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+------- Thread: The Bogeyman || Benji (/showthread.php?tid=446)
The Bogeyman || Benji - Ruth Elliot - 09-03-2025
Saturday, September 4, 1920
Beneath the large willow
After lunch
Beneath the large willow
After lunch
It was the first flower crown of the term and it wasn't meant for Benji Laurence. Rae had long since learned not to mourn the adamant refusals of her boyfriend to let her adorn him and make him as beautiful as the garden she lay in. He was always insisting on being a manly man, always on about flowers being for girls.
The ones at his funerals hadn't been mistaken about who they were helping to bury.
"You know, Will didn't have nearly as many complaints. He turned out gorgeous," she said, no particular conviction or accusation in her tone. By this point, she knew there was no changing his mind and while the girl always preferred to have her way, she was no stranger to the stubborness that clung to Benji night and day. The pair had had many stand offs, both before and after they'd become official. There was always one consistent thread. Once he set his mind to something, there really wasn't much any one could do to change it.
Any changes would have to be his own.
It was just as well. Pretty as his hazel eyes would look when accentuated by just the right floral blend, she knew there would be a part of her wallowing in disappointment should the day ever come when Benji didm't wrestle her to keep the flowers away. It had become a fun little game for her, one she'd hate to lose. Besides, having his company was enough.
Rae lay with her head resting in his lap, taking in the coolness of the afternoon from the shade beneath her favourite tree. They'd had lunch together and he'd promised to spend some time with her after before he ran off to again. The boy had kept up with his physical training despite there no longer being any Quidditch. She'd agreed to go with him some of the time--couldn't afford to fall out of shape in the event they let them have the sport back next term--but on this first weekend back, Rae wanted to take things slow and easy. She wanted to get herself back into the groove of Hogwarts and acclimate to suddenly having...responsibilities.
Her fingers delicately wrapped the stem of the baby's breath around the string of daisies she'd created. Her vision was an all white crown that would stand out against her dark hair.
"Did you notice anyone...kinda...funny when we were back at King's Cross boarding the Express?" She reached for another sprig of baby's breath, as careful now while she twisted them in. Her mind drifted back to the lone man who'd stood off from the crowds. He hadn't seemed to be waiting for anyone and she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen him before.
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Benji Laurence - 09-03-2025
WiLl TuRnEd OuT gOrGeOuS.
Benji looked up from his sketching, one eyebrow raised as his nose crinkled in distaste. Did she always have to do that? Rub in his face how amenable other boys were to wearing flowers in their hair because she asked them to? Will was an alright bloke - aside from the fact that he seemed to like wearing flowers - but Rae really was ridiculous at times. Always trying to get under his skin.
"I thought we agreed you weren't making flower crowns for other boys anymore?" They had. He remembered the conversation clearly. But apparently Rae was still doing. He wondered, briefly, how many other boys around here had gotten one? He shrugged, turning his attention back to his sketch as she laid in his lap. It made it harder for him to get the right angles for his drawing, but he didn't mind much - not until she'd complemented how pretty Will looked.
"Maybe he'll wanna be your boyfriend," Benji said nonchalantly, a grin perking up in the corner of his mouth, knowing she'd either play into it and he'd get mad, or she'd get mad and he'd play into it more. It really wasn't a productive conversation, Benji knew that much.
The first few days of school had been - interesting. It had been a continuation of weird from the summer he'd had, and he was waiting for everything to finally level back out to some sort of normal plane.
"Did you notice anyone...kinda...funny when we were back at King's Cross boarding the Express?
"There's all kinds of funny people at King's Cross," Benji said, rubbing out a sharper edge of charcoal with the side of his palm. His blending was getting better all the time, and his realism was taking on a sharper skill. His eyes glanced back down at her for a moment. "Why? Who did you see?"
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Ruth Elliot - 09-03-2025
"I thought we agreed you weren't making flower crowns for other boys anymore?"
Had they?
