Ben was icing his lower lip when his boyfriend walked in. It hadn’t stopped hurting from the moment he took over for Kylo just after lunch. Apparently, Kylo had gotten tired of Rey and Finn prodding him about it and had run off to hide himself. He had hoped the swelling wouldn’t be noticeable by the time Poe came back. He wanted to be able to make out with his boyfriend without his lip stinging and burning until he stopped. Sadly luck was not on his side.
“Hey baby cakes! What’s wrong?” Poe asked when he entered the door focusing a raised eyebrow at Ben’s icepack. Poe was usually good at telling them apart. Most of the time Ben wasn’t sure how he did it. This time however he was confident it was just because Kylo ignored his injuries when he shouldn’t.
“Kylo has a crush. He punched him in the face to prove a point. Of course, Kylo picked one who punched back.” Poe set down his bag and walked over to where Ben was sitting as the kitchen bar. He kissed Ben’s cheek. Ben blushed. Even after the entirety of high school and most of college Poe’s affections never failed to make Ben feel bubbly inside.
“For some reason I’m not even surprised at this point.” Poe chuckled and leaned over Ben’s head to look at his homework. Poe was a dual electrical and mechanical engineering major. In the beginning they had a lot of the same core engineering courses but now almost all of their classes were different. Poe was always interested in hearing about what was going on in Ben’s classes. “What do you want for dinner?” Poe asked enjoying the rare moment to tower over Ben while the taller man was sitting.
Ben shrugged. “Maybe pasta? Something soft so I don’t have to worry about biting this swollen lip?” Ben asked hopefully.
“Of course. Mac and Cheese?” Poe responded. The two of them were in college and they often used whatever excuse they needed to eat comfort food.
“Sure.” Ben smiled despite how much it hurt his lip.
Poe pulled Ben’s icepack away from his lip and gave him a kiss. “And while I cook you can tell me all about what went down with Kylo’s new crush.”
Ben shut his notebook and tried to stop himself from smiling. A smile would sting far too much. “Ugh, where to start?” Ben exaggerated. There was far too much to tell Poe and the two of them were Grade A gossips. He watched Poe pull out the pasta and the pots. “Okay, so remember the ginger fascist whose daddy thinks he can win elections with his cash?”
Poe grimaced already sensing where Ben was going with this. “No? No! No way. Don’t tell me Kylo has a thing for fascist assholes.”
Ben chuckled at Poe reaction. His lip burning as it was stretched. He dabbed it with a nearby napkin thankful when he pulled it away from his lip and it wasn’t covered with blood. He was glad his laughter hadn’t reopened the wound. “You know he likes to fight. Besides, this guy gives as good as he gets.”
Poe chuckled. “It sounds like match made in heaven between their desire to fight and a constant topic of argument. Does the ginger menace feel the same though?”
Ben looked down at his lap for a moment considering what he had seen in his own interactions with Hux. “Mmmmm… Yes. I think he might. He seems lost though. Lost and a bit confused. The second class he really thought I was Kylo and would shout at him... or well me. Since Kylo began laying low during this course he grew comfortable that the first class was just a fluke. Kylo told me the look on his face was priceless when he realized the battle he would be in for today. The man doesn’t seem to see it.”
Poe laughed out loud as he set the water to boil on the stove. He almost spilled some in the process. Ben watched him with amusement. When Poe finally managed to get the water on he pulled himself up to sit on the nearby counter so he could face Ben while they spoke. “Well I mean DID isn’t what most people jump to when they see the two of you. It doesn’t help that you and Kylo probably already agreed to make him guess. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to date one of you without knowing about the other.”
Ben shrugged. “Listen, if he’s going to be making out with this body he better be as worthy of Kylo as you are of me. If he can’t deal with both of us then this won’t work.”
Poe nodded. “Of course, but he doesn’t even realize there’s two of you. How long do you think it will take to guess?”
“It took Finn almost two months before Rey took pity on him and told him.” Ben countered. “Then again, this guy seems like an encyclopedia of knowledge. Finn didn’t even know what DID was.”
“We can only hope.” Poe countered, stepping down from his makeshift seat on the counter to add pasta to the now bubbling water.
“Speaking of Finn,” Ben began. “Did you hear he got a part time job teaching kids classes at the gym in town?”
Poe shook his head. “Phasma’s place? No, he hadn’t told me yet. He’s supposed to be my best friend. How do you find out before me?”
“Well, Rey and Finn were talking about it at lunch. Neither of them actually told me they just forget that I can hear them when they try to whisper because they are incredibly loud. Don’t worry you’re still his favorite.” Ben winked at his boyfriend.
Poe stirred the pasta looking down to hide his smile. “Well we can’t have everything Ben. Besides you’re my favorite. Just don’t tell Kylo.” He finally looked up and offered Ben a wink of his own.
Ben made a face. “As much as I appreciate that I think Finn would be hurt if he knew your bromance wasn’t real.”
