Sincerity is Key - Ben Tags Cobalt

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt was appreciative beyond words that Ben didn’t make an issue of it. Granted, Cobalt had seen the shock pass over Ben’s features, but only for a moment. He gave the other man a grateful smile before passing onto the next subject, which was infinitely easier to discuss.

“Yeah, Leila was the one. She’s been a little under the weather lately, which is why she couldn’t make it.” Cobalt grinned at Ben, “I call her my intern mostly out of habit at this point; she acts more like a partner now. She’s the Gold part of the Blue and Gold.” He laughed suddenly, a memory springing to mind. “So, first time I ever met her. She…god she must have been just out of law school, just a kid, really. It was back in Chicago, yeah. She comes in, walks up to my desk and drops a folder with her resume and some notes of reference or whatever the hell you call ‘em and says that her name is Leila Gold and she’ll be working for me as an intern.” He chuckled, “She’s got a much better poker face now, but back then, I could tell she was terrified. But…” He shrugged, “She was gutsy. I mean, really gutsy. And of course, I didn’t know what the hell had just happened until she left saying she’d be back tomorrow, so you know. But by the time the next day rolled around, I found some place else to put the coffee maker so she’d have a desk. Been working with me ever since. She’s a good girl. Fairly reliable, smart. Even if she is a wise ass.” Cobalt grinned, shaking his head.

Cobalt smiled at Ben’s obvious affection for his family. Clearly, Ben was a homebody to say the least. Cobalt didn’t see anything wrong with that. “Well, being near home is important, I imagine,” Cobalt replied. He always figured he would feel the same way, if he’d grown up in an environment like Ben seemed to have. “And you get along with your parents, which is always good.” Cobalt wanted to hear more about Ben’s family, but for silly personal reasons that tended to make others feel uncomfortable. He liked to know what he was missing, as it were. But people found it a little strange when a new friend asked them questions about their family life. So Cobalt didn’t press. He wasn’t really interested in making Ben feel awkward again; not after they’d finally gotten their differences worked out.

Cobalt listened intently as Ben explained his profession. Ben loved his job; that much was clear. He was passionate about his job like Cobalt was passionate about law. It made Cobalt smile. “Oh no,” Cobalt reassured quickly, “No, it’s fascinating. I like…” His smile turned a hair shy, “I like learning about… things. Just anything I don’t know about. Psychology’s something I’m only vaguely acquainted with, so anything you wanna talk about, I’m game for.” He rested his chin on his hand, finally fully relaxed, and smiled at Ben, satisfied that he’d made a good friend.

And Ben loved kids. Cobalt grinned lopsidedly, “No, I know what you mean. I love kids too. They’re… pretty damn amazing little things.” Cobalt’s job didn’t require him to work with children very much, but he always figured that was for the best. He’d figured early on that having his own family was probably out of the question, so he didn’t think it would really help knowing what he was missing. “That’s impressive, that you’re willing to help them. You’re doing a lot of good.” And Cobalt really believed that. Kids were important. That was why he had reached out to Elaine to help her when he was sixteen, and that was why he’d been in the library trying to find things to help Ruth. It was important to him, and he admired what Ben did for kids who needed him. “Hell of a lot more good than I feel like I do sometimes.” Cobalt smirked and played it off as a joke, but he was fairly certain Ben wouldn’t buy it.

“Ah, why did I choose civil rights law…” Cobalt sighed, his smile growing tired, “Well. Little known fact. I was originally going to do criminal law. In fact, halfway through law school, I got a part time internship with this guy who worked for the DA. Way more hands-on with his interns than probably necessary. And you think I’m a rude asshole? This guy was… yeah.” Cobalt grinned wryly, “I still send him emails every once in a while. But anyway, I was doing fine until I helped him out with this case involving a couple kids and…” Cobalt shook his head, “It messed me up. I was just a kid then too, you know? But my boss took me aside and said that I should probably try a different type of law. I’d never given up on anything in my whole life, but he said…god, what did he say?” Cobalt paused, trying to remember, “He said something like ‘you could do this, and do it well, but it would destroy you.’ And he was right. I don’t really handle things very well, which I’m sure you may have noticed.” He flashed Ben a grin. “But I still wanted to help people. So I chose civil rights. It’s still heartbreaking at times and sometimes I feel like I’m either completely useless or that I’m pushing the same boulder up the same hill, but I like it. All in all, it’s rewarding.”

