Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ben

Never in all his years did Ben face something he couldn't solve with just a slap on the Omnitrix. Even the times where it decided to misbehave, he always found a way to make things work. Then Grandpa Max fell ill; cancer, the doctors said. No one could've suspected Max was in any pain; he did a damn good job of hiding it. He smiled and told stories like usual. It fell upon the grandkids and their parents to do what they could to help make Max as comfortable as possible. It was accepted by most of the family that Max was dying, but Ben was the last one to come to grips with it. Kevin made multiple trips to the Rust Bucket to fix up anything that had broken for Max (and anytime Max would offer to pay for Kevin's supplies or time, Kevin would always turn him down.) Gwen would swing by to help him with chores or getting groceries. Then there was Ben. Ben would use all the aliens available to him to keep an eye on Max. He'd use Stinkfly or Jetray to watch over Max from above, or he'd use XLR8 to get to Max as quickly as possible, or he'd use Echo so he could multiply himself to get more done. But none of these forms available to him were going to help him now. Not after he'd just gotten a stern phone call from Kevin, all Kevin saying being "If you wanna see Max, get your ass over here. Now. You're running out of time."

Even as he sped through the city as XLR8, it just didn't feel fast enough. There was too many cars, too many people on the sidewalks to navigate through, and not helping was the fact that he was blinded by tears. Ben was going as fast as he could, maybe even faster than XLR8 could handle, but he kept scolding himself in his mind. Faster. Faster. FASTER. Pick up the speed, Tennyson! He would tell himself. The tears kept building as he raced towards the hospital. It still felt like it wasn't enough, even as the hospital speedily came into view. Somewhere in the building, in one of the illuminated rooms, was Max. Laying in a hospital bed, probably hooked up to a number of machines. Chances are, everyone else was there. Luckily for Ben, his eldest daughter - Nina - understood what was happening and readily offered to keep an eye on Ken until Ben got home. Saves on trying to find a last minute babysitter. But he knew that Gwen and Kevin were gonna be there. Gwen was probably crying her eyes out into one of Kevin's shirt, and Kevin was just taking it. Silent, watching - from the outside, no one would suspect he was hurting, but Ben knew Kevin too well. Ben knew that just seeing the two of them by Grandpa's bedside was probably gonna send the waterworks crashing out of his eyes. Through the car park, he bolted towards the front door and passed by two nurses coming out of the building, quickly shouting as he flew past; "Sorry!" His voice cracked a lot more than he'd have liked. Stopping at the reception, the helmet slid away so Ben - more like XLR8 - could talk clearly to the staff stationed there. "Where's Max Tennyson?" The nurses looked among themselves, a little puzzled by the strange, Velociraptor-like being asking about one of the patients. Ben had to remind himself not to get angry with them - it wasn't everyday they had an alien casually rock up to their campus.

"Floor 12, room A14." One finally said. With that, Ben quickly thanked them then headed for the stairs. An elevator was way too slow, especially when XLR8 could get up there much quicker. When he got to Floor 12, Ben had to take a moment to catch himself as the many turns of the staircase at breakneck speed had dizzied him. Then, the Omnitrix let out its warning. Ben only had a few seconds to get as much out of XLR8 as he could before he was back to human speeds. Surveying the area, he found a sign pointing towards where he was needing to go. Ben raced down the hall, looking around carefully for the sign outside the room. Then the Omnitrix let out the sound that told Ben he was turning back; he paused in the hallway, allowing it to do its thing before he continued running. He'd gotten pretty far with XLR8, finding the numbers counting down from 30 and heading towards 10. After running what felt like an eternity, Ben finally found the room where Max was being kept. He turned the knob a bit more harshly than he had wanted and swung the door open.

Just as Ben had feared, Gwen was sat by Max's side. She stared at Ben with wife, bloodstained eyes with tears still falling down her cheeks. Kevin was stood nearby, leaning against the wall. He was staring off into the middle distance. Ben and Gwen's parents were huddled in the room, and even Gwen's older brother Ken was there. Ben wasted no time in greeting everyone. His father gestured to the opposite side of Max's bed, a silent command to talk to Max. Ben ran over, taking his place at Max's side and grasping hold of his hand.

"Grandpa?" Ben said, trying hard not to break into an emotional mess. Max groaned, opening his eyes slowly. He smiled when he saw Ben. It seemed that was all he could do. Ben returned the smile, clutching tightly to Max's hand. "Grandpa, it's me."

"I know... Ben..." Max choked just trying to speak. Ben smiled as he hushed Max, brushing away some strands of uncut hair from Max's face.

"Hey, it's alright. Don't burn yourself out, Grandpa." Ben assured Max. Max coughed as he shook his head, locking eyes weakly with Ben. He squeezed as much he could to Ben's hand, watching as a tear or two fell finally from Ben's eyes.

"Don't you worry 'bout me, Benjamin..." Max stated, his voice low like a whisper. Gwen reached her hand over to squeeze softly on Ben's arm; it seemed she had already said her peace with Max long before Ben arrived. And, perhaps, Gwen's father let go of his grudge against Kevin long enough to let Kevin and Max talk some things out before it was all over and that chance was long lost for Kevin. Ben could only imagine what Max must've told them; Max would've told Gwen how incredible she was and how he was so infinitely proud of her and all her achievements, proud of the person she has grown into. He'd have told Kevin that his father would be so proud of the man he has become, and how Max felt blessed to have been in Kevin's life if only for a few brief moments. Those were long enough for him to see that Kevin would be alright - no matter what happened, he'd be alright. He'd tell them both to tell their kids - Devlin, Dylan, Marvin and Mavis - that he loved being their great-grandfather and he will miss seeing them all grow up. He would miss Devlin talking to him about video games and what skateboard tricks he had learned that week. He'd miss Dylan singing princess songs out of tune, missing several notes by miles, at the top of her lungs in her cheap princess costumes. He'd miss the twins pranking him, telling him jokes, and being their sweet and goofy selves - Ben knew that after the diagnosis, the twins were the first to get a successful chuckle out of Max. Chances are, Max was gonna say something similar to pass on to Nina and Ken. Ben moved as close as he could to Max, struggling not to break into broken sobs.

"It's not fair, Grandpa..." Ben muttered. Max nodded with what little strength was left in him.

"It is... But... that's life, Ben. That's life." Max agreed with his sentiment, pulling Ben close to hug him as best as he could. Ben let the tears come flooding out as he closed his eyes, holding so tight to Max he might've just shattered like porcelain in his hands. "Ben, I am so proud of you. You're such a brave boy... You've grown wise... I long feared your childhood was lost by the Omnitrix... But... you proved me wrong... You showed me just how smart and selfless and caring you are... I am so proud I was lucky enough... to call you my grandson, Ben..." Max spoke, each breath sounding more and more shallow. Ben rested his forehead on Max's, looking him directly in the eyes.

"I love you, Grandpa." Ben stated. Max smiled. Then coughed. Gwen gasped as the machine detecting his heartbeat began to slowdown in speed. Max began laying back on the bed.

"I..." Ben could feel the strength quickly fading away from Max's body. The squeeze he had given Ben on the hand was now like a feather, and growing more and more unnoticeable. Ben stared, wide eyed and mouth agape at Max as the tears came crashing harder and harder. "love..." Ben moved close to Max, his own breathing racing and shallow as he held onto the last bits of warmth, of life in Max's body. Max shut his eyes, his head turning to the side. "....you..." A loud beeping signaled that Max's heart had finally stopped beating. Gwen let out a loud sob as she laid her head on Max's bed. Kevin approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. A tear fell down his cheek as he looked towards Max. Ben was pushed aside by a nurse who did what they could to try and revive Max.

"Grandpa...?" Ben said; it sounded just like when he was 10 years old. Scared. Confused. But no; he was an adult. Ben found himself wishing he could go back in time. All he wanted was another moment. Just one more moment. A final moment. A doctor gave the order to stop trying to resuscitate Max.

"Time of death 7:48PM, May 11th." The parents in the room finally began their shouts and wails of mourning. Ben felt like he had truly become an alien on Earth. Standing, watching. Memories flashed before his eyes as he stared at Max's lifeless body. He can't be... No... He'd just gotten here...

"No..." Ben muttered. "No, no, no!" Before any sense of logic could kick in within Ben's mind, Ben had climbed on top of Max and was shaking Max by the hospital gown. "Grandpa! I know you're in there!" Ben's parents started yelling at Ben. Somehow, while he heard it, none of it seemed to get through to him. At his side, Kevin straightened himself out and moved Gwen away from the bed.

"Ben." Kevin stated. Ben still shook Max. When Max didn't respond, barely a movement of his eye, Ben roared. He chanted "Grandpa" over and over, even going as far as to slap Max. "Ben!" Kevin shouted, grabbing Ben's hand. When Ben turned to face him, eyes full of hatred - not at Max, naturally - Kevin furrowed his brows. He growled, squeezing tight to Ben's arm. If it hurt a little, at least it would tell Ben this had just happened. "Cut it out, Ben! He's gone!" Ben yelled as he freed his arm from Kevin's grip. He was about to try and shake Max again but he could see the colour slowly leaving Max. Broken and defeated, Ben curled up small, his head laid upon Max's chest as he sobbed. "There's nothing you can do, Tennyson. He can't hear you now."

"Grandpa..." Ben didn't want to believe it. Something within him couldn't believe it, even if it was good for him. "Grandpa." He balled up a fist and slammed it on Max's chest. "Grandpa!" Kevin watched silently - he remembered how badly he took his dad dying. He knew he'd be a hypocrite if he condemned Ben right now - Ben wasn't thinking straight, and when the smoke finally clears Kevin knew perfectly well Ben was gonna be kicking himself. "GRANDPA!" Ben roared.

Ben sat outside of the room where Max had passed. The moon was illuminating the late-spring sky. Ben's eyes and throat were stinging from his wailing. He had his hands in his pocket as he sat slumped on the chair. He could just about make out the conversation of the rest of the family, discussing funeral plans. Ben wished he could tune it out more, but no matter what he tried it seemed to burn itself into his ears anyway. The door to the room opened. Ben turned, seeing Kevin closing it behind him. Kevin sat down beside Ben. Ben was shocked Kevin didn't look like he was about to rip his ribcage out of his mouth for what he had just done, instead quietly sat there staring out the window then looking calmly at Ben.

"Tennyson." Kevin started.

"I have a name, Kevin." Ben spat, crossing his hands as he looked back out the window. It only dawned on Ben then that Kevin probably was still trying to figure out what to say - after all, they both just watched a man - scrap that, a family member - die.

"Sorry... Look, don't blame yourself for what happened in there." Kevin spoke softly. Ben found it rather unusual. Ben got up and began pacing the small area outside the room.

"How can I not? I slapped Grandpa, Kevin." Ben retorted.

"Because you were grievin'. We all grieve differently. And for the record, you wouldn't be the first person to react poorly when grievin'." Kevin pointed out. They shared a look, knowing they were thinking of the same thing. They both now had 'reacted poorly to someone dying' to add to their list of things in common. Kevin? Got himself addicted, ended up demolishing his childhood home. Ben? Slapped a corpse and shook it by the neck of its hospital gown. For what felt like the first time in eternity, Ben finally laughed. Kevin smiled and chuckled along. He was happy that - even if through the strangest of means - Ben was feeling a tad better. Chances are, it wouldn't last, but for now that was enough. Ben sat back down.

"But between you and me, I'm pretty sure I committed the biggest moral faux pas." Ben stated, punching Kevin jokingly on the arm. Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Pretty sure that the debt my mum took out just to pay for the damage I caused would like to have a word with you on that." He argued, causing Ben to laugh a little more. "Back to point though; I know you're already givin' yourself shit for it. But trust me, no one in that room blames you." Kevin pointed to the door to the room where the family was still gathered.

"Still probably gonna get an earful though..." Ben muttered.

"What for? You're punishin' yourself enough. And to your credit, at least you did it in the privacy of a hospital room and not in the middle of his funeral." The mental image made Ben laugh again - the idea that the Ben 10 was slapping a corpse during the middle of a funeral. Now that would make the papers interesting, for sure. "And come on, you could've done far worse than just a slap."

"Oh, would you prefer I went Four Arms and punched him till his face was caved in?" Ben couldn't believe he was making these jokes, but somehow it was healing him. And the mental images really did help Ben feel better - yeah, it could've gone far worse.

"Pfft, tame. Now, if you'd gone Stinkfly and vomited all over him..." Kevin joked. Ben guffawed, hitting Kevin lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh, Gwen would've shouted till my ears bled, for sure!" Ben commented. The two laughed at the mental image of a very justifiably pissed off Gwen telling off a twice her size alien bug.

"Point is, I doubt Max would be angry with you. Wrong as it may be, I think he'd try and make you feel better." Kevin explained as he wiped a tear from his eye. Ben smiled, cocking his head slightly.

"So, have you decided to take his place or what?" Ben teased.

"You fuckin' wish." Kevin spat sarcastically, smiling when Ben nearly fell out of his chair from laughing. Ben laughed for a couple of minutes, Kevin silently watching and staying by his side. When Ben began calming down, fixing himself up back on the chair properly, Kevin asked; "You wanna know about the funeral discussion, or do you want to leave that for now?"

"I'm not in the headspace for it, right now. Maybe in the morning." Ben answered. Kevin nodded.

"Well, if you like I can take you home the now. It might be better you get some time to yourself." Kevin suggested. Ben nodded, getting up. "I'll let everyone know." Kevin got his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Ben. "You head on down, but I'm driving. I'll be down in a minute." Kevin instructed. Ben thanked him then began walking down the lonesome hall towards the elevator. The only people he walked by were other families dealing with their own problems and nurses doing their tasks, the only reprieve being provided briefly by the walls of the elevator. Just him and the sound of the elevator lowering through the shaft, heading towards the ground floor where all Ben had to do was walk out and find Kevin's car.That was until the doors opened, the exit in sight and the windows revealing it had begun raining. Perfect. Ben scoffed, pulling his jacket tight around himself as he walked towards the exit and through the doors, being greeted by the sound of the rain thundering against the concrete. Looking out across the car park, he spotted Kevin's car parked just a ways from the door. Wasn't hard to look for with its bright green paint. Ben sighed, bracing for the cold and walked towards the car, unlocking it as he got close to it.

Now safely under the shelter of the car, Ben let out a deep exhale and relaxed into the chair. It still seemed so unreal that tonight had happened, and that Ben had to now find a way to navigate life without Max. Without his grandpa there, with all his years of wisdom and advice and experience to guide Ben on his unique journey. Looking down at the Omnitrix, Ben toyed with the dial and scrolled through all the aliens he had at his disposal. With each one he looked at, a different memory of Max replayed in Ben's head, making him smile widely. He could smell the forest, marshmallows over a campfire, the dust of the Rust Bucket. Scents that made Ben tear up a little. Then he landed on Heatblast - the first alien he ever turned into. He could still remember that day vividly. He remembered how scared and confused he was, but also how thrilled and excited and overconfident he was at the time. But when things started going south, it was Max who came to his rescue and guided him towards the solution to his newfound problem. It was Max who aided him in his time of need. It was Max that, arguably, had made him the hero he is today. Looking through the windshield, Ben spotted Kevin racing his way, trying his hardest to shield himself from the rain. Ben smiled as he disengaged the Omnitrix.

"At least with you on me, Grandpa will always be with me." Ben said quietly. The driver's door opened and Kevin practically shoved himself into the seat and slammed the door, slightly out of breath from trying to avoid the brunt of the rain. "Wonderful, isn't it? Grandpa dies, and the world decides it wants to mourn too." Ben joked. Kevin nodded with a smile.

"Yeah. Keys?" Ben handed the keys back to Kevin. Kevin switched the engine on, scrolled through the radio channels to find something calming for the both of them, then began driving the both of them out of the car park. Ben felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, taking it out to find a text from his mother.

