Chapter 6 – Parents

The door creaked open, and Benjamin’s father stepped into the room, his expression a mix of irritation and concern. "Benjamin, what the fu—" His sentence trailed off the moment his eyes landed on Benjamin.

They stared at each other in stunned silence, Benjamin frozen in place, still hugging his tail tightly to his chest, his heart pounding in his ears. His father’s eyes widened, confusion and shock written all over his face. It was clear he had no idea who the girl sitting in front of him was.

The silence felt suffocating, each second stretching out longer than the last. Benjamin’s father blinked, his gaze flickering between the unfamiliar girl and the room he knew belonged to his son. The confusion deepened in his expression, but he said nothing, waiting, unsure what to make of the scene before him.

Benjamin’s mind was blank. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t explain. The weight of the moment pressed down on him, and all he could do was stare back, praying for some way out of this nightmare.

"Eh, Who are you?" his dad asked, his voice thick with disbelief. He stood there, frozen in the doorway, staring at Benjamin like he couldn’t trust his own eyes. Which, Benjamin realized, made sense. To his father, there was no reason a random girl with fox ears and a tail would be sitting in his son’s bedroom.

Benjamin opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. His throat tightened, and his chest heaved with the weight of everything he was feeling—fear, confusion, the overwhelming need to explain what even he didn’t understand. But the words refused to come.

Instead, tears welled up and spilled over, streaming down his face uncontrollably. The tears felt like they’d been waiting to fall for hours, maybe even longer. His ears flattened on his head, and he clutched his tail tighter, squeezing it to the point of pain, but it was the only thing keeping him grounded. He wanted to say something, anything, to explain who he was and what was happening, but the fear of how his father would react or even believe him held his voice hostage. All he could do was sit there, trembling, his heart breaking under the weight of it all.

His father took a cautious step forward, his confusion deepening as he saw the tears. He clearly didn’t know what to do, and Benjamin felt more lost than ever.

Benjamin’s father moved toward him cautiously, still grappling with what he was seeing. His face was a mix of concern and hesitation, unsure how to handle the situation unfolding before him. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, his voice trying to soothe the trembling figure in front of him. “No need to cry.”

For a moment, Benjamin was stunned by his father’s reaction. He had expected confusion, anger, questions—anything but this gentle response. And then, without fully understanding why, his father sat beside him and placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. The warmth of his father’s touch felt oddly reassuring, despite the strangeness of the moment.

As Benjamin clutched his tail even tighter, his father began to rub his back in slow, gentle circles, trying to calm the girl he thought was a stranger. The gesture was so familiar, so comforting, that it stirred something deep inside Benjamin. Tears continued to flow down his cheeks, but now they were mixed with a deep ache—the kind that comes from feeling both comforted and completely lost.

His father’s presence, though confused, was still calming, and Benjamin felt a tiny bit of the tension in his chest begin to ease. But even with his father’s arm around him, the truth of who he was and the overwhelming fear of what came next loomed large in his mind.

"So, uh, mind telling me who you are?" his dad asked gently, though his voice carried the weight of confusion.

Benjamin swallowed hard, his lips trembling as he tried to force the words out. “Dad,” he whispered, barely audible, his voice shaky and uneven.

His father blinked, visibly taken aback. "Dad?" he repeated, his confusion deepening. "Oh, uh... I’m not so sure about that." He glanced at Benjamin, clearly trying to piece together the situation. The words felt like a punch to Benjamin’s chest, even though he knew they weren’t meant to hurt. Tears welled up again, faster now, and his body began to shake as the emotion overwhelmed him.

Seeing the wave of fresh tears, his father’s expression shifted, softening with concern. “Hey, hey, okay, I’m your dad. It’s alright. Please, stop crying,” he said, his arm tightening around Benjamin’s shoulders. His voice took on a more desperate tone, unsure how to fix something he couldn’t understand.

Benjamin couldn’t stop, though. The flood of emotions—confusion, fear, and the sharp ache from not being recognized—was too much. His father’s attempt at comfort only made him feel more vulnerable, but at the same time, he clung to the idea that his dad was trying to reach out, even if he didn’t understand what was happening.

“I- I’m B- Benjamin,” he finally managed to choke out between sobs, his voice trembling and raw.

His father’s hand paused mid-rub on his back, and he looked at him with confusion etched deep into his face. His brow furrowed, clearly struggling to make sense of what he'd just heard. “Benjamin?” he repeated, his voice filled with disbelief.

But even as the confusion lingered in his eyes, his father continued to comfort him. He continued to gently rub Benjamin’s back, his arm still wrapped around him, though now with a touch of uncertainty. The name clearly didn’t fit what his father was seeing, but the concern in his gestures stayed constant, even if his understanding didn’t.

