Whoo! Sorry it took me so long, I had way too much going on! This is an attempt at a song chapter so if it sucks I apologize. The song is called Simon by Lifehouse (which is absolutely beautiful by the way :D) but sadly I don't own the song or the band. Damn...Oh well!! Hope you like it!!
P.S: I'm really sorry if it sucks O.o
Ben blinked slowly, his eyes readjusting to the fixed point on wall in front of him. It had been almost two hours since they'd laid down and Riley had finally stopped shivering about 30 minutes earlier. Ben blinked again, keeping his body still while his mind raced with several different thoughts at one time. He tinkered with how to apologize to Riley, what to tell Abigail or how to prevent her from finding out all together (she was good at that), a suitable excuse to get out of giving a lecture at the community college the next morning, and about a hundred other things that circles around in his head like a merry-go-round.
Riley shifted slightly, a low sign escaping him as he moved. Ben looked down, wondering if he was waking up, but gave up after a few seconds. Even if Riley did wake up, there was very little he could do still; the freezing water had completely exhausted him.
Reminded of the cold, Ben found himself staring at a small, half-circle shaped scar that rested just above Riley's eyebrow. Ben raised his hand slowly, fingers ghosting over the pale scar lightly. It was barely visible to anyone but Ben who remembered exactly how he'd gotten it. During their search in the Arctic, when the Charlotte exploded and amidst the confusion, Riley had pushed Ben out of the way of piece of barrel that had hurdled at them with incredible force. The piece had hit him instead, the metal bolt slashing into his skin and leaving a lasting scar that reminded both of them every day how close they'd come to being lost with the Charlotte.
Riley shifted again, a soft moan catching in the back of his throat. Ben frowned slightly and relaxed his grip, figuring he was holding Riley a little too tightly. However, the younger man never moved and was content to stay in the cozy little spot he'd made against Ben's chest. He did seem uncomfortable though and would move ever so slightly, his feet twitching a little beneath the blankets as of he were trying to find a more comfortable position. Riley made a soft noise in the back of his throat, squeezing his eyes closed a little more tightly like he was in pain.
"Shh…it's okay, Riley." Ben soothed quietly, rubbing small, gentle circles into his back. He'd read somewhere that when a person's core temperature is stabilizing, lactic acid can sometimes settle in the muscle tissue and cause cramps and muscle aches. Figuring this was what Riley was going through, Ben just continued to rub his back soothingly, occasionally brushing his fingers through Riley's hair as he whispered soft reassurances.
He remembered when he was little and couldn't sleep his mother would to sing to him. Knowing full well he didn't have the best singing voice, Ben figured humming would do just as well. He struggled for a song for a few seconds, coming up just short every time. Frustrated, he began humming the Nation Anthem because hell, a song is a song.
"You suck at lullabies…" A weak, raw voice muttered against his shoulder. Riley was blinking drowsily at his chest, a watered down version of his characteristic quirky smile resting across his face.
"Well excuse me sleeping beauty," Ben laughed, shifted a little so Riley was more comfortable. "What do you think I should sing?"
"Anything but the National Anthem…"
Ben smirked. "Picky…" He mumbled but was already racking his brain for a new song. A few random lyrics floated through his mind, managing to piece themselves together to form a sensible verse.
Catch your breath, hit the wall
Scream out loud, as you start to crawl
Back in your cage the only place
Where they will leave you alone.
Ben sang quietly, wondering exactly where the song had come from but content with it nonetheless. He traced lazy figure 8's into Riley's back with the rhythm of the words, trying to mimic his mother by keeping his words soft and barely audible.
Cause the weak will seek the weaker till they've broken them.
Could you get it back again, would it be the same?
Fulfillment to their lack of strength at your expense
Left you with no defense, they tore it down…
In retrospect, the song didn't really fit in with the whole "lullaby theme" but as long as it was working, Ben wasn't in any mood to complain. Riley had snuggled back against his chest, his breathing deep and even against his shoulder once again.
And I have felt the same as you
I've felt the same
Ben listened to the words he was singing, wondering if they actually fit Riley or not. Even though the younger man had always been like an open book with pretty much everything, he was unusually withdrawn about himself. If something upset him, Riley hardly ever let it show let alone tell anyone. Ben had always thought that maybe if Riley had wanted him to know something he'd tell him, but maybe that wasn't the case.
Locked inside the only place
Where you feel sheltered, where you feel safe
You lost yourself in your search to find
Something else to hide behind.
Ben was more than aware that sometimes Riley was too smart for his own good. He hid behind a goofy, sarcastic exterior to prevent the world from seeing the vulnerability of his genius. When they'd first met, Riley was 14 and a junior at the college Ben was lecturing at. It had been all too apparent that his intelligence ostracized him from his fellow classmates and he was left feeling strange and isolated. Ben had immediately locked on to how brilliant he was, considering he was the only one in the class who actually knew what he'd been discussing, and the two had become inseparable friends almost overnight.
Cause the fearful always preyed upon your confidence
Didn't they see the consequence they pushed you around
The arrogant build kingdoms made of the different ones
Breaking them till they've become
Just another crown…
It had taken almost nothing to convince Riley to search for the treasure with him. The simple mentioning of the word "treasure" had tossed him into a whirlwind of maps, graphs, and statistics in order to help the older man find the location of a lost ship in an ice shelf. Riley never once thought Ben was crazy or tried to convince him the treasure wasn't real. Instead, he set to work immediately on whatever new clue Ben had found and was determined to have it analyzed, dated, and logged by the time the day was done.
And I have felt the same as you
I've felt the same
When Abigail had come into the picture, the rules changed. Suddenly Ben had another person to help him figure out the importance of dates and pictures and riddles. If Riley had ever been jealous of her sudden yet helpful appearance, he never showed it. Riley loved Abigail like a sister just as he loved Ben like a brother but for a while it had been nice to be the main focus of the treasure hunter's attention.
Refuse to feel anything at all,
Refuse to slip refuse to fall.
Can't be weak, can't stand still
Watch your back cause no one will.
Riley had always watched his back, regardless of how crazy or convoluted a plan sounded. Even though he was constantly dragging the kid into untold amounts of danger, Riley never once complained and was always ready to lend a helping hand, literally when it came to finding the Noble Bird in the search for Cibola. Ben taken advantage of him so many times and yet the younger man hardly ever asked for anything in return. Hell, the only thing he'd ever asked of Ben was that he read his book and he couldn't even find time to do that…
You don't know why they had to go this far,
Traded your worth for these scars
For your only company.
And don't believe the lies that they have told to you
Not one word was true
You're alright, you're alright, you're alright…
Ben closed his eyes, tightening his grip ever so slightly. For years they'd been friends and for years he'd pushed Riley much harder than he deserved. The look of absolute shock and untold pain in Riley's eyes when Ben had punched him was enough to break his heart. He knew he could never forgive himself for that but hopefully he could somehow make it up to him. Riley was the best friend he'd ever had and he was determined not to lose him.
And I have felt the same as you I've felt the same
As you I've felt the same as you I've felt the same…
The words faded from his mouth in a soft whisper. Tears stung the corners of his eyes but he refused to let them fall. Instead, he held Riley close, smiling softly as the younger man buried his face in the side of his neck, and closed his eyes. The lyrics lingered but a quiet peace had fallen over the room as both fell into a deep sleep.
Aww I love this song so much :D The beginning (music) kinda reminded me of a lullaby and I've been dying to write a story or chapter using these lyrics! Jazz hands! Hope you guys liked it!!