"Hey, honey. Not gonna pretend you didn't act a tad out of line, but Grandpa wouldn't want you to hate yourself over it. If anything, I think Grandpa would understand why it happened. I know you both were close. Remember, Benjamin, me and your dad are always here for you. Have a good rest tonight and we'll swing by in the morning. Take care of Nina and Ken; they're probably gonna be very confused for the next little while. Love you. Mum xxx" The text read. Ben smiled as he read it. He typed back a simple reply to his mother.

"Thanks, mum. Talk to you tomorrow." He considered how he was going to break the news to Nina and Ken. His stomach growled and Ben considered that the two may be a tad hungry. Good thing he was already on his phone. He sent a text to Nina; "Say, would you and Ken be interested in pizza tonight?" It took only a few minutes for Nina to see and start typing a response, Ben watching and waiting with anticipation. A text came through.

"Sure. How's Max?" It was an innocent question; Ben couldn't dare to imagine the tears Nina and Ken would cry knowing he was gone. Steadily, he typed out a response.

"I'll tell you after dinner." After that, he put his phone back in his pocket before turning to talk to Kevin. "Mind if we could stop by a pizza place? Wanna grab dinner for Nina, Ken and myself."

"Pizza is one Hell of a way to learn your great-grandpa died, but it's your money." Kevin answered with a shrug. With that, the two drove silently through the night. Ben knew what his kids preferred in terms of pizza; the only thing he could hope now was that, somehow, it was enough of a barricade for the emotional Hell they were all gonna be in for the next while.

Chapter Text

Kevin

Dropping Ben off at the apartment complex he and his kids live in, Kevin watched as Ben headed for the doors leading into the building. He was carting several box of pizza under one arm - Kevin had offered to help but Ben turned him down, said Kevin's presence would probably clue in Nina and Ken to the severity of what just happened. Kevin couldn't argue, even if he felt like he was being brushed off. It's not like Kevin hasn't gone through this before. Ben turned over his shoulder, looking back to Kevin, giving a small, melancholic wave goodbye. Kevin nodded silently, waiting until Ben had fully disappeared from view before preparing to drive off. Looking up at the windows of the building, Kevin was sure he saw Nina's face plastered against one of them, staring down at him. Kevin let out a tired sigh as he pulled away from the complex. He knew perfectly well what was awaiting Ben when he walked in - all Hell breaking loose. Kevin wasn't exactly looking forward to it either. He had watched how his kids bonded with their great-grandfather, each having such a unique bond and experience with him. It took everything in Kevin not to punch something out of anger - this time, no amount of violence was about to fix the problem he and Gwen were now facing. Hell, Kevin knows from first hand experience that violence and turmoil only made him worse when he was mourning his dad, and like Hell was that mistake repeating with his kids. Still, somewhere deep in Kevin it all still stung. When he came to a set of lights, he switched the radio on and surfed briefly through the channels until he landed on his favourite rock and metal broadcast. Seemed Kevin missed what played last, the sound of the radio host's voice filling the rain-filled silence of the car as Kevin gripped to the steering wheel.

"... And after that we will be turning to road and weather reports, but honestly, I just need to look out the window to get my update. Hope you've all got umbrellas. In the meantime, here's a little something to help cheer you up - absolute classic by the legends, Bon Jovi, here is 'Livin' On A Prayer' and I hope you all are able to get all nice and bundled up." The host stated, his voice fading away as a synth chord took focus. Kevin scoffed, relieved when the lights turned green. Maybe it was a good thing he drove Ben home - Gwen would probably burst into tears again if she heard this song right now. Max used to play a lot of bands like these, and Gwen had many a memory of that summer roadtrip all those years ago where she, Ben and Max sang-shouted along to 'Livin' On A Prayer' while driving through the desert. Maybe this was Max sending Kevin some kind of comfort from beyond, a final reminder that he and Gwen would be alright. Maybe this was Max's way of telling him "You look after her, now". Whatever it was, it would do for Kevin's trip back to the hospital. As he drove, something about the song, the night and the buildings he passed made him sentimental. He could remember driving Ben and Gwen everywhere when neither of the cousins had their licenses, he could remember going for Mr Smoothy's and chilling with Gwen on the hood of the car, peering up into the night sky. He could even remember the times he got to know Max a bit better - now that Max was gone, his compliment about Kevin having a future in law enforcement seemed to have a lot more weight to it.

Pulling into the hospital car park, Kevin was surprised to find Gwen standing outside, huddled in her wool trench coat just under shelter. Coming to a stop, Kevin beeped the horn once to alert Gwen to his return. She peered up quickly then bolted to the car. The amount of force with which she threw herself into the dry and warmth of the car was outstanding, but Kevin decided now wasn't the time for snarky comments. With the door closed, Gwen let out a shaky sigh as she relaxed into the passenger seat.

"So... where did everyone else go?" Kevin asked tenderly, looking over at Gwen from the corner of his eye as he began driving again. Gwen fastened her seatbelt just as they exited the hospital car park, hugging herself to try and warm up a little faster.

"They went home. What took you so long?" Gwen responded, turning so her body faced Kevin as much as possible. Kevin closed his eyes and let out a sigh for a moment.

"Ben decided to grab pizza for Nina and Ken. Guess it's his way of tryin' to make tonight not so horrible." He responded. Gwen nodded silently, looking out of her window, watching as the rain raced down the glass. Kevin seemed to notice Gwen's low mood, pondering to himself a moment. Normally, Gwen would make absolute certain the only thing Kevin made in the kitchen was a cup of coffee - to his credit, Kevin didn't exactly learn how to cook and most he can do is scrambled eggs which isn't exactly a healthy diet. Hard to learn more than that when you've been homeless, spent time in the Null Void then were busy saving the world - if not the universe - several times over. Gwen definitely had a lot more experience in that department, and that was the only reason she was the one who took care of cooking - she cooks, Kevin takes care of the dishes. However, he was willing to bet Gwen was likely not in the mood for cooking. She probably just wanted food and to be left to her own devices, and who could blame her? Her grandpa just died in front of her eyes. "Say, how about we get takeout as well?"

"Mhm." Was all Gwen responded with. When they came to another set of lights, Kevin reached his hand over to take one of Gwen's, stroking her knuckles with his thumb while he kept his eyes on the road.

"Hate to push but a suggestion would be nice, babe." Kevin spoke softly. Last thing Gwen needed was him getting annoyed with her, or even perceiving him to be annoyed with her. He was still trying to figure out how to communicate his emotions and respond to Gwen's accordingly (thank the Gods for his therapist!), but even with his unfortunate lack of understanding basic emotional communication, Kevin knew when it wasn't the time for pushing buttons. Gwen squeezed Kevin's hand, thinking to herself. Kevin would've liked to hold her hand a little longer, give her a little more physical comfort, but the damned lights changed to red.

"How about Chinese?" Gwen offered. Kevin wasn't entirely sure what he was in the mood for, but tonight wasn't the time for debating. He nodded as he changed gears.

"Yeah, that can be done." Kevin assured. Now that that was out of the way, it came time for the tricky part. "I know it's a bit early for this... well, there's never gonna be a good time but... uh... how do we tell the kids?" Even without looking at her, Kevin could tell Gwen sank into herself, calculating and theorizing on what to do next. When it came to tricky or sensitive discussions with the kids, Gwen was always cautious and careful. She would spend weeks before the conversation researching, asking other parents, even looking up whatever bits of advice professionals had on the matter. She and Kevin would then discuss it altogether, decide their approach, and that would be how the conversation would go. This time... wasn't really ever gonna go according to plan. When they got word of Max's diagnosis, Gwen researched everything to do with it - including explaining death to children. No one had any faith in Max being able to recover, not at his age. And any chance for Kevin and Gwen to discuss what to do was lost, spent assisting Max or explaining the situation to the kids. Now, they had no choice but to tell them without a safety net and the air was thick with tension.

"Food first... that later." And that was that. No more discussion to be had. Kevin nodded with a gentle smile, hoping at the very least Gwen would notice from the reflection of him in her window. Turning his attention to the roads, Kevin began mapping out the route to the Chinese takeaway. This was gonna be a long night.

Arriving home, bags of food in hand, Gwen and Kevin were greeted by their three younger kids racing to them at the door. Dylan, the eldest of the three at seven years old, embraced Gwen tightly. The twins, Marvin and Mavis, wrapped themselves around Kevin's legs, making him chuckle as he playfully, albeit carefully, stomped his way to the dining room. Ah, the joy of the terrible toddlers. The sound of wood creaking signaled that their eldest child, Devlin, had heard them come in and was coming down to check out the commotion. Devlin looked through the doorway into the dining room, smiling when he saw that his father was home. He walked over, slightly apprehensively. Kevin knew Devlin was probably gonna race up to his room again the second he learned Max was gone. Devlin noticed the bags of food placed on the table, smelling the air and licking his lips.

"Chinese?"

"You betcha. Mum isn't feeling up to cooking." Kevin answered. Devlin took a seat, watching as the twins took their own seats. Gwen and Dylan entered, carrying eating utensils with them while Kevin gave everyone their food.

"Yummy!" The twins chanted in unison - for the first time in the last few hours, Kevin saw Gwen smile. Genuinely smile. He wished it could've lasted a little longer. With everyone else handed their food, all that was left was Kevin's in the bag. And thus, the Levin family started dinner. The kids all talked about their days at school - Devlin and Ken were partnered up for a project, and Devlin was gushing over how well it ended up going. Dylan, on the other hand, simply talked about the things she was taught that day - she was a budding mathematician and it filled Kevin with such an immense joy to hear Dylan talk on and on about what she found interesting. As for the twins? They were too busy eating their food way too fast, getting hiccups, laughing at each other, and being gently reminded by Gwen not to do that. Rather normal for this household. It was a good thing, then, that Devlin was the only one out of them whose powers had activated. In Devlin's case, it seemed he was taking after his father - Kevin prayed for the better, and not for the worse. With Gwen around, however, supporting Kevin in his own recovery and as another role model for Devlin to turn to, Kevin felt mostly assured that Devlin was unlikely to experience what he did. As the chatting and eating continued, it became more and more apparent to Kevin and Gwen that the time for the thing they dreaded most was almost upon them. Devlin was the first to finish, and as he got up from his chair he was about to take his dishes to the kitchen.

"Dev, just for tonight you can leave that to us." Kevin stated, looking over at Gwen. They had to decide here and now who would tell them - either it was one of them, or it was both. Gwen got up, but the look in her eye was one of need. She couldn't do this without him. Kevin nodded, getting up. "Dev, follow us." At first, it was blatantly obvious Devlin considered he may be in trouble, but all it took to dismiss the thought was Gwen reaching out a hand for Devlin to take. Gwen instructed the other kids to stay in the dining room until she and Kevin returned. They didn't go too far away, using the living room as the area of what was about to be another nuclear meltdown of tears. Luckily, the dining room door was in view of the living room, so Gwen and Kevin could still keep an eye on the other kids. Gwen directed Devlin to a chair, sweetly inviting him to sit down. Devlin looked at both his parents, gripping tightly to the chair. Kevin and Gwen shared a look, Gwen placing a hand on Kevin's chest to silent request she take the lead. This was her grandpa, so Kevin understood why she was asking. Leaning forward a little, Gwen took Devlin's hands as she built up what little courage hadn't been drained by tears from the day. Sighing, she looking Devlin in the eye as she stroked his cheek with a thumb.

"Devlin... we need to talk about Grandpa Max." Gwen started. Devlin's shoulders tensed up. He was now hanging on to whatever they were about to tell him next - Kevin knew that he was gonna watch his son crash and burn and, oh, how we would hate every second. But he'd hate even more leaving Devlin to make the same mistakes he did.

"Grandpa? Is he OK? When can I see him?" Devlin inquired feverishly, his gaze racing between each parent. Kevin noticed Gwen hesitate for a single moment; he placed a hand on the shoulder nearest to him. When she turned to thank him with a smile, he encouraged her with a nod. Taking in a deep breath, Gwen steadied herself.

"About that, Devlin... We don't have good news." Like a pin dropping, both Kevin and Gwen could detect the exact moment cracks started forming in Devlin's heart. His eyes widened, his entire body grew tense and you could just make out tears forming in his eyes.

"What...? What do you mean?" Seeing Devlin's face slowly contort to despair broke Gwen's heart. She felt tears pricking her eyes and even talking properly became a struggle. Sadly, she knew this had to be done.

"I'm sorry, Devlin. Grandpa Max is dead." Kevin could recognise the expression on Devlin's face - the horror of realisation. Suddenly, the events of the day made sense to Devlin - why his parents suddenly had to leave after the kids had just gotten home from school, why he was left in charge while they were away, where they had gone... why they had gone. Kevin recognised this face as he'd seen it in his own reflection once; it was when he tried hacking the Omnitrix to give Ben an edge against Vilgax's return, and it backfiring resulted in Kevin's body becoming a whole heap of different materials he had absorbed for armour. He remembered this face distinctly from when Gwen showed him his reflection in her compact mirror. It felt just as horrible to watch Devlin go through something, ableit not entirely similar but it was close enough for Kevin.

"No... No, that can't be right!" Devlin got up from the chair. His voice was growing shaky, his hands and knees jittering about as he struggled to maintain composure. "I thought you said he was on medication?" Devlin begged.

"That was just painkillers, Devlin." Kevin clarified, kneeling down so he was eye level with Devlin.

"Honey, Grandpa's prognosis wasn't good even when he got diagnosed. The chances of him recovering were slim." Gwen explained, joining Kevin in kneeling. Devlin processed silently, his breathing picking up in speed. The tears that had formed in his eyes were now beginning their stampede down his cheeks. He shook his head, trying hard to wipe away the tears.

"No... No, no, no, no!" Devlin began to scream. Gwen brought Devlin in for a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around him as he cried into her shoulder. Kevin joined the hug, helping Devlin wipe tears from his face quietly. And they stayed like this on the living room floor, Devlin crying as his parents embraced him, surrounded him with their love and physical comfort. It wasn't enough to heal his broken heart right now, but it would be enough to remind him he wasn't alone in this endeavour. Devlin would end up crying for about a half hour, his voice growing more tired and strained by the second. Finally, when he was calm enough, Gwen and Kevin let go of Devlin, still kneeling on the floor. Gwen smiled at Devlin sympathetically, her own eyes glittering with tears.

"How about you head up to your room, get some alone time, yeah? We'll be up to check on you soon. Sound good?" Kevin suggested. Devlin nodded quietly, slowly walking away. One down, three more to go. Sadly, the three who were waiting were at a stage where none of them quite understood the finality of death. They would need to tread carefully. Kevin and Gwen stayed knelt on the ground, watching over Devlin as he climbed up the stairs, sniffing into the darkness. Once he was out of view, Kevin got up. "You stay here, I'll get the other three." Gwen nodded, taking a moment to meditate a little in the hopes it'll help her clear her head, allow her to explain the matter to the younger three properly. Sadly, she didn't have long as Kevin soon returned with the younger three. The twins spotted Gwen knelt on the ground and decided they wanted to sit their butts on the ground with her, sat in front of the chair. Dylan rolled her eyes, letting out a soft laugh as she joined them. Gwen smiled as she maneuvered herself into a seating position, soon being joined by Kevin.

"Where's Devlin?" Dylan asked, cocking her head to the side.

"He's upstairs. He's needing some alone time." Kevin answered. Dylan let out an 'Oh' as the twins looked at each other, both puzzled by Devlin's absence.

"We have something to tell you. It's about Grandpa Max." Gwen explained. In an instant, the kids were all staring at her, backs straightened. As far as the kids knew, Max had fallen ill and was getting treatment. They knew what cancer was called; they had no idea what it actually was. That exposure hadn't quite arrived for them yet.

"Is he alright?" Dylan asked. She was fidgeting with the fabric of her dress, playing with it in her fingers. Gwen looked over to Kevin; Devlin took a lot out of her, she was going to need a little assistance. Kevin coughed to get the kids' attention.

