Ben 10 (Reader insert)

Permanent Retirement

It was a hot day in the middle of the desert. The sun beating down on anything that traveled these parts. No shady trees for miles, dusty red rocks taking up the view. Some skyscraper tall, while others the sizes of pebbles. It had made the Rust Bucket unbearably hot, like we were in an oven set to high.

But luckily Grandpa Max found us a rest stop that also doubled as a ice cream shop. He had told us to go get some of the frozen treat, wanting us to stay cool in this inferno heat. So, Gwen, Ben, and I had scrambled into the shop without a second thought. The air conditioning feeling like heaven on our burning skin.

Ben was the first to approach the display case, eagerly taking in the limited choices. Gwen and I followed more slowly, though just as excited.

"What do you have that's nonfat with less than 3% sugar?" Gwen asked the man behind the counter. Ben and I sent her confused looks.

The elderly man frown at her, less then happy with her specific request. "Napkins." He turned away from the redhead and stared Ben and I down. "What about you two?"

We almost gave our order, when the sound of metal scraping the ground outside drew our attention. A intimidating, bald guy that wore a hat lumbered over to the ATM, a hook in hand. His partner in crime sat in the driver seat of the rusted truck, peeking out with a smug grin.

"Already? I thought we could get away from some of the weirdos out here." I grumbled, crossing my arm over my chest.

Gwen gave a snort of laughter, pointing a finger at me then to Ben. "That's rich coming from you (Y/n). Especially when you follow this dweeb around." I raised a brow at that, unimpressed with the comment.

Ben sent a small sneer our way before smiling up at the ice cream worker. "I'm about to go rocky road." And then ran off, darting out the glass door. He was going to go fight those crooks.

I might as well get my ice cream and go watch the show. "Can I have a (f/f) ice cream cone?"

The man nodded, and quickly scooped up the asked flavor. He past it over to me, a handful of napkins also so that I wouldn't make a mess. Or for Gwen, who knows. Gwen ended up not ordering, not wanting to risk it as she didn't know anything beyond the flavor. We headed outside to watch the action.

Ben, now a big black, white, and green alien, was swinging the hat man around by a chain. This form was called Upgrade. Which, like the name suggested, gave him the ability to become the technology and then make it better. It was an interesting power compared to some of the other aliens he could turn into.

Ben sent the crook flying, the guy hitting a electric pole and collapsing. The guy tried to get up, eyes wide with fear. But Max put a foot on the crook's chest, pushing him down once more.

"Where do you think you're Going?"

Max proudly gazed up at Ben. "Good work, Ben."

"Oh, yeah. I'm ready for anything. Bring it on. What's next?" Ben said, the green ring that acted like a eye blinking as he spoke. Gwen and I came to stand in front of him, realizing that Max was finally telling us where we were heading. He had refused to explain, claiming it was a surprise for the three of us.

"We're heading off to see your Aunt Vera for the weekend." Max smiled at us.

I smiled back, excited to see the kind lady as I only got to see her when she visited Ben or Gwen during holiday. Mrs. Vera always had tasty treats to give us, and she gave good hugs.

Ben, on the other hand, had another reaction to the news. He groaned, his form appearing to melt as he stared at his grandpa. "Aw, boring old Aunt Vera? No...!"