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Gwendolyn Tennyson stormed into the Tennyson household of her cousin. She wore her usual red sweater with her hair in a ponytail, black skirt, knee level socks and shoes.
She had a expected her cousin to sit on his butt watching his dumb Sumo Slammers show. When she opened the door she saw something else entirely.
On the couch of his house was Ben himself in his usual green jacket, black shirt, cargo pants and black and white shoes. But also a teen with a similar build as Kevin.
He has long blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles that stood out. He wears a white T-shirt underneath a purple sleeveless jersey with the number 3 written in yellow, a black necklace with a gold bead, black shorts, and white and purple shoes.
Her anger turned to confusion as she stared at the two boys playing games with Cooper winning and Ben trying his best to get a hit.
"Hey! I know you're cheating Coop," Ben said out loud his fingers moving faster than his brain can process as he tries to beat him. Cooper just laughs as his eyes glow blue for a second and he instantly wins.
Cooper is a technopath, able to mentally merge with and control electronic devices, both terrestrial and alien at will. He can telekinetically disassemble and reassemble any technology as well as telepathically interface and communicate with machines to analyze and gather information.
He sometimes uses it to win easily in video games and this was one of them.
"Ha!" Cooper laughs. "You owe me twenty bucks and a smoothie, Tennyson," He said with a goofy grin and began dancing in victory.
Ben groans in frustration. "You cheated and you knew it," He said darkly with his head down, controller in hand. He slumps back into the couch and sighs out loud.
"But a bet is a bet, I guess."
Gwen looks at the exchange dumbfoundedly. She came here to get away from Kevin not to witness this. Of all the things she could have done today she chose to come here. She wonders if she is attracted to all the weirdness that's happening around her family lately.
She shook her head. Wherever her cousin goes, trouble follows. Ben then turns his head to the right and sees Gwen standing looking at them with a raised brow.
"Hey, Gwen didn't see you there," Ben waved at his cousin who waved back. Cooper froze in place at the mention of Gwen's name and turned towards her.
"Hey.. Gwen," He waved awkwardly at her. She waved at the two boys and entered, closing the door behind her.
She makes her way towards the couch and flops next to Ben. She lets out a tiresome sigh and runs to her temple.
"What's wrong, Gwen?" She glances at her cousin with one eye. She didn't say anything at first and didn't want to say anything because she knew what Ben would do if she told him about Kevin.
"This about Kevin again?" He guessed right. He takes her silence as a confirmation and nods his head. "Coop," He calls for his friend and she looks at Ben with lost eyes. "Stay with Gwen for a bit, I'll be back." With that he stood up, threw his controller on the table and started walking out.
"Ben, don't," He heard her say weakly, her voice felt small and so far away but he still heard her. Cooper just stood there, dumbstruck at what was going on. Gwen sat upright and locked her cousin in the eyes. Green meets green.
"I'm just gonna go talk to him."
"Ben, please don't."
"I'm just gonna talk to him."
"Ben, it was a stupid mistake."
"He shouldn't have made it in the first place."
He watched the two cousins go back and forth bickering with Ben getting mad with each passing second and Gwen couldn't keep eye contact with him for long. He knew that Ben and Gwen grew close over the years but seeing this happen just shows him how much they grew.
If it had been 5 years ago then they'd be at each other's neck now. But with just a little time together, Ben knew what was wrong and Gwen didn't want him to go talk to Kevin.
He wonders what's wrong but doesn't speak right away. He still hasn't gone over his little crush with Gwen – even if he got a few girls after his growth spurt – he still wanted to try at least.
"Look, I'll talk to him and—"
"And what? He'll stop?" Ben scoffs, "You know as well I, he won't." Gwen looks down for a moment knowing that it's true.
It felt like hours as the two didn't say a word to each other but to Cooper it was seconds. Those few seconds he saw what a protective cousin Gwen had at her side.
"You can stay for the night, if you want," Ben spoke as if he wasn't going to come back in the next few minutes. "I'll make sure to be back before midnight." He gave one last glance at Cooper and left. He closed the door behind him and a flash of emerald light appeared and something whooshed away.
Cooper didn't know what to say. He looks at Gwen who slumps forward with her hands covering her face. A small sob escaping her lips. He then sat beside her, saddened seeing his life long crush crying.
"H-Hey, it's okay, Gwen," Cooper tried to reassure her but she simply shook her head. He opened his mouth and tried to say something... anything that can maybe lighten the mood. But nothing came out.
He let out a heavy sigh and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed a little. He tells her that he's here for her. When she finally looked at him with teary eyes he gave her a small smile, a smile he could only give her. He raised his left hand and wiped away the tears from her face. She lets out a few sniffs as blue meets green eyes.
She never realized how beautiful Cooper's eyes were till now. She knew he always looked at her from afar but didn't pay it any mind but after seeing him again. He grew taller, he is stronger and he is more charming than ever. Granted he was charming to begin with but she didn't see that till now.
