NEW LIGHT

benji didn't mean to make others feel as though he were some kind of pest but he wanted answers. he and kimberly deserved answers after everything they'd been through and he assumed that the man in front of him understood that was why he was here. "i hope so. i just don't want what happened to us to happen to anyone else." he confessed and let out a sigh. "you get it, right?"

"The cinnamon ones are their favorite," he said, thinking about how the twins had begged for pretzels all morning. Noah was a sucker for those twin smiles. Watching them now in their matching costumes, he figured maybe he said yes too often, but damn if those kids didn't make it impossible to resist. "And hey, there's always next year for couple costumes, right?" He wanted his friend to know things would work out, especially after everything. The pretzel idea seemed like the perfect way to keep everyone happy while they waited. "Maybe we should get extras for Kim too. The twins always say these are the best pretzels in town, and they're pretty much experts at this point," he added as they walked over and stood in line.

seeing the way that noah looked at his kids definitely tugged at his heart strings. benji loved seeing anyone with their kids, especially since it was something he wanted for himself at some point in his life. "always next year." he agreed. "i mean, i have no doubt that we'll last. i really care about kim. i mean, i think i'm falling in love with her." to admit that and get it off his chest was almost relieving, especially since he hadn't had a chance to tell her yet. "she'd probably love that. i don't mind getting something extra for her. she may be hungry from all the walking we've been doing."

The self-blame in Benji's voice struck a nerve with him. After everything that happened at the hospital, his friend still carried too much guilt. At least talking about Shivi brought up better thoughts—giving her that promise ring had changed everything between them. But right now, his friend needed him. Axel pushed aside his own happiness to focus on cheering up the person who'd stuck by him through everything. "How about we hit up one of those escape rooms at Fright Fest? The zombie apocalypse one looks interesting," he said. "Plus, if we fail miserably, no one else has to witness our shame except the undead."

benji didn't know what the two of them were going to get into but either way, he hoped it was something that it was something that could help benji forget about everything for the night. he needed to have fun. it'd been too long since he had a night worry free and he trusted that axel had his back while the two of them were out. he chuckled, "alright, man. let's do it. heads up, i'm god awful at these escape rooms but hey, i say we give it a shot."

He studied his friend's face, noting the dark circles under Benji's eyes. "You're not being selfish. After everything that happened, you deserve time to process," he said, remembering how broken Benji had looked at the hospital. His smile brightened at the direct question about his happiness. "Yeah, things are good with Shivi. Really good actually," he replied. The truth was—giving her that ring had been both terrifying and exhilarating. "But we’re not here to talk about me." Although, it sounded like Benji didn’t want to talk about himself either. “Let’s go have some fun.”

regardless of his friend's words, he felt selfish and he hated feeling as though all the attention had been on him and that he didn't care what was going on with the other when that definitely wasn't the case. "good. i'm glad things are going well. you guys deserve to be happy." as long as his friends were happy, he was happy. "fun," he repeated, pursing his lips, "it's been forever, it feels like, since i've had fun. what do you have in mind?"

Noah watched the twins jump around, their Luigi and Peach costumes swishing with each bounce. "Food sounds perfect—these two are always hungry anyway," he said, grinning at Zephyr's constant tugging on his Mario overalls. "And thanks. The kids picked the theme. They're really into Mario Kart lately." His eyes dropped to his phone screen, appreciating how Benji suggested getting Kim to join them. Having friends around made everything better. "There's that pretzel stand near the entrance. We could grab some while we wait?" He kept his tone light, matching the easy mood between them. "The kids have been talking about those cinnamon ones since we got here."

"that's kids for you or that's what i've heard anyways." and he couldn't wait to find out for himself. benji dreamed of having a family and with how weel things had been going with kimberly, he wondered if she could be the woman that he would end up having it with. "that's alright. i should've done a matching costume with kimmie but i wasn't sure if we were going to come out or not after everything..." at the mention of the pretzels, he nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket before shooting his girlfriend a text and letting her know where he was going. "let's do it. i think that's the one stand i haven't stopped by."

benji wanted to get to the bottom of everything. he wasn't trying to be a best or even piss anyone off for the day but he felt as though there'd been enough time for them to have some sort of explanation. after all, he knew if they had some sort of lead then he and kimberly both would probably feel more at easy. nodding in response to the male's words, "alright. i'll skip it this week but i expect some sort of results." his voice wasn't stern. it came out in almost a plead. he needed some sort of answer. "i know the detective is probably getting sick of seeing my face anyways."

