chatzy // what has been seen...
DATE: Monday, June 15, 2020 CHARACTERS: Ben, Jacob, Caine, L ABOUT: Some sights everybody wishes they could unsee, especially right before lunch.
Ben glanced over to the hallway when he heard his roommate walk into the living room. He was idly playing his guitar, plucking out an aimless melody; the notes got a little quieter as he put his attention onto Jacob. "You look good," he said. "Are Caine and L here?"
Jacob headed over from his room to get himself a glass of water, pouring a second one for Ben while he was at the sink. He hummed to acknowledge Ben’s comment and wandered over to hand the cup to him, taking a seat beside him on the couch. “In the process of coming here. Five, ten minutes I would imagine.”
Ben stopped playing to accept the glass as Jacob came back to his side. He really did look good; Ben let his gaze linger as they settled into the couch together. He tucked one leg under him so he could turn himself and better face Jacob. "Cool," he said before he took a sip of the water. "What you guys doing?"
Jacob angled himself towards Ben on the couch, resting one arm along the back. He took a sip of his water, then leaned over to place it down on the coffee table. He faced Ben again. “Out to eat, and I believe we are discussing plans for the rest of the day from there.”
He watched Jacob's arm drape along the back of the couch. Ben slid the guitar out of his lap and propped it up against the coffee table as well, then turned back into place. After a moment's hesitation, he rested his head against the back of the couch, pressed slightly against Jacob's hand. He recognized this was a bad time to find his roommate so endearing, but he couldn't help himself. "Well, I'll try not to miss you too much."
Jacob smiled to himself when he felt Ben’s head against his hand and shifted closer so he could begin to card his fingers through his hair. “Oh, do count the seconds that I’m gone,” Jacob responded, amusement clear in his voice. “And tell me how many when I return.”
Ben breathed out, a smile spreading across his face. "Oh, of course. I already planned on it, I was just playing cool," he said, nudging Jacob's leg with his own. "Good thing you know me so well."
Jacob pressed his leg into Ben’s as Ben moved his away, touching his thumb to Ben’s cheek. “We do still have a few minutes,” he commented mildly, putting his hand on Ben’s knee and raising his eyebrows. “So there is no need to worry about that yet.”
When Jacob reached his hand out, Ben paused, going a little still. "Yeah?" he asked, moving his own hand to rest over Jacob's. He leaned over to put his water on the table as well, and then was right back in place before the moment could be broken.
Jacob laughed quietly at the speed with which Ben was back before him and leaned forward, touching his thumb to Ben's jaw now as he slid his fingers back into his hair. "Yeah," he repeated, guiding Ben forward slightly with a smile. "Why not?"
Normally, he was up for anything pretty much anytime, and today was no different, but Ben still paused. His eyes flickered to the door and then back to Jacob. "They'll let you know before they get here," he mumbled, both a question and an affirmation for the two of them. His hand went to the back of Jacob's neck, fingers lightly gripping his hair. He smiled again. "Why not."
Jacob pulled his phone out of his pocket, lifted it to show Ben, then put it down on the couch behind him. He splayed his hand across Ben's ribs. "We'll hear the text the text with ease," he agreed, leaning forward to press a kiss just under Ben's jaw. He spoke against his neck. "Plenty of time."
Ben's breath hitched. "Definitely," he agreed, his eyes closing. He slid himself a little closer and pressed his hand against Jacob's inner thigh, letting himself enjoy the feeling of Jacob's mouth against his neck for a moment longer before turning his head to kiss him.
Pleased with the reaction, Jacob smiled into the kiss as he leaned forward, pressing Ben into the back of the couch with the hand on his side. This had been far from his intention when he had come out to the living room, but he had noticed recently that his mood around Ben could change within seconds. With the hand on Ben's jaw, Jacob tilted his head and deepened the kiss.
He hadn't expected Jacob to join him on the couch at all before leaving, let alone those few minutes turning into this. Ben made a quiet noise as Jacob leaned more into the kiss, moving his hand up Jacob's leg. His other untangled from Jacob's hair to travel down his neck and collarbone.
Jacob sighed into the kiss and slid his hand from Ben’s side to his stomach, moving his hand up under his shirt. At Ben’s touch, the memory that he had to leave the apartment soon drifted further away from his attention- instead of leaning away and getting ready to go, he tilted Ben’s head to one side so he could press his mouth to his neck again, over his pulse.
"Gods," Ben exhaled, almost a laugh, as Jacob kissed his neck once again. His hands tightened around the fabric of Jacob's clothes and he pushed himself up, trying to close as much space between them as possible. Are you sure you have to go? he almost asked, but he just let out another soft noise instead, not wanting this to stop until it absolutely had to.
"So that's why I don't go to Coney Island anymore," Caine wrapped up as he and L approached Jacob's door. "By the way, do we have a reservation for lunch or are we just walking in?"
