[ it takes kate a moment to process that the scrunchie in benedict's hand is, indeed, her scrunchie. that he had somehow remembered she'd had one, when kate herself had been more than content to carry on like the thing never existed. it shouldn't surprise her — he's always been so good at paying attention to details — but for some reason it's sticking with her now.
she must be more in need of caffeine than she thought. ]
Thanks.
[ for the scrunchie, the coffee. the former is set back in her hair, pulling the thick strands out of her face, and the latter she quickly gets to work on downing. she squints around the room, looking for a clock. ]
It's not too late is it? I hope I didn't sleep in...
[ Benedict, occupying himself by peeling a satsuma, just shakes his head when she indirectly asks him for the time. ]
It's only just gone eight. And we're recovering from a transatlantic flight, I wouldn't worry about being tardy today of all days.
[ Setting the little segments of orange back on the tray within her reach, he then sets himself to making himself a cup of coffee. Most days he prefers tea, but first thing in the morning seems a decent enough time for coffee, and he knows the quality of the brew that his aunt keeps stocked in the kitchens is worth straying a little bit outside of his comfort zone. ]
[ kate helps herself to a few pieces of the fruit, but doesn't take more than half so he still has plenty for himself. it's an odd combination, citrus and coffee, but she guzzles them both down like her life very well depends on it. ]
Less worried about being tardy and more worried about making sure we still have time to do something fun before we have to stuff ourselves in our evening wear.
[ she glances past benedict to the closet where she knows the staff have hung the dress she'd brought along for the event. she has no real qualms about it, having chosen it herself, but it hits a little too close to memories of all the formal events she'd been made to attend when she was younger. and had a better relationship with her family.
ah well. recharged now, she starts to look a little bit more alive. ]
I'll be ready to go after I freshen up a bit. We're still driving around, right?
We'll have nearly twelve full hours before the party, I think we'll be able to fit in some sight-seeing.
[ If he had come on his own, Benedict would probably have spent today hiding in the library, or perhaps wandering the hedge maze (like he doesn't have its layout memorized after all these years). He might have convinced himself to visit the Temple at some point, but it's a bit of a drive to get there, and he would have been just as likely to come up with reasons why he couldn't.
Brother Vincent was good to him, and his memories of his time there are mostly rosy, but there's still that niggling sense of shame that comes over him whenever he confronts his failures. It would be one more stressor added onto an already stressful day.
Less stressful now that he's not alone to face it, though. ]
Yes, we'll take a car. I'll even let you drive it at some point. [ Probably. ]
Uh huh, [ comes kate's dry response, because as far as she's concerned her driving is already a given and he's just kidding himself if he thinks he has any say in it.
she finishes up her cup of coffee before slipping off the bed and ducking into the bathroom. by the time she's finished up, dressed and ready, she looks far more presentable than the rumpled mess he'd woken up to. after one last look over herself in the large vanity mirror, she turns back to benedict and holds out her hand, grinning. ]
[ The rumpled mess he woke up to is charming in and of itself, but Benedict will admit that Kate cleans herself up very nicely when the spirit moves her. She'll still very uniquely American in her style, but he can't tell if that's a purposeful affectation for this trip or if she doesn't realize she's doing it.
No matter.
After his own trip through the bathroom to trim his beard and make sure he also looks presentable, he waits for her to finish her last touches to her outfit before taking her hand when she offers it to him. ]
[ the sweetheart earns benedict a wrinkled nose — not because kate dislikes it, but because she finds she likes it a little too much. as well as how easily it rolls off the tongue for him. not for the first time a little warning bell goes off in kate's mind, reminding her what a bad, bad idea this is, but she ignores it steadfastly in favor of throwing herself headfirst into the bad idea, by way of fluttering her lashes at him and basically mooning over him at every possible second for any wandering eyes that might flit their way.
the car is, of course, gorgeous. kate feels she'd been pretty patient, sitting at the passenger's side throughout the morning tour. they stopped off at a cute cafe to have breakfast and tea, meaning it's nearly well midday by the time they're driving down along the countryside once more. the roads here are a lot less crowded, but not exactly empty. in the sideview mirror kate has been eyeing the same dark blue sedan that's been following them since the city.
she hums to herself a moment, spotting what appears to be a glint of a camera lens.
she turns in her seat to face benedict, leaning across the center console till she's nearly in his space. ]
[ Being left-handed, driving in his native land has always felt especially comfortable for Benedict, considering the gearshift is manipulated by the left hand and these are the roads on which he learned to drive. Not that driving anywhere else is exactly difficult; but still. There's a certain kind of ease he feels driving through winding country roads that he doesn't get anywhere else, and it's probably apparent in his body language as they wind their way through hedgerows and past rolling fields.
