Something that only the other understands

by Alex86Argentina

Summary:

Albedo was trapped like a child… in prison. It brings back bad memories for Ben, not of his own, but of the things he learned “his best friend” went through. So… he decides to try to mend and heal his “relationship” with Albedo a little. They both have their similarities and their drawbacks, but somehow… it worked.

Notes:

• For xXLunar_EclipseXx.

Hello! I'm not uploading this in Spanish because it's a gift to someone in the Ben 10 fandom who inspired me to create my own version of Albedo's redemption, and it's set in the Twisted Hero Time universe!

Chapter 1: In Prison

Albedo already knew what it was like to be in prison, but what he still wondered was why they kept him in the plumbers' barracks and not in a space prison or in the projector like other criminals.

 

In fact, he was the most dangerous of all the criminals in the plumbers' prison on Earth.

 

So... why were they keeping him with those thugs?

 

If it was just because of his appearance as a human child, he felt it was an insult.

 

He could be as dangerous as many others...

I mean, he had "the other watch."

Something that not even the so-called "Nemetrix" could ever match.

 

But he was still there... with a bracelet that blocked the watch, with his deranged mind trapped in a child's body.

He had tried too many times to think of an escape plan, something to get out of there, but it always ended in failure in his mind. And in part, even though he didn't want to admit it, he knew it was better than being on the streets running away where anyone could "use" him (he wouldn't repeat what happened with Vilgax).

 

But he would never admit that.

 

No, he was the great Albedo.

 

-Agh, if only I could stop thinking- he muttered, lying in his bed- Stop... why do I want to stop thinking? I'm a Galvan, I can't stop thinking.- And then he returned to his loop of disgust and pain.

 

Complex human emotions interfered with his alien reasoning, and... that was what caused him the most pain.

Endless sleepless nights struggling with himself to decide whether to give in to one side or the other.

 

Something that...

 

-Hey, get up, this is your dinner-he heard the voice of one of the plumbers and assumed they were going to give him the same old paste.

One that contained enough for the body he was trapped in to continue growing without problems.

 

 -I'm coming...- he murmured. But then a smell... reached his nostrils.

As if catapulted, his body moved, and he saw something that seemed unreal.

 

Chili fries.

 

There... on the floor of his cell, on the food tray.

 

That... that was unreal.

 

Even with his small human frame, that food seemed too appealing.

 

In disbelief, he approached the tray, first smelling it as if he feared it was a product of his mind.

 

-"Isn't it poisoned?"- crossed his mind. You never knew what could happen; maybe the plumbers weren't the ones who left it, and someone had done it out of revenge.

 

After all, he and Khyber had managed to bypass security before...

 

He kept smelling it, his stomach growled.

 

He couldn't eat it... it could be a trap.

 

But the smell... the hunger...

 

In the end, he grabbed one and, after analyzing it, slowly brought it to his mouth.

 

He savored it.

 

And... it tasted heavenly.

 

He began to eat the rest of the potatoes voraciously.

 

And then, he reached the end of the plate and found something curious.

 

-What's this?- he said, his mouth stained with sauce, seeing a kind of plastic bag with a note inside- It's a human language... well, the one from this region, actually- he muttered to himself. He had to familiarize himself with human languages ​​so he could know where to get the things he needed when he was planning his revenge.

 

He read the note.

 

 "Uhh, I don't know if you can understand this well since they haven't wanted to teach me the Galvan language yet :(

I hope you enjoy the potatoes, and don't worry, there was nothing wrong with them, although in my opinion the chili was a little spicier than usual."

 

He kept recalculating, thinking carefully about who had written the note until he reread the part about the chili.

 

It was from him...

 

That fool... that stupid human had sent him the potatoes.

 

-Is this your way of making fun of me!?- he shouted, realizing that Tennyson had sent them. The worst part was that he couldn't suspect that the potatoes were poisoned or something; unfortunately, he knew the green-eyed man too well to understand that this wasn't his style.

 

(In fact, he might believe it if he were one of the other plumbers or beings.)

 

Then he pulled the note out of the plastic and tore it up in absolute rage.

