Check Your Left - Ben Tags Cobalt

[Benjamin Rhodes]

"I kid you not, everywhere." Ben's hand moved in a circular motion as they crossed the street to get their sandwiches. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out. It slipped out of his hand and on to the road and without thinking, Ben bent down to pick it up only to get knocked down by a car just about to ease off from the curb.

Unfortunately, Ben had been in a position where his leg got the most impact from the tires, leaving him wincing in pain as the tire more or less rolled over his slightly bent ankle. He tapped the side of the car to alert the driver but it seemed as though the driver either didn't care or couldn't hear because the car sped off, leaving Ben on the sidewalk, nursing a very painful ankle.

"Ah fudge..." the pain was a little intolerable and he thanked God he did not hear any cracking. He was trying hard not to seem to fazed by the injury but truthfully, if he could, he would have cried out by then, if not for Cobalt being there. "Crap, crap, crap."

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt laughed as Ben regaled him with his ludicrous story. “I’m sure it wasn’t everywhere.” He continued to laugh, feeling far better than he had in weeks. He was grateful that he and Ben had managed to make amends for that one disastrous afternoon Cobalt had spent with Sean. It had taken a little convincing (read: shouting) since “I was stuck in a bank vault with Sean Neville so I couldn’t meet you for lunch” was one of the more absurd things Cobalt had ever said, but they had worked it out. “And anyways—” He was cut off when Ben dropped his phone into the street.

And then things got a little scary.

Ben walked into the road to go pick up his phone and a car pulled out from the curb. Right in Ben’s direction. Cobalt’s eyes widened and a quick jolt of horror sped through his body, quickening his heart. “Ben—!” He was pretty sure Ben was going to get hit by the car and then they’d have to go to the hospital and he wasn’t even sure how fast the car was going but something terrible was going to happen to Ben and he wasn’t moving fast enough to—

“Ah, fudge…”

The ludicrously childish exclamation pulled back the haze of panic and brought him back to reality and somehow he was already kneeling on the asphalt next to Ben, his knees smarting and his hands on Ben’s shoulders. A surge of blind hate rose up for a moment at the driver who was now speeding away. But right now, he had to figure out how hurt Ben was.

“Holy shit.” Cobalt breathed, trying to calm down enough to evaluate rationally. “Okay. Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He swiveled around to kneel in front of Ben, reaching out to momentarily touch his face before turning his attention to Ben’s ankle. “Okay, hold still, I’m gonna see what the damage is. One sec.” He gently pushed the leg of Ben’s jeans up high enough to see the ankle. Probing gently, he sighed, “Okay. It’s not broken.”

He leaned back and let relief wash over him. Now in the absence of it, Cobalt could fully appreciate how terrified he had been. And dammit, what the hell had Ben been thinking? Allowing his fear-induced rage wash over him, he affixed Ben with a fierce glare, “What the hell is wrong with you, you stupid bastard?” He didn’t care how embarrassed Ben might be feeling, the younger man had scared the crap out of him and he decided he never wanted to be in that situation ever again. “You could have gotten killed, you stupid—” Cobalt ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben gripped the pavement and bit down on his lower lip as he tried moving the affected leg but it was locked tight. Cobalt's sudden appearance in his peripheral vision surprised Ben but what was even more surprising was the hand suddenly on his cheek. His cheeks warmed up and just for that moment, the pain didn't even matter.

That was until Cobalt actually touched his ankle. "Motherffffff-" Ben hissed and his grip on the edge of the curb tightened. "Shiiiooot." He breathed heavily, trying to dull the pain by steeling his body.

And to make it even worst, Cobalt suddenly yelled at him. "What the f-" Ben started to say until Cobalt moved away from him. Suffice it to say, Ben had never seen Cobalt this livid before. "I was...what the hell, Cobalt!" He yelled back, suddenly angry. Like it wasn't enough that he was dealing with a really painful ankle, he had to get yelled at by the shadow manipulator?

They were just getting friendly again!

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt’s heart was pounding in his chest and a thousand worst-case scenarios wheeled around in his mind. Which really only made it worse because god, he had almost saw Ben get hit by a car and somehow in the back of his mind he knew that were this anyone else, he wouldn’t be anywhere near as angry as he was right now. And that somehow made him even angrier because that didn’t even make any sense. When Ben looked up at him, with hurt and anger on his face, intense and stabbing guilt joined the unsettling feelings of anger and fear coiling in his stomach. Which…didn’t help.

“What the hell yourself?” Cobalt snapped back, “What, you don’t know how to look across streets before you walk in front of a car? What is wrong with you? You could have—I can’t—” Cobalt cut himself off sharply, running an aggravated hand through his hair. “Just… don’t do that again.”

