dEpUtY @deputy-noel - Tumblr Blog

Remi was in the middle of making a list of supplies she would need to pick up after work when she heard the bell out front ring, singling that the café was actually open and would soon see the morning rush of customers. She’d already been at work for hours, early mornings being one of the several high prices of being a baker.

She leaned over to open the lower oven door and used a towel to pull out a fresh batch of pastries. She was actually glad the place was open for business, as this latest batch was something she’d been experimenting with and she was ready for public feedback. After assembling them on a large plate in an attractive manner, she headed out to the front of the shop.

“Excuse me, who wants a free pastry… with a secret ingredient?” she asked out to the small group of customers that had gathered near the counter, most either waiting to order or waiting on the coffee they’d just paid for.

deputy-noel

Noel had shed ten pounds since the breakup. There had been a lot of perks to dating Remi, not least of all getting to be a daily taste tester for freshly-baked pastries. After the week that they’d all had, he was relieved for the comfort of something that felt even remotely normal.

“I don’t even care what the secret is.” He admitted, willing to put his usual suspicions aside for the sake of stress-eating his way through whatever Remi was serving.

#remi

#about #@papa rain's party like

ebeneezer-splooge:

Benny beamed, his Cheshire grin firmly in place as he drummed his fingers on the edge of the mattress. He’d dropped down into a crouch to get eye-level with Noel, head cocked to one side to meet the other’s gaze. “Perfect, you sound just like my dad,” he gushed. “We’re already off to a great start!” He straightened and smoothed down the crease of his lapel, which was attached to a truly magnificent sartorial masterpiece. He usually looked as if he’d stumbled out of a sex club after a sloppy bender, a fashion choice he’d leaned into hard tonight. Benny always enjoyed the particular shade of purple his father turned at the sight of mesh.

“C’mon, Edward Zombiehands. I only need you for an hour. Two, tops.” He didn’t dare spend a second longer in his father’s company, especially without access to another fat rail of K. “You don’t even have to be nice. Actually, it’d be better if you weren’t.”

Noel groaned as he kicked the blanket off of his feet, throwing his legs over the side of the bunk as he sat up. He couldn’t explain how or why he’d ever agreed to this, genuinely disappointed in himself for letting it happen. “I’d ask what the point of this was if I thought there was any hope of getting a straight answer.” He reached under the bunk for his boots, eyeing Benny warily as he pulled them on. He made a point not to comment on the other’s appearance, afraid of giving Benny the satisfaction.

“Aren’t you a little old to be worrying about pissing your dad off?” He asked, his boots hitting the ground with a heavy thunk before he moved to stand.

#benny

@ebeneezer-splooge

Noel had woken with a pounding headache and freshly bandaged hands, forcing him to accept the good with the bad that had come of hanging around Benny. It wasn’t until hours later that he remembered promising Benny his Friday night, which definitely weighed heavily in the cons.

He returned to his bunk as soon as he was off-duty, half-expecting Benny to have forgotten about their plans as well since he hadn’t heard anything. Silencing all alarms on his comms, he kicked off his boots and crawled under the blanket to glare at the wall in the hopes that he could finish sleeping off the night before. His head had barely hit the pillow when he heard the door, immediately suspecting that he might have underestimated Benny’s memory. He threw off the blanket and turned over, finding himself face to face with his very own lady of the lamp.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t show.”

#benny

delvedinto:

he could feel the sentinel’s piercing gaze on him the minute he mentioned helena but decided to continue downing the contents of his glass before responding. he soon held his hands up in defence, in no way was he judging helena nor was he trying to ridicule her in front of her own deputy. believe it or not, he was smarter than that. “ i’m not here to criticise her. she did her very best at her job considering the predicament. “ he explained, pausing for a second to debate how he phrased his next sentence. “ i actually saw her when we were all back in tera safely, she looked a little shell-shocked and i was just curious to know if anyone knew how she was doing. “ he added, decided to rule out what had actually happened as a result to him finding her.

Dissatisfied by the other’s answer, Noel was still itching to punch Finley in the nose for what Noel had interpreted as condescending remarks. He wasn’t trying to get himself in trouble though, knowing that Helena wouldn’t care if he’d reacted on her behalf or not when she caught word of it.

“I’m guessing we were all a little shocked. The geniuses who came up with Remembrance Day failed to mention we’d be burying our own.” He scowled, eager to blame the responsible parties for what had transpired. “Who could’ve guessed that treating a bunch of malcontent separatists as welcome houseguests would end in tragedy?”

