Pacing back and forth through Plumber HQ, Rook can't keep the scowl off his face. His nerves have been stretched thin lately. As much as he usually tries to keep himself calm and his emotions controlled, it's been getting more and more difficult with every passing day.
Near him, Gwendolyn is unsteady on her feet. Floating in the air in front of her, Ben's old letterman jacket is surrounded by magenta mana. She has said before that she can track Ben's life energy without thinking about it, but belongings with a stronger personal connection make the tracking easier.
After four days of no progress, it was impossible to get her to put it down. Though, as far as Rook can tell, the jacket hasn't helped at all. Her eyes are glowing with mana so bright that it burns, but there's still nothing. She's been pushing herself for this, Rook knows that, but that doesn't change the fact that there's been absolutely no progress. Even Kevin is starting to look seriously shaken up, and Rook can't blame him.
It's been fourteen days. Two entire weeks since Ben disappeared off of the face of the Earth. Gwendolyn's reassurances that he's alive and still on the planet don't sooth Rook in the least. They wouldn't be panicking or having this issue at all if Rook had been a better partner in the first place.
He could have insisted that Ben not go, or demanded that he go with him, or even observed Ben in person instead of watching the GPS map for the Omnitrix's homing signal every day. The second it hadn't come in, Rook had known something was wrong. Still, he had given Ben another hour, certain that he had just gone for some kind of smoothie break and lost track of time. He had been ashamed of the way his last conversation with Ben had gone, and afraid to make things any worse by calling in the Plumbers for a situation where they hadn't been needed. Despite everything he had been taught in the Plumbers' Academy, emotions had won out over protocol. So no matter what Gwendolyn says, it's his fault. Maybe if he had alerted the Plumbers immediately, this could have been avoided.
They had turned that stupid bar, The Winking Muroid, upside-down and inside-out, but there hadn't been even a single mud stain to point them towards what had happened to Ben. The bartender had claimed to have seen him when they started questioning people about a missing Lenopan, but the torn-up apartment she directed them to hadn't provided any clues. All it had shown was that Ben had been in a fight, and he had lost. Half of the apartment had been burned beyond anything that forensics could analyze.
"Still nothing?" Rook asks impatiently as Gwendolyn's eyes return to their normal color. "We have been doing this for two weeks, and you still have no clue where he is?" There's a harsh bite to his words that Rook wouldn't normally direct at Gwendolyn, but he's beyond the need to be polite. Kindness isn't going to find Ben. At this point, it's entirely possible that anything they find won't even resemble enough of a body to be recognized as Ben. Two weeks of little sleep and worst-case scenarios have sawn away at Rook's last nerve.
"Hey, back off!" Kevin puts his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders, letting her rest against his chest while she catches her breath. "She's been working almost non-stop on this! It's not her fault if he's—" He bites his tongue, not wanting to finish.
Gwendolyn sighs, twisting in Kevin's arms to look up at him while she clutches Ben's jacket against her chest. "He's not dead," she mumbles tiredly. After a week of this, she's probably getting tired of reminding them. "I would know if he was dead. He's still on Earth, but it's... fuzzy. Every time I try to track him, it's like he's on three or four different continents at once, and I can never get more specific than that." She grimaces, rubbing her forehead tenderly. "I think something's interfering with my ability to find his mana…"
Unimpressed, Rook scoffs. "This perpetrator can kidnap hundreds of aliens without attracting our attention and synthesize a completely unique drug to make them behave like animals. Did you really need two weeks of failure to start thinking that something might be interfering with your mana?" A part of him knows that he's being unreasonable, but he really doesn't care. It's not that hard to upset an Anodite's tracking abilities — if whoever is doing this can create a machine to mimic the energy wave that Ben's lifeforce gives off, then it wouldn't be that hard to convince Gwendolyn that he's everywhere at once.
Under his accusatory gaze, Gwendolyn flushes red with humiliation, looking away. She doesn't shrink back, but Rook can almost feel her guilt and shame. Two weeks ago, she would have snapped back at him. The fruitless search has been taxing in more ways than one.
Unabashed, Kevin meets Rook's stare with a glare that could cut through steel. "Either you back off now, buddy, or I'll make you," he warns lowly.
