Benji (Ben Pincus / Kenji Kon) snippets

Stan. [BETWEEN SEASON 3 & 4]

     Ben lay awake in the would-be-shared cot, picking at a scab on his elbow. His leg only stopped shaking when he circled his knee through the air. He wasn't particularly nervous; it was now just a habit.

     When his hand fell to his side, he sat up and rubbed his face, letting his vision reset before standing and leaving the room. He shifted quietly down the hall— something he had learned during his time on Nublar— with no intention to wake anyone up. When he left the hall he made sure the dorm cabin hardly clicked when it shut.

     Ben was, once again, comfortable with being out in the open. Back on the island, exposure left you vulnerable to the dangers unseen, lurking in the trees, waiting for the perfect time to strike. He learned to use the jungle undergrowth and fissures in rock to his advantage, to avoid threats as well as he could. But if the open was a yacht he and his friends were content on, surrounded by seemingly infinite ocean and sky, he'd be happy. And it was.

     He watched the placing of his feet in the dark as he, on autopilot, made a beeline for the captain's cabin. Kenji was there (he was always there), and Ben felt a general sense of security around him. Everyone, but him especially.

     After swiftly ascending the ladder, he steadied himself on the rocking floor and began tiptoeing towards the cabin, halting after he heard Kenji's voice:

     "My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all

     The morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all

     And even if I could it'd all be gray, but your picture on my wall

     It reminds me, that it's not so bad, it's not so bad..."

     Ben almost smiled, his confusion preventing it. He could swear on his life he'd heard it some time ago.

     "My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all

     The morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all

     And even if I could it'd all be gray, but your picture on my wall

     It reminds me, that it's not so bad, it's not so bad..."

     Suddenly, Ben remembered the time Kenji played the song in the bathroom as he got ready. Not only was Kenji singing; Brooklynn and Yas were too.

     "Dear Slim, I wrote you but you still ain't calling

     I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom

     I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not've got 'em—"

     Ben crouched down, sitting against the white wall of the cabin. He kept his legs close to his chest so Kenji wouldn't see him.

     "But anyways; fuck it, what's been up man, how's your daughter?

     My girlfriend's pregnant too, I'm bouta be a father

     If I have a daughter, guess what I'mma call her?

     I'mma name her Bonnie."

     He could hear Brooklynn and Yas singing with him, but he chose to focus on Kenji.

     "I read about your Uncle Ronnie too, I'm sorry—

     I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn't want him

     I know you probably hear this every day, but I'm your biggest fan