redshiftrp | @lazarus

Thanks for doing this, Ben. I've got that footage pulled up if you want to stop in and take a look.

Oh yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.

[ Just a little attempt at humor, since they both know how much he is not. He... needs to splash some water on his face, first. Get himself together. As he does he texts: ]

Did you look at yours yet?

Edited 2019-10-01 01:21 (UTC)

I haven't yet, no. Honestly I'm not expecting for there to be a lot of footage from my room since I don't really spend a lot of time there. I could always be wrong, though.

Was there a feed from your lab?

[ Ben can't remember; everything that happened in that tunnel is starting to be a bit of a blur. In a way, that's nice, but it means some of the details have slipped away. ]

I don't know what might be in the saved footage from my room, either.

[ A brief pause, then: ]

I'm seriously gonna try to keep it together and not freak out like earlier.
But like, apologies in advance if I'm kinda off or whatever.
This whole thing's fucking me up way way way more than I would've thought.

Also do you know this '@ tricks' guy, he's saying he has info but refusing to share it and I can't tell if he's just a complete dick or if he's involved and maybe dangerous.

Edited (dreamwidth don't autoformat for me YOU DON'T KNOW ME) 2019-10-02 01:26 (UTC)

I didn't find any secret spy cameras in the lab, but all the public areas like this were already being monitored from the actual security stations. I think just for the time being at least we should leave stuff like that the way it is.

Bro don't even worry about it, I think a lot of us are gonna be off for a while.

That's Loki, he's from my universe. I really doubt that he would be involved with this whole spy camera thing at all, he hasn't been here long enough. I honestly don't know him well enough to know if he's actually got info or if he's just bullshitting, sorry. He is really smart though, so if we can get him in a... I guess cooperating mood somehow, that could probably be good for us.

[ Cool cool cool. Great, awesome, of course the public areas were already being monitored and Ben hadn't known that. He knows Peter is coming at this from a more rational place and he's probably right, but boy howdy, Ben's not going to want to leave his room or exist in general for a while. ]

Okay. If you say so.

I guess I'll try with this Loki guy. Even if he is pissing me off.

[ Handling difficult people isn't really his strong suit. He might have to tag Peter in at some point on this because even on his best day social stuff is hard for Ben and today is pretty far from being his best day.

A few moments later, Ben is knocking on the door to Peter's lab. He's got the cameras from his and Klaus's rooms tucked into the pouch of his hoodie, and he pulls them out, sets them on one of the tables before he approaches the monitor where Peter has the footage set up. He doesn't want to do this. All he wants is to run down to the library and pick up a book and shut everything out and pretend he is somewhere else for a while. But... he's here. ]

Hey.

[Boy Peter sure does hope things go well with Ben and Loki!!!! There's no way that can end poorly!!!!!!

Anyway, the door SWOOSHES open and let's Ben in, it's a very polite door. Peter's got footage of his own room playing on the monitor at this point. There' really nothing exciting going on, it's just footage of Peter fixing his hair in front of a mirror. For maybe too long. You wouldn't think that a guy who practically lives in the lab would spend so much time grooming, but here we are.

Now!Peter looks away and nods at Ben when he walks in.]

Hey, man. You're missing one hell of a... boring show.

[ As soon as Ben realizes Peter is watching the footage of his own room on those monitors, he hesitates, eyes sliding away. It's clear he'd been about to drop into that other chair just beside Peter's, but he stops himself, asking: ]

Oh, you're- do you. Want me to go do something else for a while...?

[ In other words, does Peter want a little privacy, not that it matters, perhaps, since they were all being recorded without their knowledge for weeks and that understanding is going to keep punching him in the gut at random moments, isn't it? Anyway Ben isn't going to watch if Peter doesn't want him to see, because that's what friends do. ]

Edited 2019-10-03 23:35 (UTC)

[Peter just motions for Ben to sit down like it's not even a big deal at all.]

It's fine, man. The most you'll probably see is me shirtless.