Rae remembered a talk, one about boys, yes, and flower crowns, certainly, but not all together and certainly not in the way Benji was saying it. "We said I wouldn't make crowns for boys whom I've kissed or might like me," she countered, twining the stems to her heart's content. That was what they'd said, wasn't it? "And I haven't." She hadn't made a new crown for Dmitri since the kiss they'd shared in the gardens--the one Benji had so rudely interrupted. Rae hadn't made a crown for Fox since that...er...moment that ironically also happened in the gardens.
Perhaps it was the location and not the flower crowns that were the real problem. Had the boy ever considered that?
"But Will's alright. Not into me that way. I'm pretty sure he really is convinced I'm an evil spirit roaming the earth." And even if he didn't, he liked to indulge her nonsense, which was always good enough for her.
"Maybe he'll wanna be your boyfriend."
Rae's fingers slowed to a stop, her eyes lifting to take in this cheeky boy. A Cheshire grin stretched her lips wide, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "Leave the petty jealousy to the professionals. It only suits one of us." She teased before tapping her lips in a silent request for a kiss. When he leaned in, she reached a hand into his hair, gripping at his sandy brown waves to hold him in place for a moment before releasing him. She gave him a second, briefer kiss as he pulled away.
"You're the only one crazy enough to wanna be my boyfriend. What was it? The devil? It's a hard sell, you'll have to admit."
The girl returned to her crafting, feeling along the grass for another daisy stalk. "I don't want another boyfriend anyhow. You won't get rid of me that easily." A promise? A threat? Weren't those the same thing?
She adjusted when he began his smudging, trying to give his elbow more flexing room while ignoring the voice of reason that said it would be better if she got off his lap entirely. This was her spot. She was the only one allowed to lie in it. If not her, who else would put it to good use?
No, seriously. Who else? She'd like a word with them.
"There's all kinds of funny people at King's Cross. Why? Who did you see?"
"I don't know..." Rae admitted, her voice growing pensive. "I mean...I don't know who he is, but--" she gasped suddenly, realisation smacking her across the face like her history of magic grades tended to. "It's him! Benji! It was him!" Rae shot up, turning fully to face her boyfriend as if she were making perfect sense and he already knew who she was talking about. The confusion in his hazel eyes reminded her that he, in fact, did not.
She shook her head, trying to organise her thoughts. "Remember that double date we had with Ren and Tilly last term? There was a guy sitting across from us who wouldn't stop looking at our table. I thought it was nothing at first, but later when we split and I went to get candy, he was in the candy shop, too. He was just..." her brows crinkled as she tried to remember, "just...kind of...watching then, too."
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Benji Laurence - 09-05-2025
Hmm. That wasn't how he remembered it. As far as he could recall, they had agreed Rae wouldn't be making flower-anything for any guy.
"But Will's alright. Not into me that way. I'm pretty sure he really is convinced I'm an evil spirit roaming the earth."
As far as he recalled, Dmitri hadn't been into Rae either - aside from the snog. Benji knew blokes well; he was one of them after all. And they didn't need to be 'into' the girl to want to snog her. Most boys would snog a paper bag if it had soft lips.
"Leave the petty jealousy to the professionals. It only suits one of us."
Jealousy. Benji grinned as she tapped her finger to her lips, rolling his eyes before he leaned down to capture them. "I don't think being your boyfriend makes me crazy." It sounded like the start of a compliment. A boyish gleam twinkled in his eye. "I was already that way beforehand." He glanced back at his sketch, pulling a line of charcoal along the soft edges of a cheekbone. Benji knew Rae could get another boyfriend if she really wanted one. But he wasn't fussed.
The girl was obsessed with him, which, funny enough, was just the way he liked it. He didn't used to. He remembered when it annoyed the fuck out of him.
Funny how things change.
He listened while her voice lowered, contemplating the man she seemed overly concerned with. He didn't see what the big deal was. There were always tons of people at King's Cross. What made this bloke any diff -
"It's him! Benji! It was him!"
