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There weren’t many things that interested Benji these days, at least not civ wise. He’d go to school, come home, hug his mom, then hide in his room until night fell and he could patrol once again. His mind was far too preoccupied with those who just seemed to taunt and torment him recently, and despite him trying his best not to let words and taunts bother him, Benji found it happening all the time.
At first it was only when he patrolled, which was to be expected given he was a hot headed young man who was quick to snarl and fight, but more and more, it happened at school too. The lonely weird kid with one eye. Patchy the pirate, One-eyed Shorty McDouchebag. The freak of a loner who only ever talked to plants and had no friends. For a long he just ignored it and did his best to just go about his day, knowing his grades were better than 99% of them, and looked forward to just toiling away in the HITS greenhouse after school.
Nowadays he couldn’t help but let those words affect him. He couldn’t fight here; one more incident, and he’d be kicked out and his scholarship revoked, and Benji wasn’t quite brave enough to go and report the taunting, since, to him, he would only be inviting more taunting. One would truly think that there would be a significant lack of bullies in a place like this where they were all ******** nerds. Only the minor thoughts that they were wrong, that he HAD friends, kinda, they just didn’t go to this school, was what kept his fists by his side rather than flying off the rail, not that he didn’t WANT to.
All the bullying left him in a pissed off mood, and he was looking forward to when night fell and he could do his normal hunt for Chaos to beat the s**t out of. More often than not he was called a bully when he was powered, but hey, that wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t as if the Negaverse Scum and the Dark Mirror Court Bastards HAD to power up. And THEY were the ones who actively went out and stole people’s energies and their very SOULS. So no matter what they said, he wasn’t the bully here, he was a protector.
Speaking of being a protector, he heard the rumbling of what sounded like a fight off to the side. You didn’t really hear much of that kinda thing these days, he thought to himself, but there it was when he poked his head around a corner. A boy with a rather obnoxious hairjob was just getting wailed on… Wait… He KNEW that hairjob, and he knew that dumb face that was getting pummeled.
Though he was going to fly in and help anyway, since he had that dumb hero complex in his head, once he noticed it was someone he had considered almost a friend, he lost it and bolted right into the fight, placing a well-aimed kick into the side of one of the attackers. <******** OFF, YOU ASSHOLES! Leave the kid alone!” He growled at them, prepared to send another series of kicks and punches at them. He liked to call him a kid, but they both knew Benji was one hell of a runt. When it came down to it. A runt who could fight.
At first it was only when he patrolled, which was to be expected given he was a hot headed young man who was quick to snarl and fight, but more and more, it happened at school too. The lonely weird kid with one eye. Patchy the pirate, One-eyed Shorty McDouchebag. The freak of a loner who only ever talked to plants and had no friends. For a long he just ignored it and did his best to just go about his day, knowing his grades were better than 99% of them, and looked forward to just toiling away in the HITS greenhouse after school.
Nowadays he couldn’t help but let those words affect him. He couldn’t fight here; one more incident, and he’d be kicked out and his scholarship revoked, and Benji wasn’t quite brave enough to go and report the taunting, since, to him, he would only be inviting more taunting. One would truly think that there would be a significant lack of bullies in a place like this where they were all ******** nerds. Only the minor thoughts that they were wrong, that he HAD friends, kinda, they just didn’t go to this school, was what kept his fists by his side rather than flying off the rail, not that he didn’t WANT to.
All the bullying left him in a pissed off mood, and he was looking forward to when night fell and he could do his normal hunt for Chaos to beat the s**t out of. More often than not he was called a bully when he was powered, but hey, that wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t as if the Negaverse Scum and the Dark Mirror Court Bastards HAD to power up. And THEY were the ones who actively went out and stole people’s energies and their very SOULS. So no matter what they said, he wasn’t the bully here, he was a protector.
Speaking of being a protector, he heard the rumbling of what sounded like a fight off to the side. You didn’t really hear much of that kinda thing these days, he thought to himself, but there it was when he poked his head around a corner. A boy with a rather obnoxious hairjob was just getting wailed on… Wait… He KNEW that hairjob, and he knew that dumb face that was getting pummeled.
Though he was going to fly in and help anyway, since he had that dumb hero complex in his head, once he noticed it was someone he had considered almost a friend, he lost it and bolted right into the fight, placing a well-aimed kick into the side of one of the attackers. <******** OFF, YOU ASSHOLES! Leave the kid alone!” He growled at them, prepared to send another series of kicks and punches at them. He liked to call him a kid, but they both knew Benji was one hell of a runt. When it came down to it. A runt who could fight.
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Not including Benji, there were five boys in total - the one being pummeled, the two holding him captive, and the other two doing the pummeling. When one of the attacking ones got knocked aside by an unexpected kick, all the others stopped and stared. At the bold command, Jack recognized the voice immediately, but there was little he could do. The fight had already been initiated.
“You moron! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he yelled. “Go on! Get out of here!”
The two teens holding Jack kept their grip but otherwise seemed unsure of what to do, either. But the other boy who had been beating on him began to turn murderous eyes on Benji. With his captors riveted on the scene, the redhead took that opportunity to kick one in order to get his arm free and then used that arm to punch the guy holding onto his other. Then he ran toward Benji, grabbed his arm, and attempted to bolt off with the other kid in tow.
He grit his teeth, his inner voice telling him that he should have just left Benji there, but argued with himself that even if he’d left the stupid kid to get beat up on in his place, Benji could have always blamed the fight and his injuries on Jack. The adults wouldn’t have doubted his word because Jack was such a trouble-maker and that was more of a mess than Jack needed right now. If only the one-eyed, meddlesome boy had never showed up in the first place.