Cobalt caught himself, “God, talk about talking an ear off. Sorry about that, Ben.” He flushed a little, taking a sip of his water. He’d talked about himself far too much. “You should talk more about yourself now. Since I’ve talked about me enough.” He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben listened intently as Cobalt spoke about his intern with affection. The man might have seemed harsh before, what with the taunting Ben with the shadows and being a downright jerk when they first met but Ben was starting to see that Cobalt was not at all a jerk when it came to the people in his life. The psychologist should have seen it earlier, the defense mechanism the shadow manipulator had up. What a waste of a Masters degree in psychology.

"My assistant is the same with me. She may be pregnant but the mouth on her..." Ben chuckled, shaking his head in exasperated affection. Cobalt mentioning his family had Ben nodding. He didn't mind talking about his family but they had just met. He didn't want to dump his whole backstory on the man just on their second meet.

If Ben thought smiling Cobalt was a refreshing sight, having him close to blushing just warmed his heart. Reign it in, Rhodes. Jeez. Ben ran a hand through his hair and gave Cobalt a little smile. "I'm going to hold you to that." He threatened playfully. The fact that Cobalt loved kids surprised Ben in a pleasant manner. Who would have thought? A warm smile spread across the younger man's face.

"I do my best." He shrugged. "But you'd be surprised by how many of them actually help themselves. I can't believe I'm saying this but," Ben laughed at his own musings. "I get paid too much for the little I do."

Cobalt's self-deprecating comment made Ben shake his head. "I'm pretty sure you're making a difference. You probably just haven't seen it yet." The man liked to reassure people, occupational hazard. He didn't much care if the person he was assuring even needed it but all he knew was that people who looked down on themselves really shouldn't do it.

The older man was full of surprises it seemed. Criminal law. Ben didn't know much about that field but there were some pretty messed up shit that happened in the world and criminal lawyers had to deal with all that...Ben felt sorry for them. How did they sleep?

Another self-admonishing comment to which Ben replied to with a little chuckle. The man had to know he wasn't all that bad. Well, Ben wasn't going to start gushing on a person he just met not an hour ago. But the man really needed to know it wasn't necessary to put himself down like that. Ben was starting to like Cobalt and he didn't want people he liked to feel that way about themselves. But who was he to talk? For all he knew, Cobalt liked himself fine.

Chuckling, Ben waved a dismissive hand. "I like to listen more than I like to talk to be honest. It's why I got the job because if you push children in the right direction, they really wouldn't stop talking. Even the shy ones." He had a faraway look as he was reminded of one of his patients he was still in contact with even though they had stopped having sessions. She had been one of the shyest people he had ever met but he got her talking and now she wouldn't stop. It was refreshing to say the least.

Ben noticed Cobalt's discomfort so he decided to try the talking business again. "So okay, I now know you like kids, you love reading, you don't mind having lunch with a guy you just met a few days ago...this may sound a bit too personal but are you involved...with either of the women you mentioned to me?" It was bold and it was forward but Ben had to know. If he didn't ask, he'd think too much about it and it'll turn into an obsession. Ben wasn't going to start obsessing over a guy unless he knew what the outcome could be.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt snickered and raised his glass slightly, “Well, here’s to having mouthy assistants, I guess.” He grinned at Ben and sipped his water. He’d surprised Ben with his obvious affection towards Leila, he could tell. It was often a point of surprise to most people; which Cobalt supposed was fair. It wasn’t as though he was naturally an affectionate person. Only to the people he cared about. Leila just happened to be one of those people. Even if she did talk back and give him headaches.