His pad and pencil were launched into the air above his head as she flew up from his lap, hollering as the lightbulb had apparently gone off. He cursed lightly, his heart having taken a sudden leap with the start. "Merlin - can we not -"
"Remember that double date we had with Ren and Tilly last term? There was a guy sitting across from us who wouldn't stop looking at our table. I thought it was nothing at first, but later when we split and I went to get candy, he was in the candy shop, too. He was just...just...kind of...watching then, too."
Wait...what? Benji's eyebrows came together in concern. No, he didn't remember any such man, and he felt like he would have had he perceived some sort of threat. But Hogsmeade was safe and there was never anything to worry about there. He hadn't felt the need to have his guard up. "This man was watching you? And you didn't tell me?" His voice was quiet, but he felt a strange twisting in his stomach.
"You're sure it was him at the station? Positive?" Why would some strange man be following his girlfriend around?
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Ruth Elliot - 09-06-2025
"I don't think being your boyfriend makes me crazy."
Aww--
"I was already that way beforehand."
"Cheeky." Rae shoved at him lightly, pulling a face at the way the boy had managed to insult them both in one fell swoop. "But you're right. You've always had a touch of madness. One of your better qualities, I'd say." It was true, even if not in the way she'd implied. Benji wasn't one bowtie away from becoming the Mad Hatter, but there was certainly more than a hint of irrationality flowing through his veins. The garden fight was proof enough of that--and that was hardly worth writing home about within his larger history.
Watching his art supplies scatter, Rae felt a tinge of guilt for the way she'd popped up. "Sorry," she said, reaching for the charcoal pencil nearby and handing it to him.
Where did his sketchpad go?
"This man was watching you? And you didn't tell me?"
There it was. Reaching over him, she grabbed it and plopped it into the boy's lap. "I wasn't sure, not at first. I didn't think too much of him watching our table 'cause we'd gotten kind of loud anyway." They'd been having a good time, normal 13 and 14-year-olds enjoying muffins and the company of their mates. Not all adults liked those sorts of festivities. "Then when I saw him again in the candy shop, I figured he might just like candy. Hogsmeade's only so big. You're bound to keep running into people, you know?"
"You're sure it was him at the station? Positive?"
Rae nodded firmly. Where before there had been some room for uncertainty, the return to school had confirmed it in her mind. She likely wouldn't have noticed him either if she didn't naturally survey her surroundings, especially in crowds. It was one of the habits that hadn't died with her 'domestication'.
The Slytherin remained vigilant. It was second nature.
"It's him. No doubts. He was there when I got off the Express, too. I told Billie about him when we'd gone out to dinner that night--meant to tell you when we got to the facility, but then...we got distracted with other things."
She didn't need to explain those other things. They both remembered the silent war they'd entered over the summer. It had been a constant string of miscommunication, hurt feelings, and retreats. Without the man being right in her face, it had been easy for her to forget--until they got back to King's Cross and he was there again.
"It's not a coincidence if he keeps showing up, yeah?" This wasn't just in her head?
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Benji Laurence - 09-09-2025
His grin came wider when she shoved him, "Glad you like it. It seems to bother the hell out of everyone else." Not that he cared. Benji was long-past the days when he sat and moaned over what other people thought of him. The boy had come to realize with time, that his life was his and he was who he was. The people that liked him did, and the rest didn't really matter at the end of the day.
He took his pencil back when she handed it to him, hearing her apology that wasn't needed, but completely distracted at her explanation. He guessed that yeah, it was totally possible the bakery and candy store had been coincidences and probably why he hadn't noticed the man at all. But it was alarming that Rae had noticed him - enough to remember him and recognize him again at the station platform.
"It's him. No doubts. He was there when I got off the Express, too. I told Billie about him when we'd gone out to dinner that night--meant to tell you when we got to the facility, but then...we got distracted with other things."
"No, not a coincidence," he said quietly, taking his sketchpad back, his mind now working overtime to try and make sense of it. "And you don't know who he is? No idea whatsoever?"