"Good idea, but while you and I are doing that, who is finding Ben? It is not as though Gwendolyn has had any success at all," Rook replies sarcastically.
This time, Gwendolyn flinches. Kevin almost snarls, leaving her side to get right in Rook's face. "Then let's hear your brilliant idea to find him!" He snaps back, hands curling into fists at his sides. "She's doing the best she can!"
Rook meets Kevin's glare with a cold look. "Her best," he mutters, "isn't good enough."
The room goes silent. It's not like there were many people in the main room with them to begin with, but any stranglers quickly clear out as Kevin blanks. Later, Rook knows that he's going to have to apologize for his language, but he's so frustrated. Gwendolyn's headache really isn't on his list of priorities, because despite her constant assurances, Ben could very easily be dead. And if he isn't already, there's nothing saying that he isn't going to be soon. They're wasting time with all of this.
Suddenly, Gwendolyn's expression softens. After the way Rook was yelling at her, he almost wonders if he's misreading human expressions again, but she seems sincere. She walks towards him, reaching out to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Rook," she says gently, "I know you're worried about Ben. We all are, but you—" Her sentence is cut off as she lets out a sharp cry of pain. The hand on Rook's shoulder goes to clutch her forehead instead, and even though Gwendolyn has her face scrunched up in pain, the glow of her eyes is so bright that it's visible through her eyelids.
She yanks herself up into a proper standing position, having hunched over from the pain, and her eyes snap open. The magenta color is still there, but the way Gwendolyn is glowing has nothing to do with her mana. "I've got him," she whispers, looking awed and giddy. "He's downtown! Come on, let's go!"
Even as Rook is reaching for the keys to his Proto-TRUK, Gwendolyn raises her hands. Ben's jacket, which she had clung to for so long, is tossed aside. "Abeo Exorior!" She shouts. A bubble forms around the three of them, and before Rook or Kevin can utter out a single protest, they're gone.
The actual act of teleportation leaves Rook disoriented for a moment. His surroundings are completely different, though his feet had never left the ground. In front of him, Kevin is trying to hold Gwendolyn up due to the sudden rush of exhaustion that accompanies teleportation, but Rook is focused on something else entirely.
They're in the middle of downtown, and it's a disaster. In the distance, Rook can hear police sirens approaching, but he doubts that they'll be able to do much. Buildings have been crushed like soda cans, and shards of glass decorate every inch of the asphalt street like stars in a night sky. There are several small fires already breaking out, and smoke is unfurling into the sky at an increasing rate. It's obviously another alien attack, but Rook isn't surprised that the Plumbers weren't alerted. No one on Earth bothers to tell their organization anything anymore.
What really catches Rook's attention is the sounds of destruction coming from around the corner.
He takes off, leaving Gwendolyn and Kevin to catch up when she can stand on her own again. His hands find his Proto-Tool with ease, and Rook swings around the corner just in time to watch a car lodge itself into the side of a building.
It's another rampaging Tetramand. The sight of it has Rook's grip on his Proto-Tool tightening. He starts to take aim, only to freeze. Ben doesn't use Fourarms very often anymore, but it's still impossible to mistake his Tetramand form. Even without that, the Omnitrix symbol displayed in his chest is a dead giveaway. Shocked, Rook can only watch as Ben smashes through the window of a business building and yanks out the receptionist desk, tossing it down the street. It splinters when it hits the ground, narrowly missing an on-the-scene reporter cowering behind her knocked-over news van.
That finally snaps Rook out of his stupefied state, and he brings his Proto-Tool up and takes aim. There's no doubt in his mind that this is Ben, but if that drug, Venom, can make hundreds of different aliens go on a rampage, then there's no reason why Ben couldn't be affected by it, too.
Before he can pull the trigger, Ben suddenly turns, still for a moment as he studies Rook. Their eyes lock and, almost beyond reason, Rook thinks that maybe he's going to snap out of it and turn back into himself. Ben doesn't. Instead, he kneels down and picks up the bus parked in the street next to him. He struggles under the weight for a moment, but still manages to send it flying like it weighs little more than a paper ball.
