p class="Standard"strongemAuthor's Note:/em/strongem Cross-posted to Insane_Weasel on AO3, /embut considering this is a child-friendly fandom and it's roots are more on this website, I'm also posting over here. Been sitting on my laptop for 3/4 years now, here it is. This fandom defined my childhood, and this story takes elements of a story I wrote when I was 13 here that involved ferrets and slaps them hard af with the more refined older brain I have now. Any possible triggers can be added to future beginning ANs. Warning: May never be finished. /p
p class="Standard"strongSTART OF CHAPTER/strong/p
p class="Standard"strong.../strong/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"emBucks. Babes. And Benny./em/p
p class="Standard"em /em/p
p class="Standard"That was supposed to be the motto. Instead, it ended up being:/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"emWhy can't there just be one spell to switch my sexuality or better, make me /emnotem want my straight best friend?/em/p
p class="Standard"em /em/p
p class="Standard"He sat up, groaning—he had fallen asleep hunched over his computer desk. The TV was still blaring the game-over music and title-screen from his video game and the spell book next to him was propped open to a chapter on love magic, that yielded nothing, but persuasion spells, how to raise a certain something spells, and how to make your partner suffer a fatal string of curses should they ever leave you spells—hey the book was dark magic, not happy, fairy-tale magic. Nothing on how to make emyou/em forget your love—but there were plenty on making your desired partner love you and utterly idolize you and worship your every move. Which Benny shunned the image out of his head./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Funny enough, for wanting a relationship so eagerly, he didn't want to jump his friend's bones. He just wanted to go slow, be romantic—really only change their paradigm from hanging out normal to—being together and see where it goes from there. It would just be nice if there could be some affection, he didn't know, he hated this. Why couldn't he just have two normal parents, grow up in a middle-class house like Ethan's and live a more mundane life? Benny stood up, only to stagger two steps and collapse on his bed. He reached for his pillow and shoved his face into it, groaning louder./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"His grandma knocked on his door, causing Benny to groan again, hoping to get the message across that this was emnot/em a good day. "When you're done having your teenage crisis, I need you downstairs. I need to talk with you," she called. br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /!- [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /!-[endif]-/p
p class="Standard""Jus'a'min," he muttered into the pillow, pulling the covers over his head. If he could never face another day in the life of Benny it would be too soon. A few seconds later, he closed his eyes happily imagining the blissful darkness when he felt the pillow and blanket completely disappear./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Grandma!" he hollered, sitting up, clutching the empty air where the blankets were./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Still on the other side of the closed door she lectured him: "Hiding in there won't change your situation, it'll only make Ethan wonder if you caught the flu again." Benny grumbled, mouthing little incantations under his breath until it slurred into meaningless Latin. "Now rise and shine, and get moving."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Huffing, Benny grabbed the first shirt lying on the floor he saw, sniffed the outside and shrugged it on followed by a pair of pants hanging halfway out of his drawer. His jacket was strung across his desktop chair and he threw it on, sprayed on deodorant before ducking into the bathroom./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He usually took more time to fix his hair, but today he half-heartedly combed it, added some styling cream and gave himself a semi-once over, winking at himself. It was much more toned down than usual, but he was sure he was still a passable seven. The geek dropped down the stairs, clomping to the main table where his grandma had already spread out a few sheets of paper, each with her neat cursive. From a distance, Benny could already see what looked like spells, instructions for using said spells, some grocery list items, some supernatural grocery list items, and what chores he needed to do./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""What's all this; are you taking a trip?" Benny asked, looking over at the papers. She glanced up at him, giving him a stern, but compassionate look./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""That's what I need to talk to you about," she murmured. "I have a good feeling that something in a few weeks or even days will transpire that requires a leave from White Chapel, for all of us, temporarily and I need to go about setting up some matters in a town with a friend of mine," she looked suddenly piercing at Benny so that he felt under an intense scrutiny that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. "Do be careful, I have tried to foreshadow all elements that could affect you in my leave, but knowing you I'll miss something. The great evil I warned of isn't something even I can combat and, you, all of you shouldn't attempt to either. Especially, you and Ethan." Her warning sent goosebumps down Benny's spine./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""I...uh...I appreciate all this grandma, but what's...what's happening? We've been able to combat it all before?" Benny questioned uneasily, feeling his own worries fade as a bigger one took their place./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"She smiled at him, small and gentle and rested her hands on his. "It is for the better that I'm not the one to tell you—I feel you will deal with the information much better on your own," she said, and Benny wanted to tear his hair out with the riddle like speak of his grandma at times./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""W-wait, what about Dad?" he asked, "I'm not sure his trip-"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""He will be out of town during the initial event and I doubt the events after will bother him so much as it will bother us," she said, but there was a thin tinge of ice to her tone that bothered Benny, but he didn't comment on it. His grandma wrapped him into a tight hug, especially for a woman her age, before releasing him and firmly grabbing his arms, straightening him. "Now, I expect you to clean up in the bathroom after using it and emtake out the trash/em." She shook her head, giving him the parental frown. "I'm not dealing with dead rats, toads and onions in the garbage disposal again."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""It was for a cleaning spell," Benny protested, but his grandma had already wandered off, leaving him feeling increasingly alone. Not to mention, if there was supposed to be this great evil, then he guessed the forbidden romance feelings could wait. For those brief, but few, "White Chapel is probably going to end and we're going to have to flee" talk moments he forgot entirely about his overwhelming crush on his best friend who-will-not-be-named. Now that he was reminded again, and reminded him he had only a few minutes to brush his teeth and find his backpack so he could meet up with Ethan and walk to school./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Stomaching his feelings and his worries, he smiled at his reflection as he brushed his teeth. When he spits and finished, he looked himself in the eyes. "You're Benny. Bucks, babes, and magic: best things in the world and let nothing else matter." He smiled again, but this time it didn't reach his eyes and he could only stare at himself in annoyance. "You're Benny, and you're not telling Ethan what gran told us or about your dumb crush that magic can't will away, because your best friend is hopelessly in love with a vampire goddess and you're not going to ruin more of his life again." This time, when he smiled, it reached his eyes as he