It was creepy that there was a man possibly following her, and stranger that he didn't seem to be making a secret of it. Benji had gone up against grown men before and wouldn't hesitate to do so again if he thought his girlfriend - or any of his female friends - was in danger.
"What do you think he wants? I mean, if he wanted you, you don't think he would have said something by now?"
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Ruth Elliot - 09-10-2025
Ah, right, everyone else. How easy it was for her to forget they existed sometimes.
"Good thing you're not looking to date them."
Since their first year, there had always been people who, for one reason or the other, didn't think much of the pair, whether separately or together. Too loud, too stupid, too...everything.
There wasn't a time Rae ever cared. It was nothing to her whether she was liked. The girl and half her house were always at odds. She never lost sleep over someone thinking she needed to be more diligent with her homework or that she should be a better student in classes. The world had proven hard to please, and the young Slytherin had long since stopped trying.
Benji was getting there, too. In the beginning, he did care. Perception was everything to the Hufflepuff who'd been so sensitive about what others thought that he let it change him and affect their friendship. When he'd called her pretty, facing up to it in the aftermath had nearly destroyed the then 12-year-old boy. He couldn't imagine anyone thinking he liked girls.
The horror, truly.
It had been the same on the Quidditch pitch. His friends had taken to showing off, and not one to be outdone, he'd grabbed Morgan and kissed her like it meant something.
Merlin was she glad he'd grown out of needing the validation of others. Benji had clawed his way out of a toxic group of friends and everyone--including the boy himself--was better off for it.
"No, not a coincidence."
That's what she thought, too. There really was no way it could've all been in her head. Once, sure. Twice...worth an eyebrow raise and little more, but it was starting to feel like she ran into him every time she left the castle.
"And you don't know who he is? No idea whatsoever?"
"None," Rae confirmed with a shake of her head. Someone that persistent, surely she'd remember seeing them. "He gives me the heebie jeebies, always staring like he does. Makes my skin crawl." That wasn't a feeling she would tolerate for much longer.
"What do you think he wants? I mean, if he wanted you, you don't think he would have said something by now?"
"That's just it!" she continued, glad he'd brought up that point. "I don't know what he wants and don't think he's clocked that I know he's there." Rae knew better than to stare, even if the man didn't. Stolen glances were enough, over time, to paint her a clear enough picture. "So I was thinking..." her voice grew low as she leaned in. The silence of the afternoon made it feel almost like she had to whisper, not wanting to intrude on the garden's serenity with her schemes. "Next Hogsmeade weekend, he'll probably be there, too, yeah? I'm gonna confront him. I haven't told Billie I'm going to because she'd just tell me not to, but I can't have him following me for the rest of my life."
And without knowing what the man wanted, that outcome seemed every bit as likely as any other.
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Benji Laurence - 09-12-2025
"Good thing you're not looking to date them."
He couldn't help the grin that cracked across his features, his eyes flicking to hers briefly before he shoved his sketchbook and pencil back into his back.
In truth, Benji hadn't been looking to date anyone before he'd decided to ask Rae out. She'd been wanting him to for months, and he'd held out not sure it was something that he wanted or would even be good for them. He certainly wouldn't have asked anyone else out. He hadn't been interested in a girlfriend - at all - and liked just flirting and having fun.
Rae had changed that for him; it wasn't something anyone else would have been able to do.
And as much as it was fun to reminisce, he was more concerned about this weird bloke that had been apparently following her around.
"None. He gives me the heebie jeebies, always staring like he does. Makes my skin crawl. I don't know what he wants and don't think he's clocked that I know he's there."
It didn't help the unsettled feelings that had started coursing through him. A grown man staring at his girlfriend and just showing up in all the same places she was...it sounded sinister. Like maybe he was planning on grabbing her or something.
"Next Hogsmeade weekend, he'll probably be there, too, yeah? I'm gonna confront him. I haven't told Billie I'm going to because she'd just tell me not to, but I can't have him following me for the rest of my life."