[He is completely unconcerned about letting Ben see any of this stuff. Peter doesn't spend enough time in his room to potentially be caught doing anything embarrassing or weird aside form maybe walking around on the ceiling.

Peter in the video finishes getting his hair all fancy and leaves the room. Soooo not much is happening in the video at all at this point.]

So far this is it. I really don't see why anyone would want to record this stuff.

Scandalous. [ And a small smile, because he really is trying to cheer things up, focus on the work, on being as positive as he can be. ] If you're sure.

[ He settles himself in, ankles crossed and tucked underneath the chair, hands folded up in his lap. Probably it means he's a coward that he is grateful that they don't have to watch the footage of him just yet, but he's just glad for the temporary reprieve. Probably the most Peter will see of him will be a lot of reading and snacking and doing his hair for a little too long, too. And maybe some waking up from nightmares and pacing in tiny frantic circles, and then reading until he passes out again. Not exactly the most dignified. But it's nothing mortifying.

When Peter asks, in a rhetorical sort of way, why anyone would want to record these mundane moments of their lives, Ben realizes it's his moment. On the way here, he had been debating with himself. There are pros and cons, to speaking up. Most of the cons are merely emotional or interpersonal - variations on I really really don't wanna. The potential pros, however, are practical, and he'd decided ultimately outweigh them. ]

I'm sure it's not for entertainment value...

[ He's stalling and he knows it. Time to pull the trigger. Staring down at his hands, like his nails are suddenly cool and interesting, Ben says, neutrally: ]

I can um. Tell you a few of the reasons why my dad used to do it, and that might give us some hypotheses to work with other than 'they're great big perverts', which is still a possibility, but my gut says it's something else.

[ The fact that all the rooms had cameras indiscriminately, the fact that it focused on bedrooms and not showers or whatever... it just doesn't add up.

Ben is doing this, he's talking about this, but he's not going to get into any of the irrelevant details or even give Peter the courtesy of a little setup. Peter's a smart guy. Ben assumes he'll be able to fill in the gaps. Between the very few things he's mentioned about his dad so far and his freakout earlier. It's not rocket science. ]

Partly it was to enforce rules. The whole panopticon effect. You never know if you're being watched or not, you behave. That seems less likely to me because there's no one in authority handing out punishments and the cameras were secret. So, possible, but a weak possibility. There's also information-gathering on our habits. Hours we sleep, the amount we eat, general health. That's the- the kind of-

[ He'd made it this far easily, but he hits his first snag here, picking at his nails and pausing for a breath before he goes on: ]

-the kind of data that can be useful for a lot of things. If they had a good sense of our health and biometric info they can calibrate a lot of different drugs or who knows. There's also information-gathering about strengths and weaknesses. Even mundane stuff like this- it tells you who's forgetful and keeps losing their pen and who has nightmares and who cries alone at night and might be- might be. A better choice to manipulate.

[It's pretty easy to notice that Ben is uncomfortable with talking about all this. After everything he'd told Peter about how he grew up, about the kind of person his father was, it's understandable. Ben is pretty much the leading authority on weird shit like this. Which is horrible, but at a time like this, it could be really useful.

Peter listens patiently, not interrupting when Ben pauses, not attempting to coax anything more out of him. He hates to put Ben on the spot like this, but this is all kind of a huge deal. When Ben finishes, Peter leans over and and gives his shoulder a squeeze.]

Thanks for telling me all this. I know it isn't easy, but any insight you can give us could make a huge difference when it comes getting to the bottom of this thing.

[His attention at this point is fully on Ben, the footage on the screen momentarily forgotten. Not that much had been happening when he'd looked away, but hey.]

[ Ben feels his cheeks heat, flustered by Peter's kindness, even despite everything that's going on. He gives an awkward little shrug, as if to say it's no big deal, even though they clearly both know different. ]

I- don't know about insight, it's... not like he ever justified himself. And I don't. I never... understood. Him. I just know the stuff he used the footage for, which-

[ But Ben cuts off mid-sentence, eyes widening in naked shock. He'd been looking at the monitor while he spoke, more to avoid Peter's gentle, worried gaze than anything else, and he'd seen something. Something in the footage, something that didn't fit. Ben pokes his finger at the screen, tapping it by accident in his haste, and says in a voice tight with urgency: ]

Go back. Go back a few seconds.

