Blind to the Light at the End of the Tunnel - RecycIedTrash - Generator Rex [Archive of Our Own]
Ben transforms into Wildmutt not knowing how similar he looks to Noah’s EVO form.
Pairing: Rex Salazar/Ben Tennyson
Words: 4,856
Read on AO3 or under the cut.
[[MORE]]Ben should expect that, given both his and Rex’s roles in their universes, neither of them could relax for even a second. There’s always a threat somewhere that needs to be dealt with even if they scheduled this meet-up weeks in advance. But both EVOs and aliens wait for no one, which is how Ben finds himself assisting Rex in catching two nimble EVOs terrorizing a subway system. Rex ordered them to split up and track down each EVO individually and Ben obliged with Six and Bobo waiting on standby.
As soon as Ben runs down the stairs and into the tunnels, he realizes he had no idea where the EVO he was supposed to catch is. All he knows is that they’re fast and wily. Which sounds like the perfect alien for the task is Spider Monkey! Ben quickly activates the Omnitrex and selects Spider Monkey’s silhouette and slams his hand onto the face.
With a fresh set of eyes, Ben can see more easily in the dim lighting. He chitters before taking off in a direction that doesn’t have Rex’s boot-prints in the middle of the tracks. He runs in the middle of the tracks for a while before jumping up closer to the ceiling and swinging from steel beam to steel beam. The tunnel he follows is monotonous to the point Ben wonders if he went the wrong way. He’s completely engrossed in looking for anything different that he’s completely blindsided when a train roars towards him, headlights illuminating everything with harsh light. Ben yelps and narrowly avoids the train as he flattens himself to the ceiling watching the yellow lights from inside the cab flickering as it passes by the tunnel’s supporting beams. With the immediate danger of being shredded by a train avoided, Ben continues down this path until it splits into two different directions, being mindful this time of any rumbling of approaching trains.
Eyes darting around frantically for signs of movement, Ben can’t help a shriek of delight as he spots the EVO down the right tunnel. It’s vaguely humanoid but has three fingers, three toes, and a really narrow head shaped like a sickle. The EVO flinches from the sound of Spider Monkey’s screech echoing in the empty tunnels and darts away.
“Oh no you don’t!” Ben snaps as he pursues his target from the ceiling. With an overhead position, he can easily see the EVO skittering between supporting beams and shadows to hide itself. Ben quickly shoots a web between two beams in front of the EVO followed by three more, effectively caging the EVO inside what looks like a spooky wrestling ring. He hops down in with the EVO, raising one pair of arms to appear bigger. The EVO looks around frantically, realizing its current situation, before trying to claw apart the webs. Luckily for Ben and unluckily for the EVO, its claws are designed for scurrying and not for slicing so all it does is get tangled in Spider Monkey’s sticky web.
Ben quickly shoots one more web directly at the EVO and traps it against the web it’s currently stuck to. It struggles against the restraints but it’s not strong enough to rip free. Mission accomplished: one EVO captured! Ben picks up his bound prize and does his best to backtrack to the entrance of the subway before the watch times out. Thankfully, Spider Monkey can see traces of travel with his multiple eyes and he successfully finds where Six and Bobo are still waiting.
“One EVO, wrapped and delivered!” Ben announces as he drops said EVO in front of Six and Bobo like an offering. “How’s Rex doing with his?”
“Rex is still in pursuit of his EVO but he’s not in danger. He can handle himself,” Six reports.
“I don’t know whether to be offended or impressed by this alien o’ yours,” Bobo says. “Quite frankly, I’m thinking offended because there can only be one monkey in this circus and that job is already taken!” Ben laughs before pressing the Omnitrex symbol on his chest, reverting to human form.
“I’m not gonna fight you on that! I don’t want to end up with mystery mud in my shoes again,” Ben jokes, recalling the last time he offended Bobo. Six raises his hand to his earpiece and relays to Rex that Ben has captured one of the EVOs. If Six’s subtle expression change is any indication, Rex must have complained loudly in response. “Want me to go back down and get him?” Ben asks, pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards the subway entrance.
