InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "YOUR FACE."

Gabriel's knees are always (skinned) wrote in rooms,
@ 2014-05-13 22:50:00

Entry tags:

!marvel comics, *log, *voice, benjamin sorenson, ronan xander

Ben S
[Phone call.]

Ring.

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	Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 02:57 am UTC (link)
	[After two rings.] Hello? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 03:02 am UTC (link)
	[There's a pause before his reply comes, because he has to concentrate. The phone in his hand is buzzing with information and commands and it's filling up his head, and it takes a few moments before he can push all of that down far enough to focus on the actual words.] Hey. You alright? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 03:05 am UTC (link)
	[A sigh, lots of tension. Is he doing the right thing? Should he reach out to Liam or leave him be?] I'm well enough. You? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 03:07 am UTC (link)
	[Frowning. He can't get any sort of feeling from Ben over the phone, but the sigh isn't exactly reassuring.] Bullshit, mate. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 03:14 am UTC (link)
	[A humorless laugh.] People should be forgiven, none of us are perfect creatures, and yet I can't, because he -- he couldn't even tell me what happened. He doesn't feel guilt over what he did, he feels guilt at getting caught. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 03:18 am UTC (link)
	[The frown deepens.] What did he do? [Because of course they're talking about Liam, who else would it be? He takes a long, slow pull off his cigarette and there's the noise of metal slamming against metal as one of the dishwashers heaves a bag of trash into the skip; he's out in the alley behind the diner.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 03:37 am UTC (link)
	[Another sigh. To tell? To not?] He shot up with a -- drug addicted prostitute and they had sex. [Surprisingly little inflection about the whole damn thing.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 03:43 am UTC (link)
	[What follows could almost certainly qualify as a stunned sort of silence.] Fuck. [Another rasping drag on the cigarette, because he doesn't know what the hell else to do.] I'm so sorry, Ben. Christ. Are you at home right now? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 03:48 am UTC (link)
	[Deep, audible inhale.] Nothing for you to be sorry for, Ronan. And yeah. I told him he could come by, but he hasn't. And [exhale] I'm kinda glad he didn't. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 03:52 am UTC (link)
	No shit. [Short, sharp sigh - and then the sound of a car door falling shut, heavy and echoing down the phone line.] I'm also sorry if it feels like I'm prying. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 03:55 am UTC (link)
	[Quickly, because it doesn't feel that way.] No, not at all. We all used to live right on top of each other. [A quieter sigh and a creak of his bed as he stretches across the mattress.] Are you on your way home? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 03:58 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, I got tipped enough to catch a cab. Is that alright? I can stop at the coffee shop if you need some time, Ben. [Not that he wants to, but that's secondary. He wants to look his roommate in the eye and make sure that he's okay, on some level. Because he's not sure what he'd do otherwise.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 04:04 am UTC (link)
	[Quickly.] No. [Then slower.] No, I'm okay. Not going to go on any yelling streaks or go out partying until I can't feel my feet. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 04:09 am UTC (link)
	[A beat. He doesn't feel any particular inclination to believe the other man, but that's alright. For now. Ronan pulls a couple of wrinkled bills out of his pocket and hands them over to the driver as the cab comes to a stop, climbing out of the back seat.] Good to know. In a couple seconds, that's me coming in. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 04:16 am UTC (link)
	[And on cue, both dogs perk up as the car comes to a halt out front.] Not going to say I didn't think about it, but neither of those is going to help. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Phone call: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 04:19 am UTC (link)
	[He can feel the other presence, as he steps through the door. A press of a button ends the call and he's aiming his voice in the direction of Ben's bedroom as he kicks off his shoes in the front hall.] I think that depends entirely on your definition of 'helping'. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 04:42 am UTC (link)
	[With the click, he hangs up his phone as well. He thinks about it for a moment before calling back.] A temporary feel-good solution. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

skinned
2014-05-14 04:49 am UTC (link)

[He leans against the wall in the front entrance, one hand splayed out on the white plaster, as every fibre of his being fights to keep the noise inside his head down to a dull roar. He's silent for several long moments and then he lets out a quiet, resigned sigh. He manages to take one step towards Ben's bedroom. Then another.]

Don't you think that there are less destructive ways to distract yourself? [And yeah, Ronan more than recognizes the irony of his statement.]

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	Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 05:49 am UTC (link)
	Why do you think I'm here, doing neither of them? [Both the dogs start wagging their tails from where they are on the bed, but neither gets up to go greet Ronan yet.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X skinned 2014-05-14 05:52 am UTC (link)
	[A clenched fist means that his nails dig into his palm, and the pain provides a much-needed distraction from the waves of thought and feeling that bombard him as soon as he comes within just a few feet of his roommate.] Debilitating joint pain in your old age? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X agoodman 2014-05-14 07:25 am UTC (link)
	This is what you have to look forward to in what, two years? Better get used to it now. [Of course there's no joint pain. One arm crosses over his face, just above his eyes so the room goes dark for a moment.] How was work? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

skinned
2014-05-14 08:04 am UTC (link)

[He takes a minute to lean against the doorway, metaphorically dipping his toes into the room in anticipation of the thoughts and emotions that whirl around in the air between them. He's relieved to find that things feel... cloudy. Muddled and unclear. All he gets is a sense of exhaustion, muted even as Ben shields his eyes with one arm.]