“You moron! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he yelled. “Go on! Get out of here!”
The two teens holding Jack kept their grip but otherwise seemed unsure of what to do, either. But the other boy who had been beating on him began to turn murderous eyes on Benji. With his captors riveted on the scene, the redhead took that opportunity to kick one in order to get his arm free and then used that arm to punch the guy holding onto his other. Then he ran toward Benji, grabbed his arm, and attempted to bolt off with the other kid in tow.
He grit his teeth, his inner voice telling him that he should have just left Benji there, but argued with himself that even if he’d left the stupid kid to get beat up on in his place, Benji could have always blamed the fight and his injuries on Jack. The adults wouldn’t have doubted his word because Jack was such a trouble-maker and that was more of a mess than Jack needed right now. If only the one-eyed, meddlesome boy had never showed up in the first place.
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Benji was ALL too ready to fight. Fists were up by his head like Vanessa had taught him years ago during his boxing lessons, elbows loose but close into his body, and he was ready to duck down low to strike. But before anyone could get a swing with him, Jack came at him first and all but dragged him away.
Too shocked to say much else, he followed wordlessly, trying to figure out what just happened there. He was ready to fight, right? He was going to kick some a** and take some names then kick MORE a**, because he fully believed those assholes hadn’t hand any professional training like he had. Even if his training wasn’t -entirely- professional, it was way more than these s**t heads had!
Once far enough away from the boys who seemed pretty intent on following them for a bit, but eventually giving up, Benji snatched his wrist away, rubbing it hard in order to soothe the bruise that was already there and beginning to hurt. That last fight he was in with that Corrupted Eternal left more than a few bruises, that’s for sure. And for a moment, he glared hard at Jack, trying to figure out what the ******** had just happened.
“Jack, what the ******** man! What did you even do to those guys to get yourself ganked like that?!” Demanding an answer, Benji reached out to give Jack’s shoulder a punch, which was meant to be more friendly but came off harder than he wanted it to.
“I haven’t seen you in how ******** long, and then it’s like this? Geesh, are you okay? Let me take a look at you, I can help.”
Too shocked to say much else, he followed wordlessly, trying to figure out what just happened there. He was ready to fight, right? He was going to kick some a** and take some names then kick MORE a**, because he fully believed those assholes hadn’t hand any professional training like he had. Even if his training wasn’t -entirely- professional, it was way more than these s**t heads had!
Once far enough away from the boys who seemed pretty intent on following them for a bit, but eventually giving up, Benji snatched his wrist away, rubbing it hard in order to soothe the bruise that was already there and beginning to hurt. That last fight he was in with that Corrupted Eternal left more than a few bruises, that’s for sure. And for a moment, he glared hard at Jack, trying to figure out what the ******** had just happened.
“Jack, what the ******** man! What did you even do to those guys to get yourself ganked like that?!” Demanding an answer, Benji reached out to give Jack’s shoulder a punch, which was meant to be more friendly but came off harder than he wanted it to.
“I haven’t seen you in how ******** long, and then it’s like this? Geesh, are you okay? Let me take a look at you, I can help.”
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“‘What the ********’?! That’s what I should be asking you,” Jack snapped, releasing Benji’s hand without a struggle, though he flinched automatically as his shoulder was punched. He glared, rubbing his newest injury and yanking his arm away when Benji asked to take a look at him.
“I don’t need help. Didn’t then and don’t now,” the teen insisted, hazel eyes drifting to his peer’s own bruises. “Maybe you should help yourself first before you go around trying to help others. You’re already hurt and you just jump in to kick a guy when there are four others standing around to gang up on you? Are you dense? I thought you were supposed to be smart! What the hell is your problem?”
“I don’t need help. Didn’t then and don’t now,” the teen insisted, hazel eyes drifting to his peer’s own bruises. “Maybe you should help yourself first before you go around trying to help others. You’re already hurt and you just jump in to kick a guy when there are four others standing around to gang up on you? Are you dense? I thought you were supposed to be smart! What the hell is your problem?”
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“You know, some people would say ‘thanks Benji!’ after helping their asses. I dunno, to me it looked like you were getting your a** kicked from last Tuesday.” Benji would never understand why some people couldn't just accept some help. Granted he was guilty of that too, but eh.
He didn't miss the look his wrist got but just shrugged it off this time.
“Well, I saw someone I thought needed help, so I jumped in, and that's that. It was a little bit more eager because you helped me before, but it's really no big deal. Why wouldn't I help? I'm no selfish a*****e, you know. What, got a problem with that? Can’t handle me helping you when you're clearly capable of having a situation under control, is that it?” With a roll of his eye, Benji try to give Jack a look over again, trying to make sure he didn't need any stitches. Worse come to worse, he could always take Jack home, he supposed, and have his mom fix him up.
“Besides, despite how shitty that day was, I thought we were cool.”
He didn't miss the look his wrist got but just shrugged it off this time.
“Well, I saw someone I thought needed help, so I jumped in, and that's that. It was a little bit more eager because you helped me before, but it's really no big deal. Why wouldn't I help? I'm no selfish a*****e, you know. What, got a problem with that? Can’t handle me helping you when you're clearly capable of having a situation under control, is that it?” With a roll of his eye, Benji try to give Jack a look over again, trying to make sure he didn't need any stitches. Worse come to worse, he could always take Jack home, he supposed, and have his mom fix him up.