“We’ll keep an eye on this EVO so Rex can cure it when you bring him back,” Six answers. That’s a long way of saying yes. Ben nods and runs back down the stairs. He catches the tail end of Bobo complaining about teenagers and internally scoffs. Once Ben is on the station platform, he looks around and tries to recall where he saw Rex’s boot-prints while as Spider Monkey. Mentally patting himself on the back for finding them, Ben follows Rex’s trail. He then belatedly realizes he could have asked Six where Rex was but too late for that now.
Ben checks the Omnitrex and grins. Alright, let’s go XLR8! He pops up the dial and fiddles with it until he sees XLR8’s silhouette and slams his palm over it. The feeling of his vision disappearing and his body hunching over is not what he wanted. Thanks a lot, stupid watch! Ben growls to voice his displeasure at the Omnitrex giving him Wildmutt instead of XLR8. This works too, I guess. Ben sniffs next to Rex’s prints to get his scent. He lifts his head and takes a few breaths, sifting through the overlapping smells of previous foot traffic, the rats and roaches, and the general mustiness of being underground for Rex’s scent.
Finally locating it, Ben lowers his head and sprints in the direction he smelled Rex. He stays wary of approaching trains; straining his ears way farther than is strictly necessary. He isn’t in the mood to be flattened. Running down the track kicks up dust and dirt that Ben does his best to ignore in favor of focusing solely on tracking Rex’s metal and oil scent. The running is less monotonous than when he was Spider Monkey. Maybe it’s because Ben has already stumbled over the tracks a few times to the point he’s very aware of where he’s running now.
After what seems like ages, Rex’s scent gets stronger and stronger so Ben picks up the pace. Wildmutt’s paw-steps and panting echo down the tunnel and he idly hopes that Rex doesn’t think he’s an EVO and immediately smash his face into the ground. Ben’s already done that enough times in the past few minutes, thank you very much. Ben is rather shocked that Wildmutt can hear the nanites as Rex cures the EVO. Like, normally he can hear their chirping but now he can tell that the chirping is the tiny robots communicating to each other. Ben wonders if Rex can hear the nanites talking to each other like that.
Ben slows his run to simply plodding towards Rex with his chest puffed out so the Omnitrex symbol is clearly visible. Through Wildmutt’s spatial awareness, Ben can tell that Rex is slightly to his right with the cured EVO directly in front of him. Ben stops and waits for Rex to acknowledge his presence, tilting his head amicably. He senses Rex turn to face him, his nanites readying themselves to turn into something before immediately powering down as he freezes. Ben stiffens when he notices that Rex’s heart rate has skyrocketed and the scent of sweat is permeating through the air, Rex’s breathing coming out rapid and shallow. Ben reverts back to human form and runs up to Rex, completely ignoring the cured EVO still lying prone on the ground.
“Hey, it’s Ben! Sorry, I forgot you haven’t met Wildmutt yet,” Ben apologizes before realizing that Rex still has not moved. He has a haunted expression on his face but his eyes are unseeing as he continues to breathe way too fast. Ben’s eyes widen with the dawning realization of what’s happening. “Hey, Rex, Rex, can you hear me? It’s Ben! Can you take a deep breath for me?” Ben asks, not hiding the frantic energy in his voice. “C’mon Rex, breathe with me, okay?” Rex does not even blink. There is zero reaction to anything that Ben is saying.
What could it have been that triggered Rex? Was it Wildmutt? That has to be the answer, right? Everything was fine up until Rex saw Wildmutt. Okay, no Wildmutt transformations from now on. Sorry buddy, you’re benched because we can’t have Rex freaking out in the middle of a mission. Right, damage control. Ben takes a deep breath to slow his racing thoughts and gently puts his hands on Rex’s shoulders to try and ground him. If Rex reacts poorly and tries to slice him, it would be fair retribution. Ben stares deep into Rex’s unfocused eyes, trying to get through to him but nothing is working. Rex isn’t snapping out of it and he’s likely going to pass out from lack of oxygen if Ben doesn’t help him breathe soon.