L nodded, following Caine's story, twirling a finger around a strand of hair. "So did they ever find the hotdog?" They squinted and shook their head. "It's not too busy a place, so I didn't make a reservation."
As Ben pressed up, Jacob leaned away from the kiss just long enough to move so his back was against the arm of the couch, pulling Ben with him by his shirt so he could reinitiate the kiss as soon as they were touching again.
Ben gladly followed the motion, now leaning over his roommate as he dipped his head in closer. He placed one hand against the arm of the chair to steady himself as he moved his legs to straddle Jacob's hips, and found Jacob's jaw with his other, eagerly kissing him again.
Caine nodded in acknowledgment. "Nah, they never found the hot dog. Frankly, I don't wanna know where it want." Caine stepped up to the door and gave two quick raps on the door before letting himself in. "Honey, I'm ho..." Caine's eyes widened as he stepped inside, interrupting an intimate moment. "...oly shit." He quickly turned around, but the damage had already been done. "L, they found the hot dogs!" Caine howled.
L laughed and dropped their hand. "I think it's best left a mystery." Standing behind Caine, L managed to not get a view of the couch, and from their brother's reaction, they weren't sure that they wanted to. They looked at the ceiling. "Uh, we can come back!"
Jacob heard the knock, but by the time the sound sunk in and he broke the kiss it was too late. "Fuck," he exhaled, running one hand through his hair to smooth it out as he pressed a hand to Ben's chest to push him back lightly. Ears burning, he sat up straighter with embarrassment curling in his stomach. "Sorry! Give me a moment!"
The sound of the door opening sent a jolt of realization through him, but Ben was slow to react. "Fuck," he said at the same time as his roommate. He immediately got up, moving so Jacob could get out from underneath him. His eyes flickered to Caine, his back turned in their doorway, and he mumbled another "fuck," under his breath.
"Come on, really? What kind of person invites family over and then five minutes later you're having a rodeo in the living room." Caine turned back around after hearing the noise settle and found Jacob and... Ben? "You? Really?" Caine knew that he had a tendency to talk in a way that made it hard for other people to tell whether he was genuinely angry or just being dramatic. In this case, he let the ambiguity hang in the air, wondering how Ben would react. "First my boyfriend, now my brother, huh?"
L imagined herself in this mortifying situation and grimaced, shoving her hands into her back pockets, still staring at the ceiling.
Jacob's expression was calm by the time Caine turned around, but his face was visibly flushed. He cleared his throat and leaned over to pick up the glass of water he had poured himself earlier, wondering if opening a window would be too much. "Sorry. I was under the assumption I would hear the text."
Ben felt a blush creeping up his neck and he kept his gaze on the table while he straightened out his shirt. He didn't want to look at Caine or risk another glance at Jacob for fear that it might make his face go even more red. He frowned, though, when the words made it past his swirling embarrassment and sunk in. "Um, what?" he asked, finally looking over to Caine.
Caine pointed back and forth between Jacob and Ben. "Is this, uh... Are you two an item now? Or is this an experimental thing?"
L rubbed the bridge of her nose and laughed nervously.
Jacob took his time finishing his sip of water, somewhat less dishevelled when he cleared his throat again. "We are not together, no." Although his voice was steady, he chewed on one nail once he finished speaking. "Sorry you had to see that."
L looked at Caine and, now that she was sure that she wasn't going to see anything, poked her head in and waved.
Kill me, Ben thought to himself while Jacob spoke. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, no, we're just... Yeah." He saw L and his face flushed again— only now did he remember hearing a second voice in the hallway. He waved back sheepishly.
"Interesting." Caine nodded in contemplation for a moment. "Interesting." He stepped further inside to give L room, his eyes still fixed on Ben. "So are you... Joining us for lunch? Or is this the, uh," he gestured to Jacob again, "the good-bye kiss?"
Jacob leaned towards the table and slid his hand until he found the pair of sunglasses he left there, putting them on with relief to cover at least part of his blush. "Still just us for lunch." Jacob wanted to lay a hand on Ben's shoulder in apology, but that seemed a bad choice to make at the moment. "We simply got carried away."
Ben wondered if Caine was purposefully trying to make this as mortifying for him as possible or if he was just hypersensitive at the moment. He shook his head while Jacob answered, and almost told Caine not to worry, but decided against it. "Yeah. Lost track of time." He sank a little into the couch.
L pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at Caine and nodded slowly. "So, uh, if you're ready, Jacob... we can... go?"
Caine held up a hand. "Well, actually, you know, since you're here," he gestured to Ben, "Maybe you can give your opinion on a song Jacob and I put together for the band. L, you too," Caine offered. "Since we're all family here, right? And special friends."
L gave Caine a slightly disapproving look, assuming he just wanted to stay and make fun of Ben more.
