Chapter 25: Gifts
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Aunt May stood at the front door of her apartment, a puzzled expression on her face as she glanced at the large package sitting on the doorstep. "Peter," she called out, her voice echoing through the apartment, "did you order something?"
Peter looked up from his laptop, furrowing his brows. "No, Aunt May. I didn't."
She nudged the box with her foot, checking for a label. "Well, someone did. It's addressed here."
Peter got up and walked over, inspecting the box. "Should we open it?" he asked.
"Of course," Aunt May replied, grabbing a pair of scissors. "How else are we supposed to figure out who sent it?"
Carefully cutting through the tape, Aunt May peeled the box open. Inside, nestled in sleek, minimalistic packaging, were a brand-new phone, a high-performance laptop, and a smartwatch from Tennyson Dynamics. Aunt May gasped. "Aren't these from your friend Ben's company?"
Peter blinked in surprise. "Yeah, they are. Maybe he sent them?"
Aunt May smiled knowingly. "Looks like it. You should call and thank him."
Peter nodded, pulling out his phone. Just as he was about to dial Ben, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. Seeing Ned's name flash on the screen, he answered.
"Peter!" Ned's excited voice practically yelled through the phone. "Dude, did you just get a package from Ben's company?"
Peter chuckled. "Yeah, I was just about to call him and ask. You got one too?"
"Of course, I did!" Ned exclaimed. "Brand-new phone and laptop—this stuff is crazy!"
Before Peter could reply, his phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen. "Hold on, Ned. I'm getting calls from Gwen and MJ. Let me add them to the conference."
Moments later, the familiar voices of Gwen and MJ joined the call.
"Peter!" Gwen said, sounding equally excited. "Did you just get a package with Ben's products?"
"Yeah, me too!" MJ chimed in. "The phone and laptop are insane!"
"Same here!" Ned said, almost shouting.
Peter laughed, shaking his head. "Looks like we all got the same gift. Hang on, let's bring Ben into this and get some answers."
Adding Ben to the conference call, Peter grinned as his friend picked up. "Hello, guys," Ben greeted cheerfully.
"Ben," Gwen started immediately, "did you send us these products?"
"Yeah," Ben replied casually. "It's a gift for my friends. I wanted you all to have the latest stuff. Thought you might like it."
"Like it?" Ned exclaimed. "Dude, this stuff is insane! The phone's display is better than my TV!"
"The laptop is so sleek," Gwen added. "And I love how everything syncs up so smoothly!"
"Ben, you didn't have to do this," MJ said, though her tone carried clear excitement.
"You're my friends," Ben said, his voice warm. "I wanted you guys to have something special. Besides, it's a good way to test the ecosystem with real users. If anything feels off, let me know."
"Thanks, man," Peter said sincerely. "This is amazing."
After a few more minutes of laughter and excited chatter, the group ended the call, each one marveling at their new devices.
Peter glanced at Aunt May, who was watching with a fond smile. "Looks like you've got a pretty great friend there," she said.
Peter nodded, holding up the sleek new phone. "Yeah, Ben's something else."
Ben's Villa
Ben balanced a box of electronic components and his ever-present smoothie as he walked toward his lab. He sucked noisily through the straw, savoring the mango-banana blend, when a faint, discordant sound caught his attention.
It wasn't just any sound—it was a guitar being played. But "played" was a generous term. To Ben's ears, it sounded like the guitar was crying, begging for mercy.
Curious, he followed the sound, his sneakers squeaking slightly on the hardwood floor. The closer he got, the more painful the notes became. He pushed open the living room door to find Sera, his younger sister, furiously strumming a guitar with all the finesse of a cat walking on a keyboard.
"Sweetpuff," Ben teased, leaning against the doorframe, "is this your new way of annoying me? Because you're absolutely nailing it."
"Hmph!" Sera huffed, glaring at him. "What do you know about music? It's an art!"
"Oh, really?" Ben raised an eyebrow, sipping his smoothie.
"Yes," she shot back, flipping her hair dramatically. "It takes practice and passion. You wouldn't understand."