Cobalt shrugged at Ben’s opinion on his job. “Sometimes all kids need is someone who’ll listen to them. It’s unfortunate how rare it can be to find someone who is willing to do that.” He knew that from firsthand experience and that was what he was trying to offer Ruth by opening his office to her. “And you clearly care. Kids notice stuff like that.”

Cobalt huffed out another laugh as Ben confessed his preference for listening than talking. “Well, I suppose that makes sense. But that creates kind of a problem for us,” Cobalt teased, “Because I know I’d rather listen than talk and if you’d rather do the same, then there’ll be a whole lot of listening to nothing.” He sighed, flashing Ben an easy grin, “I suppose we’ll have to think of something.”

Of all the things Cobalt expected Ben to ask after knowing him only two days, that was not one of them. Cobalt spat half a mouthful of water out, laughing and surprised. “What?” He coughed, spluttering, “Either of them? Is that what you asked?” He wiped his mouth with his napkin, “Hah, I have to say, while I’ve gotten used to people wondering if Elaine and I were together, I’d never gotten the question of whether or not Leila and I—eugh.” He made a face, “Let’s put it this way, people have asked before if Leila was my daughter. And Elaine is the closest I will ever get to having a sister. So no. I am not involved with either of them.” He adjusted his glasses, “Elaine…had her son when she was rather young, so I helped her out then. Morgan’s like a son to me. But Elaine and I were never together.” He shifted in his seat, “Having my own family wasn’t ever really in the cards, so…” He shrugged, “They were it. Still are, really.”

“So.” Cobalt stared at Ben, a little grin still on his face, “I know that you love kids, are basically a homebody, you have a mouthy assistant and you’re a pretty friendly guy, albeit a little easily spooked.” His grin turned teasing, but there was no real malice behind it. “And since you opened up the personal questions, I suppose it’s my turn to ask about your romantic life. Are you involved with anyone?” Usually, Cobalt would never dream about talking about relationships with anyone, but he figured that he would be safe talking about it with Ben, since the other man was probably settled down and the rest of this line of conversation would be taken care of with that. It made sense that Ben would be involved with someone; he was friendly, had a good job and was relatively good-looking. Cobalt didn’t really know why he cared, but he figured it could be turnabout for Ben asking him about hislove life.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Laughing, Ben raised his glass but didn't drink from it, swirling the liquid in the glass as Cobalt praised Ben's dedication to the kids. Ben was used to hearing praises but it felt different coming from Cobalt. "Yeah, they do." The psychologist smiled, not wanting to look at Cobalt, lest the sight of the other man smiling made Ben blush. God, he felt like a teenager again.

He finally looked up when Cobalt made light of both their preferences in modes of communication to which Ben laughed at. "That's horrible to think of but it's pretty true." He recovered enough to say that before laughing again. "Wow, we really should revise that. At least around each other anyway. Because I think it's easier in Josh's presence since he actually you know...talks."

When Cobalt spat out his water at Ben's question, Ben retracted in surprise. "Whoa..." he let out reflexively. But then Cobalt laughed. And gave Ben a reason not to worry about his growing need to get close to the smaller man. Ben didn't know what was compelling him to feel that way about the man but there it was. Niggling away at the back of his mind.

Stop it Rhodes. He chided, grinning inwardly. Cobalt showing great affection for his pseudo family didn't help things at all.

The "So." coming from Cobalt sounded a little too dangerous and he knew what was going to come next. He smiled at the way Cobalt worded it but it still gave him the chills when the other man shot the question back at him. He wanted to try the direct approach, something he knew Cobalt would appreciate but it would sound a little too serious given their line of conversation so Ben opted for the next approach.

"Yeah, Yulia. I've been living with her for six months and already I dictate my life around her," Ben shook his head. "Which is funny because she's practically asexual and I'm gay." He laughed, sipping his drink, only doing it so he could look like he didn't care that he had slipped that little nugget of information willy nilly to a guy who probably wouldn't be comfortable with it.

