arayashrine | [FIC] The Astonishing Adventures (2/??), Ben 10: Alien Force

Title: The Astonishing Adventures
Fandom: Ben 10: Alien Force
Summary: Part 2 - Wherein Kevin is a giant spaz, and Julie just knows things. Must be a Tuesday. (Platonic, eventually romantic, Kevin/Julie. In-Progress.)
Rating/Word Count: T/395
A/n: Not even I know why I've followed this show as long as I have (AF - still have major <3 for the original series). That's it, I'm putting in gratuitous Ben/Gwen hints.

Part 1 / Part 2

He doesn't see her a lot after that - only when she comes by with Ship now and then to watch the others, or give him to Ben for babysitting duty - and the few times he does, their talk is no longer small, going from asking about the car and Ship and the latest mission she missed, to about each other. Ben and Gwen are right there, but their mentions of them quickly grow few and far in-between.

Finally, he swallows his nerve and says it:

"I can give you a ride home if you want. Or go get a smoothie, whatever." He thinks he just tried and failed at being nonchalant, and how she doesn't see right through him is anyone's guess.

She looks at him quizzically for a moment, like she didn't catch it (and for one awful moment he thinks he'll have to find a way to repeat all of that), before she smiles and suddenly all he can think is that now he knows why Ben used to talk about her all the time.

"Okay, but only if there's room in your car for Ship."

---

He doesn't give her his number or take her anywhere special or even really do any typical guy-girl things with her, but she still stays in the back of his mind. One random smoothie run turns into a regular thing - just him and her and sometimes Ship - and one night just for variety's sake, he takes her to the burger joint on the way to her place and pays for both of them without even thinking about it.

"We're going to have to tell them sometime," Julie says as she swirls a fry in her chocolate shake - classic junk food combo, he's not surprised that it's one of her favorites. She can be so laid back, yet still so...girly, that it's both refreshing and intimidating.

"About what?" He bites off a large hunk of his hamburger, and it barfs mustard onto his shirt. Of course it does.

"About your undying love for me," she teases, and looks up just in time to see Kevin choke.

She laughs - "I knew it."

"You don't even know how to oil a bike chain," he grumbles, swiping a napkin from the dispenser for his shirt and a fry from her basket for his shake.

)