STOP...in the name of ?????? (Benji)

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle Flint was still suffering from her bruising. She'd done research soon after her power manifested and learned that any normal bruise on the body healed completely over 14 days. That meant, due to her slow healing system, most bruises took a month or longer to go away. So, not surprisingly, the shiner on her eye from her accident was still rather prominent and showing no signs of fading soon. That of course was just a small parcel of the problems she seemed to be carrying around with her lately. She'd been avoiding all sorts of people and situations recently and it was starting to get to her. Mostly she just missed the soft, reassuring touches her friends would give her. Now she wouldn't let them and she knew that was her fault (because it had been her choice) but at least everyone was respecting her personal space so that was nice.

She missed it though. She tried to remember that day she'd met Koty and how he'd shown her how she hadn't hurt him, but the memory wasn't enough to stave off the fear she had regained after her accident. She felt like she was back to square one and wasn't entirely sure how she was going to move off of it. She was stomping across campus to get to the front gate so that she could walk home, having snapped her bike in half trying to bend it back into shape and thinking about that put her in a sour mood too. She was so irritated that she didn't see one of the people she was angry at until it was almost too late.

She was arrest by the movement first and then her eyes widened when she realized she was watching Benji of all people. Her head reeled. She was still angry after Salem had sent that shirtless picture of him (unaware that the two were friends and feeling stupid for telling Salem about her kiss with the other boy). She knew it was stupid to be angry because it wasn't as if they were dating (though she hadn't really forgotten that he'd asked her out...or at least a close approximation of that). Still, she couldn't help it, seeing his face made her embarrassed and angry and unsure of herself and that pissed her off even more. The worst part was that they had made eye contact and Benji looked as if he wanted to say something. So Axelle did the only thing she could think of doing at the time, she turned and ran back in the direction she had come from, her backpack thrown over one shoulder as she tried to put as much distance between her and Benji as possible so she didn't have to deal with him just yet.

Usually she didn't have a problem confronting her problems head on, but lately it had been a bit more difficult since she was dealing with an almost crippling sense of self-doubt. This was certainly not helping matters. She ran faster when she heard him call her name, WHY DID HE SOUND SO CLOSE?!

[Benjamin Park]

Benji wasn't entirely aware of what had been going on in Axelle's life lately. Salem had been suffering a lot from the news about his brother, and after Carter, and all that other nonsense. He thought of her probably on an almost-daily basis, wondering if he should try texting her sometime. He wasn't really aware of the full consequences of having Salem send that picture to her - he'd meant it as an invitation, or something, for her to come over, but she hadn't replied as far as he knew. Maybe she'd just fallen asleep... (Or so he liked to convince himself).

Also, was it just him, or did she seem to be... Avoiding him?

Nahh.... Must just be paranoia, right? Yeah... He'd just gotten busy with dance now that school was back in session. School and dance and homework. That must be it.

So when he saw Axelle walking out from campus as he was walking back in from a trip to town, he brightened and opened his mouth to greet her. His worries about her avoiding him were confirmed when she seemed to notice him and immediately start fleeing.

"Axelle, hey!" Benji called after her, breaking into a run. This knapsack bounced against his side as he sprinted to catch up. "Axelle!!" Fortunately, his long limbs seemed to be working for him, and he eventually caught up as they reached the grassy area of the courtyard, practically tumbling both of them into the grass. He was worried he might have hurt her for a moment until he remembered her ability. "Why are you running!?" he demanded, his expression hurt and confused. "What did I do??"

