go when they were close enough to be seen.
Both teens were glad that it was cold out, they wouldn't have to explain their red faces to their parents that way, which is exactly what Ben had planned.
As they entered, they started a conversation to get rid of any suspicions.
"The woods look so different on this side of town," Gwen said, "the trees are slightly different than where we live. It's so strange."
"They're even stranger at night," Ben replied, "the shadows are creepy sometimes, sometimes they look like aliens from a movie when the leaves are all gone."
Gwen shuddered at this, while she had been fighting real aliens for years, some of the fictional aliens still gave her the creeps.
As they pull their coats off and placed them other the backs of two kitchen chairs, Ben went to the cabinets and grabbed two cups and some hot chocolate mix.
He turned to Gwen and gestured with the cup, she nodded to indicate she'd enjoy a cup. Ben smiled and turned to start making the hot chocolate.
"Next time you're here I'll take you to the lake that's hidden back in the woods. It's just a small lake, but the clearing has a great view of the stars."
Gwen smiled at him as he worked.
"That'd be fun," she replied from where she sat at the table, her chin resting on her palm as she leaned on her elbow. "You know, I was thinking that since tomorrow is Black Friday, we could go shopping and get some of the Christmas presents out of the way."
"That's a great idea," Ben told her as he turned to give her a grin. "We can rope Grandpa into taking us so we can put the gifts in the Rust Bucket."
Gwen laughed at this as Ben turned back to preparing the chocolate.
"Knowing him he'll head straight to the food court and tell us to 'not damage my baby,' and give us the key to make sure it's locked."
Ben rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't see it, he still knew she could feel the action, such was the power of eye rolls.
Ben turned with the steaming mugs and set one on the table in front of her and placed his own next to her as he took the seat beside her.
"Thanks," she said with a bright grin as she reached for the mug and gently blew on the surface.
"You're welcome," he replied as he blew on his mug.
After both took a sip, they each leaned back in their chair in contentment.
"We'll have to ask our parents," Gwen reminded him as she sipped her chocolate.
"We should do it before you leave tonight," Ben said as he thought about how to approach their parents.
His musing was cut short when a voice cut in behind them.
"Well, aren't you just like an old married couple," Carl joked as he leaned against the doorframe between the kitchen and the living room, a glass of wine in his hand.
'They must have opened a bottle while we were outside, this may make things easier,' Ben mused as he took in the sight of the wine glass and wondered just how many glasses the adult had had already.
"Hey Dad," Ben said with a glance at Gwen, both nervous about the couple comment. Carl just smiled as he pulled a chair out and sat down across from them.
"Have fun running around outside?" he asked as he took a sip of his red wine.
"Yeah," Gwen replied with a smile, "Ben was showing me how cool the woods look this time of year."
Carl nodded as he watched them.
"Must be cold out there, your faces are still flushed," he told them as he searched their faces.
"Very," Ben replied, "I'm surprised it hasn't snowed yet."
"Well, Bellwood does have very strange weather," Carl replied as he set his glass down. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?"
Ben and Gwen shared a look before answering.
"We wanted to go Christmas shopping tomorrow for you guys," Ben said with a shrug as he took a sip of chocolate.
"Together?" Carl asked with a raised brow.
Ben and Gwen both nodded before Gwen felt compelled to offer more information about their plan.
"Well, Grandpa would take us," Gwen explained as she gripped her mug, "but Ben and I would make sure the other doesn't get lost in all the Black Friday madness."
Carl snorted.
"Madness is putting it mildly, Gwen," he replied with a laugh. "You know, it's not a bad idea for you guys to get your shopping done, especially with how busy you both are with school and all the studying and tutoring you are doing. I'll talk to the others and see what I can do."
Ben and Gwen broke into radiant smiles as Carl rose, he ruffled Ben's hair as he made his way back to the living room, a smile on his face for several reasons, a few suspicions he'd been harboring had been confirmed. Sandra was going to burst when he told her later that night.
Ben and Gwen felt the tension leave them as Carl left, the teens settled back in their chairs and clutched the slowly cooling mugs of chocolate. They shared a look as small smiles broke across their faces as their problem had been effectively solved.
"Well," Ben said as he looked at her, "all we have to do now is figure out what we're going to get everyone."
"And how we're going to pay for it," Gwen replied as she thought back to the few tutoring jobs she'd taken and how she should have charged them even a small amount.
Ben smiled as he carefully took her hand in his and squeezed it, wary of any lurking parents.
"Don't worry about that," He said as he grinned at her and gave her hand another squeeze before releasing it, "I've been working a job over the weekends to save."
"You? Working?" She asked with some surprise.