"You're not going alone," Benji said decidedly. He knew there was no way he'd be able to stop her. Once Rae made up her mind about something, there was no convincing her otherwise. He'd prefer if she didn't go at all and tempt this would-be kidnapper (as Benji was now certain he was), but the best he could do was go with her and make sure she was safe.
"I'll be there with you, to watch. If he tries anything at all, I'll kick his ass from here to Spain."
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Ruth Elliot - 09-13-2025
"You're not going alone."
Her lips split, stretching slightly at the corners despite her best attempts to contain the smile. It was a tug-of-war the two had been engaged in for years. Rae had always been the independent sort who believed she could take care of things on her own. Benji had always thought it was his job to fix her problems and be the shield that guarded her from the worst of what the world could throw at her. It had been a point of contention in the beginning. She'd been stubborn in her insistence she didn't need him, and Benji had always taken it as a personal affront.
He felt he wasn't worth keeping and that she wouldn't have use for him if he wasn't protecting her, and she'd never understood the sentiment of wanting to be around someone who only wanted you for what you could offer.
They couldn't have been further apart in their views if they tried.
Things were slowly changing now. Benji finally understood that she truly didn't need him, that it was her want that saw her chasing him around every corner--and how much better that was. At the same time, Rae was learning that it was okay to let him be macho and want to protect her sometimes. The two ideas, once reconciled, really weren't so exclusive after all. She actually...liked the way he wanted to keep her safe. It brought a warmth to her insides that made her feel some of that delicateness she'd craved her whole life. It was almost like...permission to not be the stony fortress of self-containment and support the streets had forced her to be. In many ways, it was still terrifying, feeling herself falling into something resembling dependence, but they'd agreed they wouldn't think too much about everything and would simply be.
"I thought you'd say that." The smile she'd barely managed to contain broke into a full grin. Predictable Benji Laurence, her favourite person. Even in times when he was next-level, raging tornado mad at her, he could never hide his concern.
"And I've already got the perfect plan. I'll let myself be the bait. While he's watching me, you'll be watching him. There's an alley just off the high street--the one between the candy shop and Gigglewarts. I bet he'd follow me in there. You'd come in behind us--make sure you have your wand," though that likely went without saying.
"I'll confront him, tell him to shove off, and you'll be back up." If there was anyone she trusted to have her back, it was Benji. Her boyfriend was the scrappy sort. Even if they managed to be outpowered, she knew he wouldn't run scared.
He'd hold the line to the very end with her.
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Benji Laurence - 09-13-2025
"I thought you'd say that."
He gave a playful roll of his eyes at her smirk and shook his head, as he slung his bookbag over his shoulder. Ruth Elliot was a walking contradiction of a girl, but more than that, as transparent as glass sometimes. A girl that didn't want to be protected, but became practically giddy when he puffed up his chest on her behalf.
She used to scream at him, fury in her eyes, that she didn't need him. That she didn't want him trying to take care of her or shield her from anything. She was adamant that she could take care of herself, and had made it plain to him several times over. And then there were the moments when she was nervous or anxious about something, and without even realizing it she curled into him and let him hold her. While they weren't his favorite moments - as he liked her happy and bubbly and unbothered - he liked being the person she turned to and trusted when she felt scared.
He liked knowing he could provide that comfort to her. Even when she didn't ask for it.
In turn, he had learned that it was also important to let Rae be herself and give her what she needed in return. Space to be herself. Autonomy to live her life on her terms. Things that she demanded from the day he met her. And over the summer, she'd demanded more of him. No more running away, no more pulling inward when things got hard. He wasn't all the way there yet, but he was beginning to understand the give and take. And he was willing to try and meet her where she was.
"And I've already got the perfect plan. I'll let myself be the bait. While he's watching me, you'll be watching him. There's an alley just off the high street--the one between the candy shop and Gigglewarts. I bet he'd follow me in there. You'd come in behind us--make sure you have your wand. I'll confront him, tell him to shove off, and you'll be back up."
