BTORD chapter 24

Rook was in surprised shock as he watched Ben leave the room abruptly. He wasn’t sure to be angry that Ben blatantly used his suggestion to claim it as his own, or to be hurt that he would run off before he could explain why he did what he did. And for the longest moment he stood where he was looking at the doorway that Ben went through.
“Rook?”
Max’s concerned voice snapped Rook out of his buzzed mind as the Revonnahgander looked to the veteran Plumber. Words weren’t needed from Max to ask Rook questions because he could see it from the elder’s face. Slight confusion and concern for Ben’s welfare and knowing that the teen had just did something very stupid without meaning to was all over Max’s face as the man looked to Rook for any hints, conformation, or answers of what had just happened.
Rook gave a slight saddened look to him, unsure of what to say at first. He wanted to tell Max of what Ben did but at the same time he didn’t. Ben usually had a reason for his actions no matter how small and Rook wanted to know before saying anything unnecessary to Max.
“Thank you for the soup, Max,” he said woefully as he placed the dish in the nearby sink. “I shall be preparing the PROTO-Truck for our route into the city.”
And Rook left the room, nether person saying a word, as he felt something tiny weighing on his lungs.
~BRooken~
Max sat in one of the kitchen chairs as he thought about what to do. Rook and Ben left the HQ building a few minutes ago and he was slightly worried about both the boys.
Max had quickly put together that Ben did something without thinking which negatively effected Rook. Sooner or later this was going to happen and Max knew this, no matter how understanding any couple are to each other, one will slip and hurt the other. But he wasn’t worried if they were going to break up, not in the slightest. He was worried for their safety.
Ben and Rook, even if they were just friends, work very well together because of their trust and bond with each other. But it can be a double-edged sword as well and because of the new possible negativity between the two they may lose focus in a fight and wined up getting hurt more then necessary.
“Ugh. Just let them make it through the day,” he said tiredly to him-self as he rested his forehead on his hand. “That’s all I ask.”
“Um, excuse me. Magister Tennyson.”
Max looked up to see a green-eyed, purple-haired young man in standard Plumber uniform.
“Ah, You’re our new Plumber that is working in tech-support along side Blukic and Driba,” he said as he put on a welcoming smile. “James, right?”
“Yes Sir,” replied James as he gave a nod.
Max nodded back with his usual smile.
“And how was your training on Galvan Prime? I know not too many are lucky enough as you were to be allowed to train there.”
Anyone would have been able to see the wonder in James’s eyes as he thought back on Galvan Prime. Max chuckled a little at the sight.
“I may not have been able to meet Azmuth but it was the greatest experience of my life,” he said in awe. James then remembered what he was hear for and focused his attention back to Max. “But I came here because I was worried that Ben may not be in the best of shape today to face his attacker. I only know very basic medicine and I didn’t know what else to do.”
Max’s smile dropped as he took on a slight serious look, “Why? What is Ben planning to do?”
“I tried to talk him out of it, but he plans to trick his attacker to think that he is alone by him and Rook having a fake fight. It’s a good plan over all but I don’t think Ben is prepared for this until he’s in better shape.”
Max pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs as he listens to James.
“Oh Ben,” he said softly to him-self, “it’s one of those days, isn’t it.”
“Sir?”
“Come on James, lets go,” Max said getting out of his chair and heading toward the door as James fallows.
“Go? Where?”
“We are going to be on stand by incase Ben and Rook get into too much trouble,” he explained as they walked down the hall. “And it will be good opportunity to get your feet wet. I now you’re only in tech-support but even your section will sometimes be called out into the field.”
“That’s all well and good Magister Tennyson Sir but I’m working on an experiment in which a device can pick up a signal from an alternate dimension by scanning the fluctuations of reality and space,” James said as he walked next to Max. “And the part I’m working with right now is very delicate.”
“I’m sure Blukic and Driba will look after it while we’re gone,” Max reassured.
“Sir, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
~BRooken~
“We don’t have a job to do! We’re not cops, we’re superheroes.”
“Hardly.”
“Excuse me?”
Rook turned to Ben giving him an unrelenting stern look.
“Real superheroes do not lie on where they get their ideas from, and most certainly if the idea was from someone they greatly care for.”
Ben’s entire body suddenly tensed as he held his breath looking at Rook.
“Well I... I um...” Words died in Ben’s throat. He wanted nothing more then to tell Rook how stupid he was for doing that to him and to apologize for not saying something earlier. But he couldn’t right now, they were suppose to be staging an argument for the plan to work and Ben couldn’t think of what to do.
