InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Bing bong! Bring it on!"

00.06 Ben Hargreeves (undeadhorror) wrote in somerealityrpg,
@ 2020-02-15 21:37:00

Entry tags:

inactive: jason todd

Who: Ben Hargreeves and Jason Todd
What: Random meetings!
Where: The Elevator of Goodlands
When: Saturday Evening

The high had been great. Ben had been social, he’d met new people and somehow hadn’t been overwhelmed by the fact that there were so many people on the dance floor. Hell, Ben had even made out with a few of them with the good help of his friends. He had been confident and so sure of himself. He hadn’t had anything to worry about and it had felt nice.

Which just made the low that much worse. He probably felt the same level of sad and shy that he always did, but compared to that person he was when he was sparkling… well, it wasn’t great. He had considered asking for people to come sit with him… but he realized how pathetic that sounded. Who would want to waste time sitting with him. Not when he was feeling the way he was. Maybe he should have taken a double dose of his antidepressant, but wouldn’t that be suspicious behavior as well? He had felt lower than he’d ever felt in goodland, but he didn’t want to be a burden on his friends of family.

Which is why he’d taken and book and his camera and he’d moved to go up to the roof. Maybe it wasn’t such a smart idea… given his mood at the moment to go to the highest point in the building, but he needed some fresh air. He knew there would be chairs for him to read in, or he could take pictures of the gardens at night. He anxiously tugged at his sleeves as he hopped into the elevator as the doors dinged, not even paying attention to the fact that someone else had been in there.

He sighed and pressed the button to the roof and shifted his back to the wall. It was the most comfortable position, with no one behind him. He finally glanced up at the other person.

“Jason?” Ben questioned. He hadn’t even realized that Jason had come back. He blinked, maybe his mind had been playing tricks on him. They’d only met a few times before Jason had been sent home, but the conversations they’d had… they both knew what it was like to die… to be in the void and then brought back. It was the sort of experience that stuck with someone, and the conversation had likewise stuck with Ben. “Uh. Sorry. I know this place… it’s weird. Uh. We’ve met before… like before you were here this time.” Why did he always sound like an idiot?

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jayyybird
2020-02-16 02:55 am UTC (link)

Jason hadn’t paid particular attention to someone else entering the elevator beyond a few normal calculations -- did he know them, were they a threat? No for both with this guy, though he did clock the not great mood inhabiting the elevator, but he knew that was at least partially his fault. Not much cause for one of those, especially when there wasn’t goddamn glitter from the sky forcing him into one.

But then his name was being said and he glanced over at the other guy. Because no, he didn’t know him, so being known set him on edge. Jason looked him over, reassessing if he seemed threatening, which still came up as a solid no.

The questions on the tip of his tongue were answered before he voiced them, the how of it all. This place was weird as hell, and he knew people came and went. Until now, he hadn’t known he’d been there before. Not that he talked to a ton of people that would have been able to tell him as much.

“Well, you’re not hitting me so I must not have been awful,” Jason replied, corner of his mouth twitching. “Who’re you?”

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undeadhorror
2020-02-16 03:23 am UTC (link)

Ben tried to flash the other man a smile, but it was something that he couldn’t quite muster. He nodded though, when Jason said that he wasn’t horrible. “Nah,” Ben reassured, “You were pretty cool. I met you at a party actually, I lived with a woman named Barbara who knew you, when I’d just arrived. You had been here for a little while. We uh. Bonded over some weird shit.” He let out a small chuckle then. It was awkward, because he didn’t know if Jason was from a time where he had died, he couldn’t remember all the little details of the story, or if he’d even gotten them at the time.

“I’m Ben Hargreeves.” He held out his hand, only because he knew that was what normal people did when they introduced themselves and not because he actually wanted to. He told himself to take a few deep breaths, and that everything was normal. “Sorry I’m not in a better mood.”

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jayyybird
2020-02-16 03:33 am UTC (link)

The familiar name made a flicker of a smile pass over Jason’s face. “Barbara Gordon,” he said, giving a shake of his head. It was too bad she wasn't still there, it would have made things interesting. Would have given Dick something to be distracted about, maybe fuck with Bruce, who knew. “‘Weird shit’ could cover pretty much my whole life.”

He shook Ben’s hand, taking a moment to study the other man and not just because Ben had thought he was pretty cool. “S’alright,” he added with a shrug as he leaned back against the wall. “Not really in a good one myself. You got something going on or… crash from the weird happy thing get you?”

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undeadhorror
2020-02-16 03:49 am UTC (link)

“Yeah, that was her. Red headed? Really enjoyed cupcakes?” It might not be the exact one that Jason knew, the universe was strange like that, especially in Goodland, but at least he recognized the name. “Mine too.” He said honestly. The Hargreeves had their own twisted way of strange, but it suited them mostly.

Ben nervously ran a hand through his hair before tapping on his temple. “Little bit broken in there,” He said, trying to make a half-hearted joke about his own mental struggles, as if that would lighten the mood. “Nothing happened, I’m just… I’m not handling the crash very well at all. I don’t fancy dying again tonight, so I thought I would get some fresh air.” He probably shouldn't have said that, but it was true. He knew that it tended to make people feel bad for him, or uncomfortable, when he mentioned his death, and he tended not to do it often especially around his family, but sometimes he couldn't help it.

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jayyybird
2020-02-16 06:14 pm UTC (link)

Jason gave a hum of confirmation when Ben described Barbara, because even if she hadn’t been the Barbara he knew, that was definitely her. His gaze followed Ben’s hand as he lifted it to tap again his temple, brow furrowing slightly but he stayed quiet and let Ben speak uninterrupted. Then when dying was brought up, the corner of his mouth twitched.

“Yeah, dying’s a bitch.” He assumed that was something past-Goodland him might have bonded with Ben over, as had been mentioned earlier. Not a whole lot of people with that shared life experience. “Let’s definitely avoid that.” He ran his hand over his face, shrugging a shoulder. “I get it. Stuff sucks, having that bullshit happy whatever fucking with us a few days… kind of makes normal feel worse now it’s gone.”

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undeadhorror
2020-02-16 07:23 pm UTC (link)

Ben couldn’t help but smirk at Jason’s comment. Dying was a bitch, even if it was only a shadow of a memory in Ben’s mind… something that he had received memory of while he was here, but something that he had yet to experience in his own timeline.

He tapped at the camera that had slung around his neck, “I thought that maybe I could distract myself. Either with a book or with taking pictures. The view from the roof is nice, if you don’t get too close to the ledge.” He nodded a little. “What are your plans for the evening?”

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jayyybird
2020-02-17 01:48 am UTC (link)

Glancing down at the camera, Jason quirked an eyebrow then let his gaze move back up to meet Ben's. He gave a shrug in response to the question about his plans. Easy answer: he didn’t have any. Honestly, it was easier to avoid the apartment most of the time. With Dick, Bruce, Dick and Kori… he wished he had a place of his own. He’d gone and found a hidden spot with Kori earlier that evening, but it was far from being a legit hideaway.

“Not a whole lot of plans,” he replied after a moment. “I like the roof. You don’t like heights?” At least, he thought that might be a possibility with Ben mentioning staying away from the ledge.

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