Work Text:
The Central Oil District always seemed like a rather mundane area compared to all the other districts around Toontown. It was the main hub, it was where all the Toons started and eventually grew out of to explore far more interesting and themed places. But there was always something so intriguing about the place, not because of the Toons in the HQ, not even because the mayor lived there, but because of the Suit activity.
There were very few times a Suit had been able to infiltrate the “Playground” as Toons called it. It was a safe haven for the Toons but a disaster for a Suit to even step foot in. The place was packed with Toons, it would simply be foolish to even attempt to make your way in!
And yet one Suit made it their home.
The British Suit eyed his nerdish co-worker curiously in the Sellbot HQ’s conference room while their boss had been giving them a spiel, he had been so fascinated by him since the day he was hired. He had always been a closed off one, kept to himself but at the same time, seemed so desperate for validation and attention from his peers, even if the way he got that attention was from being… for lack of a better term: annoying.
It was almost shocking to the Bellringer how such a Suit was able to sneak into The Central Oil District’s playground, let alone set up his own living space there.
At least, that’s what was rumored anyways, no one was for sure if these claims were true, the Prethinker’s previous work left much to be desired, and his plans in the past hadn’t exactly gone his way.
Ben had spent hours scraping through his workplace’s website, sticking his nonexistent nose into his fellow co-workers' records. He found that the ones he shared a department with seemed to have the most amusing entries, the Bellringer had definitely hit a jackpot when it came to a workplace.
C.O.G.S Incorporated had such an interesting history, such interesting people, and most importantly, he was able to blow up his co-workers and he would get paid for it! If that isn’t a good deal then I don’t know what is. No wonder his old colleagues were so fascinated by this place, too bad they weren’t lucky enough to get hired, hah! He was always able to one up them in anything he did, he outgrew them, he outranked them, he was simply better than them .
No use thinking about the past however, he had to set his mind into the present, it was the only thing that mattered at the moment, even if it seemed so fleeting, the present is always there, only when you thought about the past or the future is when the present truly leaves you.
The Brit blinked, catching view of Brian’s judgemental and analytical stare as he hadn’t realised his eyes had been locked onto his co-worker for the entirety of the meeting until now. The bell Suit tilted his head before the other quickly averted his gaze, focusing back on the meeting.
The reaction was almost cute, charming even. For someone with such a big talk he seemed easily flustered. Perhaps Ben should keep that in mind, part of him wanted to see how far he can push that little brainiac, he wanted to see what his limits were.
“Hey.”
Ben perked up at the monotone voice, turning to see the Vice President’s son in the seat next to him.
“Somethin’ the matter, mate?”
The television headed Suit looked at him blankly as the noise of their father rambling droned on in the background.
“With you maybe. Normally you and Brian answer all the rhetorical questions thrown around in these meetings but it seems like you’ve ran out of things to say.”
Ben raised a brow, it was very rare that Cathal actually cared about what their employees were doing, most of the time they would only talk to that Goon that brought them sandwiches.
“Is my behavior botherin’ you?”
They shrugged, bulbs on the top of their head flickering. “No, not really. It’s just different I guess.”
They gestured a little to themselves, “It just makes these meetings at least a little more interesting, adds a bit more… flavor. Love my dad and all, but this is boring, no matter how fun he tries to make it.”
As if on queue, their boss wraps up the meeting, looking over at the very much distracted employees in front of him.
“-Any questions, you lot?”
Their boss was only met with silence as an awkward cough echoed around the room. The sellbots looked expectantly at Brian, waiting to see if he had something to say.
“Nothing? Well that’s a first!”
Allan cocked his head, following the crowd and directing his gaze toward Brian too.
“Not even you have anything to say?”
The brainiac glanced around at all the Suits staring at him, starting to feel himself slowly melt at their gaze. He cleared his throat, trying to collect himself as he passed one last glance at the bell.
As he was about to speak, a certain speedster leaned back on his chair, legs propped up against the conference table as he elbows the Prethinker.
“Heh. You rendered the little nerd speechless for once! Thank cog!”
Brian almost growled at Graham in frustration, the surface of his braincase fogging up before puffs of steam escaped his joints.