Benji nodded solemnly. He didn't like the idea of letting his girlfriend be the bait, but the man was after her, not him. "Right, and you understand to stick to that plan? No veering off suddenly or changing course. We stick to it, no matter what." It was imperative for her safety and his ability to predict what would happen next. "If at any point you get scared, or feel like things aren't going right before we can confront him, you scream, as loud as you can, and I'll take it from there."
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Ruth Elliot - 09-14-2025
Rae tied the stem of the final baby's breath, completing the crown. She held it up to have a look at it, scrutinising the colour combinations and whether she was fine with the finished product. Not too many daisies...not overwhelmed by the sprigs of baby's breath either. Yes, she'd say she was very satisfied.
"Right, and you understand to stick to that plan? No veering off suddenly or changing course."
"Mhm." Rae held the crown next to his face, deciding it wouldn't go well against his hazel fields at all.
"We stick to it, no matter what."
"Yeah." She reached out to plop it on his head of sandy brown waves, not at all put out by the way he immediately tried ducking and dodging out of the way while swatting at her hand. Rae swatted back, very used to this song and dance. This time, she hadn't actually made the crown for him. It was made to adorn her own unruly mane of hair, the colour and flowers chosen for the way they sat against the dark brown coils. It didn't mean she couldn't have a bit of fun.
"If at any point you get scared or feel like things aren't going right before we can confront him, you scream, as loud as you can, and I'll take it from there."
She snorted lightly, finally giving up on her pursuit of crowning the stubborn boy. "If I were scared, I wouldn't be trying to lure him into an alley." Rae plopped the crown onto her head, waiting for him to compliment her before rising to her feet. She stuck her hand out for him to take, wiggling her fingers invitingly.
"We'll stick to the plan, no sudden changes. I'll scream as loud as I did when we were trapped in that old magical defense professor's office if it comes to it." She laced her fingers with his, tugging him back through the garden. She'd accompany him to the next stop of his day before starting that transfiguration homework she'd been so fiercely putting on.
"And you don't try to play the hero either. We stick to the plan and jump ship the moment it goes south."
They'd get to the bottom of this, the two of them.
RE: The Bogeyman || Benji - Benji Laurence - 09-15-2025
"Mhm."
He made a face, nose wrinkled and eyebrows coming together, looking sideways at the flower crown as she held it up to him. She really wasn't trying this shit again, was she? It always ended in a shouting or wrestling match or...
Benji grinned slightly.
"Yeah."
Was she listening or - he darted, ducking quickly away as she tried to plop the stupid fucking thing on his head. He swiped at her hand, pressing his lips together in exasperation. "Knock it off," he almost whined, pushing her gently against her shoulder. Girls, or rather Rae. Always trying to make him look like a pansy, when he knew good and well she liked a man. He knew, on some level, she was messing with him, but she'd been so put off once by his lack of interest in flower crowns that she'd crowned someone else with one.
And snogged him.
Benji glowered at the memory.
"If I were scared, I wouldn't be trying to lure him into an alley."
His grin returned, hazel eyes falling on pretty brown. He reached up, noticing one of her curls sticking up in a weird way through the flowers. He gently untangled it, careful not to mess up the work she'd done, before letting the curl fall back against her face. His thumb followed, brushing lightly against her cheek, admiring how pretty she looked. See? Flowers were much better on her. He could stare at this all day.
"We'll stick to the plan, no sudden changes. I'll scream as loud as I did when we were trapped in that old magical defense professor's office if it comes to it."
Benji rolled his eyes at the mention of the man, but quickly pivoted, not wanting to linger there at all. "I know you will. That girl from the streets is still alive and well in there somewhere." He took her hand, groaning as he stood up and stretched his back, before leaning to steal a kiss for himself. He knew Rae could handle herself, but she was still tiny, and he didn't want the man thinking she'd be easy pickings if he didn't already.
"And you don't try to play the hero either. We stick to the plan and jump ship the moment it goes south."
"You got it kid," he said lightly, taking her hand in his and leading her from the garden, back towards the castle. His tone was easy and casual, but inside his chest there was a storm brewing.