She watched him fidget, his guilt written all over his face. It reminded her of one of her friends from third grade—always apologizing for everything. "I appreciate the peace offering. And trust me, you're already forgiven. Though I won't say no to coffee." His polite manners stood out, making her think about how rare it was to meet someone who actually cared about social graces these days. Most people in Wilmington would've just mumbled sorry and kept walking. "Besides, running into you is making my morning interesting. Mister Apologize for everything…"

he'd been through a lot the past couple of months and while he was thankful that both him and his girlfriend had made it out of the situation alive, it was still hard on him to get over. benji knew he needed to take a step toward healing and potentially seek therapy. "i'm glad you'll at least let me get you this much." he started toward the shop once she agreed, figuring she'd follow along. "come on, i'm just trying to be nice. i feel bad. it's around the holidays and people can't always afford the extra expense. how would i have known it was a work phone?"

“Mhm, I know so.” she confidently replied as sat up and crawled over to his lap to straddle him. It was satisfying to see his smile as she did her best to keep the mood light around them instead of dwelling on what really happened to them. Snaking her arms around his neck, she smiled softly and added, “Besides, you make me feel extra safe knowing that you’d go to great lengths just to make sure we’re okay.” Kimberly then pressed her lips into a thin line as she thought about their involvement, “Maybe because I work closely with Irza?...All the unfortunate events revolved around previous and recently elected mayors…” Her voice trailed off as a frown settled upon her lips, “And maybe you were at the wrong place, wrong time…Unless it has to do with our financial status then I don't know how someone from here would know of me being a heiress...” A bit of guilt did linger on her end as she felt like she dragged Benji into it by being her date, but at the same time he was her saving grace as she honestly didn’t think she could have survived on her own. She was impulsive and she knew that she would have raised hell before becoming a casualty due to being at a disadvantage. “I understand…I’m with you every step of the way.” she reassured him with a gentle smile before leaning in for a quick peck on the lips. “I can stay over at yours to start and we can alternate down the line if we feel like it. I know my place is a bit of a mess right now, but I promise I'll keep yours clean and tidy."

having her close to him after being separated as long as they were put an even wider smile on his face and his hands didn't hesitate to rest on the back of her thighs as she straddled his lap. "there's not anything that i wouldn't do for you, baby." he reassured and leaned forward to press a sweet kiss against her lips. as she went on about how the two of them managed to get caught in the crossfire of everything, he nodded. she was probably right. though, he just wished that he could have done something to prevent what happened. he knew there was no going back though so all they could do now was attempt to move forward. "i like the sound of that. you know, waking up next to you every day," he paused and traced circles against the outsides of her thighs with his thumbs. "you're not my maid. you're my girlfriend. make yourself at home but just clean up after yourself. that's all i really ask."

“My heart definitely believes it.” mused Kimberly with a laugh. Her boyfriend’s response did warm her heart as she felt her face beam with absolute content. Now that they’ve chosen the right pumpkins, she was even more excited to carve it out and see where their creativity would take them. Giving Benji a thumbs up, she then circled the pumpkins to see how they looked overall and said, “Sounds good. I feel like these two are a perfect pair.” It made the search easier now that they had what they needed to carve and do their photoshoot. “Good call.” she replied as he reasoned with her food choices. “The last thing I want is to feel like I'm bursting out of this sailor suit and that would not look cute as fuck." Tilting her head to the side, a curious thought came to mind as she asked, "Given that this is your favourite holiday...Did you ever have a fave memory in mind?"

benji hauled the first pumpkin toward the register before jogging back to grab the other one. if he was one thing, it was a gentleman and he did whatever he could in order to take care of kimberly in any way possible. once he lifted the other up, he led his girlfriend toward the check out and smiled in response. "i think you're probably right about that. they're just like us, the perfect pair." he grinned at the woman next to him. he cared a lot about the girl and he could see the two of them lasting for a while, especially since they'd been through so much together. "come on, you look good no matter what and i'm not just saying that because you're my girlfriend." he reassured and set the pumpkin down next to the other he'd previously brought over. once he paid for them, his attention went back on her. "i pressed up like scooby doo as a kid and i remember my girl cousin dressing up like a ghost and chasing me around. as scary as it was then, it's hilarious now."

Noah stood with his kids. him in Mario gear, the twins rocking their Luigi and Princess Peach outfits. Seeing his friend walking around made him smile. "Yeah, you look way better," he said, trying to keep things upbeat. His sleeves got another tug from the twins who pointed excitedly at a passing performer. "Hey, maybe we can all go through the haunted house together? Might be easier with a group." The kids next to him debated zombies versus vampires, their voices rising with each point. "Unless you're not up for it. No pressure." He was glad to hear that Benji was doing better. It couldn’t be easy recovering from a kidnapping. "That's good, at least."

the appearance of the family in front of him made him smile and he couldn't help but hope that he, too, would be in a similar situation one day. he genuinely wanted a family sometimes. "sure, i say let's do it. maybe we could grab a snack before we go in. i'll text kim and let her know where we're at so that we're not standing here lie a bunch of weirdos while we wait for her." he suggested. "by the way, you guys all look great."

benji wasn't trying to be a jerk but he just didn't understand how there was no answers or any sorts of leads at this point. after all, it'd been a couple of months and he just wanted to know how was behind all of this. "speed things up with the investigation?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. suddenly, he was a little intrigued when it came to the other's power within the police department. "i was going to talk to the detective that's in charge of my case but if you can put in a world then i guess i can leave him alone this week."