“As I was going to say before I got rudely interrupted- No. I heard your instructions loud and clear. No further clarification needed.”
Their boss clapped their hands together, a smile growing on his face as he turned his body to the exit. “Alright! That’s a wrap, folks! I’ll see you all soon.”
He very slowly makes his way out due to his tractor wheels, it was almost ridiculous how much of a snail’s pace he was running at, Ben wonders how he even got anything done.
The Brit stares at Brian once more as the conference room empties itself, watching him step out of his seat in a rather cautious manner, the brainiac looking around himself, seeming to avert his gaze from anyone in the room. The condensation on his braincase almost looked like nervous sweat as he looked flustered once again.
Ben follows suit, stepping out of his seat and briefly stretching, feeling the gears in his body pop back into place, he felt like he was getting old, but thinking about it, compared to the other hires he probably didn’t come close to ‘old’ yet.
“I s’pose that’s my queue. Off to the street I go again.”
Before he could walk off he felt a hand grab the hem of his Suit. He jerked back, looking over to see who the culprit was.
“You were really out of it, huh?” The television headed Suit met his gaze again, their expression almost… uncharacteristically smug.
“Whatever could you mean, love?” He gently patted away Cathal’s hand, brows knitted in confusion.
“Didn’t you listen? All of our duties are in the HQ today, you’re off your street shift.”
He felt his face warm up in embarrassment… it wasn’t so often that he missed a memo.
“Ah… I see, apologies, mate.”
They quietly scoff, “Anyways, you and Brian were tasked with sprucing up the Mr. Hollywoods in their quarters. My dad talked about taking inspiration from Dave when it came to advertising and entertainment or whatever. What fun.”
The Bellringer chuckled to himself, “Oh, well, I’m quite familiar with Brubot and his crew. I’ll do a fine job I reckon.”
Cathal’s eyes shifted to emulate a raised brow. “Sure…”
They take a few steps back, making their way out of the room. Before they left, they rested their hand on the door frame and turned back one last time to face the other.
“You’ve been acting weird. How about you meet me later? Watching cameras gets boring, you know? I want someone to talk to. You know where to find me.”
Ben’s eyes widened in surprise as he watched the Vice President’s son walk out of the room. Something about that interaction felt a little different. Cathal’s mannerisms were always very one note, underwhelming, lazy, but maybe there was something Ben hadn’t seen yet… something he would see soon.
…
…
The Bellringer stepped into the Mr. Hollywood’s quarters, different types of Suits usually weren’t separated into different areas but because of how big and loud the Mr. Hollywood’s work tends to be, they were eventually mandated their own space. The Hollywood’s absolutely loved to gossip, to be honest, the entire Sellbot department had very loose lips, but it was always that the Mr. Hollywoods had the most scoop. The amount of workplace drama almost made Ben faint, it was all so entertaining.
Ben’s eyes were met with the sight of Brian struggling to straighten out a Mr. Hollywood’s suit, the aforementioned Hollywood’s already huge smile trembling as he tries to hold in a laugh.
“Ugh, looking presentable should be your responsibility! I should’ve requested a duty change when I had the chance.”
Mr. Hollywood scoffed, adjusting his shades. “Well, I was expectin’ an all star service, not…” He gestures toward Brian, straightening himself up to further emphasise their height difference. “This.”
Brian’s brain heated up in frustration, while it would be fun to watch the little brainiac go mad, the Bellringer felt a little out of place just simply watching, he had to make his presence known.
“Well, perhaps I could lend you a hand, hm?”
The steam vented out of the brainiac’s head as he whipped over to Ben’s direction. “Oh great, it’s you.”
The Prethinker wags his head, placing his hands on his hips as he regains his composure. “You’re late, you know? I’ve tidied up at least 3 Mr. Hollywoods in the time you weren’t present.”
The Hollywood from earlier chimes in, voice dripping in cockiness, “It’s a miracle he was able to do one!”
Another bout of steam escapes Brian’s joints as his eyes knitted in frustration. “Why you-!”
Ben places a hand on Brian’s braincase, feeling how hot it is to the touch, despite that he didn’t pull his hand away. “Settle down now, love. I could ‘andle it. How about you go and deal with the cameras and such, you seem like the technical type.”