All things considered, Kate has been remarkably patient, considering he'd been expecting her to badger him about being allowed to drive from the moment they slid into the leather interior of the little silver car that he'd chosen for today's jaunt.
When she finally broaches the subject, leaning over the armrest and staring intently at him, he flicks his eyes over to her and lifts his eyebrows. ]
I'm not sure... [ He's noticed the car behind them, but charitably assumes it's just someone going the same direction. Whatever it is she's plotting, he's blissfully ignorant. ] Convince me.
[ kate hums at that, something soft and noncommittal. were it any other time, she surely would have jumped at the opportunity to do just that — as she does with all challenges posed to her — but at the moment there's something more pressing to address first.
she leans further still, till her lips are practically brushing against the shell of his ear, her seatbelt straining against her shoulder. ]
Don't be alarmed, [ she says, but in a tone so low she may as well be purring it and isn't that in itself alarming? ] But that blue Toyota's been following us since the city. [ she shifts, one hand slipping up to curl around the one he's got on the gear. ] Pretty sure they're paparazzi.
[ and that's when she tilts her head at him, just enough that he can for sure see the mischievous glint in her eyes. ]
[ Don't be alarmed, she says, and he's instantly on high alert. It isn't helping to have her lean so close into his space, her breath washing down his collar and the smell of her skin impossible to ignore as she practically purrs in his ear. It's only through herculean effort that he resists the urge to shiver, an impulse not helped along at all by the way she curls her hand over his on the gear shift.
He's not entirely sure what she means by that, and he's a little afraid to ask.
The paparazzi have been an annoying fixture in his life since he was a child, though he's fairly certain they've just gotten worse over the last few years. Maybe it's because he's become more interesting as he's become an adult, maybe it's the improvement in technology; whatever the reason, their increasing presence in his life is one of the reasons he dislikes coming home.
All he wants is to live his life without anyone bothering him. Is that too much to ask?
Were he by himself, he might try some evasive driving maneuvers to escape his tail, might seek refuge somewhere the paparazzi couldn't follow, but it's clear that Kate has other ideas.
Easing his foot off the gas a little, he twists his hand beneath hers to give her fingers a squeeze as he nods once. ] Alright.
[ the little squeeze gets one in return, a gesture she hopes conveys to benedict that she intends to keep him in good hands.
it's sweet, the trust he so easily gives her. maybe this time it's fueled mostly by curiosity, but kate knows better than to take it for granted. while she doesn't know all about the hardships benedict's faced, especially here in his own home country, she knows enough that simply being let in like this is a big gesture on his part.
hopefully what she does next doesn't ruin that. ]
Just relax...
[ another purr, another breath, as she leans further in to press a brief, sweet kiss to the high point of his cheek.
pretty tame for a show, isn't it? sadly, kate's only just starting. because in the next second she dips her head to trail another kiss down just under his jaw, and then finally along the side of his neck where she focuses most of her attention, letting her kisses linger and deepen. ]
[ Somehow, perhaps stupidly, Benedict hadn't considered this when Kate offered to put on a show for their tail.
His hand flexes on the steering wheel and she can probably feel a muscle jump in his jaw as she trails a few incredibly distracting kisses down his throat. Thank all the gods that the road ahead is more or less empty, because while Benedict doesn't tear his eyes away from what he's doing, he's certainly paying far less attention to it than he should be. ]
Kate, I'm driving, [ he protests, his voice strangled.
[ the tone of his voice, the way she can feel that cord of muscle tense along his neck. interesting, very interesting. and very, very distracting in their own right. ]
The roads are clear, [ she dismisses casually, still keeping close so that he can feel her lips move along his skin when she speaks.
she noses his jawline a little. ]
Tilt your head for me.