Then again, shouldn't he be okay with it seeing that Sean and Josh were gay too? And if he was friends with that man from the party who had pointed out to another man as his date, wouldn't that mean Ben's worry was rather moot? If the guy was straight though, it would be completely hilarious that he had managed to surround himself with Ben and the rest.

"So we're going to keep mentioning that now huh?" Ben chuckled. It was then that he realised that his food was not even half finished and it had gotten a little cold. He smiled to himself. It had been ages since he had been so absorbed in a conversation that he had neglected his food. It was somewhat a refreshing change from all those boring dates he'd been on that were just a precursor to what would happen after. The food was a lovely distraction, which was how Ben had gotten into the domesticity of it all. At least he got something out of being bored to death on those dates.

But Ben had to remind himself that this wasn't a date. In no way shape or form.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt laughed loudly at Ben’s description of Josh. “Man, does he talk.” Cobalt snickered, “First time I met him was…hell, probably a week or so after we set up shop in Pilot Ridge. I’m pretty sure it was Leila’s fault, but anyway. I was in… no mood to entertain that day, so as you could well imagine, when he came in, I was a little… cold.” He gave Ben a twisted grin, “And Josh just… drove right over my “go away” signs without even noticing. Just talk, talk, talking the whole way.” Cobalt chuckled again, shaking his head, “And then, you know, we got into talking about Hammel and suddenly we were agreeing and then suddenly we were friends.” Cobalt grinned.

So. Ben was gay. It didn’t really affect Cobalt in any way except for the vague satisfaction that his initial suspicion was right. It didn’t. He rested his cheek in his hand and was alarmed to find it a little warm. Well, that didn’t make any sense. Cobalt decided to think of something else. …Josh really didn’t have any straight friends, did he? Slightly amused by the thought, he smiled. “Yulia? That’s a pretty name? Where’s she from?” Cobalt noted that the affection towards which Ben talked about Yulia was similar to how he talked about Leila just a little while ago.

Cobalt snickered at Ben’s question. “Hell yeah, we’re going to keep mentioning it.” He kicked Ben under the table playfully. “Just as long as you don’t think I’m going to…” Cobalt squinted, trying to think of something that his powers could actually do. “…Actually, what the hell did you think I was gonna do to you, anyways? Shadows don’t do anything, y’know.” He grinned at Ben, “Maybe I should be afraid of you for your weird colored eyes. Seriously, what color are they anyways?” Forgetting himself entirely, Cobalt leaned forward to get a better look at the younger man’s eyes. “They look purple, kinda. Like, a really dark purple. Huh. They looked blue outside.” It was then that Cobalt remembered himself and realized what he was doing and how close he was to the other man’s face. Retreating quickly, Cobalt felt himself turning pink. Dammit, what the hell was going on here? His first instinct was to hide behind irritation and snap at Ben, simply because he was there. That was what he usually did. He looked at Ben and sighed. Ben didn’t deserve that. Running his hand through his hair, Cobalt recovered as best he could. “They’re nice. Mine are just blue.” Well, the conversation was fun while it lasted.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben joined in Cobalt's laughter, musing to himself how they ended up here after that first not so successful lunch they had with their mutual friend just the other day. There was no way Ben would have even thought Cobalt was capable of cracking a genuine smile that day but here the man was, laughing and smiling and making Ben fricking blush.

At the mention of Yulia, Ben grinned. The girl was possibly the most harmful metahuman he had ever come across but Ben loved her more than anything. It showed in the way he talked about the dark haired Hammel trainer. "Oh she's from Russia. Norilsk to be exact. Something she constantly reminds me about. Oh, which reminds me." Ben laughed. "I need to get her some flowers." The psychologist made a mental note to stop by Elaine's shop and was surprised by the kick under the table.

