#ben 14

*pinch*

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-OW!! Let go, that hurts!"

"Then don't fall asleep, Dingus! We're not even an hour in and that's the third time you've nodded off!"

"But alien culture is so boriiiiiiiiiing..."

"Well, tough beans, because you promised you'd let me help you study."

Courtney exhaled impatiently, blowing a strand of her hair out of her face. Her best friend, Ben, adjusted his oval-shaped glasses and flipped through a couple more pages of the alien logbook. It was a quarter to nine at night and the library was devoid of all people except them.

"The sacrifices I make for the people I care about..." Courtney thought in self-pity as Ben droned on about something to do with Petrosapiens. As her reluctance to learning alien history showed, she didn't really let Ben tutor her to help her get into the Plumber's Academy. She didn't need it, anyway, not with the Neotrix on her wrist. All she wanted was to get them both away from superheroing for a bit so they could hang out.

Of course, a study session wasn't her ideal choice, but she was so desperate to get away from the villains, paparazzi, and bloodthirsty news reporters, Courtney had taken it. Of course, Ben, being the nerd he was, was ecstatic about getting to teach her about alien culture, but as the "too cool for school" kind of girl she was, she had been looking a bit more forward to actually talking to her childhood bestie.

Courtney's thoughts were interrupted by a flick to the forehead. "Ow!"

"Courtney, are you listening?" Ben asked sternly. "Answer the question: What brought the Petrosapien race to the surface of their home planet?"

Courtney's mouth opened in an elongated "uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...", desperate to come up with a made-up answer so elaborate, Ben wouldn't think to double-check. "...A giant squid?"

"WARFARE, you dingus," Ben shook his head. "Several centuries of warfare ripped a giant hole in the surface of Petropia, revealing a universe far beyond Petropia's heretofore self-contained existence."

Ben pressed his palm firmly to his temples in frustration, running his fingers up and through his messy brown hair. "God, you'll never get past the entrance exam at this pace."

Courtney tipped back lazily in her chair, swinging her foot left and right. "Entrance exam, schmentrance exam...do we even NEED to take one after all the hits we've been taking for HQ?"

"You're kidding me...do you realize I'm pulling an all-nighter for you?"

"Hey, YOU were the one who's been begging me to let you tutor me!"

"Yeah, because you're always turning off your binoba brain!"

"Hey! I know I'm not as by-the-book as you, but that doesn't mean you can call me stupid!"

"Then WHY are you acting like it?! You're always charging headfirst into things without thinking about them and wreaking havoc like a psycho!"

"Well this PSYCHO would rather be such instead of an obsessive nerd with a stick up his ass!"

"You-!"

"*ahem* Ex-CUSE me, you two. Inside voices, please."

Their argument was interrupted by the librarian, who was giving them a warning look before walking off to continue shelving books. "Oh, and please refrain from any PDA. This is a public space."

Courtney hadn't noticed it, but she and Ben were forehead-to-forehead amidst their spat. Drawing back quickly, she shook the building redness from her face and stood up. "Ugh! I need a break. I'm gonna get a drink..."

Not keen on yelling anymore either, Ben rested his cheek on his knuckles and waited. Minutes passed, but Courtney didn't return. Half an hour later, Ben stood up sharply from his chair, annoyed. "Alright, WHERE is she? I swear, if she bailed on-"

Ben stopped mid-sentence when he rounded the aisle and saw his best friend, head on the table, fast asleep. His nostrils flared as he let out a patient sigh, sitting next to her.

Unable to resist, Ben gently placed a hand on her head and ran his fingers through her black hair, brushing it out of her face. He hadn't meant to say all the things he did, really. It was just that he was worried Courtney's reckless nature was going to get her in real danger someday. It was part of the reason he studied about alien culture so hard: so that he'd be prepared for anything and be able to protect his loved ones.

"What am I going to do with you, you idiot...?" he said, almost to himself.

He was so lost in caressing her hair, Ben didn't notice Courtney had been awakened by the warmth of his hand. Not until she spoke faintly.

"...Do you remember what you said to me when we beat our first bad guy?"

"YEEK-!"

Ben drew back sharply, cheeks going pink as Courtney's eyes slitted open slightly, her sky-blue gaze fixed on him. Taken aback by the question, Ben couldn't, for the first time, give an accurate answer. "Not...really."

"I remember," Courtney sat up a little. "You told me I did a good job, and...you were proud to call me your partner."

Courtney put a hand on Ben's cheek, her fingers lightly brushing over the Band-Aid covering his most recent battle scar. "I feel like anyone else would've been more judgmental with how I handled things, but...you said that because I needed it. And it helped."

Ben took his glasses off and fiddled with them shyly. "Look, I'm only hard on you because I know what you're capable of, Courtney. You care too much about what everyone thinks except for me, even though I'm always right-"

Courtney bent a skeptical brow at him. "Ben..."

Ben awkwardly cleared his throat and readjusted his glasses, smiling back at her. "What I mean is, just keep doing a good job. Okay? You're brave, you're sly, you're loyal, and...well, all-around amazing."

With a small grin back, Courtney leaned on Ben's shoulder. "Deal. Now, we left off at Petrosapiens, I believe...?"