[ she's on a mission now, and that requires a little more real estate. ]
[ What Benedict should do is pull over in a lay-by at the very least. He really ought to simply tell her to stop, actually, that this is dangerous and if she wants to do something stupid for the paparazzi following them, she shouldn't endanger anyone else in the process.
What Benedict does do is what he's told.
Lifting his chin a little, he angles his head to give her better access to his neck beneath his collar, calling himself a fool the whole time. ]
[ a fool though he may be, but he certainly won't be one with a driving accident under his belt. reckless as she may seem right now, kate is actually paying enough attention that were any cars oncoming she would stop. as it is, this leisurely stroll down a country road is fairly low stakes. and thus could use a bit of excitement.
when he bares his throat for her, she smiles, pressing the form of it into his skin before parting her lips once more. she sets to work on that hickey she'd promised him, making sure to leave it big and dark enough that it'll still be visible well into the evening when those older women eventually make their eyes at him. that, plus the added benefit of giving the press something to really talk about — it's two birds and one stone, isn't it? ]
When he asked Kate to come along and pretend to be his girlfriend for the weekend, Benedict had really only thought about the party itself. Standing around in formal wear, maybe dancing together, making small talk with extended family and friends, and then giggling about it all later. He had certainly never pictured having Kate all but crawl into his lap while he's driving so she can nestle her head beneath his chin, all for the purpose of sucking and nibbling a bruise into his skin.
Benedict, perhaps not surprisingly, has never had a hickey in his life. He's certainly never been given one while using heavy machinery. It's highly distracting, pleasure and mild discomfort warring with each other, and gods above, he hopes he can keep himself in check. ]
[ benedict should know by now that kate is never one to halfass anything. especially a favor to a friend, who may or may not mean more to her than she's been willing to say thus far out of respect for that friendship... and yet here kate is, throwing a hickey in that friendship's face. is that still being respectful? hard to say at this point, lines are kind of blurring.
but she pays heed to the slight warning in his tone, whether it be fueled by discomfort or desperation she can't quite tell. she draws away after one long lick of the red-raw skin, leaning back into her seat to lick her lips clean.
she clears her throat. shifts slightly in her seat. ]
[ The way she licks the mark she's left on his neck makes goosebumps crop up all along his arms, the shiver that threatened to trip up his spine only just barely suppressed through sheer willpower alone.
She's not the only one shifting in their seat. Hopefully she won't say anything about how he has to adjust his grip on the steering wheel. ]
That wasn't really what I was anticipating...
[ He cuts a side-long glance towards her, managing a smirk — see? he's being so normal about this! — before huffing a laugh through his nose. ]
[ kate, for her part, is a little too busy trying to pass off as casual, breezy, to notice anything off about benedict. is she perhaps a little disappointed she hadn't managed to elicit a reaction out of him? perhaps. luckily kate only views failure as another challenge. ]
Is that what you consider all-out? That was just the tip of the iceberg, Benny.
[ she catches his look and his smirk and gives him the sweetest, most innocent smile she can muster. ]
[ Is that lucky, though? Maybe not for his reputation. He's finding it hard to really care right now, though, too flustered though he's managing to hide it well. ]
Well, when you do decide to go all-out, at least let me pull over, first.
[ The last thing he wants to do is pull a Princess Diana. It might sway the public's opinion in his favor, but neither of them will be around to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and he's rather attached to living, for some reason. ]
[ she chews on her lower lip in an attempt to keep her comments to herself, but all it does is remind her (very vividly) what it feels like to kiss someone so hard it hurts.
her hands, which she'd placed on her lap in an effort to behave, twist the hem of her sun dress' skirt. ]
[ Feeling a tad bit steadier now that he's not actively being mauled, Benedict glances over just in time to watch Kate's fingers worry at the hem of her dress, inadvertently pulling the fabric up just enough to display her thighs to great effect.
Mindlessly turning onto a different road, he clears his throat. ]
[ kate licks her lips, weighing her options here carefully. on the one hand, benedict in her friend. her good friend, one of the few who know what she does and doesn't give her a hard time about it. that kind of trust is priceless. certainly not worth risking anything for.