Instead of getting annoyed, he actually laughed and blushed a little at Cobalt question. "I don't know!" he said in an embarrassed hiss. "Moving shadows...it's...it's weird." He elongated the last syllable a little before rubbing his forehead with three tapered fingers, his thumb pressed slightly against his temple. Cobalt's next words surprised him as he dropped his hand only to find Cobalt's face so close to his, like it had been in the library.

Ben's lips pulled apart just slightly as Cobalt tried to wonder what his eye color was. And the moment died just as soon as it started. Ben stifled a groan and leaned back into his chair with a soft sigh. Regaining his composure, Ben looked up at Cobalt as the other man downplayed his eyes, which were definitely not 'just blue'. They were electric. Even behind those Harry Potter glasses, Ben could see just how amazingly bright Cobalt's eyes were.

"They're not." Ben said softly with a little smile on his face. Cobalt didn't hear and has asked to repeat it so the man did. Louder and more definite. "They're not just blue. They're...not." Ben was not the type to get all flowery despite wanting to burst out into song and dance, talking about how Cobalt's blue eyes were like the sky after the rain had cleared. A. Because it was weird. And B. Because it was fricking weird. And C. Ben knew better than to start being all weird on the guy. It had only been a few hours since their first meeting! He couldn't just start blushing and liking the man, damn it!

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt smiled at Ben’s clear affection for Yulia. Definitely similar to how he felt about Leila. It was endearing, to say the least, watching the other man talk about someone he cared about. “Norilisk.” Cobalt repeated, shuffling a few things around in his memory, “That’s… the northernmost city in Siberia. It’s also like… the second largest city north of the Arctic Circle or something like that. It’s a mining town.” He remembered reading about the city and its air pollution problems. Why he remembered that was beyond him, but he wasn’t beyond showing off his fondness for useless facts. “Why’d she come here? Besides it being considerably warmer over in Vermont?”

Cobalt didn’t know what to do, now that he’d made everything weird with his irrationality. Seriously, what had he been thinking? He’d never done anything like that before. To anyone. He’d always been very careful about cultivating a nice barrier of personal space between himself and others and besides people like Elaine and Leila who were safe, he didn’t let anyone in. Even Josh, whom he trusted with his life, he still kept a physical distance from. They both functioned better that way anyways. He had only just met Ben yesterday. On a lunch meeting with Josh that didn’t even go very well. By all rights, Cobalt shouldn’t even be enjoying his company let alone allowing the other man beyond his personal space barrier. He didn’t really know how much he could trust Ben. Cobalt wanted very much to believe that Ben was trustworthy and that he was safe, but Cobalt didn’t really know.

He just didn’t know what to do.

And suddenly, Ben was saying something that Cobalt didn’t quite pick up. “Sorry, say again?” He tilted his head to the side, his hands pressing against the edge of the table, stilling the urge to lean forward again. Enough was enough. They’re not just blue, Ben had said, and Cobalt almost forgot what they were originally talking about. Eye color. Right. He looked at Ben for a moment, trying to decide what he should do. Finally, he allowed himself a smile again. “They’re not,” Cobalt echoed, with a grin, “Your argumentative skills are breathtaking, Ben, I gotta say.” He forced himself to relax. There was nothing to actually worry about. Nothing was going on. “And hey! Moving shadows is weird? Really? Out of all the powers to have, I think shadow manipulation is really low on the weird scale. What do you do with metas who can… I dunno, shapeshift or have pixie wings or something like that?” He was genuinely curious, having never met someone who didn’t like his power specifically. Usually people didn’t notice, didn’t care, or didn’t like it because it meant he was meta.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

As Cobalt spouted off some random facts about where his Button originated from, Ben sat still and listened. It wasn't like it was the most entertaining piece of information Ben had ever stumbled across but he still listened. It was something to talk about with Yulia later at home. Not that the woman was going to spend an hour talking to an old man about the place she grew up in.

Ben shook his head in amusement at Cobalt's question. "I should that's the only reason why anyone would move to Vermont." Ben loved his childhood home and he'd been in Pilot Ridge since forever but he didn't see why anyone would move from far away countries just to live here. "Kidding, um she's actually a Hammel trainer." He shrugged. He was careful not to say anything further as Cobalt had obviously shown great disdain towards the school.

