OUT OF THIS WORLD .. ben tennyson x reader

xxi. a request

     [name] had been entertaining herself with Ben's handheld for an hour now. She'd vaguely remembered how the controls went when he first showed her how to play it and from then on, but she wasn't really paying attention to what his fingers were doing. The chaos on display was much more interesting.

     She didn't know what she was playing now. Super Legend of something that he'd told her about one time. He'd said it was fine if she played them so long as she made a new save file— encouraged it, actually—, which is what she'd been doing with the dozen or so games she's tried so far.

     Ben wasn't awake to see any of her attempts at getting into the games, much too busy tossing and turning in his bunk. [name] had considered waking him when they were still a full RV, but all that got her was an elbow to the face and a knee to Gwen's gut. They'd both quickly backed away while Max steered the RV into the next state.

     Gwen and Max had gone to a computer convention she'd found on the way to their next destination, so they'd pulled over at a stadium for that. [name] had chosen not to go because, as much as the opposite may seem to be true, she didn't care for Earthly technology. It was too primitive for her tastes. Gwen had only let her stay behind because she promised to teach her about the technology on Vilgaxia.

     ("Isn't that egotistical," Gwen had said once [name] had mentioned to planet's name.

     "He named a moon after me, too," she'd laughed.

     "I've never met a stranger family.")

     It was almost the afternoon now. Ben had been asleep since three in the morning, which wasn't out of the ordinary for him, but she still grew concerned over his continuous kicking. While yes, she was no stranger to his night terrors— they'd happened just before his big fight with Vilgax, whenever they'd watched a particularly traumatizing movie behind Max's back (The Terrifier and Texas Chainsaw Massacre series when driving through Texas was a notable time), and if he couldn't beat a mission on one of his games— it was just that, usually they weren't this violent.

     Another You are Dead pops up on the screen and [name] sets the handheld down on the table. She stands from the booth and moves herself to the fridge. It's not that she was debilitatingly hungry; she'd eaten breakfast with Gwen and Max, and Ben's food was in a pan on the stove that she knew he wouldn't mind if she pecked at it. That didn't negate the fact that he had the appetite of a black hole, and she still had the stomach of Chimera Sui Generis' youth compacted into a disproportionate body.

     Cooking wasn't one of [name]'s strong suits. It's not as though she couldn't; she'd been watching Gwen and Max whenever they cooked and helping whenever they asked. There were also the times she'd watched the chefs on Vilgaxia or the Bioids on her own personal ship cook, even if the ingredients were entirely different. She was experienced enough to know the basics of both cultures, but was she knowledgeable about anything beyond that?

     She could make a few burned grilled cheeses, at best.

     Halfway through making the third sandwich and picking the entirety of his cheesy grits off his heated pan of a plate, Ben wakes violently and loudly enough that it makes [name] jump. His right hand is clutching the Omnitrix, with the left pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead. Breath terribly paced, eyes clenched shut, and jaw set so tightly it's a wonder that his teeth haven't cracked because of it, [name] would think that his mental agony was physical if not for the lack of whimpering.

     Flipping the grilled cheese currently cooking and turning off the stove before she forgot, she makes her way to the bunk beds, stopping herself when instinct tells her to sit beside him. She settles for squatting beside instead. "Are you.. okay?" Her voice is soft, and her touch is feather-light even when she pries his hands away from his face.