Quickly, Rook aims his Proto-Tool to the side. Instead of an energy beam, it shoots a grappling hook that embeds itself into the building across the street. Rook pulls himself out of the way in time for the bus to crash and shatter on the ground where he was standing a second ago. There's the ugly sound of metal grating and glass splitting into shards, and Rook tucks his head down and braces himself as the bus to explodes and the mangled remains to go up in flames.
Bits of metal shower down over him and Rook only brushes a shard off of his head as he straightens back up. "Ben!" He turns to face Fourarms as he approaches, pure rage etched into his face. "Ben, you do not—" Cutting himself off, Rook jumps to the side to avoid Ben's fist, which punches straight through the brick wall with ease. Rook jumps to his feet, ready to dodge again, only for a pink bubble to flicker into existence around Ben's head.
Immediately, Ben stops his assault, grunting with effort as he tries in vain to pull the bubble off. Taking the escape opportunity, Rook stumbles back and runs off. He comes to stand next to Gwendolyn and Kevin, watching Ben carefully. Though Gwendolyn still looks a little weak and unsteady on her feet, she's staring determinedly at Ben, maintaining the simple spell with ease.
"Asphyxiation," Gwendolyn says in reply to Rook's unasked question. "It's a trick I picked up a while ago. It's easier than trying to fight him when he gets like this."
Luckily, it doesn't take that long for Fourarms to run out of oxygen. They watch him struggle with the mana ball over his head for a few minutes longer, before finally dropping to the ground. As soon as he does, Gwendolyn lets the mana drop.
The three of them rush over to him, looking down as Ben reverts back to his human form. Rook kneels at his side, taking Ben's wrist in one hand and pressing two of his other fingers underneath the boy's jaw. He holds his breath, waiting for an impossibly long second, and immediately relaxes when he feels the unmistakable throb of a pulse.
"He is alive," Rook announces. He doesn't hesitate to pick Ben up, cradling his head against his collarbone and looping an arm under his knees while the other goes to support his partner's back. "How long does asphyxiation last for humans?" He directs his question to Gwendolyn.
She frowns, walking up and pinching Ben on the cheek. He doesn't stir, so she reaches out and pries open his eyelid. Unfocused and unaware, his clouded green eyes stare blankly straight ahead. Gwendolyn makes a little huffing noise, dropping her hand. "Well, until we know that this is actually Ben and not a clone or imposter, let's hope that it lasts a while. Come on, we should get him back to HQ so they can make sure he's alright."
Despite her no-nonsense attitude and how aloof Kevin is trying to act, Rook can tell at a glance how relieved they both are. Gwendolyn looks like she's breathing again for the first time in two weeks, and the permanent scowl on Kevin's face has been wiped off. It's hard for Rook to describe, but he feels oddly calm, now that he knows Ben is fine.
Holding Ben makes it easy to do a quick physical assessment. He doesn't feel underfed or like he's lost any weight, though he's always been on the skinny side. His skin is paler than usual, but not sickly, and the rate of his heartbeat and breathing are both at normal levels. Even his clothes, which are the exact same ones he was wearing the day he took the mission in the first place, are clean and only a little rumpled. The only out-of-place feature is the bags under his eyes. Maybe they're only standing out because of Ben's pale complexion, but they look closer to bruises than mild puffiness. Given that he's been held captive for two weeks, though, Rook can't blame him for the lack of sleep. It's odd that he doesn't show any other signs of stress or being mistreated, but Rook ignores that in favor of a more pressing feeling.
The relief he feels is a full-body rush that has him relaxed for the first time in months.
A part of Rook feels that he ought to be embarrassed for it, but he isn't. He has been worried about Ben's safety in the heat of the battle before, but this is different. At least when they were separated for that month when the Incursions invaded Earth and made Ben leave the planet, Rook knew that he was alive and not being tortured. Actually, banishment had been a surprisingly merciful punishment. Then again, defeating Ben Tennyson on his own planet had to leave one feeling good.
Unlike with the Incursions, this time, there hadn't been any reassurances like that. Finally, Rook understands the human expression that, "it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest." He hadn't noticed it before, but everything suddenly feels so much lighter now that he knows that Ben is okay. Not even the insistent flashes from the recovered reporter can ruin his mood.