At that moment, the door creaked open again, and Benjamin’s mom walked in, her face filled with concern. “Jack, what’s taking so long? Is Benjamin okay?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

She froze in place the moment her eyes landed on the scene—an unfamiliar girl with fox ears, hugging a bushy red tail, being comforted by her husband. Her expression shifted to one of shock, her mouth slightly open as she tried to process what she was seeing.

Jack, still holding Benjamin close, glanced awkwardly at his wife. “So, uh... Emily,” he started, clearly unsure how to explain. “You’re not going to believe this, but... she says she’s Benjamin.”

Emily stood there, her gaze flicking between the girl on the bed and her husband, struggling to grasp what was happening. The room fell into a tense, bewildered silence as she processed the impossible situation before her.

“Benjamin?” Emily asked, her voice shaky with disbelief.

Benjamin nodded, tears still brimming in his eyes. He could see the confusion and doubt in both of his parents' faces. His heart pounded as he tried to explain, the words stumbling out between sobs. “I... I was playing the game, and somehow I ended up with a girl character, which shouldn’t even be possible,” he began, his voice trembling. “And then, when I woke up after going to bed, I... I was still my character from the game.”

Jack and Emily exchanged a quick, bewildered glance. They were both clearly struggling to process the impossible situation unfolding in front of them.

“So... you’re really Benjamin?” Jack asked cautiously.

Benjamin nodded again, feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Emily inhaled sharply. “Okay,” she said, her voice steadier now, though still laced with doubt. “Then you should be able to answer a couple questions. Things only Benjamin would know.”

Jack glanced at her, then turned back to Benjamin. “Alright, let’s start simple,” Jack said, his brow furrowed. “What’s the name of the first pet you begged us to get when you were six?”

“Miss Fluff,” Benjamin responded without hesitation, his voice barely above a whisper. “The three legged hamster.”

Jack nodded slowly, still processing, but the doubt lingered.

Emily stepped forward, her arms crossed. “Alright... who did you give your favorite action figure to when you were eight? The one you never let anyone touch.”

Benjamin hesitated for only a moment. “I gave it to Sarah... when she was sad because her parents were fighting.”

The room went still for a moment, the tension thick. Emily blinked, visibly shaken by the correct answer.

Jack exhaled, the disbelief in his face softening slightly. He leaned closer. “One more thing... what was the name of the treehouse we built together when you were ten?”

Benjamin’s lip quivered as he replied, “The Eagle’s Nest. We named it after the bird we saw that day.”

Jack and Emily exchanged glances again, the shock on their faces clear. It was hard to believe, but this girl in front of them, despite her unfamiliar form, was their son, or now daughter.

His mom rushed forward, wrapping Benjamin in a tight hug, her emotions overwhelming her as she held him close. “Oh, Benjamin!” she cried, her voice trembling with relief and concern. She pulled back slightly, her eyes wide with a flood of questions. “Should I still call you Benjamin? Is this permanent? Are the tail and ears real?”

She looked at him, her hands hovering near his head as if to touch his ears but hesitating. The questions came out in rapid succession, and Benjamin, still reeling from everything, just sat there, unsure how to answer. He was glad, at least, that his parents weren’t freaking out more than they did now, but the sheer weight of the situation and his mother’s barrage of questions left him speechless.

He clutched his tail tighter, his mind spinning, and his ears twitched slightly in response to his mom’s intense gaze.

"Take it easy, Emmy," Jack said softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You’re overwhelming him, eh, her?"

Emily blinked, pulling back a bit, realizing her rush of emotions. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said, her voice softer now. She sat beside him on the bed, her expression still full of concern but a little more measured. “It’s just... we don’t understand what’s going on.”

Benjamin nodded, still not knowing how to explain it himself.

After what felt like an eternity of being hugged and comforted by his parents, Benjamin let out a long, exhausted yawn. His body felt drained, both from the emotions and the sheer confusion of everything that had happened. His parents exchanged a glance as they noticed the tiredness in his eyes.

“Maybe we should continue this tomorrow,” his father suggested gently, his voice low. “It’s 3 AM, and I think we all need time to process... everything.”

Emily nodded, brushing a hand lightly through Benjamin’s hair, careful around his sensitive fox ears. “You’ve had a lot to deal with, and so have we,” she said softly. “We’ll figure it out, okay? But for now, you should rest.”

Benjamin nodded, feeling a deep wave of fatigue settle over him. He appreciated that his parents were taking this as calmly as they were, even though he could tell they were just as confused and overwhelmed as he was. As they quietly left the room, he pulled his blanket around himself, his mind still spinning but too tired to keep thinking. He closed his eyes, hoping that somehow, everything would make more sense in the morning.