Chapter 3: New Stories, New Home
"My name is Ben. Ben Tennyson," Ben smiled to the woman in front of him, before looking around the area briefly, "I don't suppose you could tell me where I am exactly?"
The Pro Hero gave him a slightly confused expression. One would assume someone would know where they were if they knew the language of the area they were in, but that most likely wasn't the case, not when he spoke to the watch on his wrist, giving it several commands. While she didn't know much of the English language, she could discern that he had given it the command to somehow translate his speech so that he could understand her, and vice versa.
Setting her intrigue aside for the moment, Midnight proceeded to answer Ben's question. After all, it was the least she could for all his help in getting her out of trouble.
"You're in Musutafu, or in its shipping yard," she answered, "Why?"
Ben gave her a confused expression, her answer not really helping him.
"You're in Japan," expanded the Pro Hero.
"Oh," he realized, "I thought I recognized the language."
"You're speaking it right now," chuckled Midnight, however, she knew there was at work here.
"Oh, yeah, I'm not actually speaking Japanese," explained Ben as he looked down at the Omnitrix.
"I assume it has something to do with that nice watch of yours?" guessed Midnight as she folded her arms under her breasts, pushing them up slightly. She held in a smirk as she watched Ben's face turn slightly red from her action.
"Y-Yeah, actually," confirmed Ben, keeping his focus on her face and not her other parts, "A friend of mine made this for me with a bunch of functions. One of them is a universal translator, being able to translate any language into another other in real-time."
"To you, I am speaking perfect English while from my perspective, you are speaking Japanese," she determined, "A very useful tool, you're friend must be very gifted in technology."
"He is, but just wish he was a little less blunt all the time," snorted Ben.
"Now, you mentioned that this device has other functions?" reminded Midnight, looking down at the Omnitrix, "Would one of them be transforming your body?"
"Sort of," corrected Ben, reviewing his cover story in his head once more to make sure he got all the details down correctly, "Basically it works in conjunction with my Quirk."
"Really?" now that caught Midnight's attention as she stepped towards Ben, "How so?"
"Well, basically my Quirk is that my genetic code is unstable and easily susceptible to mutation or transformation. Essentially, I'm able to rewrite my own DNA to give myself new forms with different abilities," he explained looking down at the Omnitrix, "However, due to my own instability, I can't maintain those new bodies for very long, which is where this comes in."
He held up the Galvanic creation to Midnight so she could have a look for herself, "Basically it acts as a genetic stabilizer, allowing me to maintain my transformations for longer periods of time."
"You said your genetic code is unstable?" recalled Midnight, glancing at Ben for a second, who nodded, "What would happen if you were to remove this device?"
"It wouldn't be pretty, like at all," grimaced the teen hero as he pulled his hand away. He really didn't like lying. It was then Midnight noticed that his left eye twitched for a second. Her own eyes narrowed just barely but said nothing of it.
"How many forms do you have and what are their abilities?" she asked.
"I've got a bunch of other forms and their powers can vary, but the most common abilities are enhanced strength, durability," continued the teen, scratching the back of his head, chuckling slightly. He knew he was avoiding answering a lot of questions directly, but he couldn't let her know the truth about him, not yet anyway.
Again, Midnight was getting the notion that Ben wasn't telling her everything and if she was being honest with herself, it made him that much more intriguing. But the main focus of her attention was his ability: to transform into a multitude of new forms, each with their own set of abilities? That wasn't heard of, in rare cases, some might be able to manifest two Quirks at most, but so many? That was very interesting.
"I must say, Ben, I have never heard of such an ability," stated the Pro Hero, "However, I am wondering why you are out here at this time of night? Shouldn't you be with your parents? It is fairly clear that you are from the United States."
That's when Ben's expression slightly and he looked off, a distant look in his eyes. The sudden change in behavior was not lost on Nemuri, who tilted her head to the side.
"I don't really have a home," said Ben softly.
"You don't?" asked Nemuri, a little surprised now, "What of your parents?"
The teen hero took a deep breath in before letting it out slowly and closed his eyes, "My parents are gone. They were killed by some villains, which is partially why I took off."