"You remember how we said he was sick?" Kevin asked. The kids nodded in-sync; if it weren't for the conversation at hand, it would be cute. "Well, I'm afraid the illness has taken its toll."

"What do you mean?" The twins asked in unison.

"We mean that Grandpa Max's body has stopped working. He can't feel hot or cold anymore. He can't feel hungry or thirsty anymore. But most importantly, he can't feel pain anymore." Gwen explained softly. The three kids simply stared back. Mavis raised a brow slightly, Dylan cocked her head and Marvin looked to Kevin for help. Kevin could only shrug, making Marvin all the more puzzled.

"Why's that bad?" Mavis asked. Gwen had to take a very deep and long breath before she responded.

"It's bad because Grandpa Max is no longer in his body." Gwen explained tenderly, hoping to all Hell none of them spotted the tears in her eyes.

"Oh, is he in space again?" Marvin interjected, catching Gwen by surprise. Kevin could tell Gwen was close to breaking. It wasn't the children's fault, but this conversation needed to be over. Stat. Kevin shuffled closer to Gwen, both to give her some comfort but also so the kids were looking at him at the same time as her.

"Yes, but he can't come back." Kevin explained. Each of the kids were horrified by the implication. Slowly, Gwen and Kevin could see their tiny brains piecing together the puzzle of information they were being told.

"Why can't he come back?" Marvin asked with a frown.

"His mission on Earth is done; he's needed elsewhere." Gwen answered; she knew the bitter truth that what she and Kevin were telling them was the best way they could understand Max's death, and even more so his future absence in their lives. However, telling them using his Plumber job as the metaphor was killing her on the inside.

"But we need him here! We want him here..." Dylan retorted mournfully. Gwen could no longer fight back the tears.

"That's alright. He can still call us." Mavis said to Dylan in hopes of bringing her bigger sister some ease. Kevin hated that the bubble had to be popped.

"Afraid not. Where he's going is too far for any of his equipment to work properly."

"WHAT!?" The three kids shouted at once.

"He can't go! It's dangerous!" Dylan protested as a tear fell from her eye.

"Yeah, he could get hurt!" Mavis agreed eagerly.

"Hurt? He could get lost!" Marvin rebutted.

"Now, now, calm down." Kevin started, waiting till the three children were quiet and ready - or at least, as ready as they could be - before he continued. "We're all worried for him, but we can't stop him. He's needed elsewhere, as much as we want him here with us." As Kevin explained the situation, he watched as the three kids fully came to understand what they were being told. Grandpa Max was gone; they wouldn't be seeing him anymore. Dylan was the first to break, quietly sobbing to herself. The twins hugged each other as they began loudly sobbing. Hearing her children cry was what finally broke Gwen; she excused herself and headed outside - back into the damp and cold - for some fresh air. It was now just Kevin, alone with three crying kids, trying to figure out how to proceed.

"Why would he leave us?" Marvin pleaded.

"Does he not love us?" Mavis added. Kevin could feel his heart breaking into shards for his kids as he pulled them all onto his lap, embracing them tightly as he shushed them and let them cry their little hearts out.

"No, Grandpa loves you. He loves you all so much. But he had to go. He had to leave so he could protect you guys, so he can protect our family and everyone we love." Kevin stated, feeling the collective tears of his kids beginning to dampen his shirt. He hated seeing them cry, but he wasn't unhappy to be their personal tissue for the time being. He hugged them all just that little bit tighter, reminding them physically that he loves them. "If there was another way, he would have stayed. But there wasn't. But just because he isn't here with us doesn't mean he isn't watching over us. He'll still be here to guide us, and his life and memories still live in us." As Kevin spoke, he could feel the kids lose their tension. They all looked tired - really, who could blame them? "Do you guys wanna have some alone time, like Devlin?" He offered; all of them nodded. "Alright, then. It's about time for bed for you guys anyway... how about you guys brush your teeth and get in your PJs and maybe you can get some screen time, just for tonight?" The thought of screentime in bed made them perk up a tad, but all in all it was enough to convince them to get themselves ready for bed. As they all headed up the stairs, Gwen finally returned. She and Kevin locked eyes, no words needed for them to understand what the other was thinking and feeling. Gwen walked over slowly, wrapping her arms around Kevin and holding on to him for dear life. Kevin smiled, resting his head on hers. Seemed he wasn't done being a tissue yet.

Chapter Text

Gwen

Funerals aren't exactly a fun affair. But somehow for Gwen, today just felt like an utter slap to the face. It was tough enough having to decide with Kevin if their youngest three children should attend Max's funeral or not (ultimately, they decided the kids needed a break from the madness of it all so they hired a babysitter to look after them), but now here she was surrounded by a sea of faces, familiar and not, trying her hardest not to break. She and Ben didn't even have a chance to talk to one another, too busy being there for their grieving parents and their confused children. And honestly, Gwen nearly ran out the church just from seeing Ben's face. It really wasn't his fault; he just brought a wave of memories back to her. And to top it all off, her mother was in absolute hysterics. Gwen partially wished she could do just the same, but something in her kept refusing to bow to such a desire. Kevin and Devlin would be attending the reception afterwards; as for Gwen? Fuck that. She's going back home. And thankfully, one person in the funeral decided she would tag along to keep Gwen company. That being Julie.

When Julie caught wind of Max's death, she blew up everyone's phones. Texts and voice calls asking if they were OK, asking what she could do to help. From what Gwen knows, Ben took her up on a few things he needed help with. Kevin thanked her for the consideration, but even Gwen could tell the chance of him accepting help was more than likely dead in the water. Gwen, on the other hand, had been spending the last several nights chatting to Julie when everyone else was asleep. Julie had probably lost countless more hours than she had expected because of Gwen alone, but Gwen needed someone to listen to her. And Julie was very good at listening. It was last night that Gwen mentioned to Julie she had no plans on staying for the reception, simply to save her mental state, and that's when Julie offered to go with her so at the very least, it wasn't as awkward for one of Max's grandkids to silently walk away. And in the sea of faces, trying hard not to snap with each sentimental word from the stupid bishop's mouth, Gwen found herself more and more thankful that once this was all over, Julie would be by her side as a shoulder to cry on.

Gwen wasn't entirely involved with the funeral planning. There was a lot she wasn't entirely aware of. She only picked up the slack for parts her mother found just too sore to do herself. If you don't, no one will, is what Gwen convinced herself. That was a lie. Sure, there was the chance it wouldn't get done, but in reality Gwen wanted some semblance of control. Some sense of knowing what was coming. That's who she is - logical, constantly thinking ahead, planning her next moves and knowing what to do when a curveball smacks her upside the face. But Max's death seemed to be something that still caught her completely by surprise, even when she knew it was coming. Maybe she had hoped deep down he would recover, that she'd get a few more years with him in her life. Maybe she hoped her kids could have their grandpa experience more of their achievements - for crying out loud, Devlin is almost ready for high school. Gwen wanted Max to at least see that, but now that dream was just a tear being cried to the carpeted floor in a church. Whatever the case may be, her plans had been dashed and really there was no one she could blame. That was the worst part; she couldn't blame anyone. Not even Max. Maybe, then, when Ben was invited to give a brief talk about Max, that's when Gwen was starting to realise she was falling down the rabbit hole. Ben had only just started when Gwen, cupping her mouth in a futile attempt to silence her whimpering, got up from the pew and bolted to the door, to fresh air, to the sun beaming on her skin. The sound of footsteps trailed behind her as Gwen threw open the doors, gasping as the air filled her lungs. Collapsing to the ground, Gwen let out a scream. A horrible, banshee like scream. Maybe one she had held back a little too long. The feeling of strong, firm hands holding her shoulders signaled that Kevin had followed after her, and he was kneeling by her side whispering whatever affirmations he could to soothe Gwen. Looking over Kevin's shoulder, Julie was holding back tears as she asked if Gwen was alright.

"It's OK, babe. Let it out. No one's gonna mind." Kevin assured her, bringing Gwen close for a hug. Gwen was always considered the more mature and independent of Max's grandkids, but right now she certainly didn't feel like it. She clung to Kevin like he was a rope, keeping her from falling into the cavernous pits below. Her fingers dug into him - did he feel pain from it? If he did, he made no attempt at informing Gwen. And she had just ironed his damn shirt this morning, and now she was crying tears and snot into it. It took Gwen by utter surprise just how... helpless she truly felt when it came to being held against the measure. She's supposed to be the calm one, the one who can keep composure through it all. So, why was she failing now? The answer was obvious and yet it eluded her all the same. Julie reached into a pocket, pulling out a pack of tissues and handing one to Gwen.

"Here." Julie said softly. Gwen snatched it a bit more harshly than she had intended; Julie said nothing. Gwen wiped her tears away, even blew her nose to try and breathe properly, and yet nothing seemed to work. She kept hyperventilating on the spot, staring up towards the sky just to avoid looking at anyone.

"Gwen, listen to me. Breathe with me, OK?" Kevin instructed, placing a hand behind her head to gently guide her to look at him, allowing him to touch his forehead to hers. The two stayed quiet, Gwen trying so hard to listen or watch for Kevin's breaths, trying her hardest to match them in speed and length. Julie got herself comfortable on the stairs leading to the doors of the church. It took maybe ten minutes, but eventually Gwen could feel her heart and her breathing come to a more reasonable pattern. Finally, she was able to look Kevin in the eye without bursting in tears... OK, maybe not as badly as before. A tear or two left her eye as she meekly smiled at Kevin.

"Thank you." She whispered. Julie shuffled a little closer, holding her arms out to invite Gwen to hug her. Kevin moved away so Gwen could crawl over and hug Julie, shuffling over the dirt like a puppy. Julie smiled as she wrapped her arms carefully around Gwen.

"You've done great so far, Gwen." Julie commented, stroking Gwen's back with one hand. The door of the church opened. Gwen opened her eyes and spotted Ben silently shutting the door, trying as much as possible to not draw attention to himself. Julie turned when she heard the door creak shut, offering Ben a sympathetic smile. Ben nodded in greeting to Julie as he quietly sat on the stairs.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd let yourself be upset about all this," Ben admitted. Kevin stared daggers through Ben; Gwen knew Ben well enough to know he wasn't trying to be mean. It just ended up coming off that way. Maybe the sympathetic smile she gave Ben clued Kevin in. "Seriously, I don't understand how you were able to keep it together for so long."

"I've been doing it all my life. And let's not pretend you didn't help train me in that with your antics." Gwen responded; Ben chortled, leaning back on the stairs to look up to the sky.

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you before the procession started." Ben apologized. Maybe if they had, Gwen maybe could've been warned about Ben giving a small speech. Alas, they were both preoccupied.

"You needed to be there for your family, and I had to be for mine. Unfortunate as it is." Gwen brushed it off.

"Gwen..." Ben started, staring sadly at her. "You're my family, too." Gwen gasped when Ben said it; she wasn't entirely sure why. They've never had to say it, but they have long felt it since they were teens. Maybe it was the part of her that remembered when they were still bickering at age ten, remembering the many ways he'd stare her down, practically praying for a meteor to strike her dead if only to shut her up for a moment. She couldn't get angry; she had done the same to him. It felt so weird to her for Ben to be looking at her with so much hurt, so much love and so much yearning to soothe her nerves in his eyes. She was used to him being a hero for everyone, even having to grow used to being the damsel in distress every so often. So, why was this catching her so off guard? Gwen began to cry again, closing her eyes to wipe her tears away. "Oh, Gwen." Ben soothed, reaching over and pulling Gwen into an embrace. Gwen didn't cry nearly as hard as most of that tension had left her system, but she still ended up dampening Ben's shirt a tad. He held on to her so tight, as if he was scared he was losing her forever. She couldn't blame him - now more than ever, the family is changing. They are both scared; they need each other. "I'm so sorry it took so long for me to be here for you."

"You're here now, Tennyson. That's all that matters." Kevin interjected. For once, Gwen was glad that Kevin spoke for her. He was right - and he only ever did it when he could tell exactly what Gwen was thinking, especially in times like these where she wasn't gonna be able to get it out as fast or as clearly as she'd prefer. Gwen nodded into Ben's chest, so he'd know Kevin was right.

"But I should have been earlier." Ben argued.

"How exactly does that change my point?" Kevin raised a brow at Ben. Julie coughed to get Ben's attention, gesturing with her hand for him to cut it out. Ben got the hint rather quickly. Letting out a sigh, Ben stayed silent and continued to hug Gwen, enjoying this brief moment of calm they had managed to find. When Gwen had calmed herself down, she pulled away and wiped the last of her tears away.

"Better?" Ben asked. Gwen nodded meekly.

"Better."

"Good. I'm glad you got most of it out. I just... I guess I'm not really understanding why you didn't sooner." Ben smiled softly. Gwen giggled in understanding.

"Yeah... I guess..." Gwen pondered for a second. Kevin's eyes widened; he could figure out what was about to happen. "I guess I just... feel... responsible?" Gwen finished her thought. One could almost hear the sound of a penny dropping on the ground from the silence that followed, the trio's eyes widened as they stared at Gwen. Only Kevin seemed the least surprised. Gwen looked between all three. "What?"

"Responsible?" Julie started.

"For what? For... us?" Ben asked, gesturing to himself with his hand on his chest. Gwen said nothing as she looked away. Ben and Kevin shared a look, Kevin nodding his approval. "But, why?" Gwen sighed, hugging herself as she looked out into the middle distance. Beside the church was a field, lined by large trees on the outskirts. A few birds were flying over head.

"I mean... someone had to be. You could've gotten yourself hurt." Gwen said without really realising or thinking about it. Ben's eyes widened even further. Julie nodded in understanding; being Ben's ex, she could definitely tell he was a bit of a troublemaker when he was younger. Kevin moved closer to Gwen, hugging her.

"Y'know I've been trying my best to work on my end of that, babe." Kevin assured whisperly, brushing a few strands of hair away from Gwen's face.

"I know, and I'm so glad you are..." Gwen trailed off as she looked back at Ben. He was staring at her in anticipation. Gwen sighed as she looked away again. "I don't know, I guess I still worry about you."

"Gwen, I know I've given you more than enough reasons to worry about me, and I am sorry I constantly made you feel responsible for me and my actions. I'm pretty sure that's why Grandpa was a little more strict with me; he must've known, even back then. And I'm sorry that you even feel like you need to worry about me when you have your own life and family to attend to." Ben said, no hiding behind some confident persona. Just the Ben that Gwen always remembered, the Ben she was glad to call her cousin. Gwen let Ben talk. She wasn't sure how much of an influence she had on him, but all she could say was that right now she felt like a proud big sister. "I promise, Gwen, you don't need to worry so much about me. I can only certainly hope I'm nowhere as bad as I was when I was younger. And I swear, Gwen, I want you to know I'll be fine, that I can do things on my own and you don't need to worry about it." Suddenly, an idea came to Ben. Gwen could see it from the look in his eyes; call it a bad habit, but she didn't feel certain about it.

"Ben?" Gwen asked. Kevin placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder.

"Hold on a sec, Gwen. Let him think." Kevin reassured her. Gwen couldn't help this deep rooted fear in her gut, but she knew that if Kevin was telling her to pause for a second she should give him a chance. Didn't make it any easier to not listen to the worries in her head. Ben scratched his chin with with a finger.

"I'll need to do a little research..." Finally, Ben noticed Gwen staring at him. And he could tell she was worried again. "Hey, don't worry. I won't make a decision until I've considered as many angles as possible." He promised her, crossing the area over his heart. Gwen still felt like she had to be informed of every little thing Ben did, purely out of an old habit formed when he constantly got himself in trouble (though to Ben's credit, some of that trouble ended up working out in the long run, like Kevin.) Defeated, she sighed and smiled.

"Alright." Ben readied himself to get back up when the door of the church opened. The congregation of people who had gathered were now making their way out. Ben stood up quickly and offered a hand to Julie. Kevin helped Gwen up as Gwen's parents rushed to her.

"Gwen, are you alright?" Her mother hushed, noticing some of the dirt that had gotten on her clothes. Gwen brushed what she could off.

