Ben Braeden (bitcheslike) wrote in remediumlogs, @ 2015-10-08 01:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !day 05, ben braeden, dean winchester |
WHO: Ben Braeden and Dean Winchester
WHERE: Outside Ben's apartment
WHEN: Thursday afternoon, Day Five (after this)
WHAT: Dean weirding people out, of course.
WARNINGS: Language, knowing Dean...and Ben.
STATUS: Closed, Complete
Dean had decided that he was going to go exploring. It wasn't that he really wanted to go exploring the apartment - which was still fucking creepy - building, but he wasn't going to go outside when it was still raining cats and dogs. He felt like he'd only just gotten dry and wasn't going to trek through the downpour just to get soaking wet again. So, exploring the place that would be home until he and Sammy figured out what was going on was the next best option. Leaving his brother's apartment, he made his way through the corridors, glancing at the different names that were on each door. He went through three floors of names and found a few that made him think he was losing his damn mind. He didn't want to admit that he'd read Harry Potter, but even Dean Winchester had to admit that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin sounded goddamn familiar. He'd have had to grown up on another planet not to recognize those names. The name "Sarah Blake" caught his attention too, but he shook it off and ignored it because it wasn't as though it wasn't a common surname or first name for that matter. There could be a billion women named Sarah Blake in the world. It wasn't until he got to the fourth floor and happened upon a door that was marked with "Ben Braeden" that he stopped in his tracks. Braeden wasn't the most common name in the world. It certainly wasn't like "Blake" after all. And coupling it with the first name of "Ben" had him gawking at the door as though it had three heads and was talking to him. He was so lost in memories that flooded back to him one by one that he didn't even hear the sound of footsteps approaching until the kid was right next to him. Sarah wasn’t a demon. That was the good news. The bad news was that Ben felt a little shitty for having thought that the poor woman could be something evil. He couldn’t help but believe the story of what she’d been through, hell, Ben had seen some crazy shit. He’d heard crazy shit too. At least he had ruled something out, though. It was one of the things that he could do here…watch the other people’s backs. Plus, he was slightly handy, but he definitely didn’t want anything to happen to anybody here. He still couldn’t stop thinking about his mom, though. She had to know he was missing by now, and he hated scaring her like this. And if she didn’t know that he was missing….that might be even scarier. The people, or whatever they were, that had taken everyone were screwed up. Nobody was here willingly. Ben was pretty sure that someone would’ve had to have been a complete moron to volunteer for something like this. He just hoped, mainly, that they could all get out of this without being too much worse for the wear. So deep in his thoughts and worries about Sarah, his mom, and the kidnappers it took Ben a second longer than it normally would have to realize that somebody was at his door. Blinking, Ben came to a stop next to the guy, his arms automatically moving to settle across his chest. “Hey, you looking for me?” Ben asked the guy, not sure who the hell he was….or what he was doing at his door. Dean recognized the voice. Sort of, anyway. Deeper than he remembered. Traces of Lisa in the boy's - no, the young man's - voice. The way he spoke, even the way that he was standing with his arms folded across his chest. He'd seen Lisa do it at least a million times. He'd seen her give him that same look probably just as many times, if not more. "Ben," he breathed out before he could stop himself. A rock settled in the pit of Dean's stomach. It seemed to double in size with each passing second until it felt as though it was going to come out in the form of puke if he didn't try and settle it soon. "Uh, no," he said, shaking his head and scratching the back of his neck. It was obviously not completely the truth. He'd never been that great at lying to people he knew. He could lie a thousand times to people he didn't, but in the face of a memory, he found it damn near impossible. "New here," he said simply. "I uh, was just trying to figure out what was going on." That was mostly the truth, so it came out a little more believable, at least. Ben wasn’t sure what was with the dude, honestly. There was something about him that was almost nagging at the back of his brain, something that felt almost familiar. Maybe it was the way he held himself? Maybe it was something else? Hell, it could even just be that Ben was distracted and thrown by someone being at his door, so he was searching for something about the guy. No matter what it was, Ben had no clue who he was, or what he was doing at his door. And the way Ben’s name fell from his lips was just