Back outside, the Rust Bucket was parked a short distance from the museum, its engine quiet as the night settled in around it. Up on the roof, Stay Gold and Evan lay side by side, looking up at the sky, the stars clear enough to fill the silence between them.
"Hm. Honestly, I didn't expect you to be a natural at driving," Stay Gold said, her tone casual as she rested one arm behind her head.
Evan didn't look away from the sky. "I have a high-tech alien device attached to my wrist. Learning how to drive isn't that hard."
That got a small smile out of her. "That doesn't make much sense. But sure, let's go with that."
They stayed like that for a moment, the quiet stretching comfortably before Stay Gold spoke again.
"Since the old man's getting better, I should probably be ready to head out again."
Evan didn't react much to that. He just kept staring upward, already used to how things worked. Stay Gold was never around for long. When she did come back, it didn't take long before she was gone again.
Whenever she was home, the house would get louder, busier. His siblings would try to pull her into everything at once, asking her to stay, to hang out, to do something with them. Most of the time, she'd end up crashing for hours, then disappearing the next day like nothing had changed.
Still, she never failed to send money back. Enough to support everything without issue. A big house, four wives, six kids, none of it ever struggled because of her.
Reliable and absent at the same time.
Evan had his own guesses about why she didn't stay long. The few times she was home, it never took long before things got… complicated. His mothers didn't exactly give her space. More than once, he'd seen them drag Stay Gold off without much warning, heading into the bedroom before locking the door and banning the kids from going to the third floor.
All six of them had seen it happen at least a few times.
And when Stay Gold finally managed to come back out of that, usually looking like she'd just run a marathon and completely drained, she'd grab one of the older kids, him, Nakayama Festa, or Dream Journey, and ask them to come along for something simple, like a quick store run.
Then, halfway through, she'd call a taxi, send them back home, and leave again on her motorcycle before anyone could stop her.
"Uh, son, I think you'd want to see this."
Stay Gold's voice broke the moment. She pushed herself up slightly, and Evan followed, shifting his gaze toward where she was looking.
A red cloud was moving through the sky, heading straight for the museum. Soon after, screams could be heard from inside the museum.
Evan watched it for a second, then leaned back down like it didn't matter.
"Ben's got this."
Stay Gold raised a brow slightly before leaning back as well.
"Oh? You've got a lot of confidence in your cousin."
"Ben's got his own Omnitrix. He'll be fine," Evan replied. "Besides, what's the point of him having it if I have to handle everything myself?"
Stay Gold let out a quiet breath, not arguing with that.
Evan shifted slightly, then glanced over at her.
"Hey, aren't you worried about Grandpa?"
Stay Gold tilted her head a little before answering.
"Eh. That old man's tougher than he looks. And now that his leg's almost healed, he'll be moving around just fine, even with the cast."
Evan looked back up at the sky again.
"I'm still surprised it healed that fast. He's, what, sixty? And a broken leg's almost good in a week."
"Well," Stay Gold said casually, "he was a pretty high-ranking Plumber back in the day. Their training and treatment aren't exactly normal."
Evan frowned slightly.
"Plumber… what kind of plumber are we talking about?"
Stay Gold just gave a small, knowing smile and reached over, lightly ruffling his hair.
"I'll tell you when you're older."
Evan didn't push it, even if the answer clearly didn't match what he was asking.
A little while later, the quiet night was broken again as police cars, ambulance, and reporters began to gather near the museum. Lights flashed, voices overlapped, and the whole place turned busy in a matter of minutes.
Down below, a blur of movement caught attention before XLR8 suddenly appeared in front of the cameras, already posing like he'd been there the whole time.
He grinned, waved, then struck a quick pose.
"Who is your hero?" XLR8 said, gesturing to himself. "I am!"
He didn't wait for an answer, already playing it up for the cameras as they flashed rapidly around him.
Nearby, the magician known as Hex, who caused today's incident in the museum, was being loaded onto a stretcher, still unconscious as paramedics worked quickly to get him into an ambulance.
Gwen watched the whole thing for a moment, then scoffed and looked away as the ambulance doors shut and drove off, leaving the scene to settle just a little, even with all the noise still hanging in the air.
...
The Rust Bucket pulled away from the city, the lights slowly fading behind them as the road opened up ahead. Inside, things had finally settled down again, the earlier chaos turning into something quieter, more familiar.
Ben sat at the seat, going through the collection he'd built up over the summer, a small box resting on the table. He flipped through photos and souvenirs with a satisfied grin, pausing for a moment on a picture from Sparksville, then another of the Krakken before setting them neatly back inside.
