Chapter Text
"Who are you?" Ben jumped up and backed away from the girl on his parents' couch.
"Ben, I've done everything you asked," Julie responded before transforming into Elena Validus. "And even things you didn't ask for. And I always will."
Ben blinked to make sure what he was seeing was real. "Elena!"
"I was Elena, then I was Julie. But if you don't like them...I can be anyone you want me to be." Elena's form again changed to appear as other women, completely ignoring his bisexuality, before returning to normal.
"You almost killed Kevin! You used your microchips to make those buildings come to life!"
Elena scoffed. "He was following me. He was trying to keep us apart!"
"And that elevator, you hurt Gwen," Ben pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You tried to crush me with it!"
"You're the one who made it fall! I used my chips to stop it!" Elena took a calming breath. "The chips let me do anything, and all I want to use them for is to give you everything you want. What's wrong with that?"
Ben paused to gather his thoughts. "Elena, what do you want?" His heart sank when she replied, "Does it matter?"
"It does." Ben sighed. "Kevin's changed a lot, and for the better, since he's been with Gwen. If she'd just done everything he wanted, he'd still be the same old Kevin."
"I'll be more like Gwen if that's what you want."
Ben sighed again. "It's gotta be what you want, Elena."
"Don't you understand?" Elena replied desperately. "I just want you!"
"That's not enough." Especially since I don't want you back.
---
"Sup cuz," Ben greeted Gwen as she walked in.
"Get your nasty feet off my bed, doofus," Gwen replied, pulling him partially off the bed by his ankles to accentuate the point. "What are you doing here?"
"Your mom said I could wait for you as long as I promised not to 'break the house again.' I'm pretty sure she hates me."
Gwen laughed and dropped her backpack on the floor. "She doesn't hate you, she just finds you mildly infuriating."
Ben sat up and smirked, but it didn't appear genuine. "Okay so...uh...this is gonna be really awkward, but I need to talk to you about Julie."
"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, what did you do now?"
"First of all, rude. Full name? Low blow. Secondly, I didn't do anything! Well I did. Ugh, it's complicated!"
Gwen glared at him, hands on her hips. Ben glared back. This continued for several seconds until he finally cracked.
"Okay fine! But before you yell at me for being tmi, it's gonna sound so much worse if I don't tell you." Ben inhaled sharply and the next sentence came out in a rush. "MeandJuliearesleepingtogether-"
"You what?! Yeah, I definitely didn't need to know that! Ewwww!" Gwen shuddered. "But ugh, now I do need to know two things-"
Ben groaned. "Really not the point of me telling you-"
"‐When did this happen and are you being safe?"
Ben turned bright red and he buried his face in his hands, muffling his response. "Homecoming and yes. Jeez, mom."
"Why exactly did you feel the need to tell me now?"
"Uh well...when Elena was pretending to be Julie, we kind of...did the deed. Twice."
Gwen was quiet for a bit, choosing her next words carefully. She sat down next to her cousin and pulled his hands away from his face. "Okay...I'm no expert here, Ben, but...if you thought she was Julie...I think that's sexual assault."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Ben whispered and swallowed hard.
Gwen pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay?"
"I..." Ben laughed bitterly, angry about the situation and angry at himself for tearing up. "No, I'm not fucking okay! I feel gross, and used, and I'm angry at myself for letting this happen! I sh-should've realized that s-something was d-different and put a st-stop to it b-before it got that f-far and-" He then completely fell apart, sobbing into his hands.
After a bit, Gwen took his face in her hands. "Hey, no one's allowed to victim-blame my cousin. Especially not the guy himself." Gwen handed him a box of tissues. "This is Elena's fault, not yours."
Ben shook his head and wiped his eyes frustratedly. "I-I don't even think th-that's true. You d-didn't see her. Sh-She wasn't in control: the ch-chips were."
"Okay." Gwen took a deep breath and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Okay. We should really talk to my dad. He can give you legal advice-"
"No way! H‐He's gonna tell my d-dad, who's gonna tell Grandpa M-Max, and then it's g-gonna be a whole th-thing. Also, I'm k-kind of a celebrity n-now, in case you forgot. The p-press would have a fucking f-field day: 'Teen Superhero R-Raped by Former Cr-Crush'? I am NOT o-okay with th-that!"
Gwen sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "At least look into seeing a therapist. I'm sure your mom can get you a referral. I hate seeing how badly this is eating you up."
Ben gave another cold laugh. "I d-don't think anyone in th-the entire f-field of psychology is p-prepared to deal with what I-I do. Time t-travel? Magic? A-Aliens? Someone trying to k-kill me multiple times a week o-over the Omnitrix? H-High school?"
Gwen gave a small smile, glad that her cousin could still make a joke. "Just please at least give it a try? For me?"
"If they t-turn out to be another b-big bad, I'm so g-going to kill you." Ben replied before blowing his nose and clearing his throat. "Thanks for, you know, listening."
"Hey, that's what family's for," Gwen said with a half-hearted playful shove. "I'm really sorry this happened to you. Have you told Julie?"
Ben shook his head. "I don't think she'd want to know, and things are already weird between us right now..."
"Open communication is really important in a relationship."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Maybe my therapist should be the one giving me relationship advice."
Gwen snorted. "Touche."
"You know the worst part of all this? I don't even think I'm like...really in love with her." Ben flopped back on the bed dramatically. "I mean, she's great but...idk... We probably should've waited, but I felt like it was something I was supposed to do, you know? Ugh! Why is being 16 so hard?"
Gwen flopped down next to him. "I'll let you know when I figure it out."
"...You haven't done it with Kevin yet, have you?"
Gwen whacked him in the chest. "No, dumbass. We haven't."
Ben laughed softly and they laid there in companionable silence for a while. "Think your parents will let me stay for dinner? I so need a break from my mom's cooking. Blech!"
"I dunno, do you promise not to break our house?" Gwen teased.
"Aw man, not you too! I don't break things intentionally! Usually…"