“Your earlier actions would have been overlooked some if we were just friends,” Rook’s words reminded Ben of where he was and he nearly jumped out of skin seeing the Revonnahgander standing in front him. “But we are Heart’s Flames,” he said sternly as he still held the same look towards Ben, “and because it is so, the actions you chose has greatly troubled me.”
Ben’s chest tightened as he never noticed how small he was compared to Rook’s hight right now. He wasn’t feeling frighten by him, but guilt was quickly creeping up on Ben again as his head dropped a little in shame not wanting to look at his boyfriend.
They stayed like that for a moment not saying a word as a couple of bystanders watched them out of curiosity, one of them being an adolescent female Kineceleran, before Rook finally said something.
“Perhaps we need to spend some time apart,” he said gently while looking to the side.
“What! Why!?”
“I suppose so that we can re-evaluate our relationship,” Rook explained. “I am very confused and hurt by your actions and I wish to look back on everything that has happened with us to make sure I truly know you and not to have been blinded by ‘flower-colored glasses’.”
Ben was too shocked to speak much less correct him that it was rose-colored and not flower-colored as his heart began to pick up.
“I also believe some sort of punishment should be done for your actions as well, that being not to be near each other for a period of time.”
Ben still looked at him in shock as Rook walked towards the truck. He felt like he was running in circles even though he was standing in one spot as his heart pounded and his limbs shook. Ben could swear that the ground under his feet was titling to the right as he tried to grasp on what to do. But all he could think of was when he lost Rook as the universe was being destroyed. The pain Ben felt seeing Rook stand there beside him as the void slowly erased his existence.
“...No... don’t go,” choked Ben as the image in his head merged to what was in front of him while Rook opened the Proto-Truck door. “No.”
“Ben. Please let go.”
Ben snapped out of his unintended panicked trance to find him-self hugging on to Rook’s waist tightly from behind. He didn’t know when he moved to do this but he didn’t care, this was too important to him.
“No,” he replied as he held tighter.
“Ben-”
“NO!” Ben said again burying his face in Rook’s back, “I don’t want to lose you! Not again.”
Rook didn’t move as Ben was unsure of what his reaction is.
“I’m sorry,” Ben said softly still holding on to Rook as he felt a nasty lump in his chest, “I should have said something earlier but I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done what I did and there is no excuse for that,” he continued as his body started to shake a little. “I don’t know what I was thinking, I’ve been so stressed and I’ve had these stupid dreams about that stupid mutt that I started being stupid my-self.”
Ben could feel tears start to well up in his eyes as he was holding on to Rook to keep him-self on his feet rather then to prevent Rook from leaving.
“So please” he choked. “You can be mad at me if you want to, just please. Don’t end our relationship... I can’t take that kind of heartbreak... not from you... I can’t lose you... I won’t lose you.”
He stayed like that as Ben barely registered Rook moving around until he felt a change in his arms. Ben refocused seeing the hover-board cradled in his arms along with his hoodie folded neatly on top of it.
“Ben.”
He looked up when his name was called.
“I promise you that I am not breaking our bond to each other,” he reassured him gently, “I only meant what I said, to spend time apart and re-evaluate our relationship. I never said I was ending it.”
Ben just stared at Rook letting his words sink in for a moment before Ben used his quick reflexes that he gained in soccer.
“AH! Bralla-da!” Rook shouted holding his leg. “Why did you kick me!?”
“Because I’m and idiot and you’re an idiot!”
Rook looked at Ben confusingly as the older hoped for a better explanation.
“Saying ‘we need to spend some time apart’ is practically saying you’re breaking up with someone here on earth! Also known as ending a relationship! But you don’t know that and I should have known!” Ben then proceeded to bury his face in his hoodie and gave a frustrated muffled scream like it was pillow.
“I hate your earth phrases,” Rook said as he faced palmed.
“I do too,” Ben agreed tiredly.
~BRooken~
In the same area, Khyber watches them from a safe distance but still able to hear there conversations without the need for special technology.
“So what now,” asked Ben.
“As I said before, spend time apart. Or at least for the day, it may be beneficial to us. Will you be alright with out a communicator?”
“I’m Ben 10,” Ben being Ben as he gave a smirk, “I can handle anything.”
“We’ll see about that,” Khyber said to him-self as he watched the Revonnahgander drive away leaving Ben behind, “now that your mate is no longer there to watch over you.”