Brian raised a brow, however he wasn’t opposed by the suggestion. “Fine.”
That wasn’t a word Ben said often, “seemed”, he was always definite and so confident when it came to describing other people, he knew their ins and outs, he could often accurately predict their next course of action, but that didn’t apply to Brian. Ironically, he could barely guess what that Suit was even thinking, he was mysterious, and that air of mystery around him was intriguing, it drew Ben in.
The Brit tried to shake off the burning sensation on his hand, placing his hand on something that was boiling hot was probably not the best decision, if Brian were more calm he probably would’ve had something witty to say to him. Probably .
He locked back into the task at hand, carefully patting down and adjusting the Mr. Hollywood’s suit. The cog squirmed a little but showed little resistance. Ben glanced up, seeing the Hollywood fan himself with his hand as he tidied him up, a smug look graced his face as he watched how he reacted. It always amused him whenever he was able to rile other people up, it made him feel like he had more control in an odd way, even if it felt a little malicious. It was all in good fun! …At least it was now.
The other sellbot manager peeked at them, raising his brow in annoyance. He went on with setting up the Mr. Hollywood’s equipment, trying to ignore the others in the room.
A few moments passed by, not a word exchanged to each other, it almost felt like they were ignoring each other on purpose. They’ve just been so… awkward today, so on edge, it was suffocating. It was obvious there was some kind of… mutual interest in each other, at least to Ben, they kept passing glances the whole day, throughout their entire employment together it felt like they were trying to get more from each other. But what was that more? He couldn’t tell you. They felt like anomalies, out of place, they were strange.
“You never said why you were late by the way.” Brian spoke up as he dropped a box of miscellaneous props next to the recording equipment.
“What’s it to you? You don’t plan on dobbing me in, do you?” Ben adjusted the last Mr. Hollywood’s tie, waving his hand to say ‘you can go now.’
The Prethinker rolls his eyes, sitting down on the floor next to Ben, “Hmph, if you annoy me enough, maybe.”
“Haha, you are so amusing, you know that?” The Brit chuckled, as he joined by Brian’s side.
“You’re avoiding the question.” Brian grumbled, clearly trying to poke and prod something out of the other.
“Fine, fine. I just got caught up with something prior, nothing dodgy, I promise.” The other raised a brow at his answer, Ben was nothing but ‘dodgy.’
“Sure, don’t think I didn’t catch you staring at me that entire meeting.” Ben reeled back in surprise at that, the other perked up at his reaction, almost feeling like he had an edge over the Bellringer for a moment. To be honest, the Brit had thought they weren’t going to acknowledge it.
“Ah, I ‘adn't realised I was staring.” That was true, but the other wasn’t aware that he had still been thinking of him while he was doing it.
Brian quirked a brow, “If it was an accident which I highly doubt it is, I suppose I could excuse that.”
The brainiac picked at the bolts on his knuckles, mumbling under his breath.
“...You’re fascinating.”
A quiet chime rang through the room as Ben tilted his head. “Am I now?”
The Prethinker’s face flushed in embarrassment. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“I don’t know, you tell me, love. Now I know for sure you said something. ” He chuckled, clapper gently swinging inside his head.
The other groans, placing a hand over his face. “You really love to test me, don’t you?”
“What gave it away?”
“You’re lucky I actually enjoy talking to you, unlike those other nuisances.”
Ben blinks at him in befuddlement, “You do?”
A puff of steam escapes Brian as he realizes he slipped up. “ONLY because we’re on a similar intellectual level, however, I am STILL superior to you.”
The Bellringer tilts his head, a curious look in his eye. Now he was really interested, he wondered how much he could just prod out of this one. “Is that all? ”
His eyes nervously dart around as he mutters quietly, “I just know there’s… more to you.”
There it was again, more . More, more, more! This odd longing for more, but more of what? Information? Unfortunately for Brian, anything relating to Ben was confidential.
Maybe he should just ask what Brian means, maybe hearing his point of view would help him better understand what he wants from him too.
“What do you mean by… more?”
The brainiac paused for a moment, he had to really think about what he meant. What he was feeling was sincere, genuine, but he wasn’t sure why he felt these things, his feelings right now were just so… illogical. He didn’t like feeling like this.