laughed at himself miserably from the inside./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"As he walked with Ethan, something dawned on him and he did the math in his head. Ethan was bantering about the stupid homework they were assigned in U.S. History and Benny was trying to tune it out, because it reminded him he hadn't done the assignment yet and it was due today. Tomorrow was the one-year anniversary to the bet that Ethan couldn't ask Sarah out and he felt a small grin come on for two reasons. One reason was right: his friend was a total shy geek who couldn't even muster the courage to even try and ask his crush out after all this time. The second reason was emwrong/em, because the fact that his heart was even doing its little flip that maybe Ethan would fail and not only would that mean a hundred dollars, but better chances for him, Benny./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""You know, that's not the only thing you should worry about," Benny sang in warning, his tone lyrical and his eyes dancing, even if some of it was more of a show than the Benny on the inside that was more impatient and keening to tell Ethan that he should just give up on Sarah and stick with his best pal. Ethan looked over at him, a sarcastic reply at the ready./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""And what is? The scathing look Mr. Slothower will give us when he calls on us for the questions in the assignment and we get made the laughingstock of the class?" Ethan suggested./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""No, that tomorrow, my friend, is your last day to ask Sarah out before you owe me a hundred," Benny said, waggling his eyebrows. "That'll be an easy ka-ching!" He smirked as Ethan's eyebrows scrunched up and then his face twisted into worry before he hid it in his hands. He let out a small groan, that reminded Benny of his own struggles that morning. To cover the growing mixture of feelings in his chest, he continued. "So, what's the plan, lover-boy?"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""I don't know," Ethan admitted, dropping his hands, and hefting his bag. "I forgot the deadline for that. A dinner-date? A movie? What should I do? How should I do it? Oh man," he muttered and dropped his head, groaning. It was a semi-cute sight, but you'd have to hold Benny at spell-point or teeth-point to get him to admit that./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""No clue, mi amigo, but that means I get a hundred," Benny gloated, internally gloating em'and you remain my single bro-mingo/em.'/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan straightened up and flashed Benny an overconfident smile, "You know what, emI/em don't have to worry yet. Today, I'll think about how I'll ask her and tomorrow, I'll ask her," he said, straightening up to match Benny's height. "You'll be owing me a hundred."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"His eyes for the briefest of seconds were drawn to that smile, before Benny flashed his own teeth, "Oh, but isn't the deadline tomorrow?" he innocently murmured./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Nope, you said originally by the end of the day," Ethan corrected, dropping back down to his height, and rolling his eyes, "which means my plan is sound."/p
p class="Standard"br /"Oh, and I wish it wasn't," Benny muttered, following him as they approached the school where he could be loved by the wrong people and envy a decent girl, just because her okay-more-than-decent heart stole his pure-hearted best-friend./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard"The day drones on. There isn't anything completely supernatural, other than their vampire friends and Rory, who, let's get real, is always a supernatural mystery. There's Sarah and Erica talking about shoes and occasionally about blood, there's Rory begging them to see a Galticzar Marathon with him at the cinema, and there's Ethan, mostly enraptured in classes, getting his straight A's, and occasionally trying to write love lines and ways to broach the subject with Sarah in his Chemistry composition notebook. Benny, tries to stay sane, not burn holes in the Chemistry notebook with either his eyes or his magic, pass-by in Slothower's where he emdoes/em get called on and embarrassed and not shoot himself in the proverbial foot and shatter the easily toppled—well for him anyway—boundaries in his friend-group balance by breaking the straight-boundaries. Ah, the golden emstraight-boundaries/em./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"As far as they know, he was just a chick obsessed, self-coined, Babe Magnet ™ that rocks the awesome. If they got one look at the Benny that didn't like babes as much as he let on and ogled his best friend more than once a day for the wrong reason, then there it would be. The end. It would be too awkward for them to manage. He didn't know one person em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"not/em oriented heterosexually in all of White Chapel and despite the deceptive amount of anti-bullying posters strung-up around their school there was still a wide number of wedgie incidents, lunch-money stealing. and being pounded or shoved into a locker by any number of the senior jocks. Give them a better reason to do what they already do to geeks like Ethan and Benny and Benny was guaranteed to be crammed into far tighter areas than lockers./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"A day in the life of Benny, that ends with him crashing at Ethan's to play video games and assume his platonic relationship with his friend and trying not to think about his empty house where his dad is on another business trip and his gran's out doing the supernatural, and he's just stuck listening to his music until he finally loses enough energy to sleep./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"The day started right./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"The day ended wrong./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Somewhere between that, Benny lost his hundred dollars, the Vampire Council decided something Luci-whatever was a threat, and Ethan and Sarah scheduled a date. Instead of his Friday being full of beautiful, beautifully sweet alone time with Ethan and himself, snacks and video games, it was going to be with Rory searching decrypt places with nasty surprises for some piece of work device likely like the Ani-moose-whatever-it-was-named's brother, where he was going to get it, be hounded by something evil, then have it stolen from him again, because that's how it always went when some really important thing that could cause the world to end was left in his hands./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Sullen, moping, and trying not to think about the coming Friday he was greeted by an exuberant and nervous Ethan, tittering, and bouncing almost on his feet. So, Benny, being the best friend Benny, did what the best friend's role is. Coach his best bud, as his wingman, for his date./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Because what are emfriends/em for./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Coach your friend for the date. Go off and do the dirty work yourself./p
