Dimensional Bullshit

[the_horror]

He had been dead for over a decade now. Dead and gone for everyone but Klaus. Poor Klaus had to deal with his nagging and constant puttering around for so long.

When it had happened, when he died, they were all on mission. It was messy. Real messy. he had tried something new in the middle of a fight. Tried to summon something new from under his skin. It worked, but it was disgusting. Tentacles and teeth, eyes and multiple jaws that seemed to burst out of him so swiftly that it seemed to make him bleed. He screamed as it happened, hands out to the side in fists, yelling in actual pain and not strain of control.

Father had been encouraging him to call forth more powerful creatures, but Father also got a look on his face that he was going to be sick anytime they trained together. He pushed, but he pushed from the other side of a training room. A large steel room that Ben was locked away in with a window and a speaker so they could talk. "Again, six." he'd say, causing Ben to try again. Try harder. He wanted to make the man proud of him.

Training sometimes consisted of hanging pig carcasses from the local butchers place, projecting the tentacles or other things on them, and attacking them with control. Sometimes he'd just beat them up, like a boxing bag, other times they burst through the carcass and make a mess of things. Generally by the time they were done he was covered in muck, tired, in mild pain, and the pic carcasses were all missing. He'd always return to his room worn out and smelling like rancid bacon before crawling off to try and take over the bath tub for a while.

But this mission? It was bad. he had summoned something too big for him to control. Something that didn't want to be controlled. In the fight he nearly attacked his own siblings. He could feel the creature pulling at him, yanking him along the floor, losing complete control over everything. The eldritch horror rampaged for some time, taking out all the bad guys, as well as a few innocents. By time he was stopped and done, the creature had wrapped itself around Ben. Had taken hold of his body and squeezed. Ben was crying, unable to stop it. Crying for the people he had killed, Crying for the siblings he had hurt and that had to be carted away by Luther. Crying because it hurt. It hurt a lot.

And then his arm pinched in the wrong way. His leg cracked as it was pulled in wrong. He screamed, body shaking as the beast tried to return inside. except as it returned inside, it took Ben with it. With a yell, his bod broke, seeming to disappear inside itself. Gone.

For years he couldn't seem to remember how he died, just that he was dead. And Klaus didn't want to talk about it. He couldn't blame him. So he haunted Klaus, seeming to live by different rules than other ghosts. When Klaus was too high to notice him, he felt sleepy and groggy, but he was there to see his brother doing dumb things. When he was sober he hung around, bored and wanting to do things. He didn't disappear like normal ghosts.

And then the apocalypse happened.

When Five tried to take them all back in time, he managed to take them back to just after Father passed away. the wavering between youth and age effected everyone, but they all ended up the proper age and proper time. It did however five Five a flicker of where Ben was. Ben wasn't DEAD. He was trapped. Trapped in a dimension between living and the eldritch horror show that he once could summon.

When Five managed to bring him back, Ben was returned, at the same age as everyone else, tired, lost, full of aches and pains, but alive again. Alive and breathing, home once more. Able to breath real air, hug any of his siblings he wanted, and eat anything. And he was going to try out everything he couldn't try before. Be it with his siblings or on his own. He was going to live life to the fullest, even if that meant pigging out or being reckless.

[This post is open to any era of Ben's 'life'. Training. Battles and missions. THAT mission where he died. For a Five or someone to pull him back, or simply for reunion times with their long lost brother. Multi threads and Multi siblings welcome. Threadjacking welcome. Backtagging welcome. Do your best!]

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[highondeath]

One moment they're all in a circle, arms connected. Ben is beside him and he can't tell if he's solid or not, if everyone can see their deceased brother or if it's still just him. He can't tell how old any of them are anymore, if they're adults or if they've shrunk back down to thirteen like Five. He can't feel his fingers, and as the world turns white he can't help but think this is one of the worst trips he's ever had.

The next moment they're somewhere else, the floor definitely solid beneath him. Klaus lays on his back, eyes wide upon an unfamiliar ceiling. He closes them immediately. He's not sure he wants to see what's happened.

"Five." Maybe his brother isn't even there. If he'd bother to look around he'd know, but he needs this moment. "If I stand up and I haven't gone through puberty yet I swear I'm going to squeak at you incessantly until the day my balls drop again."

He's alive. There's that much at least. And he can tell from the sounds of movement around him that he isn't alone. Something nags at the back of his mind and he finally pushes himself up onto his elbows to get a look around. Ben had been next to him when Five had done his thing. He doesn't know if ghosts can time travel. What if they'd left him behind to wander alone in the apocalyptic wasteland.

"Hey... Who's here?"

[the_horror]

It's odd. It's so strange. He feels like he is there and yet not. As the group goes back in time, Ben too is scared he'll get left behind and alone with out Klaus to connect to. Is that how it works? he doesn't know.

The world is spinning and he feels himself disappear once more. Back into the place he ends up going when Klaus is too out of it to see him. He hates this space, as it's so very gray and blue and nothing. Nothing at all.

For Klaus, he might see Five one moment, and the net his fists tighten and he's gone. For Ben? He sees a figure appear, which is new for him. He runs towards it, yelling to the person. To Five.

For Klaus, it might seem like a long ten minutes or so. Time does weird things, and spacial jumps are hard to calculate when you aren't jumping in your normal distention. When Five returns though, it's a Pop, and the two of them fall to the floor. Five is worn out, nose bleeding and he collapses. Ben wavers, losing balance and hitting the floor by hands and knees.