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle managed to turn over on her back right before she landed with Benji in top of her and to her immense shame she started crying. "YOU'RESUCHAJERKANDYOUMADEOUTWITHMEANDTHENYOUWENTANDSLEPTWITHSALEMANDHE'SGOINGTHROUGHAHARDTIMEANDIDON'TREALLYKNOWHOWTOTALKTOHIMABOUTITANDITMAKESMEFEELLIKEABADFREINDANDIDIDN'TKNOWYOUGUYSWEREFRIENDSANDLUCASCALLEDMEADUMBFUCKINGBITCH...." she took a deep breath and continued but at a slightly less hysterical volume. "andkamisgoingtocollegeandiwon'tseehereverydaylikebeforeanditotallydestroyedthestatuedowntownandeveryoneisafraidofmeandimissgettinghugs!" she finally finished, covering her face with her hands as she cried it out. She knew she'd been down recently but putting it all into words was freeing. She cried harder though when she remembered what Lucas had said about being able to get off of him because of her strength, that he really wasn't holding her down...and while, yes, it was true that Benji had tackled her there really wasn't anything keeping her there on the ground underneath him.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to move more than she had to because her crying fit would have prevented her from getting far in the first place and two, she just felt too exhausted from everything else to try and get away. She owed Benji an explanation and now that she'd given it to him she was embarrassed and ashamed. She didn’t know how she was going to make this up to him, part of the reason she had avoided him in the first place…although anger had been the most prominent emotion.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji.... Was not expecting what came next.

He stared with bewilderment as Axelle started blabbering so fast he could hardly understand her, but he managed to catch a few things - making out, sleeping with Salem (what!?!?!?), something about a bad friend, and someone calling Axelle a...!!!

Benji sort of blanked after that, feeling a mixture of confusion and guilt and anger bubble inside him.

"Shhh..." was all he managed at first, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he gently brushed his fingers through her hair. "I... I don't know what made you think I sl.... Did things with Salem. We're just friends. And... I'm not gay. Or bi. Or anything. I just like girls." His brow furrowed and he shuddered a little thinking about... Anything else. "And... I know Salem's been going through some shit, it's not easy for anyone..." It wasn't Axelle's fault, she was far from being a bad friend.

"And... And who the fuck is Lucas... And how can I find him so I can beat the shit out of him?" he growled, his lips still against Axelle's neck. Ben hadn't realized he'd grown protective of the redhead until now. "Asshole. He doesn't know what he's talking about." Granted, Ben didn't know Axelle that well yet, but she was by no means a 'dumb fucking bitch'.

He pulled back and looked at her, still frowning. "What was that last bit? Something about a statue?" he asked, still toying with the ends of her hair. Benji didn't move from where he was sitting; if Axe wanted him off of her, he knew she could easily remove him.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle keened quietly as Benji shushed her and put his face into her neck, his fingers finding purchase in her hair. She moved her own head to nuzzle against Benji before she could stop herself. At Benji's admission she couldn't help the feelings of guilt and shame as they washed over her again, tears slipping out of the corners of her eyes and sliding into her hair. She didn't know why her mind had jumped to "sleeping with Salem" either but she had really believed it at the time. Her breath hitched as she felt Benji growl against her throat as he demanded answers about Lucas and wasn't sure how to answer him. "He's just some boy...I thought he might like me because...we," she flushed. "We flirted a bit and..." she sniffled, getting angry and upset thinking about it. "He came to my shop and he started talking about this girl he likes and about how she's all these great things, like I'm trash or something. So I asked him about that time we were flirting when we met cuz like, you shouldn't flirt with other people if you're interested in someone else ya know?" she hiccuped. "And we had a huge yelling match and he called me…that,” she muttered.

When Benji sat up she sat up too, the feeling of his fingers in her hair still soothing after almost three weeks of no outside contact from anyone. “Oh, that big statue that’s downtown and it’s missing now…I crashed into it on the first day of school, so I wasn’t here…it’s totally gone,” she sighed as she looked down. “It’s where I got the black eye,” she pointed to the shiner on her face. “Benji, I’m sorry…” she sighed, looking at the ground just to the side of where he was sitting on her lap. “I’ve just been really confused and angry lately and I shouldn’t have just assumed the worst about you. You were really nice that night we met at the club.”