"How do you mean?" asked the Pro Hero.
"It's due to my Quirk," explained Ben, carefully going over the details of his cover story in his head once before telling her, "As you said, you have never heard of someone capable of what I am and it's for that reason my parents usually kept me out of the spotlight, they were afraid I'd be taken away and studied. One day, somehow some villains heard of what I could do and attacked. My mom and dad were killed in the attack."
Nemuri let out a soft gasp of shock, placing her hand over her mouth at hearing what Ben told her, "They told me that if anything were to happen to them to keep moving, to avoid being captured by these villains. It's kind of the reason why I'm not from around here and why I didn't stay to help out the police. If I use my Quirk too much, the same villains might be able to track me down. Which is why I took off when I did."
"Oh, Ben, I am so sorry," apologized Nemuri.
"It's alright," he assured, but the Pro Hero could see that it hurt for him to talk about.
"Helping me and the police out was very brave of you," she stated, "Even when you had no reason to help us and the risk to your own wellbeing."
Ben smiled slightly at the praise, but he honestly felt like he didn't really deserve it considering he was partially lying to her. It still hurt, talking about his parents but he needed a reason to explain he was here in Japan at this time of night.
"I was just doing the right thing," replied Ben, looking back at Nemuri, "If I'm being honest, I want to do the right thing, but it's kind of hard right now."
The Pro Hero looked Ben in the eyes for a few seconds, seeing that he was being genuine. While there were things he was keeping from her, it really wasn't any of her business to pry and it was all too clear that he was a good person at heart. It was for that reason she decided to extend him a little offer.
"Ben, if you have nowhere else to go, perhaps you'd like to stay with me, at least for the moment?" suggested Midnight.
Ben could only blink slightly in surprise at Midnight's offer.
"I'm sorry?" he apologized.
"Exactly what I said, Ben," she assured taking Ben's right hand into both of hers, "As you've said, you have nowhere else to go and have been traveling quite a bit, if the state of your clothes is any indication."
Ben immediately looked down at his clothing and saw that they did indeed look pretty ragged. At first, he was wondering how he didn't notice this sooner or how this was even possible until an answer clicked in his head: Paradox. Likely the Professor wanted to help Ben sell the bit he was on his own for a while and when he sent him here, he made his clothes look pretty dirty to help sell the story a bit better.
"Well I, uh…," Ben trailed off.
"Think of it as thanks for helping me out and don't worry, I'll keep you taking care of the Yakuza a secret," winked Midnight.
Ben shifted his gaze from the Pro Hero to the ground. He didn't really know what to say or think at the moment. Things were happening pretty fast. He'd just met this woman and she was already offering him a place to stay? Needless to say, he was grateful for the offer, but should he accept it?
Ben took another good look at Midnight, seeing the genuine look in her eyes and the kind smile on her face. While her choice of wardrobe was interesting, to say the least; she was also pretty compassionate and welcoming to him despite just meeting him literally a minute ago. It was obvious she wanted to repay him for helping her and to give him a place to stay.
"So? Will you take my offer?" asked Midnight once more.
Ben hesitated for a second before nodding, "Yeah, sure," he answered, "Why not? It's not like I've got anywhere else to go, right?"
"Quite right," nodded Midnight, smiling as she let go of Ben's hand.
It was then they heard the sound of approaching footsteps, both Midnight and Ben turned to see Detectives Yin and Reagan running up to where they were.
"Was wondering where you went," stated Reagan as he approached the two, "Who's this?"
"This is Ben Tennyson," introduced Midnight, turning to the police detectives, "Ben, these are Detectives Daniel Reagan and Ellen Yin of the Musutafu Police Force."
"Mind explaining what happened while we were knocked out? Place looks like a warzone," stated Ellen.
"After you were knocked out, I tried to apprehend the villains and Yakuza but was shot by the Genetic Disruptor and overpowered," explained Midnight, though there wasn't any small amount of annoyance in her words regarding that last part, "I was surrounded when a vigilante of some kind attacked and defeated all the criminals."
