Love Someone {Hardzello love story}

Nine

When Ben Hardy thought about his life, he saw award shows.

He saw a hot little thing on his arm as he walked down the red carpet. It was someone new every event. Like Leo, he wasn't one to stick around. His passion was in his art, not his people. He never had the need or the drive to be the person those around him wanted him to be.

And then things changed for him. He fell in love with a man who made Ben see the world through a different pair of eyes. Being with Joe wasn't something Ben planned, and the life they lead wasn't one he ever expected but he wouldn't give it up for anything.

And while Ben never regretted doing the things he did with the man, there was the slightest hitch. He was a very weak man. And saying no to his husband was nearly impossible. He did it because sometimes you just had to.

But his children on the other hand.

Joe played him dirty. They had talked about how they would both be the fun parent and both be the strict parent. They were going to work as a team and for the first year, it went swimmingly.

And then by the time their son came along and their daughter was walking and talking, that plan went out the window and Joe basically gave into everything, forcing Ben to be the bad guy.

Easter has been a huge mess and Joe was determined to make up for it. He didn't say anything, didn't try to make anything better. For a short moment, Ben really did think the man had let it go.

And then Ben came home to find a cat sitting on the couch. A tiny little calico cat that was curled up in a ball. It was so small, he nearly missed it upon entering, but only noticed because it happened to be sitting on his seat on the couch.

Ben wasn't against cats. Honestly, he wasn't. He liked all the animals. He just preferred dogs. Getting Frankie was a dream come true. Having a fuzzy friend to come home to. Hearing her paws pad across the hardwood floors. It was one of Ben's favorite sounds.

And now the dog was nowhere in sight and there was a small ball of fluff sitting on the couch where Ben would usually sit. Joe greeted him happily as he walked in, JJ settled at his hip as he carried him over.

Their son was old enough to walk but Joe liked holding him. They both did. They spoiled their children endlessly and Ben wouldn't apologize for it. Joe kissed his cheek and went right into a conversation as if to distract Ben from the creature that was nestled in their couch.

It didn't work well enough.

"We talked about this."

It had been a short conversation. Joe begged him to let him get a pet for JJ to make up for frightening him with the bunny costume but Ben refused. Their son was too young for a pet of his own. Frankie was enough for now.

Obviously that all went in one ear and out the other.

"Before you get upset, he's a rescue," Joe mentioned, turning towards the cat. "One of the sound guys found him on set. What was I supposed to do?"

"Let them handle it," Ben replies back. "Bring it to a shelter."

"We have more than enough room. Look how small he is!"

"And he'll get bigger!"

Joe rolled his eyes, going to plop JJ down on the couch beside the sleeping kitten. "They don't grow that much, Ben. I mention wanting to get a cat and then boom! A cat appears. Thats fate, Ben. And remember our conversation about fate? Fate brought us together."

They had talked about it from time to time. When they were alone, usually after sex. They'd talk about how far they have come together. From being practical strangers to husbands with children. It was wild and baffling and absolutely wonderful.

Less wonderful now that Joe was throwing it in his face.

"Besides, Joey likes him."

The two men looked to the small blond sitting on the couch, lifting his chubby hand to pat at the kittens head. "Cat!"

"See!" Joe exclaimed, beaming brightly at his husband.

Ben didn't bother reminding him that JJ liked just about everything. You could give the toddler a shoe and he'd cuddle it for days. "I don't like you," Ben said instead, leaving the room in a huff.

"That is a lie and you know it!" Joe called after him.

Slowly but surely things began to change. Frankie wasn't as annoyed by the presence of the cat as Ben had expected. She was annoyed at first. Pestered by it, really. She wanted to eat all the food and sit in the special cat bed. He didn't like the cat toys and also got a little upset when Emmy would have the cat sit with her instead of him.

Emmy was pleased by the new pet. She loved all animals and wanted everybody to get along. She gave the cat as much attention as she did Frankie and always made sure both animals got lots of love.

In the end, Frankie grew comfortable with the small creature and accepted him as part of the family.

Ben, on the other hand, continued to put up a fight. He didn't like having to remember to feed another pet or clean up a litter box. They didn't have a maid, rarely ever used a cleaning crew. Their home was their home so they had to do everything. Even when they had Priya around they didn't want her cleaning up after their animals.

He wouldn't let the cat in their bedroom. He could sleep with the kids or in his own bed but never theirs. It was bad enough having toddlers sneak in and sometimes the beagle, but a cat was just too much.

Only when a disaster came around did Ben begin to warm up to the creature. He had gotten hurt on set while doing a simple stunt, and while it wasn't anything to worry about, Joe still forced him to have a day of rest. He was laying there, feeling like shit and waiting for the pain killers to kick in. He was tired and while the kids tried their best to cheer him up, not much worked.

Ben felt so incredibly useless and he hated it.

And then the cat came into the bed and sat beside him. He gestured for it to leave but he didn't. He moved closer and closer until he was pressed against Ben. He was purring softly, the vibrations relaxing Ben to an extent. He distracted him from the pain he was feeling and allowed him to fall asleep.

When he woke up, the cat was on top of him and Joe was standing in the corner, watching them.

"I see you and Romeo were having a nice nap." He commented. Ben rolled his eyes, raising his middle finger to flip his husband off as his second hand came up to pet the cat gently.

Maybe having a cat wasn't the worst thing ever.