p class="Standard"br /Yeah, just great./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"The Thursday night before that Friday to end all future dates Benny will ever have with his Ethan, Benny spent screaming into his pillow, because after another round of spell-book and potion searching, not a single spell was created to drive the feelings out of him./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"No one needs telling how the date went, because it went better than Benny would hope for. In other words, it really didn't go anywhere at all. And, like predicted. They lost the Lucy—as he was now deeming it for lack of an easier name. He was partially on cloud nine, but he shut-out that inner voice and at school, he slapped down the offending Inner-Benny and consoled his concerned friend, worried he had ruined the date and all his chances with Sarah./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny wanted to say that boat sailed a emlong/em time ago. Sarah kept all the gifts Jesse ever gave her and according to a story she emonly/em told Erica, she had talked to Jesse off on her Vampire Vacation—it was just Benny's luck he happened to leave a recording device in Erica's purse. It wasn't meant to sound as creepy as it did. It was just a test to see if he hardwired the device correctly so that if they ever went on a scouting mission and split up they could be easily concealed two-way radios and recording devices, but he just wanted to get the recording part down and to see if the invisibility spell part worked on it./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He would have had Ethan test it, but he wanted to know if someone who didn't know it was there could find it first and when he turned it on from his end, he caught the conversation. He didn't remember all the details, but he did remember enough to make his heart soar at the time. Jesse and Sarah had reconciled. Jesse had calmed down, stood before a higher council than the one in White Chapel and it was determined he needed teachings in the ancient vampire art of meditation and spiritual reform. Sarah had barged in all angry fangs on him and had found him trying to be a peaceful vampire. They had started talking and that's when they just connected again./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"It was all Benny could have ever hoped for, but all he needed was for Ethan to move on from Sarah on his end. Why Sarah even gave him a chance, Benny could only imagine it to be a mixture of not wanting to hurt his feelings and the platonic sort of Luke and Leia like charity she felt for him. He was the younger brother, not the significant other in her eyes. Benny guessed that made him the gay-Han Solo./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"But his inner triumph could wait. They had to get Lucy back and save all of vampire kind, which he was much happier to save when they weren't dating emhis/em best friend. And like all good plans Benny had, it went down awful./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"When he woke up from his random nap he doesn't remember taking in Geometry and some vague idea that he and Ethan talked about the plan, but didn't act on it—which confused him more than ever—and then it was the end of the block and Ethan must have gone home sick. The rest of the day dragged on as he had a strange nagging feeling he forgot something and struggled to remember what it was. Ah well, whatever it was it could wait. When school ended he was going to Ethan's to see what it was this time./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan's mom was all-too happy to see him, which Benny was mildly surprised at, but not at all upset./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Ethan's going through..." She trailed off unsure. "I think post-date jitters, but he keeps claiming everyone is dead. I think it's just he's melancholy over how the date went and he's moping a bit about… his love chances." She shrugged, looking aghast. "I have to leave for work in a few minutes, but you're his best-friend and I know you know Ethan as well as you know yourself. Just, help him get through it and maybe even hug it out, if you're not too manly for that now." She smiled at Benny and gave him a gentle pat on the arm as she left, leaving Benny feeling satisfied and happy./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He climbed the stairs, passed Jane's room where she raised an eyebrow at him and pointed towards Ethan's room and made a cuckoo sign, swiveling her finger around in a circle. Benny rolled his eyes. Maybe Ethan's mom was right and that's what happened. He knew Ethan hadn't been able to get Sarah to talk with him and maybe he stressed himself out about to the point of being physically ill or had some sort of stress breakout. Whatever it was, because he didn't honestly remember any of Geometry—which wasn't that unusual—he was sure he could help Ethan with it./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Ethan? Your mom left for work. She says you're a little upset and we should hug it out," Benny said, opening the door when he didn't get a response. He cringed a little at his own words. They sounded okay when Ethan's mom had said it, but now they sounded too...too wrong on his tongue. He shrugged uncomfortably and gestured. "We don't actually have to hug, just talk it out." He corrected. "That was more her suggestion." That little more comforted him; no one could know his secret./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Are you really the real Benny?" Ethan said, from somewhere in his room. Benny scanned Ethan's room before figuring he was really hiding behind his shelves. Gosh, Ethan' should turn on a light in here. It is way too dark. The only light was coming from the partially exposed window next to Ethan. Alright, something was up with his friend./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Besides, what did he mean emreal/em Benny? Who else would he be?/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Uh, yeah," Benny muttered, shifting on the spot. He eyed Ethan's hiding spot where he could see the edge of the boy's shoulder and his shoe. Ethan had turned his head slightly, possibly sparing a glance at Benny before ducking back around./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Show me your hands," Ethan commanded and Benny wanted to snort. His hands? Did Ethan think he was casting a spell. Whatever he was paranoid about, he could comply. He was starting to get a little concerned, Ethan was acting far from weird. Holding both his hands out, he saw Ethan peek around and then shake his head. "The other way." Benny rolled his eyes, and flipped his hands over so that the backs were exposed./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan glanced at them, his eyes slowly lowering, his breathing shifting as he visually relaxed./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Same two as last time, dude," Benny said, flashing a smile, that Ethan probably couldn't see. Ethan still hid partially behind the shelves, his eyes dark and mistrusting and Benny sort of felt his gut drop. Some part of him wanted to murmur em'I'm your best friend. Let's just hug this out./em'/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Well, the last time I talked to you, you were Stern," Ethan muttered, his eyebrows knitting momentarily as the sarcastic lilt to his tone returned. At least he didn't sound as petrified as he was before. Benny allowed himself a small breath of relief, before his mind flickered and he remembered just what they had been planning in Geometry. Oh yeah, the ring and the whole Benny using it to look like Stern and then he got to Stern's office...And then what...Benny guessed something went wrong, as usual. "And he had your ring."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Yeah," Benny said, the past few events dawning on him. He wasn't sure what to think of what happened. He guessed that meant he hadn't been taking a nap in Geometry. What emhad /emhappened? "Everything kind of went blank after I went into his office," Benny explained. "I woke up in Geometry and assumed you kind of freaked out over the Sarah thing and left or something." He shrugged and dropped his hands, figuring that Ethan knew now well enough that he was Benny and not Stern. Besides, did Stern know where Ethan lived? Well...he emis/em the Vice Principal, he could probably look that up. Not to mention Ethan and he walked, which means someone was bound to see them./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan edged out from behind his book case, his shoulders dropping before rising again as he realized he could discuss his agitations with now what he knew to be Benny. He was shaking a little, as if he was running a fever. He licked his lips, his eyes dilating as the fear returned. He wasn't quite as fearful as before, but he was still shaken. "Everybody's dead Benny, I see them. They're all dead."