God forbid. I'm hoping that eternal youth and beauty is going to be a side effect of the - [A pause, because he's still not ready to say the word. Telepathy.] Y'know. [Even though Ben's eyes are still covered, Ronan cocks his fingers like a gun pointing to his temple, as he takes a couple of steps into the room and moves to lean against the foot of the bed.]

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Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

agoodman
2014-05-14 08:13 am UTC (link)

[His chin dips down to his chest, low enough that one eye can crack open to peer at Ronan.] Should I start calling you Ganymede now? [Ben definitely sounds like he's teasing before his chin comes back up.

He's doing his best to mask his feelings about Liam, knowing how easily the transfer happens to Ronan, but most of what he feels is muddled. Cloudy. Talking to Sam helped a bit and he's trying not to be worried about what Trystan said, but there's still a lot of concern for Liam clinging to his thoughts.]

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Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

skinned
2014-05-14 08:29 am UTC (link)

[A crease appears between his eyebrows as he dredges up his history lessons and recalls what he can of the mythological figure, torn between a wry smile and a disapproving frown.] Let's not, yeah? The whole pederasty thing has too much of an 'ick' factor.

[He glances back over at Ben where he's peeking beneath the blindfold of his arm - but then he's seeing Liam's eyes, wide and shining wet and full of sadness, and suddenly the front of his head is aching and heavy. He pulls his gaze away and stares at the floor, unseeing, reaching up to rub his index and middle fingers against the bridge of his nose.

But he doesn't do this for long, because he doesn't want Ben to worry.] You hungry? I was thinking I could fix us something. [His smile might not be entirely sincere, but it's a sight better than what he's been able to manage over the last couple of weeks when trying to convince Ben that he's doing okay.]

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Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

agoodman
2014-05-14 08:21 pm UTC (link)

[There was a faint grin at that, but with his eyes closed under his arm, he didn't see the pinch to the bridge of Ronan's nose. Nor the way that the he looked away, eyes unseeing for a moment.

But the question finally does get him to look. He can't spend the day in here ignoring the rest of the world.] Yeah. Yeah, I could eat. [But he's not really looking forward to staying inside and while he decided against going out and doing anything he'd regret in the morning, but maybe going out for something to eat might be better.]

What do you think about going out instead?

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Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

skinned
2014-05-15 04:48 am UTC (link)

[For a moment, he's so wrapped up in the weight of sadness that has been placed without ceremony on his chest that it's all he can do to keep from cursing a blue streak, or vomiting all over Ben's bedroom floor. And he's been doing so well with the nausea since that first time, too - hardly more than a dizzy spell every now and then, when a particularly violent or disruptive thought has been forced in without warning.

But he knows that Ben has missed the opportunity to fret over Ronan's pained expression, and that actually makes him feel better. It's a good thing, to know that for once he isn't contributing to the source of his roommate's worry.]

You craving anything in particular? Because I could kill for some Korean barbecue, and there's... [He slips his phone out of his pocket again, holding the device in his palm without actually activating the touch screen. His jaw goes slack for all of eight seconds and his eyes seem far-away, glazed over, while the skin of his hand tingles and burns with the communication of info.] Like, six places within walking distance.

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Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

agoodman
2014-05-15 06:03 am UTC (link)

[He misses the pain, but not that slack jaw nor the fact that Ronan isn't touching the screen at all. And while Ronan might have qualms about calling his gift what it is, Ben doesn't.] Are you communicating telepathically to your phone? [It's a question, definitely a question, but Ben is sitting up in bed now, and Freki gives a grunt of annoyance at the sudden move.]

Korean barbecue is fine. [Said as he runs his hands down each one of the dog's backs to settle them again.] Maybe I should call you Google Fu Master instead of Ganymede. [Grinning as he starts to slide off the bed. Plenty of people might be disturbed by Ronan's powers, Liam's, or Lizzie's, but it isn't a big deal to Ben. Thor can be thanked for that one.]

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Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

skinned
2014-05-18 09:08 pm UTC (link)

[He shoots Ben a sharp, sideways glance, fingers tightening around his phone for a second before he shoves it back in the pocket of his jeans. A quick, defensive 'no' is on the tip of his tongue, but instead he just rolls his eyes.] It's a hell of a lot easier than actually using the thing, believe it or not. As soon as I try to unlock the screen, it's like... being shouted at by a really bitchy version of Siri. At least this way I don't get such a migraine.

[Ronan reaches out to ruffle the fur on the back of Freki's neck, enjoying the brief rush of quiet that he gets when he focuses on the dogs. He tries to hold back a smile and fails, so he settles on another eye roll.] Lame. At least Ganymede was clever. Come on, old man.

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Re: Marvel: House of Strays: Ben S/Ronan X

agoodman
2014-05-22 07:43 am UTC (link)

[His explanation gets the raise of an eyebrow, but not much more.There's nothing he can do to change it and if he had it within his abilities to help Ronan with his telepathy, he would, but he doesn't. What he can do is accept Ronan and do what he can to make his life as normal as possible.

And at the comment about his age, he smacks Ronan lightly on the hip with the back of his hand.] Enough of that or I'm going to have to go get a cane to harass you with.

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