#finley

ebeneezer-splooge:

“Excuse me?” Benny prompted with feigned outrage, watching Noel slither to the floor with a flicker of satisfaction. The names he’d been called had run the full gamut, so it was hard to eke out a reaction other than mockery these days. “None of my gentleman callers would dare be so crass.” He fluffed up the feathery fringe snaking down his chest, freezing only when Noel’s hand smacked against his cheek in what he assumed was supposed to be an appreciative gesture. God, what a caveman.

Benny grabbed the jar of honey and allowed Noel to amble away far enough that his smugness felt deserved. “Well I could name a few places…” he drawled, letting his words trail off suggestively. “But number one would probably be the door.” Benny pivoted on his heel and started marching pointedly down another path.

Noel was visibly confused for a moment before realizing what Benny had meant. He turned to change directions, following the other’s lead instead of trusting his fuzzied instincts this time. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he tried to catch up, cursing his current lack of coordination.

“Is there something preventing you from answering even a single question?” He fell into step beside Benny. Not one to typically wonder or care about the details of other’s lives, Noel’s curiosity was nagging only because Benny had effectively sidestepped his every query and he couldn’t imagine any reason for why. “Ancient curse or not, bet your ass I’m not hunting you down to help you or kiss you on Friday.” He muttered, cutting ahead of Benny to open the door and find that it needed the damn code again. “This place sucks.” He moved to the side to let Benny open it, adding it to the list of things he hated about the greenhouse.

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

The look on Benny’s face grew increasingly gleeful as Noel continued to criticize him, utterly enchanted by the usual stoicism melting away to reveal a soft and squishy center. He knew it— Noel always tried too hard to make it seem as if he had less patience than he did, but had yet to carry out any of his threats. It made Benny feel warm inside, like he’d found something precious he could keep in his pocket.

“Thanks for the hot tip,” he said with a chortle. “But I can guarantee you that I hang with enough people. Certainly more than you.” Benny squeezed his legs around Noel in some semblance of a hug, loathe to break contact but sure that he’d squander any goodwill built up tonight if he let the man pass out in the greenhouse. “C’mon, tough guy. Time to go night-night.” Hopping off the counter, he left the bloody detritus strewn on the lab bench but took a moment to squirrel away the contraband before turning back towards Noel.

Noel snorted, feeling very self-righteous. “Whoring your way through every bar in Tera isn’t a social li-” He stopped short as Benny removed his legs and Noel collapsed off of the stool like a ragdoll. He grabbed the edge of the counter and hoisted himself to his feet, lucky enough to be past the point of hurting anything other than his pride.

He clapped his palm against the side of Benny’s head, the blow softened by the bandaging there. “Thanks.” He offered gruffly before turning to walk confidently in the opposite direction of the exit. Still not realizing his mistake, he paused and glanced back at Benny. “Where do you want me to be Friday?”

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

“Your conspicuously vague answer tells me that it’s a yes. You do want me to ask you out,” Benny concluded triumphantly, tone teasing. He glanced up to see a muscle in Noel’s cheek twitch and his brows jumped up in delight. “Was that a smile I almost saw there? Don’t get all soft of me, Noey. I’m gonna need you rock hard by Friday.” He dared to boop the other’s nose, comforted by the knowledge that there were several milligrams of benzos coursing through him.

Benny barked out a laugh when Noel expressed doubt, unraveling the roll of gauze across his thighs. “Well it’s too late now if I were. But even if I’d amputated your hands, I really couldn’t have made your zombie hands worse.” He prepped the wrap with honey, debating how much he felt like divulging to someone who so willingly drank the Council’s Kool-Aid. “There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Noey,” Benny said sagely as he clipped off the end of the gauze and gave the other’s hand a pat. “For instance, I like to be smooched when I’m getting fucked, so you’d better show up Friday or you owe me a kiss.”

Noel’s nose crinkled but he didn’t figure that it was worth arguing the stupid nickname or the suggestion that he wanted to be asked out. He pulled away when Benny touched his face again, swatting the other’s hand away far too slowly to make a difference. He felt good, his rigid demeanor easing into half-hearted attempts at remaining hostile. He wanted another drink, but he couldn’t see where Benny had put the bottle.