[Benjamin Park]

"Hey..." he mumbled again, wiping his thumbs against the tears on Axelle's cheeks. "I hate seeing a pretty girl cry, especially if I had something to do with it..." While it was true that Benji tended to be a player, he always tried to break things off with a girl in the kindest and least painful way possible; making people cry was not his goal. And Axelle was already kind of special to him, for reasons he wasn't even sure about yet. He listened to the redhead talk about this sick ugly jerk (well Ben didn't know if he was ugly but now he imagined him to be), and.... Well, honestly, he felt a pang of guilt, because it almost sounded like something he would do, just... Not so cruelly. "He's not worth your time," he grunted possessively. "Someone that treats you like that, don't even think about him any more. If I ever see him I'll... I'll give him some words." What the skinny dancer could do against a guy who might be quite a bit bigger than him, Ben didn't know, but he had to say something to ease her mind, right?

He watched as Axelle sat up, his free hand moving down to hold against her side, while the other moved to a stop on her shoulder, his fingers tangled in her hair. "Damn," he breathed, raising an eyebrow. "That's... Wow. I'm sorry, Axe, that sucks." Sometimes, being a meta-human was just awful. "Oh, fuck, your eye!" Benji blinked, somehow having missed the bruise in his distraction with keeping her calm. He touched the hurt area gently. "Good thing your tough as nails," he joked weakly. "I'd probably have broken every bone in my body." Ben shook his head at her apology. "It's okay, I understand," he replied, thinking she was right about him in some regards. He was sort of a player, after all. But that didn't mean he was just going to ignore her. "Just... Please don't avoid me again, okay? I'd rather you yelled at me and got it over with if you're mad about something." Ben offered a small smile and a salty peck on her tear-stained cheek.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle let forth a watery giggle at the thought of skinny Benji chattering at a much more intimidating Lucas. "Thanks, that's really sweet of you to say but if I never see him again that would be great," she sighed. She just hated being unsure of herself. She appreciated the advice he gave her, it sounded like something a friend would say and really, weren't they friends of a sort? Benji had a comforting presence around him that she appreciated in the people she liked to have around her.

"Ah yeah, that..." she rolled her eyes in annoyance, but not at Benji. "It still kinda hurts, should have seen the car though," she snorted as she looked at the ground for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his fingers in her hair. At least until a passing student shouted something about "getting a room". Which brought up a thought in her head that she had scoffed at once she'd heard it and denied EVERYTHING. "Hey! Did you know that someone said we had sex in the courtyard?" she demanded with a disgusted scoff. "What the hell is up with that? You said no right?" she demanded.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji nodded in understanding. He'd probably avoid a jerk that said awful sexist things to him if he was a girl, too. "Yeah, well... If anything else happens, you let me know, and I'll teach him a lesson," he huffed, like he was some sort of big tough guy. Really, he just wanted to stay on Axelle's good side too. He didn't want to think about what she could do to someone she wanted to hurt...

"I... Don't know if I want to see how the car fared or not," he replied with a smile tugging at his lips. "But I'm sure you showed it. See, some asshole doesn't have anything on you." Benji was sure she could take care of herself. He scowled at the person who shouted at them (though only because he didn't think Axelle would appreciate him grinning at the person, because Ben did like people to think he got more than he actually did). His gaze jerked back to Axelle as she mentioned... Oh.

Ohhhh....

Yeah, that rumor. "Yeah, I, uh, I heard about that..." he muttered, feeling his cheeks start to heat up against his will. "W... Weird, right?" All they'd done was make out a little. Or a lot. And who had even been watching them anyway? Creeps... And then Axelle asked.... If... He'd...

Well, now his face was probably even more red. "Uhhhh...." he drawled, looking guiltily away. "I... Might.... Have..... Not told anyone it didn't happen....?" Benji tried a smile, hoping she wouldn't be pissed at him about it. Of course he wasn't going to say he'd confirmed with people that it had happened. "But, I mean, it doesn't hurt anyone...!"

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle's face changed to one of outrage as she realized what Benji was telling her. "BENJI!" she shouted, standing quickly and dumping the other boy on his feet, hand reaching out lightning quick to grab him and haul him to his feet. In order to prevent him getting away she tossed him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and held his legs down. "I can't believe you! Are you kidding me! See if I ever kiss you again!" she raged as she marched the short distance she needed to lift the struggling boy over her head and tossing him the necessary feet into the pond not too far away. She aimed for the deep end to prevent him from getting hurt and then stalked towards the water so she could meet him when he got out.

