~:Be That Person:~ (WITH MOLLY COMMENTARY)
Pairing: Mike Morningstar/ Ben Tennyson
Set during: "Absolute Power"
The storms will pass
It won't be long now
His love will last
His love will last forever
Hold on
Hold on tightly
Rise up rise up
With wings like eagles
You run, you run
You run and not grow weary
…Take my hand, take my hand…
-Drowning Man, U2
(Commentary Author's Note: I'm not bashing this story, I LOVE IT. I'm adding to it the comments I normally say and the author is RIGHT next to me, and is absolutely okay with it. She is even laughing! Interesting…because I'm not too funny…)
Foggy vapor clung and condensed on the sides of the sleek green ship cutting its way through the sky. The glossy black night was blank and dark, but moonlight streamed in through the cloudy windows and let its light into the bridge of the ship. (Oohhhh…MYSTERIOUS….yum…)
Ben was in control of the ship, he knuckles white from his nervous grip on the steering yoke. Buttons and switches glinted and cords for electricity and communication dangled from the ceiling. Gwen was on the other side of the ship, seated in what would have been the passenger's seat in a car if they had been on the ground. Instead, they were in Kevin's green ship, trying to navigate through the clouds.
They had been flying for awhile now, searching for Kevin. Conversation during the flight had almost always between Ben and Gwen, and Mike had always been remarkably quiet. He sat a ways back, eyes down, hands folded and clenched, legs crossed. (So awkward…he also sounds constipated) The young man, usually cool-mannered and laid back, had seemed in terrible distress.
As the evening had drawn to a close and the true night began, Gwen shut her eyes to sleep, and Mike finally got to his feet and paced down to the back of the ship, where he looked out of the window.
These events had brought them up to the present situation, in which Ben was steering the ship between drooping eyelids, (this is very safe for flying…)and Mike was pacing the back of the ship silently. Every now and then Ben would check in one of the numerous mirrors to make sure that Mike wasn't doing anything untrustworthy, and he never was. He was always back there, his legs moving with anxious rapidity, his hands clenching and unclenching, his teeth biting his lip. (Maybe he has to pee? Or he needs to drop the Cosby kids off at the porcelain pool…yeah…I'm sure that lovely image is stuck in your head now…)
This didn't mean much to Ben, but it raised many questions in his head. Why was he back there instead of up here? Why had he left once Gwen had fallen asleep? It seemed like incredible timing… barely coincidental.
The volume of the questions raised louder until Ben could hardly ignore them, and with what seemed almost hesitant, he put the ship on autopilot and, after checking on Gwen to make sure that she was still asleep, went to the back of the ship.
Mike had stopped pacing when he heard Ben coming, and had drawn into the shadow cast by the wall. (CREEPER)There was something mysterious and untold about Mike, and Ben could tell that there was something he was keeping to himself.
Ben was going to talk to him and get it out of him. He was going to find out exactly what was wrong with Mike, exactly why he wouldn't speak, exactly what kept him hiding in the shadow when he wasn't pacing.
But as he drew nearer to the blond man, hardly a teenager anymore, (Abigail and Proctor…) he was suddenly nervous and afraid. He didn't know why- he had overcome him in battle many times before. But as Mike shot him a sudden blue gaze, Ben could feel his body temperature rise rapidly (AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HE JUST GOT TURNED ON), and then drop what seemed to be thousands of degrees.
Mike frightened him.
Ben lost his courage and passed Mike, walking through the Docking Bay Doors and out onto the viewing platform. It was actually a small, glass half-dome that showed a 180 degree view of the air around the ship. Kevin was nowhere to be found, which was expected of this late hour. Not that Ben was actually looking for Kevin at all. He was just hiding from Mike.
He let the doors close behind him, and he slid down onto the floor next to them, his head leaning against the icy wall.
Mike… Mike…
Why was he so reserved? He was usually so saucy. (This sentence speaks for itself)
Ben was curled up with his knees to his chest and his wrists balancing on them. (FETAL POSITION) Shining in the moonlight was the face of the Omnitrix, nearly glowing. Ben could feel his face grow hot in embarrassment, even though there was nobody around to see him. (So the fate of the world depends on this guy? He sounds like he needs a hug from his mom.)
"Why did I chicken out like that?"he whispered to himself. "I'm better than this. I'm brave… I'm a hero. Why did I let myself do that?"
What would Grandpa Max say? (Gramps would be saying many things…many, many things)
Thinking of his grandfather and his courage, Ben got to his feet. He took another glance at the symbolic Omnitrix and opened the door.
Mike's feet remained still, the toes pointed towards the window on Ben's right hand side. Mike was watching out of the window, but Ben could tell that Mike sensed his arrival.
"D-Darkstar," said Ben. He could hear Mike let out a sad sigh.
"Yes?" Mike finally answered his voice low.
"Why are you back here? Are you causing trouble?" (No, he's just randomly lighting things on fire 6 feet away from you…)
"No."
"Is there a problem with the ship?" Ben continued.
"No."
Ben knew what he had to ask next, though he didn't really want to. Nevertheless, he was leader, and it was his job to say what needed to be said.
"Is there a problem with… is there a problem with you, Darkstar?" ( "As captain, I need to know what's the matter with you…Is there a problem with the ship, is there an issue involving your past, do you love me? Julie thinks we're dating and we haven't seen each other really since Alien Force and I just want to get things out of the way, because let's face it, we have a long ride and I'm a busy guy, so…")
"No."