“Besides, despite how shitty that day was, I thought we were cool.”
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”I’m not thanking you for something I didn’t ask for! And maybe I was, but did you ever stop to consider maybe I wanted it that way? You can’t just go around making assumptions!” Still somewhat out of breath from a combination of their running and his angry responses, he sat himself down on a nearby bench to try to recover some more, chest heaving. “I know you’re the sort to want to just do stuff without wasting time, but once in awhile you have to think about what you’re going to do it before you do it. You just saw what was on the surface and knew you wanted it to stop.”
The redhead’s knees were scraped up and he was bleeding a little out of his mouth, but he wiped it away. There was a bruise developing that looked like it might turn into a black eye. “I get my a** kicked all the time. Big deal. I’m sure they’ll get sick of it eventually and I’m already used to it. Keeps me on my toes.”
Regarding Benji with a critical stare, he said, “We were cool, right up until just now when I found out you’re the sort of person I despise even more than those guys. Bullies I can handle. I understand them; they’re insecure and weak so they want to beat up on others to feel stronger. Idiots like you though? Tch…” He shook his head. “I can’t stand people who worry more about others than themselves. That’s the dumbest thing ever. You can’t get much more stupid than that because it goes against our prime instinct to survive.” He kicked hard at the ground in exasperation.
”I can handle myself and I’d rather take a beating than be indebted to others, got it?” He told Benji, jerking his head back up to meet the other’s gaze so he could make sure his addressee understood. “A word of advice - don’t help people who don’t ask for it. Chances are you’ll just end up hurting yourself more than anything. Better yet, don’t help anyone else at all. You never know what you’ll be getting yourself into or when you’ll be stabbed in the back. If you don’t look out for yourself, you sure as hell can’t expect anyone else to.”
The redhead’s knees were scraped up and he was bleeding a little out of his mouth, but he wiped it away. There was a bruise developing that looked like it might turn into a black eye. “I get my a** kicked all the time. Big deal. I’m sure they’ll get sick of it eventually and I’m already used to it. Keeps me on my toes.”
Regarding Benji with a critical stare, he said, “We were cool, right up until just now when I found out you’re the sort of person I despise even more than those guys. Bullies I can handle. I understand them; they’re insecure and weak so they want to beat up on others to feel stronger. Idiots like you though? Tch…” He shook his head. “I can’t stand people who worry more about others than themselves. That’s the dumbest thing ever. You can’t get much more stupid than that because it goes against our prime instinct to survive.” He kicked hard at the ground in exasperation.
”I can handle myself and I’d rather take a beating than be indebted to others, got it?” He told Benji, jerking his head back up to meet the other’s gaze so he could make sure his addressee understood. “A word of advice - don’t help people who don’t ask for it. Chances are you’ll just end up hurting yourself more than anything. Better yet, don’t help anyone else at all. You never know what you’ll be getting yourself into or when you’ll be stabbed in the back. If you don’t look out for yourself, you sure as hell can’t expect anyone else to.”
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Benji listened to Jack and his excessively long tirade, doing his best not to heavily roll his eye at it. Part of him kinda wanted to just hoof it out and leave the ranting kid to his own devices, but eh, he chose instead to plop down next to Jack after a few more moments of the other’s raving lunacy, in his opinion.
“Alright, alright. For one, I did kinda think about it. Thinking quick on my feet is what I do. For two… Yeah, maybe you didn’t want help but I wanted to help so eh. Sorry about your wants, too late to think about it.” He held up fingers, counting off things. “For three, hey, lookie here, dude. You are pretty dumb yourself to be gettin’ ******** up all the time. What do you do, insult their mama’s or something? And four, eh… Look, You can be all super loner or what not all you want, blah blah ‘backstabbers’ blah blah, but I don’t like the idea of just letting s**t happen to people. Not if I can help. And yeah, sure maybe they don’t WANT help, but at least if they lose an eye or a leg or die, it’s not on my hands.”
His hand returned to his wrist, the ache there still distracting enough to make him pause in his own little rant. He swore, the next time he saw Chrysocolla he was going to strangle her good.
“By your logic, I kinda was in debt to you. You dragged my a** to safety right? When I was passing out at the festival, so you don’t owe me s**t. You’re fine. Geesh, what happened to that dumb goofy kid I met anyway? Are you… Okay? Did something happen?”
“Alright, alright. For one, I did kinda think about it. Thinking quick on my feet is what I do. For two… Yeah, maybe you didn’t want help but I wanted to help so eh. Sorry about your wants, too late to think about it.” He held up fingers, counting off things. “For three, hey, lookie here, dude. You are pretty dumb yourself to be gettin’ ******** up all the time. What do you do, insult their mama’s or something? And four, eh… Look, You can be all super loner or what not all you want, blah blah ‘backstabbers’ blah blah, but I don’t like the idea of just letting s**t happen to people. Not if I can help. And yeah, sure maybe they don’t WANT help, but at least if they lose an eye or a leg or die, it’s not on my hands.”
His hand returned to his wrist, the ache there still distracting enough to make him pause in his own little rant. He swore, the next time he saw Chrysocolla he was going to strangle her good.
“By your logic, I kinda was in debt to you. You dragged my a** to safety right? When I was passing out at the festival, so you don’t owe me s**t. You’re fine. Geesh, what happened to that dumb goofy kid I met anyway? Are you… Okay? Did something happen?”