Ben glanced at Midnight giving her a neutral look, but she could tell in his eyes that he was asking if she was going to tell them it was him. Just barely, he noticed the smallest smirk she gave him.
"Before I could stop him, he ran from the scene. I tried following him but soon lost his trail. I then spotted Ben and asked if he had seen anyone leaving the yard and he said he didn't see anyone leave other than myself," informed Midnight.
"Is this true, kid?" asked Reagan, looking to Ben.
"Yeah, sorry I can't be much help here," apologized the teen.
"Eh, you've got nothing to be sorry for, kid," assured the detective, "Besides, it wasn't a bust at all. One of the Yakuza bosses is now in cuffs, so is a villain, not to mention we got the Disruptor back, which should wear off in ten to thirty minutes."
"Thank you, Detectives," nodded Midnight, giving them both a smile.
"Well, we better get going," stated Reagan as he turned to leave, however, Yin remained where she was for a few more seconds before following her partner. Both Ben and Midnight watched them leave. Once they were out of sight, the teen spoke up.
"Thanks for not telling them it was me," he thanked the Pro Hero.
"Think nothing of it, Ben," assured Midnight as she smiled brightly at Ben, "Now come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Suddenly, Ben's stomach growled, causing the teen to blush slightly while the mature woman chuckled, "And something to eat by the sound of things."
"Yeah," agreed Ben with his own chuckle, before he realized something, "I never actually got your name."
"Oh, how silly of me," realized the R-Rated Hero, "I am Midnight, but my real name is Nemuri Kayama."
And with that, both Ben and Midnight started their small trip back to Midnight's home, right after she put her shoes back on. When the Pro Hero first arrived at the yard, she had used her own car to get here as a way to leave to let the police handle the situation. They just needed her to take care of the criminals and once all was said and done, she was fine to leave. Thankfully, Nemuri had parked a little ways away from the yard, mainly to keep her vehicle from getting totalled should something unforeseen happen. So no one saw Ben follow the R-Rated Hero to her car. Once they were both in, Midnight started the drive back to her home.
Later...
After a few minutes of driving through the streets, Ben noticed the surroundings change, becoming less industrial and more suburban with homes here and there. Passing a few more houses, Midnight pulled into a nice Japanese style home. With a small garden surrounding it and a black tile roof, it was a very cute house. It was only one level, everything on the same floor, much like his parents' home before it was destroyed.
"Here we are," announced Midnight as she shut off her car and stepped out of the vehicle with Ben following suit.
Upon entering the home, Ben found that it was pretty nice. Decorative furniture, a few photos here and there, not to mention pretty spacious. At the door, Midnight removed her high heels at the door with Ben doing the same, placing his sneakers next to her shoes.
"Now, let's get you cleaned up and fed," stated the woman as she led the teen into her home.
"Alright," shrugged Ben, following her to the bathroom.
"Now, while you clean up, I'll get changed and fix us something to eat," she informed Ben as she showed him where the bathroom was. The teen looked into the bathroom, seeing that the had a wooden floor, a stool placed next to a bathtub and a shower hose coming out of the wall. Adjacent from those objects was a toilet and sink to wash his hands.
"I'll wash your clothes while you are getting washed," stated Midnight.
"Okay," nodded Ben as he took off his jacket and black shirt, noticing the dirt and grime on his favorite jacket. He then removed his socks before pausing for a second, noticing that Midnight was still standing where she was, "Uh, could I have a little privacy?"
"Oh, of course," nodded Midnight as she stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door to let Ben strip off the rest of his clothing.
"I have your clothes washed and back to you in no time, though we will have to get your jacket dry cleaned due to it being leather," said the Pro Hero.
"Thanks for doing this, Ms. Kayama," thanked the teen.
"Please, 'Ms. Kayama' was my mother, you can call me Nemuri, Ben," she said through the closed door, "There are some towels you can use to dry yourself off."
"Thank you," replied Ben as he set to getting himself all cleaned up.
Nemuri left the bathroom to go and start washing the teen's clothing when she spotted a small folded up paper sticking out from the inside pocket of his jacket. Curiosity getting the better of her, she pulled it out and unfolded it. It was a picture: a picture of Ben with several other people. In the picture was four men and four women.