Gwendolyn suggests teleporting them back to HQ, but Kevin turns her down immediately. Instead, Rook uses his homing system to call on his Proto-TRUK. A few minutes later, he has Gwendolyn and Kevin on the passenger side, with Ben propped up and sitting between the two of them. His head is resting on Gwendolyn's shoulder, but while Rook is accelerating to break Earth's atmosphere, Kevin has his arm out like a guard to keep Ben from toppling over. No one says anything about it, and the ride passes in undisturbed silence.
Once they starting getting close to the base, Rook pulls out his Plumber badge. It's flashing, indicating that he has messages. He ignores them, immediately getting in contact with Max Tennyson.
The old man picks up almost immediately. "Rook!" He sounds angry, but no one in the truck is fazed. "Are Gwendolyn and Kevin with you? The other Plumbers said that you all ran off! There had better be a good explanation for this. The base is supposed to be on high alert until we find Ben."
Almost on cue, Ben shifts between Gwendolyn and Kevin, letting out a sleepy groan as his body tilts the other way and his head falls on Kevin's shoulder instead. Despite how hopeless he was just a few minutes ago, Rook smiles at the sight. The action is so human that he almost forgets that Ben is unconscious, and not sleeping. Kevin looks exceptionally displeased with his new situation, though he holds himself perfectly still and doesn't try to nudge Ben off.
"My apologies, Magister," Rook replies with the first bit of happiness he's felt in weeks. "Gwendolyn finally managed to locate Ben. He is unconscious, but we have him with us and we are returning to Plumber HQ now." When there's no reply after a few seconds, Rook speaks up again. "Magister?"
There's a shaky breath from the other end of the line. "Understood," Max says with an edge in his voice. "We'll meet you in the docking bay with the best medics we have. I want all three of you to give your own statements as soon as you get back, and then we'll figure out what to do. Am I clear?"
Rook's expression hardens. "Crystal clear, sir." He doesn't understand the metaphor very well (crystals can be quite opaque, in his experience) but it's something he's heard Ben say before. The words feel good when they roll off his tongue.
He hangs up the call and urges the engines as fast as they will go.
A flight that normally takes five minutes is shortened to forty-seven seconds, and all three of them are looking more than a little frazzled by the time Rook lands the truck and they slide out. Kevin is the one to get Ben out of the truck, holding him bridal style and shooting glares at anyone who looks like they might say something about it. Frowning, Rook has to suppress the odd urge to be the one supporting Ben.
Not wanting to think very hard on his feelings, Rook chalks it up to the fact that he's feeling guilty. They're partners, but he's partly to blame for getting Ben hurt. It makes sense that he would feel strongly about wanting to do better. The answer satisfies Rook, but his eyes don't stray from his unconscious partner for more than a second as the medical team works on getting Ben loaded onto a stretcher with practiced ease.
Since Magister Tennyson told all three of them to give their statements on what happened, Rook leads Gwendolyn and Kevin to the interrogation room. They don't do accounts of agents in person anymore. Instead, for mission recaps like this, everyone tells their version of what happened and a recorder in the room will log it. It's faster than doing it in person, which Rook is thankful for. When Ben wakes up, he wants to be right there, and to him, this is only wasting time.
This in mind, Rook volunteers first. He provides the microphone with a quick rundown of what happened. It doesn't take very long, thankfully. There isn't much to say. Rook chooses to omit a lot of his personal feelings on the matter, taking less than two minutes to finish his side of the story.
Once he's done, Rook leaves the room. Without a word, Kevin gets to his feet, leaving Gwendolyn in the waiting area while he takes Rook's place and gives his own recount. Rook turns to start towards the medical bay, only for a magenta mana shield to manifest in front of him.
It's not designed to trap him, Rook notices. Rather, it's supposed to get his attention. Not saying anything, he turns to face Gwendolyn, and the shield disappears. She doesn't look angry or upset, but Rook still isn't very good at noticing all the finer details of human expressions. The lack of fur makes it very individualized, and he hasn't spent enough time with Gwendolyn face-to-face to be able to read her.
"Rook, I think we should talk." Gwendolyn gestures to the seat across from her. The tone she uses doesn't leave much room for argument. "Do you have a minute? It won't take long."