"Right," Ben said, deadpan. "Because trashing a perfectly good guitar is definitely passion. Why not hire a teacher instead of torturing that thing?"
Sera narrowed her eyes. "Why don't you teach me? You used to play, didn't you?"
Ben blinked. "Do I look like I have free time?"
"Teach me," Sera said sweetly, "or I'll tweet all your embarrassing moments to the world. Maybe even livestream them."
A vein throbbed on Ben's temple as imaginary black lines descended over his head. "Okay, okay, fine!" he relented, setting his box down with a heavy sigh.
He took the guitar from her, giving it a once-over. The strings were loose, the tuning was off, and the poor instrument looked like it had seen better days. Ben sat down, adjusting the tuning pegs with deft fingers. The familiar tension of the strings under his hands brought back memories of late-night jam sessions in his old world.
Satisfied with the adjustments, he strummed a chord. The sound was pure, resonating beautifully.
"What song should I teach you?" he asked.
Sera shrugged. "Something cool. Something you'd play."
Ben smirked. An idea formed in his mind—a song from his past life. It was a masterpiece , a melody etched into his heart. The song carried deep emotions, a story of love and resilience, and it resonated with him during pivotal moments in his previous life.
Eren Yeager
He began to play.
The first notes drifted into the air, soft and melancholic. Each pluck of the string was deliberate, each chord rich with emotion. The room seemed to transform, the walls fading away as the music painted a story.
The melody was haunting, yet beautiful—a perfect balance of pain and hope. It wasn't just music; it was a conversation, each note speaking to the listener's soul.
Sera stared, her earlier irritation replaced with awe.
Then Ben began to sing.
I, I just woke up from a dream
Where you and I had to say goodbye
And I don't know what it all means
But since I survived, I realized
His voice was deep and resonant, carrying a raw vulnerability. It wasn't the polished voice of a professional singer, but it was filled with authenticity, making it impossible not to be drawn in.
Sera, without thinking, grabbed her phone and started a livestream. She titled it "Exclusive: Ben Tennyson Sings & Plays Live!"
Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow
Nobody's promised tomorrow
So I'ma love you every night like it's the last night
Like it's the last night
The live stream exploded almost instantly. Notifications buzzed like wildfire, and the viewer count climbed into the tens of thousands within seconds.
Comments Pour In "Wait… THIS is Ben Tennyson? The billionaire genius?" "OMG, he's actually amazing!" "First he revolutionizes tech, now he's breaking hearts with music?!" "Is this an original song? I've never heard it before!" Chorus
If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you
If the party was over and our time on Earth was through
I'd wanna hold you just for a while and die with a smile
If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you
By now, Sera was grinning from ear to ear. The stream's viewer count hit 500,000. Influencers, musicians, and even journalists were tuning in.
"Ben," she whispered, "you're trending. Everyone's losing their minds."
He shot her a quick glare but kept playing. His focus was unwavering as he transitioned into the song's emotional bridge.
Right next to you
Next to you
Right next to you
Oh-oh, oh
The final chords echoed, leaving a profound silence in their wake. Ben exhaled, looking up to find Sera's phone still pointed at him.
"You livestreamed that, didn't you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Guilty," she replied, unbothered.
"Great," Ben muttered. "Now the world thinks I'm a rockstar."
"Not just a rockstar," Sera corrected, showing him the comments. "A legend."
Social media erupted:
"Ben Tennyson just debuted as a musician, and I'm here for it!" "This song… it feels like it was written for me. I need this on repeat!" "First-class tech and first-class music? Ben Tennyson is unstoppable." "#DieWithASmile is officially the anthem of the year."
Within minutes, the clip of Ben's performance hit a million views. Calls flooded Tennyson Dynamics' offices, not for tech inquiries, but for music licensing deals.
Ben groaned, running a hand through his hair. "This was supposed to be a quiet afternoon."
"Quiet?" Sera teased. "Not with a voice and talent like that."
Shaking his head, Ben picked up his box of components. "Don't expect a follow-up concert," he said, heading toward his lab.
But deep down, he couldn't help but smile. His song, born from another world, had found a place in this one—a melody that connected hearts across dimensions.