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Ben had enough of a presence of mind to let go of Chase when Danni grabbed him. He transferred his clinging to Danni. He still couldn’t breathe. Danni picked him up and he closed his eyes accepting that Danni had him. He trusted Danni. He gasped for air and buried himself into Danni’s embrace. Tears poured out of his clamped shut eyes. There was a rushing in his ears that could have been his blood pounding or air. 

Danni took in heavy gulps, tension bleeding out as he focused on keeping them aloft. He still trembled with the residual emotions from down below, but being somewhere he could see everything and everyone and get away from it all helped. His heart broke for the boy in his arms and wished he could do more than just hold him, but a drop from this height would be infinitely worse than a few tears Danni couldn't wipe away. [color=E948FC]“Just let it all out, Bennie boi. I gotchu up ‘ere. Just you and me and t'e open sky. No nasty walls, no little boxes, no nestin’ dolls. You're gunna be alright.”[/color] 

Ben shuddered in relief, but the panic that had washed over him still held him. Ben didn’t remember being a kid trapped in an elevator, but he did remember the cocoon. He remembered screaming for his parents, who should have been inches away. His mother had been [i]right[/i] there. He didn’t know how long he was there. Even now. It had been unclear. His voice had gone so raw he couldn’t speak for almost a week after. His uncle was already in London when he had been released. The debris had been cleared. His parents' bodies were removed, processed and waiting to be placed on the mantel. 

Ben shook. He sobbed. He couldn’t breathe. 

But he knew Danni had him. Ben couldn’t quite process it, but it felt like Danni was holding him bridal style. The tension in his body slowly started to dissipate. He needed to move. Danni told him they were out of the little ice wall space. He drew his first full breath and opened his eyes. 

Danni gave Ben as much time as he needed, hovering in the air and offering quiet reassurances as Ben cried out his terror. Danni rocked back and forth gently and as Ben wound down, Danni offered Ben a watery smile as he opened his eyes. [color=E948FC]“‘eeeeey, t'ere. Figured we bot’ need a little ‘ang time. Get it, ‘cause we're ‘angin’ out in the sky? So we're just ‘an'in’.”[/color] Danni giggled at his lame joke. [color=E948FC]“So uh, t'at was real intense. You gunna be okay? You're not like physically ‘urt right? I didn't see anyt'in’ ‘it ya or anyt'in’. Ya don't need t'e nurse, yeah? Nod six times for yes and twelve for no. Nah, jk don't do t'at. If ya ‘ave a ‘ead injury t'en that'll make it worse!”[/color] Danni plopped his head on Ben's, neck awkwardly twisted but Danni wanted to be able to give Ben a little more contact (and get a little comfort for himself, he wasn't a saint). 

Ben blinked, looked around and saw how high they were up off the ground. He was suddenly very glad he wasn’t [i]also[/i] afraid of heights. [color=cde0e1]“Bloody hell!”[/color] Ben gasped, holding onto Danni a little tighter.

[color=cde0e1] “Uh, yeah I’m fine. Physically. I mean. I fuck. I am so sorry. I lost it there. Sorry,”[/color] Ben stammered out. [color=cde0e1] “Are you okay? You don’t like small spaces either. We can land if you need to. Thank you. I couldn’t have stayed there. There were too many people, and the exit was impossible to get to, and the walls were steep and solid. I couldn’t get out. I...”[/color] Ben gasped for some air as he sensed he was about to spiral again. Tremors spasmed in his hands. 

Danni laughed, throwing his head back and let the sound carry. [color=E948FC]“Ben, ‘eeeey, stay wit’ me, my guy. Focus on now. There's no walls, no people - just you and me and endless space. We're gunna stay up ‘ere til you're comfy gettin’ ack down, aight? [I]I can do t'is all day.[/i]”[/color] Danni giggled, doing a purposely terrible impression of Eli in the Contest. [color=E948FC] “Aren'tcha just a t'oughtful little bug. I’m All good, all good. Rillie left it wit'out a ceilin’ so I ‘ad an easy escape route, ya know? Poissan-Pas drilled us in t'is stuff ‘fore he… Over and over and over. Escape drills, survival drills, any situation ‘e t'ought we might freeze in and t'at's probs pretty luck ‘cause ot'erwise, we'd bot’ be not ‘ere! But we're ‘ere and t'at was a whoooooole mess.”[/color] Danni laughed again until it turned into a sob. 

[color=E948FC] “And it was all my fault - I didn't really t'ink when I told everyone where I was! I ‘ad a whole plan ta introduce t'em toget'er and it woulda been cute and t'em wholesome and t'in's woulda been better. I just wanted ta ‘angout iwt’ everyone; I was just so excited ta be back toget'er t'at I didn't even t'ink and now Spicy's upsetti, Dee's upsetti, Chase is upsetti, [i]you're[/i] upsetti - talk ‘bout splash damage. Who needs fire whenever ya got emotional blunders for 600, Bob?[/color] Danni squeezed Ben a little closer ta him. [color=E948FC] “I'm sorry I messed all t'is up. Just wanted t'em ta make up ‘cause Spicy clearly needed ta move on from t'at and Chasey clearly wanted ‘ia friend back and I [i]love[/i] friends!”[/color] 

Ben shook and pulled himself into a smaller ball in Danni’s arms. After a couple of moments he was able to relax again. [color=cde0e1] “Bloody hell. I’ve never had it this bad before.”[/color] But that wasn’t true, not really, Ben’s time in the Terrigensis cocoon was a blur of panic. There had been no escape then, not until he was safe at his grandparents house. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to catch his breath. He focused on what Danni had said, trying to parse through it all. Using him as an anchor. 

