Author's Note:

Chapter four! I hope you enjoy it and if there are any suggestions for improvement than do tell.

The numbers on the clock glowed a vivid green as they proclaimed the time. Three twenty-two in the morning, long before the programmed sunrise brought by the field and well past a decent time for sleep. Ben knew he should be exhausted, just because of the time and his patrols throughout the day, but he lay wide awake in his bed with the idea of sleep far from the grasp of his body and mind. So with a huff and kicking off his covers the teen sat and placed his feet upon the cool wooden floor. Sleep was obviously going to allude him so he might as well watch some TV.

It had been a week now since he had taken up residence in the home Max had laid out for he and Argit and it had been... interesting. The rodent primarily kept to himself, taking over the couch or hiding away in his room with barely a word. Ben would say it had been going well but it hadn't really been going at all. When he was was home, apart from their little snippet of conversations usually held in the kitchen in passing or at the couch, they hadn't really spoken at all and it was just so jarringly different from the old Argit's manners. They used to never be able to shut him up and now when Ben wanted him to talk he couldn't get a word from him.

The teen scratched at the back of his neck as he padded out of his room, frowning at his thoughts and the past events of the week. It certainly didn't help to liven his spirits with the fact that each time he offered to be civil and kind with Argit he only got snaps, cynicism, and cold remarks. Even if he didn't expect much in way of thanks from the other the constant abuse certainly didn't make things easy. Speaking, or thinking in this case, of the devil as Ben turned the corner he laid eyes on the very rodent that had been bothering his mind.

Argit sat balled up upon the large and heavily cushioned couch, a pillow loosely clutched to his chest as he watched the flickering screen. Ben almost gave a greeting but had to pause though and take a second to really get a look at the others appearance in the pale light because, after letting his eyes adjust and catch the fine detail, Argit looked like hell. His hair and fur were a mess, his eyes were unfocused, and his claws worked absent ruts and holes into the pillow he clutched. It looked like he hadn't been able to sleep either but it was taking a larger toll on the smaller male.

The Omnitrix bearer let his complaints go in regards to Argit's behavior at the sight, being reminded of the fact that after what the felon must have gone through he probably wouldn't be on the best of terms with anyone either. Ben reminded himself he had to be patient and just work with him, not succumb to petty annoyances. So shifting his weight from foot to foot and causing the floor to give a little creak he announced his presence in a more subtle manner and made his way over to the couch when he saw Argit's ears flick about just before the yellow orbs gave a shimmer and flash to show that the smaller male had actually acknowledged his being there.

"Hey." Ben greeted softly as he took a spot on the other end of the seat. "Couldn't sleep?"

The felon gave him a look that might has been a suffering glare if he wasn't so tired, as it turned out Argit simply gave him a blank, half hooded stare before turning back to the TV and giving a little nod.

Obviously the other wasn't up for conversation, what a shock, so Ben just shook his head and settled back in his seat to watch the movie, all the while glancing over at the other each time he shifted or moved in his spot. As the movie went on, given only half attention, Ben saw Argit twist and shift and lull further and further into his cushion until at last it seemed the furred male had drifted off into sleep. Ben almost stood and left him to rest when he heard the faintest of whimpers.

The teen perked up and placed his focus entirely upon Argit, blinking in confusion as he leaned closer just to make sure his ears didn't deceive him. And they didn't. Argit whimpered and whined under his breath, cringing and twisting his face in pain, and burying his claws in the pillow clutched to his chest. A nightmare was the same in any language, spoken or bodily expressed, and Argit's behavior was practically screaming the fact he was going through one.

Was this why he couldn't sleep? Had he been having nightmares this entire time? Was he forcing himself to not sleep to avoid them? Ben bit his lip and carefully reached out to brush Argit's shoulder. Of course he hadn't known because he hadn't bothered to pry or push, to scared to risk anything, and it must have been getting worse and worse and Ben could only berate himself for his poor job.

"Argit.. hey.. wake up. Come on."

The last word barely left his lips before he was silenced with an attack. Though it wasn't the type he expected in any stretch of the imagination. Argit uncurled all at once and latched to him, his claws hooking in Ben's shirt and tucking under the others chin, pressing as close as he could to him.