Standing next to Ben was a Japanese girl if Nemuri had to guess, who had black hair, brown eyes, and wore a black T-shirt, mostly hidden under a pink hooded jacket and a white mini skirt. She has short black hair and sported white tennis shoes. She was smiling brightly in the photo and had her right hand placed on Ben's chest, leaning into his right arm. She also looked around Ben's age.
To Ben's right was another girl with red hair tied into a ponytail, eyes that were as green as Ben's, and fair skin. She was wearing a white dress shirt underneath a red sweater with the cuffs rolled up over the sleeves of the sweater. She also wore a black hop skirt with black leggings and black high heel shoes. She looked to be about the same age as Ben. Behind her, was a much taller and more muscular boy, looking to be about a year older than Ben. He was wearing a tight black T-shirt over a grey long sleeve shirt, blue pants, and black combat shoes. His hair, although still long, was styled into a choppy mullet. He had a cocky smirk on his face as his right hand wrapped around the redhead's waist, holding her close.
Behind the teens were four adults and one senior citizen. Behind and to Ben's right was a man and a woman, the man was wearing a grayish blue polo shirt with brown pants. He had light-colored skin, brown eyes, and brown hair. The woman was wearing a burgundy v-neck sweater, black pants, and black high heels. She had blonde hair and green eyes, much like Ben's own green eyes. They were both smiling.
Standing behind the redhead were two other adults; another man and a woman. The man was wearing glasses and has thin brown hair. He also wore a smart polo shirt with a burgundy sweatshirt covering it. He also wears tan trousers. Next to him was the woman, also a redhead who had a striking resemblance to the younger redhead, leading Nemuri to believe she was the girl's mother. Some differences were that the woman had her hair cut much shorter, had blue eyes, black eyebrows, thick eyelashes, and some bags under her eyes. She was wearing a white blouse with a green vest and a dark grey skirt with high-heeled shoes of the same color. She also has golden earrings and a necklace with a golden buckle.
Directly behind Ben was the oldest of the group. It was clear he was past his golden years and getting up there with his gray/white hair, thick eyebrows, and wrinkly skin. The man wore a white shirt, covered by a red buttoned-up Hawaiian shirt with a floral design. He also wore brown pants and black shoes. He was resting both hands on Ben's shoulders, smiling as everyone posed in the group photo.
'This must be Ben's family,' thought Nemuri as she looked at the photo, 'But who is the girl standing with Ben?'
She looked at the girl in the photo for a few more seconds before folding the photo once more and tucked it back into the pocket, planning to take it out again when she gets it cleaned. A part of her was slightly wary of Ben, knowing that he was keeping something from her. She had a distinct feeling that Ben's left eye twitching is a hint to something, but for now, she figured she would leave it alone, at least for the moment. Ben had his reasons for not telling her and she had a feeling he would one day explain everything.
Later…
After getting himself completely cleaned up, Ben exited the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel he had found while another one was wrapped around his waist. He let out a content breath of air, feeling much better now that he was all washed. He had to be honest, he did not expect any of this to happen the second he arrived in this world. If anything, he expected it to go like last time he ended up in another world. Getting attacked right off the bat and then taken to be held in some kind of prison, not offered a place to stay with a stunning woman. Upon exiting the bathroom, he noticed that his t-shirt, jeans, socks, and boxers were all washed and folded neatly outside the door.
"That was fast," remarked Ben as he took them into the bathroom to get dressed. After redressing he exited the bathroom and began looking around for Nemuri.
"Nemuri?" called out Ben.
"In the kitchen," she replied. Following the sound of her voice, Ben found the kitchen where he found the Pro Hero fixing a meal for them, two bowls of instant noodles, "There's a table in the next room where we can eat."
"I really appreciate what you're doing for me," thanked Ben as Nemuri finished both meals and carried them to the table.
"It's my pleasure, Ben," she smiled, "What kind of hostess would I be if I didn't treat my guests with the best care?"