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"So, this is what his mom had been talking about. Benny wasn't sure what to make of it, but before he could stop himself, he couldn't help but joke, his lips curling, "Relax dude, first you see dead em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"people,/em" he mused. Truly, they both did. Technically their vampire friends were 'dead people', but he could tell by the annoyed expression Ethan gave him as his shoulders dropped that his joke wasn't appreciated. Maybe Ethan already forgot about the time they watched the Sixth Sense—and the infamous "I see dead people" line./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Benny," Ethan said exasperated, but Benny was already well wrapped up in the joke. Troubles forgotten for just a second, he comically made a scary face and waved his hands, laughing. What he didn't expect, was that to scare Ethan./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan backpedaled, and Benny's expression fell. "Ethan, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. I'm not dead and neither is Jane or your mom, I just saw them a few moments ago." He lowered his hands and gave Ethan an odd look, trying to figure out what was going through that brain of his./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""No," Ethan was giving him the death glower again, as if the guy standing in front of him wasn't his childhood best friend, "you're not."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny felt somewhere in his chest, his heart fall, because the guy—and his best friend—standing in front of him was looking at him with a mixture of fear and animosity, as if convinced everyone around him was dead and any conviction that everyone was fine was a plot against him. Ethan needed help. "Okay," Benny said slowly, and he rubbed his forehead in thought. Gran was gone, but she was still reliable enough to call—or at least he hoped so, but for now he had to get Ethan to a safe place. With his behavior branching far from the realm of normal, he couldn't be left alone. "I'm going to call Gran, and we're going to go over to my house. I think Gran still has some milk and cookies," he chirped half-heartedly and he saw Ethan's frown waver to exasperation before tensing again and with Benny's brilliant planning skills, he cautiously approached Ethan./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Hey, you don't have to look at me if I look...dead," Benny said gently, and though Ethan tensed he didn't move away. Spotting one of the limited-edition bandanas from the Sci-Fi convention they went to last year, he had an idea. "We'll just tie this around your eyes and problem solved, you won't have to see any dead people!" Benny suggested. He almost expected Ethan to protest over the use of merchandise, but his friend only shivered./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"It was like someone dunked his heart into ice repeatedly. Seeing Ethan like this gave him chills. Not just to the bones, but to his core—which Gran had denoted was where magic energy came from, the deepest and most spiritual part of their beings—where he could feel even Ethan's own powers acting strangely. Almost static electricity. As if they had been exposed to something with a lot of friction and couldn't process when they touched anything. Swiftly, he tied the bandana around Ethan's eyes, and tried not to wince when Ethan flinched from his touch./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""See, what'd I tell you? No dead people," Benny said, his voice cracking. Ethan didn't even smile./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Your hands feel like ice. Like they're-"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Dead, yeah bud, I get it," Benny interrupted, and despite that he guided Ethan from the room, one hand on his back. As they passed by Jane's room again he got a curious look from her and he wanted to slap himself. Even though it probably wasn't as important right now and Ethan's dad would be home in an hour or two, they weren't supposed to leave Jane alone. He knew the supernatural world needed saving and it would probably end if they didn't get Ethan fixed, but he didn't want Ethan to be grounded after this./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Jane saw his expression and she offered him a small smile. She didn't seem quite happy, but she got the situation. "I get it. Another problem. I'll tell dad that Ethan was feeling pretty sick and you took him to a clinic," she offered. Benny nodded gratefully and Ethan from what he could hear murmured something under his breath that neither of them could hear. "Is he...okay?" Jane asked, leaning on her doorway./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""I..." Benny glanced at Ethan and then flashed Jane his signature smile. "Yeah, or he will be. He just needs some...counseling...over his girlfriend issues."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Uh-huh," Jane was skeptical, but she didn't bother asking. "Whatever, I guess. I'm fine. I can take care of myself. I mean, I've done it before with how often you, dorks, get caught up in stuff," she mutters, disappearing back into her room, and closing the door. Ethan turns faintly in the direction of her voice before glancing towards Benny./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan looks like he wants to say something, but his mouth closes and he lets Benny guide him down the stairs and outside where they walk in uncomfortable silence towards Benny's house. There's no one around to witness the odd sight, but that almost makes it worse. While they're walking, Benny dials his Gran and is relieved when she picks up. "We have a problem."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Don't you always," she murmured from the other end, but sighed all the same and asked, "what is it?"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny can't help, but glance at Ethan who is resolutely walking within two inches of Benny's hand and is keeping his head downcast. "Ethan's...Ethan had a run-in with Stern who pretended to be me and I think he did something to him. He keeps saying he sees dead people, as in all of us—I think—as if we're dead."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He looks at Ethan again who starts to murmur something under his breath again. "We're all going to die. We're dead." Ethan started./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"His Gran seemed to have caught not only Benny's words, but Ethan's as well. She's silent for a moment, and then she tsked. "I should not have left so soon, but I fear..." she stopped, suddenly silent. Benny waited, his heart hammering in his chest. "Stern has left a spell on him, dark, but temporary, but still very much traumatic. He is seeing what he most fears, his worst fear must be to have everyone taken from him in a horrific manner. Stern is playing on the fear, warping it so that whatever might go against his plans will cause the destruction of all Ethan cares about." Benny's stomach plummeted, and he glanced at Ethan./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Is that...can it be reversed? With a spell? A potion?"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"They're nearing closer to his house, but Benny can't bring himself to touch Ethan again. To feel him flinch away, but he must guide him into the house. "I'm afraid these kinds of spells are rooted too strongly to the brain to be tampered with. Ethan must reach past the fear himself and his brain must willingly overcome the spell."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny lowered the phone, feeling his heart sink further in the abyss. He guided Ethan again towards his house, trying hard not to let the flinching bother him. He put the phone up to his ear again. "How can I help him?" he questioned./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Sarah might be his best bet; he's the closest to her," his Gran said and Benny felt his heart shatter somewhere at the bottom of that abyss. "Keep him calm and somewhere safe and invite Sarah over. Speak to him, tell him it's alright."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Alright," he said hoarsely, trying not to let his pain show through. He hung up, unlocking the door to his house and guiding Ethan to the couch. He mutters something about grabbing the cookies, but the moment he's in the kitchen, he opens the freezer, sticks his head in and tries to groan as quiet as he can. It hurts. It hurts more than he can ever imagine. Why is it that when Ethan's hurt, he's not the one that can help him? emHe loves Ethan more, he's loved him longer, he feels himself breaking, because of how much he loves him/em./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard"strongEND OF CHAPTER 1:/strong/p