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“Then you obviously didn’t think long or hard enough,” Jack muttered under his breath. “Maybe if I’d just left you there to fend for yourself four-against-one, you’d have realized how stupid that was. I don’t care how good a fighter you are; if you have too many people all working together to overwhelm you at once, you’re not going to be able to beat them.”
He shrugged and looked away when he was asked what he’d done. “They want me to do stuff for them that I don’t feel like doing. I’m not all that great a fighter. I have a mouth on me. Do they really need a reason to beat up on me? Like I said, they’d probably just wail on anyone weaker than them if they get the chance.” They just had more of a hatred for him than most other people due to the various ways he’d attempted to fight back against them in the past, but he wasn’t about to mention that.
Jack cast Benji an incredulous look. “Don’t say that like you yourself aren’t a loner. I could tell from the moment I spotted you at Anthemusa. The world hasn’t done s**t for you and you don’t owe the world s**t. Sometimes your ‘help’ just makes things worse, so it’s better not to do anything at all so you don’t get blamed later. Haven’t you heard the phrase, ‘no good deed goes unpunished’? Or ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’? If you didn’t do anything, it wouldn’t be ‘on your hands’ either. It’s not like you would have been the one who cut off their limbs or killed them yourself.”
Moving over to Benji, he raised a hand to flick one of his bruises with a forefinger and thumb. “All you’ve done is made those guys back there hate both of us. And now they’re going to try go pick us off when we’re alone. All you can do is hope they didn’t see your face, ‘cause it’s pretty distinctive.” He reached up to gesture at his eye meaningfully. “Your hair, too.”
He dropped his eyes once more and ran a hand through his own messy hair. “That’s not really my logic more than a personal code of mine. I don’t like owing people; that’s all.” But that wasn’t entirely true, was it? Usually Jack loved rubbing it in people’s faces when they owed him a favor. Why not this time? Probably because this guy seemed like the sort of goody-two-shoes who would have tried to step in to help him anyway. “I highly doubt you started interfering with the thought ‘I owe him’ in mind. But fine, if you wanna say that, then we’re even now.” He sneaked a peek at Benji out the corner of his eye when he asked about if something had happened. For a few seconds, he said nothing.
“...Sorry. Hate to disappoint you, but that’s just an act I put up to get along with people. It helps for them to underestimate me so if they try to take advantage, I’m one up on them. That’s why I do things like make an extra effort to seem like a laid-back class clown at school so people don’t know I take my grades seriously or anything like that. Unfortunately, somehow jerks like those guys back there sometimes find out anyway and try to make me do their work for them. I have a feeling you know what that’s like. Not getting bullied, necessarily, but people trying to get close to you and use you if they find out what you can do.” He tilted his head, once more eyeing the bruises Benji sported. “Or maybe you do know what it’s like to get bullied. Maybe by people jealous of you.” Jack shrugged slightly. “The tallest blade of grass gets cut down first. That’s why I do my best not to stand out.”
He shrugged and looked away when he was asked what he’d done. “They want me to do stuff for them that I don’t feel like doing. I’m not all that great a fighter. I have a mouth on me. Do they really need a reason to beat up on me? Like I said, they’d probably just wail on anyone weaker than them if they get the chance.” They just had more of a hatred for him than most other people due to the various ways he’d attempted to fight back against them in the past, but he wasn’t about to mention that.
Jack cast Benji an incredulous look. “Don’t say that like you yourself aren’t a loner. I could tell from the moment I spotted you at Anthemusa. The world hasn’t done s**t for you and you don’t owe the world s**t. Sometimes your ‘help’ just makes things worse, so it’s better not to do anything at all so you don’t get blamed later. Haven’t you heard the phrase, ‘no good deed goes unpunished’? Or ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’? If you didn’t do anything, it wouldn’t be ‘on your hands’ either. It’s not like you would have been the one who cut off their limbs or killed them yourself.”
Moving over to Benji, he raised a hand to flick one of his bruises with a forefinger and thumb. “All you’ve done is made those guys back there hate both of us. And now they’re going to try go pick us off when we’re alone. All you can do is hope they didn’t see your face, ‘cause it’s pretty distinctive.” He reached up to gesture at his eye meaningfully. “Your hair, too.”
He dropped his eyes once more and ran a hand through his own messy hair. “That’s not really my logic more than a personal code of mine. I don’t like owing people; that’s all.” But that wasn’t entirely true, was it? Usually Jack loved rubbing it in people’s faces when they owed him a favor. Why not this time? Probably because this guy seemed like the sort of goody-two-shoes who would have tried to step in to help him anyway. “I highly doubt you started interfering with the thought ‘I owe him’ in mind. But fine, if you wanna say that, then we’re even now.” He sneaked a peek at Benji out the corner of his eye when he asked about if something had happened. For a few seconds, he said nothing.
“...Sorry. Hate to disappoint you, but that’s just an act I put up to get along with people. It helps for them to underestimate me so if they try to take advantage, I’m one up on them. That’s why I do things like make an extra effort to seem like a laid-back class clown at school so people don’t know I take my grades seriously or anything like that. Unfortunately, somehow jerks like those guys back there sometimes find out anyway and try to make me do their work for them. I have a feeling you know what that’s like. Not getting bullied, necessarily, but people trying to get close to you and use you if they find out what you can do.” He tilted his head, once more eyeing the bruises Benji sported. “Or maybe you do know what it’s like to get bullied. Maybe by people jealous of you.” Jack shrugged slightly. “The tallest blade of grass gets cut down first. That’s why I do my best not to stand out.”