The two just stared into each other's eyes not realizing that they were moving closer and closer towards one another. But Cooper did and he held her shoulders, snapping her out of her daze and coming back to reality.
Her cheeks flushed pink realizing what she was about to do but so did Cooper's. He lets go of her shoulders and faces forward, Gwen doing the same as well.
Gwen can't comprehend what she was about to do but she needs something to distract her mind from Kevin. From Ben going to his place and having a fight with him. From everything that had happened.
Cooper on the other hand slapped himself mentally for not going into the kiss. Part of him wanted to kiss those soft lips of her but the other part of him didn't want to do it that way. He doesn't want to take advantage of her while she is like this. Vulnerable and open to do anything.
"Do you want something to drink?" He asked after a long awkward silence. She nodded her head and he went to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and poured water into it.
While he did that Gwen glanced over to him. Realizing how much of a gentleman he is and how much he grew. She didn't expect that he would be taller than her. Granted, nearly every male in the family is taller than her.
But her mind went back to what she was about to do. She was about to kiss Cooper. Cooper of all people!
Not that it's a thing. She always found him cute in a way but never romantically. He has such great power and helped them in the past so many times.
Even helped against a powered hunger Kevin that wanted to suck her dry of all her power.
Cooper came back with the glass of water and gave it to her. She took it and gave him a warm smile.
The two sat in silence again but less awkward. Cooper was fiddling with his fingers while Gwen was sipping away her water little by little.
Both hated the silence and wanted to break it but didn't know what to say. They mentality slapped themselves for not thinking straight. But they had to break the silence so how.
"What's bothering you?" "Wanna watch a movie?" Both them asked at the same time. They looked at one another with confusion.
"..You first," He gestured for her to ask her question first.
She happily accepts and asks him if they wanna watch a movie together. He nods his head and asks his question. What's bothering her so much that Ben was going to kill Kevin.
Her expression turned somber and she looked down at her hands. Where does she begin? She asked herself. She took a deep breath, relaxing herself.
"Kevin's been cheating on me with my other cousin, Sunny," She finally admits it. After weeks of telling herself that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Or Sunny manipulating him in doing so. But she knew deep in her heart that Kevin actually cheated on her with a lookalike but with different colors.
Cooper looks at her in confusion. Sunny? He asked himself. He didn't know Ben and Gwen had any more cousin's. He knew about Ken – Gwen's brother but that's about it.
He wanted to ask how she found out but she spoke further.
"It was about a month ago, where I found the two in my room making out," She shudders at the memory displaying in her mind. "I was furious and I wanted to kill them both but Kevin told me that Sunny held him captive and forced him to kiss her." So far so good, the blonde techno path thought.
"After that incident he's been acting weird." Oh, no. The way he acted and talked was different from the Kevin she knew. "He was hiding things from me, being late to our dates and even ditching me for work." She took a moment to reflect that she never saw it before today.
The way he acted and behaved was nothing like she knew him. And she thought that she knew him better than anyone.
She wanted to scream, lash out in anger and sadness that she let him play her for a fool. But she didn't, her head was down and tears started to form again.
Cooper moved closer to her and placed his arm around her shoulder, "If you don't want to talk about then it's fine, Gwen," He said and cursed Kevin's name at the same time.
Gwen shook her head, "I have to tell someone. I can't keep quiet about my problems." He would be the first person to know what really happened.
Ben didn't even know. He didn't know Kevin was seeing Sunny of all people. All he knew was that Kevin hurt Gwen. End of story.
"What about Ben? The two of you are so much closer now?" She shook her head now. She loved Ben with all her heart but there were some times that she couldn't tell him.
"He doesn't know, Coop, and I would prefer it if it was kept that way." He got the message and nodded his head. He wants to hear the rest and she'll tell him.
"I followed Kevin around trying to see why he was acting so weird and what I found shattered my heart…" She gripped the couch, her nails digging into the surface.
Seeing his happy face upon meeting her almost drove her mad. She wanted to hurt him with her powers but she didn't.
"After finding out about it we had a fight. It didn't end well and he stormed off god knows where," She wiped away the tears with her hands and looked at the blonde boy beside her.
"And that's why I'm here now. I wanted to be somewhere where I can feel at ease. My home isn't exactly peaceful," She groaned at the thought of her parents arguing at her. They have been on her case for weeks and it was starting to tear at her.
"I get what you mean," Cooper said with a faint smile. He lived with his grandfather but it was sometimes rough. The two would argue and have fights. Cooper would have to control his anger so that he wouldn't have to use his powers to harm the old man.
"But at times like these it's best to have your family by your side," He mentions. His smile grew wider and brighter, "Even close friends can help, you know."
Gwen grinned at his last comment. The two don't talk much and haven't stayed in contact. She wished she had and not chased after Kevin all this time.
Kevin was her driving point. She felt like she knew him best. The two were perfect for each other. Keywords were since the two aren't going out anymore from today onwards.
Maybe she can try with someone else. She really didn't have anyone else beside Kevin. She looked up at the blonde who stared at her with those lovely blue eyes of his.
