Is There Someone Who Can Watch You | Ben Future AU
Disclaimer: Just a small warning for character death. I'm a horrible person. Send as many death threats as you need because I deserve them.
self-conscious disclaimer: the ending was definitely rushed because I wrote this on a long night fueled by coffee and battlefield 4 and sad indie music
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this is super long
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The European dial out tone still caught Ben off guard at some moments as it sounded eerily similar to America’s busy tone. He often had to catch himself from hanging up the phone with the promise to try again later as he was tight on money and didn’t exactly want to spend another few pence at a payphone further down the street.
It had been a fight for the only payphone in the hospital, a rickety old phone booth that looked like it had seen too much turmoil in the bleak hall it sat in; With dints and knicks and stains all across the weak metal casing that housed both the phone and it’s old wooden seat that was more of a graffiti board that anything these days. The phonebook had been ripped off its security chain much earlier, either by someone who was desperate for their own phone book or by someone who wanted to cut down wait times by making sure only people who didn’t need to waste time searching for their numbers would come and go.
Luckily, Ben was sure of the numbers he needed to call and what he was going to say. Phonebooks and the like wouldn’t have helped him much anyway, as the numbers he needed to punch in were all overseas. He knew them all by heart, having committed them to memory the day he left to travel the world, a dream that he had been holding onto tightly since he had turned twelve. The day his high school diploma had hit his hand, Ben was already packed up and leaving, the small North Carolina town of Lakeview just a receding memory in his rearview memory.
Picking up the dirty receiver from the base it hung on in front of him, Ben slowly punched in the numbers that would connect him to his little sister. Before he had left for the airport, she had made him promise that she would be the first he called anytime he decided to call home, and even under the circumstances he was in at the moment, he wasn’t going to break that promise to his little sister. Checking his watch as the rings continued to draw themselves out unyieldingly, Ben cursed under his breath when he realized that it was basically the middle of the night for them. Hitting his sister’s voicemail box, Ben left a short message after the tone and moved on, knowing that his time was running out.
His parents didn’t pick up the phone either and so Ben decided that they deserved more of an explanation than the one he gave Thisbe. Sitting up straighter as he waited for the family greeting to play out and the beep indicating the start of his message to play out, Ben gritted his teeth and pressed the palm of his hand more firmly against the pain in his chest, abandoning the spot on his side that didn’t seem to be getting any better with time.
“Hey Mom and Dad, it’s Ben. Benvolio. Your Son. It’s been a while since I last called- months -and I know you’re probably upset and worried but just- don’t be.” There was a long silent pause as Ben began to collect his thoughts. How was he going to be able to break this to them? “I love you both very much. Send Thisbe my thoughts. I’ll coming home soon.”
The phone slammed down into the base much harder than Ben intended. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the man waiting behind him in line moving forward with his hand outstretched towards the phone, intending to make his call whether Ben got up from the stool or not. Ben turned and held up his hand, his head much lighter than before. The man had obviously intended to ignore Ben but there was hesitation once his eyes took in Ben’s appearance. The entire left side of Ben’s torso was stained in shades of red, both drying and fresh blood. The source of the blood was prominent enough, trickling slowly from the two holes in his shirt, both at his chest and his side.
And yet, even though it was apparent that Ben needed help, no one called for a nurse or a doctor. Not even the few nurses that were rushing down the hall beside a gurney of another wounded person. This was a third world country hospital. People died in these halls from injuries and diseases every day and just because Ben was from a first world country, he had to wait for an open bed and an attentive doctor just like everyone else.
Ben spoke the best broken Arabic he could to the man, asking for just the chance to have one more phone call and then he would be on his way. The man gave Ben a solemn nod, probably already aware, just as Ben was, that this would be the last phone call Ben would have the chance to make. A small, thankful smile spread across Ben’s pale, gaunt features and he turned back to the phone, punching in the numbers that he spend most nights reciting to himself in fear that he would forget them.
She answered on the second ring, her voice cautious. “Hello?” Ben’s voice was lost to him in those moments. Of course she would answer. She always made sure to remind him that she had trouble sleeping since he left. She repeated her greeting again, with a small sigh tacked onto the end for good measure.
Ben choked out his own hello, trying his best to sound upbeat and happy towards her. It had been months, longer than it had been since he last called his parents since he ran out of coins by the time he reached her number. Even her gasp sounded beautiful. The small sob that he could tell she tried to muffle from him. He could picture her in that moment, frowning at him across thousands of miles of ocean and it surprisingly brought a smile to his face.
She spit a halfhearted curse at him, calling him the same names that she did when they were just kids in school in a small town. Ben let out a chuckle, though it fell short of the hearty laugh he usually had. But before he could try to make up for it, Chloe began to catch him up on life in the states in the past few months. She was summarizing quickly under the habit that she only had a few minutes before his paid time on the phone was up and they would be cut off and Ben wished under his breath that she didn’t have to. That she could slow down and her words would be the only thing he ever heard. She let him know that she finished college and received her degree and he tried his best to sound the right amount of supportive and happy for her, but with every passing moment he became more and more disconnected with reality, a realization that weighed heavily on his shoulders.
“I have something to tell you.” He finally said once her voice fell silent.
“Me too.”
“You go first.” Ben said as his heart sank. He didn’t think he could act excited about the ongoings in her life anymore.
“You’re a father.” Chloe said after a few moments, her voice hesitant and shaking. Ben’s world seemed to implode in that moment. Crashing down on him but also growing brighter at the same time. Ben was vaguely aware that he was having trouble breathing, that his vision wasn’t as good as it was a few moments before. He could remember attempting to ask Chloe to repeat what she said again and thankfully his words came out correctly because she did and then followed it with the details.