[ It's not a tone of voice to be ignored. It's the sort of voice you use when someone is about to step on a snake, or you've spotted a gunman in a window. He hadn't imagined it, had he? What he saw? Maybe it was a trick or distortion in the footage and Peter would see it and explain it away with science and that reserve of calm in him that seems inexhaustible. ]

[Needless to say, Ben's reaction to whatever he'd seen on the screen is extremely concerning. Peter's caught a little off guard, but manages to fumble with the computer just right to get the footage to replay.]

What? What is--

[Oh. Oooh he sees it now. Of course part of his brain doesn't want to believe what he's seeing, so he plays it back again. And again. Finally he just pauses the video and stares, letting his mind catch up to his eyeballs.]

That's... that's a big dude. In my room.

[He sounds calm, but he's really kinda not. The color has more or less drained from his face, his legs are doing that Jello thing. After a few seconds he has to sit back down. This just graduated from "someone's spying on us and I'm annoyed by it" to "SOME MOTHERFUCKER IS PICKING MY LOCKS AND COMING INTO MY PERSONAL SPACE AND ALSO--"]

Jesus Christ, my girlfriend lives with me and-- and some sick fuck is just--

[Okay now he looks like he's starting to panic a little. Sorry bro, that reserve of calm has been exhausted for now.]

[ Ben watches, silent and stony-faced, as Peter plays the footage back, once, twice, thrice, pauses it just as that figure is moving into frame, right before the recording cuts off. He almost asks half a dozen questions - whether Peter can use his tech know-how to restore the lost footage, whether he can tell if the man's presence somehow disabled the feed or if it was edited later, etc.

But he holds back when he sees Peter's face, white and stark, angry and, beneath it, scared and so, so young. So much younger and more frightened than he tries to be for everybody around him.

Ben stays silent, but he moves closer to where Peter is sitting and, when he stutters and hesitates, reaches out to grip his shoulder, squeezing a little, a wordless demonstration of his support. He blinks, just a few times, when Peter mentions his girlfriend living with him - Peter's glimpsed just a few flashes of Poison on the footage and he had known they were roommates, but apparently that's not all. How new is that development? But this is not the time to ask.

This is the time to try to be the best friend he can possibly be, for Peter. To be the big brother he doesn't have. ]

Hey. Take a deep breath, okay?

[ Ben's done this so many times for Klaus, when he was having panic attacks, or flashbacks, or sobbing over whatever latest cruelty life had thrown at him. Ben knows how to make his voice low and calm and concerned but not patronizing, not jarring. He uses that voice now, rubbing Peter's shoulder, refusing to let go.

He crouches down so he'll be on a level with Peter, locking eyes with him, expression grave and intent. ]

Peter, listen to me. You're safe. Poison's safe, she just texted me a couple of minutes ago. You're both safe, and we're gonna find out who it was. And we're gonna put up security measures so no one steps in there without you know it, okay?

[Peter absently reaches up and gently grips Ben's wrist, but he doesn't try to remove his hand from his shoulder. It's helping him to keep from straight up panicking, don't mind him. For a moment he just sits there in silence, his attention shifting between Ben and the screen until Ben starts speaking.

He takes a deep, unsteady breath, and attempts to keep his focus on Ben.]

I don't know how I'm gonna protect her from this. I don't know how I'm gonna protect anyone from this. I don't-- I don't know what to do, Ben.

[This isn't a problem he can shoot webs at or punch in the face or take a screw driver to. Like yeah he can put up additional security measures, but what if this trundlefuck finds a way around those too? Life sucks and this is bullshit.]

