Can't Turn Back Now, I'm Haunted (A Ben Willbond Rom Com)

Oneshot | Telling Larry

AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

HEY GUYS!
What can I say, I missed Maggie and Ben and the gang and decided to do a requested one-shot -- a couple of my Ao3 readers suggested exploring what it would be like for them to come clean to Larry, and I LOVED the prompt.
So I had a blast revisiting this world and writing a nice, fluffy, MILDLY BARELY ALMOST SMUTTY lil one-shot :) Any suggestions for other one-shots welcome -- and it's months away, but hey, maybe we'll do a Christmas special!

Enjoy, love you all <3

SUMMARY: After admitting their feelings to each other on the roof of the BBC, Maggie and Ben tell Larry the truth.

The pub was busy that night. Warm, raucous laughter floated over the candle-lit tables and mingled with the live fiddle music lilting from the corner, all the way over to our little high-top near the massive, crackling fireplace — and in direct tonal conflict with the stone cold glare coming across the tabletop from Larry. He sat with his back straight, his brow knit, his mouth steeled in a scolding frown.

"Larry." I tilted my eyebrows at him pleadingly. "Larry please don't be mad."

"It's not that we didn't want to tell you, mate," joined Ben, leaning forward on his elbows. "Actually, I wanted to tell you from the beginning."

"No you didn't!" I frowned at him. "You were the one who said 'lets keep this to ourselves at work'!"

"Yeah, at first!" He shot me an amused glare that said 'not helping'. "Not once things got serious, of course I'd want to tell my best friend!"

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed through gritted teeth. "You're really throwing me under the bus right now?"

"I'm just saying, my bond of trust with my best friend," he leaned further across the table and gave Larry a pointed look. "... is intact and I would never betray it on purpose!"

Larry held up a hand and we stopped squabbling, settling into our chairs like scolded children. He looked back and forth between us, still as bewildered as when we had first come back down to the office after kissing on the roof, after telling each other how we really felt. His face hadn't lost that comically shocked expression since he first noticed that upon reappearing, Ben's hand was tightly holding mine.

"When did this all start?"

I cleared my throat and looked over at Ben expectantly.

"You're doing all the talking anyway," I muttered with an amused smirk. "Go ahead."

"Technically speaking," he sighed, looking over at me. "It started when we kissed at Martha's party."

"Martha's—" Larry's brow furrowed, like he was doing math in his head. "What, the first episode wrap party? When?? I was with you the whole time!"

"Actually, you sort of..." I cringed, twisting my fingers nervously. "... walked in on us."

He looked aghast.

"When??"

"I don't know!" I chuckled, shrugging. "We were out on the stoop, you went in to get a drink, and one thing led to another!"

I felt a giddy release of dopamine every time I re-told the story, even in an abbreviated form. I'd tell each person in the bar how Ben and I got together if they asked -- and it wouldn't get old.

There was a long pause as we watched him carefully, hoping that he would take it alright.

With relief, I saw Larry's confused face fade into a knowing smirk. He folded his arms over his chest and looked at Ben with a smug sparkle in his eye.