“I…”
He hesitates, a rattling inside his chassis could be heard as his systems sped up, the feeling of anxiety slowly creeping up in his chest.
Ben’s expression softened as it appeared Brian was slowly becoming more distressed, he didn’t know such a simple question weighed this much.
Well… it wasn’t really simple at all, Ben could hardly answer that question himself.
It was so deceptively simple, but there was always more under the surface.
The Bellringer reached a hand out, placing it on the other’s shoulder, feeling him shudder, feeling the current of electricity flowing through him, feeling the turn of his gears. It was almost… intimate.
The other wanted to pull away, but it felt like his body was rooted into the ground. This feeling, this… vulnerability , he hated it.
Ben gently squeezed his shoulder, trying to ground him but he still seemed out of it. His breathing grew heavy as the brainiac tried to look anywhere but at him.
He could try something but it might be a little… risky.
Ding…
Ding…
Ding…
The Brit softly rang his head, a soothing chime ringing around the room. Brian tilted his head up, slowly facing Ben as the light oscillations almost hypnotized him as the sound invaded his auditory receivers.
A gentle healing sensation blanketed everyone who heard the sound, their bodies thrumming with electricity as they felt themselves become overhealed.
They both sat there for a moment, the entire room gone silent as Ben massaged circles into Brian’s shoulder, letting him simmer down and process his feelings.
Slowly but surely Brian pulls away from his touch, the other almost silently mourns for the loss as he catches his breath, the brainiac eyeing the bell as if he were some kind of frightened animal.
“Brian… are you quite alright?”
The other shakes his head, slowly backing away before standing up.
“I need some time to think.”
He turns on his heel, cautiously ambling out of the room as Ben just sat there, staring longingly at him.
He might’ve just lost his chance.
“...Yikes.”
Ben turns to look behind him, seeing a few Mr. Hollywoods shoot concerned looks at each other, it seemed as if they were watching the entire time.
“...We’ll give ya some time off the stage. Sorry.”
…
…
Gentle chimes rang through the staircase as Ben’s bell swayed back and forth through each step. This staircase was so needlessly long, there was no reason for that besides being a massive inconvenience. He wonders how Cathal even finds the energy to walk up and down these, sure, they spend most of their day sitting down at the top, but they’ve got to come down eventually.
He arrived at the top, dusting himself off before giving the big steel door three polite knocks on its surface.
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
“...You can come in.”
The Bellringer slowly opens the door, met with the sight of the Multislacker sitting at their desk, facing a multitude of screens as they just finish up eating a sandwich.
The television headed Suit eyes morph questioningly as they sit up more prominently in their chair.
“You’re looking more weird than before, one of those days, huh?”
Ben sighs, rubbing the back of his head. “Is it really written all over my face?”
Cathal shrugs. “Well, I had some context clues.” They tapped one of the security camera screens, showing a few Mr. Hollywoods chatting away on their lunch break.
“I was watching you and Brian perform your duties, since, well…” They fiddle with their hands. “That’s my job and all.”
The Bellringer scoffs, pulling over another chair to sit next to Cathal. “Hah, since when do you ever do your bloody job, mate?”
The other slouches back on their chair, a little creak crying out of it. “When it’s convenient or interesting.”
Ben rolls his eyes, crossing his legs as he sits. “You’re secretly a cheeky one, huh? Did those Mr. Hollywoods ever slag me off after that whole ordeal?”
They shrug. “Not that I know of.” They poke the screen again, pressing the side of their head to it. “I can’t hear these things.”
The Brit hums to himself, tapping the side of his bell. “Hm, good to know.”
The other chuckles to themself, staring at the monitor’s activity. “I hope you don’t plan on doing anything sneaky.” They tilt their head, antennas dangling from their hat. “Because I won’t be paying attention.”
“Hah, another good thing to know.”
Cathal blinks at him before shrugging him off again. “Whatever you do, if it doesn’t involve me, I won’t do anything about it.”
“C’mon, mate, don’t I fit your interesting criteria?”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” The television headed Suit kicks back on their chair. “You know how I am.”
