The Devil's Playmate

FORTY-ONE

   Benjamin was so thankful it was the weekend. He didn't have to show himself to anyone, and Lucy was still working. She had only one day for a break, yet she didn't really see her little brother all that much.

Benjamin had worn an old hoodie, Marcus' of course since he never had the heart to throw it out and kept the hood up, so she didn't get a proper look at his face while he cooked and cleaned. Even their interaction was brief which made her suspicious, but when she asked, Benjamin avoided the question and made excuses.

Getting his sister not to notice was difficult, but having to avoid the inhabitants of Hell was even worse.

There are piles of letters on his desk. He's only read two of them, both from Belial, and they were mostly full of concerns on where his lover was or if he was okay. It's sweet, sure, but Benjamin was too nervous to open up the rest of the letters. Instead, he placed all of them in a different jar to keep.

He'll read through them later.

But it's hard to keep ignoring them. They're wanting him in Hell. He knows that by the growing number of letters and even the gifts they bring, they're probably on the verge of coming up to the human world themselves to get Benjamin. But he doesn't want to go.

Not with the way he looks.

It's only been one day and as expected, the bruises look horrible on him.

Benjamin was already ugly before since he never took care of himself and was badly used by Emma, but now he was worse.

It's hard to look at himself in the mirror. Literally. His eyes were puffy from crying and it kind of hurt to be in the light, but at least everything was blurry enough to where he didn't have to see just how bad the bruises on his face were... though he could tell there was a cut above his cheek. Hurts like hell, too. And there were so many times he had to go to the bathroom just to make sure the bleeding stopped, so Benjamin unfortunately saw just how terrible his appearance was.

Benjamin refused to take off the hoodie. He's ashamed with the way he looks, and even felt the need to cry again at the thought of Marcus being the one to hit him. He was used to Emma raising a hand, but Marcus?

It could've been anyone but Marcus. Benjamin doesn't even know if he's angry at him. He's still in shock and kept replaying what happened in the school's bathroom.

For hours, he just stayed cooped up in his room. He meant it when he said he didn't want to go out, and even though Lucy wasn't around, he didn't want to take a step in the living or to even get food. All Benjamin did was lay on his bed to try and sleep off the thoughts.

Until he gets a call from Eligos.

"Are you sick, sweetheart?" It's the first thing Eligos says. "Aw, I'm sorry if you are. Should I come over and fix you up? It'll be quick. No pain at all-"

"I just want to sleep, Eli. I'm kind of tired."

"Oh... well, I can still come. Keep you company. We can take a nap together!"

Benjamin holds in a sniffle. He's so exhausted. Having to be woken up just for a small call made him so frustrated that he felt tears welling up again.

"No, really... I'm okay. Y-You're busy, too. I'll see you later."

"Are you sure? I've missed you. When do you want to hang out?"

Benjamin tells him a random date. One that he hopes that his bruises would fade by then. He doesn't know if Eligos would be okay with the answer since it really has been a while, but he's relieved to hear him agree through the phone before ending the call.