[color=cde0e1] “You couldn’t have known it would happen like that,”[/color] he finally managed to say. His voice still shaky. [color=cde0e1] “I promised you I’d hang out with you today, long before I was with Chase. Why didn’t you guys warn me? I should have known. I mean he mentioned that your friends wouldn’t like him. I should have asked why. But I didn’t realize it would be like that. I didn’t know. I knew he had a past with someone, but I didn’t know it was my damn roommate. Fuck this year is going to be a mess.”[/color] Ben sighed. 

[color=cde0e1]”Thank you for wanting to fix it. He needs him.”[/color] It stung to say that. Ben didn’t know everything that happened between Percy and Chase. But he had seen how much pain was surrounding those memories. [color=cde0e1]”He missed him. I don’t think I’m totally excited about realizing how much I probably remind him of Percy. I feel like a replacement.”[/color] Ben’s heart ached. Would Chase make up with Percy and leave him? Could Ben keep himself from blaming Danni?

[color=E948FC]“Idk, ‘e told me not ta tell ya and like, it’s not really my place ta tell ya? I can show ya t’en texts if ya want, side messaged ‘im durin’ your trip. ‘E was up reaaaaal late one night; I ‘ad ta like, set an alarm to wake up and every’in’. Kinda grilled ‘im and asked ‘im what t’e difference tween y’all was, tbh. ‘Cause I see you, t’is absolutely adorable guy and a little secluded and not big on lots o’ attention, and t’en ya see Spicy and it’s kinda like [i]mhm mhm mhm[/i] ya know?[/color] Danni sighed. [color=E948FC]“‘ey, ‘ey, you aren’t a replacement. Sauna boi is def inta you and tbh, Dee would wipe t’e floor wit’ ‘is butt if ‘e even so much as looked at Spicy wit’ too much of [i]anyt’in’[/i] ot’er t’an grovellin’. Like, I t’ink t’at boi is low key whipped for you so I wouldn’t worry ‘bout t’at anyway. ‘e just wants ‘is friend back and ta make amends for bullyin’ ‘im. And if ‘e does leave ya, just come runnin’ ta me and I’ll set aaaaaaall ‘is skateboards on fire!”[/color]

Ben felt himself get warm in the face again as Danni called him adorable. But that was just Danni. He was friendly like that. That was okay. He could deal with that. Hopefully. Especially since it felt hypocritical to be upset about Percy if he thought about Danni. 

[color=cde0e1]“Thank you, yeah, you’re right.”[/color] Ben smiled thinking about Chase. He almost said that Chase [i]never[/i] slept, but knew that wasn’t something Chase necessarily wanted to spread around. 

[color=cde0e1]“I don’t think it is worth burning all his skateboards if we did break up. We haven’t even been dating all that long. It’d suck, big time, but not burn his skateboards suck. Well, maybe one of them.”[/color] Ben didn’t know what he would do if Chase and him did break up though. He had been happy for the first time in ages with Chase. A fog had been lifted from around him. He still grieved. Still missed his parents. God did he miss them. But at least now it felt like there was a future. There was something worth living for. If they broke up... Especially if it was for Chase to [i]leave[/i] him for Percy... for Emrys. He’d rather be in the damn cocoon again, at least then his suffering would be for a reason. 

Ben sighed and shifted, he knew they were high up, but he hadn’t really had a chance to look around. He took a moment to do that now. [color=cde0e1]“Damn you can just fly huh. I can talk to bugs, I can’t get myself out of a room with an exit. It was probably a good thing I didn’t call a bunch of bugs over though. No one likes to be swarmed. This is a good view, but we can land now. I don’t know, show me that tree you were talking about.”[/color] 

[color=E948FC]“Yee! I love flyin’. Its so freein’, tbh.”[/color] Danni lowered them slowly, spying Chase slipping out from the shadows down on the ground. That meant it was time to handle his own issue. [color=E948FC]“I gotta go check on Spicy and t'en we can all go check out t'e tree! Its suuuper spooky but, uh, I gotta go get yelled at and Sauna boi probs needs a little live right now too.”[/color] Danni lowered them down next to Chase, gently put Ben on the ground, ruffled his hair, and beamed at Chase. [color=E948FC]“Took good care o’ ‘im like I said I would! ‘ave fun! We're checkin’ out t'e tree after t'iiiiiiis!”[/color] Danni blasted back into the air, heading for Percy. 

Ben stood, his legs unsteady, but he stayed upright. [color=cde0e1] “Thank you, Danni. See you in a bit,”[/color] he told Danni before he took off. Ben looked at Chase, his heart pounding, not from the same fear as earlier. He flexed, and shifted, not sure what to say. Not sure how to start this conversation. His face was still wet with the tears he had shed.