Seeing as Rex didn’t even react to being touched, Ben takes his hands off of Rex to briefly turn on the Omnitrex in the hopes it gives him an alien that can get him, Rex, and the recently cured EVO back to the surface quickly. Once he hits the face of the watch, he feels his ribs constricting and his heartbeat turn into a frenetic drumming against his chest followed by the extension of his tailbone into a full-blown tail. Great, NOW the Omnitrex gives me XLR8. Ben casts his annoyance aside in favor of throwing the cured EVO over his shoulder and cradling Rex in his arms. He sprints back towards the entrance of the subway and deposits the cured EVO in front of Six and Bobo, surprising them in the process from him practically materializing in front of them. “Be right back!” is all Ben tells them before he speeds away to somewhere more secluded but still in the fresh air.
Now in a sunny clearing surrounded by trees, Ben sets Rex down on the grass and changes back. He hopes that the change in scenery will help snap Rex back to reality. But Rex is still unresponsive and his eyes are practically glazed over. Seeing as Rex didn’t register that Ben spoke to him earlier, he figures he’d try a more tactile approach. Ben gently takes Rex’s hand and brings it over his chest right over his heart. Ben then breathes exaggeratedly, hoping that Rex can feel him taking breaths. “C’mon Robot Kid, pull it together,” Ben mutters softly. He continues to take slow breaths, waiting for Rex to follow along. Inhale. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Exhale. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Repeat.
After what feels like eons of repeating his slow breathing, Rex blinks and inhales sharply. His eyes flicker rapidly to everything around him before snapping to Ben’s. He then looks down at where his hand is over Ben’s chest. Rex closes his eyes and follows along with Ben’s breathing. He then offers Ben a sheepish smile once his breathing is under control. Ben, seeing this, resumes his normal breathing pattern.
“Before you say anything, tell me five things you can see,” Ben says authoritatively. Rex blinks with confusion before what Ben is asking clicks in his brain. He looks around slowly, taking in his surroundings.
“The sun, the sky, trees, grass, and you,” Rex answers. He takes a deep breath before blinking hard. “You don’t need to ask me the rest of the questions. I can tell where I am now.” Ben frowns.
“Fine. You’re lucky that I don’t know enough trig off the top of my head to ask you a math problem,” Ben grouses. He really should memorize some random trigonometry problems in the event that Rex has a panic attack like this again seeing as Rex is more hesitant to complete the 5 questions one. Still, Rex is laughing at his efforts and seems pretty stable now so he’ll take that as a win.
“Think we can ignore everything that happened in the past hour?” Rex pleads, looking at Ben with his best puppy-dog eyes. Ben sighs loudly. He’s been put in a losing argument now. If he says ‘no’, he’s a hypocrite. If he says ‘yes’, he can’t help Rex.
“Dr. Holiday probably noticed and is gonna ask you about it,” Ben says instead. Rex pouts comically, realizing that his attempt to flee the conversation failed. He gives Rex five seconds to speak up. Rex stays silent. “What happened back there?” Ben asks. Rex winces and avoids Ben’s eyes. But he doesn’t pull his hand from where it’s still over Ben’s heart. Ben moves to takes Rex’s hand off of his chest and Rex jolts like he’s afraid of losing the contact, his eyes snapping back to Ben’s with a desperate energy to them. Ben slowly drops his gaze to their connected hands as he puts his other hand underneath Rex’s and holds his hand delicately in his lap like it’s a small bird. Rex relaxes once he understands that Ben isn’t removing their point of contact. Then he takes a deep breath.
“The alien you were before I freaked out…it reminded me of when Noah went EVO,” Rex says, not hiding the strain in his voice. Ben squeezes Rex’s hand softly, urging him to continue. “Technically, he went EVO because Van Kleiss forced nanites into him but still. I…I thought I was going to lose my best friend. My only normal friend.” Ben raises his eyes from where their hands are clasped and takes in Rex’s expression. He looks lost and tired. Ben knows he’s looked like that in the past. Too many times in the past. But this was Rex’s first time almost losing someone close to him. It always hurts the most the first time.
“I didn’t know you went through something like that,” Ben says lamely and mentally kicks himself for it. Rex shakes his head.
“It all happened in less than 2 hours,” Rex dismisses. He fumbles for his phone with his free hand and pulls up a news article with a photo of an eyeless, blond EVO. Ben winces.