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“That sucks, man, see, if you HAD someone at your back, maybe they wouldn’t single you out, they’d see you with your friends and think it’s too dangerous to corner you without someone else getting involved. Would you really have left me back there to fight them? I mean, I didn’t ASK you to come and pull me away, so you seem to have more of a willingness to help than you think.” That was proof in itself, wasn’t it? Jack could talk all the s**t he wanted but in the end, he
really did stop and take the time to pull Benji alongside him.
“You talk and talk and talk, but I swear, you’re just.. Look, having people who got your back isn’t a bad thing. If I had been alone, I would have lost more than just an eye, and I swear, I would have died a few times. And I don’t really try to be alone…” Maybe, just maybe his voice got a little softer and lost a bit of the edge. “I’m just really bad with people. Don’t really make friends all that easily, and even worse at keeping them. See, even with you, I ******** up already, you said so yourself.”
He wasn’t trying to complain, but Benji really did have a hard time keeping friends. Things like being the first to reach out or to call was never easy, especially since he didn’t handle disappointment well at all. Eh, but it really didn’t seem to matter in this case as he wasn’t disappointed, just slowly but surely getting irritated by lectures that seemed to talk around in circles. He already did that enough with Ptolemaeus and hardly had the patience to do that for long for someone who didn’t like him it seemed.
“Ah! ********!” Hissing, Benji quickly pulled his sore wrist to his chest and glared daggers at the other boy. “Hey, hey, no more fighting, we both know that I can probably kick your a**… And that’s a shitty way of telling me I look cool, because of course that’s what you meant! Well, they can TRY to come after me and hate me, but good luck pinning me down. I’m nothing if not fast. And I’d say I’d have you but as you’ve already stated, nope.”
At the admission that everything was just an act, Benji let out a soft ‘tch’ and leaned back further against the bench, still tending to the aching wrist that throbbed even more after it’s minor assault.
“I do get bullied. Names called, s**t being said and thrown about, but I fought and I fought hard, and no one goes too far anymore. Not after they found the last guy who tried to ******** with me passed out behind a dumpster at the school with a ******** bash to the head from a 2x4. They couldn’t pin s**t on me, but he and all the rest of his gang of ******** know to back off.” Another irritated sound left his lips, feeling like Jack really just liked to hear himself talk. Maybe no one else ever listened to him so Benji felt that it wouldn’t be all that bad to have some patience, if he could stir the conversation in a direction that didn’t seem so ‘woe is me and ******** the world!’
“I can’t really NOT stand out. Like you said, eye patch, weird hair, shorter than every ******** one else. So I dealt with it head on. Want me to deal with your problems too?” He was teasing, but he wasn’t entirely joking either. If being a ‘big brother’ to the bullies helped, hell, he was willing to give it a try. Maybe even Chara could show up one of these days and kicked their asses. Surely THEN they’d leave Jack alone.
“You won’t even have to be in my debt. Just a gift of kicking a** from one little s**t to another.”
really did stop and take the time to pull Benji alongside him.
“You talk and talk and talk, but I swear, you’re just.. Look, having people who got your back isn’t a bad thing. If I had been alone, I would have lost more than just an eye, and I swear, I would have died a few times. And I don’t really try to be alone…” Maybe, just maybe his voice got a little softer and lost a bit of the edge. “I’m just really bad with people. Don’t really make friends all that easily, and even worse at keeping them. See, even with you, I ******** up already, you said so yourself.”
He wasn’t trying to complain, but Benji really did have a hard time keeping friends. Things like being the first to reach out or to call was never easy, especially since he didn’t handle disappointment well at all. Eh, but it really didn’t seem to matter in this case as he wasn’t disappointed, just slowly but surely getting irritated by lectures that seemed to talk around in circles. He already did that enough with Ptolemaeus and hardly had the patience to do that for long for someone who didn’t like him it seemed.
“Ah! ********!” Hissing, Benji quickly pulled his sore wrist to his chest and glared daggers at the other boy. “Hey, hey, no more fighting, we both know that I can probably kick your a**… And that’s a shitty way of telling me I look cool, because of course that’s what you meant! Well, they can TRY to come after me and hate me, but good luck pinning me down. I’m nothing if not fast. And I’d say I’d have you but as you’ve already stated, nope.”
At the admission that everything was just an act, Benji let out a soft ‘tch’ and leaned back further against the bench, still tending to the aching wrist that throbbed even more after it’s minor assault.
“I do get bullied. Names called, s**t being said and thrown about, but I fought and I fought hard, and no one goes too far anymore. Not after they found the last guy who tried to ******** with me passed out behind a dumpster at the school with a ******** bash to the head from a 2x4. They couldn’t pin s**t on me, but he and all the rest of his gang of ******** know to back off.” Another irritated sound left his lips, feeling like Jack really just liked to hear himself talk. Maybe no one else ever listened to him so Benji felt that it wouldn’t be all that bad to have some patience, if he could stir the conversation in a direction that didn’t seem so ‘woe is me and ******** the world!’
“I can’t really NOT stand out. Like you said, eye patch, weird hair, shorter than every ******** one else. So I dealt with it head on. Want me to deal with your problems too?” He was teasing, but he wasn’t entirely joking either. If being a ‘big brother’ to the bullies helped, hell, he was willing to give it a try. Maybe even Chara could show up one of these days and kicked their asses. Surely THEN they’d leave Jack alone.
“You won’t even have to be in my debt. Just a gift of kicking a** from one little s**t to another.”
