It's a Hard life | Hardzello♡

22. About yesterday

"Are you're sure you're feeling good enough to go to Gwil's tonight? We can just stay home." Joe asks Ben concerned. Today it's the day of Christmas Eve, but it's also the day after Ben's accident. Which is why the ginger is on edge, and ready to take care of his boyfriend whenever it's necessary.
The Brit chuckles and nods. "Yes, don't worry sweetheart. We don't have to stay home." He says reassuringly as he comes out of the kitchen with a bowl of chips. He sits down next to Joe, and takes the boy's hand.
Joe shows Ben a little smile, but still isn't fully reassured. "Okay then. But you promise you'll tell me if you get tired or you're headache gets worse?" He intertwines their fingers, placing a small kiss onto the tip of Ben's nose.
Ben smiles and nods. "I will, I promise. Plus, we don't have to be at Gwil's for another three hours, right?" He glances at the clock with a slanted eye. 
Joe looks at the clock as well before nodding.
"That means I'll have plenty of time to rest. I'll just take some extra painkillers before we leave and everything will be fine." Ben says with a smile. He puts his head on Joe's chest and closes his eyes. 
Joe, finally reassured that his boyfriend is doing alright, puts his arms around Ben's body to pull him even closer.
As a long silence fills the room, slowly a tiny smile appears on Ben's face.
For the first time in his life, he isn't scared anymore.
Before he met Joe, he would be depressed for weeks after a incident like yesterday. Because no one cared about him. When he came home from the hospital because he got beaten up again, his parents didn't even ask what happened. He could be death for two weeks and they wouldn't have noticed.
But now, things have changed. Because when he opened his eyes yesterday after being beaten up, the first person he saw was his boyfriend. Joe is there for him. The boy cares about him, shows him that he is loved.

"Are you okay baby? What are you thinking of?" Joe's voice snaps Ben back to reality.
For a moment, Ben says nothing yet. He crooks his nose into Joe's hoodie, and inhales the ginger's scent. Somehow it really calms him down. "Just... thinking about yesterday." Ben mumbles. A smile appears on his face when he feels Joe playing with his hair.
"So, what happened? I mean, you don't have to tell me, but I don't want you to bottle it all up either." Joe says softly.
Ben looks up and smiles at his boyfriend reassuringly. "You're sweet. And you're right, I shouldn't bottle it up." He says. He takes a deep breath, and intertwines his fingers with Joe's. He puts his head back on the ginger's chest, mostly so he doesn't have to see his gaze.
Joe leans in to press a sweet kiss on top of Ben's head. "Take your time, okay? I'm here." He whispers when he feels Ben's muscles tense up.
Ben nods, snuggling a little deeper into Joe's chest. "So uhm, remember when I saw that guy on our date at the skating rink?"
Joe hums and nods.
"Well apparently he did see me after all. His name is Corey, and he's Allen's older brother. The guy has never liked me. After Allen's death, he turned the whole class against me. At some point they even threw a brick through the window of my bedroom. Which is the reason I dropped out of school just before I would graduate." Ben pauses his story for a moment, and looks up to meet Joe's eyes.
The two hazel colored eyes look at him with a pitying look, but they also reassure Ben. The ginger gently traces figures with his finger on Ben's shoulder, just to let him know he's here for the boy.
"Corey convinced my parents to kick me out. 'It's a scandal to call that killer your son', he said to them. And well, that's how I ended up in the snow." A smile appears on Ben's face when he feels that Joe pulls him closer against his chest. It really makes him feel safe.
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment. "And yesterday, it went like it always does. I ran into Corey on my way to Gwil. I tried to avoid him by taking another route, but he got me anyway. Luckily I was on the phone with Gwil because he was wondering where I was. And well... Corey just kept hitting me until I passed out. That's all I remember."
Joe bites his lip. "I'm never letting you go outside alone anymore." He whispers in Ben's ear.
The blond giggles softly and can feel his heart glow. "That's sweet." He mumbles with a big smile.
Joe smiles, and crooks his nose into Ben's blond hair. He briefly closes his eyes, just enjoying this moment.

"Benny? I have to tell you something about yesterday." Joe mumbles after a long nice silence.
Ben looks up, giving his boyfriend a questioning look. "What is it?" He asks curiously.
Joe swallows. "I... I was so scared that something would be seriously wrong, that I didn't manage to stay away from the alcohol." He admits. "It was just one sip while I was waiting for them to let me see you but still, I failed." The boy takes another breath to continue rambling, but doesn't when he feels Ben's hand caressing his cheek.
"Joey, calm down. This is good." Ben whispers with a smile.
Joe raises his eyebrows. "How is this good?"
Ben sits up a little, and crawls onto Joe's lap. "Well, you said that you're addicted, right?" He takes the ginger's hands in his own.
Joe nods, still not following where the blond is going with this.
"Well, you told me that before, you wouldn't stop drinking until you couldn't feel anything anymore. And yesterday, you stopped after one sip. That's progress!" Ben explains with a proud smile.
Slowly, Joe starts to smile as well. "I guess you're right. It's just... after that one sip the only thing I could think about is how I disappointed you." He says softly.
Ben shakes his head before leaning in for a kiss. "You could never disappoint me love." He says before wrapping his legs around Joe's torso and burying his face into the crook of the boy's neck. 

After a while of staying cuddled up like that, Joe breaks the silence. "So... don't hate me, but I'm afraid I have to leave you. I still have to buy a Christmas present for Lucy and Gwil." The ginger says with an innocent smile, slowly rubbing his hand up and down Ben's back.
Ben lets out a whiny noise. When he hears his boyfriend giggling softly, Ben looks up. "I was wrong, you can disappoint me. I wanna keep cuddling." He whines.
Joe rolls his eyes with a smile. "Come on Benny, I can't show up at Gwil's place without any presents, can I?"
Ben lets out a groan. "Well, only for this time then." He says before pressing a kiss on Joe's cheek. 
Joe escapes from under Ben, and walks towards the hallway to get his jacket. "Call me if you start to feel unwell, okay? Then I'll come home right away." He says to Ben after putting his jacket on.
A frown appears on Ben's face. "Well uhm- I would but I can't. My phone died yesterday. Because of, well... you know."
Joe thinks for a moment. "Ohw, uhm. Well then I'll just be quick, I guess." He says.
When Ben sees the quite concerned look in the ginger's eyes, he gets up from the couch and walks over to his boyfriend. He takes Joe's hands in his own. "Don't worry about me sweetheart. I feel totally fine. I promise." He shoots the ginger a reassuring smile, and leans in to peck his lips.
After a passionate kiss, the two look each other in the eye with both big smiles on their faces.
"Now go. I love you." Ben says while pushing the boy towards the front door.
A giggle is heard from Joe. "Okay then. I love you too." Before leaving, he gives Ben one last kiss.

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Hi guys!

I meant to upload this part sooner, but my boyfriend took me on a surprise holiday, so I didn't have any WiFi.

But here it is😁 I hope you enjoyed it?

Much love from me♡