overture | newsies imagines

ben fankhauser || cheesy

TRUTH-OR-DARE
PART TWO

Years later, when you'd finally figured yourself out and Newsies came to a quick close, you realized just how much you liked Ben. It was tom late, you knew, as he was now engaged to be married and seemed to be way over his feelings for you. It was a terrible thing to think about, realizing you let someone slip so easily through your fingers. Lucky for you, you found ways to manufacture fake feelings for someone else and somehow move on. Now, much like Ben, you were engaged, and perfectly happy.

Though perfectly happy wasn't real, and you knew that.

Your hope arose when Disney asked you to portray your role as the only female newsie for the live film version of the musical. Ben was also casted in his original role, as you'd learned from your old friend Jeremy Jordan. This meant a reunion that could, hopefully, help you find closure on the feelings still sharp in your chest.

The morning of your first rehearsal, nothing was going your way. None of the shirts you wanted to wear looked right, your engagement ring fell down into the sink, the lace on your taps ripped off, you'd had a heated argument with your fiancé. Every and all odds were against you.

It only got worse when you made it to the studio. As you were walking into the lobby, you spotted Ben and his fiancé with locked lips in the corner, a very spontaneous goodbye, it seemed. You tried not to watch, and pushed your way through the air thickening around your body. You'd tripped on the doorframe into the rehearsal room, and bashed into Ben Cook, someone you'd never met before. Of course, while trying to apologize to him, you accidentally smacked him in the face, which resulted into you almost breaking down into tears.

Jeremy quickly came to your rescue, pulling you tot he tightest corner of the room and hugging your for twenty minutes straight. Then, Ben entered the room and caught eyes with you. He quickly strode to your side, enveloping you in much-needed hug. You didn't want to let go, neither of you did. But eventually rehearsal started and you were forced to go to your separate warm-up areas.

Weeks passed, without any word from either of you on things that happened years ago. Not that you really expected it; it was a small little crush neither of you knew meant so much more. It wasn't until the movie premiere that anything was said. Ben and his fiancé were sat at a table with you and your partner-to-be. Her tongue was all over his lips and teeth nibbling his ear the entire night.

Your fiancé was bored and annoyed, which you knew would result in a major fight later that night. He rolled his eyes at every person who introduced themselves, didn't pay attention when the movie was played, he didn't give any thought to your accomplishment. Ben seemed to notice this and continuously sent you encouraging smiles from across the table.

Later that night, your fiancé had wondered to what you hoped was the bad and Ben's to the restroom to reapply the hundredth layer of makeup. Now the two of you were alone at the table, Jeremy and his wife off dancing to the rhythm of the music blasting through the speakers. Helpless from Hamilton rang through the speakers and you perked up. This was your favorite song in the entire world and you almost always forced your fiancé to dance with. He, however, was drowning in whiskey and vodka.

Ben noticed your smile fade from across the table and quickly stood, grabbing your hand in his. He pulled you the center of the room, spinning and twirling you to the beat of Eliza Schuyler's voice. Your giggles were loud and clear above the music, the grin evident underneath your blush-red face. Ben pulled you tightly to his chest whenever the first verse began, one hand on your waist, the other holding yours close to his heart. He rocked you side to side, never breaking eye contact with you.

When the chorus began again, he spun you in and out of his grip. This pattern continued throughout the entire song, until the very end, when the wedding bells sang and the tempo slowed to The Next Ten Minutes from The Last Five Years. Ben's eyes glazed over with some type of courage and he intertwined his hands with you.

"This is super cheesy and really against everything I believe in, but would you share the next ten minutes with me?" He licked his lips and curled them between his teeth nervously.

You slowly nodded before he started tugging you out of the room. You traveled down a few hallways before reaching a spot away from the loud music and both of your lovers. He pressed you up against the wall, toying with your fingers and brushing his thumb over your cheek. He didn't kiss you, nor did he try to talk. Instead he let the two of you stand there in complete silence as you processed your feelings.

When he seemed to have some type of new understanding, he breathed deeply and spoke, "I never realized how far deep I'd fallen all those years ago. I never realized that my little crush was so much more than that. That you mean so much more to me than what I'd originally thought. And it sucks because both of us are grown now, and soon to be married, and there's nothing I can do. I hate myself for letting you get away."

"Don't," you crinkled your eyes in disagreement. "Don't hate yourself. I was the one who walked away from something beautiful. I wish I'd said yes, I wish I'd never let myself feel as though I had to find me before I found us."

Ben flickered his eyes to the sky before catching yours again. "Are we really going to let those people stop us from loving each other?"

"I wasn't planning on it," you tugged him closer by the collar of his button down and prepared to kiss him before realizing it was wrong. He pulled himself back a few steps and nodded. You knew what you had to do.

You pulled the ring off of your finger and matched up to your fiancé, who was passed out in a puddle of spilled vodka. You called security to pull him from the property and kindly handed him the ring with a 'thank you'. You gave him on swift kiss on the cheek and stepped back inside the theater. You didn't know where Ben was, but you did know when you saw each other, it was going to be cheesy and rushed. And oh, so beautiful.

So, when you reached your table, you wriggled your feet from your heels, tucked your hair behind your ears, and set off down the hallway you'd just been in with him. He wasn't there nor was he in the hallway to the bathrooms. He was, however, waiting at the end of the next hallway you stepped into. You didn't know where it led to, but you didn't really care. You only cared about him.

You began shuffling towards him, fumbling with your hands in front of you. He grinned at you from down he hall, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and approached you. When you were halfway to your destination, you cursed under your breath and picked up your pace. You weren't but a few steps away from him when you reached out and crashed your lips into his.