"Yeah, just needed air." She answered. Her mother wasn't convinced. Her mother let out a shaky breath.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come to the reception?" Her mother quizzed; Gwen nodded. Julie came over, holding her car keys in her hand. Gwen hugged her mother tight, speaking into her ear softly.

"Yeah. I can't handle anymore today. And I need to get back for the kids." With no other choice but to trust her daughter, Gwen's mother nodded and kissed Gwen on the cheek, whispering an "I love you" into her ear. Meanwhile, her father was staring down Kevin again - this time, not in a way that screamed "I hate your guts", but in a manner that told Kevin "You better look after her." Gwen's parents departed soon after, and just as quickly Devlin rushed up to him mum and hugged her tightly around the waist. Gwen giggled as she patted Devlin on the head. "Sorry for running out, Dev." Devlin nodded, pulling away as he wiped a tear from his eye and looked at her.

"I wish you'd be at the reception..." Devlin admitted. Gwen smiled, taking Devlin's hand and squeezing it ever so slightly.

"I know, honey. But I just don't have the energy for that." Gwen explained calmly. Kevin came up beside her, smiling softly at Devlin.

"Remember, you can always go back home with her if you want to." Kevin reminded Devlin - this was a choice for Devlin to make. Gwen could see how painful it was to decide between getting rest and away from prying eyes at home, or to spend a little more time with his loved ones, talking about his memories of Max. She had hoped Devlin would make his mind up before it came to this, but whatever choice he made now - and even if he didn't stay for the full reception, she trusted him to know what he was needing right now. Devlin looked at his father.

"I wanna go to the reception." Devlin assured. Kevin nodded.

"Alright. But if you wanna leave early, you just let me know, OK." Kevin reminded him as Devlin walked past to get into the car. Finally with a moment together, Kevin hugged Gwen as she melted into his touch.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Gwen." Kevin promised her. Gwen gave Kevin a peck on the lips before pulling away to join Julie's side.

"There's no rush, Kev. Just make sure Devlin's OK." She retorted softly. Kevin nodded, giving her and Julie a wave goodbye as he followed Devlin to the car. Julie began walking to her own car, Gwen following just behind her.

"I'm feeling a tad hungry. What about yourself? We could grab something on the way back." Julie offered. Gwen smiled; Ben may have fucked up with Julie, but it was still incredible she was such an amazing friend after everything. Gwen would've thought Julie would've wanted her own normal life by now; but no, she was more than happy to be part of their shenanigans every once and a while.

"Sounds good." Gwen responded. The roaring of an engine let Gwen know Kevin had started the engine of his car. Gwen paused, turning to watch as Kevin reversed out of the parking space. She was able to see Devlin clearly; he spotted her looking at him. She waved at Devlin softly, smiling when Devlin held his hand to the glass. Before Devlin was completely out of sight, Gwen blew him a kiss and stayed where she stood, watching until Kevin's car was completely out of view. Julie paid no mind, unlocking her car and turning the engine on as she waited for Gwen. Letting out a breath, Gwen turned to continue on her way to Julie's car.

Chapter Text

Devlin

The church felt like it had swallowed Devlin whole. The reception felt like he was in the bowels of the monster, slowly being digested. When he and his father first arrived, he couldn't help but feel a tad out of place. There was so many older people there, and even then there was other family members or invited friends and their families that Devlin couldn't even bring himself to walk in that far. Thankfully, there were tables and Devlin took one furthest in the corner. There was only a few faces he recognised - Uncle Ben was talking with... well, Devlin wasn't sure who they were. All he could tell was that they were blonde. Devlin tried searching for Ken and Nina - he saw them at the funeral, though they didn't get a chance to talk. Right about now, Devlin could use his favourite cousins' company, but so far they didn't seem to be present in the crowd. Sighing, Devlin laid his head on the table as he stared elsewhere. Devlin spotted his father, Kevin, approaching just from the corner of his eye, kneeling so he could look Devlin in the eye.

"You alright?" He asked. Devlin let out a sigh as he turned away.

"Yeah, just wanna be alone." Devlin responded. He could hear his father give out a defeated breath, his hand reaching over to gently pat Devlin on the head.

"Remember what I said back at the church. We can leave whenever you want." Kevin assured before taking his leave silently, finally leaving Devlin alone. In reality, Devlin didn't really want to be alone but he knew it would probably be weird if he just stayed around his dad the whole time. That and Kevin probably wanted to catch up with a few people, maybe talk to in-laws and whatever else. Devlin normally hated small talk; he hated the mere thought of it even more now. Devlin watched silently, not paying particular attention to anything. Then he felt the distinct feeling of something crawling up his back. He jumped, a high pitched voice shouting as Devlin turned on his chair, spotting a miniscule grey alien quickly falling to the floor. Without hesitation, Devlin jumped up from his seat and caught the creature with his hands. There was only two people Devlin knew had access to an Omnitrix. His Uncle Ben, and...

"Jesus, Ken! Maybe give me a little warning next time before you decide to scare the shit out of me!" He exclaimed, watching as the tiny creature slowly got up and brushed itself off.

"My bad, Dev. Wasn't sure how else to get your attention." Ken answered; Devlin had to assume that was one perk of Grey Matter. You really could sneak up on someone and give them some more heeby jeebies they wouldn't easily forget. Devlin raised a brow as he stood up straight, still staring down at the grey alien.

"My attention...? Why would you-" Devlin started. Ken interjected before Devlin had a chance to finish his thought;

"Me and Nina saw you and Kevin pull up. We felt like we'd die if we stayed inside so we went somewhere we could be alone. Figured you could use it, too." Ken explained. Devlin's curiosity was now peaked, smiling as he transferred Ken safely to his trouser pocket so he could use his hands to open the door to the building.

"Really? Where abouts were you guys?" Devlin asked as the warm early-summer air blew gently onto his skin, the sun beaming down and causing the many pine and spruces and firs of the forest to cast long shadows. From above, a whistle caught Devlin's attention, causing him to look up to see Nina sat on the roof of the building.

"No better place to watch than from above," Nina joked, pointing towards some lattices that trailed up the side of the facility. One plus of a small, local owned business, Devlin supposed. Devlin walked over and studied the lattice carefully, cautiously climbing up. He could feel Ken hanging on tight to the inside of the pocket Devlin had placed him in, only letting out a sigh of relief when Devlin finally arrived on top of the pitched roof. Walking across carefully and sitting near Nina, Devlin took Ken out of his pocket and gently placed him down on the tiles. Nina carefully pressed the Omnitrix positioned on Grey Matter's back, allowing Ken to return to his normal, human self. Ken and Nina shared a fist bump and Ken laid down across the tiles.

"How did you two not fry up here?" Devlin asked with a chuckle, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Bold to think we're not frying, but we'd rather be frying alone than stuck in that cage down there." Ken retorted with a shrug. Devlin couldn't say he completely disagreed with the thought, though he suspected that if they hadn't used sunscreen they'd probably be red like strawberries come tomorrow. Gwen, however, would never allow Devlin to even consider leaving the house on a day like today without sunscreen. The three cousins looked out towards the sky, watching as clouds silently drifted by. In the distance, animals were singing and calling into the horizon, the branches of the trees danced in the breeze and every so often they'd hear the distinct sound of a car passing. Even the odd truck or two. It was calming. Devlin always found himself drawn to soundscapes like this, often being the reason he slept with his window open. So he could hear the world outside, imagine what was going on, what kind of car he just heard speed past, what the voices he heard were discussing, what the dog or cat or even the odd horse probably looked like. He wasn't entirely sure if Ken or Nina cared much for the sounds of the world, but it helped Devlin greatly. Gave him a reprieve when everything was teetering on too much. And today of all days, he was needing it now more than ever.

"Though we're all gonna be in heaps of trouble when our dads realise we're not in the building." Nina stated lost in thought, analysing a cloud that passed by. Devlin looked amongst the clouds - Grandpa Max had told him that fairytales really did exist, they were just aliens. So... were angels real? What happens to the dead, then, if angels are a type of alien? How does it work? These thoughts weighed heavy on his mind, and he endlessly searched the clouds in the vague hope that maybe they'd provide an answer. He was yet to see an angel-like beings, instead seeing birds passing by in their carefully planned formations, painting patterns across the sky. Devlin sighed, giving up on his attempt to find an angel for today.

"Who wants to bet how long it'll take one of them to notice?" Ken proposed. Devlin knew that Ken and Nina were quite competitive with one another. According to his Uncle Ben, Nina and Ken were a much healthier mirror to his own relationship with Gwen when they were younger, especially during the year of the fated roadtrip with Grandpa Max that would result in Ben discovering the Omnitrix in the woods. If that was the case, Devlin wasn't sure what he mirrored of such a time - was his father anything like him before his dad died? Was his mother like this at some point in her life? He certainly stood out a little in the Levin household. He wasn't nearly as snarky as Kevin, but he did have Kevin's resilience. He was far from a brain whiz like Gwen, but he did have her compassion. And unlike both of them, Devlin felt like he was still trying to figure himself out. It wasn't that long ago that Devlin's powers had activated, and ever since then it felt like Devlin's identity was in a state of metamorphosis. An extremely awkward, long, and rather foreboding metamorphosis. Devlin paid no attention to Ken and Nina as they made bets with one another. What made Devlin's situation all the more precarious was that Devlin had tried to ask as many questions as he could to Max before he died, and yet it seemed like he had more questions than answers. And worst of all? He wasn't even at Max's bedside, to say his final goodbyes, maybe ask a final question or two. The predominant question on Devlin's mind was a simple one; "Am I gonna be OK?" Now, Devlin wasn't entirely sure he would ever know.

The three cousins stayed on the roof, chatting amongst one another. They talked about Max, what they each thought was now awaiting him on the other side. They had a very interesting philosophical debate with each other, one Devlin found extremely reassuring. Nina explained that she believed that if reincarnation is a thing, it could explain how angels could be aliens and yet Max could turn into an angel. Ken, on the other hand, believed that angels weren't aliens and they were something else entirely. What, none of them were sure, but Ken's proof for angels not being aliens was a quick flash of his Omnitrix. Nina wasn't convinced; Devlin couldn't help but laugh. This conversation distracted the three, leaving them unawares as time flew by them and below, more and more people made their departure from the reception celebrating the life of Max. None of the three cousins even noticed that the sun was beginning to make its descent, barely noticeable over the trees.

"... OK, but what if there isn't any species that even remotely works like angels? What then?" Ken questioned, smiling when he watched Nina squirm for an answer. Devlin rolled his eyes - maybe this would be insane to anyone else, but for him this was just his cousins.

"Ugh, I don't know, Ken! You're the one with the Omnitrix, how about you figure it out?" Nina retorted, crossing her arms as she stared Ken down. Ken only felt more invigorated. He grinned slyly as he fiddled with the Omnitrix, bringing one of the icons of the aliens inside into view.

"Yeah, I'd say Stinkfly counts as an angel." Ken joked. Devlin burst out laughing at the mere thought of Stinkfly being the closest equivalent to an angel. Ken shot him a semi-serious glare. "Hey, Stinkfly's cool!"

"Yeah, but he smells like he spends his time rolling around in a pigsty." Devlin rebutted.

"And the stench alone is far from Heavenly. Sounds more like a punishment someone demon would put you through." Nina added with a laugh. Ken chuckled as he brought up another alien form.

"Oh, you want a demon? I can show you a demon!" Ken teased, readying himself to slam down on the Omnitrix.

"Don't even think about it." The three cousins jumped, looking forward to find a stingray-like entity flying just in front of them. A very pissed off stingray. Specifically, it was Uncle Ben using Jetray; probably so he could find the kids quickly and it was fair to say he succeeded. Ken disengaged the Omnitrix bringing his arms close to his side as he avoided eye contact with Ben. Nina looked off to the side and Devlin could barely look Ben in the eye. Ben stared at each of them. "We have been searching for you three for the last half hour. You didn't even think to tell a single person where you were going!" We? Devlin thought. Peering down from the roof, he spotted his father staring up. He didn't look to be angry but it was hard to tell. "We thought you were in danger! And on the roof, do you guys seriously wanna get yourself into a hospital?" Ben interrogated. None of the cousins dared speak up, each taking this scolding in whatever way they could without cracking. Ben sighed, shaking his head. He moved closer, pulling Ken and Nina close to him. "I was worried about you guys. But next time you need to be alone, please just let someone know where you're gonna be." Ben hugged his children tightly. Ken and Nina quietly apologised to their father, Devlin silently watching. Ben turned to look at him, giving him a soft smile. Devlin could tell Ben was still a bit angry at him for participating in the same recklessness as Ken and Nina, so why Ben was smiling at him he wasn't entirely sure.

"Right, let's get you all down." Ben stated, picking up Nina and carrying her slowly and carefully down the ground below, Kevin assisting in bringing Nina to stand safely on the asphalt of the car park. Then it was Ken's turn, and all Devlin could do was watch, pondering just how much trouble he was about to be in the minute he touches the ground. He hugged his knees to his chest tighter, trying hard not to think about the oncoming scolding that awaited down below. And finally, Ben came to get him. But then, Ben paused, carefully landing on the edge of the roof. Devlin squeezed his eyes shut, turning away as he braced for the worst. Then, causing him to open his eyes in surprise, he felt Ben place his clawed hands gently upon his shoulders. Turning to face Ben, Devlin stared in surprise. "Devlin, you may have done a dangerous thing but I wanna help you get down safely now. Will you let me do that?" Ben asked softly. Bubbling with second-hand shame, Devlin nodded reluctantly. Ben turned around so Devlin could wrap his arms around Ben's neck, and once Ben was certain Devlin was holding on he took off and carefully glided his way to the ground. He came to a halt just above Kevin, enough where Devlin could safely uncoil his arms and fall into Kevin's arms, transporting him cleanly to the ground. Ben landed and turned back to his human form, turning to Nina and Ken. "We will be talking about this when we get home. But for now, I'm glad you guys are OK. You remember where the car is, right?" Ben assured them, smiling when they nodded. He left them to quietly see themselves off to the car, not before allowing Ken the opportunity to hug Devlin goodbye for the time being. Devlin hated letting go, knowing he was now on his own to face whatever was coming next. The sound of a beep alerted Devlin to his dad's car being unlocked, and without a word Devlin walked himself over, deciding on the backseat. Seems a fitting punishment. Kevin stayed a moment longer to talk to Ben, but whatever they were discussing Devlin couldn't hear. He buckled himself in and mentally prepared for the horrible trip home. When Kevin finally did start making his way over to the car, Devlin could see the surprise on his face. As if Kevin didn't expect Devlin to be in the backseat. Still, Kevin got in the car. Kevin waited until Ben was out of view - which only made Devlin more anxious.

"Did you have a good time with them?" Kevin asked. Devlin was taken aback, staring at his father with wide eyes. Kevin was looking back at him through the rearview mirror, smiling heartily when he saw Devlin's shock. "Sheesh, you think that's the worst thing you could've done? Your mother, Ben and I did that a couple of times when we were kids. Uncle Ben just got worked up, is all." Kevin explained calmly. Somehow, even though his father seemed to be not actively ripping him a new one, Devlin couldn't help but feel like he was seconds away from that.

"I'm sorry..." Devlin muttered, looking down to the ground. He didn't need to look up to know that his father had turned around in his seat to look back at him. The creaking of the seat and the seatbelt gave it away.