“There’s a lot I didn’t ask to know, either.” He pointed out, feeling preachy and blissfully entitled to lecture. He tested Benny’s ability to multitask as he leaned back into the support of the other’s legs, using Benny’s shin as an armrest. “You can’t seem to give me a straight answer to anything. Just a lot of... information that I definitely didn’t ask for.” He gestured idly, teetering on the verge of losing his train of thought. “You might be hanging with plants too much. That’s not- You shouldn’t talk to people like that.”

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

For a second, Benny didn’t actually know how to respond, expression shrewd as he focused on removing Noel’s shoddy wrap. “My answer is whatever will get you there.” He shot the other an impish look. “Now I wanna know which one that’ll be.” He took a moment to preen and pose, knowing full well how good the red HID lighting made him look. Always count on plants to provide moody atmosphere.

Benny retrieved a pair of tweezers from the kit and bent over double to examine the state of Noel’s hand. It was worse than the last, but still fixable by amateur standards. “Ahhhhh thank me after I get done. I might’ve just roofied you.” He said it so cheerfully that it could’ve been a joke, but he made a point to remove the bottle from Noel’s reach. “But don’t worry,” he said as he picked out debris from the infected wound. “Your virtue’s safe with me,” Benny leered and waggled his eyebrows, snapping the gauze like a whip.

Noel could feels a comfortable weight settling throughout his muscles, grateful for the gradual numbing effect of whatever Benny had given him. His hooked his feet on the inner rung of the stool, fixing the other with a dubious look. “I’ll go to get you back for this.” He gestured with his bandaged hand, relieved that he didn’t have to leave the debt standing. Benny could be high-maintenance, and Noel was generally irritated when things were hanging over his head.

He scoffed under his breath, though the way that his head was beginning to swim probably should have given him pause for concern. “Well, I wasn’t worried...” He bit the inside of his cheek, heavily invested in maintaining the rumour that he wasn’t physically capable of smiling. He glanced at his hand before looking back to Benny. “Where’d you learn to do this?” He asked curiously. “Assuming you’re not just making this up as you go.” His fingers twitched slightly at the thought, his negging pessimism cropping up to suggest that Benny could just be fucking with him.

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

By now, being truthful felt like second nature, but there were times when he appreciated his ability to talk his way out of slippery situations. “Think of it as an opportunity for free dinner and all-you-can-drink fancy booze. You don’t even have to prepare. In fact, the way you look now is perfect.” All he needed was a distraction, and anything even tangentially associated with him was sure to rile dear old dad up.

Benny unscrewed the top of the mason jar and used a honey dipper to smear a dollop onto a strip of gauze. He pressed it honey-side down against the burn, wrapping the rest of Noel’s hand and securing the end with a pair of bandage wrap clips. “I’m sure there’s no chance you’ll change that three times a day,” Benny surmised as he pulled the other hand into his lap. “So let me put it this way: you’ll be back to full functionality sooner if you do.” He looked up to see if Noel was listening and his gaze landed on the bottle, expression caught somewhere between a grimace and a grin. “Uhhhh you’re gonna want to take it easy with that or else I’m gonna have to have a serious examination of my conscience.”

Noel took a drink, only half-listening to what Benny was saying. He lowered the bottle as he slowly moved to take his seat again, his face relaxing as the honey-coated gauze was applied to his skin. “Are you asking me out?” He asked skeptically, lifting the bottle to his lips without waiting for an answer. He took loose mental note of the instructions Benny was giving him in order to speed the healing process, left with a lot of questions that he wasn’t certain he wanted to ask.

He allowed Benny take his other hand, trusting the guy more now that the worst of the pain had subsided. “I’ll be fine.” He insisted as he reached around Benny to place the bottle on the counter beside him. “I appreciate the help.” He offered stiffly, surprised to find that he had him to thank for anything.

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

Watching Noel wrestle with composure was a truly erotic display, a masterpiece of facial acrobatics that was most definitely going in his spank bank. Then his mirth was dashed and Benny frowned when Noel’s hand left him, feeling branded by his palm and disappointed that there was no evidence to prove it. “Well that sure sounds like a thrilling— hey hey HEY!” His voice rose sharply as he snatched the bottle from the other’s hand, planting it out of reach and pointing an accusatory finger at Noel’s face. “What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t think I’d have something drinkable within reach at all times? Look at me. I scream party.”

