2013.04.16 - The Truth

((OOC Note: This takes place days AFTER Ben joins the Fantastic Four.))

No phone call comes to Jubilee. No text message either. How Ben does snag Jubilee is really simple: he waits. Knowing where your girlfriend's boarding school is gives Ben the advantage. However while he's waiting he -does- fire off a text message to serve more as a warning. All it said is, "We need to talk," and it goes out the second he sees her outside and alone on the mansion property.

Swinging about a man clad in black suddenly snags the teen scooping her up. Sure it's dangerous and a little creepy, but Ben is doing what he feels is needed. Swinging off with Jubilee in tow he starts to head toward the city.

"It's me," Ben says before she hopefully doesn't zap him. His voice sounds rattled and the mid-section of a suit looks a little worse for wear. Everything still conceals him but it would be easy to tell that someone has taken a beating.

It's still winter this far north and east, so Jubilee is still bundled up as she walks outside. Her signature winter coat would be a little tricky to pick out from a distance, but it's hardly in isolation: It's bordered by flare-leg jeans, mittens, and a pink scarf and tassel cap.

A strange noise catches her attention, and she looks around... no one? That's odd. Her senses don't usually mislead her...

And now her phone's giving her the 'You've Got Mail' chirp! She quickly pulls it out, backing up against a bench in the shadow of a topiary sculpture to read it. "'We need to talk'? It's Ben's number, but usually he'd say where," she murmurs, frowning at the screen. She calls up his name in her contacts file, which has his address. "I guess I'd better go get my bag and some money for a bus ticket." She toggles the screen off on her phone and starts to slip it back into its case... Oops! The edge of the device catches on the notch on the side of the case and pulls it free of the clip holding it to her jeans!

"Darnit! So much for top quality," she mutters and shoves the phone into her coat pocket, along with the displaced case, and tries to free the clip. No good. It's tight, and the best place to grip it is inside her waistband. She sighs and reaches forward, beginning to unfasten her jeans so she can reach inside for that clip. She's just gotten it free when /something/ grabs her up from the ground and pulls her into the air! She shrieks in surprise and dismay and twists around to blast the interloper... or not! "B-B-Ben?!" she stammers, staring at her boyfriend/abductor. "Geez, most people just call on the phone or... never mind, I'm guessing this is urgent! What happened? Aside from you grabbing me, I mean? And speaking of grabbing, could we set down? I'm feeling a draft that I shouldn't be feeling!"

When they got to a particular location Ben sets Jubilee down and smirks because of her drafty predicament. He turns to give her a moment, "Do you...Do you mean it when you say you want to be with me?" the words are soft and ooze with fear. What she doesn't see, thanks to Ben's turn, is his hand quaking with the same fear that resonates in his voice.

When they got to a particular location, roof top high up and away from prying eyes, Ben sets Jubilee down and smirks because of her drafty predicament. He turns to give her a moment, "Do you...Do you mean it when you say you want to be with me?" the words are soft and ooze with fear. What she doesn't see, thanks to Ben's turn, is his hand quaking with the same fear that resonates in his voice.

"I really hope nobody's birdwatching today!" Jubilee comments, blushing, as Ben carries her through the air, crossing her feet so the wind of their passage doesn't pull her fallen jeans right off. Oh, this is embarrassing... Finally, her web-slinging carrier finds a rooftop, and down they go. It's a gentle landing, for which she's quietly grateful. "Whew! Thank you. That was getting really chilly."

She stoops and catches up her jeans, beginning to slide them up over her floral-print underpants. Which is not the ideal time to be asked a question like that. But there it is anyway. "Do I mean it?" the Chinese-American teen asks, blinking in surprise at the words. She quickly fastens the top button so she won't have to do that all over again, turning and stepping closer...

And then a weight lands on Ben's back! Two small but strong arms wrap over his shoulders, holding on tight in an awkward hanging hug. "Does this answer your question?" she asks, leaning her head forward to kiss him on the cheek.

A soft smile comes to Ben's face before he turns away knowing she hadn't seen the new costume. Gloating about the costume is a conversation to be saved for later. Breathing hard Ben simply says, "I could be...," the words get caught in his throat. He tries again, "I could be...," they catch again. "I could be dying, Jubilation."

"Whoa... then this is not the time to be hanging all over you!" Jubilee realizes with a start, dropping from Ben's back and hurrying around front. "Here, let's get you sitting down," she says quickly. "Wow, Ben, you might be dying and you go carrying me all over creation like that?" She grimaces, as if instantly regretting the words. "Never mind. What happened to you? It looks like you've been in some totally serious trouble."

Ben has an excuse, a well thought out one again, that would make him sound like a science experiment, which is true to a point. The explanation would make him sound like one of the many horror stories of someone being tested on to combat the mutants and metas.

Staring at Jubilee makes that plan fade away. It's not right to her to lie and he doesn't have the heart. Admitting it to his foster family was hard and this would be the same, "I'm a clone...Jubilee. Something meant to replace the real Spider guy," he pulls off the mask letting her see his face. Ben looks like Ben except for the fear that lingers in his eyes. "Someone else has this face you think is sexy and I wasn't the first one to have it."