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"If I had someone at my back, A) they could stab me, B) they might get attacked too and I wouldn't want to be responsible for them, and C) it'd look like I needed other people for protection. I don't want to rely on others because you never know when they're going to pull the rug out from under you." Jack frowned and ruffled his hair some more with both hands. "It's like with sheep. Just because there are a lot of them doesn't make them threatening because you know they'll scatter once real danger shows up. I'm definitely better off on my own without anyone to slow me down or get in my way."
He heaved a deep sigh of annoyance as Benji pointed out how he had pulled him away from the impending fight. "That's what you don't get. Stop making assumptions just based on what you want to believe because things are rarely ever what they seem. I'm selfish. In this world, it's best to go with the philosophy that it's every man for himself and prepare accordingly. So yes, I would have left you back there to fight them normally.” The redhead grimaced, wondering once more if he had weighed his decisions properly at the time.
“The only reasons I didn't was because I felt partially responsible for you since you wouldn't have butt in if it wasn't for me and because you probably would have blamed the whole situation on me out of spite once you got your a** handed to you. Because you wouldn’t have known the type of person I am, which is the sort who abandons everyone and everything else to save his own skin. But now you do, so fair warning. Don’t expect me to come to your rescue again."
As Benji mentioned having people who had his back and being bad with people, Jack waved him off. “I don’t know what stupid s**t you’ve been doing to have gotten that close dying, but that just goes to show how weak your instinct for self-preservation is. Anyway, if those people were so helpful or had your back, where are they now? Where were they at Anthemusa? I’m telling you, man - sheep.” He paced as he spoke and it seemed to help him think. When he continued, though, his tone softened to match his peer’s.
“You’re not bad with people. Over time, their reactions just start to make you feel that way, like there’s something wrong with you. But it’s them that there’s something wrong with. You’re an intense person who wears your heart on your sleeve and a lot of people can’t handle that kind of honesty and raw emotion. They’re too busy hiding behind masks like mine just to get along with the rest of society. You’re just being yourself. Don’t let them get to you.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “The only way you ******** up is by trying to be my friend, but that wasn’t your fault. I have nothing against you personally, even if I don’t agree with your way of doing things. I just don't have friends. It's easier that way. It was better when we were just acquaintances and you didn't know what I was really like. You could have just thought of me forever as that dumb, goofy kid you met at music festival and that would have been that.”
Upon hearing what Benji had done to the guy found passed out behind a dumpster, his brows rose high and he looked back at the other teen, whistling long and low in admiration. “Not bad,” he conceded. Then he grinned and planted his hands on his hips. “You know, since you brought up me pulling you away back there, I realized that means we’re not exactly even anymore, are we? Technically, that means now you owe me a favor.”
He heaved a deep sigh of annoyance as Benji pointed out how he had pulled him away from the impending fight. "That's what you don't get. Stop making assumptions just based on what you want to believe because things are rarely ever what they seem. I'm selfish. In this world, it's best to go with the philosophy that it's every man for himself and prepare accordingly. So yes, I would have left you back there to fight them normally.” The redhead grimaced, wondering once more if he had weighed his decisions properly at the time.
“The only reasons I didn't was because I felt partially responsible for you since you wouldn't have butt in if it wasn't for me and because you probably would have blamed the whole situation on me out of spite once you got your a** handed to you. Because you wouldn’t have known the type of person I am, which is the sort who abandons everyone and everything else to save his own skin. But now you do, so fair warning. Don’t expect me to come to your rescue again."
As Benji mentioned having people who had his back and being bad with people, Jack waved him off. “I don’t know what stupid s**t you’ve been doing to have gotten that close dying, but that just goes to show how weak your instinct for self-preservation is. Anyway, if those people were so helpful or had your back, where are they now? Where were they at Anthemusa? I’m telling you, man - sheep.” He paced as he spoke and it seemed to help him think. When he continued, though, his tone softened to match his peer’s.
“You’re not bad with people. Over time, their reactions just start to make you feel that way, like there’s something wrong with you. But it’s them that there’s something wrong with. You’re an intense person who wears your heart on your sleeve and a lot of people can’t handle that kind of honesty and raw emotion. They’re too busy hiding behind masks like mine just to get along with the rest of society. You’re just being yourself. Don’t let them get to you.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “The only way you ******** up is by trying to be my friend, but that wasn’t your fault. I have nothing against you personally, even if I don’t agree with your way of doing things. I just don't have friends. It's easier that way. It was better when we were just acquaintances and you didn't know what I was really like. You could have just thought of me forever as that dumb, goofy kid you met at music festival and that would have been that.”
Upon hearing what Benji had done to the guy found passed out behind a dumpster, his brows rose high and he looked back at the other teen, whistling long and low in admiration. “Not bad,” he conceded. Then he grinned and planted his hands on his hips. “You know, since you brought up me pulling you away back there, I realized that means we’re not exactly even anymore, are we? Technically, that means now you owe me a favor.”
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“You DO know that Anthemusa was like… Eight months ago, right? Things change in that kinda time, so they weren’t there because I didn’t know them then. And right now… Well, I’m assuming that they have their own ******** lives to attend to. Just because I’m out of school right now, doesn’t mean they aren’t. ********, we don’t even go to the same schools anyway, so why WOULD they be here right now? I’m fine, I didn’t need any help or anything right now since it’s only your bullshit I’m listening to, but if I called, I’m sure they would come if they could. Is your view of life so ******** up that you imagine the people who are supposed to be ‘supporting’ you are to drop whatever the ******** they are doing at any given time? Now THAT’S stupid.” He couldn’t roll his eye harder if he tried. The nerve of this kid was just outstanding! And yet, as annoying as it was, he found himself only a little bit discouraged by it, finding a bit more amusement with the whole idea of being so self-centered something he wanted to talk about but being bored by it at the same time.