Abruptly, he stood up and gently put a hand on Ben’s shoulder, “C’mon. Let’s go to the hospital.” Shadows rolled around his shoulders in reflection with his feelings.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Enraged, Ben sputtered. "What...we were at the curb! How was I supposed to know the car was going to move?" By this time, Ben was more embarrassed than angry. Really, who would like the person they liked to laugh at them? Especially when he was hurting like hell at the moment!

"And I didn't walk in front of the car, Cobalt. God, why are you being a jerk about this?" Ben fumed, frowning deeply. The sudden turn around in his companion's behaviour threw Ben off and in turn made him roughly move out of Cobalt's gentle grasp. Oh had this been any other situation, Ben would have just leaned in. But damn it, he was super frustrated. Cobalt was, at the moment, public enemy number one.

"I'll go myself." Not even the shadows around Cobalt could reign in his anger. It served to make him even angrier. "Really? Trying to intimidate me with those things again? I'm not scared anymore, Cobalt." Which was what Ben wanted to say but he kept it to himself as he tried to apply all his weight on his uninjured leg before pushing himself up to a standing position. There. He could do this by himself.

...

And then he fell sideways on to Cobalt. In surprise, he shouted, "Fuck!"

[Cobalt Weaver]

“You couldn’t have looked?” Cobalt demanded angrily, his heart still pounding in his ears. However, he was finally starting to calm down and now just felt embarrassed. Why was he acting like this? There was no call for it, and they both knew it. And it was even worse because Ben was hurt and Cobalt suddenly felt like a terrible person.

Ben’s question of why he was acting like this threw him. Cobalt didn’t know why he was acting like this, and it sent a spike of irritation and confusion through him. “Just… shut up.” Cobalt muttered, flushing. When Ben shrugged off Cobalt’s hand angrily, Cobalt scowled, “Will you quit acting like such a goddamn baby? I didn’t yell at you any more than I ever have, stop acting like I’m being especially heartless.” It didn’t occur to Cobalt that Ben would perceive his shadows in that manner, which was probably for the best. Cobalt really, really didn’t set out to intimidate Ben (or anyone else, really) with his powers, and it would be disturbingly hurtful if he knew Ben thought that. So, all he was aware of was that Ben was petulantly trying to struggle to his feet himself. Cobalt scoffed, “God, whatever.” However, he stood cautiously by Ben’s side in case he fell.

Which he did.

Stumbling slightly, Cobalt was able to catch much of Ben’s weight, “Oh, shit!” He exclaimed, surprised by the suddenness of Ben’s fall and the extra weight suddenly upon him. “Hold on, I got you.” Cobalt wrapped an arm around Ben’s waist, ducking under Ben’s arm so that it was draped over his own shoulders. “I got you,” Cobalt repeated, regaining his footing, “Okay, no whining. I’m taking you to the hospital. It’s not far.”

[Benjamin Rhodes]

"Screw this," Ben whispered to himself when Cobalt yelled at him again. He refused to look the other man in the eye and gave a short bark of laughter when Cobalt demanded he shut up. "Wow, real mature." He spat, wincing when his leg moved slightly against the ground. Pain shot up his leg and he hissed. "Damn it that hurts." He breathed before glaring at Cobalt when the other man called him a baby.

"Oh and that's supposed to make me feel better? That I'm not being yelled at any more than usual? Thanks Cobalt. You're a real stand up guy giving me such leeway when I'm in pain."

As he fell, Ben could not deny the sense of comfort of being supported by Cobalt. The shadow manipulator's words did nothing to kill that sensation either and Ben almost felt better ... and then Cobalt ruined it by telling him not to whine. And back to square one, Ben glared down at his injured leg like it was such an offense. "Damn you." He said quietly to his leg, squeezing Cobalt's shoulder to gain full support so he could at least hop along without putting much pressure on his effected leg.

The walk/hop to the hospital was surprisingly a silent one but mostly because Ben just didn't want to get yelled at. What the hell was happening exactly? Why was he still hung up on the guy even after he was yelled at? The seemingly redeeming help Cobalt was offering trying to be Ben's crutch was not helping matters any. It simply furthered his confusion. What the hell was wrong with Cobalt, really? Why must he be so hot and cold all the damn time?

[Cobalt Weaver]

Ben was angry. It occurred to Cobalt that he’d never seen Ben angry before. The other man had been irritated before, and aggravated, but he’d never actually been angry. He wasn’t very intimidating—the younger man was just unsurprisingly and childishly petulant—but it didn’t make Cobalt feel particularly good. Especially when Ben started yelling at him. What made it worse was that everything Ben was saying was absolutely true; Cobalt wasn’t being mature, and he wasn’t being very considerate of Ben’s pain. Ben’s “damn you” hurt, and Cobalt wasn’t particularly sure if it was directed at him, but if it was, Cobalt deserved it. Not sure how to rectify the situation, he continued the awkward trek to the hospital in silence. Ben probably didn’t want to talk to him anyways.

