A/N: Really hoping this isn't too OOC, but I had thoughts on what Kevin meant by "exceeded" because, knowing Kevin, that has a double meaning. Or at least in my world it does.

Disclaimer: Own nothing. Bite me.

Exceeded

"You never told us what you really did get at the Academy," said Gwen, shutting her spell book suddenly as her emerald eyes flitted to Kevin's form that was half hidden beneath the undercarriage of his beloved car. Her features were automatically focused and intent on an answer.

Kevin's hands hooked around to grab the grill on the front of the car and pull himself out from under the vehicle. His dark gaze found her sitting on the couch that was pressed to the wall of the garage. It was the first time they had hung out together in the garage in a while. It was like a taste of peace after a long war. "Why's it matter?"

Gwen played with a few strands of her crimson locks that had escaped her ponytail. And, knowing Kevin's weakness for her hair being down, she pulled out the ponytail and let the waves of scarlet tumble down her back like a cascading waterfall. "Just curious," she told him with a little half smile playing on her lips. "That's all."

A faint scowl pressed to the Osmosian's lips, but Gwen didn't see it. She was too busy trying to seduce an answer out of him. The red-haired Tennyson knew Kevin wasn't much of a scholar, and she also knew he could be touchy on the subject of schooling; because of that, she hardly ever pressed for answers. But this time, some part of Gwen wanted to know how her ninety-eight really stood.

Ben had done well, a ninety-five. That was good for a guy who got mostly Cs in normal school. Plus, with a drill instructor that made Vilgax look like a circus poodle, he had actually looked smart. That was something that scared Gwen. Part of her enjoyed having the status quo of the smart, pretty, preppy girl. And maybe the thought of having Ben be smart too was bothering her.

But Kevin's answer had been blunt. A seventy-two was needed to pass, that was all. And Kevin had said be had "exceeded" that. Such a simple answer.

That was what kept Gwen awake at night. Exceeded. As in what? Seventy-three? Seventy-four? She knew Kevin was very sensitive when it came to grades and such and she hated to pry, but Gwen wanted to know so badly she could taste it. And if it really was that bad, she wanted to comfort her boyfriend. That was what girlfriends did, right?

"So what was it?" she asked again, really hoping she wasn't getting on his nerves. He was her ride home and she didn't want to have to walk in the rain.

All Gwen could make out was some muffled mumbling from beneath the undercarriage of the green and black striped vehicle. She couldn't tell what he was saying, just that words were coming out of his mouth.

The redhead wasn't stupid. She had carried on conversations with him before when he was under the car. Why was he being so quiet all of a sudden? They had been talking before he got to work and before she had started reading, but suddenly he was touchy again. "Kevin, just tell me," said the girl, knowing that he knew she couldn't hear him. "No matter how bad it is, Ben is still the ultimate moron around here."

Gwen was just computing her own little pun right there when Kevin rolled out from beneath the car. "That's why I don't want to tell you," said the dark teen, picking up an already dirtied rag and using it to wipe splotches of gray grease off his face. "Just trust me when I tell you it's not important." He dropped a little wrench in his toolbox and looked over the rest of the metal pieces in it before selecting a set of pliers and rolling himself back under the vehicle.

"Kevin, it doesn't matter how low it is. You passed and that's what matters." Gwen figured that her seduction wasn't working on him since he wasn't looking; she quietly pulled her hair back up into a ponytail of flame-colored locks.

There was a short moment where Kevin chuckled and dropped his pliers beneath the car. He took a few moments to grab his dropped tool and recompose himself before rolling back out into the open light of the space.

"What's so funny?" asked Gwen, cocking her head to one side to look at her boyfriend's smirking face as he sipped on his soda. She had just flipped open her spell book to start reading again when she noticed his suspicious grin.

Kevin's smirk widened a bit and he took the straw of the cup away from his thin, pale lips. "The way you think I did badly."

Another blunt answer. Gwen wanted to throw her book at him. A bit of rage flushed her cheeks a rosy red. In the seconds it took her to process his words completely, he was rolling beneath the car once more. It was then that she realized his implications. "Then what did you get?" asked Gwen, not paying attention to any boundaries. She was ready to press the limits to get a straight-forward answer out of him now.

Kevin wasn't happy with his answer. He was proud of it, sure, but he also understood the consequences that were attached. "Aced it."

Gwen's jaw would've clattered to the floor if it hadn't been attached. Her emerald orbs were wide with absolute shock. "You- you aced it? Hundred?"

"Straight up," replied Kevin, still hiding beneath the car. His voice was emotionless. He was incredibly amazed at how well he'd done. The Osmosian hadn't expected more than an eighty, but when he saw those three digits, some part of him was set free. The whole time, he'd been afraid of failing, but he'd managed to trump his girlfriend's grade.

Gwen was in complete shock. "How?" she asked, trying to form words and finding her voice uncertain and shaking. She had always held the role of the smartest of the trio close to her heart, never wanting to let go of it. But now even Kevin, Kevin of all people, had done better than her. And she had always thought he was the dumber of the two boys. He always made her feel so smart…

The smirk that had once been upon Kevin's thin lips had evaporated into thin air. "I'm not stupid, Gwen. I did my studying, I did my research, weapons are my strong point, and I wanted it more than I wanted to live, okay? Being a Plumber was my whole life goal. That academy crap was going to either make it or break it." He tossed the pliers into the toolbox before rolling out from under the car. "I wanted it, I got it. That's the way things work, right? If you want something bad enough, you work your butt off for it and you get it." He leaned forward and sat up on the little board that he used to roll beneath the car, his knees bent and his elbows resting on them.

"But- But…" Gwen was completely stunned. Kevin? Had… Had gotten… Hundred? How was it possible? What had she done to make the world so angry? What had fate done to make her boyfriend brilliant for the first time in forever? "You…"

Kevin wasn't even smiling anymore. He just felt a tiny blossom of dread growing in his chest. "Sorry that I was smarter than you. I want to be a Plumber." Kevin's eyes were on the open garage door that led out into the rainy day as the torrents of water poured down from the sky. "That's all. I did what I could, that's the best I could do, ya know?" He wiped a bit more grease off of his fingers and out of his palm, watching the pounding rain hit the sidewalk.

"You did better than me." Her mouth was agape; she was so shocked that it felt like her chest was about to collapse.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you," he reminded her pointedly, looking over to her for a moment. "I don't like being smart either, but I want to be a Plumber. I just want to be like my dad…"

Gwen sighed. "It's what you want." Her eyes were on him and softening slowly. "I'm not good with cars and you're not good with normal school. We all have our weaknesses." She opened up her spell book once more and began to peruse the pages.

"Just didn't want to tell you," he said quietly, grabbing for his wrench again before sliding beneath the car.

"Keep working on your car, Kevin."

Clearly, she still wasn't exactly happy. But he would deal. By tomorrow, everything would be just fine.

…right?

A/N: Time crunch at the end. Sorry. Review?

~Sky