so…weird. “Yeah, I’m Ben, this is technically my place in this shithole.” Ben said, not sure why it came out, but feeling a sense of awkwardness there. What other reason did the guy have to say his name, though? None, really, other than to confirm the face with the name, right? Ben hadn’t done the same just yet, but eventually he’d start pairing them. Right now, though, the dude at his door was his new focus…Sarah, his mom, and the kidnappers all left behind to focus on what was in front of him. Ben wasn’t sure what he made of the excuse, so his eyebrow shot up a bit. “Don’t think the explanation of the master plan or anything is posted on the doors, dude.” It definitely wasn’t that Ben assumed he was full of shit. Ben just wasn’t sure what info the doors would really give a person. “You one of the new arrivals?” Ben couldn’t remember having seen him, not even in passing, so far….so he had to assume he was, but he wanted a name. "Yeah, course not," he said, letting out a forced chuff of a laugh. "Apparently we aren't worthy of more instructions than the 'you are lab rats' pamphlet we all seemed to have got," he muttered, shaking his head. They didn't have much more than that to go on and that wasn't all that much really. He was trying to make himself think of anything to talk about and couldn't have been more thankful for Ben coming up with a question that wouldn't make him feel or look more awkward than he already did. "Yeah, he nodded. "Dean," he introduced himself. "Dean Winchester." He knew the name wouldn't ring a bell, but he couldn't help but hope somewhere in the back of his mind that maybe it would. He wanted to know if Lisa was there, if she was alright. He wanted to know a million different things. Ben and Lisa were the closest thing that Dean had ever had to a normal family and just seeing the kid that had always felt so much like his own was weighing heavily on his heart. Pretending that he didn't know him hurt more than he wanted to admit. Ben could actually appreciate what the guy was saying. That was what brought a bit of amusement to his face, despite the fact that he’d found some random guy outside his door. Ben was a lot of things, but unnecessarily violent wasn’t generally one of them. Plus, everyone here was out of their element and had been taken….maybe the guy was just wandering lost, who knew? “Course we’re not worthy of more info we’re just the subjects. Who gives a shit about informed consent or permission or not kidnapping people.” Ben spoke sarcastically before he moved, leaning himself against the wall of the hallway. Ben held his hand out, automatically, for a handshake once he’d gotten a name. “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, Dean, but this all sucks. So...y’know.” Ben was honest, no reason not to be, really. And Ben could...occasionally be friendly even if so far his social skills had been put on the backburner. Besides, the guy was new, so he probably was feeling at least some of the things Ben had felt his first day….overwhelmed, a little scared, pissed off, and really wanting answers. Ben was still feeling quite a few of those things himself. “You find your apartment already?” Dean couldn't help but smile a little as Ben sarcastically responded. A tiny part of him saw a lot of himself within the kid before him. As much as he tried to pretend there wasn't a connection between the two of them, he couldn't hide the flicker of sadness that reflected in his eyes. When Ben held his hand out, Dean took it and gave it a shake. "Yeah," he sighed. "Not very nice to meet you either," he assured the guy. There was no reason to bullshit through pretending that this was the happiest place on earth. It was no Disneyland, that was for damn sure. "Haven't been to it yet," he admitted. "I know it's on the sixth floor, though," he added as he dropped his hand back to his side. "The girl I woke up with found it and let me know," he explained. "Turns out my brother was already here so it's been an interesting few hours," he muttered. "You know anyone here from… well, before?" After shaking the guy’s hand, Ben settled where he was, his arms crossing again, though, definitely in a more relaxed position than before. Even though he was much more relaxed than before that didn’t mean that he was heading inside or inviting the dude in. He still didn’t know him, and Ben wasn’t quite that friendly. Seemed like the two of them definitely thought similarly, though, from what Ben could tell. Because the way he put his words only made Ben grin, a bit amused. “Got it, so that’s another five people including you and the girl you woke up with and Sarah plus the people she woke up with.” Ben was speaking more to himself than Dean. “Puts us at about 25 or 26 people here now.” And that just made it suck even more, really. Ben hated the fact that so many people were here, and so obviously in danger. Personally, Ben was glad, though, that he didn’t know anybody here...unlike this dude. “I’m sure interesting is an understatement.” Then, he shook his head, just