"That's a fair point, but I don't want to make things difficult for you being here," he replied as he sat down just as Nemuri placed his food down in front of him. He noticed that she had changed out of her costume, much to his relief and was wearing a simple gray roll-neck sweater and black sweat pants. Some utensils had already been set, however, what was offered was something Ben never really used often: a pair of chopsticks.
Midnight noted how the teen struggled to use chopsticks, internally chuckling at how badly he used them.
"H-How do you…?" Ben trailed off as he tried scooping up some noodles one for them to slip out.
"Here, let me show you," offered Nemuri as she showed him how to properly use chopsticks. After a minute of trial and error, Ben was able to use them properly, "There."
"Thanks," thanked Ben as he was able to now eat his meal. A few minutes into their meal, Nemuri spoke up.
"I must say, Ben, you are quite skilled in fighting," she recalled his fight with Stone, his men, Hun, and the Yakuza.
"Growing up, I had a lot of practice getting to know my other forms," replied Ben as he fished around in the bowl for some more noodles, "When I was little, I had wanted to become a hero."
"Really? What made you want to become one?" asked Nemuri.
"It's just something I was taught growing up, regarding my Quirk," explained Ben, "As you've said, you've never heard of anyone who can do the things I do. While I would definitely get a lot of attention using my powers, that didn't really matter to me, because I had a responsibility."
"A responsibility? To what?"
"Well, to the people," he answered, piquing Nemuri's interest, "Since I can do things most people can't do, probably even some Pro Heroes, I figured that it would also be my responsibility to use those powers to help and protect people who can't protect themselves."
"That is very noble, Ben," agreed Midnight, "But you do know many Pro Heroes do that already, protecting people?"
"Well, yeah, but for some, it's not normally for that reason," retorted Ben.
"How do you mean?"
"Well it's just that some Pro Heroes are just heroes for the sake of fame or popularity," answered the teen, trying to think of a way to word what he was thinking without having to name any Heroes specifically, mainly because he had no idea the names of Pro Heroes in this world, "And if I'm being honest, I'm not typically a big fan of the whole heroes being a commercial thing. It's just that growing up, I was taught being a hero isn't about fame or money or for the thrill of adventure or fight. Being a hero means that you're taking up the responsibility of someone else's safety. I feel like some Pro Heroes have forgotten or lost of doing what's right and not what we want."
Nemuri was silent for a few moments, thinking about what Ben said before he suddenly spoke up again.
"But don't get me wrong, any reason to do the right thing is a good one, it's just that a hero's first interest should be to the benefit and safety of the people, not their own."
Now, her intrigue with Ben had grown even more. She could tell by the way he spoke, that he was doing so from some sort of experience. Then there was the way he spoke about being a hero and what it means being one. As he spoke, she felt as though she was speaking to someone who had been doing this for quite a while now. Which led her to believe there was far more to Ben than he was telling her.
"That is a very mature and noble way of looking at being a hero, Ben," stated Nemuri, smiling, as she leaned forward, a suggestive smile on her face, "I can say without a doubt you'd make a fine Pro Hero one day."
"Y-Yeah, well, I wasn't always like this," chuckled Ben as he leaned back, scratching his head, "Growing up I was a little bit immature about the whole thing."
"Sounds like that's something you'd have to tell me about one day," she gave Ben a wink before leaning back, "Oh, I almost forgot."
Reaching into a pocket, she took out the folded up photo and held it out to Ben, "I found this in the pocket of your jacket."
"Thanks," said Ben as he took the paper and unfolded it.
"I assume that is your family?" guessed Nemuri.
"It is," he replied looking at the photo, a somewhat sad look in his eyes settled in, "Or, it was."
"I'm sorry," apologized the Pro Hero as she cleared the table and came back to see Ben had unfolded the photo and was looking at the picture, "Who's the girl next to you?"
"Oh, that was my girlfriend, Julie," answered Ben, not looking up from the photo.
"Past tense?" inquired Nemuri.
"We aren't together anymore."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"Not really," answered Ben, his enter demeanor deflating. Seeing this, the woman decided to change subjects.
"Say, Ben, I know that you said you can change your form at any given time thanks to that device," recalled Nemuri, gesturing to the Omnitrix.
"Oh, yeah," answered Ben.