With each word, Ben’s heart beat fell harder. He was trying his hardest to stay calm, to keep his heart beat slow and steady so it didn’t break any clots that were beginning to form on his wounds before they were stable. His brain was scrambling to put together all the information that she was telling him. A year and three months ago. Samuel Benvolio French. Six months old. Looks just like you. Jillian knows. Ben felt the tears race down his cheek as the phone slipped from his ear and clattered against the wall, dangling from its frayed cord.
Quietly, after gathering himself, Ben grabbed the phone and pushed it back up against his ear. The words of his situation quickly tumbled from his lips. Fear crept through every inch of Ben’s body as he spoke the words aloud. “I took two bullets today during a protest, baby. This old woman and her granddaughter were standing in the street and all I could think was how they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I went to help them off the street. Down an alley. And they started shooting. And I just pushed them behind me against a wall and it hurt so badly. But I just- I couldn’t- Chloe, it doesn’t seem worth it now. Dying for two innocent people, for a good cause, it doesn’t-“ Ben had to stop to catch his breath, the world reeling behind his eyelids as he succumbed to a ‘bout of lightheadedness. “I have a son and I have to be there for him. My little Sammy.”
Ben slowly started to become aware that crying was too tiring for him. He was beginning to grow more and more exhausted with every tear that fell and every sob that escaped, as if they were actually the measurement of his consciousness and with every second, more and more of it escaped him. A small part of him knew that if he fell asleep, in his state, there would be no more waking up, and while he was in a panic to survive for his son, his little boy, sleep just looked more inviting as the seconds passed.
Quietly, Ben slipped down from the chair and leaned against the wall, unaware of what Chloe was saying on the other end of the line. Eventually, Ben interrupted her. He’d finally settled back against the wall, the dirty tile flooring beneath him somehow feeling as though it was the softest surface he’d ever rested against. “Tell me about him. Describe him.” He asked, though he wasn’t sure if Chloe had heard him during her own protests. And then finally, the words began to filter through to him as his eyes drooped shut and the existence of pain was null. Has your eyes. And your mouth. He looks just like you, Ben. I don’t want to raise him alone. I need you here. He’s crawling around on his own and you need to be here to help your son walk. I don’t care what it takes. You need to be here. I need you to be here. Ben mumbled his son’s name again and Chloe went into a panic. Stay awake, Ben. Stay with me. He’s growing up so fast. I show him pictures of you and tell him that it’s his Daddy and he’s trying his hardest to say it back. He already recognizes you in pictures and- please come home.
Ben passed away shortly after from his wounds, listening to his favorite person in the world describe his son to him. It was as comfortable of a death as he could have gotten, given the circumstances and it didn’t take long for someone to notice. A dead person is easy to differentiate from one that’s sleeping, especially in a hospital. Soon after, Ben’s body was removed from the hallway, the phone with the freshly widowed single mother still crying for him to wake up and come home returned to its receiver, and life went on as best as it could.
For those wondering, Ben and Chloe end up getting married and having a few kids together (girls and a boy). He comes back for a short visit from somewhere in the middle east for his mom's birthday a year later (he ends up just staying in Europe and renewing his Visa), they hook up and a few months later, he calls her from a payphone, and she tells him that she's pregnant and he immediately just books a flight home and they get a place together with the rest of his travel money. The baby is born, they both start going to college, Chloe finishing out her food/business management degree and Ben starting on his Journalism degree. They have one of two more kids together and are both fucking AMAZING parents. Ben convinces Chloe to relocate closer to Jill and Parker and they end up opening up a bakery together in town where the kids work once they're old enough.
Basically cute as fuck future and better than the 'Ben dies in a peaceful protest gone bad in Egypt'
im going to miss you guys so much, just so you know.
if i get your personal from either your post here or from someone else who has it, and our characters were ever connected, you can bet your sweet tight ass that i'm going to send you late night future headcanons about our babies
So quick update on where I've been and where I'm going to be for an undetermined amount of time.
Where I've been:
My boyfriend and I have been on the rocks for a while due to trust issues that spawn back to the very beginning of our relationship over a year ago. Recently it's been avalanching quite quickly and finally came to a head last night when I packed my bags and left. I didn't have a place to go and I don't have a job but luckily the friends that I had only made just a week ago took me in for the night while I contact my cousin about somewhere to stay until I'm financially stable.
Where I'll be:
Considering I don't have a place to stay, a stable internet connection, or anything more than the money my mom left me in her will and my car and clothes, I'm probably not going to be around much than checking the main on my phone. Helena was the first person I told when all of this shit went down and I've been discussing all of it with her as it happened throughout the last month.
If you want to keep me company while I'm on indefinite hiatus (i'll even be the person who plots through texts of tweet), I'll leave a list of contact info below.
I love you guys and I hope you never get pulled into a situation like this. If someone says that they'll provide for you and convinces you to not get a job, don't do it. They're just pigeon-holing you. (Unless they're your family, then otherwise do it)
Jill: Wait...did you get the school visit form? You could get your absences excused. I'm sure you can forge your Mom's signature.
Ben: Oh come on, I need to know this.
Ben: I'm planning on doing it when I come back because I didn't know how long we'll be gone.
Ben: All I need to do is flash a smile to that new front desk attendant at the school and she does what I want. :-) She told me the other day that I look much older than I am.
Ben: I think Chloe might be a really good thing that happened to me.
Ben: Also, uh, we're in Florida.
Ben: And my mom thinks I'm staying at Reese's and idk if he's going to cover for me so if you could take the heat and say I'm just studying with you or Parker for a few days, that'd be great.