"Sorry? For what, spending time with your cousins?" Kevin inquired. Devlin didn't respond. Kevin sighed. "Devlin, look, I really am glad that you are OK, and I am more than happy that you spent time with your cousins. But... Uncle Ben is right. You should've told someone." It did nothing to comfort Devlin. Kevin unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, closing the door behind him before moving over to Devlin's side, opening the door and reaching his arms in to pull Devlin into a tight hug. "Devlin, I promise you're not in trouble. We just needed to know you were safe, that's all." Devlin could no longer hold back the tears, crying as he clung tightly to his father. Kevin pulled away slightly, using his fingers to carefully wipe the tears from Devlin's eyes. "Say, how about this. We can leave this conversation here, as long as you promise not to do that again. Deal?" Devlin nodded frantically, feeling small pulses of warmth shoot through his system as Kevin hugged him again. "Alright, then it's over. You sure you don't wanna sit in the front?" Devlin thought about it for a moment. Sighing, he unbuckled his seatbelt. Kevin let Devlin go and made his return to the driver's seat, leaving Devlin to move himself to the passenger's seat, sniffling and brushing away tears with the sleeve of his shirt. Once they were buckled back up, Kevin finally started the engine and they began making the trek back home. Once they were out of the car park, Kevin gestured to the glove compartment in front of Devlin. "Wanna pick something to listen to? Might help you feel a bit better." Devlin stared at it for a moment, carefully unlocking it and finding a fabric book-like item, unzipping it and finding various CDs contained inside. Flipping through, Devlin recognised a lot of the bands. They were bands that Kevin mostly listened to, but Devlin also listened to a couple of them. Though, mixed in against the many hard rock and metal bands were the odd compilations of classical music - definitely Gwen's contribution to the collection. As he flipped through the CDs, he finally found an album he felt comfortable listening to. Ice Nine Kills' "The Silver Scream". Carefully removing it from its slot, he carefully slid it into the CD player - he had one particular song he wanted to listen to. He skipped a few times, waiting a few seconds for each song to confirm if it was the one he was looking for.

"Here lies a lifeless bride and groom,
Till death do us part came far too soon,
Buildings burn and people die,
All of the time..."

Devlin relaxed as the sound of a gentle piano melody and vocals played through the speakers, spotting his father smiling out of the corner of his eye. Devlin peered out of the window, watching the world as it zipped on by. As the song continued playing, Devlin thought back to the conversation he had with Ken and Nina on the roof. Was it really worth asking for his dad's thoughts on the matter? Would it be considered part of the conversation they agreed to leave behind? Sighing, Devin turned to his father.

"Dad?" He asked apprehensively. Kevin hummed in response. Devlin considered the question a little more, shaking a tad as he took a deep breath. "Where do you think Grandpa Max is now?" Kevin looked at him through the corner of his eyes, raising an eyebrow as he voice his puzzlement. Devlin exhaled timidly, fidgeting with his fingers as he sat in his seat properly again. "I mean, like... Grandpa Max said fairytales are just aliens and... I mean... is he in Heaven? Is there even a Heaven? And if there is, how does it work?" Devlin rambled on. He turned his gaze ever so slightly Kevin's direction, watching as his dad, in all his stoic glory with his eyes kept on the road, pondered silently what Devlin was asking. With each second that passed, Devlin felt more and more anxious about the answer. Finally, Kevin let out an exasperated breath.

"I honestly don't know, Devlin." Devlin felt disappointed, peering out his window dejectedly.

"I wish I could've asked Grandpa..." Suddenly, just as Devlin had said that, a new question came into Devlin's mind. He'd already asked a rather vulnerable and brutally honest question, so what was the worst that could happen with another? "Dad, why wasn't I allowed to see Grandpa?" Kevin glanced over briefly, completely baffled. "I mean, in the hospital." Devlin could spot the exact second of recognition, Kevin's eyes widening as he coughed away some of the awkwardness of the question. It was blunt, even Devlin had to admit to that fact.

"Trust me, Devlin, you wouldn't have liked it."

"How do you know?" Devlin asked; he could see his father's brain struggling to come up with the right words. Whether it was down to keeping his attention, as much as possible, on the road or because of the question itself Devlin wasn't entirely sure. Kevin sighed.

"There was a lot that happened that night, Dev. Stuff that... quite frankly, I am glad you didn't see it. And what we did see still haunts your mother and I." Kevin started explaining. Devlin couldn't say it didn't make sense; ever since Max died, Gwen hasn't been able to look at a single picture of him without tearing up. "Think of it this way, Devlin; if your mother and I are this badly affected by what we saw, what do you think would've happened to you?" Thinking about it made Devlin scared, and also made his head dizzy, hurting and swirling from the magnitude of it - after all, he is only eleven years old. "We understand if you're upset. We expected that, either way. But you have to remember that Max loved you until the bitter end. Hell, I'll bet hard money he still loves you just as much now, wherever he is." Kevin reached a hand over, taking Devlin's and holding onto it gently. Devlin smiled softly. He peered out of his window again. Maybe it was just a cloud, or maybe it was just a bird, but Devlin swore he saw something angelic in the distance. Possibly looking back at him.

Chapter Text

Ben

There was nothing Ben could do to bring Max back. However, seeing Gwen outside of the church where the funeral was brought back memories to Ben of the summer they spent with Max on the road in the Rust Bucket. Traveling from state to state, experiencing the highs - and mundane, boring lows - of the United States. Sure, as a kid most of it was boring, but those memories as an adult hold their weight in gold. And Ben had an epiphany; we can't bring Max back, but we can relive what he left us. There was heavy debate among the family of what to do with the Rust Bucket, so with the approval of his parents, aunts and uncles, Ben took custody of the Rust Bucket. The added benefit is that Ben could help protect all the Plumber equipment that was still installed on it. However, when Ben first got the Rust Bucket in his drive way and inspected the interior, he found a few problems. First off, there was two beds at the back. It would be enough to house Ken and Nina, but no more. Maybe the twins could share with them (if they could be convinced to be apart from one another, that is). Otherwise, Ben had to find another way. And then there was a few repairs that needed to be done, especially the fridge and freezer that the Rust Bucket came with. Whether Ben liked it or not, he would need to call Kevin and that would mean he'd have to tell Gwen his idea. Deciding to wait, Ben went back into his house to grab his laptop then brought it back out, setting it down on the table in the Rust Bucket. He had already brought a notepad and a pen to scribble down his notes, ideas and the necessary repairs. Knowing Kevin, he was probably gonna add to the list tenfold.

The great thing about the technological advancements made since that first roadtrip was that there were more detailed maps, hotel reviews, and even recommendations Ben could scour through. On the counters across from Ben was an urn, intricate in design and inside it contained the ashes of Max. Max didn't wish for a burial, and according to Max's lawyer Ben was entrusted with Max's ashes, being told Max's final wish. "When you can, Max wants you to take him to the west coast and spread his ashes there. He said he'd prefer on a beach." Ben could remember the way the lawyer spoke to him, looked at him as he passed off the urn to Ben. What sucked for Ben was that he saw Gwen's heartbroken face when he was given the urn, which only further spurred his idea into manifestation. And that is why Ben was on the laptop, carefully looking through nearby locations and making a list of suggestions. Ultimately, Ben didn't want this roadtrip to be only his decisions - he knew his kids perfectly well, but he wanted to invite Gwen and Kevin's kids and so he felt it was right to let Gwen and Kevin have a say in the proceedings. More and more as Ben researched into it, he quickly realised he really did need Gwen and Kevin's input. Kevin is the one who is most capable of dealing with any breaks of vehicle issues, and Gwen does have a degree in information management. Even then, she's a voice of reason and would be a good ally to have keep plans in order. Sighing, Ben got his phone out of his pocket and quickly texted them, asking when they were free. Setting his phone down on the table, he continued looking through everything, even checking his savings and income to start a rough budget for himself.

It wouldn't be until a few hours later that Kevin and Gwen were both free. Luckily, Ben could leave Ken and Nina inside the house to their own devices - the only instructions he left was to get their homework done. Ben had asked if Kevin and Gwen would be up for a facetime, and was happy to wait a little longer if they wanted dinner first. He could only assume they were still eating as the minutes slowly ticked by, and so he preoccupied his time by playing his old Sumo Slammer game. Ben had already eaten some spaghetti with his kids - a much needed break from staring at the laptop screen or at his many notes - so he wasn't too concerned about hunger. He had an app open on his laptop, just waiting for Gwen and Kevin to call him. Didn't take much longer; the app sounded and alerted Ben, he paused his game and quickly accepted the call. Appearing on his screen were Gwen and Kevin, sat in their living room.

"Hey guys! Sorry for disturbing you," Ben greeted warmly. Gwen smiled, her eyes seeming to glow with genuine joy.

"You're alright, Ben. I'm actually glad you decided to pester us. What's up?" Gwen assured him, leaning back in her chair. Somehow, Ben considered Gwen to be a lot more relaxed and not nearly as close-to-exploding as she was in the days proceeding Max's death. It brought Ben a lot of comfort.

"Well, I know you guys could tell I had an idea come to me after the funeral. As I promised, I've been doing as much research as I can, but I've quickly began to realise..." Ben trailed off, feeling a tad embarrased. Kevin snorted, leaning forward and slyly grinning at Ben.

"You realised you needed our help?" Kevin said. Ben playfully stuck his tongue out at Kevin, making Kevin laugh heartily as he leaned back into his chair. Gwen rolled her eyes, but in a sort of sisterly way. At least, it would be that way for Ben. For Kevin... Ben decided to leave that thought alone. "Well, shoot. What's up?" Kevin crossed his arms, grinning as he and Gwen awaited Ben's response. Taking a breath, Ben pulled his notepad closer to him.

"Well... I was thinking, Grandpa Max did entrust me with his ashes, but I really don't feel comfortable leaving you guys out of it. Especially you, Gwen." Ben explained; he could see a small lining of tears forming in Gwen's eye, her eyes widening as she smiled so hard he was sure her skin would peel off her face. "Well, I was thinking... Grandpa wanted his ashes spread in the west coast, right?" Ben pointed out; Kevin was the first to get what Ben was hinting. Kevin turned to look at Gwen, who was still oblivious.

"And?"

"And... well, we all wouldn't be who we are today - or even have Kevin with us - if it wasn't for Grandpa Max taking us on that roadtrip that summer. So, my thoughts are; why not do that? A summer roadtrip, the goal being the west coast. We could revisit some of the places Grandpa took us, or even go to new ones. And maybe it could be a way for the kids to hear some more stories of Grandpa, even feel closer to him, y'know?" Ben suggested, waiting patiently as Gwen processed. It took her a few minutes, maybe out of utter shock, but Ben could see the gears turning in her head. When it all finally clicked, Gwen broke out into happy sobs. Kevin pulled her close to him, hugging her. "I don't wanna force this decision on you guys. I can wait if you guys wanna think about it a lit-" Ben started explaining; Kevin quickly shut him up.

"Ben, you realise the significance of what you just asked Gwen. What makes you think she'd turn it down?" He asked. Ben smiled, reassured and nodded.

"I know, I just... I want Gwen to be OK." Ben answered. Gwen took a few minutes to get her thoughts in order, but when she finally looked at Ben again, her eyes beaming with life and light, Ben felt confident he knew what was about to happen.

"Fuck. Yes." Gwen grinned, barely able to keep her excitement from showing.

"Cool. Great, even! Well, do you guys wanna hear what I've got so far? I've only really planned for like the first few destinations or so, didn't wanna plan ahead in case you guys wanted in." Ben asked. Gwen and Kevin nodded, relaxing as Ben carefully flicked and scanned through his notes. "OK, well, I know you guys have work. For the safest estimate, I'm thinking we try and depart mid-June and try and make it back home for September-ish. How exactly would that work for you guys?" Ben inquired; neither Gwen or Kevin had jobs that could necessarily be done remote. Kevin seemed to be unsure himself, waiting on Gwen to finishing thinking things through.

"Well... I think if we explain this is a family thing, related to Grandpa, we might get a little leeway. We might need to do some more work before we head off, possibly... But I think they should understand." Gwen theorised. Ben had no choice but to hope she was right; with that out of the way, next came another mundane thing.

"Speaking of work, though; since none of us are really gonna be able to work while on the road, I've been looking over my own savings and what not. Definitely think we're gonna need to budget." Ben added. Kevin chuckled.

"How about you leave that to Gwen. Seriously, she's damn good with spreadsheets. I've been trying to learn from her, but I'm better at doing maths outside of spreadsheets." Kevin suggested, gesturing with his head to Gwen. "And what about vehicles?"

"Well, I've got the Rust Bucket. You guys could bring your car, if you want." Ben answered. Kevin seemed happy with the notion.

"Then say no more; I'll take care of that. I'll need to make sure to pack some tools, maybe do a few check-ups before we head." Kevin looked elsewhere (that's how you could tell he was thinking). Ben smiled, holding up his notepad with the few repairs he noted. When Kevin noticed, he smiled and pointed at the camera. "Well, looks like he did some of my job for me." Kevin joked with Gwen, making her chuckle. "And what about you, Tennyson? You plannin' on being the captain steerin' the ship?" Even Ben roared with laughter at Kevin's comment, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Hey, I want your guys input. But, yeah, as for me, I'm probably gonna be worrying about routes and locations and shit. The Rust Bucket doesn't have enough room for all of us, so we're definitely gonna be looking at hotels, motels, maybe the odd BnB depending on where we are. Which is kind of a financial worry for me." Ben explained. Gwen interjected;

"Well, why not break it up with a few camping spots? As long as we pack tents and such, we'd have everything we'd need." She suggested; Ben and Kevin nodded in approval. And this is why you can ask Gwen for advice, moron, Ben thought to himself.

"Yeah... I'll look into that. Kev, when do you think you'll be able to come and give the Rust Bucket a quick check?" Ben asked, his thoughts turning to the old mobile home that once belonged to Max.

"I can swing by after work tomorrow. Any big repairs would need maybe a few days to a week or so. In the meantime, I'll check my ride. It's probably needin' a few repairs anyways." Kevin answered.

"I'll look into working out a budget for us, as well. I might try and come over on Friday, try and come up with a plan with you." Gwen stated; Ben nodded to approve the notion. If it was gonna be a team-effort, then it would require finding a compromise where they were all on the same page.

The rest of the conversation between the three continued like this, discussing what was needed to be done before they headed off, what the beginning would look like, and organizing the appropriate time off from work and school. Ben scribbled down many more notes, so much so that he was shocked he hadn't gotten a muscle cramp. They also talked the mundane and boring necessities - who can do what chores, where and how would they deal with laundry, pet care (seeing as Gwen and Kevin would obviously bring Zed and Kelvin with them, and naturally Ben couldn't let Buxton stay alone without supervision - and the idea of taking Ken away from Buxton made him sad), first aid and so on. The things one hopes they don't have to think about, but are best to do so in advanced before something decides to hit the fan. The conversation would last an hour or two, and when it came to a close, the three wishing one another a good night, Ben felt utter relief as he closed the laptop. Stretching out some of the kinks that had formed from sitting in the rather uncomfy chairs of the Rust Bucket, he picked up everything he brought it and readied to leave it. He looked back one last time for the night, hovering in the doorway, for a moment. Smiling, he closed the door to the Rust Bucket.

Chapter Text

Devlin

Today should've been just another ordinary school day. In fact, it started off like any other school day. Have breakfast at home, walk to the building, get to class, the usual. But it was when Devlin noticed one of his teachers looking funny at him that he started to suspect something was up. They were staring at him not with pity, but with a giddy grin. It puzzled Devlin deeply, disturbing something in his core. It was far off from his birthday so that was certainly out of the question. But come to think of it, Devlin had been noticing some strange stuff happening. There was a lot more meetings between his mum and Uncle Ben, and his dad was getting back from work later than usual. Was there something the adults knew but he didn't? He tried asking his teacher about what on Earth she was smiling for, but she just played it off. Seems he wasn't going to get an answer from her. Come lunch time, Devlin had started a mental list of every bizarre thing happening today, running through possibilities silently as he ate the meal his mum made for him that morning. And just when it couldn't get any weirder, he found himself staring at pizza. His family only ever ordered pizza either for family night or for some kind of special occasion. And this wasn't even a store bought pizza; it was from his dad's favourite pizza place. Devlin counted maybe four pieces - how his mum managed to fit that in a lunchbox he wasn't entirely sure. The slices were that of a large pizza (the cheapest, as his mother would always point out). Devlin was so focused on the mystery of the pizza in his lunchbox he didn't notice Ken coming up to him, lunchbox in hand as he placed it on the table.