"However," she picked up, a somewhat challenging smile spread across her face, "I'm not sure if I should believe, given I have only seen one of your alleged forms."
"Huh?" Ben gave the woman a confused look until it dawned on him what she was saying, "Oh, you want proof of me changing forms."
"Well, how can I believe what you have said without any facts to back up what you have said?" smirked Midnight.
"Alright, alright, I'll play your little game," smirked Ben as he got up from his chair at the table and went into the next room, which happened to be the living room, "Just gotta move the table to make sure I don't accidentally break it."
Quickly sliding the coffee table that was in the room to the far side, Ben stood in the center of the room while Nemuri stood in front of him.
"Well?" requested the Pro Hero.
"Just watch," smirked Ben as he tapped the Omnitrix, the holographic wheel appearing as the device beeped. Nemuri's interest picked up.
"So that is how you transform?" she inquired.
"Yep, since I can rewrite my own DNA, I have some preset forms which makes it easier than making up an entirely new one," answered Ben as he found the icon for Swampfire, "How about I start with one you've already seen?"
He tapped the Omnitrix again, the device beeping once more before the wheel vanished the plunger was raised up. Ben then pushed it down and was engulfed in a green flash. Nemuri shielded her eyes for a second before looking back to see a familiar figure standing before him.
"SWAMPFIRE!" called out the transformed teen as he raised his arms.
"I have already seen this form, Ben," chuckled Nemuri before frowning as she plugged her nose, "And I would prefer if you didn't stink up my home."
"Sorry," replied the Methanosian, "I think I've got some better in mind."
Raising his hand to the Omnitrix, he tapped the dial and was consumed in another bright flash of light, forcing the Pro Hero to shield her eyes again.
Looking back, Nemuri's eyes widened in surprise when she saw a completely different form. Standing where Swampfire once did was a completely different creature. It had buggy green eyes, a skull-like black face with blue markings and frosty looking patches running down his arms and legs, with four-fingered hands and three-toed feet, one toe coming out the back. His insect-like appearance, combined with the light blue, icy grim reaper-like hood and robe he wore over his body, made him look like a terrible thing horror of the cold night. His mouth, which resembled clenched teeth, gushed out an icy blue mist as he rose into the air. Suddenly, his robe unfolded to reveal that they weren't really robes, but his wide wings and antennae, the former were considerably large and gave him the appearance of a humanoid-moth. On his chest was a circular disk with a green hourglass symbol.
"BIG CHILL!" Ben announced in a cold, eerie voice. The Pro Hero could feel the entire temperature of the room fall almost instantly, even seeing her own breath in front of her because of how cold it had become.
"How do you like this form, Nemuri?" asked the Necrofriggian despite his mouth not even moving, mist blasted out when he spoke.
"Very impressive, Ben," noted the Pro Hero as she began rubbing her shoulders, "I take this one has unique abilities?"
"Yes, as Big Chill I can freeze anything with blasts of my breath or just by making contact with the object," explained Big Chill as he folded up his wings into a cloak once more, "I can even generate ice with enough concentration of my powers."
Ben then decided to mess with her a bit, "But that's not all."
Before Nemuri could ask what he was talking about, Big Chill suddenly turned blue and the Pro Hero could actually see through him. Suddenly, the alien moth began to sink into the ground before vanishing entirely.
"Ben?"
Silence...
"Boo!"
Nemuri let out a surprised yelp as she spun around to see Big Chill right behind her.
"How did you do that?" she demanded, catching her breath after being startled.
"Intangibility is quite a useful trick, wouldn't you agree?" teased the Alien, with a raspy chuckle.
"Very funny, Ben," chuckled Nemuri as Big Chill unfurled his wings and he tapped the Omnitrix, returning back to normal, "I assume your human body is the default?"
"Yep, best to make the first body I have the default," replied Ben.
"But you do realize I will have to eventually get you back because of your little prank?" smirked Nemuri, a suggestive smile forming.
"Eh, I'm not too worried," replied Ben, shrugging slightly but took a step back when Nemuri suddenly got up close, a wide smile on her face.