Benny dropped Noel’s hand into his lap and careened backwards off the table to retrieve something amid the sacks of potting soil piled underneath. He used Noel as an anchor to leverage himself back up, squeezing his legs around the other’s torso and hoping that this wouldn’t be the only time that happened. Benny triumphantly raised an unlabeled bottle full of clear, faintly-green liquid that he dangled before Noel. “You can have this if you promise not to eat any of my medical supplies.” He started to hand it over, and then paused to add, “Oh and, uh, your assistance with a group project.”

Noel scrabbled to slap the bottle from Benny’s hand, his ego anxious to prevent either of them from having it before he allowed it to be taken from him. He immediately recoiled, the pain in his palm spiking so that he nearly fell off of the stool, oblivious to whatever else Benny was doing in the time that it took him to recover.

He clutched his own wrist with a hiss, attempting to isolate the pain before it could eat through his arm, coming back to his senses to find himself once again propped up by the other’s calves. He looked up to see the bottle, making a face at the color of its contents before reaching to take it. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and it seemed he was at Benny’s holistic mercy. “What project?” He asked already knowing that it didn’t matter, standing from the stool to yank the bottle from Benny’s grasp.

#benny

delvedinto:

finley wasn’t too involved in the political side of meetings, half the time he zoned out but somehow his hand still managed to write down whatever was said. it went through one ear onto paper then out the next without any hesitation. though he didn’t need another reason to piss emerson off, he somehow did that subconsciously.

“ you can definitely say that again. “ he lifted his drink in the air almost like a toast gesture. finley wasn’t one to disagree with others’ opinions, he welcomed debates sure but he was very open-minded and accepting of others’ thoughts. “ i can say the same about being a sentinel, “ he started, unable to stop himself asking his next question. “ how’s the captain? i heard she had a bit of a wobble during the battle. “ he confessed, he didn’t hear - he in fact saw her during and after.

Noel shrugged lightly in response to the comment about being a sentinel, fully believing that not everyone had the stomach for what they had to be prepared to be and do. He was still feeling the effects of the attack on Remembrance Day, telling himself that his aching muscles and injuries were proof of job security. Not that he felt like he had a lot of other options, he’d barely made it through middle school and nothing in his job history was something you’d want to put on a resume.

At the mention of Helena he glanced sharply towards Finley, sizing the other up without even consciously realizing that he was doing it. “I don’t know what you heard or who you heard it from, but she did her job.” He asserted firmly, unwilling to listen to rumours about the captain.

#finley

ebeneezer-splooge:

“You wish you could pull this off,” Benny retorted smugly, grip firm as he plucked up a new cotton ball. His thigh flexed beneath Noel’s grasp but the voice that usually egged him on had fallen silent. He did flash the other a pearly-white grin, unable to resist the flutter of self-satisfaction.

“Huh. I really thought you’d enjoy that,” Benny hummed and added to his growing pile of bloodied pads. “Only a masochist or an idiot would let it get this bad.” He shot a look at Noel to indicate that he was kidding (except not really). Though it became apparent that the other wasn’t suddenly going to make a break for it, his legs remained tightly linked and under no pretense that he was savoring the contact. It was warm in the greenhouse– way warmer than what most people found tolerable– but Benny had always reveled in the sticky, dense air. He liked the way that heat made everything slow down and sensitive to touch, but mostly he hoped that Noel would ditch his shirt.

“So what’re you up to this Friday?” he chirped, pretending as if the thought had just occurred to him. “Hittin’ the clubs? Cruising for some babes? Drag racing? I have no idea what your weekend is like.”

Noel’s eyes were watering from the clawing pain but that didn’t keep him from glaring daggers at Benny, wanting nothing more than to punch the stupid smile off of that face. He felt like an idiot for a variety of reasons but currently had zero patience for being called one. Dropping his head and puffing out his cheeks, he exhaled slowly as he forced himself to breathe through the scorching sensation. Benny would be useless to him if he was knocked unconscious again.

“You’re so full of shit.” He seethed through his teeth as the pain slowly became more manageable, a vein poking out of his flushed forehead. He looked confused when Benny asked about his plans, though he knew that he really shouldn’t be surprised by anything that came out of Benny’s mouth. “I don’t know.” He grumbled, noticing that he was still gripping Benny’s leg and pulling his hand away from it. He glanced up at Benny’s face, his face stuck in a bitter scowl. “Probably drinking to forget this ever happened.” He muttered, reaching for the bottle of disinfectant with every intention of chugging it.