"Dude, today's been weird." Ken started - no 'Hello', just straight into the madness. Devlin finally noticed Ken, eyes widening as he nodded in agreement, picking up a slice of the pizza. Ken's eyes widened, his jaw falling slack as he stared at it.

"I know, right!? Mum's never put pizza in my lunchbox before. Pizza is special; why on Earth would she today?" Devlin stated. Ken opened his lunchbox, letting Devlin peer in. Somehow, Ken was looking at... was that Mickey's? Devlin found himself silent as he stared. Ken looked down at the food for several moments, his brain short circuiting. He looked up, locking eyes with Devlin.

"What the Hell is going on?" Ken asked. The two slowly, reluctantly ate their food, utterly baffled by what was happening. One by one, the other kids in the cafeteria noticed, eyes turning to face them. The jerks laughed, while most others stared on with disbelief and envy. Devlin hated being the centre of attention but even looking away couldn't take his mind off of their gawking. It took everything in him to savour the pepproni slice and melted cheese in his mouth. Ken seemed to be just as uncomfortable as he ate through his chicken nuggets and fries. Coughing, Devlin couldn't stand the silence much longer.

"So, what do you think is happening?" Devlin inquired. Ken shrugged passively.

"I don't know... think we could be getting rewarded for something?" Ken suggested, dipping a nugget in some sauce before chowing down. Devlin scoffed at the thought; he could still recall Ben scolding them at the reception for climbing up on the roof. As much as Devlin tried to ignore it, after all he made a deal with his dad, something in him has felt on edge ever since. Like something was waiting around the corner - a scolding, he would tell himself, but his guts weren't entirely convinced.

"Fat chance." Devlin retorted. Devlin had thrown around that possibility earlier in the day, but he wasn't the one graduating into high school. He'd be doing that next year, and that would seem like the most logical conclusion for finding pizza in his lunchbox. And Hell, Ken isn't close to that yet, so why Uncle Ben decided to randomly get him Mickey's was eluding him. Ken laughed, signalling his agreement of the notion being ridiculous.

"Well... guess we should just eat it, then. Or we can continue running around in circles all day." Ken joked; Devlin may have hummed in acknowledgement, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help but consider it, ponder it. Perhaps a habit he learned from his mother. The two boys continued eating their food in relative silence, enjoying as much of the strange scenario as they could. And it was maybe about a half hour into lunch break, the two a few bites away from finishing, when the teleprompter signaled throughout the building. And from the speakers, a familiar voice called out.

"Can Devlin Levin and Ken Tennyson please gather your belongings and meet Principal Hemsworth at the school entrance, please. I repeat, Devlin Levin and Ken Tennyson meet Principal Hemsworth at the entrance, please. Thank you." If all eyes weren't on the two, they were now. Devlin and Ken shared a puzzled, slightly petrified glance with each other. They wolfed down the remnants of their lunch, parting ways to their individual lockers. Ken's was closer to the entrance, so he would be waiting for Devlin there. Devlin's, on the other hand, was nearer the gymnasium - on the other side of the building. It was a mad dash through the marble halls, throwing open his locker in a daze. He grabbed everything that was contained within it - some spare batteries for his compact CD player, some albums he kept there as pick-me-ups, his headphones, even all the textbooks. He checked the locker several times and once he was confident that all that remained was dust, he closed it and headed back through the halls, his footsteps echoing as he heard his peers' chatting echoing out from the cafeteria.

Finding Ken was easy enough, and the two debated what was awaiting them at the entrance. Why were they told to gather their belongings then meet the principal? Soon, though, their answer would come. Principal Hemsworth was stood at the door, the sun glaring through and filling the hall with a warm amber light. She seemed rather relaxed, smiling as she waited for the boys to stop in front of her. They stared up at her; maybe she could tell how gobsmacked they were.

"You both are lucky; much luckier than your peers. You're both starting your summer vacation early." Both boys stared at her as if she had just kicked a dog. Ken was the first to come around, cheering without even questioning it. Devlin, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Principal Hemsworth noticed. "Devlin, my boy, why do you look so worried?" Devlin swallowed back a gulp.

"I don't understand..." He admitted, earning a soft but hearty chuckle from Principal Hemsworth as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You will very soon." She assured him. She turned on her heel and walked towards the giant glass doors of the school, opening one. "Your parents are out there; I think I'll let them do the talking. You both enjoy your vacation now." As the door opened, the sun's glare disappearing, Devlin and Ken stared in disbelief as not only did their parents come into view, Kevin's car already hosting Dylan in the back seat, but behind the sports car was... Grandpa Max's ol' Rust Bucket. And standing by the door was Uncle Ben, arms folded as he leaned against it. Gwen was sat inside the Rust Bucket, playing with what seemed to be Nina and the twins. She looked up, spotting the two boys staring in utter disbelief. Ken ran out first, racing over to his dad. Devlin lingered in the halls of the school for a moment longer, turning to Principal Hemsworth. She gave a silent cue of approval, keeping the door open even as Devlin made his way out slowly like a sloth. His father noticed his apprehension, laughing as he invited Devlin over. He placed his arm around Devlin's shoulder, guiding him towards Ben who grinned excitedly.

"I bet you're both wondering why you were both pulled out early?" Ben started. The two boys nodded, somehow in-sync with one another. "Well, you remember how Grandpa left a will and he gave me charge of his ashes?" Ben added. Ken was the first to put two and two together, Devlin still processing everything. Ken shouted in excitement, jumping around like a coked up kangaroo during a sugar rush. As reality began to seep its way into Devlin's mind, he could only shake his head. Ben smiled. "You're hearing right, Dev. We're heading out to the west coast."

"What?" Devlin asked, his body on auto-pilot as his conscience tried to catch up. Kevin and Ben laughed understandingly, Kevin patting Devlin on the back.

"It's a roadtrip, Dev. We're all goin' on a roadtrip." Kevin explained. Devlin turned to him slowly.

"A roadtrip?..." Kevin watched giddily as the gears in Devlin's head slowly turned. Finally, he could see the exact moment a lightbulb went off. Devlin's eyes went wide as the moon, a smile stretching his cheeks to their limit. "A roadtrip!? Like the one you met Ben on!?" Kevin nodded. The utter scream of joy that erupted from Devlin's lungs took him by surprise. He had heard so many stories of it, and had spent years wondering what it was like. Gwen came out of the Rust Bucket, inviting Devlin to come over and hug her as he squealed.

"You'll be riding with your parents. Marvin and Mavis will be riding in the Rust Bucket with me, Nina and Ken." Ben explaiend, though he was certain Devlin wasn't paying attention. Kevin held out his hand; Devlin couldn't have passed off his bag any quicker.

"And you don't need to worry about packing; we took care of that. I even remembered your favourite skateboard." Gwen said.

"You what!?" Devlin roared with delight, falling to the ground as he punched the sky. Kevin watched from the corner of his eye as he put Devlin's back in the boot of his car, laughing to himself at his son's genuine joy.

"Well, if we wanna get a move on to the first hotel, we need to get goin'." Kevin nudged gently; Devlin was on his feet in a matter of seconds, racing to the other side of the car to open the back door. Ben, Kevin and Gwen all watched, laughing in unison. Gwen checked in one last time with the twins, giving instructions to Nina and Ben in the case they needed assistance ("We're just a phone call away!") and then she parted the Rust Bucket, heading to the passenger's side of Kevin's car and getting in. Ben and Kevin shared a glance and a nod, Ben stepping up into the Rust Bucket as he shut the door. With that, Kevin made his way to the driver's seat of the car; even from outside of it, he could hear Dylan and Devlin having a riot. It became more apparent once he was properly sat in the car, turning the engine on and hearing as the two cheered the car roaring to life.

"Any roadtrip requires some tunes... What are you guys in the mood for?" Gwen suggested, peering over. Kevin was going to drive behind the Rust Bucket, so he waited for it to move out of the way before reversing the car out of its parking spot. Devlin stared out the window, feeling like he was about to explode as the world slowly moved around him.

"Jovi! Please Jovi!" Dylan begged (more like squeaked), cupping her hands together. Kevin glanced over at Gwen as she searched through the CDs, pulling out a Bon Jobi album.

"Don't worry about me, Kev. Some Bon Jovi is a good call, especially for Max." Gwen assured. And with that, the familiar tunes of Bon Jovi building in the speakers of the car, the family made their way off. Devlin kept his face plastered tight to the window, taking in as much of it as he could. Would this be anything like the stories he'd heard from his parents and uncle? Only time would tell.

Chapter Text

Ken

When Ken was told that the first stop on the trip was "where it all began, all those years ago" he expected a lot of things. An abandoned warehouse would've been fun. Perhaps a dangerous cliffside. But no. Here he was, staring at a forest of all things. A forest! Ken saw trees every damn day, how was this any different? He was standing in utter bewilderment, meanwhile Nina and Devlin were assisting the adults with setting up camp. No one seemed to comment on the fact they were in a forest. It was the accidental shove of Mavis accidentally running into his leg that snapped him out of his trance. Thankfully, Mavis caught herself quickly and continued to play with Marvin and Dylan. Ken watched her for a few seconds, making extra sure she really was OK. Once certain, he ran up to the table where the adults were looking over manuals for setting up tents.

"This has got to be a cruel joke, right?" Ken interrogated. Gwen raised an eyebrow and Ken's father, Ben, definitely was surprised by Ken's sudden outburst. Kevin, on the other hand, seem to share some of his confusion.

"Why would we be joking?" Ben asked apprehensively. Ken's eyes widened as he pointed at his father's Omnitrix.

"You mean to tell me the coolest device, the coolest summer vacation ever!, started in a forest!?" Ken exclaimed.

"It is rather hard to believe a forest is what lead you guys to finding me back in New York..." Kevin stated, his eyes not daring to break from the instructions he was reading over carefully. Ken gestured at Kevin, praying that maybe it would be what would convince his father to give the jig up. Ben just laughed at Kevin's comment as Gwen chuckled to herself. Ken never felt quite as affronted like he did right now; were they toying with him? What for? In his mind, he found it extremely ridiculous to think that all the alien invasions, all the futuristic technology, learning Grandpa Max was a damn Plumber, all got its start in a random forest. Gwen locked eyes with the puzzled tween, smiling softly;

"Sometimes, Kenneth, the most incredible things have humble beginnings." Ken hated when Gwen got all philosophical with him. Rolling his eyes, he knew it was no worth arguing with them. With a "Whatever", he turned on his heel and stomped away. As he walked away, he could hear them talking to each other, pondering what Ken's deal was. His deal? He wasn't here for some boring woods in the middle of bum fuck nowhere. He was here to witness the action, the heart-pounding fights, the reflections of a past he never got to witness. But no, a forest. Totally where to start.

"Hey, Ken!" Ken jumped, nearly falling as he spun in the air. Devlin was surprised, recoiling slightly as he lowered his once waving hand. "Jeez, dude, you OK? I didn't mean to frighten you..." Devlin inquired. Ken took a few moments to catch his breath, trying hard to ignore the way his knees felt like jelly.

"I'm fine. Totally fine! It's not like I wanted to start my summer with a bunch of trees and plants," Ken spat. Devlin raised a brow as he chuckled slightly.

"I don't know, I honestly think it's kinda cool. If what your dad says is true, somewhere out there is the comet that held the Omnitrix when your dad found it." Devlin looked out into the darkness. Now that Devlin had mentioned it, Ken had to ponder what the comet could possibly look like. Was it made from some cool unearthly ores? Perhaps it was made from some kind of living flesh? Now that would be cool, he thought to himself. Still, he didn't wish to dare entertain the thought. Of course Devlin would consider his mother to be correct, that heroes come from unlikely places. What a load of nonsense, right?

"As if. What's the most that can happen in a forest? Scaring a deer or two?" Ken retorted. Devlin rolled his eyes, digging his phone out of his pocket and switching on its flashlight. He started walking towards the dark thicket. "Dude, what are you doing?" Ken asked. Ken wouldn't dare say it out loud, but he was worried about the forest. Plenty of wild and dangerous animals exist out here. Bears, wolves, moose, snakes, even coyotes! Ken knew perfectly well that if Devlin was in danger, he could quite literally suit himself up in rock and knock the living snot out of it - even if Devlin was a very big animal lover - but it did nothing to calm his slowly accelerating heart. Devlin paused, looking over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna see if I can find the comet. Too bad you think forests are no fun, huh?" Devlin teased before continuing to move forward. Ken watched him fade into the underbrush. Ken felt antsy, very antsy. It was either he sit and feel sorry for himself, or join Devlin in his search. And to be fair, Ken wasn't in the mood to be around his dad for the time being though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Devlin! Wait up!" Ken shouted ahead as he began to run after Devlin, following the light of his phone as the warm light of the sunset all but faded into pitch black.

Deep into the woods the two boys walked. Ken was beginning to understand why so many fairytales were set in the woods; was Little Red Riding Hood this cautious when she was walking the path to her grandmother's? Were Hansel and Gretel this paranoid about every snap of a twig, hoot of an owl or random creak that breached from the darkness? Ken kept his hand over his own Omnitrix, holding tight to it as if he was scared it would somehow disappear into oblivion. Devlin noticed, smiling reassuringly as he gently judged Ken with his elbow.

"Hey, ease up, will you? We're gonna be fine. Most of the animals are more scared of us than we are of them and would rather keep their distance from us." Devlin stated. Ken grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Alright, Attenborough." Devlin laughed at Ken's comment. As much as Ken tried to fight it, he couldn't help but join in the laughter. The two continued deep into the darkness. Devlin's face fell as a notification alerted on his phone. He turned to face Ken.

"Phone's running low. We can either turn back or find an alternative light source." Devlin explained. Ken didn't need any further convincing. Holding out his arm, he activated the Omnitrix. Sadly, he didn't have access to the many aliens his father had and was stuck with the same ten his father had in the beginning. However, there was one alien who could be the light within the darkness. Devlin took a few steps back, turning his flashlight off and putting his phone back into his pocket as Ken slammed down on the Omnitrix. Devlin watched as his cousin's form shifted and remolded itself, his flesh turning rocky as his veins became illuminated with flame. His height grew till he was the same size as their parents. Once the process was finished, Ken created a ball of fire in his palm, holding it up so its light was cast throughout the forest.

"Heatblast at your service." Ken smiled at Devlin. And with that, they continued further into the darkness. Somehow, the flame ball that Ken was holding up was much brighter than the flashlight of the phone, illuminating more of the forest. There was a plethora of bushes, flowers, fungi and plenty of trees as far as the eye could see. There were leaves and twigs and stones and even the odd branch strewn across the ground, and there was patches of dirt that were damp and made a squelching noise as they stepped in it.

"Just remember that's how you can start a wildfire. Be careful with it, Ken." Devlin reminded him. Somewhere above, a hawk called out into the night as it took off from a branch.

"I know, I know. I wouldn't wanna piss off Smoky." Ken responded. It was hard to tell just how far they had wandered, and Ken swore he saw the area repeating over and over. As the minutes passed, the two boys became more and more unnerved. Very soon, Ken's Omnitrix would time out and there'd be no more light. If they wanted to find this comet, they had to do it soon. In the darkness, the glowing eyes of deer stared as they moved carefully through the thicket. Sure, the deer were scared of them, but glowing eyes in the pitch black wasn't exactly a comforting sight either. Finally, at long last, a break of the sunset broke through ahead. Wasting no time, the toy boys sprinted forwards to chase the light, breathing heavily as they raced out of the oppressive darkness. And just in time, too. Ken's Omnitrix timed out just as he leaped out of the dark and rolled upon the grass, Devlin a few feet ahead as he had his hands on his knees, breathing hard as he tried to recollect himself. The two boys shared a look, happy they had managed to get out of the forest. And when they both looked forward, they spotted the other side of a large, deep ditch. Straightening themselves out, they walked over and in the centre, surrounded by flowers and grass, was a small circular object. It was open, and whatever it contained was now missing. Carefully, they climbed down the ditch to examine the strange object closer. It definitely wasn't a human creation, the metallic plating unlike even the most heatproof that Earth had to offer. They both knew there was only one thing it could be.