Allison is holding on to Vanya, still knocked out, with Luther's help. Diego is staring at Ben, shocked, surprised, but ultimately dropping to Five's side to check for a pulse, to help scoop him up.

No one has said anything. Too shocked with the reappearance maybe. Ben wavers, looking up and right at Klaus. He blinked, then smiles faintly. "Klaus..." before he falls over to his side, knocked out.

Might be a good idea to get these three somewhere safe to rest.

[highondeath]

"Whoa, hey!" Klaus is on his feet and at Ben's side in an instant. Diego has Five, and the other two are with Vanya. Given that the latter had basically just caused the apocalypse he thinks he can be forgiven for not making her his top priority. Ben had just collapsed, and that's not a thing ghosts do.

"Is anyone else seeing him? Am I still just - right, don't care." He starts to remove his jacket without thinking, as though he might need it to sop up some wound or protect Ben from the cold. That's what all the heroes in the movies do, right? Strip off their jackets and dive right into first aid? Except he doesn't know first aid and it isn't all that chilly wherever they are. Realizing quickly that he has no idea what he's doing, he pulls the sleeveless item back on.

Instead he leans into another cliche, slapping his brother lightly on the cheek. "Hey. Hey, buddy. Look, I can slap you! Isn't that great? Shit." There are no extra siblings to lend him a hand here. With three of them down they'll need to keep everyone together. He doesn't think he could even lift Ben on his own if he needed to. Piggy-back, maybe.

"Where are we?" This is supposed to be a question to the group, but it ends up as more of a mutter to himself. They'd have to go outside and look for some sort of landmark, otherwise the only person who'd have any idea would be Five - and that isn't even a guarantee. They're not in the concert hall still, that's all he knows.

[the_horror]

It's cute how Klaus goes into some kind of hero mode like in the movies. Diego actually answers him with a 'Yeah, I'm seeing it.' in a mysterious like voice. Allison gasped Ben's name, a clear indication that the others could see him.

Ben was there. Feeling wiped out and light headed. He'd lived in a space that was so pressure filled that coming back to something normal wiped him out. The slapping helped startle him, trying to gain a full breath like he had never breathed before. He lay there, eyes blinking rapidly, head swimming, wishing he was still knocked out.

As for where they were, Luther piped in that he didn't know. Five could have taken them anywhere. Diego stated it looked like the basement, and started to move, carrying Five. It was in fact, the basement of the house. He aimed for the hall and got much lower.

Ben had no idea where they were, coughing a bit as he tried to sit up, a hand on his chest like it hurt. his head spun, staring at his brother now in the dim light.

[highondeath]

"Right. The basement. Obviously." This is muttered to no one in particular as Klaus begins checking for Ben's pulse. At least this is something he knows how to do, though it's best not to think about why. It's clear his brother is alive, but he still wants to feel that light beat under his fingers so he knows he hasn't been left in some sort of half-dead limbo.

The fact that he's breathing and solid is a goddamn miracle, and they're going to have to pressure Five about it after he comes to. That's quite a power he has, and the two of them together might be able to do some real magic. Though if returning to their present time means Ben dies again, they're better off staying wherever they are. It's not like there's anything to go back to.

He places a hand on the side of Ben's cheek, no slapping this time. Maybe the connection will help bring him to his senses. This has to be a lot for him to take in.

"You all there, man? Just focus on me, okay? Focus on my dulcet tones." It's a little too tense for comedy right now, but he can at least make an attempt to lighten the mood for Ben. His body might be alive, but they might have to pull his mind back into reality. If any real damage has been done, he and Five are going to have a whole different set of words.

[the_horror]

No, the half dead limbo was where he was this entire time, really. He's alive, with a heart beat a bit too fast and everything. There was a lot going on. People saying things. Stuff happening around him that he couldn't focus on. And it was dim in here. They needed more light.

He was sat up, feeling his brothers hand on his cheek, like he was trying to get him to focus on something. It was a good idea. For a moment he felt like the entire world was stuck in a bubble in his ear. Loud but not clear. The hand helped make a connection back to Klaus.

His eyes focused on Klaus, sitting up and trying to get a full breath. "Holy. Shit." He said at last. Staring wide eyed at the other. His head still felt light, but maybe it was the rush of air he was getting. He took in another deep breath, trying to slow his breathing. Holding it a moment, and then letting it out again. "Jesus, this hurts..." His voice sounded horse as he sucked in another breath, but then... he laughed, smiling. "I'm alive?"

[highondeath]

"Yeah!" The response comes out through a relieved breath of his own, almost a laugh. Relief brings a huge smile to Klaus's face. "I don't know how, but who cares! Yeah, you're alive!" It may be one of the few good things wonky time shenanigans has brought them. If it lasts, that is.

But even if it doesn't, they at least get some time. He can only imagine what Ben must be feeling right now. They'll have to make some plans - feed his brother lots of cake, get him laid, possibly both at the same time. Have to fit in all the important things.

For now he brings his arms around Ben to pull him into a tight hug. Maybe this isn't the best idea given that his brother was just complaining about being in pain and breathing was taking some getting used to again, but how could he not? He may be tearing up a little too, and that's another thing he can hardly be blamed for.