A laugh escaped her lips at his concern over pushing ladies. Layla studied his worried expression, finding his guilt oddly sweet. "Relax. Accidents happen. I'm not that delicate, I promise." She'd taken harder hits than a simple bump in a hallway. This guy had no idea she used to get tossed ten feet in the air for fun. The coffee offer caught her attention, it had been a while since she'd taken a moment to just sit and enjoy a drink. "Now you're talking. I need a drip of coffee if I'm being honest. Lead the way?"

benji nodded slowly, a small sigh leaving his lips. he just didn't want her to think that he was going around pushing people around, certainly not women. he was better than that but like she said, it was an accident. "good. i thought that was the least i could do. the last thing i want to do is part our separate ways without a proper apology or well, peace offering i guess."

His gaze settled on Benji, watching his friend's exhausted expression. The past few weeks had been rough on his best friend and while he'd fucked up, he truly wanted to try and be there for Benji. "Don't apologize. After what happened with you and Kim, I get it." His fingers tapped against his leg, a sigh escaping. "Things are…" A pause, followed by a fake smile. "Actually great. Mom's thrilled. I finally told her about me and Shivi dating. Even gave her a promise ring at the Fright Fest. You focus on healing. I'm here whenever you need me, man."

benji was trying to get back to normal as much as he could and so, what better way than to actually catch up with axel? it'd been a couple of months since everything had happened and even so, he was having a hard time getting over it. "i don't want to be selfish. i don't want you to think that this is all about me." and to be honest, he didn't want to talk about what happened anyways. he watched his friend, eyes scanning over his face. "do you mean that? you know, that's things are great?"

Lincoln was aware that no one liked to be treated like glass, especially not after a traumatic experience. Therefore, he wasn’t going to do that to him. Instead, he decided to treat him like everything was alright. Because it would be, eventually. He nodded, “Good— I could use some as well. You feeling this place still? There this new place down by the beach I think would be cool to try out.”

benji wasn't against trying new places, especially if the changed topic meant that they wouldn't bring up the obviously elephant in the room. he was well aware of the fact the wilmington knew what happened to him. it was all over the news. "sure, i say let's do it. i could use a change of scenery." he paused for a moment and glanced in lincoln's direction, "have you tried out the new place or will this be your first time too?"

Kimberly was a sucker for cute trends, especially ones that captured cute photos and videos as it held a precious memory that she could look back on. Benji’s idea was definitely a first for her and she was excited to see it come to life. After hearing his response, she leaned in for a chaste kiss and said, “Either I have lucky girl syndrome or my boyfriend just has a way to my heart…Plus it’s kind of hard to say no to you, that’s how much of a hold you have on me babe.” While she held his hand, dark hues scanned their surroundings before she gently dragged him to an area that had the sized pumpkins they were looking for. “Would these be fine? I think they can go over our heads and fit…”

beni knew that the two of them had faced something pretty intense together and he knew that it was traumatizing, so he was trying to do whatever he could to make better memories that could potentially replace the ones he'd prefer to push to the back of his brain. "i like to think that i just know the way to your heart." he replied with a soft chuckled, his hand swinging hers as the two of them walked and searched for the perfect pumpkins. nodding his head, "i think that you chose the right ones, that's for sure." he let go of her hand and bent down to further study the pumpkins that they were looking at. "i can go grab a wagon if you want to choose the one that you want." he suggested.

Intrigued by Benji’s response, a cheeky smile crept onto the heiress’ features as she squeezed his hand gently. “Awww baby…You're hot when you stand on business.” To see him so passionate about how they were being treated and going to great lengths to file a complaint goes to show how much he cared for the both of them. “I get that, it’s crazy how we both got caught in the crossfire…I didn’t even think that would be possible…” A frown settled on her lips as she curled up against him, trying to shake off the horrible memory of being kidnapped. “Mhm, I’d love that…” Looking up at her boyfriend, it was evident that she was grateful for his presence and company, so to hear that there was an opportunity for them to be together completely was something she wasn’t going to pass up easily. "I don't mind staying at your place if that's easier?...Are you planning on taking a break from work or are you back at it?"

"oh, yeah? you think so?" benji couldn't help but match her smile as she spoke. despite everything that the two of them had been through, he felt lucky that the two of them were able to look past it and flirt every now and again. "i know. i don't understand how that happened. i mean, i really don't think that we should have been involved but then again, i guess whoever it is has a plan for everything. i just wish it wasn't us but i'm glad i made it out alive with my girl by my side." he finished and pressed a kiss to her forehead. his fingers played with the ends of her hair and nodded his head, "i can't go back yet. i'm not in the right mindset. i think i'll be taking a break and letting axel handle things for a little while. you're more than welcomed to stay at my place though."