“I can see the resemblance,” Ben admits. No wonder Rex reacted like that.
“Yeah, which is why I…y’know. I had to chase him down for what felt like forever but it was really only an hour. Then I chased him into the subway tunnels and I thought that I was too late in curing him but it turns out my bios were down from chasing him! Then I ran into Van Kleiss down there while my bios were down so I couldn’t even defend myself! Luckily Noah had enough brain left to attack Van Kleiss but I really thought I lost Noah for a second,” Rex tells frantically. Ben rubs Rex’s hand where it’s still encased by his own to ground him.
Ben feels guilt gnaw its way into his chest with how open Rex is being. All of his grievances are pouring out of him like a broken dam and all Ben had to do push him a little. Meanwhile, Ben couldn’t even give Rex anything to work with and shoved him away. Ben has built up so many walls that he isn’t even sure there’s water he’s supposed to be holding back. He supposes he owes Rex an explanation. But that can be later. Right now, Rex needs him.
“Yikes, no wonder you… Same type of place and similar monster. If it means anything, I decided not to turn into Wildmutt- uh- that alien around you anymore,” Ben states. Rex widens his eyes, like he’s surprised with Ben’s decision. “I don’t want to trigger you like that,” Ben assures resolutely. Rex smiles softly.
“I’m touched. But actually, can I see that alien now that we’re in the light?” Rex requests. Now it’s Ben’s turn to widen his eyes. “It’s so I can see that you’re different.” Ben regards Rex warily but Rex knows his own limits he supposes.
“I won’t be able to see your reaction so you’ll have to say if you’re uncomfortable. And I won’t be able to respond besides growls and snarls,” Ben warns. Rex pales a little.
“Oh, um, he’s a lot more similar to Noah’s EVO form than I thought. Noah couldn’t talk to me either,” Rex gulps, his voice trembling slightly. Ben pretends not to have heard it.
“We don’t have to do this,” Ben reminds him. Rex shakes his head.
“No, I need to face this head-on. I can’t freeze like that on a mission. EVOs take any opportunity they can without mercy,” Rex insists. He pulls his hand out from where Ben is holding it and stands up. He takes a deep, steadying breath. “Okay, I’m ready.” Ben nods and rises to his feet as well then pops up the dial on the Omnitrex.
“You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?” Ben asks one more time. Rex nods.
“100%,” Rex confirms. Ben hits the Omnitrex. His sight disappears and he can feel his bones and muscles stretching and expanding into Wildmutt’s. The wind blows his fur and spines once the transformation is complete and he takes a breath of air through his gills, glad for the nicer smells than in the subway. He turns his head towards where he can sense Rex standing in front of him. He can hear Rex steadying his breathing but he otherwise hasn’t moved. Rex’s heartbeat quickened but not to alarming rate. He must be examining Wildmutt. Ben continues to stand still and allow Rex time to acclimate to Wildmutt’s form. Rex takes a deep breath and Ben can ‘see’ Rex’s hand approaching his face. Ben doesn’t move or react once Rex’s hand comes in contact with the top of his head.
“You’re smaller than Noah,” is all Rex says as he pets Wildmutt’s short fur. Rex takes his hand back and circles slowly around Wildmutt. Ben does his best to track Rex via scent and through his spines alone since he doesn’t want Rex to feel like he’s being monitored. Rex stops next to his neck and appears to be watching Wildmutt scenting the air because the next thing Ben knows, Rex’s fingers are prodding his gill slits. Ben’s breathing immediately stutters at the intrusion and he clamps his gills shut with a weird snort. Rex falters and Ben feels him jolt back in surprise and a little fear.
“Did that hurt?” Rex asks hesitantly. Ben shakes his head ‘no’ and resumes breathing to show that nothing was damaged. Rex reaches out for Wildmutt’s gills again and runs his palm over the slits as Ben breathes. The scent of machine oil, metal, and Rex’s natural scent becomes overwhelming on that one side. It’s almost intoxicating but Ben would never say that out loud. Rex fully flattens Wildmutt’s gills together and Ben snurgles before shaking Rex’s hand off. He turns his head and grunts at Rex to show he doesn’t appreciate Rex basically pinching half of his nose shut.