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

“Right. Is every day a test of survival for you? You don’t have to live so primitively. It’s like, we get it, you’re big and strong,” Benny admonished fondly as if Noel had done something particularly adorable. “At least commit and get a loincloth.” He lowered the other’s hand to his lap while he popped open the first-aid kit and rummaged through its contents. Pausing mid-action at the snarled demand, Benny fixed Noel with a look of such awe and elation that he fully expected the man to be uncomfortable.

“Oh my god, I love that,” he confided in a breathy whisper, absolutely thrilled that the other was playing along, however reluctantly. He puffed up with all the delighted pride of a mother witnessing her child’s first steps, barely resisting the urge to boop Noel’s nose. “To answer your question, yes, I can fix it. Will it be overnight? No. Is it your fault? Also yes.” Benny’s legs smacked against either side of Noel, locking at the ankles to keep him in place. “So remember this moment next time you think you can glare away bacteria.” He pressed a soaked cotton ball to the wound, methodically cleaning away old blood and, for fuck’s sake, dirt.

Noel fixed Benny with a passive stare, unsure of how to respond to the evaluation of his character. He’d been living defensively for so long that he could no longer guess as to how much of it was an act anymore. He didn’t particularly like himself, or the fact that he had the emotional intelligence of a caveman, but he’d managed to keep himself alive for thirty-one years and that had to count for something.

“I’m not sure I should be taking fashion advice from you.” His knee bounced restlessly as he resisted the urge to withdraw his hand, agitated by the unavoidably close proximity to the other. He couldn’t decide if this was better or worse than being felt up by medical personnel, but at least Benny’s criticism felt less judgmental. “Of course you do.” He muttered, his gaze falling to his hand that was rested on the top of Benny’s thigh. His head snapped back when Benny confirmed that it could be cured, Noel’s face relaxing into a rare expression of relief. "Thank y- fuck, Benny. Jesus." He griped frantically, jerking in response to the pain from the disinfectant. He ground his teeth and his free hand grabbed Benny’s leg in a vicelike grip, it taking everything in him to keep from shoving Benny off of the counter. He inhaled sharply through his teeth, his skin feeling like it was being seared off by an iron. How did this hurt worse than when he’d burned it in the first place?

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

Benny braced his arms behind him and hopped up onto the table and physically maneuvered Noel onto a stool using his legs. “How about Doctor McDreamy?” he suggested, reaching for Noel’s hand and carefully unwrapping the dressing. He huffed out a laugh at the other’s question, though his eyes remained on the task in front of him. “Man, you are really invested in finding out where I sleep, aren’t you?” He peeled back the last of the stiff gauze, revealing damaged and obviously infected skin.

“Holy macaroni, tough guy,” Benny whistled, leaning forward to take a closer look. “I take back what I said earlier. You can call me Daddy for saving your hands. Did you even debride these?”

Noel sat stiffly on the stool and reluctantly allowed Benny to take his hand, finally having found a scenario where he found the other’s humor to be a welcome distraction and relief. He glanced up at the other’s face with what looked like a grim attempt at a smile, staunchly trying to face this like a man with pride but probably coming off as more ‘disturbed creep’ than anything else.

“It’s just, ah- weird that you won’t say.” He winced as the bandaging peeled a layer of something off with it, his demeanor remaining obstinately fixed otherwise. He didn’t want to risk looking down, both because of Benny’s lewd drapery and the fact that he was afraid that the damage he’d caused himself might look as bad as Benny was making it out to be.

He didn’t love the other’s initial report, wondering if it was too late to avoid the ‘bad news bears’ he’d been repeatedly warned of before. His brewing panic was difficult to suppress, and even tougher to conceal. “I don’t know what the fuck that means.” He admitted in a growl, starting to pull his hand away before grudgingly forcing himself to relax again. He didn’t feel like he had a lot of options here, even if he decided to opt for the infirmary he would be forced to answer a bunch of questions about it at this point. “So can you fix it, Doctor McDaddy?” He demanded impatiently, trying to avoid betraying his burgeoning apprehension.

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

The airlocked doors emitted a beep and a gust of air once his security code was accepted, but he barely noticed it past Noel’s fit of temper. Benny’s eyebrows had shot up in astonishment, unable to quite conceal his glee despite knowing better. “‘Whoa. You and I are definitely gonna have to unpack whatever the hell you mean by that,” he declared. It was unimaginably satisfying to see the man so off-kilter, and he relished how powerful it felt to pierce that unflappable demeanor. “Only as a kid?” Benny prompted with a grin. “That how you got this?” He swiped his thumb over the raised scar that cut across Noel’s temple, its jagged borders feeling smoother than he expected.