Jubilee looks at his face as he pulls the mask off, the words sinking in. Her eyes widen, but she remains silent for a long moment as wheels turn in her mind. It is indeed shocking news!

But slowly, steadily, she steps forward, clasping his face gently with both hands. "It may not have been your face first, but it's still your face," she replies softly, releasing his face and flinging herself forward to wrap him up in a hug. "You might not be the first, but you're still you. And it's not the Spider guy who swept me off my feet today, or any day before. It's you!"

Rubbing his face against her neck to feel closer to her Ben just takes it in. Eventually he whispers, "One of the best Doctors in the world is looking after me. Just one day...I could start to age rapidly. There's no guarantee I'm a success or completely stable. Right now all is well. And maybe it'll stay that way until old age gets me," a black gloved hand rubs up and down her back. "Or it could be six months from now. I'm not going to let it rule my life. Scarlet Spider is still going to be fighting off bad guys. Hell, I was in that alien invasion a bit ago," he gestures to the messed up torso area on the costume. Honestly it looked like something hit the armor with a baseball bat several times. "But, I can't keep you in the dark on it either. I can't deny that it COULD happen."

"Ben... I'll totally take my chances," Jubilee replies, drawing apart a little so she can look into his eyes again. "Considering I'm a mutant, it's not like I can guarantee a peaceful life and all the comforts of normality, either. I'm on borrowed time just waking up in the morning."

Smirking he looks at her, "I...I'm going to say something. You don't have to say it back," he breathed out. "The only way I came to this was because I had to face something I fear. My head is messed up...for the first year of my life I thought I was the real Spider-Man. Somehow my creators gave me his memories," he breathed out. "My Doctor is going to do what he can to try and fix my head without messing up my memories because...I didn't want you to run up to me one day. Hold me close and then see the horror in your eyes as I ask, 'Who are you?' Forgetting who you are scares me more than death because you were the first thing that really made Ben Reilly into Ben Reilly."

He looks at her then says, "I love you. I know you probably don't feel that way back and it's cool, but I owe you a lot. More than you'll ever realy know," he smiles at her knowing it's probably not a mutual feeling. He knows that Jubilee is technically his first girlfriend and crush and sometimes you're rushed into that feeling. However, she does bring out a lot of feelings in him and given what he fears more than death involves her...Ben just knew deep down how he feels about her.

Jubilee, for once, manages to stay quiet and listen, her heart thumping nervously. She is quiet, but her feelings aren't. It's a long moment before she can speak again. "I... wow... I never thought of it like that," she whispers. "I hope your doctor can do it. I don't want you to forget me... but if you do, I'll help you remember, or help you build a new relationship, even if it's not with me." She stretches up and kisses his cheek. "I love you too, Ben. Whatever face you wear."

Stunned, that is what Ben feels. Completely and utterly stunned, to be exact. Brown eyes look at her and he stops himself, "Are you sure?" he asks holding her hands in his. "Like, I don't want you to say it because I did."

Blue eyes peer incredulously back into Ben's for a long moment. Then Jubilee darts a quick tickle into his ribs. "Ben, did you just /really/ ask me that? I might have a big mouth, but I don't say things I don't mean unless I'm joking!" She leans close, then hesitates, blushing. Then she leans in and kisses him fiercely on the lips!

Kissing her back with the same intensity, Ben's arms wrap around. Pulling her close to him he's wanted to do this fo so very long. Deep down he was afraid of rushing the relationship, and maybe they are, but to him, this feels right.

It's a long, breathless time before Jubilee parts from Ben, gasping softly and trembling a little. But the smile that comes to her lips is equal parts warm and teasing. "So... did that feel like I was joking?" she asks, softly but a touch nervously.

Breathing hard he looks at her, "No. Very...very...far from," he shivers a little. "It's nice to know...I'm not the only one trembling in this relationship. You've done that to me more often than I've admitted," a blush runs through his face as he sits back a little staring at her.

"I did?" Jubilee looks back at Ben, doing some blushing of her own. "Wow. I'm either braver than I thought, or... I don't want to think about what else." She smiles embarrassed. "I guess I'll sit here and tremble without thinking."

Pulling her into his lap he smiles at her, "I'm not going to rush but I don't want to hold back either. I've been scared to tell you things because...I don't know, didn't want to be pervy or something weird in your eyes. You mean the world to me, y'know?" he whispers then kisses her softly on the lips. "If work with the Fantastic Four takes me into a weird dimension or something know I'll be coming back for you."

Jubilee giggles as she's drawn into Ben's lap, nestling in close. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, Ben. I mean that. But if you do, I'll listen. I want to know as much about Ben as you're comfy with telling me."

"I still want you to spend the night some time. And no, we wouldn't go beyond making out. Unless you say so but the thought of waking up with you in the same place, and then burning some scrambled eggs for you does hold an appeal to me. I don't know why that thought appeals to me," he smiles at her then kisses her again. "What do you want to know? Specifically speaking."

"Someday," Jubilee whispers, kissing his cheek, an unspoken promise. Then he asks another question, and she giggles. "/Everything/. But let's start simple, like favorite colors?"