Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. Surprising, I know.
Notes: This is a sequel to 'Never Knew How Much,' but it can also serve as a stand-alone. It helps to have read the other story, but it's not necessary.
Warnings: Cousinshipping. If you don't like Ben/Gwen, you shouldn't read this (or really anything in the 'romance' genre with these two as the main characters. I mean, it's not rocket science). Oh, also there is swearing.
~~ How Much You Mean To Me ~~
Shit. Shit shit shit. He knew he should have pushed for a room in Gwen's building.
Not bothering to change out of his plaid pajama bottoms, Ben threw on a pair of sneakers and ran out the door and down the hall.
As he slipped out of his dorm and onto the frosty lawn, a variety of unpleasant scenarios played across his mind's eye. A drunken yahoo trying to break into her room, an armed robber, or - shit, what if there was a crazy serial killer in her building? Or a rapist?
Suddenly glad for the ever-present Omnitrix, he set his expression in a determined frown and picked up speed. His feet flew beneath him as he ran, panicky breaths painfully loud in the still November night. As his lungs began to ache from the shock of cold air, Ben found his thoughts growing increasingly darker. His face heated with anger as he went through the various ways he could skin whoever was probably right now hurting Gwen.
He'd progressed to using Heatblast to sear the bastard's skin right off his body when Ben suddenly realized he was halfway up a flight of stairs. He looked back at the door he must have gone through – the lockeddoor – with no recollection of how he had done so.
That was a little bit frightening.
He'd have time to worry about that later, though; what was important right now was whether this was Gwen's dorm or not. Quickly scanning his surroundings, he spotted 'Josh Prewitt is an asshole' penciled on the far wall. Thank God, he was in the right place.
Knowing he was almost there lent Ben an extra burst of speed as he raced up two more flights of stairs and down a dim hallway.
Please let me be in time, please let me be in time.
Deciding it would be quickest to go through the door in the most direct manner, Ben hurled himself at it.
He heard a loud 'thunk'and found himself on the floor. Fuck.
That really hurt. It also didn't open the door.
Or maybe it did, because a vision of rumpled anger suddenly replaced the door above him.
"Benjamin Tennyson, what the hell are trying to do?"
Well, on the bright side she didn't look like she'd been attacked recently.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack you stupid idiot!" Gwen reached down and yanked him up, "Now get in here before you wake up the whole floor."
Right, because her shouting wouldn't have -
His thoughts were interrupted as she shoved him ahead of her and slammed the door closed, sending a particularly nasty glare his way as he sat bewildered on her bed. Only a bedside lamp lighted the room, but he could still make out her expression. It was kind of scary.
"But – but Gwen … " Ben stared up at her with big green eyes like a wounded puppy. He didn't understand why she was angry at him, especially when she was the one who'd called him. And she'd sounded so panicky.
Gwen just kept glaring at him, waiting for him to finish.
He squirmed a bit under her unforgiving gaze. Her thin blue tank top didn't really help matters.
"Where's the guy you said was trying to get in?" He looked around her room, trying to gauge the most likely lurking spots.
Her arm shot out to stop him as he started moving towards her window. He turned back to look at her as if she'd grown two heads, and was surprised to find the exact same expression directed at him.
"What on earth are you talking about?" She frowned at him and let her arm fall. "What guy?"
"What do you mean 'what guy'? The one that you called me about five minutes ago!"
"Ben." She put her hands on his shoulders and gazed searchingly into his eyes. Then she spoke very slowly, enunciating every word. "I didn't call you."
"Yes you did, I remember it very clearly – you called and said … and said …" he trailed off at her very serious expression.
"I didn't call you."
"But then why do I – "
"You were probably dreaming, Ben."
He slumped back onto her bed. Dreaming? He dreamt that she'd called him?
"Why would I dream that you called me to come and get rid of some creepy guy trying to get into your room?"
Gwen sat down beside him and angled herself so that she was facing him.
"Oh, I don't know – maybe because you've been panicky about me since October?"
He knew what she was referring to, but that was a month ago. He was totally over it.
"No, that's definitely not – "
"Ben."
Damn it. Why did her eyes always do that – make him feel like she saw exactly what he was hiding?
They did look pretty in the lamplight though. It made them look deeper, more nuanced, with hypnotic golden reflections that shifted with her movements, like little fireworks going off in delicate bursts.
"Ben, that's exactly what it is."
And her skin looked so silky. Like if he could only trail a finger down her arm, he would find it softer than anything he'd ever touched in his life.
"You need to let it go now. You can't spend every minute worried about me."
She looked so concerned. He wished she would smile a little – her smile was amazing.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Her lips looked so plump and inviting, and they were right there …
It was at this point that Ben figured he must not have woken up at all that night, because everything suddenly seemed to blur weirdly and the light went all wonky. His breathing grew ragged and he felt like maybe he'd been inhaling helium. The bed was unsteady beneath him and his heart was all jumpy and his chest was so very, very warm. He felt drugged.
"Gwen?" he panted, still trying to replenish his air supply.
She leaned in closer and made things infinitely worse. "What's wrong, why are you so flushed?" She put a hand to his forehead and he leaned into it, closing his eyes.
"Oh my god, you're really warm. Do you think you caught cold out there or something? You are um," she blushed and looked down, "in just your uh, pajama pants."
He opened his eyes and gazed at her almost lazily. He smiled slightly and she finally remembered to lower her hand from his forehead.
With wide eyes, she squeaked, "Ben?"
He finally spoke with slow, almost drunken words. "I think … I know why I've been dreaming about you every night … "
"Wait, every – "
She stopped when he gently cupped her face in his warm hands.
He leveled his gaze into hers and held it. She'd stopped breathing and so had he and everything was stiflingly still. He tilted his head, and wondered why his body felt like someone else's. She stared at him with those pretty summer eyes and he slowly moved closer.
His lips were already burning as he lightly placed them on hers.
Her eyes were still open and so were his, and he paused with their lips just barely touching. He waited as his heart pounded, praying that she wouldn't pull away.
Her eyes were searching his, perfect mirrors reflecting back and forth until it was impossible to tell which was which. Green reflected green reflected green. Amidst the maze of emerald, olive, and jade, he tried to give her what she was looking for – tried to tell her he loved her.
Finally, sherelaxed and timidly slid cool hands around his neck.
He sighed and deepened the kiss, threading his fingers through her red satin hair.
Gradually they leaned back onto her bed and Ben settled himself gently on top of her, drinking in the feeling of her bare skin on his where her tank top had ridden up. Gwen's hands moved up into his hair and he nearly purred with delight as she massaged the back of his head. Their kisses became more desperate and before he could completely lose himself, Ben broke away with a gasp.
He shakily traced her face with his thumbs and whispered, "I love you. I love you. I love – " Gwen cut him off with a panted "I love you too," and pulled his head back down.
A/N: This was inspired by an episode of the fantastic British series Coupling, in which one character rushes to another character's apartment, thinking that she called him because there was a spider in her bedroom.