So, I've had this headcannon since season 1 that before Five disappeared, he, Vanya and Ben were the closest to each other out of all the siblings. It was based on some small things, like the fact that when he first time traveled, when he ran back to the destroyed Academy, he first called out Vanya's name, and then Ben's, before calling out for their father, which is the normal response in that situation for a 13 year old kid. Like, we know Vanya and Five were and still are very close, but that made me believe that maybe he was close to Ben too. It only reaffirmed it when Five asked Vanya about Ben's death and you could see the pain and regret in both their faces, despite the fact that they both had many years to deal with their grief. Also, in her book, Vanya mentions that after Ben's death, she felt like there was nothing keeping her family together, meaning that for her, Ben was the only thing that kept her family intact (I really don't think it was the same for all the other siblings, especially for Luther, and maybe even Allison and Diego). However, it was after seeing Ben and Vanya's scene in season two, that I knew I was right, and that Vanya and Ben were closer than their siblings.
Let me explain. Yeah, Ben and Klaus were close, and in the present day, they probably were the closest, as they were more or less stuck with each other for 17 years. Before that, I get the feeling that their relationship was more like "older sibling getting the younger one in trouble", like Klaus would misbehave and Ben would be there to watch because he found it funny, like the younger siblings usually do. I think Ben really looked up to Klaus when they were growing up, and had a lot of fun hanging out with him, but I don't think they were as close as he was with Vanya. I think he and Vanya comforted each other and helped each other through the rough times, in a way Klaus couldn't, because he preferred to numb his problems than to face them.
In the scene where she's trying to regain her memories, we see how each of the siblings is reacting to her struggling, but it's not an actual depiction of how they would react now, but rather how they would react when they were kids, or better yet, how Vanya believed they would react as kids. They're all accusatory and judgmental towards her, with the exception of Five and Ben. Five is quiet, probably because he was gone for so long, and Ben is the only one actually taking her side, defending her, looking into her eyes and being sweet to her.
In the scene where Ben goes to talk to Vanya, this isn't Klaus controlling him to do so(Klaus is unconscious at the time). It's just Ben deciding to use up his last energy to talk to his sister, in a way that felt very familiar, as if it wasn't the first time he had approached her when she was upset and comforted her. And, he does it slowly, carefully. When he holds her hand, it looks like she's holding his hand back almost instinctively.
He asks her if he remembers him, having taken note of her having lost her memories, and then hears her out patiently, before speaking to her in a way that shows he understands her pain, that he spend time feeling horrible for what she went through. The way he says that she is "his" sister, and not "their", shows that this is just the two of them talking, leaving the rest of their family out of it, and that he loves and accepts her no matter what (as he probably always has been). But then, he also mentions that the others are indeed there for her now, trying to save her, telling her she isn't alone on the table anymore, as she would had been after he died. That now she can count on the others too. And it actually works. Because it's Ben telling her that.
And then, you get the hug scene, which broke me. The thing about his line, is that he says it's been a while since anyone has hugged him. But, if he wanted a hug from just anyone, Klaus was right there. I mean, Klaus can touch Ben, and they spend all their time together.
Plus he loves hugs, he literally hugs his siblings every five minutes this season.
Yet, Ben says he hasn't been hugged in a long time, presumably since his demise, which begs the question, why didn't he ask Klaus? He would had definitely agreed. Its Klaus we're talking about.
Well, maybe Ben didn't just want any hug from anyone, maybe he needed the hug from the person who comforted him the most before his death. His little sister.
And then, he says that this time at least he gets to say goodbye. Except, he doesn't get to say goodbye to anyone other than Vanya. Klaus literally has no idea Ben is gone until he much later. Diego, the other sibling with which he talked, also doesn't have any clue they lost Ben again, just when they reunited. Luther, Allison and Five probably don't even know Ben was with them at all. So, the only person he gets to say goodbye to this time, is Vanya.
But, it makes sense, because last time, the only one of his siblings who wasn't there with him when he passed away was Vanya (except from Five, who was missing so he doesn't really count). That is confirmed by Diego in the funeral scene. We don't know anything about his death, except that Vanya wasn't there, so maybe he just wanted to say goodbye to his favourite sister one last time, before he can rest, knowing he saved her and that she'll be safe. Basically, Ben is literally the best and his relationship with Vanya is criminally underated 😢😢😢