“You wouldn’t tell him would you?” Poe pouted sarcastically. “Our bromance is real. It’s just my heart belongs to another and his does too no matter how you try to deny the fact that he’s going to marry your little cousin.”
Ben huffed. “He can’t marry Rey. We’re getting married first. They have to wait their turn.”
“We agreed not to get married until after we graduated. What if those crazy kids can’t wait?” Poe teased the way he always did when they brought up Rey and Finn. Ben and Kylo still hadn’t gotten over the fact that their genius baby cousin graduated high school early, found a boyfriend, and was attending the same college as them.
“They’ll wait.” Ben argued, putting a swift end to the conversation. He had been waiting for years to marry Poe and he would be damned if Rey and Finn stole their thunder. Of course, his marriage would be more of a ceremony since legally both he and Kylo couldn’t be married to different people and it wasn’t fair for one to have more than the other. Ben steered the subject in a different direction “Seriously though, I think Finn showed me a thousand pictures of BB from when he followed Rey home last weekend. He may love your dog more than you do at this point. Don’t be surprised when he and Rey file for joint custody.”
Poe looked horrified. BB-8 was his dog, the eighth pup born to a pair of roly-poly little corgis all named after their sire BB. He had been a birthday present from Ben when he and Poe were sophomores in high school. Sadly their apartment didn’t allow animals so while Poe and Ben were at college BB spent a lot of his time following around Poe’s mom while she guarded Ben’s mom meaning that when Rey visited her father and inevitably her aunt and uncle she would encounter BB. Poe often jokingly blamed her for the small dog’s weight gain but Ben knew it was Kylo. His other half feigned distaste but loved to give the small animal treats when no one was looking.
“I’ll never give BB to them!” Poe shouted, a bit louder than necessary. He nearly spilled the water on his way to drain the pasta from the sink because of his excitement. Fortunately only a few stray drops made their way to the floor. The rest remained in the pot until Poe had the chance to empty it into the sink. Once only the pasta remained in the pot Poe grabbed the milk, butter, and prepackaged cheese dust and began to stir.
Ben stood and moved his notebook to the corner so that they had room to eat. Then he walked around their kitchen island to grab some bowls and forks for their dinner. While they were preparing food Poe rounded back around the topic of conversation as he often did until he got the full story. “So Ben, back to Kylo mysterious redhead, when do I get to meet him?”
Ben shrugged. “Dunno. Probably after they become friends or at least after I become friends with him before he figures out the difference.” He pulled the spoon from Poe’s hand a used it to scoop the gooey macaroni and cheese into his bowl.
“Well I look forward to it. If Kylo likes him he probably has a redeeming quality somewhere.” Poe quipped.
“I suppose he must.” Ben responded. “Kylo doesn’t like many people after all.”
Re: FILL | Meeting in the Middle [4/?]
“Hey baby cakes! What’s wrong?” Poe asked when he entered the door focusing a raised eyebrow at Ben’s icepack. Poe was usually good at telling them apart. Most of the time Ben wasn’t sure how he did it. This time however he was confident it was just because Kylo ignored his injuries when he shouldn’t.
“Kylo has a crush. He punched him in the face to prove a point. Of course, Kylo picked one who punched back.” Poe set down his bag and walked over to where Ben was sitting as the kitchen bar. He kissed Ben’s cheek. Ben blushed. Even after the entirety of high school and most of college Poe’s affections never failed to make Ben feel bubbly inside.
“For some reason I’m not even surprised at this point.” Poe chuckled and leaned over Ben’s head to look at his homework. Poe was a dual electrical and mechanical engineering major. In the beginning they had a lot of the same core engineering courses but now almost all of their classes were different. Poe was always interested in hearing about what was going on in Ben’s classes. “What do you want for dinner?” Poe asked enjoying the rare moment to tower over Ben while the taller man was sitting.
Ben shrugged. “Maybe pasta? Something soft so I don’t have to worry about biting this swollen lip?” Ben asked hopefully.
“Of course. Mac and Cheese?” Poe responded. The two of them were in college and they often used whatever excuse they needed to eat comfort food.
“Sure.” Ben smiled despite how much it hurt his lip.
Poe pulled Ben’s icepack away from his lip and gave him a kiss. “And while I cook you can tell me all about what went down with Kylo’s new crush.”
Ben shut his notebook and tried to stop himself from smiling. A smile would sting far too much. “Ugh, where to start?” Ben exaggerated. There was far too much to tell Poe and the two of them were Grade A gossips. He watched Poe pull out the pasta and the pots. “Okay, so remember the ginger fascist whose daddy thinks he can win elections with his cash?”
Poe grimaced already sensing where Ben was going with this. “No? No! No way. Don’t tell me Kylo has a thing for fascist assholes.”
Ben chuckled at Poe reaction. His lip burning as it was stretched. He dabbed it with a nearby napkin thankful when he pulled it away from his lip and it wasn’t covered with blood. He was glad his laughter hadn’t reopened the wound. “You know he likes to fight. Besides, this guy gives as good as he gets.”
