Mine (Unedited) (Discontinued?)

Chapter 31

I kind of realized that you wouldn't be able to get this done on your own, so I decided to head out to Jack's.

-BEN

Slender was going to kill him. He was not about to tolerate being disrespected like this. And no matter what BEN thought, this was disrespect. The elf had decided to undermine him, the leader of the household, the caretaker of all it's inhabitants, the damned father figure.

Slender crumpled the note in his hand and began to concentrate in order to find BEN's electrical energy. It was strong, and Slender found him easily. He ported, appearing directly in front of his charge, not bothering to make an effort to hide his anger.

BEN took a step back in fear, his arm in a sling made of strips from an old blanket that was usually kept under the coffee table in case of a new arrival. Slender found his anger rising at the fact that BEN deigned to destroy something of his.

"Tell me, BENjamin, what makes you think it is okay for you to not only rip the blanket we use for new arrivals, but to leave a note such as this one telling me you doubt my abilities to care for your injuries?" Slender asked, his voice tense and filled with barely controlled rage that made BEN flinch.

BEN swallowed, trying to think of something to say to explain himself that wouldn't upset Slender more. He knew he should've just stayed where he was, like Slender had asked, but no, he had to be an idiot. BEN seemed to be making stupid decisions left and right lately.

"I'm waiting," Slender snapped, the glare he couldn't give multiplied in his voice.

"I-I just thought that I would save you time and go to Jack's myself, ya know? I d-didn't mean to disrespect you or anything, I know you're capable of taking care of me, I mean you've been doing that for, like, ten years. But I also kinda remembered that the last time someone shattered their bone, you had to bring EJ into it."

Slender could understand BEN's reasoning, and once he had said he only wanted to make things easier on him, Slender's anger deflated. He sighed, rubbing his blank face as exhaustion settled over him.

"Very well. You were correct BEN, I did need Jack. But if this happens again, I would appreciate it if you would please stay where I tell you and wait for me to decide what I need to do in order to properly take care of you," he said, watching as BEN's face filled with relief.

"So... we're still going to Jack's?" BEN asked, fear no longer evident in his body language, though caution was there in plenty.

Slender sighed, taking a moment to debate between bringing Jack to the mansion and going to his home. It would probably be easier for the latter, since Jack would have everything he would need at his home, though he knew Jeffrey would be there and he didn't want a fight between him and BENjamin to break out with BEN's arm the way it was.

"Jeffrey is there, are you sure you want to go?" he asked, looking down at the blond.

BEN hesitated, but he really needed his arm fixed. Sure, he hated Jeff, but he supposed he could set that aside long enough to get the medical attention he needed before trying to pick a fight.

"No promises that I'll be able to hold back if he picks on me, but yeah. As long as he leaves me alone, I'll behave," BEN finally said, looking up at Slender with resolve setting his features into a determined expression.

Slender nodded and set his hand on BEN's shoulder, porting to Jack's home as soon as he had a good grip on the elf.

BEN stumbled as soon as Slender let go, not used to the dysphoria teleporting caused in him. At least this time his stomach wasn't trying to jump out through his throat. He put his hand on a tree trunk, trying to steady himself and make the dizziness in his head fade so he wouldn't bumble like a drunk towards the door.

"Are you alright BEN?" Slender asked, his hand going the other's shoulder once again.

BEN hesitated a moment, the vertigo beginning to fade. He waited until it was gone before he answered.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just not used to teleporting with you. I didn't even know you could bring others with you when you did that," BEN said, straightening and giving a smile to Slender in an attempt to reassure him that he was okay.

Slender nodded, chuckling at BEN's statement. "Only when I have a firm hold on them," he said, patting the boy's shoulder before walking towards the front door.

Before either could knock, the door opened and EJ stepped out. He stopped when he saw the two of them, the door left open behind him. After a moment, EJ stopped staring at Slender and looked at BEN, his head dropping from BEN's face to his shattered arm in a sling.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," he groaned, then turned to re-enter his home, "wait there a sec, I have to warn Jeff so no one destroys my house."

BEN rolled his eyes when he heard shouting from within. Was Jeff really going to be like this when BEN had a shattered hand and wrist? Seriously?

EJ showed up again not long after the shouting stopped, though there was a loud slam coming from the back of the house.

"Alright, come in so I can take a look at the damage," Jack said, exasperation in his voice as he stepped aside to let BEN and Slender enter.

"Actually, I am going to leave BEN in your care, I need to go take care of a few others back at the mansion," Slender said, looking at the watch that barely fit his thin wrist.

EJ nodded, "alright then, I'll let you know now that because of how severe the swelling is, BEN will likely need to stay here a few days, possibly a few weeks depending on how bad the break is."

"Understood, just be sure to call me with updates on his health, he was attacked by the Rake when he was in the forest and he had to use the arm as a result," Slender said, waiting for Jack's nod before he finally ported back home.