Even though Rook is in a hurry, he nods and takes the seat that she indicated towards. They have to talk at some point, and it's better sooner than later. Still, he keeps his head down, unable to meet her gaze.
"I am sorry," he sighs after an agonizing minute of silence, deflating. "The way I was acting was uncalled for and harsh. I should have been more respectful and patient. I know that you have been straining yourself all week and you did not deserve to be yelled at, regardless of my impatience."
When Gwendolyn doesn't immediately answer, Rook spares a glance in her direction. She's smiling now, which he takes to be a good sign. "I appreciate your apology, Rook. But that's not what I wanted to talk about." There's a pause, as though she's trying to decide whether to continue or not. "Rook, while Ben was missing, you were really… eager to find him. I mean, of course, you were, but you took it to an obsessive level. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" She asks in a gentle tone.
It's a simple question, but Rook hesitates to answer. "It has been about a week…" he replies slowly. He's not being entirely truthful. The last time Rook had slept properly was back when he was still on Galvan Prime. And even then, the nights where Ben had been in surgery often passed slowly, with Rook struggling for sleep that wouldn't come. "Am I not supposed to be worried about Ben? I am his partner and he was missing for two weeks due to my shortcomings." A frown creases Rook's face. Ben is back with them now, but Rook is still worrying. What if something's wrong that he didn't notice?
"You know," Gwendolyn sighs after some thought, "an Anodite's abilities are based on emotion. When I get furious, I can do much more powerful things than I would normally. I thought that anger was the only thing that made my powers flare, but recently, well…" she purses her lips. "The reason I've been so stressed recently is that I've developed empathic abilities. Being in that room with you and Kevin was multiplying my own stress to almost unmanageable levels. And as worried as me and Kevin both were, you were… Okay, let me ask you this." She leans forward, a serious look of concentration on her face. "Do you love Ben?"
As much emphasis as Gwendolyn puts on the question, it's kind of anticlimactic for Rook. He gives her an odd look. "Of course I do. Ben is my best friend." He's never told Ben that himself, but maybe he should the next time they're alone together.
Gwendolyn shakes her head. "No, Rook. I know that he's your best friend, but I meant, do you love him? Like— like the way Kevin and I look at each other."
That is a much more surprising question. "I—" he starts to say something, but shuts his mouth when he realizes that he doesn't know how to answer. His feelings towards Ben aren't very complicated. Or, at least up until a few minutes ago, Rook didn't think that they were.
They're best friends, which is a simple relationship. Sometimes Rook gets frustrated with or confused by Ben, but they've never really argued and yelled at each other. Even when they disagree, they both respect each other enough to keep it civil. Their partnership at work means that Rook sees Ben nearly every day. At first, he thought that it would get grating to see Ben so often, but it doesn't. Or at least, it hasn't yet, but they've been partners for a year, so it probably never will. Their relationship isn't complicated, and that's what Rook likes about it. But he's had partners before. At the Plumbers' Academy, they would team up to tackle simulations of a field operation together. They were in a controlled environment, but even when the people that Rook would consider his best friends were injured, he had never felt so strongly about it. Those two and a half months on Galvan Prime had been absolute torture, and Rook can never forget how good it felt to watch Ben move his right arm again. He had been so happy that he was almost glowing.
But what does any of that have to do with love?
Almost immediately, Rook thinks of Rayona. They aren't dating anymore, having found the long-distance too difficult to manage, but Rook knows that he still has feelings for her. She had promised to wait for three revolutions for him and said that she would be ready and willing if he ever wanted to stop the Plumber work on Earth and return home. His feelings for Rayona and Ben aren't comparable — it's like trying to judge a pear based on the way an apple can swim.
Sure, he enjoys Ben's company. And, yes, Rook may be worried about him a lot, but that's only because Ben has such a penchant for getting himself into near-death situations. He's never thought about kissing Ben unless being oddly distracted by his mouth whenever he talks a lot counts.
Rook opens his mouth to give Gwendolyn his answer, only to shut it just as quickly when the door to the interrogation room opens and Kevin steps out. He looks between the two of them, confused, but Gwendolyn only stands up and gives Rook a polite smile. "Think about it, alright?" She waits for Rook to nod, then turns and heads into the room that Kevin left vacant.