"Dude, we found it!" Devlin cheered. The two rejoiced and cheered; at long last, they found the comet that once contained the Omnitrix. They were standing on the same soil where two decades ago Ben stood as the Omnitrix latched itself onto his wrist. From the darkness, a drone-like entity watched the two boys, scanning the Omnitrix that was on Ken's wrist. It sent out a silent ping, completely undetected by the boys. When the excitement finally wore off, Ken found himself wondering why of all places the comet just happened to crash in a forest? He knew the answer, but it was no fun. Where's the excitement in simple gravity?

Somewhere behind them, a loud boom sounded. They both turned, looking up where they had just climbed down. Whatever was coming there way, it was definitely big. Big enough to shake the trees slightly, sending birds flying off into the sky. The two were stuck in place, wondering silently what was approaching. Slowly looking over the ditch's edge, a pair of red eyes on green, slimy skin peered down at them, its head slowly coming into view. A Cthulhu-like being, maybe twice the size of a human. It was heavily armoured in metallic components the boys had never seen before. The entity's hands were clawed. It smiled at the two boys.

"Didn't your parents tell you not to wander off alone?" It asked them smugly.

Chapter Text

Devlin

Standing before the two boys was a 12 foot, almost Eldritch entity that made Devlin think of Cthulhu. It was said just looking at the beast would be enough to drive someone insane. Devlin had to ponder if the silence that held him in a chokehold was that described insanity. It had blood red eyes that seemed to burn like embers, staring straight through him and Ken as if they were ghosts. Its skin was a putrid, almost sickly beige-green colour, scales descending into sucker lined tendrils that trailed down from what appeared to be a sort of breathing apparatus. It wore dark armour that left only its strangely shaped arms visible, muscular and tensing up slightly as the thing stepped forward. Instinctly, Devlin hit his hand to the comet and absorbed the material before rushing in front of Ken. Devlin raised his fists, trying to both intimidate the strange entity and psyche himself up. Given the way the creature barely acknowledged it, it wasn't working. From behind, Ken shouted;

"Really, Dev!? I can take care of myself you know!" Devlin growled, turning to face Ken over his shoulder as he gritted his teeth. Ken recoiled slightly at Devlin's annoyance.

"That's Vilgax, you dumbass! Didn't Uncle Ben tell you about him!?" Devlin interrogated. Ken was about to respond when the booming voice of the alien interrupted, making the boys flinch for just a moment. It first laughed, hands on its hips as it roared into the skies. Devlin instinctively pushed Ken backwards, keeping his fists out and staying in front of Ken as a shield.

"I am glad to know you Earthlings haven't forgotten who your rightful master is." Its voice was hard to decipher against the strange droning of its apparatus. Devlin kept a safe distance from Vilgax, staring him down though he knew it was unlikely to deter him. Then Ken had to open his big, fat mouth, shoving past Devlin even as Devlin protested, trying to grab his arm to force him back behind him.

"Master!? As if! Anyone who does call you master must be blind; who would wanna look at that?" Ken retorted; Devlin wanted so hard to smack him. Vilgax chuckled, unphased as he stepped forward, towering over the small boy. Ken stared up, processing the problem he'd just gotten himself trapped in. He smiled, laughing awkwardly. "I mean... surely your mother, right?" Ken said, slinking backwards towards Devlin. Vilgax shook his head with a laugh. In an instant, he had Ken held up by the neck of his shirt, the boy kicking and punching at the alien.

"Don't lower me to your filthy status. After all, I am not here for you." Vilgax boomed. His sharp claws reached towards Ken's Omnitrix. Ken watched with wide, horrified eyes as Vilgax' fingers were mere inches from his flesh. Devlin felt the sudden rage of a thousand suns pulse through him. Without thinking, he sprinted into Vilgax, using as much force as he could to knock the being onto the ground. As Vilgax fell, he let go of Ken who fell hard to the soil. Devlin picked himself up from the ground, keeping his defensive status as he eyed Vilgax' movements. Vilgax lifted himself, slowly looking at Devlin. "Feisty. Too bad it won't help you now." Vilgax stated, pulling out an electrified sword. Devlin's eyes widened slightly as Vilgax advanced towards him, Devlin having mere seconds to react. Devlin grab onto the ground, pulling up a chunk of land and hauling it at Vilgax. When Vilgax' sword pierced through it and made a clean cut, Devlin grimaced. From behind Vilgax, the sound of the Omnitrix being activated and its green light illuminating clued Devlin in that Ken had selected an alien. From behind, Devlin watched as two red fists punched Vilgax and sent him flying. Devlin flipped over him, landing by Ken's side.

"Four Arms. Good choice, Ken." Devlin complimented.

"Fight now, talk later." Ken responded, taking a similar defensive stance as Devlin. Vilgax got up, hitting a button on his wrist armour which brought several drones to him.

"You're as annoying as that Ben 10." Vilgax explained. That seemed to set Ken off. Ken roared, flying forwards as he punched at Vilgax, only a few landing while struggling to dodge the onslaught of Vilgax' prowess. Devlin slid underneath the two, swinging to kick Vilgax from behind.

"Leave my father out of this!" Ken growled, landing a solid hit on Vilgax' face. Devlin spotted stones on the ground, throwing them towards the drones and destroying a few.

"Don't forget the drones, cuz." Devlin instructed. Ken affirmed this statement, jumping up and grabbing four of the drones, smashing them together upon the ground even as the rest began to shoot. Vilgax got up, throwing Devlin aside as he strode towards Ken. The sound of his cousin yelling alerted Ken, allowing him to block Vilgax' punch and landing one back. Getting up, Devlin shook off the aches as he saw one of the drones approach Ken from behind. Leaping through the air, Devlin caught it in his arms, tearing outs its wiring before throwing the useless, malfunctioning mess at another drone. It exploded in the air, sending a shockwave that nearly made Devlin fall. Turning to face the fight with Vilgax, he could see Ken and Vilgax struggling to get hits on one another. Devlin picked up more Earth, holding it high above his head. His muscles tensed and ached, sweat dripping down his temples. "Ken!" Devlin roared. Ken looked back briefly. He smiled devilishly at Vilgax, waiting for Vilgax to lean forward before letting go, watching the alien stumble then get smacked by the earth that Devlin threw. Just in time too, as the Omnitrix was about to end the current run. As Ken returned to his normal, human state, Devlin's body shed its rocky lining as the two cousins eyed Vilgax. He didn't seem to be moving. Was he down? Devlin wasn't sure. Ken cheered, throwing his hands into the air and dancing on the spot.

"Hell yeah! We're cool, we're cool, we're cool!" Ken sing-songed, catching Devlin off guard. Devlin smacked him on the arm.

"Dumbass, if Vilgax is still here we are far from done! Did you listen to anything Uncle Ben told you about any of his foes!?" Devlin inquired, flailing his arms about angrily as Ken shrugged.

"All I care about is they are lame, that's it!" Ken retorted. Neither boy noticed Vilgax standing up. It was when Devlin was sent flying, ironically by the same earth he sent hurling towards Vilgax, that Ken recognised it wasn't over. Devlin smacked hard against the ground, struggling to get up as he turned to see Vilgax once more holding Ken up by the crook.

"I care not for your opinions, child. You have what is mine." Vilgax commanded, his claws reaching for the Omnitrix again. Devlin tried to get up, wanting desperately to protect his cousin, but his muscles gave out, causing him to stumble once more to the ground. Unable to do anything... but watch. Time slowed as it seemed Vilgax had gotten his grip on the Omnitrix.

A whistle broke through the atmosphere. All three were surprised. Their eyes flew in the direction of the sound. Standing at the edge of the forest, Devlin would recognise the raven black hair that reached down to the ass anywhere. His father, Kevin, was nonchalantly watching, hands in his pockets. He started walking over, as if this was merely an old friend he spotted on the street.

"Didn't anyone tell you to be nice to kids, Vilgax?" Kevin asked, grinning from ear to ear as Vilgax growled, dropping Ken to the ground.

Chapter Text

Kevin

When Gwen had noticed that Ken and Devlin had vanished, it had sent Gwen into a motherly panic. Kevin had helped her search the camp grounds while Ben did a sweep from above as Jetray. When neither boy turned up, Kevin and Ben decided to head into the woods - Ben opted to use Wild Mutt to track their scents, discovering it started by the back of the Rust Bucket before heading into the thicket. With each step, the shadows of the trees lumbered over the two. Kevin was looking about, hoping there was a chance he might spot either one of them running around the forest. At least Ken wears a white shirt; Devlin would be harder to track down with his black clothing. Wild Mutt paused on the trail, sniffing at the ground. Kevin raised a brow.

"Well?" Kevin asked nonchalantly. Wild Mutt grumbled, pawing at the ground. Kevin approached, kneeling down and trailing a hand over the dirt. Deer tracks. The scent of the deer must have mixed with the scent of the boys, practically blinding Wild Mutt. Kevin sighed. He looked up, surveying the area. Somewhere far ahead he could see the light of the sunlit sky breaking through. But was it the right direction? The Omnitrix sounded as Ben returned to normal, hands at his side as he studied the area.

"At least we got onto them." Ben stated reassuringly. Kevin knew he didn't say it for him - Ben said it for himself. With all the threats they've faced over the years, it figured he would be a tad worried about them getting their claws on Ken. Kevin nodded, humming as he stood up. Boom. A loud sound shredded through the trees, and just through the leaves the embers of fire could be seen. The two men felt their hearts race. They kept looking around, watching through the trees for the source. When another explosion sounded off, Ben pointed in its direction. "Over there!" Ben hollered, taking off in a mad dash. Kevin followed suit, struggling to keep up with the sprinting Ben. Luckily, he did so just before the edge of the forest. There, he saw something he hadn't seen in years. Kevin grabbed Ben's arm, forcing him behind some bushes. Ben was about to start yelling at him when Kevin shushed him, creeping forward slightly to peer through the branches. He could recognise that Lovecraftian face anywhere - Vilgax. And he seemed to be battling against Ken and Devlin who were doing pretty well by themselves, all things considered. He watched as Devlin lifted a chunk of Earth and threw it so it smacked Vilgax upside the face. He stayed still, like a predator watching its target in the undergrowth, as the two boys approached Vilgax. And of course, they had to start arguing. Watching them reminded Kevin of not only himself and Ben, but the little he saw of 10 year old Ben and Gwen. Ken was confident, as always. He's 10 years old, probably didn't quite realize what exactly was in front of him. Devlin, on the other hand, was the more observant and cautious of the two, greatly grasping the gravity of Vilgax' presence. Then Vilgax slapped Devlin away as if he was a balloon. When Vilgax lifted Ken by the collar, Ben growled as he activated the Omnitrix. Kevin placed his hand over it so Ben couldn't activate it. "Kevin!" Ben growled.

"Wait for my signal. I'll distract him." Kevin instructed. Kevin had worked with Vilgax once - he never dare tell Gwen or Ben, but during that time as toxic and manipulative as the dynamic was, Kevin had looked to Vilgax as some sort of replacement father figure. He couldn't help this feeling, even now. Kevin found a large stone nearby, noting its placement in case he needed it. Standing up, he walked carefully through the bushes, placing his fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly. There was something very satisfying to Kevin as Vilgax growled, dropping Ken to the ground as he turned to face Kevin. "Didn't anyone tell you to be nice to kids, Vilgax?" Kevin taunted. He didn't flinch even as Vilgax walked over to tower over him. Vilgax and Kevin locked eyes. Kevin could only think about how pathetic Vilgax was for targeting children every single fucking time.

"Kevin." Vilgax spoke through gritted teeth. Kevin chuckled, turning away slightly before looking back up at Vilgax. He smirked, seeing the way Vilgax boiled in rage.

"Enjoy the Null Void, Vilgax?" Kevin asked. Maybe it was Kevin's inner schadenfreude, but watching Vilgax ball his clawed fists up was incredibly funny to him. Still, Kevin knew exactly what Vilgax was like - and he knew better than to undermine Vilgax.

"You little scum..." Vilgax growled. Kevin stayed still, keeping watch. Silently, and subtly enough that Vilgax would think nothing of it, Kevin hid his hand behind his back, thumbs up as a signal for Ben to get ready. Vilgax lifted his fist so it was mere inches from Kevin's face. "I am going to enjoy watching you suffer." Kevin laughed, rubbing his nose.

"Yeah, I'm sure you would. Afraid there's someone who really wants to see you suffer." Kevin responded. Vilgax eyed him, lowering his face so he could stare Kevin straight in the eyes.

"And who would that be?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about you tell me." Kevin said. He ducked to the ground just as a loud roar pierced through the air, a shadow jumping over Kevin as he watched Rath pounce onto Vilgax like a tiger. Fitting. Vilgax had not a moment to process what just happened before Rath was sinking punches and strikes into Vilgax left, right and centre. Kevin raced back to the stone, quickly absorbing it before racing back to Ben's side. "Incomin'!" Kevin yelled, allowing Ben to move out of the way so Kevin landed his own punch square in Vilgax' face. Vilgax kicked, shoving Kevin back. Rath grabbed him in a chokehold.

"Let me tell you something, Vilgax! You are the most pathetic excuse for a conqueror I have ever seen! You hide behind armour cause you know you're practically a baby without it!" Rath roared. Kevin let Rath go on, even if it was underestimating Vilgax. As far as Kevin was concerned, Vilgax had deserved it the second he laid his claws on Devlin and Ken. Come back up to Vilgax side, watching him squirm in his armour, Kevin took hold of the wrist armour, noticing the buttons hidden within it. Squeezing tight, he smiled as it snapped with a satisfying crunch. Vilgax was about to make a swing when Devlin came up beside him, dropping the largest piece of earth he could carry. Kevin stood on the earth, looking Vilgax straight in the eyes with a smile.

"I know you'll try again. But when you do, just know you've also got a pissed off Gwen to deal with. And she isn't afraid to go full Anodite on your ass." Kevin stated. Seconds later, Rath punched Vilgax hard enough that it sent the conqueror into an unconscious state. That was one problem down - all he had to do was inform the Plumbers and have them take care of the rest. Then, there was the kids. Kevin turned to face Devlin, who had his hands on his knees and seemed completely out of breath. Ken got up from the ground, clutching his arm.

"And as for you two..." Rath started; Kevin knew this was gonna be brutal. Probably even bad. Devlin was already gonna get a scoulding from Gwen when they get back to camp. "Let me tell you something! Your idiotic actions could've gotten the both of you lost, hurt or fucking killed! We had been searching for you for almost an hour!" Rath flailed his arms about, spit flying from his mouth as he roared. Devlin and Ken had their eyes on the ground. "We thought something had happened to you! You best consider yourselves lucky we managed to find you; Vilgax would've gladly turned you both into a bloody pulp if he had his way!" At this point, Kevin felt the boys got the point. He approached Ben, placing a hand on his shoulder. Rath turned, yelling a "What!?" at him. Kevin furrowed his brows.

"Enough, Ben. They've gotten the point." Kevin stated. He watched as Rath's anger subsided ever so slightly, making way for defeat. Seconds later, Ben was back to normal. Still, he looked rather angry - almost like he was about to cry. Kevin turned his attention to the two boys; "Next time you decide you wanna fuck off into the middle of nowhere, tell someone first. And if they say no, then that is your answer." Kevin told them sternly. Devlin nodded shyly, Ken barely acknowledged him.

"You get the boys back to camp. I'm staying here until the Plumbers deal with Vilgax." Ben stated, turning away from the boys. His fists were balled up tight. Kevin let out a sigh.