[ Ben keeps his eyes on Peter's face, a little part of his heart breaking as Peter glances from him to that paused screen and back, like he's confused and lost and just a kid after all. He'd already been feeling some pretty deep anger for whoever was responsible for those cameras, but boy howdy, this really pushes that over the edge into complete hatred. When Ben finds out who did this, who is responsible for making Peter this afraid? He is going to make them nothing more than some smears on a wall. ]

It's not all on you.

[ That had been made clear from all the responses to his network announcement before he'd come here. There is no shortage of people willing to lend a hand. Right now, Ben thinks, what Peter doesn't need is suggestions on exact next steps. What he needs is to understand this huge task isn't his alone. ]

You've got people here you can rely on, okay? You can - you can rely on me. I'm gonna help you figure out what to do next, and how to find this asshole. And - there's other people here, good people, with all kinds of skills and powers, who can help. It's not all on you, alright? It's not only your job to protect everyone. We... we all wanna help protect you, too.

[ Ben squeezes Peter's shoulder, and the decides, no, fuck it, that's just not enough. He might not be the best at it but it's ten past hug o'clock. So he leans in and draws Peter against him, hugging fiercely, like he could make it all go away just with that. Ben's voice is fervent as he reassures: ]

And you're like, one of the smartest, most hopeful, just... best people I've ever met. Whoever this fucking creep is, he picked the wrong room to break into, and the wrong guy to mess with. Even if you don't feel like that right now. You're so much more than he's prepared to handle.

[Peter will be so embarrassed over losing his cool one he's chilled the fuck out, but for now, he's just going to silently listen to Ben and try to ignore all those creeping self doubt feelings that keep trying to pop up. Ben's right, Peter's not doing this alone, not by a long shot. Maybe he does expect way too much from himself, maybe it's okay to need a little protection sometimes. Now if only his head wasn't having such a hard time wrapping around that concept, we'd be golden.

He's about to protest just a bit, I'm fine, I can handle it, his usual bullshit, but then Ben pulls him into a hug, and the last of his stubborn I'm fine this is fine bullshit runs out. He takes a deep, shaky breath and wraps his arms around Ben, not squeezing too tight while he drops his chin onto Ben's shoulder. After a minute he finally replies, sounding exhausted and not very much at all like the big badass super hero he feels like he's supposed to be.]

I am so kicking his ass when we find him.

[That's one thing he knows he's always good at. Breakin' shit.]

[ Ben's pretty certain there's a limited amount he can do here to make Peter feel better. He can't change the facts: that they've all been caught off-guard by this, that someone had been in Peter's room, that none of them know what he was doing or how he'd gotten in.

But he sure as hell is going to do as much as he can, despite the situation. He sets a hand against the back of Peter's head, holding him close and giving no indication that he intends to let go any time soon. Peter has been through so much, too much, and he sounds so tired that Ben's own voice is tight with held-back emotion when he confirms: ]

Hell yeah you are.

[ And Ben will be there as backup, when that time comes. He's thinking of a little more than just ass-kicking, but no need to mention that just now. ]

The rest of the footage can wait. Soon as you're ready, we should go to your room and see if there's anything else hidden there, or any clues how the bastard got in. Then we can think about - about if you want to stay there, want to switch, and what fortifications we can put in place.

[ Ben rubs a hand up and down Peter's back. His plan might not be perfect, but it's a few first steps, just to help while Peter's mind is blank with understandable terror and helplessness. Easier to let Peter make adjustments to an existing plan than to ask him to come up with something from scratch when he's feeling like this.

But first, there's something important Ben needs to know: ]

Are you planning on telling Poison?

[ He's going to leave that decision up to Peter, because they're closer, because he knows her better. Ben knows that complete honesty isn't always the best way to go, and he'll follow Peter's lead either way.

Then, because he knows Peter is someone who responds well to a little humor in a stressful situation, and because he's desperate to cheer his friend up a little, if he can, Ben says, in sassy mock-annoyance: ]

And just when were you planning on telling me she's your girlfriend now, huh?

Edited 2019-10-16 15:16 (UTC)

[Peter is extremely tired, and terrible at reminding himself that he's not alone when it comes to protecting everyone. As much as he hates getting like this in front of other people, he's glad that Ben's here to help him get his shit together right now.

