[ He hears the slap of sandals as Klaus catches up to him, but it isn't until he speaks that Ben pays any attention. As soon as he hears his brother's voice, Ben turns, sees Klaus there, looking winded. He seems lucid and steady on his feet, but Ben doesn't actually know, can't actually feel how he is, or is not. Which is not a sense he'd really realized he had, until just this second, when it is no longer there.
Ben doesn't bother answering Klaus; he assumes, understandably, that Klaus had showed up here at precisely the same time that he did, directly from their botched attempt at time travel. Where he's been is not the important thing, right now. What's important is confirming that this is real.
Without preamble, Ben reaches out and grabs Klaus's wrist. His hand does not go through. He can feel warmth from Klaus's skin, the faint movement from his pulse. He sees that his fingers are indenting Klaus's flesh slightly; a few seconds late he realizes maybe he's holding on too tight and relaxes his grip. But there it is. The important information, conveyed in a single gesture.
This isn't like when he'd hit Klaus, when he'd managed to pull Diego out of harm's way. He'd been reaching across a great distance, then, in moments of panic and absolute need. And even in those moments, it hadn't felt like being alive.
There's more context he needs to give, and does so, without bothering with extraneous details. ]
At the decontamination, there were people talking to me. They could see me.
no subject
Ben doesn't bother answering Klaus; he assumes, understandably, that Klaus had showed up here at precisely the same time that he did, directly from their botched attempt at time travel. Where he's been is not the important thing, right now. What's important is confirming that this is real.
Without preamble, Ben reaches out and grabs Klaus's wrist. His hand does not go through. He can feel warmth from Klaus's skin, the faint movement from his pulse. He sees that his fingers are indenting Klaus's flesh slightly; a few seconds late he realizes maybe he's holding on too tight and relaxes his grip. But there it is. The important information, conveyed in a single gesture.
This isn't like when he'd hit Klaus, when he'd managed to pull Diego out of harm's way. He'd been reaching across a great distance, then, in moments of panic and absolute need. And even in those moments, it hadn't felt like being alive.
There's more context he needs to give, and does so, without bothering with extraneous details. ]
At the decontamination, there were people talking to me. They could see me.