InsaneJournal

Who: Ben (Soldier Boy) & Waverly Earp
Where: Apartments
When: May 7, 2023 - early evening
What: Fear Gas
Warnings: Reference to torture, allusions to awesome sex, and drugs.

Since they were both working the same shift, Waverly and Ben had decided to go to work together. He was just getting his shit together when she came over, and he let her in the apartment while he finished getting ready. He had just done a few lines, and the powdery residue was visible on the dark brown breakfast table. Most of his stuff was already at the Den, but he liked to bring a change of clothes, just in case. Along with a few joints to tide him over at work. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my damn shoes. It’s just me in here. You would think I’d know where shit was.” Ben grumbled to himself and sat down on the couch to pull on his sneakers. His place was a bit of a mess, but he didn’t really care. “You need anything before we leave?” It was nice that she could wear whatever she wanted to at work. Waverly wasn’t big into fashion, or showing off what she’s got, but she did like to look good. Not only did it help with tips, but it helped soothe the ouchy places she carried inside. “You take longer to get ready than I do!” she called out to Ben with amusement in her voice. Waverly may seem sweet and innocent, but she knew what that powder on the table was. She sighed to herself but never said anything. It was his life. And nosebleeds. Ben could be as self-destructive as he wanted. She didn’t have the right to say anything. She smiled when he came back out. “I’m surprised you can find anything in this chaos.” Waverly giggled then shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.” "Please, I do not." Ben rolled his eyes and finished lacing up the one sneaker, moving to the other quickly. "What can I say? I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Flunked out of boarding school, went to the army, where I then became a superhero and never had to do a damn thing myself. You have no fucking idea how long I took to figure out laundry, and I still don't think I have it right." He released a heavy sigh and reached up to run a hand through his hair. Ben grabbed a joint and placed it between his lips, ready to light up once they got outside. Out of nowhere, he tensed considerably, and the joint fell from his lips. "No, don't you fucking dare!" He shouted loudly, his pupils dilated, a light sweat coating his body. His arms were locked at his sides, and his head was completely stiff. "You mother fucking sons of bitches!!!" Ben shouted again, visibly cringing in pain. His jaw clenched tightly and he sucked in a deep breath, unable to move as he was injected with a lethal poison that caused him to feel like his insides were being bathed in acid. “I told you I can help you with laundry,” Waverly said. Judging by the state of his clothes he really, really was doing it wrong. Oh, they were clean, but only just. She had nothing against smoking weed. It was natural, after all. She even enjoyed some from time to time. Waverly jumped in place when Ben shouted. She spun around with her eyes wide. Her eyes blinked as she gaped for a moment then she sighed. “Oh god, Ben. How much coke did you do?” She walked over to the couch then sat down next to him. This could be a while. “Hey. Look at me.” Waverly snapped her fingers in front of Ben’s face. “Look at me. C’mon.” He couldn't hear her at all, and he started repeating some random Russian words, copying what the scientist was saying as he documented everything he was doing. In his mind he was secured to a cold, metal slab, wearing only a pair of pants. He wanted to cry, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of doing so. His jaw dropped open and he started to scream loudly, an entire round of bullets being fired into his open mouth from an AK-47. It finally stopped and he remained still, his chest heaving rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. "I. Will. Kill. YOU!" He shouted, and suddenly his arm flung up into the air. No longer restricted on the table, he got up from the couch and started to run to the door, only to suddenly fall to the ground, hitting his head on the corner of a table. At first Waverly thought maybe someone sold Ben some coke laced with something really bad, but then the Russian clicked with something he’d told her before. He was reliving some of the crap he’d been through in the past. Either this was a really bad trip or something weird was going on. Either way, Waverly had to help him. She yelped when he suddenly took off. “Ben!” Waverly scrambled after him, but not quickly enough to keep him from hitting his head. “Shit. Oh shit.” She skidded to a halt and crouched down. “Ben! Can you hear me?” She stroked her fingers over his cheek…not realizing that her angel powers kicked in to help heal him up. He was passed out completely, knocked out by Novichok gas in his head. Ben was out for about five minutes before he took a deep breath and scrambled to sit up, looking around in a panic. "Nyet! I'm not going in that fucking box!!!" He cried out in a panic, desperate to break free. Ben started to run like nobody's business, and he flew out of the apartment and down the hall. He ran towards the stairwell and tripped over his laces, taking a tumble down the stairs. He ended up on the landing of the next floor, his breath ragged and heavy as he slowly came to. His hands patted over his body and he moved to sit up swiftly. “Ben!” Waverly pulled back and fell on her ass when he suddenly jumped up and ran. “...son of a bitch…” She sighed as she got to her feet then ran after him. And he was down again. Waverly scrambled down the stairs, but this time came to a halt without touching him. “Hey. Are you ok? It’s me. Waverly.” If this was just a shadow of what he’d gone