While Cobalt thought about how he had ruined everything, Ben was just a little bothered. Simply because he was getting things from Cobalt that he knew he shouldn't. The guy was not gay! Get over yourself.

Cobalt's change of demeanour brought a change in Ben as well. Screw awkwardness. He shouldn't be thinking about the man in any way other than that of an acquaintance. An acquaintance they shared a mutual friend with. Nothing more.

"Eh, I try." Ben shrugged before trying to finish his food.

Cobalt's next question made Ben huff out a breath as he figured out the answer. "I think the only other powered person I've ever encountered was my cousin Andrew. And once I saw a bunny turn into a man. I don't know what I would do with them but it's just...okay shadows are dark right? So yeah, I'm no good with the dark. And when it moves...I never said it was a rational fear." He grinned sheepishly. "You know, maybe you should do that transfer shadow thing more often. You'll get immune under constant exposure right? Or something like that." He laughed.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt listened to Ben’s explanation of his housemate’s occupation. “Oh, that’s cool,” He shrugged; he didn’t inherently have a problem with the staff of Hammel. Just the establishment, really. “What’s her power, if you don’t mind me asking?” He figured her power had to be really low-key. Maybe she had something like Elaine’s aura smelling: a power that didn’t actually manifest in any visual way, and was frequently forgotten anyways. That would make the most sense, since Ben was obviously a little uncomfortable around powers that had strong physical manifestation. That was as far as Cobalt could figure anyway, since he had a pretty useless power.

Cobalt poked at his now-cold food as Ben turned back to his own. He was terrible at conversing with people without an already safe mediator. He’d never really had the time nor the inclination to test his social skills past the realm of the workplace until he’d moved back to Pilot Ridge; as far as he had been concerned, there was far too much involved with making and keeping a lot of friends. He’d accepted that and moved on. But he’d never really realized how awful he was at these kinds of things. He was forty-five years old, for chrissake, he should be able to carry on polite conversation with a potential friend and instead he’d successfully killed the conversation, the surprisingly enjoyable banter, and probably their halfway attempts at friendship by being weird. And Cobalt didn’t know how else to salvage it.

Well, whatever then, Cobalt decided, shadows stirring restlessly by his forearms. He’d done all he could to try and be friendly. If Ben decided that he wanted to just be acquaintances, then Cobalt would certainly oblige. It didn’t matter to him, really. He was only disappointed insofar as it reflected badly on his interpersonal relationship skills and would only reinforce Leila’s opinion that he was incapable of making friends without her. That was why this turn of events depressed him.

Really. That must be it.

Cobalt listened to Ben’s explanation on powers and his family. “And your cousin has… power suppression, right?” When Ben mentioned the transfer thing Cobalt had done before, Cobalt felt himself flush a little. Why, Cobalt had no idea, but it was starting to irritate him. He huffed out a laugh, “Hey, if you’re game… But just try and not look like you’re gonna be sick. I wouldn’t hurt you with my powers even if I actually could.” He glanced down at the table before continuing, “But that actually makes more sense, knowing that you don’t like the dark.” He stared over his glasses at Ben, “I guess I could see how that’d be a little creepy.” It still didn’t make him feel any better about it. He didn’t like being creepy unless he was doing it on purpose. This was swiftly getting more and more depressing. Sorry Josh, Cobalt thought wryly, guess this may be another friend that doesn't get along with me.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

"Well," Ben started, wondering if he should tell. It seemed kind of personal mostly because it was Yulia's power, not his. But Cobalt had asked and Ben had to answer. "She has Psionic Blast. I didn't quite understand it when she explained but I think it's got something to do with overwhelming people's minds or something...?"