Ben laughed as he turned his head to watch her, love, and amusement shining in his eyes.
"After the cross-country trip, I realized that I did not have any real skills to offer other than this," he told her as he indicated the Omnitrix, "and not a lot of jobs call for that particular skill set right now. So, I took what I learned in Jacob's store and got a job at a local grocery store over the weekends."
"Wow," Gwen answered him in a mild shock, she'd never imagined that Ben would do something so grown-up.
"I know," he laughed as he turned to look into his now cold mug of chocolate, "I realized that I'd never be able to survive on my own doing odd jobs here and there, that I'd never be able to provide for a family or take care of the people I care about. I decided to fix that and start gaining more job-related skills and experience."
Gwen just beamed at him, he had begun to think like an adult, wanting to care for his family and provide for those he cared about. She could read between the lines and knew he meant to take care of her once the time came. Her heart almost skipped a beat or two from joy as she took in his words and their meaning for them both.
"Mom and Dad are letting me keep all the money for some reason," he admitted as he looked at her in some confusion, "they aren't even making me pay for my phone."
Gwen was as surprised as he was, if she had started a job her parents would make sure she paid for her phone as one of the first things she did.
waved away the strange behavior, his parents had always had strange ways of raising Ben, which thankfully allowed him to have lots of freedom to do what he wanted to do. "I've got plenty saved for gifts from both of us."
Gwen just smiled and placed her mug on the table before wrapping her arms around him in a quick hug and kissing his cheek.
"My hero," she whispered as she released him, a small blush on both their faces.
As their conversation turned to the topic of when and where they would meet neither was aware of a figure standing silent in the doorway before disappearing back into the living room, the private moment not so private anymore.
In the end, both had agreed to be dropped off at the Bellwood Mall at 8 A.M. in front of the entrance to the food court, Max had agreed to meet them and had parked as close as possible given the Black Friday traffic. Max and Carl had teamed up to convince the others to let the kids go shopping and Max had vowed to keep his eye on them both to keep them out of trouble.
Sandra had instantly given her approval alongside Carl, Frank had considered it for a moment before giving his permission as well, and once again, Natalie was the deciding factor, as for poor Max, he didn't have a choice in the matter.
She had sat with her wine glass in her hand, the contents of which gently swirled as she considered the situation. Gwen's studies had been as perfect as always, even with the tutoring she was giving her cousin as well as a few students from her school. Natalie knew that her daughter had been working diligently to keep her grades as high as possible as well as helping her delinquent cousin to pass his classes. She also knew how much the freedom to pick gifts that Gwen knew everyone would like was important to her daughter, and while she never much cared for the delinquent, she also knew that he would never let anything happen to Gwen as long as he was around. To Natalie, the boy's concern for her daughter almost bordered on obsessive, but so far, he hadn't shown any indications that it was anything other than genuine care and concern.
Finally, she had agreed and had even offered some money for Gwen to spend on gifts.
.o.0.o.
Friday dawned bright and cold, the lines for Black Friday deals were already around the block in some cases.
Ben and Gwen had agreed to be dropped off at 8 am sharp, that way they'd have all day to be able to shop and compare deals.
Max had said he'd meet them at the food court entrance and had left the dinner early the night before to get a good spot close by the entrance.
Ben and Gwen smiled as they met up in front of the RV, their Grandfather stepping out with a mug of coffee in hand to greet Carl and Frank, the designated drivers for the outing.
"Dad," Carl said as he shook Max's hand, Frank following a second later.
"I'll take good care of them," Max told his sons. "You don't have to worry about picking them up, I'll bring them both home when they're done shopping. I'll even get them dinner first as well."
Carl and Frank tried to both grin and grimace at the thought of the kids being subjected to one of Max's unique culinary creations.
"Yup," Max said with a gleam in his eyes and he went on, "picked up some mealworms and squid, have a nice stew in mind for dinner."
Frank and Carl both settled on a grimace before making an excuse to leave.
"Ben," Carl said as he called the boy over, putting his arm around him when he arrived. "I know I don't have to say it, but I'm going to anyway, take care of your cousin today, okay?"
"I always do, Dad," Ben replied with a smile as he watched Gwen walk toward Frank.
Carl just smiled as he watched Ben's expression, before patting the boy's shoulder and pushing him toward his cousin.
Ben laughed as he waved goodbye before walking over to Gwen. She waved goodbye to her father and turned to Ben smiling. Once their fathers were out of sight, Gwen took Ben's hand and led him to the Rust Bucket.
When they got there, they both grabbed Max into a shared hug.
"Thanks for doing this for us Grandpa," Gwen said.
"My pleasure," he replied with a smile as he stroked her hair. "Now, this isn't just a ploy to be together and make out, is it?"
