Alternate Universes: Family Issues

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ᾏrmageddon





Armageddon looked at the food held out to him then at Ben's face. He had his suspicions, but with his stomach like this he didn't have room to complain. His red eyes flickered back to the food and he leaned in to take the bite in his mouth. It was incredibly hot, but it also tasted incredibly good. "Hmm. Not bad, kid." he nodded in approval and wiped the corner of his mouth.

 

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⊗ βenjamin Ғoster ⊗



The teen smiled and clasped his hands in front of himself. "I'm glad you like it, Armageddon!" he said, beaming with pride. Taking four other plates, the teen loaded them with ziti and set them aside, putting the half-empty pan of ziti in the cooled oven. He then reached into a counter and pulled out a tray, setting the plates and forks on the tray and sighing. "It's dinnertime, so I'm going to bring these to everyone in the other room. Please, enjoy!" With another bright smile, he lifted the tray and started out of the room carefully. "M-Meg? Darrell? ... Scary other ones?" he called, frilly blue apron rustling slightly with his movement as he looked around. "I-I made d-dinner for you!"

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ᾏrmageddon





Gus and Zeke were in the middle of a heated battle of PlayStation All-Stars with Meg watching from an armchair and Darrell on the other chair and a book in his hand. He and Meg turned their heads when they heard Ben and got up from their seats.
"Oh, it looks delicious!" Meg commented while gratefully taking a plate into her hands. "Thank you!" she smiled gratefully at him.
"Did you cook this yourself?" Darrell asked as he took a bite from his dish. He made a noise of approval. "Very nice. I like how you used the seasonings." he praised while scooping up another bite. After swallowing it, he turned his head to his brothers. "Gus! Zeke! Come get some dinner or else you'll be up all night!"
"Pfft, I'll be up anyway kicking Zeke's butt!" Gus taunted and laughed when his younger brother punched his arm.
"Shut up!" Zeke seethed then looked over to see what the smell was. "Hey, why do you look like a girl?" he grunted at Ben, earning Gus' attention.
"What kinda food is that?" he asked when he saw the tray.
"Ziti." Darrell replied.
"Zits?"
"Ziti."
"Zebra?"
"Ziti."
"Never heard of it!"

 

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⊗ βenjamin Ғoster ⊗



He peeked over at Meg with a shy smile. "You're very welcome, it was my pleasure!" Ben blushed under Darrell's praise, bowing his head slightly and biting his lip. "Th-thank you! My mother was never much of a cook, so I had to teach myself from a young age," he said graciously. "I'm not the best, but I'm good at following and memorizing recipes, and I try really hard!" Before he could forget himself, Benjamin took a step closer to the two, curling inward a bit when Zeke critisized his appearance. "I-I couldn't f-f-find a different ap-apr-apron," he replied with a soft, timid voice, setting the tray on the table and moving the plates off the tray, setting them closer to the two. "Z-ziti is a ty-type of pasta m-made with meat, tomato sauce, n-noodles, and cheese. It's r-really good, if you'll tr-try it. I wanted to get you all some w-wine to accompany, b-but I'm not permitted i-in the wine cellar an-anymore, and I couldn't rem-me-meber your ages. Please, ask i-if you need anything else!" He stood and tucked the tray under his arm, keeping his head bowed as he turned and started back to the kitchen, not even bothering to expect a "thank-you" from the other two brothers.

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ᾏrmageddon





"Quit stuttering. It's annoying." Zeke growled, focusing on the video game again. He seem satisfied to see that he was winning, but that was only because Gus was eating his food. Not for long, though. Gus swallowed his bite, but he grimaced as he did so. "Yeech! That's gross!" he criticized.
"Gus, be nice." Darrell scolded before looking back at Ben with a soft smile. "Despite how my brothers act, I assure you we're more than old enough to drink. You know - Benjamin, was it? - I could teach you some of my own cooking methods, if you'd like. My siblings are good at their own specialties, and I am good with cooking fish and soup. You'd be amazed at how many dishes can be created from them."

 

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⊗ βenjamin Ғoster ⊗



Benjamin turned back as he was addressed, opening his mouth to reply to Zeke when Gus decided to voice his opinion of Ben's food. Tears sprang to his eyes at his reaction. This recipe was a special one that he'd learned from Grandma Hattie before she went away with that frightening lady with white hair, and it was... gross? He brought his free hand to his mouth, covering the trembling chin, and was about to turn and flee when he heard the kind Darrell's words. "I... I would like that very much," he said before turning again, his back to the siblings. "I... I'm sorry if I... Goodbye!" His voice was soft as he rushed away, scampering back into the kitchen and leaning on the door. He didn't even bother to see if Armageddon was still in there. Benjamin merely reached up and started to yank the apron off, tossing it onto the counter before rushing to the door and out into the Greenhouse, gulping back the tears and sobs. How could those two be so mean to him all the time? It wasn't like he was taking up anyone's time, since they barely stuck around their father as it was. Why did they hate him so much? What... What was so terrible about him?