Of all the ridiculous things.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji cringed at the look that came across Axelle’s face. “Now just wait a second, it’s not as bad as it- AH!” He yelped as he nearly flipped over onto his back, having hardly any time to react before Axe’s hand snagged his with a rather crushing grip and easily tossed him over her shoulder like he weighed nothing. “Don’t do something you’ll regret!” he whined, struggling uselessly in her grip. “It was just a joke, I’ll tell people the truth, just…. Just don’t do something brash…!” He hardly even heard what she was ranting about over his hammering heart. He was afraid of what she might accidentally do with her ability to him in such a state.

“Axelle don’t-!” he screeched as she lifted him, but before he could say more he was flying through the air and landed with a dull splash in the pond. He was instantly soaked and flailed to the surface, gasping with his eyes wide and his normally poofy hair plastered to his head. He clung to the bank and pulled himself out, breathing hard and staring up at Axelle with stunned disbelief.

“…. Okay, I admit I deserved that,” he finally said, tugging at his soaked tanktop that was clinging to his chest. “But… Damn, I didn’t expect it.” Benji managed a cheeky smile up at her from where he lay. “You sure you don’t want to kiss me anymore?”

[Axelle Flint]

"You TOTALLY deserved that!" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at the soaking boy at her feet. She made a face at his question and knew that it was a trap of some sort. How could she not want to kiss him? Except she was still irritated at him. "Maybe later, when I don't feel like you've somehow made my life miserable with your big mouth!" she sighed as she tapped her foot before grabbing him again and pulling him (way more gently) to his feet.

"You look good like this though, "drowned mouse" suits you," she teased. Then she got serious again. "Look Benji, I'm not trying to be your girlfriend or anything and I feel super strongly about flirting with someone who was interested in someone else so like...I don't know. If you ever met someone you really liked, promise me you'll say something okay? I don't wanna cause trouble for anyone," she admitted. “And stop spreading dumb ass rumors about us!” she added for good measure.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji winced at the power behind Axe’s words, feeling quite a bit more intimidated by her now. Sure, he’d known about her ability before, but actually experiencing it was a whole other thing! “I didn’t do anythinggg,” he whined, slowly sitting up with a grimace. Blech, he hated wet clothes. So he decided it would be fine to strip off his soaked tanktop and toss it aside. Which he did. “You sure you don’t want to now?” he joked with a weak grin. “Come on babe, it was an innocent thing, it’s not like it really happened…!” Not that he hadn’t thought about it with her, or other girls…

“Hmph,” he grunted, swiping a hand through his soaked hair. “Whatever you say.” If he wasn’t worried about her crushing him, he would have been half-tempted to try to return the favor and dump Axe in the water too. “Huh?” he stammered, eyes wide. “Whoa, I never said anything about girlfriend, why would you…??” Benji was definitely not a serious relationship kind of guy. “I… I flirt with a lot of people. You don’t have to worry about me, I won’t be getting taken by anyone anytime soon.” Of this, Ben felt pretty firmly. He winced again at her addition, a faint blush rising on his cheek as he thought about admitting… “…. You know, I’m a virgin,” he told her quietly, looking around as though worried someone was spying. “Don’t tell anyone, okay?” he quickly added. “It would ruin my image.” Because his image was very important to him. “But… Just so you know.” Axe was the only person he’d outright admitted that to.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle regarded Benji with a margin of warmth in her eyes. "Okay then," she said with some finality and let the sunject drop. She was surprised to hear that he was a virgin though and she blushed even as her eyes widened at his admittance. "Uh...oh, well, I guess that makes two of us then. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she promised. She would try not to tell anyone rather...but secrets and her were not friends, someone would know...eventually. Unless Benji got his cherry popped anytime within the next 24 hours. "And you can kiss me...on the cheek," she relented because the idea of any sort of semi-romantic physical contact made her happy.