The warm, humid air that spilled out of the greenhouse doors felt blissfully like home, and he welcomed the ever-present mist that somehow rendered his robe more obscene as it quickly grew damp. Benny made a beeline for one of the crates and crouched down to retrieve a tightly-lidded jar amongst many. He also grabbed what looked to be a battered first-aid kit and dangled it triumphantly before Noel. “Call me your Florence Nightingale.”

Noel leaned his head to one side to evade Benny’s hand, his brow furrowing with a look of bewilderment as though Benny had tried something far more egregious. He was still humbled enough by his last outburst to keep from making a bigger deal of it, but he felt detached from the part of his face that Benny had touched, reaching to scrub his temple as if to ensure that it was still there.

“No.” He dropped his hand, trying to play it cool in the hope to avoid betraying his squishy innards any further. “That was a gift from a friend.” He muttered as he followed Benny into the greenhouse, subtly looking to the corners as they stepped inside. The wall of humidity felt smothering, different in that it was clean air but still reminding him of every poorly ventilated space that he’d ever inhabited.

He grimaced as he looked back to where Benny was collecting supplies, his apprehensive gaze searching for a safe place to land. He hadn’t paid enough attention during his limited education to know who or what the hell Benny was talking about, but judging by the look of delight on Benny’s face he assumed it was supposed to be good for him. “I’ll call you whatever you want if I get to keep my hands.” He offered, inelegantly avoiding direct eye contact. “Do you live here?” He asked, realizing that he’d never gotten an answer out of Benny regarding that before.

#benny

ebeneezer-splooge:

Benny looked increasingly amused by Noel’s sputtering, watching enthusiastically like a toddler waiting to be served cake. “Nope,” he answered brightly, “I know more about tomatoes than I do infections.” That was about as sincere as he was willing to get, preferring to operate in ambiguity and dealing half-truths where he felt transparency was undeserved.

Benny pivoted towards the greenhouse and marched right back down the path he’d just fled from, confident that Noel’s company would deter any would-be assailants. He was always in some sort of danger of getting pummeled, but until he managed to help Rory, he was more wary than usual about complications; he wasn’t interested in flirting with even more supervision.

“Can I assume that you’re vaccinated?” Benny asked as he punched in his authorization code into the number pad. “Or should I be looking out for lockjaw?” He paused, shooting Noel an inquisitive look. “You’re not already suffering from that, right? I’ve always just assumed that your growly grinding thing was like, a choice.”

Noel followed as Benny led the way, checking over his shoulder frequently. He was an attentive person in that he stayed aware of his surroundings, particularly when he didn’t have full confidence in where he was going or the person that he was following. Despite this he became increasingly distracted by the sheer fabric of Benny’s robe glimmering in the reflection of the streetlights, the shifting of the material providing unpredictable glimpses of Benny’s form like a shiny fish beneath the surface of moving water. It was mesmerizing to the point that Noel didn’t notice he’d been staring until it was too late, his belated dismay towards himself causing him to slow his pace as he allowed the distance between them to increase. He didn’t particularly want to be caught ogling anyone in the middle of the street, but least of all some rich-kid popinjay who had ties to the council whether they liked it or not.

Benny’s voice rattled him from his internal censure, his gaze vigilant and fixed on the street behind them as he waited for Benny to enter the passcode. “Sentinels undergo mandatory physicals, so it’s safe to assume.” He replied woodenly, though Benny’s query about his face caused him to look back at the other again, now painfully aware of the tightness in his jaw as well. His momentary hypochondriac panic quickly gave way to his dislike of personal criticism, his temper flaring again. “It’s not- I’m not like you, we’ve established that. My face just does what it does.” He flustered with raw exasperation, beginning to wonder if braving the white coats of the infirmary might have been preferable to this absurd roast. He immediately regretted the embarrassing outburst and forced himself to take a deep breath, reminding himself that letting someone like Benny get under his skin was pointless. Benny was most likely just looking for a reaction, and Noel hated that he was childishly giving it to him. “I'd know if it was. Got into a fight with a rusty fence as a kid.” He explained with deliberate patience, clinging to whatever dignity he had left.

#benny

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