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ᾏrmageddon





"Ben, wait-!" But before anyone could do anything, Ben had run off.

Back in the kitchen, Armageddon had his back leaned against the counter and the tray of pasta in his hands. He'd never admit it to the kid, but this was some pretty damn tasty food! He had gone through a good chunk of the remaining half when he noticed Ben run back in, to where he scrambled to hide the tray from sight by hiding it behind him. "Er, hey, kid." he tried to say as nonchalantly as possible. Turns out he didn't need to, because the boy ran off as quickly as he was there. Armageddon blinked and raised an eyebrow. Setting the tray back into the oven, the demon followed after him, finding him in the Greenhouse. "Alright, kid, what's the matter this time." he grunted as he walked towards Ben.

 

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⊗ βenjamin Ғoster ⊗



Ben sat under a small cluster of trees, light streaming in to light him up through the leaves. He had his knees pulled up under his chin, arms wrapped around his legs and hiding his face. Upon hearing Armageddon, he looked up, then away. "I don't... I d-don't know why th-they hate me so m-much," he sniffled, lower lip tremblign once again. "Mean Gus and Mean Zeke... They're so mean!" He let out another sob, burying his face back in his arms as his shoulders shook. The motion moved his shirt, and had Armageddon looked at the right angle, he would've seen a collection of bruises, old and new, several the shape of the aforementioned step-sibling's hands. He even had a decently large bruise on his back from a prank gone wrong the other day. Well, at least he assumed it was a prank gone wrong. Who knew anymore?

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ᾏrmageddon





Armageddon raised an eyebrow at Ben and, with a sigh, began walking over to him. "That's a natural thing. Kids don't like having to share parents. Don't try actin' like you didn't like my kids at first, either." he said while digging his hand into his coat pocket. He sighed again when Ben started sobbing. "Look, kid, you can't get upset every time they say somethin'. That's only gonna make 'em want to do that more." he said. He leaned down to give the boy another half-hug, but that was when he saw the bruises covering Ben's body. Armageddon caught his breath at the sight and quickly straightened up. "What happened?" he asked in a serious tone, his red eyes shining with what might've been anger.

 

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⊗ βenjamin Ғoster ⊗



"Yes, well I didn't hate them," he murmured miserably. Not expecting Armageddon to have seen his bruises, he was confused at his words. Looking up, he tilted his head, before his eyes followed his step-father's. With a gasp, he covered the bruises up again and curled back into a ball. "It's n-nothing!" he cried, squeezing his eyes shut. "Just... Just ignore it!"

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ᾏrmageddon





"Hell no." Armageddon refused. He reached out and gripped Ben's chin, forcing eye contact. "I may have been forced into this marriage, but you're still my kid. Now tell me who did this to you!"

 

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⊗ βenjamin Ғoster ⊗



Ben whimpered as eye contact was forced, and tearful eyes gazed up at Armageddon's fierce ones. "I... I... It was... Zeke and Gus," he whispered, his voice weak by the time he finally gave in and told on his step-siblings. Oh great, now he was REALLY going to get it!

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ᾏrmageddon





Armageddon's proud red eyes widened slightly when he heard who the culprits were. His kids? Why would... Was that why Ben was crying on the floor when he woke up? His expression slowly turned serious and he freed his grip on the boy. "I'll be back." he said in a low tone and turned to walk off, ignoring anything Ben might've said or done to try and stop him.

 

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⊗ βenjamin Ғoster ⊗



"Wh-what? No!!" he pleaded, reaching out in an attempt to stop the demon. But he was already too far away by then, and Ben was left grasping the air. With a sniffle, he leaned back against the tree, wrapping his arms around himself in preparation. "They're going to kill me," he murmured to himself, whimpering at the thought.

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brb, gonna eat... and watch Phantom of the Opera cause I never got to start it

Darrell


The white-haired man had tried to follow after Ben so that he could comfort him, as he did with all the victims of his brothers' foolishness, though he had lost the trail. He stood in the garden outside, a stumped look on his face, and tried to recall where he had seen Ben run off to. But it was no use, if he thought of Ben then it could only be of that sweet smile of his when he offered them food. He looked fairly beautiful for a man. Darrell opened his eyes and pursed his lips. Did he just blush at the thought of another man?
As he tried to shake off such strange and confusing feelings, he noticed a figure walking towards him. Looking up, he saw his father.
"Where's Zeke and Gus?" Armageddon demanded in a serious tone. An obvious sign that he wasn't happy. Assuming it was, as always, a prank the two had pulled, Darrell sighed and nodded towards the house's innards. "They're still playing their video game in the living room." he said. Before he could ask why exactly his father was so mad, the demon stormed inside. Darrell watched him go for a second then looked over to where he had come from. The Greenhouse. Now why would his father go there? Last time he checked, he wasn't at all a fan of gardening. Curious, Darrell walked towards in and stepped inside. Just three steps and he was able to see Ben crying on the floor. "Ben?" the white-haired male blinked and rushed to his side. "So this is where you were hiding. Are you alright?" he asked gently while crouching beside him, a concerned look on his face.