“Okay, got it, I’ll stop touching there!” Rex concedes, putting his hands up in a placating gesture even though Ben can’t actually see him. Ben snorts at him again and scowls the best he can. Rex goes back to petting Wildmutt’s fur so Ben evens out his facial expression.
“Y’know, I think I’m getting used to you. You’re way tinier than Noah, that’s for sure,” Rex says. “And you’re able to understand me. Noah basically lost all of what made him Noah. He barely understood that I was trying to help him.” Rex sounds melancholy. Ben wonders idly if he’s had that thought before when trying to cure EVOs. How it must have hurt so much more to have his best friend lack the understanding that Rex was just trying to help. Oof, that sounds familiar in a way. Rex was only trying to help him during his nightmare episode and all Ben did was push him away and try and fight him. Hah. Ben bumps his head against Rex’s hand to show he’s listening, ignoring the guilt bubbling back up in his chest and centering himself back to the present.
“You can understand me, right?” Rex asks, poking his forehead. Ben makes the motion of rolling his eyes as though he had them. “Just making sure,” Rex chuckles. He stops petting Wildmutt and goes back to circling him. Ben, now feeling antsy from standing still and being stared at for so long, stretches his front paws out in front of him, fanning his toes and arching his back.
“Big stretch…” Rex whispers. Ben scoffs at him for the comment before shaking out his body. He hopes his offense at the comment shows clear enough on Wildmutt’s face. Judging by Rex’s chuckling, it did. Ben headbutts Rex lightly to make his point extra clear. Rex laughs and scratches under Wildmutt’s chin, taking care not to touch the sensory spines there. If Wildmutt had eyes, Ben is sure they would have rolled to the back of his head with how nice Rex’s scratching feels. But Ben keeps things under control and allows Rex to enjoy himself. Okay, maybe he does the approximation of a purr for Wildmutt’s species.
“Who’sagoodboy?” Rex croons. Ben perks up before coming to his senses and shaking his fur out with a huff. Rex snickers and Ben glares at him the best he can without eyes. Feeling impish, Ben nudges Rex’s side with his face before ducking his head between Rex’s legs and lifting up.
“Whoa, hey!” Rex yelps as Ben hoists him onto his back. He feels Rex’s fingers grip onto his fur for stability. Once Ben is sure that Rex won’t fall, he takes off in a sprint. He hears Rex whoop with elation once he realized that Ben was giving him a joyride. Oh how he wishes he could see how happy Rex sounds. Ben runs through the grass and trees, leaping over benches and bushes if only to hear Rex’s joyous laughter. He sounds younger and lighter, like he isn’t the key to saving all of humanity and is just a carefree teen.
“Go faster, Ben!” Rex urges. Ben laughs, a sort of low trilling sound that he feels deep in his ribs, and obliges. He feels Wildmutt’s claws tearing up the grass and dirt as he runs, pushing his muscles to move him faster. Rex takes both of his hands off of Ben’s back and cheers. Ben worries briefly that Rex might slide off but Rex’s legs are squeezing his ribs tighter than he was before so his fears are assuaged. Besides, if Rex falls off, he can just build the Sky Slyder or Rex Ride. Ben dodges around some random people taking a walk and chuffs at their startled screams at his appearance. He continues chuckling at Rex’s breathless ‘sorry!’ thrown towards the people they just scared. Rex’s fingers find their way back into Wildmutt’s fur so Ben slows down from a gallop to a canter. He’s not entirely sure where he’s running to but he’ll keep going if only to please Rex. To make it up to him for triggering him. To make it up to him for lashing out when all he wanted to do was help.
“Thanks for doing this,” Rex starts. Ben perks up and turns his head back towards Rex to show he’s listening. “Wait, look where you’re-! Never mind,” Rex aborts with a laugh. “Right, no eyes. Anyway, thank you for this. I don’t think I’ll freak out next time you turn into this alien,” Rex finishes, patting Wildmutt’s shoulder to emphasize the point. Ben offers Rex a smile before turning his head back forward.