Ben nods in response, but there was still something weighing on his mind.
“Why’d you ask me to come here?” His tone was dipped in curiosity, idly tapping his foot on the ground as he awaited a response.
Cathal shot him an unimpressed look, well, more unimpressed than usual, it was difficult to tell what the little Suit was thinking just from expression alone.
“I told you, didn't I?” They sigh, slouching more into their seat. “I was bored.”
The Bellringer raised a brow, he wasn’t satisfied by that answer, but he decided not to press further. It may not seem like it but Cathal was stubborn , they were adamant about… whatever they have going on. The only person they really listened to was their father, and even then, they were aware that they could get away with doing nothing. Ben was somewhat envious of their nepotism, but at the same time, they only made his own achievements seem more impressive as a result, there are so many things these Suits are unaware of when it comes to him. He was proud, but… somewhat guilty about it. It didn’t matter, because at the end of the day they were in the dark. All they needed to know was that he was superior.
…thinking about it now, he’s starting to sound a lot like Brian.
Ben rolls his eyes, “If you say so, I suppose your job isn’t the most entertaining.”
The television headed Suit let out a little hum, “Well, it is, I’ve got endless material on these screens.”
They point to a show that was playing on one of the monitor screens, it displayed a little detective film. The main character was a duck detective, a duck-tective if you will, who seemed to have his own ragtag detective group solving mysteries.
The Brit watched as the images danced across the screen, it seemed like the duck-tective was having a heated argument with one of his hand headed compatriots.
“It gets boring after a while though, even with so much to watch. This feels like the hundredth time Ducktective has argued with Hand Holder, I wonder why they’re even still a team.” Ben glanced over at Cathal as he felt an odd sting in his chest, like something icy cold was starting to fester inside his chassis. He wonders alright.
“The routine gets monotonous after a while, even if I’m so used to doing it sometimes I can’t help but want to feel as if I have an input.” The Brit’s brows lifted at that, now things were starting to click into place. Cathal always tried to keep up an unbothered and nonchalant attitude, Ben was sure that wasn’t a mask, that’s how they usually acted, but there was a hint of care in them, a small insecurity, a small desire for some kind of control… clarity. In an odd way, Ben could relate, but he was already on his journey to achieving that, Cathal was still at level 1. They were giving small hints that they cared , about themselves and about their coworkers, right now, they cared about whatever Ben was going through.
In their mind, talking Ben through this would give them some sense of achievement, they helped someone out of their own volition, they weren’t told to do it. Ben gets it now.
“I understand that, in some ways I could relate. Y’know, these Toons seem to know how to make their lives a whole lot more interestin’. At least, that’s what I’ve gathered from brawling with them all the time.”
Cathal nods, “I don’t feel like being controversial, but we could really take a page out of their book.”
The other chuckles, “Well, Brian tries to do that, don’t he?”
“In the worst way possible, but yeah, I guess.”
Cathal sits up slightly in their seat, spotting something on one of the monitors. “Wow, speak of the devilray, there he is.”
Ben perked up, “Toonisms don’t suit y- wait what.” He stared at the screen Cathal was eyeing and low and behold there he was, the boastful brainiac himself writing in some kind of small book.
“He keeps a diary, neat.” The Vice President’s son commented, squinting to see if whatever he’s writing was legible, unfortunately, he was too far away from the camera for even one letter to be decipherable.
The Bellringer feels a lightbulb metaphorically form at that rather blank statement. This diary could change everything, it could give Ben all he needed to know about Brian, his ins and outs, he could know it all, and it was all behind that purple leather cover. It could contain so much fuel for gossip, it could contain his deepest and darkest secrets and desires, heck, Ben could barely contain himself. He needed to know what was in there.
“Where do you reckon he keeps that?” He blurts out, almost to himself, unfortunately, it did not fall under deaf ears.
Cathal’s antennas twitch in response, “You’re not thinking about stealing it, are you?”
“Accusing me of being a little peeping Tom, are you? I’m simply… curious.”
The other rolls their eyes, they could tell Ben put no effort into lying. “Y’know, I could tell you when he clocks out, and I know where he stays over when he’s off the clock too.”
Ben blinks in befuddlement, “You’d do that for me?”