p class="Standard"strongSTART OF CHAPTER/strong/p
p class="Standard"strong.../strong/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"emBucks. Babes. And Benny./em/p
p class="Standard"em /em/p
p class="Standard"That was supposed to be the motto. Instead, it ended up being:/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"emWhy can't there just be one spell to switch my sexuality or better, make me /emnotem want my straight best friend?/em/p
p class="Standard"em /em/p
p class="Standard"He sat up, groaning—he had fallen asleep hunched over his computer desk. The TV was still blaring the game-over music and title-screen from his video game and the spell book next to him was propped open to a chapter on love magic, that yielded nothing, but persuasion spells, how to raise a certain something spells, and how to make your partner suffer a fatal string of curses should they ever leave you spells—hey the book was dark magic, not happy, fairy-tale magic. Nothing on how to make emyou/em forget your love—but there were plenty on making your desired partner love you and utterly idolize you and worship your every move. Which Benny shunned the image out of his head./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Funny enough, for wanting a relationship so eagerly, he didn't want to jump his friend's bones. He just wanted to go slow, be romantic—really only change their paradigm from hanging out normal to—being together and see where it goes from there. It would just be nice if there could be some affection, he didn't know, he hated this. Why couldn't he just have two normal parents, grow up in a middle-class house like Ethan's and live a more mundane life? Benny stood up, only to stagger two steps and collapse on his bed. He reached for his pillow and shoved his face into it, groaning louder./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"His grandma knocked on his door, causing Benny to groan again, hoping to get the message across that this was emnot/em a good day. "When you're done having your teenage crisis, I need you downstairs. I need to talk with you," she called. br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /!- [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /!-[endif]-/p
p class="Standard""Jus'a'min," he muttered into the pillow, pulling the covers over his head. If he could never face another day in the life of Benny it would be too soon. A few seconds later, he closed his eyes happily imagining the blissful darkness when he felt the pillow and blanket completely disappear./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Grandma!" he hollered, sitting up, clutching the empty air where the blankets were./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Still on the other side of the closed door she lectured him: "Hiding in there won't change your situation, it'll only make Ethan wonder if you caught the flu again." Benny grumbled, mouthing little incantations under his breath until it slurred into meaningless Latin. "Now rise and shine, and get moving."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Huffing, Benny grabbed the first shirt lying on the floor he saw, sniffed the outside and shrugged it on followed by a pair of pants hanging halfway out of his drawer. His jacket was strung across his desktop chair and he threw it on, sprayed on deodorant before ducking into the bathroom./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He usually took more time to fix his hair, but today he half-heartedly combed it, added some styling cream and gave himself a semi-once over, winking at himself. It was much more toned down than usual, but he was sure he was still a passable seven. The geek dropped down the stairs, clomping to the main table where his grandma had already spread out a few sheets of paper, each with her neat cursive. From a distance, Benny could already see what looked like spells, instructions for using said spells, some grocery list items, some supernatural grocery list items, and what chores he needed to do./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""What's all this; are you taking a trip?" Benny asked, looking over at the papers. She glanced up at him, giving him a stern, but compassionate look./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""That's what I need to talk to you about," she murmured. "I have a good feeling that something in a few weeks or even days will transpire that requires a leave from White Chapel, for all of us, temporarily and I need to go about setting up some matters in a town with a friend of mine," she looked suddenly piercing at Benny so that he felt under an intense scrutiny that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. "Do be careful, I have tried to foreshadow all elements that could affect you in my leave, but knowing you I'll miss something. The great evil I warned of isn't something even I can combat and, you, all of you shouldn't attempt to either. Especially, you and Ethan." Her warning sent goosebumps down Benny's spine./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""I...uh...I appreciate all this grandma, but what's...what's happening? We've been able to combat it all before?" Benny questioned uneasily, feeling his own worries fade as a bigger one took their place./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"She smiled at him, small and gentle and rested her hands on his. "It is for the better that I'm not the one to tell you—I feel you will deal with the information much better on your own," she said, and Benny wanted to tear his hair out with the riddle like speak of his grandma at times./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""W-wait, what about Dad?" he asked, "I'm not sure his trip-"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""He will be out of town during the initial event and I doubt the events after will bother him so much as it will bother us," she said, but there was a thin tinge of ice to her tone that bothered Benny, but he didn't comment on it. His grandma wrapped him into a tight hug, especially for a woman her age, before releasing him and firmly grabbing his arms, straightening him. "Now, I expect you to clean up in the bathroom after using it and emtake out the trash/em." She shook her head, giving him the parental frown. "I'm not dealing with dead rats, toads and onions in the garbage disposal again."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""It was for a cleaning spell," Benny protested, but his grandma had already wandered off, leaving him feeling increasingly alone. Not to mention, if there was supposed to be this great evil, then he guessed the forbidden romance feelings could wait. For those brief, but few, "White Chapel is probably going to end and we're going to have to flee" talk moments he forgot entirely about his overwhelming crush on his best friend who-will-not-be-named. Now that he was reminded again, and reminded him he had only a few minutes to brush his teeth and find his backpack so he could meet up with Ethan and walk to school./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Stomaching his feelings and his worries, he smiled at his reflection as he brushed his teeth. When he spits and finished, he looked himself in the eyes. "You're Benny. Bucks, babes, and magic: best things in the world and let nothing else matter." He smiled again, but this time it didn't reach his eyes and he could only stare at himself in annoyance. "You're Benny, and you're not telling Ethan what gran told us or about your dumb crush that magic can't will away, because your best friend is hopelessly in love with a vampire goddess and you're not going to ruin more of his life again." This time, when he smiled, it reached his eyes as he laughed at himself miserably from the inside./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"As he walked with Ethan, something dawned on him and he did the math in his head. Ethan was bantering about the stupid homework they were assigned in U.S. History and Benny was trying to