There's an awkward pause, and then Kevin clears his throat. "You, uh… gonna tell me what that was about?" He asks.
With a sigh, Rook shakes his head. "I would if I knew."
Kevin grimaces sympathetically, resting a hand on Rook's shoulder. "Girls, huh?" They stare at each other for a moment, and then Kevin grins. "Hey, wanna ditch Gwendolyn and go see how Ben's doing?"
Even though Rook hasn't known Kevin for very long, he knows his friend well enough to recognize that the offer loosely translates to "I forgive you for earlier, and there's no hard feelings." Rook manages a smile in return, climbing to his feet. "Of course. Did you even need to ask?"
When they get to the medical bay, the full-body examination is still underway, but the current results are positive. "The odd thing," one of the doctors says to Rook when he asks, "is the hole in his skull. There was a hole drilled through his forehead, but I couldn't tell you why without a full brain scan. Brain surgery for someone who gets knocked around as much as he does isn't that surprising, but it's not from any surgery in my records. The scar in his skin is hidden by his bangs and hairline, but it looks faded and old like it's from a surgery that happened months ago. I can't make heads or tales of it," she explains.
Months ago? If Ben had had a surgery months ago, Rook would have heard about it. Especially if it was for something as intensive as brain surgery. He tells Kevin this, and once Gwendolyn meets up with them, the three of them discuss it to no avail. None of them has any idea what it could mean.
Curiously, Magister Tennyson isn't anywhere to be found. Rook figures that he's still busy dealing with the press that has no doubt already heard of this, as well as the damages caused by Ben's rampage. Still, Rook thinks that all of that ought to be able to be held off for a moment or two in order to visit his missing grandson.
It doesn't take long for the tentative conversation to die off. There's something about the waiting room that makes talking seem impossible. Solemn and serious, the three of them wait impatiently for the examination to finish.
The most likely thing is that they're keeping Ben unconscious until they finish via the help of sedatives, so even when he's done being examined, there's no guarantee that Ben will be waking up soon. Even so, Rook wants to see him almost beyond reason. Ben was hurt because of his shortcomings as a partner. There are so many things unsaid between them that Rook might never get another opportunity to say. He wants Ben to know that he's sorry, and that he considers Ben to be like his second family, and that he'll do better next time so that this never happens again.
The funniest thing is that, if Ben was here, he would be telling Rook what an idiot he's being. The thought makes the Revonnahgander smile a little bit. Ben would probably be scowling at him, but in that fond, "I-can't-believe-you're-acting-this-stupid" sort of way that lets Rook know that he's not really angry.
For some reason, thinking on that makes Rook's chest feel warm and tight. Before he can contemplate too long on that, one of the doctors who was examining Ben comes out. He's different than the one Rook spoke to earlier, but at this point, anything would be better than sitting around and praying to Brallada for good news.
"Well, I have good news and not-so-good news." The doctor looks between the three of them before looking down at his clipboard and continuing. "Physically, Ben is fine. You've already been informed of the drilled hole in his skull, but other than that, there's nothing wrong with him. There's no bruising or scaring anywhere on his body. Wherever he's been for the past two weeks, he's had plenty of food. His weight is the same as when he disappeared. Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends." He sighs, lowering the clipboard. "We didn't find any traces of "Venom" in his system. We can't rule out the possibility that it's already dissolved, but unlike a lot of the aliens we bring in, humans heal relatively slowly. He should still have an injection site, even if he was drugged while in one of his alien forms, but there's no trace of anything like that. As far as we can tell, that rampage downtown was done of his own free will."
Almost immediately, Rook is on his feet. "That is impossible," he says calmly. "Ben would never do something like that of his own volition." He thinks back to their interaction on the street. Ben hadn't even faltered when he'd looked at Rook. That bus he had thrown hadn't hit where Rook had been standing on accident. No, he had meant to seriously hurt Rook and anyone else nearby. He refuses to believe that Ben would ever do something like that to someone he cares about. That rage in Ben's eyes had been raw and real.