They shrug again, wagging their head. “Got nothing better to do, and hey, you’ve shown me the appeal of sticking my head into other people’s business.”
The Brit puts on an almost proud look at that as Cathal ruffled through the papers on their desk.
They pull out a crumpled sheet with a ‘woosh’, passing it to Ben.
“He’s had a few reports of needing support at this ‘Schoolhouse Basement’ in the Central Oil District. You probably can’t miss it, the buildings are very distinctive over where the Toons are.”
He nods, looking down at the paper in front of him, reports scrawled onto them as he felt some kind of feeling bloom in his chest.
…
…
The propeller on Brian’s back spun idly in the air as he flew back to the Central Oil District, his diary held against his chest. The sky was growing dark as he strayed further from the HQ, he couldn’t help but think back to whatever had happened when he was working with Ben. It was all that was on his mind, it was driving him mad, he wanted to know why, why all of that happened, why Ben did that, and why he… felt like that?
He didn’t like his feelings that much, they were uncomfortable, illogical, they didn’t make any sense. There was no consistent solution or explanation for his feelings. He pushed them aside in favor of intellect, because that was measurable, understandable! It just made sense , and yet, no one understood that sentiment, it was hard being the only person who was right .
He shook his head as he approached his ‘home base’, carefully descending so as to not alert any Toons nearby, he always had to return at night, he couldn’t risk being caught and outed.
With a click he pried the basement door open, walking in and making his way through the auditorium. As he makes his way down the stairs he stumbles on the steps, almost face planting if it were not for him grabbing onto a nearby seat.
His diary was flung behind him as he stumbled, glancing around as he caught his breath. He straightened himself up and turned on his heel to pick up his diary, only to see it was nowhere to be found.
He cocked his head in confusion, scanning the area around him.
His heart stopped as soon as he heard another voice ring across the room, a familiar British tone recounting words only he had known.
“My boss had a ‘chat’ with me, he had recommended that I use a diary to catalogue my feelings and achievements, since he had noticed I had been… in his words: ‘ particularly rowdy’. Hmph! I’ll have him know I’m the most well behaved compared to the other ruffians in this company! He just refuses to acknowledge that I am often the right one, and that he can be wrong. HOWEVER, I do not want this notebook to go to waste, perhaps I will use it for some other purpose…”
Brian slowly turned his head back, catching sight of Ben sitting on one of the auditorium seats in front of him, his diary carefully grasped in his hands.
“...You.”
Ben chuckles, tilting his head as he flips to another page, “Oh, ‘ello there, love. Didn’t see you there.”
The Prethinker shakes, steam starting to emit from his joints once again.
“You’ve gone out of your way to find out my deepest darkest secrets within that diary, huh? For what? For kicks? For gossip?”
“Of course, you’d know about it, you’re so nosy it’s nauseating. Just have to get yourself into everything, are you that desperate for attention?” He grumbled, clenching his fists as Ben stared nonchalantly at him. Did he even know what he was doing?
“I’m simply… curious about you, love. It’s all in good fun, I promise.” Fun? Fun? Was this his idea of fun? A complete breach of privacy, boundaries, everything? He kept giving off mixed signals, was he good or not? Every nice act, every polite greeting, was it all just a mask? That moment they had in the HQ, was all of that false too? That… care in his eye, the gentle chime of his bell… was it all just so he could snoop around in his basement…?
“What do you mean by… more?”
“Brian… are you quite alright?”
His heart ached as he thought about that moment again, it all felt so genuine there was no way it was all just a fluke… there had to be a reason why he had been doing this in the first place, why was he just so interested in him? Why was he so insistent on getting under his skin? Why, why, why?
He was trying to get something out of him, he could tell, but what was it?
What more could he want?
Those vague allusions the brainiac kept making, he wanted him to elaborate, but he couldn’t, he just couldn’t because he could barely understand it himself.
It’s what he wanted too, he wanted to know what Ben was thinking, what he himself was thinking. Why did he have such an odd fascination with this Suit? He’s never really broken it down before.
He keeps so many secrets.
He’s so hard to read.
He’s… visually appealing.