tune it out, because it reminded him he hadn't done the assignment yet and it was due today. Tomorrow was the one-year anniversary to the bet that Ethan couldn't ask Sarah out and he felt a small grin come on for two reasons. One reason was right: his friend was a total shy geek who couldn't even muster the courage to even try and ask his crush out after all this time. The second reason was emwrong/em, because the fact that his heart was even doing its little flip that maybe Ethan would fail and not only would that mean a hundred dollars, but better chances for him, Benny./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""You know, that's not the only thing you should worry about," Benny sang in warning, his tone lyrical and his eyes dancing, even if some of it was more of a show than the Benny on the inside that was more impatient and keening to tell Ethan that he should just give up on Sarah and stick with his best pal. Ethan looked over at him, a sarcastic reply at the ready./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""And what is? The scathing look Mr. Slothower will give us when he calls on us for the questions in the assignment and we get made the laughingstock of the class?" Ethan suggested./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""No, that tomorrow, my friend, is your last day to ask Sarah out before you owe me a hundred," Benny said, waggling his eyebrows. "That'll be an easy ka-ching!" He smirked as Ethan's eyebrows scrunched up and then his face twisted into worry before he hid it in his hands. He let out a small groan, that reminded Benny of his own struggles that morning. To cover the growing mixture of feelings in his chest, he continued. "So, what's the plan, lover-boy?"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""I don't know," Ethan admitted, dropping his hands, and hefting his bag. "I forgot the deadline for that. A dinner-date? A movie? What should I do? How should I do it? Oh man," he muttered and dropped his head, groaning. It was a semi-cute sight, but you'd have to hold Benny at spell-point or teeth-point to get him to admit that./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""No clue, mi amigo, but that means I get a hundred," Benny gloated, internally gloating em'and you remain my single bro-mingo/em.'/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan straightened up and flashed Benny an overconfident smile, "You know what, emI/em don't have to worry yet. Today, I'll think about how I'll ask her and tomorrow, I'll ask her," he said, straightening up to match Benny's height. "You'll be owing me a hundred."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"His eyes for the briefest of seconds were drawn to that smile, before Benny flashed his own teeth, "Oh, but isn't the deadline tomorrow?" he innocently murmured./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Nope, you said originally by the end of the day," Ethan corrected, dropping back down to his height, and rolling his eyes, "which means my plan is sound."/p
p class="Standard"br /"Oh, and I wish it wasn't," Benny muttered, following him as they approached the school where he could be loved by the wrong people and envy a decent girl, just because her okay-more-than-decent heart stole his pure-hearted best-friend./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard"The day drones on. There isn't anything completely supernatural, other than their vampire friends and Rory, who, let's get real, is always a supernatural mystery. There's Sarah and Erica talking about shoes and occasionally about blood, there's Rory begging them to see a Galticzar Marathon with him at the cinema, and there's Ethan, mostly enraptured in classes, getting his straight A's, and occasionally trying to write love lines and ways to broach the subject with Sarah in his Chemistry composition notebook. Benny, tries to stay sane, not burn holes in the Chemistry notebook with either his eyes or his magic, pass-by in Slothower's where he emdoes/em get called on and embarrassed and not shoot himself in the proverbial foot and shatter the easily toppled—well for him anyway—boundaries in his friend-group balance by breaking the straight-boundaries. Ah, the golden emstraight-boundaries/em./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"As far as they know, he was just a chick obsessed, self-coined, Babe Magnet ™ that rocks the awesome. If they got one look at the Benny that didn't like babes as much as he let on and ogled his best friend more than once a day for the wrong reason, then there it would be. The end. It would be too awkward for them to manage. He didn't know one person em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"not/em oriented heterosexually in all of White Chapel and despite the deceptive amount of anti-bullying posters strung-up around their school there was still a wide number of wedgie incidents, lunch-money stealing. and being pounded or shoved into a locker by any number of the senior jocks. Give them a better reason to do what they already do to geeks like Ethan and Benny and Benny was guaranteed to be crammed into far tighter areas than lockers./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"A day in the life of Benny, that ends with him crashing at Ethan's to play video games and assume his platonic relationship with his friend and trying not to think about his empty house where his dad is on another business trip and his gran's out doing the supernatural, and he's just stuck listening to his music until he finally loses enough energy to sleep./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"The day started right./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"The day ended wrong./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Somewhere between that, Benny lost his hundred dollars, the Vampire Council decided something Luci-whatever was a threat, and Ethan and Sarah scheduled a date. Instead of his Friday being full of beautiful, beautifully sweet alone time with Ethan and himself, snacks and video games, it was going to be with Rory searching decrypt places with nasty surprises for some piece of work device likely like the Ani-moose-whatever-it-was-named's brother, where he was going to get it, be hounded by something evil, then have it stolen from him again, because that's how it always went when some really important thing that could cause the world to end was left in his hands./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Sullen, moping, and trying not to think about the coming Friday he was greeted by an exuberant and nervous Ethan, tittering, and bouncing almost on his feet. So, Benny, being the best friend Benny, did what the best friend's role is. Coach his best bud, as his wingman, for his date./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Because what are emfriends/em for./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Coach your friend for the date. Go off and do the dirty work yourself./p
p class="Standard"br /Yeah, just great./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"The Thursday night before that Friday to end all future dates Benny will ever have with his Ethan, Benny spent screaming into his pillow, because after another round of spell-book and potion searching, not a single spell was created to drive the feelings out of him./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"No one needs telling how the date went, because it went better than Benny would hope for. In other words, it really didn't go anywhere at all. And, like predicted. They lost the Lucy—as he was now deeming it for lack of an easier name. He was partially on cloud nine, but he shut-out that inner voice and at school, he slapped down the offending Inner-Benny and consoled his concerned friend, worried he had ruined the date and all his chances with Sarah./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny wanted to say that boat sailed a emlong/em time ago. Sarah kept all the gifts Jesse ever gave her and according to a story she emonly/em told Erica, she had talked to Jesse off on her Vampire Vacation—it was just Benny's luck he happened to leave a recording device in Erica's purse. It wasn't meant to sound as creepy as it did. It was just a test to see if he hardwired the device