"Of course not," Ben said with a laugh as he pulled away and looked at his grandfather.
"We really are going to go shopping for presents," He replied as he pulled Gwen to his side and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, "and sneak in a few kisses whenever possible."
Max laughed as he put his mug back in the RV before taking a key from his pocket.
"This is a spare key," he told the teens as he held it up. "It will only open the door and nothing else. I'm going to give it to you while I check out the food court and do a bit of shopping myself. Here are the rules; first, don't do anything to hurt my baby," Ben grinned at Gwen since she'd been right about Max saying that. "Second, I want you both to call me whenever you bring any gifts back here, that way I know you're okay. Third, I don't mind you kissing whenever you bring the gifts back, that's the other reason I want you to call me, so I know when to call and break it up between you."
Ben and Gwen both ducked their heads in embarrassment.
"Now, if you can follow those rules, I'll give you this key. But no more than kissing, do you both understand me? If you can't follow the rules, I'll have to hold onto the key, and you can just call me to come and open the Rust Bucket."
"We'll behave, Grandpa," Gwen said as she held her arms behind her back.
"We'll be good, don't worry," Ben replied as he put his hands in his pockets and just looked at Max, the embarrassed blush already leaving his face. "I care about Gwen too much to do that to her, after all, in a few years we'll have the rest of our lives together for that stuff."
Max's eyes shifted from one to the other, Gwen was happy but embarrassed by Ben's declaration while Ben was completely sincere about what he'd just said.
Max smiled and placed the key into Ben's hand.
"Good," he said as he ruffled Ben's hair, eliciting a giggle from Gwen and a protest from Ben. "I'd expect nothing less from you. Now, I'm going to hit the food court and see if they have anything good for breakfast. You two had better get a start, most stores have been open for hours."
Ben and Gwen just looked at each other before grabbing hands and running to the mall, Max laughing as they rushed past him.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of stores and sales and a crush of people.
Sometime near mid-day Ben and Gwen found themselves in a clothing store that catered more toward Gwen than any of the adults, the throng of Black Friday shoppers passing it by in favor of more popular clothing.
"What are we doing here?" Ben asked as he juggled a collection of bags from one hand to the other so he could take Gwen's hand as she pulled him inside.
"Shopping, duh doofus," she answered with a grin. Ben just rolled his eyes and clarified.
"I meant this store, Dweeb, none of the adults would wear this stuff. And there is no way I'm going to buy either of our moms a swimsuit like these," he said as he gestured toward a rack of two-piece swimsuits in the back, marked down at a heavy discount to make way for more winter apparel.
"Good," Gwen replied with a wicked glint in her eye, "because I want to try on some clothes for you."
Ben's mouth instantly went dry at the thought of Gwen modeling for him, especially since she was steering them toward the rack of swimwear in the back, located right next to the 'intimate apparel' as the sign said.
Ben tried to wet his throat by swallowing, but nothing helped and when she sat him in a chair near the changing room and ran off to grab some clothing, he was thankful for the chair as his leg had been about to give out.
As he collapsed into the chair, he dropped the bags to the floor and covered his face. He let out a sigh knowing Gwen would be the death of him, but what an amazing way to go.
Hiding his grin he watched as his dweeb scurried about the store gathering various clothes that caught her interest, from t-shirts to swimwear.
When she returned, she threw a wink over her shoulder at him before disappearing into a changing room.
Ben closed his eyes and tried to keep his calm as he thought about what she may have picked up. His concentration was broken when she called out to him.
"Ben?" She asked in a soft voice, nervous but excited at the same time.
He opened his eyes and his breath caught in his chest.
Gwen stood before him in a light blue skirt with white leggings and a white blouse with a jacket the same color as the skirt.
"Do you like it?" she asked as she held her arms behind her in embarrassment.
"Wow," was all Ben could say, Gwen had pulled her hair back behind her ears and she looked amazing. There was nothing sensual about her outfit, it was a nice outfit that one would wear to work or school, but on Gwen, the otherwise normal outfit took his breath away again.
Gwen giggled and smiled as she watched him flounder for more than a one-word response but gave up when she dashed over and kissed his cheek.
"I'm glad you like it," she whispered into his ear before pulling away and rushing back to the changing room, her cheeks burning red.
The next 30 minutes passed like this, with Gwen modeling various clothes and either she or Ben liking or disliking them.
Gwen smiled as she looked at the last thing she would try on, all the others had gone into a keep or leave pile.
She bit her lip as she knew that Ben's mind would melt when he saw it. Maybe it was a bit much, but she wanted to know what he liked to see her in, it was research for the future after all.