through… He stared at her blankly, chest heaving rapidly as he slowly came down from whatever that was. Ben was silent, trying to figure out what to say to her. "Yeah, of course. I know who you are." He nodded, his fingers scratching at the back of his neck. He had no idea what happened, but he knew it had nothing to do with the drugs since he could actually feel everything. It wasn't just in his head. He looked down at his feet and noted the untied laces, bending over to tie them again. "We should hurry, before we're late." Ben jogged up the stairs and went down the hall, back to his apartment. “What?” Ok now she was beginning to get a headache. “Like hell we are!” Waverly ran after him…again…but when she got into the apartment after he went in she slammed the door and stood in front of it with her arms crossed. “Something’s wrong, Ben. Something’s really wrong and you really don’t want to go through that at the Den. Do you?” She had her version of a challenging but stubborn look on her face. "The only thing wrong is that we haven't left the building yet." He replied simply, bending over to pick up the joint that had fallen from his lips earlier. "Waverly, please," Ben laughed in amusement and shook his head while he grabbed his bag. "You can't stop me from leaving. Whatever it was, it's over now. I'm fine." Though, she did have a point. One he hadn't considered. What if it did happen again? He would never be able to show his face there again. "Okay, fine. But I need to go out to smoke, and you should go to work yourself. I'll walk you." “Oh can’t I?” Her brows lifted as she set her jaw. “Come at me, bro. I’m tougher than I look.” And she was banking that he wouldn’t want to hurt her…while he was in his right mind. She could understand his need for a hit after that so Waverly relented. “Fine. Outside to smoke then right back in here. I’ll call Kenny. You know he won’t care, and Xan will cover for me.” And she was glad Wynonna was off or she’d want to know why Waverly called off. "Waverly," Ben just sighed and walked towards her. His hands came out to rest firmly on her waist, and he lifted her into the air, holding her up over his head for a second before letting her fall back into his arms. "I don't need to come at you when I can do that." Still holding her in his arms, he went to grab his keys and lighter, heading out the door with her. "Why are you insisting on staying with me? If it happens again there's not much you can do." The fact that it had happened at all was a little unsettling, but he wasn't going to tell her that. She squeaked when he lifted her up then couldn’t help but giggle. Stupid strong people, but it was kind of funny. She could admit that much. She did wriggle to be let down. Not that she really minded him carrying her, but he didn’t HAVE to. “Because friends don’t leave friends to deal with flashbacks like that.” A caring smile came to her lips and warmed her eyes. “I don’t want you dealing with that by yourself.” Upon hearing the word flashbacks, he set her down swiftly. "It was a hallucination, Waverly. Not a flashback. Not sure what gave you that impression." Ben had no idea what had even happened, or how he'd acted. He just knew he had managed to fall down the stairs, and then she was looking at him funny. He reached out to hit the down button on the elevator, and waited impatiently for it to arrive. "It was probably the drugs." If she thought he would talk about it, she was sorely mistaken. The doors opened and he waited for her to step on before doing so himself, hitting the button for the lobby. Waverly blinked at him with a look on her face that said she wasn’t fooled one bit. “I know a flashback when I see one, Ben.” She stood beside him while they waited for the elevator. “Bad batch of coke? Pretty sure I’d be taking your ass to the ER, draped over the back of your bike if that was the case.” She smirked as she nudged him with her elbow then got in the elevator, but she wasn’t about to shut up. “You spoke Russian. Threatened to kill some motherfucker. And you looked like you were in gobs amount of pain.” “Waverly,” Ben sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “There is literally nothing in this world that could kill me. I would not need to visit a hospital for a bad batch of coke. There’s only one thing that I know of that has a negative effect on me. It puts me to sleep. Whereas, if anyone else were subjected to it? It’s lights out forever, and it’s fucking awful.” He leaned back against the wall and shrugged. “I threaten to kill motherfuckers all the time. That’s not new.” He was going to play this game? Fine. Waverly was better at it than he was after dealing with Wynonna all her life and now Doc. Her eyes narrowed for exactly one moment in a brief warning. Then she jammed her finger against the Emergency Stop button which brought the elevator to a jolting halt. While he was probably still surprised, she advanced on him to back him up. “Benjamin, I am your friend. You can trust me. Do not lie to me. Ever. You trusted me enough to tell me some of your history before so why are you being so stupid about it now?” She stood in front of him, definitely in his personal space, crossed her arms and looked adorably stubborn. “But even if you continue to act like a dumbass about this, there is no way I’m fucking leaving you alone tonight to deal with this shit so stop already!” She paused. “Please.” Now that, had been completely unexpected, and he found it incredibly arousing. Very calmly, he placed the joint behind his ear and ran his tongue across his lips. If she wanted to invade his personal space, well, then he would do the same. Looking down at Waverly, he advanced toward her until she was against the wall. His hands came out, and he grabbed her by the face, dropping his head to press a slow and passionate kiss to her mouth. “You’re more than welcome to spend the night with me under the sheets.” Ben grinned crookedly, his nose brushing against hers as he stood against her, waiting for a response. That…was not expected at all. Waverly thought he’d continue to argue with her. Maybe pick her up and move her again. Not…that! That was dear god hot! She was left breathless at first. When it returned her breathing was rapid and her heartbeat all but pounded in her chest. From just a kiss and a nose snuggle? Had it been that long since she…and especially with a guy! That had been a lot longer. This was a bad idea. A really bad idea… She didn’t say anything, just wrapped her hands behind Ben’s neck and pulled him back for more kisses. Ben was ready for a slap to the face, but he was pleasantly surprised when she returned his advance. *Fade to black.