[ Ben's guilt gives way, not because he believes Kieran is right, but because it is displaced by anger at the people who had hurt him, and worry. Ben is, of course, a hypocrite, who will blame himself for things outside his power to stop until he's blue in the face. But hearing his friend saying it was his fault? No. He won't abide that. ]

No, Kieran. I don't believe that.

[ Ben does take Kieran's hand, now, gripping it firmly. His voice is full of anger and conviction and heat and worry. ]

Whatever you did, I don't care, it wasn't your fault. They chose to do that. They chose to- be the kind of fucked up people who'd - torture someone, and- no matter what you did, that's on them. Besides, whatever you did, I bet you didn't have a choice. You told me how it was, with the gangs. How they treated you.

[ He hears the hint of something more at the end of that. More that Kieran isn't saying. Like he is sure things were only going to get worse. Ben feels a little sick, but he thinks... probably, he should ask. Probably, no matter how bad it is, it's better to talk about it now. Not to let it fester, unspoken.

So he prompts, soft and alarmed: ]

What else did they have planned?