Ben had his eyes closed, not knowing if he could stand to see Gwen in any more clothes, the desire to push her into the changing room and kiss her senseless grew with each new item.
He opened his eyes when the door opened and any breath he had vanished into a vacuum. Gwen stood there looking the most embarrassed she'd looked the entire time, her body clothed in an emerald green two-piece swimsuit that was so close to a bikini as to make no difference.
Ben's eyes just about popped out of his skull and he knew his jaw had fallen off and hit the floor.
The color accentuated her emerald eyes and made her fiery red hair shine as he'd never seen it before. The cut of the swimsuit flattered her figure in a way he never knew was possible, her chest, which had developed well but was still a modest size, drew his eyes as he couldn't help but let them sweep over her body. The curve of her hip, shoulders, legs, and arms, and her flat belly was all there for him to see and he drank it in with a desire he didn't know was possible.
Closing his mouth he licked his lips as his gaze continued to drink in her beauty. Gwen blushed at the look of desire on his face as he admired her adoringly.
She smiled shyly as she drank in his desire and affection. This was the most daring swimsuit she'd ever worn, mostly she just wore a simple one-piece, but she had recently found she had a desire to show off for Ben and to tease him since they both knew he had to restrain himself. That they both achingly had to.
Building her courage, Gwen slowly sauntered over to Ben, as his eyes fell to her hips watching as they swayed. When she reached him, she bent low in front of him and gently ran a finger down his jaw to lift his chin and make him look into her eyes.
"I'm thinking about getting this for the next summer trip," she whispered as her breath ghosted over his lips, "do you think I should?" she asked him in a sultry voice neither knew she possessed.
He only nodded as their eyes remained locked, neither able to pull away.
Finally, Gwen was able to pull herself away from Ben and smile, turning to head back to the changing room, her hips swaying and mesmerizing the young man as he couldn't help but keep his eyes anywhere but on her. She smirked as she looked over her shoulder at him and blew a kiss to him.
At that moment Vilgax could drop from the ceiling and kill him and Ben would still die happy.
It took Gwen a good five minutes to be able to get Ben out of the chair, one reason was her swimsuit tease had affected him in a very biological way and he had to wait for it to go away, the other was that his mind had hit a bump and was still off in wonderland. Gwen took that time to pay for the items she'd tried on and liked, as well as a few undergarments she hadn't dared to model for Ben, if she had he probably would have spontaneously turned into Heatblast and burst completely into flames.
Eventually, the young man was able to rise and took Gwen's hand as they left the store, a red tint still on his cheeks whenever he looked at her.
With a smile, Gwen led them out of the mall and back to the RV where she proceeded to open the door and pull Ben inside before closing it. Her cell phone in her hand and calling Max as soon as the door had closed behind them.
"Hi Pumpkin," the older Tennyson said when the line connected.
"Hi Grandpa," she replied with a smile.
"How'd your last round of shopping go?"
"It went great," she told him with a smirk in Ben's direction, the boy was still out of it after seeing Gwen in the swimsuit. "I was even able to find some new clothes for myself."
Max laughed at this.
"I hope you didn't traumatize Ben too much by dragging him into the stores."
"Grandpa," Gwen giggled as she watched Ben as his eyes slowly began to move in her direction. She blushed when she felt his eyes begin to roam over her body, the intensity of his gaze giving her goosebumps.
"He'll be fine," she told Max, "but we're back at the RV to rest for a bit then we're going to head back out, maybe get some food."
"Sounds good, do I need to call you?"
Gwen was silent for a moment before she whispered her reply.
"Yes, 10 minutes please," she asked.
"Ha-ha, okay Pumpkin, after you finish why don't you meet me at the food court and I'll get you both lunch, my treat."
"That'd be great Grandpa," Gwen replied.
"Alright, Pumpkin, see you both soon," Max told her before he disconnected the call.
Gwen placed the phone onto the counter next to her before slowly turning to face Ben.
His eyes were focused on her hips and slowly moved up to her face, they did linger on her chest for a moment before continuing their upward journey.
When his eyes finally connected with hers, she smiled and slowly walked toward him, swaying her hips as she did. When she stood in front of him, she raised a finger and slowly trailed it over his face before wrapping her arms around his neck and sitting in his lap.
"We have 10 minutes until Grandpa calls us back, why don't we make the best of that time," she suggested as her lips hovered millimeters above his.
The words were hardly out of her mouth before she found herself being carried toward the bunks. She giggled at Ben's eager expression as she placed kisses on his chin.
Her grin grew as he placed her gently on the bed before staring into her eyes for a moment before crashing his lips on hers, one hand roaming up and down her body as his tongue explored her mouth.