“What if a person couldn’t come when you needed them because, I don’t know, they were on the other side of the country or something? Or maybe they were in the hospital, or hell, even something as stupid as a test that meant the world to them? If you just think that people SHOULD be like that, then you’re an abusive a*****e with no consideration for no one but yourself. And hey, maybe that works for you and you are better off alone because no one deserves to be brought down and manipulated like that.” Benji had found himself finished with the conversation and stood up after he was done talking, stretching a bit before giving his own raised-eyebrow to the younger teen.
“I highly doubt I need to be taking advice from you, Jack, when you don’t even have any friends. Even if I have just one, I still have more than you, so obviously I’m doing something right. What’s it even feel like, not having anyone to trust? Oh, I bet you’re going to say ‘it feels like freedom! No one can let me down!’ or some bullshit like that, right? Maybe that works for you, but not everyone is so hard wired to be alone. Sometimes we can’t help how it feels to be so alone that you find yourself out there, seeking out validation from strangers. It’s a product of how we were raised, the kinda person we were designed to be in a way we had no control over at all.” His mind flickered back to his own desire for attention and appreciation not too long ago, seeking out the touches and kisses of people he sure as hell didn’t know and didn’t WANT to know. There was no hiding those kinds of feelings very well if Jack had met up with him back then, but now, is own mask was back on, sealed and tight.
“And besides, you’ve met me twice. You really can’t assume you know every little ******** thing about someone like that. ‘Benji wears his heart on his sleeve’. Heh, yeah, right. I’m honest but not that ******** honest. You wouldn’t know that though, you’re only assuming things, hrm? Didn’t you just say to me ‘Stop making assumptions just based on what you want to believe because things are rarely ever what they seem.’? Maybe you should take your own advice.” He laughed to himself and shook his head, finding it all to be a bit more contradicting than Jack probably expected. Not that it really mattered at all though. In saying that, he was making his way to turn and walk away, finding himself absolutely over the whole encounter before Jack mentioned the debt and he just scoffed and grinned at him.
“Pfft, I owe you s**t? Naw, it doesn’t work that way for me. I don’t owe anyone anything and I don’t expect people to owe me anything either. I don’t expect anything back or follow some sort of bullshit lifestyle where you think the world is entirely even, so you’re on your own if you really think that I’m going to drop whatever I’m doing to fulfill some debt to you. BUT, if you do need help or something, I’ll do it because I want to, not because it’s to pay off you helping me. And I’ll do it again and again and again and you won’t owe me s**t, even if you go ahead and ‘stab me in the back’ with it later. “
“What if a person couldn’t come when you needed them because, I don’t know, they were on the other side of the country or something? Or maybe they were in the hospital, or hell, even something as stupid as a test that meant the world to them? If you just think that people SHOULD be like that, then you’re an abusive a*****e with no consideration for no one but yourself. And hey, maybe that works for you and you are better off alone because no one deserves to be brought down and manipulated like that.” Benji had found himself finished with the conversation and stood up after he was done talking, stretching a bit before giving his own raised-eyebrow to the younger teen.
“I highly doubt I need to be taking advice from you, Jack, when you don’t even have any friends. Even if I have just one, I still have more than you, so obviously I’m doing something right. What’s it even feel like, not having anyone to trust? Oh, I bet you’re going to say ‘it feels like freedom! No one can let me down!’ or some bullshit like that, right? Maybe that works for you, but not everyone is so hard wired to be alone. Sometimes we can’t help how it feels to be so alone that you find yourself out there, seeking out validation from strangers. It’s a product of how we were raised, the kinda person we were designed to be in a way we had no control over at all.” His mind flickered back to his own desire for attention and appreciation not too long ago, seeking out the touches and kisses of people he sure as hell didn’t know and didn’t WANT to know. There was no hiding those kinds of feelings very well if Jack had met up with him back then, but now, is own mask was back on, sealed and tight.
“And besides, you’ve met me twice. You really can’t assume you know every little ******** thing about someone like that. ‘Benji wears his heart on his sleeve’. Heh, yeah, right. I’m honest but not that ******** honest. You wouldn’t know that though, you’re only assuming things, hrm? Didn’t you just say to me ‘Stop making assumptions just based on what you want to believe because things are rarely ever what they seem.’? Maybe you should take your own advice.” He laughed to himself and shook his head, finding it all to be a bit more contradicting than Jack probably expected. Not that it really mattered at all though. In saying that, he was making his way to turn and walk away, finding himself absolutely over the whole encounter before Jack mentioned the debt and he just scoffed and grinned at him.
“Pfft, I owe you s**t? Naw, it doesn’t work that way for me. I don’t owe anyone anything and I don’t expect people to owe me anything either. I don’t expect anything back or follow some sort of bullshit lifestyle where you think the world is entirely even, so you’re on your own if you really think that I’m going to drop whatever I’m doing to fulfill some debt to you. BUT, if you do need help or something, I’ll do it because I want to, not because it’s to pay off you helping me. And I’ll do it again and again and again and you won’t owe me s**t, even if you go ahead and ‘stab me in the back’ with it later. “
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"New friends, then, huh? Well, good for you, if that's what you wanted." he offered, not sounding particularly enthused either way. If anything, he looked a bit condescendingly smug. "No, see, I don't expect or want anyone to support me, so I don't have any expectations of anyone and they don't have any expectations of me. That's how I like it,” Jack corrected Benji. “Heh, didn't I already say I'm selfish?”