Maybe she can give him a chance.
"Hey, Cooper," She said, grabbing his attention and snapping him out of his daydream. He looked at her confused for a second. "Do you wanna go out with me?"
"..."
It took a few moments to register what he just heard. Did he hear that right? Maybe he's going crazy from all those late nights. Did his crush just ask him out? Him?
Gwen tilts her head in confusion and backs away out of his grip. She slides to the other side of the couch and watches frozen form.
"Cooper."
"Hmm?"
The blonde techno path looked at the red head magic user. He was speechless at what he was hearing. He knew she did it on impulse and will probably use him as a rebound. He can't do that. If he wants to be some girl's rebound then he'll go to a club or something.
But with her... with Gwen Tennyson. He'll try and make her fall for him.
"Cooper." He heard his name being called again. He shook his head and took a deep breath. He wanted to do this right.
"Yes, I would love to but I can't," He said, rejecting her on the spot. Gwen, saddened hearing this, wanted to run but Cooper spoke before she could move. "I can't. Cause I know you only want to get back at Kevin. The only person you'll hurt is me." He then took her hands into his and held them.
His hands are soft and gentle. Different from Kevin's rough and tough touch. They were different, like total opposites. If one were to take a quick glance at Kevin then at Cooper, they would have thought that the two were brothers. Cooper's blonde hair like the sun while Kevin's black hair like the night.
She didn't want to hurt Cooper. It was never her intention but what he said was true. She'll only hurt him in the end and she didn't want that. She likes him but not in that way, not yet.
"So what are you saying," She nearly choked on her words. She wanted to hide away in embarrassment from asking him out and being rejected so fast. Her green eyes drifted away from his blue ones and stared at something else that wasn't his.
"What I'm saying is I don't want to go out with you just to get back at him. I want you to give me a chance," He said with determination. "A chance for me to show you a different side of me. Of the person you never knew."
Her eyes shot towards him and she didn't know what to say. She mumbled over her words trying to find the right thing to say. Until she eventually nodded her head slowly and sheepishly laughed.
"Good," He smiled brightly and let go of her hands, "Now let's watch that movie. Ben told me he has Terminator one through five somewhere around here. Along with a couple other sci-fi movies." He rambled on grabbing the movies from the cabinet and holding them in one hand.
"There's also Die Hard along with Predator, Freddy, and some more anime movies that I can't say," He then stopped himself and looked at Gwen who started giggling in delight. Even if he had a growth spurt and was taller than her now. He is still the same guy she knows.
"Sure whatever you like, Coop. I'll watch with you," She said. Her eyes shone a little bit and her expression softened. She smiled at the teen whose cheeks flushed.
He really liked her, didn't he? There was just something about Gwen that made her so irresistible and not fall for.
He placed the first movie inside the player and grabbed the remote. Before he sat next to Gwen he went to the kitchen and grabbed some chips and a bowl. He then made his way to Gwne and sat next to her.
He grinned from ear to ear and started the movie. Gwen moved a bit closer to the blonde as the movie began.
Both sat in silence as the movie went on, neither talking nor saying a word. They silently glanced at one another. They smiled and continued.
Before the clock struck midnight the Tennyson household was quiet. The TV was blank, the duo was on the couch with Gwen lying in Cooper's chest and his left hand over her, protecting her and keeping her safe in his own way.
Ben still hasn't returned yet which worried the red head but was quickly reminded about who her cousin was again. He was fine. Those two have fought before and Ben has won mostly. Cooper told her that Ben was fine and he did say that he would be late coming home.
And so the pair fell asleep after the fifth movie and Ben still didn't show up.
Time went by as the sun crept between the curtains of the living room. It's light shining on top of the two stirring them awake.
Gwendolyn opened her green eyes and saw herself laying on top of the blonde techno path. Her cheeks flushed but she saw how peacefully he slept. His freckles on his face made him more cute and his rising chest moved with each breath he took.
She wouldn't mind giving it a try. She had always asked herself what she would do if she and Kevin broke up.
Who would she go out with? Was there anyone better than Kevin? Will that person treat her right just as he did?
Scratch that last part
She moved off of him gently making sure not to wake him up. She grabbed her shoes and phone and checked the time. It was after nine, Sunday morning. Ben still wasn't back. Now she had to worry about her heroic cousin.
She then kneeled beside Cooper and her expression softened. She ran a hand through his shoulder length blonde hair. The one thing Cooper hadn't changed since they were ten.
She leaned in and placed a kiss to the temple of his forehead. Her hand ruffled through his hair again making sure not to wake him up.
"I'll be back, Coop, then we'll give it a try, I promise," And with that her hand left his blonde hair and she made her way to the door going to find her cousin and now ex-boyfriend. She was going to stop them from killing each other if she had to.
The door closes leaving the household to one person.
Cooper opens his eyes tiredly and grins. He had heard her. He heard everything.
"I'll wait for you, Gwen. I always will."