"All I'm saying is, you didn't take down that weirdo sorcerer all by yourselves today," Gwen said, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed. "I helped save you. If it weren't for Grandpa and me, you would've been doomed. I help you constantly, but does anybody notice me? No."
"Hey," Ben said, dropping the charm into the box before closing it halfway. "Being a hero isn't all about getting attention."
Gwen gave him a look. "What happened to you being all 'Who is your hero!?'"
Ben leaned back slightly, shrugging. "That's different."
"I noticed you, Gwen," Max added from the front, his tone calm as always.
Gwen didn't even hesitate. "We're related. That doesn't count."
Ben snorted. "No offense, Gwen, but you threw a trash can at the guy. That doesn't exactly make you a hero. Unlike me."
"Hello? Wake up," Gwen shot back, sitting up straighter. "The only reason you're a 'big hero' is because of that watch. If I found it instead of you, I'd be the one getting all the attention and all the cool souvenirs."
She turned her head toward the window after that, clearly annoyed.
"Gwen, I don't think you'd actually like this superhero thing very much."
Evan's voice cut in from the driver's seat, steady as he kept his eyes on the road.
Gwen groaned. "No, not you too."
"You're misunderstanding me," Evan said, adjusting the wheel slightly as the road curved. "Being a hero has its upsides, sure. But the moment your identity gets exposed, going back to a normal life becomes almost impossible."
That got both Ben and Gwen to pause, their attention shifting forward.
In the background, Stay Gold was helping Max adjust his bandage, but both of them were clearly listening in.
"The fame and attention might seem nice," Evan continued, "but it comes with risks you don't really see at first. There are always going to be people who don't like you, just because you have something they don't."
He kept his tone even, not dramatic, just matter-of-fact.
"Some of them won't stop at just disliking you either. They'll go out of their way to make things harder, or worse, depending on what they can do."
Ben let out a short laugh, leaning back with his hands behind his head.
"Dude, you sound paranoid. We beat alien butts all the time. What is there to worry about?"
Evan didn't react to that, his focus still on the road ahead.
"Foolishness, Ben. You're lucky most of the enemies we run into are more interested in the Omnitrix than anything else," he said. "Don't take that for granted."
There was a brief pause before he added, a little quieter,
"I just hope that when that time comes, you'll have the power and courage to protect the people you care about."
Ben didn't answer right away. He shifted slightly, rubbing his arm as he looked off to the side, thinking it over.
"…Yeah. I guess you've got a point."
"Still," Gwen muttered, not letting it go completely, "it'd be nice to get some acknowledgment once in a while."
Evan let out a small sigh under his breath, catching the tone in her voice. The two of them really weren't as different as they liked to think.
A second later, Ben leaned forward again, opening the box and pulling the charm back out.
"…You're right," he said, holding it out toward her. "Here. Take it."
Gwen blinked, caught off guard. "Really?"
"Yeah," Ben replied with a small shrug. "I've got tons of other stuff anyway."
Gwen hesitated for a second before taking it, her expression softening as she looked it over.
From the back, Max glanced briefly.
"Gwen, don't you have something you want to say to your cousin?"
She looked up, then back at Ben, still holding the charm.
"You know this doesn't change the fact that you're just plain lucky," she said, though there was less bite in it this time. "…But thanks."
Ben grinned. "You're welcome."
Gwen didn't argue after that, a small smile stuck as she leaned back in her seat, before she began fashioning the charm into a necklace.
...
Later, they stopped at a restaurant to eat, the group splitting into two tables. The Tennysons took a three-seated table, while the Golds sat near the window, following Max's suggestion that Stay Gold should spend some time properly bonding with her son.
It drew a bit of attention, mostly because at a glance, the two didn't look like the usual father and son. Stay Gold was only slightly taller than Evan, and the way they carried themselves didn't help clear anything up.
"You know," Stay Gold said casually, swirling the drink in her glass before taking a small sip, "you're the first one out of my kids I've taken somewhere like this."
Evan didn't even look impressed. "That's because you're either asleep at home or not there at all."
Stay Gold let out a quiet sigh, not even trying to argue that.
"You'll get it when you're older."
She picked up her utensils again, continuing her meal like the conversation hadn't just called her out.
"Besides, if I took all your siblings out," she added, "Little Gold Ship would probably trash the place, get us banned, and then I'd have to deal with it."
Evan rolled his eyes. "Then just leave her at home."
"Not a bad idea," Stay Gold muttered, actually considering it for a second. "But fixing whatever she destroys afterward sounds like more trouble than it's worth."