correctly so that if they ever went on a scouting mission and split up they could be easily concealed two-way radios and recording devices, but he just wanted to get the recording part down and to see if the invisibility spell part worked on it./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He would have had Ethan test it, but he wanted to know if someone who didn't know it was there could find it first and when he turned it on from his end, he caught the conversation. He didn't remember all the details, but he did remember enough to make his heart soar at the time. Jesse and Sarah had reconciled. Jesse had calmed down, stood before a higher council than the one in White Chapel and it was determined he needed teachings in the ancient vampire art of meditation and spiritual reform. Sarah had barged in all angry fangs on him and had found him trying to be a peaceful vampire. They had started talking and that's when they just connected again./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"It was all Benny could have ever hoped for, but all he needed was for Ethan to move on from Sarah on his end. Why Sarah even gave him a chance, Benny could only imagine it to be a mixture of not wanting to hurt his feelings and the platonic sort of Luke and Leia like charity she felt for him. He was the younger brother, not the significant other in her eyes. Benny guessed that made him the gay-Han Solo./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"But his inner triumph could wait. They had to get Lucy back and save all of vampire kind, which he was much happier to save when they weren't dating emhis/em best friend. And like all good plans Benny had, it went down awful./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"When he woke up from his random nap he doesn't remember taking in Geometry and some vague idea that he and Ethan talked about the plan, but didn't act on it—which confused him more than ever—and then it was the end of the block and Ethan must have gone home sick. The rest of the day dragged on as he had a strange nagging feeling he forgot something and struggled to remember what it was. Ah well, whatever it was it could wait. When school ended he was going to Ethan's to see what it was this time./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan's mom was all-too happy to see him, which Benny was mildly surprised at, but not at all upset./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Ethan's going through..." She trailed off unsure. "I think post-date jitters, but he keeps claiming everyone is dead. I think it's just he's melancholy over how the date went and he's moping a bit about… his love chances." She shrugged, looking aghast. "I have to leave for work in a few minutes, but you're his best-friend and I know you know Ethan as well as you know yourself. Just, help him get through it and maybe even hug it out, if you're not too manly for that now." She smiled at Benny and gave him a gentle pat on the arm as she left, leaving Benny feeling satisfied and happy./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He climbed the stairs, passed Jane's room where she raised an eyebrow at him and pointed towards Ethan's room and made a cuckoo sign, swiveling her finger around in a circle. Benny rolled his eyes. Maybe Ethan's mom was right and that's what happened. He knew Ethan hadn't been able to get Sarah to talk with him and maybe he stressed himself out about to the point of being physically ill or had some sort of stress breakout. Whatever it was, because he didn't honestly remember any of Geometry—which wasn't that unusual—he was sure he could help Ethan with it./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Ethan? Your mom left for work. She says you're a little upset and we should hug it out," Benny said, opening the door when he didn't get a response. He cringed a little at his own words. They sounded okay when Ethan's mom had said it, but now they sounded too...too wrong on his tongue. He shrugged uncomfortably and gestured. "We don't actually have to hug, just talk it out." He corrected. "That was more her suggestion." That little more comforted him; no one could know his secret./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Are you really the real Benny?" Ethan said, from somewhere in his room. Benny scanned Ethan's room before figuring he was really hiding behind his shelves. Gosh, Ethan' should turn on a light in here. It is way too dark. The only light was coming from the partially exposed window next to Ethan. Alright, something was up with his friend./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Besides, what did he mean emreal/em Benny? Who else would he be?/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Uh, yeah," Benny muttered, shifting on the spot. He eyed Ethan's hiding spot where he could see the edge of the boy's shoulder and his shoe. Ethan had turned his head slightly, possibly sparing a glance at Benny before ducking back around./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Show me your hands," Ethan commanded and Benny wanted to snort. His hands? Did Ethan think he was casting a spell. Whatever he was paranoid about, he could comply. He was starting to get a little concerned, Ethan was acting far from weird. Holding both his hands out, he saw Ethan peek around and then shake his head. "The other way." Benny rolled his eyes, and flipped his hands over so that the backs were exposed./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan glanced at them, his eyes slowly lowering, his breathing shifting as he visually relaxed./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Same two as last time, dude," Benny said, flashing a smile, that Ethan probably couldn't see. Ethan still hid partially behind the shelves, his eyes dark and mistrusting and Benny sort of felt his gut drop. Some part of him wanted to murmur em'I'm your best friend. Let's just hug this out./em'/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Well, the last time I talked to you, you were Stern," Ethan muttered, his eyebrows knitting momentarily as the sarcastic lilt to his tone returned. At least he didn't sound as petrified as he was before. Benny allowed himself a small breath of relief, before his mind flickered and he remembered just what they had been planning in Geometry. Oh yeah, the ring and the whole Benny using it to look like Stern and then he got to Stern's office...And then what...Benny guessed something went wrong, as usual. "And he had your ring."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Yeah," Benny said, the past few events dawning on him. He wasn't sure what to think of what happened. He guessed that meant he hadn't been taking a nap in Geometry. What emhad /emhappened? "Everything kind of went blank after I went into his office," Benny explained. "I woke up in Geometry and assumed you kind of freaked out over the Sarah thing and left or something." He shrugged and dropped his hands, figuring that Ethan knew now well enough that he was Benny and not Stern. Besides, did Stern know where Ethan lived? Well...he emis/em the Vice Principal, he could probably look that up. Not to mention Ethan and he walked, which means someone was bound to see them./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan edged out from behind his book case, his shoulders dropping before rising again as he realized he could discuss his agitations with now what he knew to be Benny. He was shaking a little, as if he was running a fever. He licked his lips, his eyes dilating as the fear returned. He wasn't quite as fearful as before, but he was still shaken. "Everybody's dead Benny, I see them. They're all dead."