Ben put a hand over his eyes. "You're not gonna be late for your, uh, lunch?"
"Nah," Caine waved a hand. He couldn't help the smile growing wide on his face now. "L didn't even make a reservation. Isn't that right?"
L gave Caine a stern look and jutted out her jaw. "I guess I didn't."
Jacob sighed, though one corner of his mouth lifted in vague amusement. "Shall I fetch my keyboard?"
The hand over his eyes pulled down over the rest of Ben's face, and he let out a short exhale. "Sure." He shifted so he was sitting crossed-legged on the couch, leaning forward to grab his own water and drink.
"That's the spirit!" Caine walked into the living area and took a seat beside Ben. He pat Ben's knee and gave him a smile that could have read as both genuine and threatening. "Look at us, collaborating on a song. Who would've thought? Not me."
Jacob got up off the couch and disappeared into his room for a few seconds before returning with his keyboard, significantly less flustered from the moments out of sight. "Oh, do try not to bully my roommate," he commented to Caine with a smile, stepping around Frank when he beeped. "I know it may be difficult for you."
L walked in finally, closing the door behind her, and picked up Frank before she took a seat on the floor near Caine.
Ben forced himself to relax but only succeeded when Jacob returned into the living room. "It's nothing I can't handle," he said with a little shrug. After a moment of consideration, Ben sighed and spoke again, trying a small smile. "Should we call up Fab and Quinn, too, or is this just for special friends?"
Caine returned a laugh after Jacob's quip. "Nah, they'll hear it later. This is just because you're here. Might as well seize the moment, right? Do a little bonding." Caine pulled the lyrics up on his phone and clarified. "I'm still working on the lyrics for the verse, but the chorus is what we've got solid."
Jacob pushed his sunglasses up and smiled in Ben's direction briefly before refocusing on his keyboard, running his fingers over the keys without pressing down on any of them. "From the chorus, then?"
"Sure. From the chorus," Caine agreed. He waited for Jacob to start playing, going over the words in his head.
Sitting back, Ben tried to shake off the last of his embarrassment and watched Jacob as he began to play.
Jacob nodded, running his hand over the keys one more time before he began to play what they had agreed on for the chorus.
Caine closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. When he opened his eyes again to sing, the whites of his eyes had washed over in a deep black. "Drifting the edge of the swallowing sea, The drowned and the deathless shall answer the plea. In the land of the dead, two kings shall meet. A cyclops will rise in desert heat. The son of Iris by phantom is slain, For the weaver of dreams, an old fear must drain." Caine inhaled sharply as the chorus ended. He blinked a few times and the whites of his eyes suddenly returned to normal. "Damn, that chorus really takes the breath out of you. Gotta work on that."
L patted Frank's head happily as they began their song, then felt her eyes grow wide with alarm as Caine's eyes shifted. "Um, Caine? Uh, I think that's... a prophecy?" She shook her head. "Do you remember it?"
Ben glanced over from Jacob to Caine as he began to sing, and flinched at the sight of his eyes. He scooted back just a bit but stayed quiet until he was done chanting. His eyes flickered to L and then back to Caine.
Jacob raised his eyebrows and repeated the words to himself in his mind after L spoke. "Hm. That.... huh. Hm."
"A—what?" Caine sat back as Jacob expressed his thoughts perfectly. "Huh... Well, shit." In the back of his mind, Caine swore he heard a whispered, "Thank fuck," but he didn't recognize the voice and so assumed he imagined it.
Ben frowned. “Does that happen often?”
L frowned. "Okay, so there was a sea, a desert, a cyclops." She rubbed her forehead. "And Iris?"
"You have it written down, yes?" Jacob asked Caine, brows furrowed. He took a seat on the arm of the couch and chewed one of his nails. "How did we not realize this?"
"Yeah," Caine confirmed. He passed the phone off to L absentmindedly. "Well fuck, how many of our other songs are secret prophecies?"
Ben shifted again, like he was going to stand, but then paused. "Do you want water?" he asked Caine. "Um, or anyone else, too?"
L took the phone and looked over the lyrics. She frowned. "I think most of your other songs are good. They don't sound like this, and your eyes are fine during them. But, uh. This really sounds like a prophecy." She almost laughed. "I guess you should bring this to Chiron?"
"His eyes?" Jacob asked, though he was only half focused on the answer. "I suppose we should. And I still have some, thank you, Ben." He tapped one finger against his lip. "Fuck."
"Sure, yeah, water's great," Caine responded. He turned back to L and asked, "What do you mean my eyes are fine? My eyes are fine all the time."
"Your eyes went black while you were singing," Ben said calmly as he stood. He picked up his glass and started for the kitchen.
"Huh." Caine tipped his head to the side. "Alright. Well... Okay. I'll tell Chiron then." He frowned down at the ground for a moment before looking back at L and Ben. "But did you like the song?"
