When Murphy pulled away from the kiss, Ben's lips were upturned in a smile. It was good to feel free around Murphy again, that kisses and touches like that weren't awkward. He'd worried that they would be, but was massively relieved they were not. He'd never had a close platonic relationship with anyone like this before, and he valued it dearly. The small touches, the hand holding, the little kisses. Many a time he'd seen girls behave this way with their friends, and he'd envied them. It wasn't until Murphy had become his friend that he'd discovered he could have it too. It wasn't until his self-inflicted split with Murphy that he realised how much he needed him.
"You're welcome, Murph," he said, and felt a great deal more lighthearted. "The Academy," he said, slapping his knee lightly with his hand to be an ending of one conversation and the start of another. "It's going to be a place of supernatural education. Learning about all the different powers, or maybe even tapping into them, if you're a supernatural," he mused, remembering what Conner had said. It hadn't been the vein he'd been thinking, but it was a good idea nonetheless. "And for mortals, too, I think. How to protect yourself. That should be setup, too," he said.