Angels To Fly

You're British -- Do Shakespeare

Even though the injury was no fault of his own, Ben still felt guilty for not being more of a help around his host family's house. Granted, he was lucky to have a little lady like Analise who had a chair of her own, which meant ramps and the lowering of necessities were already installed. Ben was wheeling around, recovering from a serious leg fracture and Analise was in heaven showing him all the tricks of the trade.

After a night, about three weeks into his recovery, when Ben was feeling low and helpless, Ben's host mother explained to the blond that his injury was doing more good than he would've thought. Analise was feeling that she could help another person instead of being the one to receive all the help. Knowing that Ben began to slowly feel less guilty.

In the early days of March, during a serious game of Scrabble, Ben received a text from Joe. Now, in this family, during game days, the phones were not allowed and Ben wasn't using it. It was on vibrate. And in his pocket. But he just couldn't help himself. He knew Joe was bound to call. He had the rest of the day off and said that he'd figure out something for them to do on this chilly day.

"Hey! No phones!" Kenny reprimanded, huffing and placing his hands on his sides.

"I know, mate. I know. It's just that Joe was bound to text me. May I see what he wants?"

Kenny sighed but he did like Joe, so the little man let him take it out. Ben pulled out the device and read the text quickly to himself.

Chilly day picnic by the water's edge?

Will there be finger sandwiches?

Of course ;)

Gameday. Scrabble. Come around 2:30?

It's a date.

"All right. I am done. You can stop eyeing me, Ken." Ben kept eye contact with Kenny as to prove that he was putting the phone away while they finish the game. "Joseph is coming around in about an hour. Who else is excited?"

All hands raised. Good thing they liked this one. Oh, right. Ben didn't share his love interests with his host family the first few months of the job...as well as his side job. Of course, he had to tell the family about the side gig once he got injured and while they were shocked, they didn't kick him out. They just told him never to do the gig again and, instead, be the best boyfriend and Au Pair he could be.

~*~

Ben groaned, "Joseph. You are not seriously going to lift me out of the chair to get on the picnic blanket."

"Oh yeah. Listen, I've been working out. Look at these guns!" Joe flexed and Ben had to do everything in his power to not get turned on and hard in public. While Joe did not remark his body much, he had the best arms Ben had ever seen and he didn't even need to go to the gym for such results. Ah, genetics.

"If you drop me, we are breaking up."

"Yee have so little faith." In one fell swoop, Joe did pick up the blond and easily put the male down on the picnic, no injury to either of them.

"Bravo, love. Seriously."

Joe beamed, "Thank you, Benny. I try." The brunet stood up again to go around the wheelchair, where the basket for the picnic hung. "As promised, I made finger sandwiches and I also brought two thermoses."

Joe set a thermos filled with English black tea for Ben and Dunkin-brand coffee for himself. "Why a picnic? It is in early March. We still need to wear heavier hoodies."

Joe shrugged, "Well, the weather might be chilly but the sky is blue and I don't know...Spring is close to budding and honestly," Joe opened his coffee and took a swing, "I didn't feel like staying in again on my day off. Nor do we need to shell out money for more tacos."