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"So, this is what his mom had been talking about. Benny wasn't sure what to make of it, but before he could stop himself, he couldn't help but joke, his lips curling, "Relax dude, first you see dead em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"people,/em" he mused. Truly, they both did. Technically their vampire friends were 'dead people', but he could tell by the annoyed expression Ethan gave him as his shoulders dropped that his joke wasn't appreciated. Maybe Ethan already forgot about the time they watched the Sixth Sense—and the infamous "I see dead people" line./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Benny," Ethan said exasperated, but Benny was already well wrapped up in the joke. Troubles forgotten for just a second, he comically made a scary face and waved his hands, laughing. What he didn't expect, was that to scare Ethan./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan backpedaled, and Benny's expression fell. "Ethan, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. I'm not dead and neither is Jane or your mom, I just saw them a few moments ago." He lowered his hands and gave Ethan an odd look, trying to figure out what was going through that brain of his./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""No," Ethan was giving him the death glower again, as if the guy standing in front of him wasn't his childhood best friend, "you're not."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny felt somewhere in his chest, his heart fall, because the guy—and his best friend—standing in front of him was looking at him with a mixture of fear and animosity, as if convinced everyone around him was dead and any conviction that everyone was fine was a plot against him. Ethan needed help. "Okay," Benny said slowly, and he rubbed his forehead in thought. Gran was gone, but she was still reliable enough to call—or at least he hoped so, but for now he had to get Ethan to a safe place. With his behavior branching far from the realm of normal, he couldn't be left alone. "I'm going to call Gran, and we're going to go over to my house. I think Gran still has some milk and cookies," he chirped half-heartedly and he saw Ethan's frown waver to exasperation before tensing again and with Benny's brilliant planning skills, he cautiously approached Ethan./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Hey, you don't have to look at me if I look...dead," Benny said gently, and though Ethan tensed he didn't move away. Spotting one of the limited-edition bandanas from the Sci-Fi convention they went to last year, he had an idea. "We'll just tie this around your eyes and problem solved, you won't have to see any dead people!" Benny suggested. He almost expected Ethan to protest over the use of merchandise, but his friend only shivered./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"It was like someone dunked his heart into ice repeatedly. Seeing Ethan like this gave him chills. Not just to the bones, but to his core—which Gran had denoted was where magic energy came from, the deepest and most spiritual part of their beings—where he could feel even Ethan's own powers acting strangely. Almost static electricity. As if they had been exposed to something with a lot of friction and couldn't process when they touched anything. Swiftly, he tied the bandana around Ethan's eyes, and tried not to wince when Ethan flinched from his touch./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""See, what'd I tell you? No dead people," Benny said, his voice cracking. Ethan didn't even smile./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Your hands feel like ice. Like they're-"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Dead, yeah bud, I get it," Benny interrupted, and despite that he guided Ethan from the room, one hand on his back. As they passed by Jane's room again he got a curious look from her and he wanted to slap himself. Even though it probably wasn't as important right now and Ethan's dad would be home in an hour or two, they weren't supposed to leave Jane alone. He knew the supernatural world needed saving and it would probably end if they didn't get Ethan fixed, but he didn't want Ethan to be grounded after this./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Jane saw his expression and she offered him a small smile. She didn't seem quite happy, but she got the situation. "I get it. Another problem. I'll tell dad that Ethan was feeling pretty sick and you took him to a clinic," she offered. Benny nodded gratefully and Ethan from what he could hear murmured something under his breath that neither of them could hear. "Is he...okay?" Jane asked, leaning on her doorway./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""I..." Benny glanced at Ethan and then flashed Jane his signature smile. "Yeah, or he will be. He just needs some...counseling...over his girlfriend issues."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Uh-huh," Jane was skeptical, but she didn't bother asking. "Whatever, I guess. I'm fine. I can take care of myself. I mean, I've done it before with how often you, dorks, get caught up in stuff," she mutters, disappearing back into her room, and closing the door. Ethan turns faintly in the direction of her voice before glancing towards Benny./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Ethan looks like he wants to say something, but his mouth closes and he lets Benny guide him down the stairs and outside where they walk in uncomfortable silence towards Benny's house. There's no one around to witness the odd sight, but that almost makes it worse. While they're walking, Benny dials his Gran and is relieved when she picks up. "We have a problem."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Don't you always," she murmured from the other end, but sighed all the same and asked, "what is it?"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny can't help, but glance at Ethan who is resolutely walking within two inches of Benny's hand and is keeping his head downcast. "Ethan's...Ethan had a run-in with Stern who pretended to be me and I think he did something to him. He keeps saying he sees dead people, as in all of us—I think—as if we're dead."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"He looks at Ethan again who starts to murmur something under his breath again. "We're all going to die. We're dead." Ethan started./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"His Gran seemed to have caught not only Benny's words, but Ethan's as well. She's silent for a moment, and then she tsked. "I should not have left so soon, but I fear..." she stopped, suddenly silent. Benny waited, his heart hammering in his chest. "Stern has left a spell on him, dark, but temporary, but still very much traumatic. He is seeing what he most fears, his worst fear must be to have everyone taken from him in a horrific manner. Stern is playing on the fear, warping it so that whatever might go against his plans will cause the destruction of all Ethan cares about." Benny's stomach plummeted, and he glanced at Ethan./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Is that...can it be reversed? With a spell? A potion?"/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"They're nearing closer to his house, but Benny can't bring himself to touch Ethan again. To feel him flinch away, but he must guide him into the house. "I'm afraid these kinds of spells are rooted too strongly to the brain to be tampered with. Ethan must reach past the fear himself and his brain must willingly overcome the spell."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"Benny lowered the phone, feeling his heart sink further in the abyss. He guided Ethan again towards his house, trying hard not to let the flinching bother him. He put the phone up to his ear again. "How can I help him?" he questioned./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Sarah might be his best bet; he's the closest to her," his Gran said and Benny felt his heart shatter somewhere at the bottom of that abyss. "Keep him calm and somewhere safe and invite Sarah over. Speak to him, tell him it's alright."/p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard""Alright," he said hoarsely, trying not to let his pain show through. He hung up, unlocking the door to his house and guiding Ethan to the couch. He mutters something about grabbing the cookies, but the moment he's in the kitchen, he opens the freezer, sticks his head in and tries to groan as quiet as he can. It hurts. It hurts more than he can ever imagine. Why is it that when Ethan's hurt, he's not the one that can help him? emHe loves Ethan more, he's loved him longer, he feels himself breaking, because of how much he loves him/em./p
p class="Standard" /p
p class="Standard"…/p
p class="Standard"strongEND OF CHAPTER 1:/strong/p