...on the other hand, he smelled so fucking good.
and was it her imagination, or did benedict just pull into a deadend street? ]
[ Not just a dead-end street, but the kind of dead end that's erected for the start of a public walking trail, with a small little gravel and pavement area for a car or two to park and one lone rubbish bin that marks the start of the trail. It's thankfully deserted, which means the fact that he winds up idling at such an angle that absolutely no other cars could even try to park beside him isn't such an issue.
What is an issue is the fact that he's no longer driving.
Which means... ]
I... [ He's being ridiculous. He's a grown man who's dealt with being shot at with more aplomb than this. How is it that a bullet tearing through the meat of his shoulder doesn't make his palms sweat as much as a pretty girl setting her teeth to his throat?
It's tempting to equivocate, to answer her question with another question of his own, to make some sort of quip to try and dispel the tension. If he never admits to wanting anything, then it won't bother him when he doesn't get it, or when it's taken away from him. That's how he's managed to live most of his life, after all, never quite committing to anything that could make him vulnerable in an effort to keep himself safe.
But it's just Kate. She wouldn't do this to him just to mock him, not after committing to the ruse for so long. Right?
Right. ] Yes.
[ Gods. Why is he so scared? This is ridiculous. Grasping desperately for anything to dispel some of the tension, he forces a smile. ] We should probably practice before tonight, anyway.
[ she listens to the car idle (barely a sound above a whisper, to be honest, that's how quiet it is between them) and glances out her window at the trail. not a soul for miles, save for that blue toyota who hangs back at the other end of the road, somehow less innocuous there than if it followed them in completely.
kate listens to the silence coming from benedict and fears she may have crossed a line, but when he responds she only feels a modicum of relief. ]
Hey.
[ she turns in the seat again, reaching out to rest her hand over the back of his. ]
It's me, okay? [ a gentle reminder that, no matter what, she is always on his side. ] I'm not going to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. You have nothing more to prove to these people.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-10-28 09:30 pm (UTC)she must be more in need of caffeine than she thought. ]
Thanks.
[ for the scrunchie, the coffee. the former is set back in her hair, pulling the thick strands out of her face, and the latter she quickly gets to work on downing. she squints around the room, looking for a clock. ]
It's not too late is it? I hope I didn't sleep in...
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Date: 2021-10-28 09:39 pm (UTC)It's only just gone eight. And we're recovering from a transatlantic flight, I wouldn't worry about being tardy today of all days.
[ Setting the little segments of orange back on the tray within her reach, he then sets himself to making himself a cup of coffee. Most days he prefers tea, but first thing in the morning seems a decent enough time for coffee, and he knows the quality of the brew that his aunt keeps stocked in the kitchens is worth straying a little bit outside of his comfort zone. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-29 12:09 am (UTC)Less worried about being tardy and more worried about making sure we still have time to do something fun before we have to stuff ourselves in our evening wear.
[ she glances past benedict to the closet where she knows the staff have hung the dress she'd brought along for the event. she has no real qualms about it, having chosen it herself, but it hits a little too close to memories of all the formal events she'd been made to attend when she was younger. and had a better relationship with her family.
ah well. recharged now, she starts to look a little bit more alive. ]
I'll be ready to go after I freshen up a bit. We're still driving around, right?
no subject
Date: 2021-10-29 02:20 am (UTC)[ If he had come on his own, Benedict would probably have spent today hiding in the library, or perhaps wandering the hedge maze (like he doesn't have its layout memorized after all these years). He might have convinced himself to visit the Temple at some point, but it's a bit of a drive to get there, and he would have been just as likely to come up with reasons why he couldn't.
Brother Vincent was good to him, and his memories of his time there are mostly rosy, but there's still that niggling sense of shame that comes over him whenever he confronts his failures. It would be one more stressor added onto an already stressful day.
Less stressful now that he's not alone to face it, though. ]
Yes, we'll take a car. I'll even let you drive it at some point. [ Probably. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-29 09:35 am (UTC)she finishes up her cup of coffee before slipping off the bed and ducking into the bathroom. by the time she's finished up, dressed and ready, she looks far more presentable than the rumpled mess he'd woken up to. after one last look over herself in the large vanity mirror, she turns back to benedict and holds out her hand, grinning. ]
Alright, showtime. Ready, dear?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-06 01:40 pm (UTC)No matter.