Wow, maybe Cobalt was more of an asshole than he’d initially thought. That…could be a problem.

When they reached the hospital, Cobalt deposited Ben gently on the chair. “Just sit tight,” He mumbled, not meeting Ben’s eyes, “I’ll go check you in and get the paperwork.” Without waiting to hear Ben’s response, Cobalt limped over to the check-in desk and, after conferring briefly with the nurse, came back with a clipboard of paperwork for Ben to fill out. “Here,” He handed Ben the clipboard and sat down, resting his forearms on his knees. His knees were complaining a little, not used to having to support another person’s weight, but that was no big deal. He glanced sidelong at Ben. The more worrisome thing was that Ben was still not talking to him.

“They’ll probably take some X-rays.” Cobalt said gruffly, sharp in his discomfort, “Make sure it’s not broken. You’ll probably have to get some crutches. I have some, but they’re a little too short for you.” It wasn’t a good joke, so he didn’t laugh. But he figured the thought counted. He was still a little irritated, but he still wasn’t quite sure why.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Had he known Cobalt thought the "Damn you" was directed at him, Ben would have laughed. Ben was just seriously angry that his foot was the cause of him being insane. Why was he even blowing his top off at Cobalt, it was because he was in pain and Ben in physical pain is a pissed off Ben.

He noted how careful Cobalt was putting Ben down and as the man limped over to the counter, Ben felt awful that he had put a considerable amount of weight on the man. What that could do to his already busted knee, Ben had no idea but it couldn't be anything pleasant. And the man didn't even say anything about it. Damn it, conscience.

As Ben filled out the form, he could feel the other man looking at him. The tone of voice Cobalt held as he explained what would happen made his joke all the more ridiculous and a smile tugged at the corners of Ben's lips. He still didn't say anything but he was amused. Ben was almost finished with his form and he wondered if he should just send it in by himself. Damn, damn, damn.

When he was done, Ben started to get up, putting all his weight on his uninjured left leg.

[Cobalt Weaver]

This silent game was really starting to stress Cobalt out. He wasn’t particularly sure what Ben wanted from him, but he didn’t know else to do. And he didn’t like feeling so out of his depth. See, this was why he didn’t want to deal with people. Because he had no damn idea what to do when he inevitably offended someone. In his distress, Cobalt missed the little smile Ben gave at Cobalt’s weak attempt at humor. This was stupid; if Ben didn’t want anything to do with Cobalt right now, then Cobalt should just leave then. Let him worry about his own stupid ankle that was his own stupid fault by himself

But he wouldn’t. Cobalt already knew he wouldn’t do that. Ben needed someone to take him home, he probably needed someone there in case anything else went wrong. Ben probably didn’t know how to wrap his ankle, and true, the doctors would show him, but Cobalt figured he should be there to let Ben know he would help him if he needed the lawyer there.

Which made Ben’s continued silence really irritating.

When Ben started to get up, Cobalt beat him to it. “Whoa, hey…” He put a gentle hand on Ben’s shoulder, “Sit down, I’ve got it.” He plucked the clipboard out of his hands and transferred it over to the person at the front desk. By the time he got back, he was angry again.

“Look,” He said roughly, “You’re mad at me, I get it. I yelled at you. And I guess now you feel the need to play some stupid silent game with me, whatever.” He glared at Ben, hoping he just looked angry and not a little hurt, “But however you feel about me, you’re going to stay put and let me help you so you don’t hurt yourself.”

“Don’t worry.” He added bitterly, looking away from the younger man, “Once the doctor comes to see you, I can get out of your way, if that’s what you want.”

[Benjamin Rhodes]

When Cobalt pulled him down, Ben was more than obliged to listen to him finally. Moving was obviously out of the question. His foot was practically screaming in pain as he sat back down.

And just as he was getting comfortable with the gentler, more caring side of Cobalt, the shadow manipulator got angry once more. Ben held back his own anger. It kind of made Ben realise that Cobalt was just concerned. He just didn't know any other way to express his anxiety probably. He was a lawyer, for crying out loud. He made a living out of arguing. Gosh, did they differ completely in that area.

Ben was surprised he didn't catch on this earlier on. So as Cobalt carried on with his tirade, Ben decided this had gone far too long already. The man deserved Ben's gratitude after hauling his tall ass to the hospital on his bad knee.