The taller high-schooler shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “From my viewpoint, I'm the one who's doing something right and you're the fool for even wanting friends in the first place. It's not like I couldn't make them if I wanted. I know how. There's just no point for me. And people who are gullible enough to manipulate aren't even worth manipulating, so even falsely befriending people to use them isn’t worth the time or trouble.” His hazel eyes flickered up from to ground to meet Benji’s caramel one. “If you already know the answer, then don’t ask the question!” he chuckled, appreciative, in spite of himself, that the other teen seemed to understand his perspective. “And maybe you’re right, but I ain’t buyin’ that ‘we were designed in a way that we have no control over’ bullshit. We’re not programmed robots. I think anyone can change themselves to be whoever they want to me. It’s a matter of resolve.”
His grin only grew when the other boy pointed out his own assumptions. “Good observation. But here's the thing; you make assumptions actually thinking they're right enough to use in an argument. I make assumptions to learn more if and when they're denied. If I just ask people something, they're more likely to lie than if I said something they know is wrong because they'll probably want to correct me. It's just another way I gather information.” He held up a finger. “And another difference. I don’t assume ‘what I want to believe’. I assume the worst, whether of situations or people.”
“...Maaan, you are just a piece of work!” Jack laughed, closing his eyes as he rubbed his temples. “In that case, I think I’d rather not need your help again. ‘Even if I stab you in the back’? This is why I can’t stand people like you; no common sense.” He turned to go himself, seeing the other boy was done. “Have fun with your new-found friends~! I hope you’re all very happy together.”
The taller high-schooler shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “From my viewpoint, I'm the one who's doing something right and you're the fool for even wanting friends in the first place. It's not like I couldn't make them if I wanted. I know how. There's just no point for me. And people who are gullible enough to manipulate aren't even worth manipulating, so even falsely befriending people to use them isn’t worth the time or trouble.” His hazel eyes flickered up from to ground to meet Benji’s caramel one. “If you already know the answer, then don’t ask the question!” he chuckled, appreciative, in spite of himself, that the other teen seemed to understand his perspective. “And maybe you’re right, but I ain’t buyin’ that ‘we were designed in a way that we have no control over’ bullshit. We’re not programmed robots. I think anyone can change themselves to be whoever they want to me. It’s a matter of resolve.”
His grin only grew when the other boy pointed out his own assumptions. “Good observation. But here's the thing; you make assumptions actually thinking they're right enough to use in an argument. I make assumptions to learn more if and when they're denied. If I just ask people something, they're more likely to lie than if I said something they know is wrong because they'll probably want to correct me. It's just another way I gather information.” He held up a finger. “And another difference. I don’t assume ‘what I want to believe’. I assume the worst, whether of situations or people.”
“...Maaan, you are just a piece of work!” Jack laughed, closing his eyes as he rubbed his temples. “In that case, I think I’d rather not need your help again. ‘Even if I stab you in the back’? This is why I can’t stand people like you; no common sense.” He turned to go himself, seeing the other boy was done. “Have fun with your new-found friends~! I hope you’re all very happy together.”
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“Matter of resolve, huh…? What about if you have depression?” He paused, before continuing. “Sometimes you can try and try, drugs, therapy, self harm, but in the end, your brain is still there out to kill you sometimes and you just can’t fix that. But I bet to you that’s just more natural selection, isn’t it?” Going quiet, he figured that would be the end of the conversation. For as much as he was grinning not too long ago, that grin faded completely, returning to his more neutral resting b***h face. While he, himself, hadn’t suffered from that mental disease, at least he didn’t think he had, he had watched it destroy people before. But it was unrelated and he almost regretted bringing it up.
“Ehh, whatever man. Do what you like, think what you will. I won’t and can’t stop you.” At the end of the day, Benji just found himself over Jack and his no-people ways. What point was it in arguing any sort of reasonable thought into someone when they didn’t want to be bothered? He had made his own final decision about loneliness and people and wanting them to be around, and that was alright, as was Jack’s.
So, instead of arguing and instigating and hearing the conversation again, he just turned on his heel and headed down the paved sidewalk towards his home once more. Strangely enough, he wasn’t even mad about what had gone down. Naw, maybe a little annoyed but not mad. And there was also a strange sort of urge to text his own friends and just tell them they were cool peeps to be around. Vaguely, he wondered if he would have turned out like Jack, hating people who wanted to help others, if he were still on that path of self ruin he was on before.
“Ehh, whatever man. Do what you like, think what you will. I won’t and can’t stop you.” At the end of the day, Benji just found himself over Jack and his no-people ways. What point was it in arguing any sort of reasonable thought into someone when they didn’t want to be bothered? He had made his own final decision about loneliness and people and wanting them to be around, and that was alright, as was Jack’s.
So, instead of arguing and instigating and hearing the conversation again, he just turned on his heel and headed down the paved sidewalk towards his home once more. Strangely enough, he wasn’t even mad about what had gone down. Naw, maybe a little annoyed but not mad. And there was also a strange sort of urge to text his own friends and just tell them they were cool peeps to be around. Vaguely, he wondered if he would have turned out like Jack, hating people who wanted to help others, if he were still on that path of self ruin he was on before.
Kitomyx
