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[the_horror]

[This is the Inbox of one Ben Hargreeves. Alive and well. Hopefully that is.]

[Please leave a message if he doesn't answer right away!]

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[obediences]

[ The fact that he can, at any moment, decide to grab his communicator and send a casual message to his Dead Brother Ben is... still a lot to process. And Luther can't help that nagging feeling that Number One should be doing something more, something bigger with all these opportunities, but. He's also weary, and ready to let the heroing thing rest for a little bit. Instead, he's talking to people on the network and learning stuff about the world they've landed in, and for one of them, the first person who comes to mind is Ben— ]

Hey. Have you heard of these things called "escape rooms"?

[the_horror]

[He's BORED. He needs to get out and do something but no one ever wants to do his plans and ideas. When his device goes off he reaches over his cat to grab it, flicking it open to see Luther of all people!]

[He grinned and turned it on, hearing about escape rooms? He beamed.]

I red about them recently actually. Couldn't get Klaus to go to one. Five wasn't interested either, and I figured Vanya wouldn't be keen on a small room so... yeah. Haven't done it yet.

Hi by the way.

[obediences]

Hi. [ A rueful smile at his communicator, though Ben can't see it. ]

Someone on the... network? Told me about them, and that there's one in De Chima. Where I live. It reminds me of the exercises Dad had us do as kids. I don't expect Klaus or Vanya to be interested, but... I could try something like that, I think.

[ Because of course that had been childhood for these children: jumping through hoops for Sir Reginald, solving puzzles as quickly as they could before the bomb placed in the room exploded with them. (98% sure that it actually was a real bomb, too.) And yet claustrophobic rooms weren't going to be everyone's cup of tea, and understandably so, knotted with bad memories as they were. He'd suffered through one of his own for years, too, but the loneliness had been the problem more than the moon base itself. ]

[the_horror]

[He's beaming, and the smile comes through on his words.]

Aw man, yes! I've read up on a few of them. Some are themed and some are just puzzle rooms. I hear the themed ones are where it's at. Like pirate ships and breaking out of prison or a clinic or something. It honestly sounds fun, unlike Dad's exercises. And you know I like puzzles.

Wait, you'd really like to try one?

[obediences]

Yeah. Need to keep my skills sharp, right?

[ Luther. ]

[the_horror]

Luther. Buddy. It's called fun. Fuuuuuun. You know, that thing we weren't allowed to have growing up?

Well guess what? We're adults now. We can have fun if we want.

[BREAK LOSE BRO]

[obediences]

Of course I want to have fun.

[ It's not that the man doth protest too much, but -- more that the words don't sit right on him. It sounds stilted on Luther's lips, in that recording. Like he actually, maybe, genuinely, doesn't know what fun is anymore. ]

[the_horror]

Alright, alright. I suppose an escape room can be both skill sharpening as well as fun. It might actually be a good match for you. To ease you into real fun.

[He teases softly, smiling about it.] Where is the place you want to go. I could book us a room. See if they have anything for two, unless you think you can find someone else to join us?

[obediences]

[ He supplies the address Steph gave him in De Chima, then pauses to consider the question. Ordinarily Allison might be down for something like this, but nothing's ordinary right now. She doesn't have a voice to communicate rapid-fire with them anymore. Her daughter is dead. 'Fun' is hard to come by. ]

Maybe Allison, someday, but-- we should give her some time.

I don't really know anyone else yet, outside of the academy. If you have anyone, though...?

[ There's a faint uplift of curiosity in his voice as dangles that question; curious about what Ben's been carving out for the past month-plus. The people he knows. Friends. A life. ]

[the_horror]

[He's pretty sure Allison isn't pleased with him and the other two boys that were here before her. For... things. For not telling Vanya. For her being here and not with her child. For this odd situation in general.]

[He would love to try it with Allison, but he's also sure she's not in a good place right now.]

Next time. We'll ask the others to join us. Right now? I know a few people but no one I think would have the patience to do a room like that. Maybe we can just go, us to for now. [Though he might be able to ask Kirk or Rey, but he wasn't sure yet. Still connection to people, really.]

[obediences]

Okay. Sounds good.

I'm looking forward to it.


[ It might have sounded flat and terse in text, but with the benefit of audio, he can hear Luther's happiness, the warmth in his voice at the thought of this. Because it's Ben. It's Ben, his brother, his long-lost dead brother, and them making plans to spend time together. Just the two of them. Something which had been such a long-ago foregone impossibility, up until this month. ]

May 30 - text;

[hellogoodhigh]

bro i need an out like now
guy i've been hooking up with's roomie wants us to eat breakfast together
we are not that serious
it is awkward
please give me a fake emergency to respond to i'm begging u

[the_horror]

bro, it's just breakfast.
Free food, eat up.

[hellogoodhigh]

ben
benothy
bennifer
you don’t have breakfast with one night stands
we don’t even drink coffee together okay
this isn’t the osso bucco guy okay i’m not sleeping with him for food

[the_horror]

that's sad.
you can't even enjoy pancakes the next morning before blowing off forever?
How are you suppose to enjoy life if you can't blow a guy then have pancakes?

tell them your brother is sick.
vomiting at how much your life sucks right now.

[hellogoodhigh]

love u too asshole

[the_horror]

damn right you do.

cough cough, hack, i'm sick. come save me.

[hellogoodhigh]

thanks I mean
it’s bad enough this is like my tenth time over here
but we are definitely not at eating breakfast together stage
if that
we’re not that kind of relationship

[the_horror]

wait
i thought you said this was a one night stand
not a tenth night stand
eat fucking breakfast
it's not that big a deal

[hellogoodhigh]

onethty night stand
does it matter?

i’m not
i mean i
LOOK
i only started hooking up with him as a coping
I’m not over Dave
I feel like I’m cheat

do u want me to bring u pancakes?

[the_horror]

you are the most ridiculous human being i know.

no, i don't want your after sex pancakes.

i do want pancakes though
going to make some myself.
if you can sneak out with out any major relationship problems, i'll make extra

[hellogoodhigh]

nice of u to think this is a relationship
spoiler alert: it’s not

rather have breakfast with u anyway

[the_horror]

you've been there ten times
it is a form of a relationship.
maybe not romantic, but you are having relations with the guy
thus a relationship


i'll make extra

backdated to July 15; text;

[hellogoodhigh]

hey bro
r u alive
b/c i don't think i am anymore
fuck i am ddrunk

[the_horror]

that's a hell of a question.
what's wrong?
why so drunk?