Ben was almost sure he would have a lap full of rodent if Argit wasn't hampered in his range of movement by his broken leg though this alone was enough to utterly stump the hero. What was he supposed to do?! So much as touching the felon's shoulder last time had caused a break down and now it had the other going from recoiling as if he were being burned to throwing himself in the brunette's arms. Ben was seriously debating just calling his cousin later for advice but that was for much later, for now he had a panicked alien clinging to him and that was priority.

Looking down as best he could at the shivering bundle Ben nervously laid one hand on Argit's back and the other on the rodent's head, gently petting him. The felon seemed to tense but he did not pull away, only seeming to bury himself more, and so Ben continued until Argit's shivering ceased and at last the injured male regained himself. Argit slowly unlatched his claws and withdrew from Ben's hold, pushing himself almost into the arm of the couch as he turned to ignore the hero in all entirety.

"Argit.." Ben tried. "Are you okay? You were having a pretty bad nightmare."

The response he received was rough.

"Buzz off. Don't need you babying me."

Argit had all but growled the words and it caused the brunette to frown. Worried or not he was tired of his attempts to help being rebuffed.

"Argit!" The rodent flinched as Ben's voice became stern. "I'm just trying to help! For gods sake you don't have to get all prickly each time. It's not going to kill you to talk to someone or whatever, hell it might do some good if you did. Now... It looked like a bad nightmare, have you been having those every night?"

It surprised even Ben sometimes when he took the authoritative status. Though as Argit curled tighter in his seat and glanced his way it seemed to be the right option for the situation.

"... No. I don't sleep every night."

This made Ben perk and sit up straighter.

"It's been a week, how much have you slept?"

The felon sat in silence, starring forward at the TV and it's quiet infomercials, before answering at length.

"Two days... couple hours each when I pop a few painkillers. Happy?"

"No!" Ben blurted. "Just a couple hours? Why didn't you tell me?"

It was at this that Argit spun to glare at him, his fangs bared and tail lashing in irritation, and in turn to Ben's fussing the rodent raised his voice.

"And what would you have fucking done?! What're you gonna do bout the things in my head? Hu?! Tell me that?!" Argit's eyes glistened with tears of frustration as his hackles rose. "You think you're a big hero, Tennyson, but you can't do shit to help me. So back off and let me deal the way I always have... By. My. Self."

The teen sat there, gobsmacked and cowed at the shrill reply. It was very much a humbling experience to have his good intentions shot down with such ferocity and it shot him down all the more with the fact that the words were, more or less, correct. There wasn't much Ben could do to help ease the phantoms of Argit's mind, not immediately, and there isn't much that he could do to just alleviate the situation as a whole.

Though as Ben sat there, silent and watching Argit sulk and bristle, a strange correlation was made in his mind. Back when Ben was young, in his early years of school, when the bullying he received wasn't met with a grumble or a witty remark or a brush off, he would slink off to his room and just cry. He would curl up in his bed and bemoan his school life and the fact that he felt trapped. He felt as if he would be called weak if he told his parents or teachers and the torment would only pick up though he couldn't do anything himself considering he had always been on the smaller end of the children. He was lost, torn up, and dreading every day he had to wake up and endure another day of hell. Even sleep wasn't really a comfort back then because his dreams had steadily become polluted with his stress and fears.

Then, of all people, his cousin had stepped into his little dark bubble and helped him out of it. She had helped him talk it through, she sat him down and talked away his fears and worries, she had gone up to his parents and explained it all and they had seen that the bullying was put to a halt. She showed him how to deal with his issues, how to think them through and how to respond to bullies. She was one of the only reasons that he could handle the random incidents of being pushed around at school from then on.

The situation then seemed to be almost mirrored here. It was an escalated version of it, with two different characters and roles very much switched around but all the same it held it's similarities. He was now sitting in Gwen's spot and Argit in his own.

"Argit... I know it's rough and talking isn't going to just fix everything over night but it's better than keeping it bottled up and letting the demons build. It gets worse on your own, it always does, and I don't want to see you get worse. So, please just talk to me. Whatever you want, however big or small, just talk to me about it and it'll help. I promise."

He quieted and as he did he watched Argit's hackles lower and his lips cover his fangs once more and the anger and frustration in his eyes softened and diluted into distrust and wary interest. He seemed to be on the fence, wavering between a life time of loner mannerisms and backstabbing and distrusting natures and the option of possible relief from his horrors.

"Tennyson... you get one chance.. That's all I'm willing to give you on this stupid talking thing."