I know what you're thinking. I know because it's exactly what I thought when I woke up here. And by here, I mean New York City, as a twenty-year-old Ben with the Ultimatrix strapped to my wrist. I wasn't alone either, Gwen was with me.
So I asked, "How did we get here?"
She explained that she had been experimenting with some complex spell, and during the casting, something went wrong. That mistake had brought us here. And why was I involved? Well, apparently, she needed a live specimen to test the spell on, and what better than a giant humanoid dinosaur?
Her explanation came with a profuse apology. Of course, I wasn't entirely Ben. I was a human soul from Earth who had merged with his body, leaving me with only fragments of his memory.
Gwen decided to focus on reversing the spell, but without a proper place to cast it, we ended up pulling a small cheating scheme at a gambling den to earn enough to live for a month. Our earnings were substantial but discreet, and since we left before our greed could get the better of us, we were mostly left alone.
When I say mostly, I mean we did have a bit of trouble, small, snot-nosed brats in loose clothing, smelling faintly of weed. They didn't last long and soon learned to avoid us like the plague.
At the time, it hadn't occurred to me, but I soon realized that this world was entirely different from Earth. Unlike mine, devoid of aliens, supers, and magic, or Gwen's, where the stakes shifted wildly, this was a world where heroes and villains played a daily game with the fate of humanity itself.
We were in Marvel.
The realization hit me like a boulder to the face. For days, Gwen and I researched everything we could, heroes, villains, and everything in between.
After all that, Gwen could only whisper one word: "It's fascinating."
Spending so much time with this older, more mature "cousin" of mine, I couldn't help but notice her attractiveness. Much like her future counterpart, she wore a tight-fitting black-and-blue bodysuit, a light blue cape trailing behind her. Her short hair framed her features perfectly. I was smitten.
I couldn't deny my desires either. Sure, we could enact the spell and return to our world, but the truth was, this wasn't my world. I kept silent, though, Gwen still had her parents, her friends, her life there.
For days, we didn't speak about returning. With rent paid and enough money to sustain ourselves, we focused on exploring this world. At that point, Gwen discovered Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme.
Watching him in action fascinated her and sparked a flicker of jealousy in me. I couldn't deny my feelings any longer. I realized that since we were here, there was no reason to hide.
Of course, I wasn't talking about romance, but my desire to stay. Gwen stayed awake long into the night, weighing my words. Around midnight, I felt a weight settle on the bed and soft arms wrap around me. Gwen's voice trembled.
"To be honest, I want to stay here too. And though I miss home, with you, Ben, I think I can stay. But you have to promise me we'll stay together."
I was stunned, then overjoyed. I turned, hugged her, and let her bury her head against me. That night, we slept in each other's arms, soaking in the warmth of the other.
For some reason, I felt something forming between us, a bond neither of us had known before, one we might never have conceived of.
But I was happy.