After his own trip through the bathroom to trim his beard and make sure he also looks presentable, he waits for her to finish her last touches to her outfit before taking her hand when she offers it to him. ]
After you, sweetheart.
[ Two can play at this game, Katie. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-11 08:56 pm (UTC)the car is, of course, gorgeous. kate feels she'd been pretty patient, sitting at the passenger's side throughout the morning tour. they stopped off at a cute cafe to have breakfast and tea, meaning it's nearly well midday by the time they're driving down along the countryside once more. the roads here are a lot less crowded, but not exactly empty. in the sideview mirror kate has been eyeing the same dark blue sedan that's been following them since the city.
she hums to herself a moment, spotting what appears to be a glint of a camera lens.
she turns in her seat to face benedict, leaning across the center console till she's nearly in his space. ]
Okay, is it my turn now?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 12:54 am (UTC)All things considered, Kate has been remarkably patient, considering he'd been expecting her to badger him about being allowed to drive from the moment they slid into the leather interior of the little silver car that he'd chosen for today's jaunt.
When she finally broaches the subject, leaning over the armrest and staring intently at him, he flicks his eyes over to her and lifts his eyebrows. ]
I'm not sure... [ He's noticed the car behind them, but charitably assumes it's just someone going the same direction. Whatever it is she's plotting, he's blissfully ignorant. ] Convince me.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 11:37 am (UTC)she leans further still, till her lips are practically brushing against the shell of his ear, her seatbelt straining against her shoulder. ]
Don't be alarmed, [ she says, but in a tone so low she may as well be purring it and isn't that in itself alarming? ] But that blue Toyota's been following us since the city. [ she shifts, one hand slipping up to curl around the one he's got on the gear. ] Pretty sure they're paparazzi.
[ and that's when she tilts her head at him, just enough that he can for sure see the mischievous glint in her eyes. ]
Should we give them a show?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 01:54 pm (UTC)He's not entirely sure what she means by that, and he's a little afraid to ask.
The paparazzi have been an annoying fixture in his life since he was a child, though he's fairly certain they've just gotten worse over the last few years. Maybe it's because he's become more interesting as he's become an adult, maybe it's the improvement in technology; whatever the reason, their increasing presence in his life is one of the reasons he dislikes coming home.
All he wants is to live his life without anyone bothering him. Is that too much to ask?
Were he by himself, he might try some evasive driving maneuvers to escape his tail, might seek refuge somewhere the paparazzi couldn't follow, but it's clear that Kate has other ideas.
Easing his foot off the gas a little, he twists his hand beneath hers to give her fingers a squeeze as he nods once. ] Alright.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 02:13 pm (UTC)it's sweet, the trust he so easily gives her. maybe this time it's fueled mostly by curiosity, but kate knows better than to take it for granted. while she doesn't know all about the hardships benedict's faced, especially here in his own home country, she knows enough that simply being let in like this is a big gesture on his part.
hopefully what she does next doesn't ruin that. ]
Just relax...
[ another purr, another breath, as she leans further in to press a brief, sweet kiss to the high point of his cheek.
pretty tame for a show, isn't it? sadly, kate's only just starting. because in the next second she dips her head to trail another kiss down just under his jaw, and then finally along the side of his neck where she focuses most of her attention, letting her kisses linger and deepen. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 02:20 pm (UTC)His hand flexes on the steering wheel and she can probably feel a muscle jump in his jaw as she trails a few incredibly distracting kisses down his throat. Thank all the gods that the road ahead is more or less empty, because while Benedict doesn't tear his eyes away from what he's doing, he's certainly paying far less attention to it than he should be. ]
Kate, I'm driving, [ he protests, his voice strangled.
Notice how he doesn't tell her to stop. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 02:27 pm (UTC)The roads are clear, [ she dismisses casually, still keeping close so that he can feel her lips move along his skin when she speaks.
she noses his jawline a little. ]
Tilt your head for me.