Now that he's calmed down a bit, he takes a second to rub his eyes before he finally starts to detach himself from Ben. Hugs are always nice, but they make having a conversation a little awkward.]

Um. I... honestly don't know if I should? I mean, I don't wanna freak her out or anything, and now that I know it's happening, I can take steps to keep it from happening again. S-sorry I got weird a minute ago, it's just.. this is all really freaky, but we can figure it out. So like, why scare her, you know?

[Why yes, Peter does respond well to humor. He rubs the back of his neck a bit awkwardly and chuckles.]

Sorry, sorry. I've been distracted. We haven't been dating that long, only since the spa came back online. I fell in a pool while I was trying to ask her out, because of course I did.

[ Only when Ben starts to feel Peter's restlessness and him pulling away does he let go, settling back down into his chair but staying close, expression intent and concerned. He rubs his hands together, listening as Peter talks his way through it.

Ben doesn't respond at once. He really had just been planning on going with Peter on this one... until he'd heard Peter's reasons. And now he is weighing contrasting needs. The need to support Peter and let him make his own decisions. The need to give advice and be honest as his friend. The need to not get involved when it feels scary, when he's afraid it will cause conflict. The need to retreat into himself and avoid all of this, after the day he's been having.

Eventually, though, he says: ]

I don't know Poison as well as you do, so... obviously, it's your call, and I'm gonna follow your lead. But... earlier, when I texted her, she didn't seem scared of the cameras. Like she seemed really, super insistent that she was fine. And- I think it would scare me a hell of a lot more if I found out somebody I trusted had kept something like this away from me, than if I found out someone had just been in my room.

[ Ben gives a small shrug, lifting his hands in the air to indicate uncertainty. ]

Stuff comes out, eventually. It does. It always always does. So you just have to decide... what you think is better. Her not scared, but also unprepared and uniformed, or her scared and upset like you are, but ready to help.

[ It's pretty clear what side he's leaning towards, but he meant what he said about following Peter's lead. There's no doubt in his mind that Peter means well, and it's not like he has a whole lot of romantic relationship experience to draw on, here. It's possible Peter knows Poison best and this really would scare her to such a degree that it's better not to mention until they have it under control. ]

And you weren't weird. You were reacting like a human being.

[ You're not going to wave it off as some weirdness, Peter. Ben's wise to your tricks and not going to let you get away with it. There will be none of that while he's around.

But he does smile, despite all of it, when Peter mentions his little mishap. ]

You really fell in a pool? ...Like a big pool? Did you trip?

[ He has seen Peter leap into the air and cling to trees and walls and ceilings. Imagining him klutzing out like that is... pretty priceless. A sliver of happiness on this otherwise dark day. ]

[Well shit, Ben raises a lot of good points. Peter knows he'd be pissed if someone was keeping information like that from him. Plus Poison's been through some pretty fucked up shit before, and while the last thing Peter wants to do is give her something new to deal with, he also knows that she's experienced. She's a tough lady. This might freak her out, because it would freak anyone out, but deep down Peter's sure she could handle it.

Plus, at the end of the day, telling her about something like this would be a lot easier than telling her that he likes her had been.]

No, you-- you're right. I'll figure out how to break it to her.

[He's totally got this. Probably. But anyway, the reassurance that he's just being normal by nearly having a panic attack is nice. He manages a weak smile that quickly shifts into a dumb grin and an eyeroll, because now he has to explain the pool mishap.]

But-- oh, God, it was one of the hot springs. She was in the pool and I was like, crouched on the edge of it. And-- I mean, it's me, I thought my feet were planted pretty firmly considering I can literally stick to things? So anyway I'm sitting there trying to tell her how I feel, just, completely tripping over my words- because it's me-, and then she said something along the lines of 'sometimes it's easier to show your feelings than talk about them', right? So I'm sitting there like 'this is the perfect set up', so I leaned in to kiss her. totally lost my footing, fell face first into the pool. Disaster. But, she still said yes, so I'm calling it a win.