L continued to pet Frank's head and nodded along with Ben. "I guess it doesn't feel like anything, and it makes sense that Jacob didn't notice, but... I don't know guys, this is like classic prophecy material." She shrugged and then nodded, smiling sweetly at Caine. "I liked the music, yeah. Lyrics are a little spooky."
A few moments later, Ben returned with two glasses of water. He handed one to Caine and held the other out to L. "Um, what's the protocol on using prophecies as lyrics? The music was cool, though."
Jacob cupped his glass of water between both hands as he took a sip. "It may be a first," he replied to Ben with a short laugh. "Although even if it isn't, I imagine Caine would have the rights."
Caine accepted the water from Ben with a "Thank you." He took a sip before responding. "You think my eyes are gonna turn black every time?"
L smiled in thanks as she took the water from Ben. "I don't know. Do you want to try saying it now?"
"Sure," Caine shrugged. He repeated the chorus out loud from memory, staring right as L as he did so. After the end of the last verse, he waited. "Anything?"
L shook her head and frowned. She looked at Jacob. "Jacob, can you play music at the same time?"
Jacob nodded and waited a few seconds so Caine was ready before repeating the same notes.
Caine tapped his foot along to the beat as Jacob started to play. He started singing again, trying to impart some passion and drama into the words to see if that would make a difference.
Ben waited until the end of the chorus, then shook his head. "Nothing." He frowned, not sure what that meant. "Maybe it only happens once? And you didn't have that reaction when you were working on it with Jacob."
Caine sighed. "Whatever. I guess." He downed the rest of his water, now feeling how dry his throat was from singing.
L shrugged and sipped her water before she went back to petting Frank.
"Odd." Jacob frowned in thought. "Well, it worked out in our favour. Should we speak to Chiron now?"
"Before or after lunch?" Caine asked, trying not to seem obvious about wanting to eat first.
"I think after lunch." L nodded, smirking at Caine. "Prophecies can be dangerous on an empty stomach."
"Are you certain?" Jacob started to carry his keyboard back to his room. "I'm aware this prophecy is already a few days old, but it could be urgent."
"I mean..." Caine sighed, already imaging Danny scolding him for waiting for lunch. "It's about the sea, right? It's not like anyone's out boating right now, right? The kid doesn't die until the very end, he's got some time. Alright, fine, fuck, we can go tell him now."
L patted Caine's knee sympathetically. "Okay, okay, don't talk about people dying in such a cavalier way, even if you're joking and hangry, please. I can stop by the cabin and grab some baby carrots to tide you over while you talk to Chiron."
"We also have some uh, apples or, something," Ben offered from his place on the couch— this time a healthy distance from Caine.
"We do have some apples." Jacob sounded unreasonably amused at the statement as he reemerged from his room. "Should you want one, please, help yourself."
"Alright, yeah," Caine agreed. "An apple is good, you don't need to go all the way back to your place."
For some reason, Jacob's amusement always made Ben smile, but this time, due to the company, he felt his face getting warm, too. "I'll get you one," he mumbled, rising quickly from the couch to hide in the kitchen. Once he came back he considered tossing it to Caine, but decided against it and just held it out for him to take.
Caine reached out and grabbed the apple. "Thanks." The taste of the apple made Caine realize how hungry he was. "Alright, well, let's get a move on then."
Jacob walked over to put his glass in the sink to wash later. “Chiron then lunch,” he agreed, moving to stand beside Ben. “Before you fade away to nothing.”
L picked Frank up and put him on the couch, then gave him a little kiss on the head. She stood and drained her glass of water. “Sounds great. Always good seeing you, Ben!” she said brightly as she put the glass into the sink and zipped around to stand by the door.
"Uh, you too, L," Ben said, giving her a little smile and lifting his hand in a wave.
"Yeah," Caine agreed. "Good to see you again, Ferrari. You always seem to surprise me, don't you?" Caine gave Ben a pat on the shoulder and a smile. He lingered there, with his hand on Ben's shoulder and eyes locked on Ben's, for just a moment longer than necessary. Then, with another pat, he stepped away. "Big House!"
Jacob took his time putting his shoes on and getting his keys so he could wait until both of his siblings were on their way out the door before turning to Ben. “How about that goodbye kiss?” he asked quietly, tone teasing as he grinned at him.
Ben's shoulders didn't relax until Caine was in the hallway, and he sighed quietly. When Jacob turned to him, he grinned and checked the doorway to make sure they were out of his siblings' line of sight before leaning in and kissing him. He lingered as long as he dared, then squeezed Jacob's hand. "I'll see you later."
Jacob touched Ben’s jaw and stayed close for a moment after the kiss ended, then smiled and picked his keys up off the counter. “Later;” he agreed, gripping Ben’s shoulder before turning and following the other two out into the hallway.