Ben realised that in retrospect, this sounded bad. He was afraid of moving shadows yet Yulia's powers didn't even cause him to think twice about having her in his home. Granted, for one, Yulia's powers weren't visually projected, much like Cobalt's was. It was because Ben could actually see it coming from Cobalt that he was a bit creeped out by it.

And there it was again. But fortunately this time, all Ben did was focus on Cobalt's face which held a look Ben didn't quite like. Why did he look upset? Did Ben do something wrong? If he did, he'd have to rectify it now, lest Cobalt found a reason not to continue talking to Ben. Ben didn't want that. Not in the slightest.

Nodding when asked about Andrew's power, Ben took a sip of his water before replying. "Yeah," he drawled his answer out when he realised Cobalt was getting a little red in the face. But it was quickly replaced by a laugh and Ben thought, yep. He looked better with a smile. He should keep smiling.

At Cobalt's playful reprimand, Ben blushed and toed Cobalt foot. "Seriously, I'm already embarrassed by it." He gave out a little chuckle. "You gotta give me some credit then now that you understand my trepidation. Okay I know, I'm lame. But what can you do, you know?" He lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

"But yeah, anyway. I should steer you away from mocking my lameness by asking if you wouldn't mind making this a regular occurrence, us having lunch together. With or without Josh I really don't mind. I seriously need to make it up to you for being an ass hat about your shadows." Ben rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I mean it's not like you're doing it on purpose. I'm really, really sorry about that."

Without giving himself any time to chicken out, Ben grabbed Cobalt's hand and gave it a squeeze, letting it go almost immediately should the other man get disgusted by Ben's touchy feely side. The psychologist gave the lawyer a small hopeful grin.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt reached for his water as Ben talked, but paused mid-reach to stare at the younger man in surprise. “Wait. Your housemate has psionic blast?” He asked, surprise and amusement coloring his tone. “So you’re telling me that she can literally put people into vegetative comas with her mind, and you’re scared of me?” He grinned at Ben to show he was teasing. He enjoyed ribbing his friends, but he didn’t want Ben to get offended. He was fully capable of being nasty, but only when he wanted to. And in this case, he didn’t want to. Grinning, he toed Ben’s foot in retaliation: “Nah, you’re not lame. You don’t make sense sometimes, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call you lame. You’re fine.” Cobalt pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled again.

At Ben’s request, Cobalt sat up, surprise written all over his face. Apparently, Cobalt hadn’t inadvertently sabotaged this thing as much as he thought he had. Ben wanted to meet again? And keep meeting him? …Why? Cobalt could think of no earthly reason as to why Ben would willingly spend time with Cobalt. It wasn’t like with Josh, who could talk shop and exchange notes on cases and it wasn’t as though Cobalt was nice to be around. But still. “Uh. That’s fine.” Cobalt stammered, still taken aback, “I mean, I usually eat with Josh and Leila, but Josh has been busier these past few weeks since he was out of commission and Leila has her own life, I’m sure. I—uh. Wouldn’t mind the company.” He nodded, suddenly and inexplicably shy. What was he, sixteen?

At Ben’s apology, Cobalt shrugged, “To be honest, I think the honor of biggest jerk goes to me. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. And probably thanking you a bit.” Cobalt rubbed the back of his neck, trying to play it casual. “I don’t usually… change my initial opinions about people. First impression’s the only one and all that. For…some reason, hell if I know, you were willing to give me another chance, which basically forced me to give you one.” He shrugged, giving Ben a helpless smile, “Which turned out relatively well, I think. So thanks.”

And then Ben was touching his hand.

