Long Away

Chapter 25

Ben woke up to Roger playing with his hair. He remained still, not wanting him to stop. After a while, Roger let out a content sigh.
"God, how are you so perfect," he whispered.
Ben smiled and finally opened his eyes.
"It's a secret," he said. Roger, who was hovering over him, flinched.
"You're awake?"
"Barely," Ben said.
"What else did you hear?", Roger asked, looking a bit flustered.
"Nothing," Ben said truthfully, "but now I'm curious."
Roger laid back down next to Ben, arms crossed behind his head.
"You're gonna have to stay curious then," he said. Ben pouted and looked at him with big eyes. It got a laugh out of Roger.

"So, we still have until tonight before Freddie comes back. Is there anything you want to use that time for?", Roger changed the subject. Ben hummed, thinking. He did have an idea or two, laying in bed with the most gorgeous man he had ever seen didn't leave him unfazed, and it had been a while since he had been able to take care of his needs, but he wasn't sure if it was too early to ask.
"Were you thinking of anything in particular?", he carefully returned the question.

"I'm fine with anything," Roger said. That didn't really answer Ben's question.
"Anything?", he asked, while slowly moving his hand down from Roger's chest to his hip. He froze under his touch, and when Ben looked up at his face he saw that his eyes were wide with discomfort. He immediately retrieved his hand.
"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?", he stammered. Roger looked away.
"It's fine," he said quietly. Ben was not convinced in the slightest.
"No, it's not fine if you're uncomfortable," he said.

Roger took a deep breath, still avoiding Ben's gaze. It worried him a little.
"Darling? Please look at me," Ben told him. Roger slowly turned his head.
"Can I hold your hands?", Ben asked. His boyfriend nodded. He took his hands and looked deeply into his eyes as he spoke.
"I'm sorry. It's perfectly fine if you're not ready yet. It was just an idea, but I can wait. And I will. Okay?"
"Okay," Roger whispered.
"Good." Ben kissed both of his hands.
"Because I really lo-ike you."
Roger giggled. Ben felt relieved to see him smiling again.

"Come here, you," Roger said, pulling Ben into a hug. He pressed his lips against Ben's cheek.
"I lo-ike you too," he said.
"And just to be clear, this has nothing to do with you. I just...", he seemed at a loss of words.
"Hey, it's okay, you don't need to explain yourself," Ben said. "I get it."
"Okay," Roger mumbled.
"So, we still haven't decided what we're going to do today," Ben said. "Is it okay if we cuddle for a bit longer?"
"Sure. I'd like that," Roger agreed.
"Do you like it, or do you lo-ike it?", Ben teased him.
"Oh shut up." Roger playfully punched his arm. They both laughed.

Later that morning Ben prepared a nice breakfast while Roger took a shower. He felt he needed to make up for his slip-up earlier and prove to his boyfriend that he wasn't just after his body.
He was just cutting up tomatoes to serve with the eggs and sausages that were cooking in a pan on the stove, when the phone in the living room rang. He quickly turned off the heat before hurrying over to answer it.

"Ben Jones," he said.
"Hey Ben," a female voice replied. "Is Roger there?"
"Oh, hi Clare. Roger is taking a shower, but he should be done soon," Ben explained. "Is everything alright?"
"Not really, to be honest," Clare admitted. "I kinda accidentally outed myself."
"Oh. To both of your parents?"
"Yeah... You can imagine how well that went." Clare laughed, but it sounded forced.
"Yes, I can. Is there anything Rog and I can do for you?", Ben wanted to know. Clare hesitated.
"Maybe. But I think I'd rather talk to Rog first."
"Of course. I can tell him to hurry up if you want?"
"That might be better, yeah."

Ben put the phone down and went to knock on the bathroom door. As soon as he did, the noise of water running stopped.
"Yes?"
"Rog, Clare is calling. There is a problem and she needs to talk to you."
"Ah shit. Tell her to give me a minute, I just put shampoo in my hair."
"I will." Ben did as he was told. Not even three minutes later Roger came out of the bathroom with a towel messily wrapped around his head. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ben couldn't help but smile about how cute he looked. He gave Roger the phone and went back into the kitchen.

"What's up Clare?"
Ben turned the stove back on and began setting the table.
"He said what?!"
Ben flinched when Roger raised his voice.
"Oh that miserable bastard! He's lucky I'm not there right now. And mom really didn't say anything about it? What the hell... No, don't even worry about that, of course you can come here for a while, we'll figure something out. Yes. Yes of course that's okay, I'm not letting you sleep on the street in the middle of the winter, dummy. Yes, of course. Do you still remember the bus stop? Good. I'll come and pick you up from there. Just look up when your bus arrives and call me again, okay? I'll talk to Ben in the meantime. Okay. Bye."

Ben gave Roger a questioning look. He was shocked by what he had just heard.
"Our father really just kicked her out," Roger said.
"He did not..." Ben was baffled.
"Yes, he did. Clare asked if she could stay here until she finds somewhere else to crash. She currently can't afford to rent an apartment alone and all of her friends still live with their parents too."
"It is starting to get a little full here," Ben said.
"Yeah, but we'll figure something out. Not like we have much of a choice." Roger sighed. Ben walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him.
"I'm sorry your father is such an asshole," he said.
"Yeah. Me too," Roger mumbled.

***
Hey guys! Sorry to bring the drama back so soon, but... Okay no, I'm not. Actually, you should be grateful I'm easing you in now before things get real bad. Looking forward to that!

Tay