[ she's on a mission now, and that requires a little more real estate. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 02:30 pm (UTC)What Benedict does do is what he's told.
Lifting his chin a little, he angles his head to give her better access to his neck beneath his collar, calling himself a fool the whole time. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 02:58 pm (UTC)when he bares his throat for her, she smiles, pressing the form of it into his skin before parting her lips once more. she sets to work on that hickey she'd promised him, making sure to leave it big and dark enough that it'll still be visible well into the evening when those older women eventually make their eyes at him. that, plus the added benefit of giving the press something to really talk about — it's two birds and one stone, isn't it? ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 03:04 pm (UTC)When he asked Kate to come along and pretend to be his girlfriend for the weekend, Benedict had really only thought about the party itself. Standing around in formal wear, maybe dancing together, making small talk with extended family and friends, and then giggling about it all later. He had certainly never pictured having Kate all but crawl into his lap while he's driving so she can nestle her head beneath his chin, all for the purpose of sucking and nibbling a bruise into his skin.
Benedict, perhaps not surprisingly, has never had a hickey in his life. He's certainly never been given one while using heavy machinery. It's highly distracting, pleasure and mild discomfort warring with each other, and gods above, he hopes he can keep himself in check. ]
Kate...
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 03:13 pm (UTC)but she pays heed to the slight warning in his tone, whether it be fueled by discomfort or desperation she can't quite tell. she draws away after one long lick of the red-raw skin, leaning back into her seat to lick her lips clean.
she clears her throat. shifts slightly in her seat. ]
So. Where to next?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 05:26 pm (UTC)She's not the only one shifting in their seat. Hopefully she won't say anything about how he has to adjust his grip on the steering wheel. ]
That wasn't really what I was anticipating...
[ He cuts a side-long glance towards her, managing a smirk — see? he's being so normal about this! — before huffing a laugh through his nose. ]
I should have known you'd go all-out.
[ Did she ask him a question? He can't focus. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 05:51 pm (UTC)Is that what you consider all-out? That was just the tip of the iceberg, Benny.
[ she catches his look and his smirk and gives him the sweetest, most innocent smile she can muster. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 05:59 pm (UTC)Well, when you do decide to go all-out, at least let me pull over, first.
[ The last thing he wants to do is pull a Princess Diana. It might sway the public's opinion in his favor, but neither of them will be around to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and he's rather attached to living, for some reason. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 06:04 pm (UTC)her hands, which she'd placed on her lap in an effort to behave, twist the hem of her sun dress' skirt. ]
Is that an invitation?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 06:52 pm (UTC)Mindlessly turning onto a different road, he clears his throat. ]
Not while I'm driving, it's not.
[ But...maybe when he's stopped...? ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 07:22 pm (UTC)...on the other hand, he smelled so fucking good.
and was it her imagination, or did benedict just pull into a deadend street? ]
So... what about when you're not?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 07:54 pm (UTC)What is an issue is the fact that he's no longer driving.
Which means... ]
I... [ He's being ridiculous. He's a grown man who's dealt with being shot at with more aplomb than this. How is it that a bullet tearing through the meat of his shoulder doesn't make his palms sweat as much as a pretty girl setting her teeth to his throat?
It's tempting to equivocate, to answer her question with another question of his own, to make some sort of quip to try and dispel the tension. If he never admits to wanting anything, then it won't bother him when he doesn't get it, or when it's taken away from him. That's how he's managed to live most of his life, after all, never quite committing to anything that could make him vulnerable in an effort to keep himself safe.
But it's just Kate. She wouldn't do this to him just to mock him, not after committing to the ruse for so long. Right?
Right. ] Yes.
[ Gods. Why is he so scared? This is ridiculous. Grasping desperately for anything to dispel some of the tension, he forces a smile. ] We should probably practice before tonight, anyway.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 08:08 pm (UTC)kate listens to the silence coming from benedict and fears she may have crossed a line, but when he responds she only feels a modicum of relief. ]
Hey.
[ she turns in the seat again, reaching out to rest her hand over the back of his. ]
It's me, okay? [ a gentle reminder that, no matter what, she is always on his side. ] I'm not going to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. You have nothing more to prove to these people.
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