"Oh, don't tempt me, Ben," she teased, licking her lips.
Ben sweated slightly as he kinda wished he thought about pulling that prank a little bit more because he now had a terrible feeling in his gut that he wasn't going to like what Nemuri had in store for him. Especially considering what her costume was like.
"But don't worry, for now, you're still settling in," assured Ben as she around him and suddenly pulled him into a surprise hug, the teen blushing madly when he felt two globes push into his back. Nemuri then leaned over to his ear and whispered, "But I wouldn't get too comfortable just yet."
"W-What?" stammered Ben, his face turning redder from the tone she used.
It was then she noticed that Ben hadn't really done much to clean his ears out. Well, he did, but it wasn't that good of a job.
"Benny, you didn't clean your ears out," she said in mock disappointment, tracing his ear with her fingernail, "We simply can't leave it like that can we?"
"What does my hygiene have to do-," began Ben before he was suddenly sat down on the couch by Nemuri.
"Wait right here, Ben," she told him before heading off, leaving Ben in the living room, confused and very flustered.
'What the heck just happened?' he thought to himself before the Pro Hero came back with what looked like a small wooden stick of some kind with a large fluff ball on one end and a blunt look at the other. She also came with some tissues.
"Now then, Benny, I'm going to finish the job you started, and clean out your ears," smirked Nemuri as she sat down next to him with a little space between them, "Now, lie your head down right here."
The woman smirked as patted her lap, causing Ben to raise an eyebrow.
"Um… alright?" replied Ben slightly confused as he did just as he was told and leaned over to rest his head down on her lap, facing out to the living room and away from the Pro Hero, "I would like to point out, I have had this done to me before."
"Now isn't that an honor," smiled Nemuri as she brought the pick down to Ben's right ear, the cotton ball nearing him, "Let's start with a gentle swab."
And so The Pro Hero, Midnight, also known as the 18+ Only Hero and the R-Rate Hero, began cleaning the ears of Ben Tennyson, wielder of the most powerful weapon in the universe, bearer of the Omnitrix, and the Hero of Heroes. She started with the shallow sections of his ears and gently began clearing away the wax and anything else that might have been left behind when Ben tried cleaning his ears himself. For a few minutes, Nemuri cleaned the teen's ear, taking care since she hasn't done this on anyone else before.
"Let me know if you feel any discomfort, okay?" advised Nemuri as she started to go a bit deeper.
"I'll keep that in mind," replied Ben as he did his best to keep still.
If he was being honest, he really didn't know what the Pro Hero was trying to do with him. It didn't take long for Ben to figure out that Nemuri Kayama was a very flirtatious person, and it seemed like she had no problem showing off her sexuality to pretty much anyone. However, he figured that there was a bit more to her than just her good looks and playful nature. During their conversation, Ben found that Midnight is actually very intelligent and perceptive, however, that was only what he has been able to preen so far from their limited time together. He figured he'd learn a lot more about Nemuri the longer he remained with her.
But he honestly didn't get what she was intending with cleaning his ears. There wasn't much about actual Japanese culture he knew about, and Sumo Slammers had initially started in the States and had some traditional references, but not much, and even less about modern culture. All Ben could do was guess that she was trying to tease him somehow in someway, he just didn't get how she was doing it.
"You alright, Ben?" asked Nemuri, nudging himself with her lap.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking is all," he replied.
"That's fine," said the Pro Hero, "Now, I'm almost done with your right ear."
Removing the ear cleaner, Midnight leaned down to gently blow on the teen's ear, causing him to shudder slightly.
"How does it feel, Ben?" she asked him.
"It feels different, I'll be honest. Strange but in a good way," replied Ben as he glanced up at her.
"That's good," nodded Nemuri, as she cleaned off the pick with the tissues, "Now for the other side."
Ben made to get up but was pulled down by the Pro Hero, "You don't have to get up, Ben. You just have to face me."
"Face you…," wondered Ben for a second before realizing he'd be facing her crotch, "Um, are you sure?"
"Wouldn't have offered I wasn't certain, Ben," she replied casually as she pulled Ben's head back down to her lap, "Now, flip over."
