Double Trouble (discontinued)

Honest

"So," Benji sips his tea, "About yesterday."

Tate, across from him in a slightly plushier sweater in the usual shade of black, tries unsuccessfully to hide his blush. He's nervous; Benji can tell by the way he won't stop tangling his fingers together. "Wh-what about it? I don't recall anything- anything out of the ordinary."

Benji shoots him a dry look, which Tate pointedly ignores. "C'mon, Tater Tot, we need to talk about th-"

"Excuse me?" Tate splutters, red in the face, tongue too large for his mouth. "Tater tot? Don't you refer to me like that in public. Blasphemy." A tiny part of him is warmer because of the pet name, and he tries to squash it, again, unsuccessfully.

"We kissed. I can call you whatever I like."

"Shut up, you clod." The smaller of the two throws back the last bit of his mocha, wincing at the way it scorches his throat. "We did not kiss, we- We barely grazed." He flushes as though it's an obscene thing to say. "And we aren't talking about it."

Benji hums, shrugs. He fakes a thoughtful stare out of the window. "Okay." Then, just before Tate responds, he leans across the table and pecks Tate on the lips. A flare bursts in his chest, like last time but smaller. Benji smiles this time, because he knows what it is.

Tate stares at him like he's gone mad. He cups his mouth in his hand, lips parted, and warmer than before. "What the fuck-"

"You said we weren't going to talk about it," Benji winks. "So, let's not talk."

"Gross." But, his face is glowing strawberry pink, and it's impossible to hide all of it. "You're gross."

Benji huffs, eye roll at the ready. "Bull. You like kissing me."

"I don't!" And Tate knows that he might be causing a scene in this little Starbucks, but he can't bring himself to lower his voice. "I don't like touching you at all!"

Benji kisses him again, this time on the forehead, which makes Tate dizzier than their first kiss had. "Then, stop letting me kiss you. Stop letting me touch you. You know I'll stop if you really want me to." He pulls Tate's hand towards him, kissing the tip of his index finger. He knows that boys usually lose it a little when he does this, hopes it'll crack Tate.

Tate falls for the bait. He flushes cinnamon hot, too busy watching the way Benji's lips frame his finger and shivering from the little puffs of breath on his hand to say more than, "I know."

Benji kisses the next finger, letting his teeth graze it lightly. "Good. So, you want me to kiss you?"

"Yea- No. No, I don't n-need a man. You're just cu- persuasive. Annoying." Tate reaches for his empty cup, clinks the edge against his teeth before he remembers its vacancy. "Stop doing that," he mumbles. "Can't think."

Appreciative of the honesty, Benji nods. He replaces Tate's hand. "Okay." There's a pause, and Benji feels his heart rate pick up. As great as he is at smooth talking, he's never dealt well with silences. As he opens his mouth, his phone buzzes.

From: Jude 👅

Rudy misses you... and so do I. Come by sometime? I'll cook for you 🍽🍽

Benji smiles, scolds himself for smiling. He's decided not to let them bleed together if he can help it.

Tate frowns. Oh, crud. What if it's another guy? Am I playing too hard to get? Shit.

No. What if it is another guy? Why do you care? Before he can stop himself, he feels his mouth open. "Benji, wanna come to my house?" He feels the look of shock before he sees it. "N-not now, or today, or ever if you don't want to come. I just, uh, thought. We could, I dunno, see a movie. Misery, maybe." Dumbass.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'd be happy to." Benji smiles, tucking his phone away. Tate takes a much easier breath. "How does Thursday sound?"

Tate nods, is unsure of why he's nodding. "G-great, maybe around, um, seven?" He's gathering his things, even though he's not quite ready to leave.

Watching the boy across from him shove his arms into his coat, Benji finds himself reaching for him. "Leaving?" He clears his throat to hide the nearly childish longing that's snuck in. Even though Tate is looking at him like he definitely noticed it, he tries again. "Leaving so soon?"

"I could stay," Tate admits, biting his lip.

Benji's phone buzzes again.

From: Jude 👅

Please? I don't mean to seem desperate, but I have made too much mac and cheese for one person, and Rudy is starting to harass me. Rescue me 😖

Benji puts on the most regretful face he can manage. "Shoot. I have a thing, I just remembered. I'm sorry, Tater Tot." He's surprises to find himself really regretting leaving.

"Ah, that's alright," Tate smiles, a little bluer than it should be. "I should go anyways."

Benji nods, kisses Tate's hand, and goes to pay the bill. When he returns to the table, the boy is gone.

To: Jude 👅

Soz I was busy omw

A/N:

Ooh another update... Benji is playing the field right now... How do you guys think this is gonna play out? I want guesses 😋

Jude chapter next. The two will stop alternating soon...

QOTC: Do you want Jude and Tate to meet? How would that go?

Love you guys! Mwah!

AJ

P.S- tell me this doesn't represent Tater Tot I'm dead: (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾

This is Judge Jude-y (I haven't got a nickname for him yet): ( ˊ̱˂˃ˋ̱ )

And this is Ben: _(:3 」∠)_