[He is right this time. Something is wrong. Alex is leaving.
But it's not wrong. It's a good thing. Alex is going home.
Both of these hit Ben at exactly the same time and in between them he is frozen, every muscle in his body going tense and his eyes first narrowing and then going unfocused. Something stings behind the delicate ridge of his nose. The muscles of his cheeks want to smile. He allows neither, and swallows instead.
Alex may become solid ground here, now, but he's leaving. He'll never be there again. He's leaving Ben behind, he's going home, back to his friends, his family, the people he belongs with, and that's excellent, that's all Ben could wish for his friend, that's...]
Oh.
[Ben swallows again, searches the empty hollow and deafening pound of his chest, the excited jump of his stomach, the nauseous twist of his gut for anything at all to say, but when his eyes focus on Alex again they're blurry, he can't seem to get them to clear, and that's all he can think of. Oh.
His hand falls off the doorknob, loose and heavy at his side, and he slides further back, back until he can find something safe, something he understands, which he latches onto with everything he has: his posture straightens, smooths out, correct angles and a detached professionalism. That helps a little, that lets him think, he needs information not emotion, not whatever this is, he needs to know details, that will help. That will let him know what to do, what to say.
His voice is tight and blank, and he hides behind it, trying to find solid ground.] When?
Spam WOW STRAIGHT TO THE HEARTBREAK
But it's not wrong. It's a good thing. Alex is going home.
Both of these hit Ben at exactly the same time and in between them he is frozen, every muscle in his body going tense and his eyes first narrowing and then going unfocused. Something stings behind the delicate ridge of his nose. The muscles of his cheeks want to smile. He allows neither, and swallows instead.
Alex may become solid ground here, now, but he's leaving. He'll never be there again. He's leaving Ben behind, he's going home, back to his friends, his family, the people he belongs with, and that's excellent, that's all Ben could wish for his friend, that's...]
Oh.
[Ben swallows again, searches the empty hollow and deafening pound of his chest, the excited jump of his stomach, the nauseous twist of his gut for anything at all to say, but when his eyes focus on Alex again they're blurry, he can't seem to get them to clear, and that's all he can think of. Oh.
His hand falls off the doorknob, loose and heavy at his side, and he slides further back, back until he can find something safe, something he understands, which he latches onto with everything he has: his posture straightens, smooths out, correct angles and a detached professionalism. That helps a little, that lets him think, he needs information not emotion, not whatever this is, he needs to know details, that will help. That will let him know what to do, what to say.
His voice is tight and blank, and he hides behind it, trying to find solid ground.] When?