There’s so much that Ben wants to say to Rex but being Wildmutt, he cannot speak.
Perhaps it’s for the best. Ben wouldn’t know what to say anyway. But that’s all an excuse, isn’t it. All he can do is be in the here and now with Rex and let him enjoy some freedom if only for a little while. He knows that he owes Rex an explanation, a heart-to-heart, about why his nightmares bleed into his waking hours. It’s only fair. Rex was so open about his fears it’s only right that Ben be open with his. It’s going to be hard though. But he needs to do this. For Rex.
Ben shakes himself from his rumination with the recollection that he kinda ditched Six and Bobo without much explanation. He opens Wildmutt’s gills to take in the scents around them and he concentrates hard on listening for either Six or Bobo. To be honest, mostly Bobo because he stinks like bananas. He is focusing so hard on locating where he left Six and Bobo that it takes Rex tugging on his fur and shouting his name to come back to the direct vicinity because OH MY GOD! Ben swerves hard to avoid the tree he was about to run straight into. Rex screams and digs his fingers in to the point Ben can feel Wildmutt’s skin being pulled away from the muscle. Ben cries out at how hard Rex pulled on Wildmutt’s fur and comes to an abrupt halt, earning another painful tug from Rex trying not to fly off.
“I’m sorry for hurting you but what happened back there?” Rex asks, smoothing out Wildmutt’s skin and fur. The Omnitrex beeps in warning before reverting Ben back to normal. And he promptly collapses under Rex’s weight. They fall in a pile on the ground in a tangle of limbs. Rex tries to scramble off of Ben but Rex ends up falling onto his butt in his haste. Ben groans from the soreness in his back where Rex pulled Wildmutt’s skin and the accidental squishing underneath Rex.
“I’ll admit, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” Ben laments, rubbing his back. He stands up stiffly and offers a hand to Rex, which he takes. Rex regards him dubiously.
“What were you paying attention to then? Don’t you have to pay attention since you can’t see?” Rex asks suspiciously. Ben rolls his shoulders before looking around.
“I was trying to find my way back to Six and Bobo. I kinda ran off without much of an explanation,” Ben says. Rex blinks. “And there’s the EVO I caught that needs to be cured.”
“Huh. Yeah, I should probably tell them I’m okay now so they don’t think you kidnapped me,” Rex replies before he sighs. He’s clearly mulling something over in his head. Probably deciding between his desire to stay here and his desire to cure the EVO. “They always find me eventually anyway so let’s just chill out here,” Rex finally settles on. Ben furrows his brow at the implication of ‘they always find me eventually’ but he looks around for a bench for them to sit on nonetheless. He gestures for Rex to follow him as he takes a seat once he spots one. Rex sits down next to him and wraps his arm around Ben’s shoulders. Ben leans against Rex.
“So, how are you feeling?” Ben asks awkwardly. “About Wildmutt?” he tacks on belatedly. Offering Rex a way out of a heavier conversation. Rex hums in thought.
“I think this helped a lot. I had a great time and I’d love to do it again sometime. Without almost running into a tree,” Rex teases. Ben huffs a laugh.
“I’ll pay closer attention next time,” Ben promises. He rests his head against Rex’s, appreciating the warmth the other gives off. They sit in silence after that simply basking in each other’s presence. Ben’s not sure how much time even passes; the Omnitrex doesn’t tell time. Judging by the fact the sun is dipping closer to the horizon he’d guess they’ve been sitting there for maybe a half hour to an hour.
Figuring enough time has passed Ben gathers his thoughts on how to let Rex know he’s ready to be more open about his deeper feelings. The ones he keeps locked away because he’s afraid of what others will see. He inhales with intention and feels Rex brace himself as if anticipating whatever Ben is about to say. With just that micro-movement, Ben gives up. He just exhales, leaving his message on the tip of his tongue and sinking back into his chest.
It’s not about him today. Don’t make Rex worry about him right now. Ben glances down at the Omnitrex. It’s been ready to go for a while now. He lifts his wrist up, a smile playing on his lips as he brandishes Wildmutt’s silhouette towards Rex.
“You ready to do this again?”
