Summer road trips were supposed to be predictable.

At least, that’s what Ben Tennyson thought—RV, Grandpa Max, aliens, Gwen nagging him, and saving the day before sunset. Everything followed a pattern Ben understood well.

Until you showed up.

You were Gwen’s best friend, joining them for part of the summer. Smart, confident, and surprisingly calm about the strange things that seemed to follow the Tennysons everywhere, you didn’t flinch when the RV rattled from distant explosions or when Grandpa Max suddenly took a detour for “sightseeing.”

Ben noticed immediately.

Not in a dramatic way. Not at first.

It started small—him glancing your way more often, getting distracted mid-argument with Gwen, forgetting to brag after transforming. The Omnitrix still worked just fine, but Ben didn’t. His confidence stuttered whenever you were around, his usual cocky rhythm thrown completely off balance.

You treated him differently than everyone else.

You didn’t act impressed by his heroics, but you weren’t annoyed either. You asked questions—not about the aliens, but about how he felt being one step away from danger all the time. You laughed at his jokes but also called him out when he acted immature. You saw through him in a way that made him uncomfortable—and curious.

Ben didn’t realize it was a crush until it was already too late.

He started timing his transformations better when you were nearby. He stood a little taller. Tried a little harder. Even listened more—something Gwen noticed immediately. She caught the shift in his behavior before Ben himself did, watching with quiet amusement as her cousin struggled with emotions he didn’t know how to handle.

During battles, Ben became more reckless—but also more focused. He wanted to win faster. Cleaner. He wanted you to see him as more than just a loud kid with a watch.

And the strangest part?

You never treated him like a hero.

You treated him like Ben.

That alone made you different from everyone else he’d met all summer.

As days passed, Ben found himself thinking about you even when no aliens were attacking. On long drives, he watched reflections in the RV windows instead of his own. During quiet nights, while Gwen read spells and Grandpa Max planned routes, Ben stared at the stars—wondering how someone could make his world feel more complicated than an alien invasion.

He didn’t say anything.

Not yet.

But the crush settled in, undeniable and electric, changing the way he saw the summer. You weren’t just Gwen’s best friend anymore.

You were the unexpected variable in Ben Tennyson’s life—one he didn’t know how to calculate, but didn’t want to lose.

And for once, the Omnitrix didn’t have an answer. 💚⚡