[ Ben doesn't go back to getting ready to leave, either. He keeps looking at Klaus, trying to suss out how he could be so mistaken. He gives his reasons of course - them spending so much time together, how often Ben talks about him. And sure, okay, he can grant that. Maybe it has been a little disproportionate. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Does it? It's not just a sliding scale of amount of time spent together.
The thing is, he can tell Klaus is being genuine right now. And that throws everything in his mind into chaos and disorder. Ben tries to be someone who has a sense of what image of himself he's presenting to other people. He likes to curate it, hide the parts he doesn't want seen. Klaus has always been the first person, the only person for most of his life, that he let see any more. How could he had made such a fundamental mistake?]
We're not. I just- really like being around him, that's all. He gets me, you know? I don't have to - he just understands. He's not scared of me, not even a tiny little bit that he would never admit out loud. And... you know how he's been helping me try to- be more okay, with my powers. But that's not- we're- it's- yeah.
[ Ben notices in a distracted way that his heart is thumping faster and that a touch of unease has started to make itself known in his voice. Honestly he just needs to get this cleared up, the sooner the better, and decisively. ]
Yeah. That's what I was thinking, too. That it might make him happy having it there.
[ Cole had been so happy, the first time Ben had brought him a gift. Ben remembers so vividly the way he'd hugged that journal to his chest, beaming. How it had made him feel all fluttery inside, making Cole smile like that. And all the little things he'd found excuses to give him sense then.
Ben shoves his hands deep into his pockets, leaning back in his chair ]
I don't know why you thought that. I mean. It's me.
[ Ben says that as if it should be so obvious that he could never have a boyfriend. Did Klaus forget somehow that he's Ben Hargreeves, who has never had someone like that in his life, who'd given up on the possibility of ever having that. ]
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The thing is, he can tell Klaus is being genuine right now. And that throws everything in his mind into chaos and disorder. Ben tries to be someone who has a sense of what image of himself he's presenting to other people. He likes to curate it, hide the parts he doesn't want seen. Klaus has always been the first person, the only person for most of his life, that he let see any more. How could he had made such a fundamental mistake?]
We're not. I just- really like being around him, that's all. He gets me, you know? I don't have to - he just understands. He's not scared of me, not even a tiny little bit that he would never admit out loud. And... you know how he's been helping me try to- be more okay, with my powers. But that's not- we're- it's- yeah.
[ Ben notices in a distracted way that his heart is thumping faster and that a touch of unease has started to make itself known in his voice. Honestly he just needs to get this cleared up, the sooner the better, and decisively. ]
Yeah. That's what I was thinking, too. That it might make him happy having it there.
[ Cole had been so happy, the first time Ben had brought him a gift. Ben remembers so vividly the way he'd hugged that journal to his chest, beaming. How it had made him feel all fluttery inside, making Cole smile like that. And all the little things he'd found excuses to give him sense then.
Ben shoves his hands deep into his pockets, leaning back in his chair ]
I don't know why you thought that. I mean. It's me.
[ Ben says that as if it should be so obvious that he could never have a boyfriend. Did Klaus forget somehow that he's Ben Hargreeves, who has never had someone like that in his life, who'd given up on the possibility of ever having that. ]