The doctor gives an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry, but that's what the tests show. It's possible that we got something wrong, but from what we know about Venom, it doesn't line up. Maybe he'll have more information once he wakes up. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you." To his credit, he does seem genuinely sorry. It doesn't change his implications, but it keeps Rook from snapping at him like he has everyone else.
There's an awkward pause, and then Gwendolyn gets to her feet. "Is it alright if we go in and see him?"
Strangely, even though the walk to Ben's room in the infirmary doesn't take long, Rook barely remembers it. What he does remember, much more clearly than he would like it, is the way it feels to see Ben in a hospital bed.
When he had broken his arm, it was worse. Even though Ben is much shorter than Rook is and just barely taller than Gwendolyn, he's always had a way of making up for his lithe, slight build by being loud. Ben is very good at grabbing attention. Every room he walks into almost becomes a stage, and he knows that he's the main star everyone wants to see. When he's unconscious and injured the way he is, the fragile illusion shatters.
Rook is starting to hate the color white. The medical ward is filled with it, and all it does it draw his attention to how pale Ben looks, and the way the hospital bed seems to swallow up all of his color and energy. It isn't right. Ben should be awake and joking and as energetic as always. Every time Rook forces himself to look away from the bed, he finds his gaze drawn right back as if Ben will have somehow awakened in the two seconds since he last looked.
Finally, Kevin sighs, an annoyed look on his face. "Dude, would you calm down? He's gonna wake up. Bouncing your leg like that is making me anxious."
He hadn't realized that he was bouncing his leg. Rook is quick to stop it. "How can I calm down?" He asks, more tired that he is annoyed. "I know that I have not known Ben as long as you and Gwendolyn have, but I have known him long enough to know that this is—" he gestures at the hospital bed, only for his breath to catch and the sentence on his lips to stop abruptly.
Staring right back at him are two very much alert and aware eyes. Even if Gwendolyn is the cousin who's actually physically capable of glowing, Rook thinks that Ben's eyes would give her a run for her money. Human eyes aren't supposed to be so green.
The three teenagers freeze and Ben's eyes jump between them all quickly. His expression doesn't change at all, and Rook almost worries that something is wrong. Why does Ben look as though he's assessing them? Like they're enemies instead of friends?
Then, to Rook's relief, Ben manages a smile. "Hey, guys," he waves weakly at them. "Jeez, what hit me? Don't tell me it was another Tetramand," he jokes.
Gwendolyn looks to be struggling between slapping him and hugging him, but she manages to restrain herself and only sits at the very edge of Ben's bed, not touching him. "Hey," she whispers, voice cracking as she gives a watery smile. "You've been gone for a while. How are you feeling?"
Ben looks excited to answer, and that alone almost has Rook needing to look away. It's so good to see Ben acting carefree again. Privately, Rook regrets every time he's ever told Ben to mature. "I feel way better than I probably should," he chuckles. "Man, you guys, it was crazy. I got kidnapped by the guys running this scam. I don't know how long I was there, but I busted out and sent the whole operation up in smoke. The last thing I remember was taking a huge blast to the face from this giant machine they mass-produced Venom in. And then, waking up here, I guess." Seeing the looks on his friend's faces, Ben's smile falls. "Guys? Is something wrong?"
The story makes a lot of sense on the surface. Sure, inhaling a lot of Venom in an explosion could have resulted in Ben wrecking downtown, but there were no reports of anything nearby blowing up. Besides, there's no trail of destruction. It's almost like someone dropped Ben in the middle of downtown and he did the rest. Doubting his partner feels wrong, but Rook can't think of any way that Ben's story fits in with the puzzle pieces they already have. He must be lying about something — but what?
Rook shares a look with Kevin and Gwendolyn. Collectively, they all seem to agree without uttering a word. Because even though none of the aliens the Plumbers bring in can remember being kidnapped, they can all recall with a dream-like quality how it felt to crush cities and bones in their bare hands without having any say in the matter.
Which means that, if Ben is saying that he can't remember doing that, he must be lying.
"It is nothing, Ben," Rook reassures his partner. "It has just been a while. We are all glad that you are alright." It doesn't feel like Ben is alright — not by a long shot. But the statement makes Ben smile, and for a split-second, Rook can't help but think that that's good enough for now.