There was a dormant desire in Brian that only flared up when he was around Ben. The desire to… learn and understand . That was what Brian valued most, knowledge… information. Ben was full of hidden secrets and motives, if he was able to understand that… he’d feel…
…
He knows that with the way Ben is, there’s no way he’d express how he feels to Brian, he can see that now. From his observations, perhaps… Ben has those same feelings too, however, that hypothesis only had a 10% of being correct.
He has to take initiative , to make the first move. That’s what Ben was trying to push him to do.
Because he was afraid to do it himself.
Ben cannot let himself be vulnerable, so he had to depend on Brian to initiate… whatever this was.
…
Brian clenched his fist tight, almost to the point where it pained him,“If you want to know me so bad… I’ll let you. I’ll open myself up to you. You better savor this, Biggs, because an opportunity like this will never happen again.” The other’s eyes widened, as if he was expecting him to fight back.
This Suit was always so full of surprises.
The Brit cleared his throat, speaking as clearly as he could.
“I had such an ingenious plan today! I spent a majority of my budget on depleting those wretched Toons of their ‘gags!’ Maybe I could even use these ones for my own gain… hah, yes. This is the perfect plan!!!”
“My plan has been put into action, and well… It did not play out as intended. While I was capable of utilizing these gags against those disgusting Toons, it almost seemed like they had an infinite supply of those gags! I bought around 100 with those funds! How is this possible?!”
“I ended up getting written up for ‘fund mismanagement’. This will not look good on my record.”
“Ugh, Ruffler becomes more and more annoying by the minute. I can’t stand him anymore! I was willing to tolerate him the first hundred times he had come over to bother me, but no matter how hard I try I simply cannot understand him! What are his motives? His goals? His dreams? What does he want with me? Does he simply just want to be a nuisance? Because he surely is proficient in that! I simply cannot comprehend what is going on in his head, if only there were just a way to… fix him.”
Brian winced at that entry, his heart clenching as he knew what was about to come around soon.
“I had gotten written up for ‘insubordination’ for apparently being too sassy toward our boss. Pfft! I find it all ridiculous, all I was doing was telling the truth! That man does not need more energy, simply falling from that roof Every. Single. Day. Is enough to get him to perk up more than cogfee ever could! Am I wrong? Hmph, everyday our boss just keeps proving how incompetent he is. He and his nepotistic son will never be shown my respect.”
“Today I made a blunder, a really detrimental one. For once I don’t know what I did, the side effects weren’t supposed to be that severe! Ruffler had attacked me after his Tune-up repair and it left us both in critical states, moreso him than me, I could’ve never predicted that this would happen! It wasn’t my fault… Right? Hmph, no. It was his fault for not reading the terms and conditions, a classic mistake, one that I had never made. I just hope he fully recovers, I don’t want that damage on my conscience.”
The Prethinker deflates, his chest filling with guilt. Despite that, Ben kept reading, completely absorbed in the writing, not only for the juicy information it held, but because he could see Brian’s thought processes, his inner workings, his perspective… it was all he could ever hope for.
“I’ve been keeping my distance from Brubot. I have a feeling he holds some kind of vendetta against me. I could never be 100% sure without confronting him head on, but I just have a hunch, and my instincts have never failed me! Never.”
“He’s just been… quiet. Along with that he's been giving me odd glances. I don’t know what he’s so stirred up about. I didn’t do anything wrong. Ruffler will be fine . He’s always the lucky one.”
Ben turned to the next page, his eyes widening at the contents as he slowly read aloud, heart pumping.
“That ‘Benjamin Biggs’ recruit really likes to stick his nonexistent nose into everyone’s business doesn’t he? He’s been in the company far longer than I have at this point, but one thing’s for sure, he hasn’t found out anything about me and I would like to keep it that way. I just know he’s looking for ways to break those boundaries, literal and metaphorical. I’ve seen him snooping around the basement finding a way to break in, he thinks he’s so sly doesn’t he? Well he has another thing coming! I can’t stand him, that snooty, nosy, brat. His mannerisms, the way he acts, the way he looks at me.”
“What I’m feeling, this feeling he’s instilling into me… it must be hate .”
“I HATE him.”
“He makes me feel.”
“He makes me feel.”
“HATRED.”
