House of Strays: Ronan/Ben
[He wants to reach further, to comfort, to drag Ronan close to him until his t-shirt is wet with his tears and he can feel his expanding ribs against his own with every intake of breath. He can't though, doesn't, because his heart aches in a way that he can't quantify.
That is until he gets that spear of thought from Ronan. An anger that isn't strictly rational rises in him so fast that he can barely breathe.]
You're not -
[His jaw clenches and he shakes his head. Anger is a side effect of being hurt.] You're not property. [And he manages to make it come out evenly and without the bite of incredulous anger.] At some point you thought about it, you - you [a huff of a mirthless laugh] You thought about it and decided it was okay because it was a dream. What am I supposed to do with that? What, Ronan?
[He scrubbed a hand over his face, eyes closing as his palm ran from his brow down to his chin.] What am I supposed to do with that? [Asked again, but this time he only sounded tired.] I don't know if that's better or worse than you not thinking about me at all. I don't and I wish I did. [A sigh, and he shoved his kit into his bag.] We'll talk when I get back.