automatically. “I know some people know others who’re here, but I’m not one of them, and I think I’d like to keep it that way, actually. Can’t imagine my mom or anybody I know stuck in this hellhole.” Dean found himself smiling just slightly when Ben mentioned that his mother wasn't there. He'd got the answer he'd wanted without actually having to be a creeper and ask it aloud. Lisa wasn't there. It was both good news and bad news. He hated that Ben was there, but - at least at the moment - Lisa had been spared being brought into the mess that they'd ended up in. He hoped that she stayed oblivious and where she was. "Yeah," he agreed. "I bet. Well, let's hope your mom and the people you know stay where they are, yeah?," he shrugged. The thought that there were nearly thirty people in the same situation had him shaking his head. "All these people just… plucked from different places. It's insane." He couldn't wrap his head around it no matter how hard he tried. "I don't get why some people came from the same places but others just came alone. Guess they - whoever they are - want to keep us guessin', huh?" Ben nodded, unable to help it. He was really glad that his mom, especially, wasn’t here. If she were...he didn’t know what the hell he’d be doing. “I sure as hell hope so. Especially my mom. She doesn’t belong in a hellhole like this.” Ben couldn’t help the protective instincts that he had toward his mom. He was the man of the house, and he was the only person that really was there to look after her and help her. And he always did his best. As for the other people here, Ben didn’t think that they deserved to be here either. And the entire thing….all of this...was crazy to him. “Yup, some from the same ones and some from different ones. Some even from shit I read back when I was a kid. I have no idea why any of us, why the same or different places. Maybe they don’t even have a reason, psychos don’t usually need one.” Ben was pretty sure kidnappers who stuck them in this fit the psycho bill. Dean felt the same way. Lisa deserved a hell of a lot better than being trapped in some hellhole. that was part of why he'd left. She deserved better than the life that he led. She'd deserved better than him. "Yeah," Dean found himself agreeing. The more the two talked, the more difficult it became to keep his emotions reined in. He had to, though. There was no other choice but to suck it up and be a man. He'd left for a reason, after all. Lisa deserved better, but so did Ben. "Yeah," he nodded, scratching the back of his head. "It's ridiculous," he muttered. He had a point, though; psychos didn't usually need a reason to do things. He'd gone through enough to know that sometimes there just wasn't a reason. "You're probably right. Not much to do now but try and survive til we figure out how the hell to get out of here. How long have you been here anyway?" Small talk wasn’t Ben’s forte. A part of him didn’t know why he’d made small talk with both Sarah and Dean, now, but at the same time….part of him was aware that they were all stuck here. that was important to keep in mind in all of this. Getting to know people, so that he could work with them, at least a little was probably smart. And so far Dean seemed to think a lot like Ben did. The way he dressed and carried himself sort of reminded him of himself too, actually. “I have a way of being right.” Ben joked with a bit of a half-hearted smirk before shrugging. “I’ve been here like five days now. Didn’t think I’d have been here for this long either.” Boy was that the truth. He’d assumed he’d have gotten out of here that day, or at least the next. And yet...here he was… “I was wrong about that one, though.” Ben scoffed a bit. Dean laughed at the snarkiness in Ben's comment. "It's a curse, isn't it?," he teased, flashing a smile at Ben. "Being right all the time, I mean. I, too, suffer from being right. Sammy can't stand it." It was easier to joke than to let the gravity of the situation hit him. A coping mechanism, he supposed, but it worked for now. Five days. About the same amount of time that Sam had been in the place. "I wonder if more people will come," he said, making a face that told his opinion on that situation. He hoped that no one else would get stuck where they were, but it worried him because it was a very real possibility. He'd come five days after Sam had come. Did that mean that there was still a danger that Lisa could wind up there too? It was hard enough to be around Ben, even the little they'd spoken. He didn't think he could handle being next to Lisa. Out of sight made it easier for them to be out of mind, but seeing her again would throw his world out of orbit. Ben nodded automatically. “Sure is.” A bit of a grin spread over his face. His mom had always teased him when he had his cocky moments like this. That made him miss her even more, actually. “My mom hates it, though. So, I guess she and your brother have shit in common.” Ben still hoped that they never got the chance to meet, though. it would be so much easier if