benbraeden

[benbraeden]

but the simple fact is this: we love like they do, we die like they do, we grieve like they do. independent mutant original character.

[benbraeden]

ben feels like he hasn't been able to grapple reality since the moment he has found out the truth. when he saw the mess of dark tresses 'pon the kid, a true mirror of his mother with a barely there hint of a braeden. he wondered if this is what dean felt like when he first saw ben, at his own birthday party, all those years ago.

friends. she tosses the word out like it couldn't possibly be something that the two of them could be, and he studies her features for a while after that. he wonders if she truly believes the words that laden her tongue; wonders if maybe she's right. she still carries herself like she used to, with the same kind of dangerous poise that belongs to women who have had to rebuild their hearts carefully, eyes tired but unflinching. that quiet rage that simmers under her ribs that ben used to mistake for passion; it's still there, humming like a live wire. could still be passion.

"zev," he echoes. ben leans back then, exhaling through his nose like the wind has been knocked out of him, or like something cracked open in his chest and poured every tired year out onto the floor. he thinks about the years that he missed; the birthdays, years of little hands growing, of scraped knees, of first words he never got to hear. he sets the mug down slowly, his fingers trembling but his shoulders don’t show it. it feels like the wave is crashing over him all over again, and he exhales a deep sigh. "i'm not asking to walk in and be his dad, laura," he offers, because as much as she may try to deny it, the years didn't erase the way that he understands her down to her marrow. he doesn't just have to earn their son's trust; he has to earn hers again too. "i just.." he looks out the window, like it may give him some strength to push past the barrier that always seem to form around him whenever he gives just a little bit of leeway into himself. "i want to meet him. to know him, and earn whatever i can, even if it's just five minutes."

@benbraeden.

SHE CHOOSES THE DINER because it’s public, but not crowded. No one will look twice at a tired-looking woman (single-mother) nursing a black coffee at 3pm. She picks the booth near the window, back to the wall. Old habits, sharp edges. She hasn’t decided what this is yet -- closure, confrontation, curiosity --but she knows what it’s not.

It’s not about their son.

She told Ben, "If you want to talk, fine, but he's not coming."

Ben didn’t argue. Maybe he knew better. Maybe he was just desperate.

Of course, he's five minutes late, on the dot.

Laura stands, a heavy sigh, an even heavier heart as she greets him with a begrudged hug of sorts, then takes her seat across. -- Many a times she remembers, being in his lap, not being so cautious.

Laura looks at him, really looks at him, and even if age has worn him, if she's being honest, he's the same old Ben.

"So..." she doesn't want the same argument to lift from her lungs, she allows him to take the reigns. "Let's not pretend to be ...friends." she offers, however. "I know what this is about. You know what this is about...Zev."

Zachary Evander Howlett (Braeden)... (whom she lovingly calls 'wolf' -- aka Zev).

[benbraeden]

maybe it's the whiskey that tastes all too familiar on his tongue, or maybe it's the scratch of dean's timbre that carves out a feeling that sounds like the same tune of the man who he once thought could be some semblance of a father. when he hears dean, ben feels like he's that stupid kid again, watching his mother bleed out in dean's arms, the shotgun hot in his tinier hands from the salt rounds fired, the adrenaline that caused him to freeze in fear in that moment; the same damning fear that took over him when he found his mother, again, in her own blood in the heart of her bedroom when he was seventeen.

he rubs the heel of his palm against his eye to rub against the exhaustion that seems to be bone deep, making a home out of a soldier that can't seem to come home from the war. it's the same exhaustion that ben saw in the ropes of dean's muscles whenever he crossed the braeden's threshold years ago. mild frustration curls about ben when he finds himself tiptoeing along the thin rope of treading down memory lane once again. it seems that memories try to claw at ben's forefront, whether he seems to like it or not, reminding him of all the times he wished for things to be different, wished that dean stayed, wished that dean never reconnected with his mom again in the first place on his birthday, wished that dean stayed, wished that his mother never opened the door to the shapeshifter that night.

and it's this anger that seems to have taken the reins over the boy, curled forth by some justice that he was never given; but really, being around dean just gives ben the opportunity to find something else to blame; because it's easier that way. "like what? stumble in the middle of the night and have a glass of whiskey and overstay my welcome for the better part of a year?" and there it is. the dam that was straining to break, spilling over, whether ben wanted to or not. it's cruel the way it comes out of his throat, with the undercurrents of malice; the same kind that he learned from the other. "i know we got a long day tomorrow, it's why i'm enjoyin' bein' stationary while i can. can't a man just enjoy a nice view?"

continued with @benbraeden from here

hear, hear.

but until one of 'em ( any of 'em ) can hack a better way to do it, them's the proverbial brakes. dean lingers in the space behind, mouth screwed up in thought. he watches the scrunched angry line of ben's shoulders and weighs the options. there is callous and careless, and there is blatant indignation; ben has mastered all of it and then some. selfishly, he hopes to — not god, but someone better — this is an 'around dean' kind of thing and not the standard. everything with ben is so heavy. he can't tell him how to be otherwise. he wouldn't know where to begin.

that's all the pity party he'll allow, though. dean mans the fuck up and trudges down the steps. he drops to ben's right, an opposite view to how they've spent the hours prior, and waits to see if that inspires any more confidence. it doesn't. shocker.

he tries and fails at levity with a nod to the bottle and "i care if you throw up in my car" but it sounds even flatter than it tastes. he clears his throat with a grimace. course corrects. "look, we had a long day today, man. got a longer one tomorrow. early start. i wanted to check you weren't doing anything .. stupid."

