Saving the Broken (Peregrine x Laggy)

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"Didn't we just establish that?" Adam snapped back, his face twisting with indignation. "I am The. Most. Important. Man. In. The. Universe. What is the point in speaking if you aren't going to pay any attention?" Adam seemed to be working himself into something of a rage with every word he spoke. And, with every word, that strange conflict buried away behind his eyes seemed to settle into something dark.

"Now, I may not have made that clear in our relationship. In fact, I tried very hard not to. You may be the senior partner in our relationship, but all of that is changing now. So it is time to get off your high and mighty horse, and start showing me a bit of respect. You may not like it, but that does not change the fact that I am so far above you that you can't even begin to comprehend the difference between us. So why don't you sit down," Ben's legs folded politely beneath him before he could even think of trying to resist, and the scuzzy water soaked into the seat of his pants. "And start acting like it!"

And then all of the rage vanished in an instant. Whatever strange, undeniable force was holding Ben in place vanished as well. Adam seemed dizzy, almost ready to faint, and he staggered slightly on his feet his eyes struggling to focus on his partner. "No. Ben? I'm sorry.

"We've got to do... something. Now. Because this is only going to get worse."
 
Had Ben not been taken aback by the fact that he had been unable to control his actions, and that Adam was commanding him to follow his instructions, he would have pulled his gun out in a heartbeat. He wouldn't have shot Adam, and now that he thought about it, he wondered what good threatening someone who was essentially a god would do. But holding a weapon in his hands would have at least made him feel safer. However, now that he was able to move properly by himself, he resolved not to agitate Adam any further. The whole thing was getting rather unpleasant without him threatening to shoot his kneecaps out.

Dusting himself off, Ben began to issue his own instructions. In a way, his voice commanded power. Not quite in the way that Adam's did, but the air of seniority, and the sheer hardness of his tone were enough to make up for his lack of otherworldly gifts.
"I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to drive to a secluded location, where we can discuss what we're going to do next. I'm going to get you a hot drink and something to eat so you can calm down. And once we've done that, you're going to answer every sodding question I've got, because this is way beyond anything I've even dreamed about."
 
"Of course," Adam said with a sigh. He glanced around, almost as though he was looking for some sort of divine intervention that would get him out of this situation, and return him to the life he had known only a half hour ago. Nothing but suburbia greeted his eyes, and he was forced to look away.

The two partners climbed their way back up the hill, and paused in front of the car they had brought out here. "... You had better drive," Adam said after a moment's hesitation. He fished the keys out of his pocket and comfortably tossed them over the roof to Ben.

He didn't bother to ask where they were going, or how long it would take to get there. For the most part, it was irrelevant. There was nowhere they could go that would solve their problems. The best for which Adam could hope was postponement. But that was better than nothing.

He sat down in the passenger seat, pulled on his seat belt by habit, and let his eyes drop closed. All traces of exhaustion had fled from his body, whether through adrenalin or something more foreign. He was not tired. Who knew if he would ever be tired again. All he wanted to do was find a measure of calmness. Perhaps, if he reached that, he would be able to shove all of the nastiness back into the dark well from which it had come.

They wouldn't talk on this drive.
 
Ben didn't say a word as he climbed hastily into the car. What was there to say until they got to where he was taking them? It would be better for the both of them if they just sat down and talked. They day had already strained him nearly to his absolute limit, and he hadn't even had lunch.

The car was started, and Ben began driving. While it would have made him feel a little safer, he knew that cuffing Adam wouldn't have done much good. In fact, he thought it was likely that it would only agitate him further. And, considering the circumstances, this was hardly ideal.

Ben's knuckles were bone-white. His grip on the steering wheel was so tight, he could have broken right through it, and nobody would have been surprised. He tried to calm himself through breathing, but even this was proving to be a futile endeavour. He was within reaching distance of the most dangerous time-bomb in the world, after all. Why wouldn't he be nervous?

They eventually came to a cafe. It didn't look particularly fancy or conspicuous, but Ben seemed to think that it would be a good place to go.
"We'll talk in here. Nobody ever comes in during this time of day, the staff are silent unless you're ordering, and the hot chocolate here's delicious."
 
Adam remained silent, but he did nod his head faintly once they had come to a stop in the parking lot, as some form of acknowledgement to Ben's comment seemed necessary. At the moment, he wouldn't have noticed much of a difference between the middle of the forest and a street-mall. In both places the growing certainty that he not only possessed the right, but the obligation to give his orders would have been the same.

For now he latched onto Ben, using the man as the only anchor in a turbulent sea. He followed him through the door to the cafe, sat down once Ben picked out a table, and ignored the young man with a black apron who came over to take their order. He wasn't really in the mood for hot chocolate, and he was even less in the mood to try and deal with someone other than his partner. Of course there was very little chance of things going wrong, what with the wait staff's cooperative nature, but he figured it was better to try and close his eyes and completely shut off the outside world than try and interact successfully with it.

He would remain in that same position, back pressed against the wooden chair, feet flat on the ground, head bent forward slightly as though in prayer, and fingers laced in his lap, until Ben disturbed him. He kept his tongue lightly pinched between his teeth, hoping, practically praying, that both he and Ben could remain civil until such a time as they could start working on a permanent solution.
 
Ben took a sip of his drink, once he'd gotten a hold of it, and made a face after downing it.
"Hot. Really, really, hot. But just how I like it. I'll order you anything if you like."
Ben knew better than he was letting on, though, and Adam would be a fool not to realise it. Ben may have been able to put on an airy smile and talk about hot chocolate with him like he hadn't just been threatened, but even a child would be able to see through the charade. Not that Ben tried particularly hard to keep it up, though. He leaned forwards, and looked his partner dead in the eye before speaking.

"So," he murmured, after making sure nobody was listening, "I'm going to ask you everything I can. You can choose not to answer any of my questions, and if you want out, say so."
Ben took another sip, and set the mug down softly. No sudden movements, nothing to provoke him, nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, he didn't seem at all like Ben usually was. He was serious, and while he wasn't the supreme being, it seemed as though he was the one that wasn't showing any weakness. Possibly something he'd picked up over the years, but given how often he changed his mind about how he acted towards people, it was hard to tell.

"I want to know exactly who - or what - managed to get you the power to do this.
A frank question. Nothing he thought unnecessary. Ben didn't want anything that could be deemed as anything unusual in his questions. Doing so would provide reason for whatever was in Adam to be stirred.
 
"Nobody. Nothing," Adam replied promptly, not raising his head from its meditative position. "At least not so far as I am aware. I have been able to do this from the first moment I can remember. When I was young it had less of an impact. After all, nothing ever truly listens to its youth. But now that I am a fully grown man, it has gotten stronger."

Adam remained silent for a moment before lifting his head and meeting Ben's eyes. What he saw there sent a shock down his spine. He was looking at a man who no longer knew him, who looked at him and did not recognize him. It was unnerving, and disheartening.

Adam was like an alcoholic living in a world where beer came out of the sink, and wine filled every glass or bowl around him. For years he had resisted the temptation to take a sip, but now he had done so and the instinct to continue raged fiercely inside of him. Using his power brought him great satisfaction, and he had denied it for so long he had forgotten exactly how sweet the taste of complete control. But Adam was still Adam, even if a side he had repressed was now getting revealed. He couldn't help but wonder if Ben realized this. A drunk man was still himself, even if he didn't always act like it.

The water returned, setting down a scone somewhere between Ben and Adam. He reached out unconsciously, grabbing the pastry and picking listlessly at it. He stuck a crumb in his mouth, sucked on it gently, before pushing the plate back away from himself.
 
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