Ben's brow furrowed. He knew that Mike was lying, and could hear the flat tone of his voice. What was wrong?
"But there must be," Ben said. "There obviously is, otherwise you wouldn't be avoiding me."
Mike's breathing had been audible up until now, at which point the noise of his breath had stopped. Ben had caught Mike off-guard.
"Darkstar," said Ben, very persistent, "why are you avoiding me? What's the matter with you? I can't trust you if you don't say anything!" (He sounds like he just had a one night stand with him…)
Ben still couldn't see Mike's face. Mike was facing the window and Ben was behind him. He could, however, see the veins beneath Mike's gloves begin to throb from stress.
"I don't… I don't…" Mike muttered from underneath his hood.
"What, Mike?"
Mike turned around, his cape rustling as it fluttered through the air.
"You said my name," he whispered. (SAY MY NAME!)
"What do you mean?" said Ben. "Are you talking about 'Mike'?"
Mike nodded and his face was pale. "I didn't think you knew it."
"I never use your name," said Ben, and he could feel his temper rising, "because you never use mine. Every time I see you, you never say 'Ben'! You say, 'Tennyson,' or 'boy', or 'little man'. You treat me like a child, and I won't have it!" ("You're not a very nice person you big ol' turd-face!")
Both men had their fists clenched and their lips curved into a vehement snarl.
"Why am I a child to you? Why am I nothing? Why do you ignore me?" cried Ben.
"Why do you think I ignore you?" shouted Mike in response, and Gwen stirred in the front of the ship. Their noise was beginning to wake her up.
"Is it because you want to kill me?" Ben suggested.
"It's because you're a threat!"
"Is it because you see me as inferior?" (BEN HE ALREADY ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION….you're just trying to milk every last drop from the cow…)
"It's because I'm afraid of you!"
Woah. Wait. Wait just a darn minute.
MIKE? DARKSTAR? Afraid of…BEN?
I'm more afraid of kittens than I'm afraid of Ben. (It's the claws…they just…eugh..)
"Is it because you hate me?"
Mike paused at Ben's accusation. "No," he muttered. "No." He turned to face the window again, but Ben grabbed his wrist and stopped him. He could feel Mike shiver beneath his own cold hands. (Is this a sensual shiver or a temperature shiver? Moving on…)
"Don't leave. Tell me why."
"I've told you already," grunted Mike. "It's because I'm afraid of you. I ignore you because you frighten me." (Oh please…)
Ben narrowed his eyes.
"It's because you're selfish, then," he muttered. "You're just afraid of getting hurt by me."
"It's not that!" said Mike. His face had gone from hallow and pale to a flushed pink. (NO NO NO NO MICHAEL DOES NOT BLUSH HE IS A MANLY MAN WHO WRESTLES BEARS AND CATCHES FISH WITH HIS OWN BARE HANDS AND DOES 345765743 PUSHUPS A DAY!)
"It's because of what you've done to me, and will continue to do. It's because every time you look at me, I know what you must be thinking. You're thinking that I'm malevolent, or mad, or self-seeking. (Or hungry, or Portuguese, or sexually excited, or constipated!) But that's not it. I'm not like that at all."
Mike was biting his lip again.
"Is it because you love me?" asked Ben suddenly.(How awkward would it be if Mike was like… "No?") He was blushing madly, because he knew it was true. And as he looked over Mike's face, he suddenly saw somebody different than before.
Ben, through his pride and arrogance, had figured that Mike was the usual villain- needy and full of hatred. But by looking at him now, he knew that Mike wasn't quite so stereotypical at all. He was fragile, and all that he needed was somebody to care for him. (Yeah, he needs a younger boy that's a foot shorter than him, moronic, and hormonal to hold him at night.)
And through that person, Mike might learn to love others. Maybe someday, he'd even be able to forgive and respect himself.
And Ben knew, standing there, that he could be that person.
WAIT STOP!
Before you go on…
You need to be prepared for this.
Take a deep breath.
Accept what is going to happen.
You know what is going to happen.
Take a deep breath again.
And read.
Ben's hand, which was still lingering on Mike's wrist, traced down his arm and settled in his palm. Holding his hand tightly, Ben leaned in and kissed Mike right on the mouth. He could feel Mike's lips, swollen and dry from all of the biting, but he didn't care. It was getting better, Ben thought, as he grasped Mike's cloak and wrung it in his hands.
"DUDE, WHAT THE HELL, I'M STRAIGHT! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"
"But…but…when I said that you loved me…I…you didn't answer!"
"I was coming up with a reply but I was too shocked by your accusation…You just kind of forced me into it…I think we need to go over boundaries…"
Suddenly, they were interrupted by a faint voice from the front of the ship.
"Ben?" Gwen said. "Are you in the back? Nobody's steering the ship." (COCK BLOCK)
Ben suddenly remembered that he was in charge of the ship, and rushed to the front, apologizing for leaving Mike behind by himself.(What a gentleman…apologizing after leaving right after having some fun…) Ben sat down in the pilot's seat, took the ship off of autopilot, and steered again where the flight was headed.
"What were you doing back there?" asked Gwen tiredly.
"Just talking to Mike," said Ben.
"Mike?" she muttered. "Do you mean Darkstar?"
Ben nodded.
"Huh," she said, and fell back to sleep.
Mike stayed in the back and smiled, leaning against the windowpane.
And for the first time in a long time, he was at ease.
(Because he was just sexually harassed by a sixteen year old boy…)