Cobalt had a carefully accumulated personal space bubble, and nobody crossed it without his express permission. There were a few exceptions to this rule, but that was because he trusted them. They were safe. People who violated his personal space without him allowing it usually got hit. And now Ben was crossing those boundaries, however briefly, and all Cobalt could do was stare, mouth slightly open. When Ben retracted his hand and smiled at Cobalt, the lawyer was at a loss as to what to do. Swallowing, Cobalt returned his smile, pulling back his hand to rub at it absently. “Uhm.” Cobalt cleared his throat. Shadows sprang up around him, but he hastily pushed them down. Shit, he had to say something, because this silence was going to get really awkward really fast. “I—uh. Yeah.” He gave Ben a helpless look. Dammit, two decades of relying on his words and now he had lost all articulation? Perfect. Cobalt could feel himself blushing again. That needed to stop. Really.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben winced at Cobalt's surprised tone as he repeated Ben's housemate's power. There was a hint of amusement in it but it still made Ben wince. He knew that was coming but it still jarred him a little. Cobalt did manage to make the fair haired psychologist smile a little at the kick and the grin. Ben ran his fingers through his hair with a grin and a bark of laughter. "Thanks. That makes me feel so much better." He replied to the "You're fine" part of Cobalt's reply.

He didn't even realise he was blushing when Cobalt smiled.

At Cobalt's agreement, Ben beamed. Finally, some progress. The man didn't hate him all that much. Even though he was a moron for being scared of moving shadows. He tilted his head a little when Cobalt started to apologise. He even stifled a grin at Cobalt's choice of word. "Forced huh." Ben's struggle to grin failed.

Ben knew when someone got speechless. It wasn't so much just them not being able to form words. It was their flustered expression, the inability to maintain eye contact and the little tics one's body suddenly adopts that indicate that they were at loss for words. And it delighted Ben that he had rendered the bespectacled lawyer sitting across from him speechless.

Now it didn't matter if Cobalt was gay or not. If Ben was able to do that to Cobalt and if it repeated, it was likely that Ben wouldn't care about the other man's orientation if he chose to do something about it. And he couldn't deny it. Cobalt was well worth doing something about.

The buzz in his pocket startled Ben and when he checked the damned communication device, he was surprised that it had been three hours since they arrived at the cafe. Casey had texted him three times with one missed call and he didn't even feel it. "Oh jeez. I hate to cut this short, Cobalt but I gotta go. I have an appointment." Ben scraped the chair back, grabbing the coat he had draped on the back of it, slipping the phone into his pocket.

As he was wont to do, Ben shelled out a couple of bills out of his wallet and dropped them on the table. Cobalt got up and they walked to the entrance together. Ben turned to Cobalt and grinned, masking the disappointment he felt for having to leave the other man's company too early. "It was good bumping into you. I'll give Josh my number to give it to you. Call me sometime." Ben once again took Cobalt's hand in a grasp though this one lasted a little longer, almost lingering, before he dropped the other man's hand, dropping his own limply by his side.

"Bye Cobalt." He raised the hand with the coat and turned after one last smile at the man. It was a good rest well spent.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt jumped slightly as Ben’s phone buzzed audibly. As Ben checked his phone, Cobalt checked his wristwatch, realizing with a jolt that he’d been gone far longer than he’d thought. At Ben’s apology, Cobalt nodded, “Yeah, I have to make some calls. Cutting it a little close.” The last part was muttered to himself as he stood up and stretched. To his surprise, he didn’t actually care that he’d spent far too much time out of the office. He’d had a good time, he decided, shucking on his jacket. True, there had been some rocky parts and some strange, tense moments, but all in all, Cobalt had rather enjoyed himself. He dropped a few bills on the table for his own food and followed Ben out of the restaurant.

“Sounds good.” Cobalt grinned at the other man, feeling a little let down that he had to leave now. He liked Ben; he seemed safe and it was easy to trust him. Cobalt resolved that the younger man would have to meet Elaine soon, so he could get her opinion on the matter. “It was good running into you as well. Good luck at your job.” He shook Ben’s hand readily, grasping it with both of his own. He didn’t notice how long the handshake took (those kinds of things didn’t really occur to him anyways).

“See you later.” Cobalt gave Ben a returning wave and smile before turning and limping down the street. He grinned a little to himself. So he was capable of making a friend on his own. And a good one too. That was heartening, to say the least. Cobalt’s hand felt warm the rest of the way to the office.

[ooc: Closed for Cobalt! ^^]