[ Wow it really is the wildest thing, giving advice and actually being listened to. Ben had just been expecting, without really noticing he was, that Peter would reject his words out of hand and just do whatever he wanted. Klaus had always done that when Ben was a ghost - well, okay, not always, but a lot of the time. It feels good... being heeded. The same way it feels good still to be able to touch people and to do simple things like sleep and eat and even though he's starting to get used to them, it hits him sometimes, at moments like this, how good it is being alive again. ]

You'll think of the right thing to say.

[ There's certainty in Ben's voice as he says it; he believes in Peter a great deal, even if Peter doesn't always believe in Peter all that much.

And he listens, corners of his mouth gradually curling more and more into a smile, as Ben explains how he'd ended up toppling into a pool. Ben covers his mouth with his hand but the smile is still all too visible, and his eyes are sparkling with amusement. ]

Oh, man. That is just... that's the best thing I've ever heard.

[ From the sound of it, Poison does know Peter very well, had known just what to say to help him get around his awkwardness with words, to encourage him to take that first step. And that first step had led to him dunking himself in a hot springs, but that only makes it more endearing. It wouldn't have been, if she'd laughed at him or turned him down, but she hadn't. And now Peter - who he remembers talking to about how almost no one here was his age and he should resign himself to being dateless and alone forever - has someone making him grin like this even on such a hard day. So maybe the world is good after all. ]

You just went straight for the kiss? Damn, that's brave as hell. I'm impressed.

[ He's teasing a little, but he means it, too. And then, because Peter doesn't have a brother to do it for him and someone ought to, Ben reaches up and ruffles Peter's hair, genuinely proud and deliberately obnoxious at the same time. ]

[Peter's been trying to be better at taking advice lately. He hasn't been very good about it when it comes to people telling him to slow down for fuck's sake, but in other ways, he's gotten better. When Patch had suggested he dumb down his scientific talk for other people he'd listened, and had been able to explain a few things to Kieran the literal cowboy by following that advice. This falls in the same category of hey-idiot-learn-to-communicate-better, and that is something he at least thinks he's improving on.

tl;dr Peter's going to follow Ben's advice and figure out a way to break all this to Poison, but for now he's going to let his mind wander away from all of the horrible, scary stuff that's going on for a moment so he can gush about her. After he laughs and playfully swats at Ben's hand before running his fingers through his hair. How dare you mess up his hair BEN.]

Yeah man, I just- I just went for it, and totally beefed it. Like brave, maybe? Stupid, absolutely. I can't remember the last time I was so embarrassed, oh my God. So then I'm just standing there in this pool, fully clothed, looking like the biggest, soggiest dipshit who has ever lived. I guess she was just like 'yes, this is the idiot I want to date', and then she kissed me and- and she's way better at it than I am, like, no joke. Out of all the things I've stupidly bumbled into, this is definitely the best one.

[ Ben grins, totally unrepentant despite the swatting, and goes back to listening. It's always been something he enjoyed, listening to people talk about their loved ones and friends and people they care about. Something in Peter just lights up talking about Poison, and if anything good at all has come out of this shitty day and everything that's happened in it, it is finding out that this wonderful thing has been going on without him realizing.

He can't help a soft snort of laughter at Peter describing himself as a soggy dipshit. Maybe it's just that he - and apparently Poison - find earnestness (clumsiness included) to be way more endearing than suave confidence and polish. He actually sets a hand over his heart, because it's way too cute and it's making Peter happy (and hopefully her, too) and that's such great news. ]

I'm seriously so happy for you, man. When did all this start, I mean, did you know for a while you were into her, or you were friends and then something changed recently...?

[ He might not be loud about it but there's a side to Ben that's a complete and utter sap, and he wants all the mushy deets that Peter is willing to provide him. Klaus is having feelings for Julie and now Peter and Poison and it seems like things are just working out, romantically speaking, for people he cares about. Ben just wants a little of that good good vicarious joy. Since obviously, nothing like this is ever going to happen for him. ]

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