The two of them fell into a more normal rhythm after that, talking while eating at a steady pace, the earlier tension smoothing out without much effort.
After a while, Stay Gold spoke again.
"I'll be leaving tomorrow."
Her tone stayed casual, but she didn't look away this time.
"The old man's healed enough to walk around on his own. Doesn't need me sticking around."
Evan paused for a second, then continued eating like it didn't matter.
"This visit already pushed my schedule enough," she went on. "I can't stay too long."
She gave him a faint smile, studying his reaction.
"Look after Max for me while I'm gone. He's technically your grandpa."
Evan scoffed lightly. "You don't need to tell me that. I'd do it anyway."
That got a small, genuine smile out of her. She took another sip of her drink, clearly satisfied with that
...
Later, the group made their way into a downtown festival, the streets packed with people moving between rows of booths filled with food, games, and souvenirs.
Lights hung overhead, music played from somewhere down the street, and the whole place had that busy, slightly chaotic energy that made it hard to focus on just one thing.
"You know," Max said with a chuckle, glancing over at Ben, "in all my travels, I've never seen a crawfish crawl up someone's nose until today."
Ben let out a long sigh, his face still a little red as Max casually rubbed his hair.
"Glad I could make your day, Grandpa."
"By the way, thanks again for the charm, Ben," Gwen added as she stepped over to a nearby hot dog cart. "Three, please."
Before the vendor could respond, a voice cut sharply through the noise.
"Help! They stole my purse!"
Three thugs pushed through the crowd, one of them holding the purse as they tried to move fast without drawing too much attention. That didn't last long.
Max stepped directly into their path, calm as ever, raising a hand to stop them.
"That's far enough."
The one in front smirked, casually tossing the purse over his shoulder.
"Yeah? And who's gonna stop us, Pops?"
"Actually," Ben said, already ducking behind the cart as he brought up his Omnitrix, "him and his personal friend, Diamondhead."
The thug pulled out a collapsible pole, flicking it open and spinning it once in his hand.
"Come on, work…" Ben muttered, tapping at the Omnitrix as it refused to respond properly.
"Hey," another thug said, stepping toward Gwen, his eyes on the necklace around her neck. "That's a nice piece you've got there."
He reached out and got sent flying.
Stay Gold's leg snapped out in a clean kick, hitting him squarely and launching him straight into a nearby light pole. She didn't even bother taking her hands out of her pockets.
"You three really think robbing people out in the open is a good idea?" she said, her tone casual.
"Why you!" another thug rushed in, swinging his pole without thinking.
Evan stepped forward immediately, placing himself between the attack and Stay Gold.
"Royal Guard."
The strike was stopped cleanly, Evan redirecting it with a precise motion before following up with a palm strike that sent the thug flying backward into a vending machine. The impact rattled it hard enough to knock a few cans loose as the thug dropped.
"…Wow," Ben said, watching the whole thing play out while still crouched behind the cart.
Stay Gold glanced at Evan, mildly interested. "So that's what you used to block your siblings' attacks. Think you can teach me that? Point Flag likes to hit too."
Evan gave her a look. "What about the other moms? Oriental Art, Dear Wink, De Laroche?"
"You don't need to know about that," Stay Gold replied quickly. "I just need the defensive part."
Evan didn't argue.
The last thug tried to step back just as things took a turn in a completely different direction.
Gwen shifted slightly, and accidentally stepped on a mustard bottle.
It squirted straight up into the vendor's face.
"Ah! My eyes!" he yelled, stumbling back before blindly kicking his cart forward. The cart rolled straight into one of the thugs, knocking him off his feet, then kept going and slammed into the last one, sending him crashing into a wall.
A flower pot above wobbled, tipped over, and dropped right onto his head, knocking him out instantly.
Everything paused for a second.
Gwen blinked, then looked down at her necklace as it stopped glowing.
"…Okay. That's actually kind of cool."
A crowd started to gather almost immediately, drawn in by the commotion. An officer nearby stepped closer, while the old woman hurried up beside him, pointing at Gwen with a grateful smile.
"This young lady's a hero, officer!"
Gwen blinked, caught off guard, then smiled a little.
"Me? Just lucky, I guess."
Her eyes drifted toward a nearby stand selling masquerade masks, and a small smirk crossed her face.
While Stay Gold and Evan Gold were nowhere to be found at this moment.
Seeing the growing crowd, the two exchanged a quick look, and no words were needed. As they both pulled off the Gold Family's secret technique.
They turned at the same time and quickly walked away. Disappearing into the crowd without anyone noticing.
Not because they had done anything wrong.
They just had no interest in sticking around for the unwanted attention.