he could quit thinking about his mom, worrying about her. It was all too easy for him to think about the fact that anybody could wind up here...and that meant that she could too. God, he didn’t want that, though. “If what’s happened so far is anything to go off of….yeah more people’ll show up. Sucks to say that, even think it, but seems like those are the facts.” Sucky facts, but facts. Ben didn’t know it without a shadow of a doubt, but going off the fact that 25 or so people had been taken and everything….didn’t seem far from fact. “Pisses me off, but until we figure out how to stop it or get out of here…” Ben shrugged, hating the helpless feeling and the fact that nothing could be done right now. "Yeah," Dean said with a little laugh and another crooked grin. Sam and Lisa had a lot more in common than Ben even realized. Most of Dean ached to tell Ben everything, but he knew better. He couldn't. Ben deserved better. He kept chanting that to himself internally, but it still didn't make him feel any better. Dean sighed. "Pisses me off too, kiddo," he said, shaking his head as soon as the words left his lips. "Ben," he amended. "Sorry. Ends up being a habit for anyone that looks more than five years younger than me," he lied. "Anyway, guess it's just a matter of trying to stay on a path forward til we can find a way out of this place. And hoping that no one else we know gets sucked in, yeah?" His stomach sank a little more and he tried to shake it off. He needed to talk to Sam, but he wasn't even sure what to say. Bottling it up was probably better, but it wasn't like there was any booze to drown the memories that had welled up inside of him. "Well, I, uh, don't wanna keep you. Sorry for loitering," he said, chuffing out an awkward laugh. "Guess I'll see you around?" Ben couldn’t help the look he gave Dean, hearing the name ‘kiddo’. His mom always seemed to look at him like he was a kid, even know. Ben didn’t look at himself like he was a kid anymore. He knew that he was an adult even though other people, apparently, didn’t see it. The correction was appreciated, but the moment still weird. “I’m not that young.” Ben commented, but shrugged it off. “It’s cool, just don’t go for kiddo again if you can help it, dude.” Ben said, still relatively friendly, even though he didn’t like being looked at as a kid. Ben was the man of his mom’s house, and had been, for a while. And maybe he just didn’t like feeling like a kid because he felt so much weight on his shoulders--weight that he put there, of course, but still. Ben nodded, agreeing with what Dean had to say. They had to stick it out and hope nothing shitty happened from here with people they cared about. “No problem, man. You’re no issue or anything.” Ben shrugged and then moved for his door. “I’m sure we’ll see one another around, there’s only so much area here, after all. Have fun settling in.” Ben commented, sarcastically, knowing that it would be nowhere near fun….ever. "I'll try to steer clear of the "kiddos"," he promised, flashing Ben a smile. It was second nature when Ben was involved, but Dean was going to do what he could to try and curb the urge to call the guy anything that sounded like he was babying him. He knew he didn't like the shit when he was Ben's age - goddamn, when did he grow up? - but it was still a hard habit to break. "Hold onto being young, though," he commented. "It goes pretty fast, trust me." "Yeah, only so much room," he agreed. "I'll see what I can do about having fun," he said, laughing a little to himself. He took a step away from Ben, then turned briefly. "I'm sure Lisa's fine, Ben. Don't worry too much about her." He didn't even catch the slip of saying "Lisa" instead of "your mom" as he turned around and headed off down the corridor. “Appreciate it.” Ben gave a nod and a bit of a smile. As far as he was concerned Dean didn’t seem too bad. Or, at the moment, he didn’t see anything that set him off, anyway. Ben usually went with his gut on things, and people. Giving a bit of a shrug Ben grinned. “Trust me, when I’m not in hellholes like this that’s not an issue.” Or, it usually wasn’t. Ben knew how to have fun...when he wasn’t hunting ghosts and things that went bump in the damn night. Ben turned the knob on his door and moved to step inside with a, “See ya around,” half tumbling out of his mouth before he stopped. Turning to watch the guy go, Ben couldn’t help but replay everything that had just been said. Had he mentioned his mom’s name? He didn’t think he had….he’d mentioned his mom several times, not only to Dean, but to Sarah, but….he didn’t know that he’d said her name at any point. So, what the hell? Ben wasn’t calling Dean back, but he couldn’t help but wonder what the fuck? Maybe there was something more to Dean than what Ben had first thought? Either way….he couldn’t remember saying the name Lisa… So, how did Dean know his mom’s name? That was another question onto the many Ben had about this place, these people, and one that he really intended to find out while he was stuck here. |