Poe chuckled. “It sounds like match made in heaven between their desire to fight and a constant topic of argument. Does the ginger menace feel the same though?”
Ben looked down at his lap for a moment considering what he had seen in his own interactions with Hux. “Mmmmm… Yes. I think he might. He seems lost though. Lost and a bit confused. The second class he really thought I was Kylo and would shout at him... or well me. Since Kylo began laying low during this course he grew comfortable that the first class was just a fluke. Kylo told me the look on his face was priceless when he realized the battle he would be in for today. The man doesn’t seem to see it.”
Poe laughed out loud as he set the water to boil on the stove. He almost spilled some in the process. Ben watched him with amusement. When Poe finally managed to get the water on he pulled himself up to sit on the nearby counter so he could face Ben while they spoke. “Well I mean DID isn’t what most people jump to when they see the two of you. It doesn’t help that you and Kylo probably already agreed to make him guess. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to date one of you without knowing about the other.”
Ben shrugged. “Listen, if he’s going to be making out with this body he better be as worthy of Kylo as you are of me. If he can’t deal with both of us then this won’t work.”
Poe nodded. “Of course, but he doesn’t even realize there’s two of you. How long do you think it will take to guess?”
“It took Finn almost two months before Rey took pity on him and told him.” Ben countered. “Then again, this guy seems like an encyclopedia of knowledge. Finn didn’t even know what DID was.”
“We can only hope.” Poe countered, stepping down from his makeshift seat on the counter to add pasta to the now bubbling water.
“Speaking of Finn,” Ben began. “Did you hear he got a part time job teaching kids classes at the gym in town?”
Poe shook his head. “Phasma’s place? No, he hadn’t told me yet. He’s supposed to be my best friend. How do you find out before me?”
“Well, Rey and Finn were talking about it at lunch. Neither of them actually told me they just forget that I can hear them when they try to whisper because they are incredibly loud. Don’t worry you’re still his favorite.” Ben winked at his boyfriend.
Poe stirred the pasta looking down to hide his smile. “Well we can’t have everything Ben. Besides you’re my favorite. Just don’t tell Kylo.” He finally looked up and offered Ben a wink of his own.
Ben made a face. “As much as I appreciate that I think Finn would be hurt if he knew your bromance wasn’t real.”
“You wouldn’t tell him would you?” Poe pouted sarcastically. “Our bromance is real. It’s just my heart belongs to another and his does too no matter how you try to deny the fact that he’s going to marry your little cousin.”
Ben huffed. “He can’t marry Rey. We’re getting married first. They have to wait their turn.”
“We agreed not to get married until after we graduated. What if those crazy kids can’t wait?” Poe teased the way he always did when they brought up Rey and Finn. Ben and Kylo still hadn’t gotten over the fact that their genius baby cousin graduated high school early, found a boyfriend, and was attending the same college as them.
“They’ll wait.” Ben argued, putting a swift end to the conversation. He had been waiting for years to marry Poe and he would be damned if Rey and Finn stole their thunder. Of course, his marriage would be more of a ceremony since legally both he and Kylo couldn’t be married to different people and it wasn’t fair for one to have more than the other. Ben steered the subject in a different direction “Seriously though, I think Finn showed me a thousand pictures of BB from when he followed Rey home last weekend. He may love your dog more than you do at this point. Don’t be surprised when he and Rey file for joint custody.”
Poe looked horrified. BB-8 was his dog, the eighth pup born to a pair of roly-poly little corgis all named after their sire BB. He had been a birthday present from Ben when he and Poe were sophomores in high school. Sadly their apartment didn’t allow animals so while Poe and Ben were at college BB spent a lot of his time following around Poe’s mom while she guarded Ben’s mom meaning that when Rey visited her father and inevitably her aunt and uncle she would encounter BB. Poe often jokingly blamed her for the small dog’s weight gain but Ben knew it was Kylo. His other half feigned distaste but loved to give the small animal treats when no one was looking.
“I’ll never give BB to them!” Poe shouted, a bit louder than necessary. He nearly spilled the water on his way to drain the pasta from the sink because of his excitement. Fortunately only a few stray drops made their way to the floor. The rest remained in the pot until Poe had the chance to empty it into the sink. Once only the pasta remained in the pot Poe grabbed the milk, butter, and prepackaged cheese dust and began to stir.
Ben stood and moved his notebook to the corner so that they had room to eat. Then he walked around their kitchen island to grab some bowls and forks for their dinner. While they were preparing food Poe rounded back around the topic of conversation as he often did until he got the full story. “So Ben, back to Kylo mysterious redhead, when do I get to meet him?”
Ben shrugged. “Dunno. Probably after they become friends or at least after I become friends with him before he figures out the difference.” He pulled the spoon from Poe’s hand a used it to scoop the gooey macaroni and cheese into his bowl.
“Well I look forward to it. If Kylo likes him he probably has a redeeming quality somewhere.” Poe quipped.
“I suppose he must.” Ben responded. “Kylo doesn’t like many people after all.”