"Just make sure when you get back you're not ready to rip their throats out." Kevin stated, gesturing for the boys to follow him back through the woods. He dared not to force a conversation, especially since neither would be up for it. He kept the boys at either side, so it was easier to keep an eye on them. He doubted they'd wanna run off now, but still he had to make sure.

It was maybe a half hour before they got back to camp. Gwen and Nina were sat by the fire, Gwen turning when she heard the sound of the gravel crunching under Kevin's boots. When Gwen spotted Devlin, she got up from her seat and raced over, embracing Devlin tightly. Devlin hugged her lightly, expecting a stern talking to. Gwen looked him in the eyes, her words barely registering in his ears. Kevin came up behind Devlin, placing a hand on his shoulder. He watched as Devlin broke into tears, shouting out a million sorries. Gwen patted him on the head, telling him he was safe now. Kevin was a tad surprised to see her not ready to break out the Anodite to harken the lesson into Devlin's mind. He shrugged his shoulders, walking over to the fire.

"It's about time for dinner, anyways. Who's up for burgers?" Kevin asked. He could hear his beloved twins cheering, dancing together on the spot. Nina was now on her phone, probably to distract from the madness that just occurred. Kevin turned back to see Gwen still comforting Devlin, as for Ken he was approaching the Rust Bucket. Kevin raised a brow. "Ken? What are you doing?" Ken froze on the steps, turning back ever so slightly.

"Aren't I gonna go without dinner?" Ken asked. Kevin's eyes widened - he knew Ben wouldn't do such a thing. And Ken didn't know his or Nina's mother. Was this what Ken thought of Kevin? A stern father who would dare force his children to starve as punishment, even after spending countless days and nights starving and cold on the mouldy concrete of an abandoned New York subway? Was this the impression he gave off? Kevin gestured for Ken to come forward. Kevin knelt to the ground so he was eye-level with Ken. He could see Ken was tired, maybe even still a tad shaken up by being trapped in Vilgax grasp, unable to help himself.

"Ken, listen to me." Kevin started, placing a hand on Ken's shoulder, making sure Ken was listening well. "You did something incredibly dangerous today, but that would never, and I mean never, justify allowing you to starve. I know what that's like - to go to sleep hungry. And it's not something I'd wish even on you, even if you decide to tassel with an Eldritch beefcake." Kevin explained, smiling slightly when Ken laughed quietly at Kevin's choice words for Vilgax. "You will be punished, Ken, but you will never be forced to starve." Kevin reassured as he got up. "Now come on, if you want burgers then we have to get cookin'." Kevin and Ken walked towards the fire, Ken sitting on one of the logs while Kevin dealt with setting up the barbecue. He knew Ben would be hungry by the time he got back, so he'd leave Ben for last so his burger didn't go cold. Gwen and Devlin soon sat beside the fire, inviting Dylan and the twins to sit with them. Kevin could tell even from this distance Gwen was beginning her stern but gentle talk with Devlin. In the meantime, smashing the burgers would have to suffice for what Kevin wished he could do to Vilgax.

Chapter Text

Ken

It wasn't the greatest being tasked to do some semi-hard labour alongside their fathers, but after last night's stunt at least they weren't doing it completely alone. Kevin was having Devlin help him check on the Rust Bucket - everything from checking the gas to repairs and even electrical work (only after Kevin insisted upon wearing electricity resistant gloves which Ken found a tad odd.) As for Ken, it seemed Ben wanted to grill it into his skull not to fuck around with alien conquerors just cause he has an omnitrix. And the method for how his father decided to teach this lesson was nothing short of torture.

"Come on, we haven't got all day!" Ben shouted, picking up the axe he had been using to cut down a permitted tree to collect firewood. Ken was tasked with chopping up the tree into pieces using just his arms, which now ached like a roaring fire. His hands trembled as he raised the axe over his head and swung it down on the bark, catching his breath once it snapped cleanly into two pieces. Looking to his side, he wasn't sure just how many he had chopped but it felt like it was at least a hundred or so. Dropping the axe, he wiped some stray sweat from his brow - the sun was pounding down. So much for an early start to his summer vacation.

"Earth to Kenneth Tennyson!" Ben's voice snapped Ken away from his inner monologue and to his father who was looking through the omnitrix. When his father slammed on its interface, a green light absorbed the entirety of his being and he was replaced by a hulking mass of red muscles and enough arms to carry all the chopped wood with complete ease. With the wood in hand, Ben gestured for Ken to follow him. Ken shoved his hands in his pockets, grumbling to himself as he sulked after his father. His body was screaming at him for pause, but he did not want a repeat of last night in any capacity.

"How come you get to use Four Arms but I can't?" Ken protested, kicking himself for just how small he sounded once he heard himself. Even though Four Arms' back was to Ken, he could still feel the burrowing gaze of Ben as he stared him down.

"Cause I'm not the one who decided to wander off into the woods alone and tussle with one of the most dangerous intergalactic war criminals." Ken could practically hear the growl in his father's voice. Ken balled his fists up, his nose scrunching as he stared off to the side.

"Well sorry for wanting to see where you found the omnitrix…" Ken muttered. The sound of the wood dropping to the ground made him realize he hadn't been as quiet as he had thought. Four Arms stared directly at him, keeping his gaze locked with Ken's ad he towered over the boy.

"You would have seen it, Kenneth! You would have seen it with the family - we had that on the agenda, and you just couldn't be patient. You put yourself and Devlin in harm's way, and you seem to not feel remorseful about that. Your cousin could've gotten hurt - would you have liked having to tell Aunt Gwen and Uncle Kevin why he was injured, if not killed!?" Ben roared, the voice of Four Arms sounding more akin to a demon. Ken tried not to tremble, tried not to cry, but still his hands trembled in his pockets and his eyes lined with tears. His lips curved into a frown, his skin wrinkling.

"Fuck you." Ken spat; he didn't wait a single second and began sprinting away. He knew the way back. He didn't even stop when his father called his name, didn't look over his shoulder. He just ran, the tears flowing from his eyes and his heart racing at a million miles an hour. He's right, y'know; if something happened to Devlin, it would have been your fault, he thought to himself. He bit his lip, sobbing as he continued to race through the trees and undergrowth back to the sanctity of the camp.

Gwen

The sound of a single pair of footsteps signalled Ken's return. Even Kevin heard it, rolling out from underneath the Rust Bucket (covered in oil, per usual) and called over to Ken. Gwen watched from the fire pit, where she was watching the rest of the children, as Ken ignored Kevin and promptly ran into the Rust Bucket, slamming the door hard behind him. Gwen and Kevin shared a glance; Gwen asked Nina to keep an eye on the younger three as she got up and walked over to the Rust Bucket. Down the path, she could see Four Arms approaching with a plentiful supply of firewood. The sour look in his eyes was enough for Gwen to piece together what happened.

She knocked on the metal door, calling out Ken's name before reaching for the handle. "I'm coming in, OK?" The door creaked as she opened it, a familiar sound that she could remember hearing even at ten years old. Inside the Rust Bucket, Ken was laid out on the couch with his head buried in a pillow. Gwen closed the door, cringing slightly when she heard the click of the lock. Carefully, she walked over to Ken's side and sat down, gently patting him on the back. "There, there." Ken's body twitched as he sobbed, likely staining the pillow with tears. Gwen sighed; Until he tells me exactly what he and Ben fought about, that's the most I can say.

She did not bring the boy to speak prematurely, instead she was happy to wait in awkward, fragile silence, just stroking his back and waiting for him to collect himself. She wasn't sure just how long it had been, but she knew for certain it had to have been at least over half an hour by the time Ken's crying slowed. She shuffled on the couch as he sat up, watching as he wiped a tear from his red eyes. His face was pretty red, too, and Gwen noticed that snot had made its way onto the pillow and down to the tip of his lips. "You wanna tell me what happened?" Gwen asked pensively, watching Ken's reaction for any indication of what he was thinking.

Ken hugged himself slightly, his eyes threatening to flood once more. "Gwen, if something happened to Devlin," Ken started, wiping a tear away as his voice cracked, "would you have blamed me?"

Gwen's eyes shot wide. "What?" She opened up her arms and pulled Ken into a tight embrace, "Oh, Ken…" She stroked the back of his head, feeling the way he seemed to shrink into her embrace. Outside, she could hear two voices - Kevin and Ben; seemed Kevin was doing his own little investigation. Gwen sighed, pulling away so she could look Ken in the eyes, holding his cheek in her hand. "Kenneth Tennyson, I want you to listen to me. You and Devlin may have done something stupid yesterday, but I would never hurt you or abandon you over it. And besides, Devlin is just as responsible for his own actions as you are for yours." Gwen explained softly. Ken's gaze turned away, his shoulders falling. Gwen bit her lip, looking around as she tried to comprehend her next move… She laughed to herself. "And you wouldn't be the first one to do something like that."

"What?" Ken asked, his wide eyes staring at Gwen as she pointed to a picture hung on the wall. Inside it was a picture of Grandpa Max with herself and Ben at his side; that picture was taken in the summer of 2006 when they were both 10 years old and still bickering over the Christmas incident. When Ken turned to face it, she hummed an 'mhm'.

"That picture was from the roadtrip that started it all. Your father and I were 10 at the time, and not on good terms. The only thing we agreed on is that we weren't particularly interested in Grandpa's cooking or the idea of spending the next three months together. But when I say we fought like cats and dogs, I mean it. We were practically at each other's throats day in and day out. Just before your father found the omnitrix, we got into…" she rubbed the back of her neck as her body twinged with regret, "… a heated debate. He stormed off, out of the Rust Bucket and off into the woods. Alone." Gwen explained, watching as the cogs in Ken's head whirred. She could practically hear the 'ding' of realisation when he turned to look at her.

"So why is he so mad with me?" Ken inquired; Gwen couldn't help but notice the way his voice cracked slightly. Seemed he noticed, too. She simply smiled and pulled Ken back into a hug.

"He was scared, Ken. He was scared something happened to you. And I imagine once he saw Vilgax, he was probably shitting himself on the spot. He could deal with Vilgax, no problem - he's done it for decades. But you?" Gwen stroked Ken's back softly, watching as Ken's eyes softened, "If something happened to you, he'd never be able to live with himself." Gwen stated; she watched as her words hit and made their mark on Ken. When he turned to look at the door, she gently nudged him, encouraging him with a warm smile.

"I…" Ken began to get up, "… I think I'm gonna go talk to dad."

"I think that's a good idea, Ken." Gwen assured, following him off of the Rust Bucket. Kevin must've heard the sound of the door opening as he was looking directly at her, brows furrowed as he tried to read her from a distance. She smiled and walked over, whispering into his ear; "They'll be fine." That seemed to calm him down.

Ben

Ben was sat by the fire pit, getting it ready for lunch when the door of the Rust Bucket creaked in protest. He had been just far enough behind Ken that he witnessed Ken storming into the vehicle - and Ben couldn't exactly blame him for it. Ben had gone out of line; it was only when seeing his own son run away from him that it crept upon him and sunk him into the depths of reflection. Now, though, Ken's red eyes and tear-stained face were looking towards him blankly. Gwen approached Kevin and whispered something into his ear; whatever it was, it made his tense body relax instantly. Ben kept his focus on stoking the fire with a poker, fearing stepping out of line again. Ken stopped by his side on the log.

"Can I sit here?" Ken asked quietly. Ben opened his mouth to speak then decided against it. He simply nodded. He didn't turn his gaze away from the fire even as Ken sat himself upon the log, shuffling closer to him. "Dad, I… Look, I'm sorry I snuck off yesterday. Really, I am." Ken sounded so small, so weak… so much like the child he still was. It reminded Ben of when he was that age and had found himself cornered with no way out, even with the omnitrix. He could still hear the way his voice cracked as he screamed for Grandpa Max, for his mother and father or even his family dog to come and comfort him, protect him, rescue him. Ben sighed, putting down the poker as he watched the flames.

"You could've gotten hurt, Ken. Seriously hurt." Ben stated halfheartedly; he could still remember that first day. The initial fear when he found the omnitrix and it latched itself onto his wrist. The excitement that burned for only a moment to disappear as he was absorbed by magma and rock, and then by the smoke of the woods burning down around him. And just when he thought that was the end of it, discovering he was now being hunted down by an alien conqueror from outer space (who really had it out for him). At the time, he thought it was epic. He thought it was the best thing to happen to him. It was - but it came with its own share of traumas and knowledge that, once known, meant he would never be the same again.

"I know, dad, I just- I wanted to see where it all began, y'know? I wanted to see where my cool dad got his start. I wanted to be where you were then." Ken rambled, hugging his legs to his chest. Ben's eyes widened as he turned to look at Ken; Ben had been waiting for the day that Ken would disavow him being 'cool' anymore, waiting for the day his little boy was taking his own independence in his hands and decided Ben wasn't quite what he remembered.

"You… what?" Ben hadn't meant to say it but it slipped outta his lips. Ken simply nodded, staring at the pebbles on the ground. Ben sighed, smiling softly as he scooched closer to Ken, wrapping his arm on the boy's shoulders. "I appreciate the compliment, Ken." Ben started, gently encouraging the boy to lean into him. "I wasn't lying when I said we were gonna take you to see it. I wanted to, not just show you but tell you everything from that first day. But, Ken… It wasn't quite as cool or glamorous as I'm sure the media would paint it. For me, it was equal parts awesome and terrifying."

That seemed to shock Ken, cause he stared at Ben, eyes wide and jaw slightly ajar. "You were scared!?" He exclaimed. Ben chuckled; he searched for Heatblast on the omnitrix's interface, standing up before he slammed his hand down on it. It took mere seconds for his skin to turn to crusty stone and scorching lava, his hair replaced by an endless mane of flame. Ken stared silently, an eyebrow raised as he squinted his eyes.

"The first alien I ever turned into was Heatblast; let me tell you, not quite the alien you want to become when you're standing in the middle of the woods." Ben joked, his heart swelling when Ken laughed, his whole body shaking with the sheer forces of the chuckles escaping his throat. "I'm serious! I burned down like… a third or so of the forest. My identity wasn't known then, thank fuck, cause I would've been in serious trouble - and you bet no park ranger would buy the excuse of being turned into an alien who just so happens to be on fire."

Ken wiped a stray tear from his eye; "Did Grandpa or Aunt Gwen believe you?"

"Not at first," Ben knelt down to survey the bonfire and keep it going, "when Gwen first saw me she started screaming and tried to run away. Grandpa was the only one who wasn't surprised to see a Pyronite, just surprised to see one on Earth - he was even more confused when he realised it was me. Gwen was just as surprised, but there was the fire to contend with so we didn't exactly get long to discuss." When Ben turned to face Ken, he was stunned by the look on Ken's face. His eyes were glued on Ben, listening intently with an awe that Ben remembered feeling the day he and Nina were born. Ben couldn't help the smile that crept on his lips. He moved forward to hug Ken, before remembering what form he was in. Ken laughed, activating his omnitrix and turning into Heatblast himself. Ken wrapped his rocky arms around Ben's upper torso, smiling as he leaned into his father. Ben felt the same pride he had the day he first held Ken in the hospital - and staring down at the growing boy, he still remembered the promise he had made all those years ago that he would love him, protect him and nourish him. Ben wrapped Ken tightly in his embrace, closing his eyes and just enjoying having Ken by his side.

"Dad?" Ken asked suddenly; Ben hummed in acknowledgement. "Why did you make me chop firewood?"

"Because you can't always rely on the omnitrix to solve your problems, and even your body has limits. The amount of force it took to chop the wood was one thing, but that would be nothing to someone like Vilgax. And I doubt your arms are feeling particularly happy after that, are they?" Ben explained, smiling when Ken nodded into his chest. "We've got enough for the rest of the day, so you don't need to do any more chopping. If you understand where you were wrong, then there'd be no more reason to continue your punishment, would there?"

Ken chuckled, looking up at his father; "Yeah. I get it, now. I won't sneak off again, promise… Think you can still take us to the crash site and tell us some stories from back then?"

Ben smiled warmly, stroking Ken's head. "As if that would change."