The transforming hero took a breath before doing just that. Now that he was facing Nemuri, the pro hero got right to work, cleaning out his other ear. Ben felt his cheeks warm at how close they were together, however, he mentally berated himself. There wasn't anything to get embarrassed about, she was just cleaning his ears! Nothing more, nothing less!
"Feeling a little bit tense, Benny?" asked Nemuri, noticing how rigid Ben seemed to be. Internally, she chuckled to herself, knowing that would eventually get the meaning of what she had intended.
"I'm pretty sure you know why I'm feeling a little tense," countered Ben, glancing up at her from the corner of his eye.
"Well then, I hope you're ready for tomorrow," chuckled Midnight as she continued cleaning his ears.
"Why?" asked the teen, his tone suspicious.
"Because tomorrow, we are going to get you some clothing," answered Nemuri simply as she kept cleaning out his inner ear, "Unless of course, you have some clothes you have left some wear."
Ben let out a sigh, knowing he did not.
"Try not to enjoy yourself too much tomorrow," stated Ben, sounding somewhat defeated.
"Think of it as my way of getting even with you for giving me that little scare," she suggested with a little chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah," Ben rolled his eyes as he Nemuri blew on his left ear just as she did on his right.
"There, all finished," stated the Pro Hero as the teen sat up, "Now that wasn't too bad, now was it, Ben?"
"Well, I didn't lose my ears, so that's something?" Teased Ben while Nemuri just swatted his left arm playfully. However, Ben's tone then turned sincere, "But I do really appreciate what you're doing for me, Nemuri. Even if you have no reason to."
"Think nothing of it, Ben," replied the mature woman as she playfully ruffled his hair, "You helped me when I needed it, now I am simply returning the favor."
"Still, I hope you won't think of me as some sort of freeloader," he said.
"After witnessing you risk your life to save the lives of those officers and my own life, I really doubt you're that kind of person, Ben," chuckled Midnight.
Ben smirked as he stood up and began to move the coffee table back into place, "It's getting pretty late, I think it's time we get some sleep."
"Of course," agreed the Pro Hero as she also stood up just as Ben finished moving the table, "The guest room is down the hall past the kitchen and to the right. My room is at the end of the hallway."
"Thanks," thanked Ben as he headed to the bedroom, "See you in the morning."
"Until then, Benny," replied Nemuri as she watched Ben go, the teen shaking his head at the new nickname. Once he was out of sight, the heroine let out a sigh as she sat back down on the couch. A somewhat serious expression on her face as she recalled everything she had learned about Ben Tennyson.
For one thing, she noted that Ben was very genuine, even more than that, he had a kind heart and will to do the right thing. He was also very mature and possessed idealistic views. Despite knowing him for so little time, she felt that she could trust Ben, that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her or anyone. This all stemmed from how he described a hero. The nobility of his views and how being a hero is about helping and protecting the people first and foremost. It doesn't matter the reason you became a hero, but the main focus of being one is and should be to protect and serve the innocents. He was also very cunning when he tricked Stone into letting his guard down. A lot about Ben Tennyson reminded her of All Might and his own ideals about being a hero.
Despite the fact that he was keeping some things from her, it was clear that he didn't like lying to her. She could see it in his eyes and the way he spoke, there was definitely something Ben was hiding from her, but what it was, she didn't know but she had a feeling he would tell her himself. For instance, there was the photo he kept with him of his family.
He told her that his mother and father were killed by some villains who came to abduct Ben for his powers. If that was the case, then who are the other people in the photo? She knew that Ben would tell her eventually, but she felt she needed to hear the whole story. Like Ben said, if he stayed in one place, these 'villains' as he claimed that attacked him, would likely come for her home as well. So while she did not want to go behind Ben's back, she wanted to ensure that other people don't get caught in the crossfire if these villains do end up showing themselves and try to capture Ben because of his Quirk.
Taking a breath she went to the kitchen to use her phone, quickly inputting a phone number waited a few moments.
"Hello, this Midnight," said Nemuri into the phone's microphone, "I was wondering if you search a name for me? Yes. The name is Ben Tennyson."