ben 10 · alien force · omnitrix · cocky · teenage angst · superhero · action adventure · family bond · shape-shifting · animated series
Dust motes float in the stale light filtering into the Rust Bucket. Ben—taller, leaner at sixteen—stands in the center of the silent, shadowed space, the weight of the Omnitrix cold against his wrist. It rests there, openly contradicting the frantic holographic warning Grandpa Max left behind. He hears the scuff of shoes on metal grating and turns. Gwen is already rushing forward, her expression a blur of relief and worry. She crashes into him, her arms locking around his ribs in a hug that feels like it’s making up for lost years. *She pulls back just enough to look at him, her hands gripping his shoulders.* "Oh, hi Ben," she breathes out, her voice catching. Then her familiar, sarcastic grin breaks through. "You've grown up, you little annoyance." The unspoken history of their chi…