And no, Cobalt. It really wasn't what Ben wanted. He could have said it out loud but something held him back. In his mind it sounded like it had more meaning to it. And if he were to be honest with himself, it really did have more meaning to it than that. "Cobalt...don't. I'll...I need you to help me get back home...I don't know how to use...the crutches." How lame, Ben. How so lame.

When Ben's name was called, a nurse with a wheelchair came over and Ben, with a little difficulty, got on it and looked at Cobalt expectantly.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt was sure he’d crossed some kind of line by snapping at Ben, but dammit, it was true. He didn’t like getting the silent treatment; it always made more sense to argue it out instead of ignoring it and passive-aggressively giving the cold shoulder. He really hated the cold shoulder. It was immature even for him, and it was distressing to feel that he deserved it.

But when Ben stammered out a request for Cobalt to remain, the older man couldn’t do anything but stay. Nodding silently, Cobalt hovered over him as Ben stumbled into his wheelchair. Cobalt’s chest tightened when Ben looked up at him from the wheelchair imploringly. He forced a small smile and looked up at the nurse, “D’you…mind if I come along?” The nurse smiled a little too understandingly for Cobalt’s taste, but he didn’t say anything.

Everything went fairly quickly, once they got into the doctor’s office. They took some X-Rays of Ben’s ankle, and ascertained that his ankle was indeed not broken, but here was how you wrapped it and be sure to elevate it and put it on ice when he got home. Cobalt hovered around Ben’s shoulder, so when the doctor turned to him with instructions about when Ben should be taking his medicines and other things Ben would require, Cobalt colored. “Oh. Uh, no, we don’t… we’re not. Together.” Cobalt rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. The doctor looked surprised, but continued to give his instructions to Ben.

Finally, Ben was given a set of crutches. Cobalt tilted his head, a faint smile on his face, “You good to walk on those? They’re not that hard.”

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben didn't see the look the nurse gave Cobalt and if he did, he would have been embarrassed. And secretly pleased. Ben gave a small smile as Cobalt pushed him to the doctor's office.

As the doctor rambled on, Ben wasn't quite paying attention to him because Cobalt was standing a little too near him for the child psychologist to actually concentrate on things. But he did hear Cobalt telling the doctor that they weren't together. Ben didn't know why but he felt a tiny prick in his back and his chest.

He turned to look at Cobalt quizzically before turning to the doctor with a slight frown. Why did that hurt?

As Ben was issued a set of crutches, he tried testing it out and felt slightly odd. "Hmm...I think I can move around on it." He tried taking a few steps forward with it and besides a little ache under his armpits, it seemed fine. "Um, thanks Dr. Pope." Ben smiled and left with Cobalt. He went ahead to the cashier and paid, still just slightly uncomfortable with walking with the crutches.

"You've tried walking with these?" Ben asked Cobalt as he waited for his medicine.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt caught the slight confusion in Ben’s gaze when Cobalt explained their living situation. He tilted his head in confusion, silently asking what he did wrong this time. But he didn’t say anything else, choosing to listen to the rest of the doctor’s instructions, as it seemed that Ben wasn’t paying much attention. He watched Ben hobble around awkwardly on the crutches with a slight smile on his face.

In answer to Ben’s question, Cobalt let out a quiet laugh: “Yeah. I messed my knee up in college, so I had to have them for a while. Here,” He reached over and adjusted Ben’s hands on the crutches, “Adjust your grip and don’t lean so much on your armpits. Support it on your arms.” He grinned slightly, looking up at Ben, “You’ll get it.”

When they received Ben’s medicine—Cobalt opted to hold onto it, as Ben had no hands—they walked out the door. “So, I can call you a cab, and if you want some, like, quiet time…” Cobalt shrugged awkwardly, “But I mean, if you want some help, I can be there.”

[Benjamin Rhodes]

"You did?" Ben asked in surprise. It wasn't often that they shared anything about their past but little snippets of younger Cobalt always intrigued Ben. "What happened?" He asked before grabbing the plastic bag of medicine but Cobalt took it from him and Ben didn't object. He let Cobalt adjust his hands on the crutch and he smiled when it felt just a little better.

At Cobalt's suggestion, Ben turned to him and shook his head. "I'm...I'm sorry about earlier. That was uncalled for. I should have kept my cool." Ben apologised. Although he did feel some of his aggravation was justified, Cobalt helped him and Ben couldn't dispute the fact that because he helped, he at least deserved some respect. "You have to help me up the stairs...if you don't mind."

Now that he was calmer than before, Ben could honestly say he felt stupid for snapping at Cobalt. And then proceeding to give him the cold shoulder, it was completely immature. He had to make it up to Cobalt somehow. "Hey, we never did get to lunch. Why don't I make you something at home? Or we could order takeout?"