“Yet, I want to know more about him. This must be out of spite. I’ve got to know my enemy.”
The Prethinker looked down on the ground in shame, clenching the fabric of his sleeve as he watched Ben step out of his seat, now standing in front of the other. He pulled out a pen from his pocket as he flipped the page. Brian tilted his head up at him in curiosity, lost and confused.
“Brian “The Prethinker” is quite the interesting Suit, I can tell, there are so many secrets hidden within that glass case of his. I often see him isolating himself, nested within the Central Oil District, whatever could he be doing? No one really seemed to know. I know every in and out of every manager in this company: their quirks, their strengths, their weaknesses, their mistakes… except for his… heck, I didn’t even know his bloody last name! No one did. What was this Suit’s deal? That was a question I’d ask myself a countless amount of times.”
“But, I suppose I always loved prying closed cases wide open. Why not have a little fun and see just how much I can get out of this Suit? So I tried to get as much information out of this ‘Brian’ individual as I possibly could. However, the more and more I interacted with this odd personality, the more and more I grew… intrigued. This book only further enhanced my intrigue toward this person. Such interesting entries contained in such a small and almost childish diary. It made me want to go out of my way to go on this… search for more .”
His head tilts up with a subtle chime, making eye contact with the brainiac, he could feel his heart racing as he listened to each word that came out of his speakers.
“Perhaps it had gone a little too far, I became too fixated on this idea of finding out more that maybe I had… crossed a line. I had realised that what I wanted wasn’t just to know more about Brian, rather, I wanted to know him. It felt more than just a mission to discover more information, now I wanted to develop a better understanding of him as a person, and quite possibly, a connection of some kind . I’ve been chasing this desire to feel someone’s vulnerability, but I had completely missed the mark. This feeling requires a mutual understanding, and for a while now, I was adamant he would immediately shut down the thought. Until today.”
Brian’s eyes widened as he felt the other take a deep breath.
“It was as if he were reading my mind.”
He closed the diary, popping the pen back into his pocket.
The Prethinker stared at him, his eyes full of astonishment, confusion, questions and… closure?
It was hard to describe, feelings were not his forte but in some odd way, he completely understood what Ben meant, it’s as if he had dug into his mind and verbalised his confusing thoughts, not only that, those thoughts were shared, he thought in the same ways he did, and yet they were so different. Nobody would say that Ben and Brian were the same, and yet it felt like their minds were cut out of the same cloth. He could see his vision.
“My methods are not the most ethical.”
The Bellringer holds the diary out to him, eyes soft and showing no intent to take it for himself.
“I apologize, but I hope you understand now.”
The other takes it from him, holding it close to his chest, almost as if he were cherishing the words held inside.
“I think I do.”
Brian scratches the back of his head, “Hmph, I always have. I just… didn’t see it till now.”
He blinks up at Ben as he draws himself closer, carefully stepping toward the brainiac as if he were to make one wrong move everything would fall apart.
His hand gently hovers toward Brian’s face, silently asking for permission to touch him.
The other slowly leans into his hand, feeling just how tender yet calculated Ben’s touch is.
He hadn’t felt so close to anyone before, there hadn’t been a moment in his time where he felt more vulnerable than now, it was terrifying, it felt wrong almost, but at the same time it felt so oddly powerful. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but all he knew was that he wanted more of it.
“This will be a secret we keep between you and I.”
The Brit closed the gap between them, resting his clapper on his head, emulating a kiss on the forehead.
Brian felt all thoughts halt to a stop as he shut his eyes, revelling in the feeling.
All too soon, Ben pulls away, Brian almost whined at the loss of sensation as he watched Ben slowly amble his way up the stairs.
“W-wait!” Brian blurted out without thinking. His face grew red as his brain started to steam up again.
Ben briefly turned back, tilting his head curiously, his eyes having a small glint of hope.
“Tomorrow, the cogs have their sights set on taking over the Laughter Hours Cafe in ‘Loopy Lane.’” He crosses his arms to the slight tremble in his body.
“I have important business to discuss with you, so meet me there, 9am, ASAP.”
Ben perked up, a quiet snicker coming out of him.
“It’s a date.”
“A what.”