* After one round in the elevator, they decided to go back up to his place. When they got off the elevator, someone was standing there, impatiently waiting and tapping their foot. Ben looked at them with a shrug and placed his arm around Waverly. “That’s what the stairs are for.” The door to his place had barely closed before they were going at it again, and eventually, they made their way to his bed. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but they were lying there together, tangled up in the sheets, sweaty and breathless. “Fuck,” Ben mumbled and rolled over onto his back, both hands rubbing over his face. “Now I really need to smoke.” He moved to sit up and glanced over at her next to him with a smile. “You want a drink or anything while I’m up?” Waverly gave a full body stretch with a pleased smile on her face. That had been…a LOT of fun! Especially the elevator and seeing the look on the person’s face. She’d had a moment of panic at first. That person could have been Wynonna or Doc. She’d lucked out. “Water. No, orange juice!” She gave a cute whimper. “Or Gatorade. Oh god, electrolytes! But OJ would be perfect, too.” "Gatorade it is," Ben nodded and walked out of the bedroom, his arms stretching out overhead as he rolled his head slowly. He grabbed a few bottles of Gatorade, along with some chips and cookies, and carried it all back to the bedroom. "Just in case you're hungry." He informed her with a smile and set the bottle of Gatorade down on the nightstand. Ben walked around to the other side of the bed and fell down against the mattress with a soft groan. "You planning to stay the night, or do you have to go back to your place?" “Oh!” Waverly giggled. “I must have impressed you if you’re letting me eat cookies in bed. I mean, it’s not the same as crackers but crumbs are crumbs.” No way she was giving them back, however. The sugar would be helpful, too. She drank about a third of the Gatorade then flopped back against the pillows. “I should probably go home or Wynonna will panic.” Waverly knew how to hide things from her sister. Long years of experience. She knew there could be a chance she’d fail, but she knew what steps to take. She took another drink, set it back on the nightstand then rolled onto her side toward Ben. “But if there’s a chance you’ll have another flashback I can stay.” Ben shrugged, not really bothered by crumbs in the bed since he didn't really feel them. He sat up against the headboard and twisted the cap off on his own bottle, chugging it down swiftly. "Yeah, I kind of figured you wouldn't be able to stay." It was a little disappointing, but he understood, and he didn't want her getting in trouble. Even though she was old enough to make her own decisions. At the mention of a flashback, he heaved a dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes. "Wasn't a flashback. I'll be fine, Waverly. I'm a big boy, don't worry about me. If something happens again, I promise I'll survive." He wasn't really concerned. Even if he jumped out the window, he would be fine. She looked up at him with her head propped by her hand, her elbow on the pillow. Her expression showed open concern. No pity. He wouldn’t appreciate that, though she did feel bad for him that he was being forced into reliving all that. He was her friend. Waverly had a big heart for the people she accepted into her life. And after what they just did? He was stuck with her. “It’s not about surviving,” she said. “It’s about not being alone. You don’t have to be alone. There’s things in my past I wouldn’t want to relive, let alone by myself.” "I managed to make it this far on my own." Seeing as how he had been mostly alone for close to forty years now, it really wasn't something that bothered him. He was more used to being alone than he was being with others. At this point in his life, it was par for the course. "Seriously, Waverly. I'm like a rock." In fact, if it happened again, he wouldn't want her witnessing it a second time. Just the once was bad enough. He finished off his bottle of Gatorade and let out a burp, setting the empty bottle on the nightstand next to him. Waverly tilted her head as she looked at Ben in silence. That look of concern blended into a bit of sadness. He was just going to keep pushing her away on this. She couldn’t force him to take what she was offering. “Yeah, ok…” She sighed then sat up. Her legs were tossed over the side of the bed then she began to grab up her clothes. Ben watched her closely, noticing how her cheery demeanor had faded rather quickly. "Finished leaving cookie crumbs in my bed already?" He wasn't sure what she was looking for. He had never been one to share how he was feeling, unless it was anger or arousal. Those were the only two emotions he felt comfortable revealing. His mother had passed when he was only five, and his father had barely paid him any attention at all. Ben had always been on his own. It was unusual for him to give a fuck about how he made others feel, but it was different with Waverly, and he didn't know why. "You're not really going to leave me all pouty. Are you?" Waverly glanced over her shoulder, sighed then smiled a little as she walked around to his side of the bed, her clothes in a wad in her arms. She sat on the edge of the bed so she was facing him. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m a rock.” One brow twitched as if in challenge. She set her clothes on the bed then began to dress. "No, you're not fine, Waverly. But if you want to insist, be my guest." Ben reached over to grab the remote for the television and turned it on. "You know, when they finally invented a remote for the television, it was fucking revolutionary. Sometimes I can't believe how far we've come." He reached up and bent his arm at the elbow, scratching at his right shoulder. "Not that it matters much lately. Everything sucks. Speaking of sucking, did you know Captain Douchebag is not only here, but he's married and runs a babysitting factory? I can't even imagine." Ben scoffed in amusement, reaching over to tear into the chips. "Do you need an elevator escort back to your place?" Wow. He really didn’t get the point. Now, not only was she offended at being pushed away, but she was hurt at how easily she was being dismissed. That sparked her anger. Her brows came down sharply, and the action of getting dressed became rushed. She was being especially quiet, not trusting herself to talk. It took until she was jamming her feet into her shoes that she finally managed to snip out a few words. “Nope. Pretty sure I know how to find the elevator.” He watched her quietly, and he could tell by the way she shoved her feet into her shoes that she wasn't happy about something. What that was exactly, he couldn't say. "Yeah, I know you can find the elevator," Ben mumbled to himself, fingers scratching over his jaw. "Right, so…" did he say something wrong? Was she waiting for him to do something he hadn't? "You want to take the cookies with you?" Maybe it was close to her time of the month? “No.” All she wanted was to get out of here before she started shouting. She didn’t understand why he was being this way. He’d been a lot nicer to her before. Now he was treating her only a smidge better than he did everyone else. And that hurt. Because now she was thinking he’d only been that nice to her so he could get in her pants. Shit. She was such a dumbass. And now she was rushing for the door before she could start to cry. He sat there in total confusion, and then suddenly she was heading for the door like a bat out of hell and he wasn't about to let her leave upset. Ben pulled his pants on quickly and hurried after her. "Waverly, hey. What's going on?" He wouldn't stop her from leaving, if that's what she really wanted, but he couldn't just pretend he didn't notice. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" She whirled around on him and started shouting. “Why are you freezing me out? You’re treating me like you treat everyone else! Why?! You were nice to me all this time. I effing defended you to people because I know you’re nice!” She poked him in the chest with a finger for emphasis. “Or was this it? You were just being nice until I slept with you?!” She at least had a good head of steam going so the tears weren’t going to fall. Not yet, anyway. Her comment stung, and he looked down at her, letting her do whatever she needed to. If she wanted to hit him, he wouldn't stop her. "Yeah, that's exactly what happened." Ben dropped his head and looked away from her, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I just wanted to see how long it would take before I managed to get you in bed." His voice was soft as he spoke, and he continued to avoid her eyes. He was lying, but he realized this was the perfect opportunity to send her packing and avoid causing her any further pain. "I flat out told you I wasn't a nice guy, but you didn't want to listen." She knew he was lying. He wouldn’t look her in the face, and he was talking more quietly than she ever heard him speak before. Waverly sighed. “Am I your friend?” She decided to go with a different tactic. He reached up to massage the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh at her question. "First you accuse me of just using you for your body, and now you're asking if I'm your friend?" Had women always been this complicated? "Yeah, sure. You're my friend. What about it?" Waverly reached out to take one of Ben’s hands. “If that’s all it had been you wouldn’t have stopped me from storming out.” She gave his hand a little shake as if to snap him out of it. “But you did stop me. So I know I’m your friend, but I wanted to hear you say it..” It was important that he acknowledge their friendship. In her eyes, it would be huge. It would mean she did actually mean something to someone other than Doc or Wynonna. Right now, that was really important to her. He cocked his head to the side and looked down at her with a raised brow. Anyone else and he probably would have read them the riot act. Ben stood there awkwardly, staring down at their hands joined together. He wasn't used to this kind of interaction and he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing. "Great. I'm glad we got that cleared up." He offered her a polite smile and a nod. "So…I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow?" That was probably the best she was going to get right now, and honestly, she was tired of trying to get through to him. Being tired was his fault anyway. Waverly felt like her knees wouldn’t be within speaking distance of each other for a while. She let a breath out through her nose then gave him a smaller version of her usual smile. “Yeah. Ok.” She gave his hand another squeeze before she let it go. “Give me a call. If you need anything.” Not that she would expect one.