 

-Damn Tennyson... damn potatoes... damn human body- he began to complain again and left the tray near the door. After that, she went to her "bed" and curled up in a blanket she had, trying to sleep.

 

He didn't want to think about why the "hero" had sent her that.

 

Besides, Tennyson would surely have been struck by what humans call "remorse," and it would only be a thing of that night.

Chapter 2: Continuous contact

Summary:

Ben continues to contact Albedo. He has a reason, but it's just the beginning.
Albedo, meanwhile, has a moment of weakness.

Albedo thought it was a mistake to believe it would be just a one-night stand.

Because, every night without fail, he always received the same dinner (or variations) and a note from Tennyson with it.

Some varied in content, from simple greetings assuring her that the meal contained nothing unusual to the human recounting a recent mission (or complaining) and wishing her a good night.

At first, he read those letters and ended up tearing them up, either out of anger or to find out if they weren't actually bugged.

But as time went on, he stopped tearing them up. He realized that reading them somehow helped keep her mind "in one place"… and he even started saving them.

After that, she found herself anxiously waiting each night for her dinner to arrive just to read the next letter.

 

-I just do it to focus- he muttered, waiting in a corner.

 

He wanted to convince himself of that alone; he didn't want to give himself any hope that someone would care in the end.

-Your dinner...- he heard and saw a tray of fries being placed by the door again.

Albedo stared at the tray, eyeing the fries as if they were a foreign object. He still couldn't believe that, in the midst of his imprisonment, something as trivial as a meal could appeal to him so much.

-This is ridiculous- he muttered to himself, even though his stomach growled in response.

For some reason, and unlike other nights, today he felt strangely... thoughtful.

As if something could change tonight.

He walked over and took the tray, feeling the warmth of the food through the plastic and wondering what kind of note it would contain later.

-He's probably complaining about something that happened to him- he muttered with a resigned sigh and ate.

After a while, he began to notice the plastic wrapping that night's note.

This time the note said:

 

“Hey, Albedo. I hope you're not planning to kill me, heh.
Uh, well, I want to ask you something: could you help me understand the Galvan language better?
I swear there's no cheating or anything! I thought you were the best person to teach me.
If you decide to do it, tear off one corner of the note once and put it back on the food tray.”

 

After reading, Albedo stared at the note, rereading what it said for several seconds.

-What am I supposed to do with this?-he wondered aloud, turning to the blank wall of him cell. Why would Tennyson want her help if he had Azmuth? Besides, he also knew there were two other Galvans in tech support, idiots in him opinion.

 

Why didn't she ask them for help?

 

But in his mind, the words stood out again: "I thought you were the best to teach me."

 

Tennyson... Did he think he was better than Azmuth at something?

 

 

What was more fitting for the most brilliant mind in five galaxies?

 

After a moment, he realized his pride was cracking. He was a Galvan, and he'd never needed the approval or idealization of lesser beings. Yet he was considering helping his enemy, his damned copy, the idiot human… learn something about his culture.

 

It was incomprehensible.

 

Unacceptable that he was considering it.

 

With a jerk, he threw the note to the floor, but he couldn't help but erase the image from his mind.
Of Ben Tennyson writing that, possibly drinking a Shomtie, and desperate to learn anything from his dumb human mind.

 

He stood there staring at the floor, prepared to refuse what Ben asked for until… he reasoned it out.

 

If he helped Ben, maybe he could at least get him back into Galvan form. Convince the hero that he was reformed or whatever, and it would help him get his way.

 

The idea was terrifying—he knew what could happen if he failed—but also liberating as he felt his mind unclouded and focused on something.

-Screw this- he muttered with the expression he'd heard Tennyson use a couple of times.- Maybe just for tonight, I can allow myself this 'weakness.- Then, as the note requested, he tore off a corner, put it back in the plastic, and placed it on the tray.

Then he went to his bed to lie down.

A few seconds later, the plumber who made the rounds delivering the food came by to pick up the tray and left.

Albedo never saw that plumber's smile when he saw the note was back, with a tear in it.

 

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of AU Twisted Hero Time