"Hey, Ben? Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." Came your reply. This boy, no matter how much you had missed him, was really beginning to annoy you.
Huffing in annoyance, you decided to ignore his statement,"Why did you have to brand me? Who made you do it?"
The blonde boy stopped in his tracks, took in a long breath, and let out a long sigh, almost as though it pained him to say it.
"I can't tell you," He said, looking down at the floor,"it's too dangerous. I don't want...ugh fuck." He cut himself off. He couldn't think of the right words to say.
"Don't want what, Ben?" You stood in front of the boy and placed your finger under his chin. Making him look up at you, you looked into the dark abyss of where his eyes once were, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"I just...for gods sake I don't want you getting hurt, just because of me." Your hand dropped to your side, but Ben took it back and gently held it in his own two hands.
"I know that I've done some bad shit in the past, and I'm not proud of it. I didn't want- I didn't like to hurt you," His voice grew weaker,"and I understand if you hate me, but I'm still Ben. The Ben you knew years ago, the Ben you played video games with, the Ben you grew up with. He's still there, somewhere." He placed his free hand on his heart.
Despite his current appearance, he was still the same boy. He had been through so many hardships, forced to do things he didn't want to do, but he was still your Ben. His words had astounded you, they left you speechless.
"And," If he could, you knew he would be crying. His voice was weak, and croaky,"I'm so sorry for leaving you."
"Don't you dare blame yourself. Your dad was an asshole, he did this to you, you didn't do this." Ben had taken your other hand now. The both of you were stood there, in the middle of the woods, the sun setting in the background. To some, this would be such a beautiful moment- and it was- but beautiful moments can't last forever.
The boy engulfed you in a hug. He held you tightly, almost like you would slip away if he let you go.
"I'm not going anywhere, Princess. I'll stay with you now, okay? Just promise me one thing."
"Of course."
"Don't go looking for Jeff."