[Settling down on the bench at least gives her a chance to set down the violin itself as well, a little shaky as she tries to be gentle with it. The hug is unexpected, though.
It's unexpected because Ben was definitely not the hugging type, but also because she's still... in shock over the fact that he's even here to begin with. It takes her a second, but she hesitantly places her hands around him, a very stiff return of the hug. Part of her wants to just... melt into him, and stay like that a while. But she's too afraid of pushing too hard. Too afraid of letting herself fall apart.
Too afraid to be that vulnerable again.
And then he pulls away, and Vanya finds she has to wipe at her nose a bit, which is embarrassing, but at least she's not otherwise feeling like she's about to start crying.]
Wait, you...
[At least until he says all that. The whole time, every time Klaus was there, Ben was... watching? Could Klaus see him all along?]
Klaus never said anything. You... If I knew you were...
[If she knew then... what? She doesn't know but she knows she'd like to. She has to cover her mouth, a reflex after being told she'll "catch flies" a few too many times when she was younger, but to know that someone you thought was gone for good was just... present through so much is, well, a lot to parse.
She's not sure if she's mad at Klaus or just trying to think back to whenever he was there in a panic, trying to make sure she didn't say anything she wouldn't want Ben to hear.
But that's pretty much everything she's ever said since he's been gone, probably.]
Did you ask him not to say anything?
[She doesn't want to consider that he just... lied to them for so long, at least not purposefully. And yet, this is just one more way her life never was what she thought it was for so many years.
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It's unexpected because Ben was definitely not the hugging type, but also because she's still... in shock over the fact that he's even here to begin with. It takes her a second, but she hesitantly places her hands around him, a very stiff return of the hug. Part of her wants to just... melt into him, and stay like that a while. But she's too afraid of pushing too hard. Too afraid of letting herself fall apart.
Too afraid to be that vulnerable again.
And then he pulls away, and Vanya finds she has to wipe at her nose a bit, which is embarrassing, but at least she's not otherwise feeling like she's about to start crying.]
Wait, you...
[At least until he says all that. The whole time, every time Klaus was there, Ben was... watching? Could Klaus see him all along?]
Klaus never said anything. You... If I knew you were...
[If she knew then... what? She doesn't know but she knows she'd like to. She has to cover her mouth, a reflex after being told she'll "catch flies" a few too many times when she was younger, but to know that someone you thought was gone for good was just... present through so much is, well, a lot to parse.
She's not sure if she's mad at Klaus or just trying to think back to whenever he was there in a panic, trying to make sure she didn't say anything she wouldn't want Ben to hear.
But that's pretty much everything she's ever said since he's been gone, probably.]
Did you ask him not to say anything?
[She doesn't want to consider that he just... lied to them for so long, at least not purposefully. And yet, this is just one more way her life never was what she thought it was for so many years.
She has to take a minute to remember to breathe.]