[benbraeden]

let it come for me. i'll take care of it.

[benbraeden]

You should not be here.

[benbraeden]

thinkin thoughts about ben finally letting people in about the shapeshifter demon, when he finally decides to put an end to the vicious cycle after his niece is born, and no longer keeping the files that he kept on the shapeshifter to himself. him pinning it on a board and starting to put the clues together, and figure a plan out to find out how to go about killing the shapeshifter demon; active steps to finally give himself some sliver of closure, and letting people come in to see and at least, finally accept their help.

[benbraeden]

REASONS TO CUP A FACE. ( A PROMPT LIST. )

with the help of some very talented and amazing friends, i present to you an unexpected, very spontaneous meme list based on the beautiful art of cupping someone's face! there's a mix of romantic and platonic here, and even a few that defy the boundaries of normal relationship dynamics! i hope you enjoy! as always; DO NOT ADD TO THIS LIST NOR CLAIM IT AS YOUR OWN!

[KISS]: sender cups the receivers face in their hands before drawing them closer for a kiss.

[CHECK]: after an unexpectedly violent situation, sender frantically rushes to check if the receiver is okay, cupping their face to look closer.

[CLEAN]: sender affectionately wipes a smudge of sauce from the corner of the receiver's mouth, cupping their face in the process.

[LIFT]: sender gently cups the receiver's face and lifts their chin so the receiver is looking up at them.

[COMFORT]: sender cups a distressed receiver's face in their hands and steadies them by resting their foreheads together.

[ATTENTION]: during an important conversation, the sender takes the receiver's face in their hands and firmly directs their focus on them.

[MAKE-UP]: while applying make-up on the receiver's face, the sender cups their face in order to keep them still.

[PRIDE]: after the receiver succeeds in a remarkable achievement, the sender cups their face and tilts their foreheads together to express how proud they are of them.

[WHISPER]: in order to have a private, hushed conversation with the receiver, the sender cups their face and draws them close to make sure they can be heard.

[HAIR]: in the process of pushing the receiver's hair back from their face, the sender lets their hand rest against the receiver's cheek a moment longer.

[GROUND]: during a moment of intense emotional stress, the sender gently takes the receiver's face in their hands to ground them until they're calmer again.

[WONDER]: unable to comprehend how incredible the receiver is, the sender decides to simply cup their face in their hands and marvel at them instead.

[LAST LOOK]: before going into a situation that may result in their death, the sender takes a moment to cup the unaware receiver's face in their hand, just to take a final look of admiration at them before they go.

[SACRIFICE]: the sender cups the receiver's face tenderly to distract them, right before shoving them out of the way (to safety) and facing an attack alone in order to buy the receiver enough time to escape.

[BELIEF]: in a moment where the receiver is lacking in self-confidence, the sender cups their face tenderly and professes their faith in the receiver's abilities.

[DISBELIEF]: after the receiver has done something completely unexpected (and reckless) the stunned sender cups their face in their hands while trying to get them to explain why the hell they did it.

[BETRAYAL]: trying to keep the receiver calm before the big reveal, the sender cups their face gently to keep them steady, and then reveals that they're the villain.

[WOUND]: after the receiver has been wounded, the sender tries to keep them calm and conscious by cupping their face in their hands and talking to them to keep them focused.

[INJURY]: after having been badly wounded themselves, the sender tries to reassure the frantic receiver by cupping their face and comforting them.

[RAMSAY]: after the receiver commits a culinary crime, the sender presses two slices of bread against either side of their face, cupping their face to hold the bread in place, and calls them an idiot sandwich.

[benbraeden]

Milo Ventimiglia as Rocky Balboa Jr. in Rocky Balboa (2006)

Don't take any more chances out there than you have to. There's nothing more to prove, Pop! There's nothing more to prove!

[benbraeden]

sometimes i feel ive got to

[benbraeden]

Carson MacCormac and Vincent Muller in CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2025) Directed by Eli Craig

[benbraeden]

beep beep how’s my portrayal ?

[benbraeden]

take [the mug] with you. you can bring it back tonight. yeah, about that..

[benbraeden]

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017) CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2025)

[benbraeden]

did you think i was done?

[benbraeden]

✉ @thel0re claire

[ TEXT: next hunting case. ] has bj said anything to you recen [ TEXT: next hunting case. ] i need help with a case, you in? [ TEXT: next hunting case. ] i think something bad is about to happe [ TEXT: next hunting case. ] bj and i kissed [ TEXT: next hunting case. ] have you heard from dean?

[ TEXT: next hunting case. ] no middle finger this week? you dead?

[benbraeden]

✉ @scarletaste

[ text: her. ] i want to see y [ text: her. ] i shouldn't feel this way [ text: her. ] where are you [ text: her. ] we need to end whatever this i [ text: her. ] i know it's late, or early wherever you are, but can i see y

[ text: her. ] passing through south dakota and thought of you. hope you're safe.

[benbraeden]

"next time, i'll make sure t' put a sock on the door."