Chapter Text
Chapter Text
A cold but invigorating river of taste slides down a blueing tongue. A withering slurp sounds out to the person across the table. Green eyes look down, pondering at the goofy face on the side of the cup.
It's been about a whole year since the whole Chronosapien Time Bomb Debacle™ (when Ben found out that he was the only Ben to not have an Omnitrix, and also that he wasn't the only Ben period) but nothing has really changed. He still goes to school everyday and soccer practice every afternoon. He pays his car insurance every month, makes sure to make time for his boyfriend at least three times a week. His one day of fame was so brief that even now, only a year later, he barely remembers how everything went down. His grampa doesn't talk about his work, but Ben knows. He knows. And he is not going to forget. He's eager to join the force after high school, especially after the talk he and Grampa Max had a few days prior.
“You're gonna suck up the straw if you keep going on like that,” His boyfriend, Rex, points out.
He finally stops sucking on his straw; His smoothie is completely empty. He let's the stick fall from his lips and he mumbles, “Sorry..”
“What's got you all hazy-minded? I haven't seen you like this since North Park.” He sits back against the back of the booth. He has a naturally-placed smile on his face and a permanently warm set of brown eyes that usually made Ben swoon. Today, though, he feels unaffected by the casual display of affection, outside of feeling guilt for not feeling anything. This was his and Rex's time, but he was spending it worrying about something that he had no control over. Rex is homeschooled and lives kind of out of the way for Ben to meet with him regularly, but they still try to make it work.
They met at a soccer game. Rex's friend Noah had brought him to see the game while Ben was on the field playing against his school. Rex didn't know what “normal” school life was like, so Noah was doing his friendly duties by helping him out. You'd think he'd take him to a basketball game or something, but that's not how he rolls, apparently. Rex congratulated him on a good game afterwards and they hit it off immediately.
“It's nothing.” He smiles, moves some hair out of his face to temporarily cover his twitching eye. He couldn't tell Rex no matter how much he wanted to. This was not only his secret, but the government's, and if he told Rex, he'd have to tell Noah, and Noah would tell his girlfriend Claire, and Claire would tell Annie and Annie would tell everyone.
“Uh huh,” Rex nods, one thick black eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. His teeth are white and perfectly straight. They've been doing long distance for three years now and yet here he is, still gazing in wonder at how handsome Rex Salazar is. Maybe he isn't as unaffected as he thought. “Tell me the truth. You're worried about prom, aren't you?”
That snaps Ben out of his trance for a second time. Crap, prom, crap crap crap. It was three weeks away and he still had nothing prepared. He isn't very worried about it, hadn't even known he was going until a month ago when he jokingly asked Rex to it(and was surprised to get an enthusiastic yes). But now that it is becoming a reality, he's forgotten to be excited. He smiles, genuinely this time, and sits up in his booth. “Yes, prom! That's coming up soon! We need to color coordinate!”
He high fives himself in his head for coming up with that so quickly.
“Let me guess,” Rex leans his square chin on his palm. “Green.”
“Of course!” He pats the edge of the booth with his fingers and leaves them there.
“And what else? Blue? Red? Orange?”
“Whatever you want. It's your prom too.”
He grins wider at that, a feat he somehow manages to accomplish every time despite his smile always seeming at its widest. His golden cheeks stretch to accommodate his giddiness. Regular high school shenanigans always seemed to excite him. He was fascinated with it, as if TV wasn't enough to get the full coverage of it. Ben was careful to not say anything to ruin his boyfriend's rose-tinted idea of high school, despite knowing firsthand how awful it could be.
Ben is only worried about graduating, and fast. The conversation he had with Grampa Max is clear in his mind:
Grampa Max never talked about Plumber business with Ben, even after the Chronosapien Time Bomb Debacle. Every time Ben brought it up, he acted oblivious, like he had no idea what Ben was talking about. So Ben was surprised when Max brought him into an empty room and suddenly started talking about enrolling him into Plumber’s Academy.
“Now that you’re about to graduate, I think it’s time we talk about your future,” He’d said. Ben was confused at first, but then excitement thrummed throughout his body so furiously that he was bouncing on his toes and grinning like an idiot.
He slept that night feeling accomplished and ready for the future.
But as Rex continues talking, a thought creeps up on him and realization dawns on him, slowly turning his joy into something close to dread.
If Ben went off to Plumber’s Academy, then what would become of him and Rex?
He meets Rex’s eyes and smiles again, not realizing he had stopped, and lets Rex chat on as his own thoughts run rampant.
Outside of the Mr. Smoothies’ windows is a burst of dust as lasers hit the ground, the sounds of Plumbers fighting drowned out by the music inside the small fast food restaurant, Rex’s chatter, and Ben’s thoughts.
———
There are more mouths to feed, so Rex went out to get more food again. It’s once again foggy and cloudy outside, but all the Ben’s, including Prime,(and Argit, still? For some reason?) are all outside on the porch. Miles away, Rex is currently feeding all the villains they have locked up in jail, and the city streets are as barren as usual. 05 and 12 have ancient handheld game systems that they always keep in their pockets, as apparently they came with them when they got transported here, and now they are fighting against each other in a mini Sumo Slammers game Prime felt absolute nostalgia for. He willed away the urge to cry so as to not give his Ben-ness away. 16 was messing with Argit, but Argit wasn’t crying this time, so Prime found no reason to interfere.
It’s been a few weeks now since the new Ben’s appeared and three days since Rex's finding of the bomb, but these last few days have been filled with fighting new but old enemies and getting them into cells. It’s not as easy as it sounds, and it doesn’t sound easy in the first place. They still haven’t found Charmcaster, despite her Uncle hinting that she was around somewhere. With all that’s been going on, Prime hasn’t had the time to go check out the cave. He could do it now, if Rex were here, but he has to look after the kids.
The kids. Heh, like they're parents. Where’s Sandra and Carl when you need them? Holiday and Six?
Crap, God, he misses his parents…
He shakes his head, fixes his hood, pulls down his bandana to his neck.
He wonders where the other Ben’s are. Ben 23, Gwen 10(if she counted), Ben—
Prime stands up. A light flashes in the back of the lawn, in front of the treeline, oval sized and white. Something falls to the ground, covered in dirt and huffing—
Ben 10,000, he finishes his thought.
Prime runs up to him. Behind him he hears one of the Ben’s moan, “Oh geez, is that another Ben?”
10,000 coughs harshly, his back rising and falling with his deep breaths. He looks up into the hood of Prime, who's kneeling in front of him, a hand rubbing his back for support. Prime quickly notices the red dot on the face of the Omnitrix that’s on 10000’s left wrist. 10000 is squinting up at him. “Ben, thank God I found you,” He coughs into the back of his hand, frowns, looking Prime up and down. “What are you wearing?”
Another voice that sounds just like Rex exclaims, “Oh geez, is that another Ben?”