Soldier Boy (compoundv) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2023-11-30 10:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, soldier boy (compoundv), ~~2023 november, ~~waverly earp (angelwaves) |
Who: Ben & Waverly
Where: Their House
When: Thanksgiving
Warnings: nada
It was bad enough when her sister had left, but with Doc gone now, Waverly was more upset than ever. He had offered to take her out to dinner for the holiday, but she had insisted on making dinner. Ben figured it would keep her occupied, so he just let it go. He was watching sports with his feet up on the table, yelling obscenities at the television while he downed beer after beer. While he would never admit it, there was a part of him that was terrified he would wake up one morning and she would be gone. Of course, he was choosing to pretend it wasn't an issue by indulging himself in more drugs and alcohol, but it wasn't working as well as he would have liked. On a commercial break, he got up from the couch and went to the kitchen to grab a snack, some more beer and to check on Waverly. “Hey, hot stuff. How's dinner going?” Ben questioned with a grin, his hand coming out to swat her butt. Losing Wynonna and Alice had been bad enough. Doc going home was the nail in her emotional coffin. She broke down easily those first few days. Ben had been great. Holding her when she needed it, or just being a presence to remind her that she wasn’t alone. She realized that if he left, she’d be entirely lost. Ben had offered to take her out for Thanksgiving, but Waverly decided she wanted to cook. Something normal and familiar as an effort to feel better. It kind of worked. The motions of cooking a turkey for Ben (and a tofurkey for herself), along with the potatoes, green bean casserole and everything else had kept her too occupied to be upset. But then came the moment when there wasn’t anything to do. Things had to cook, or sit, or just wait so it would be ready when everything else was. That one opportune moment was when her emotions came boiling up to the surface again. All it took was a swat to the behind to make the tears fall, as if that had broken the dam. She turned to look at Ben with an expression of pure misery on her face then burst into tears. Ben took a quick step back and was silent in horror when she started to cry. “Whatever it is, I swear I didn't do it.” He held his hands up in defense, unsure of what happened. He looked around, trying to figure it out. Ben took a hesitant step towards her and reached out to take her hand in his own. “Baby, what's wrong? Why are you crying? If it's because I smacked your ass, I'm sorry. I was just playing with you.” Tears streamed down cheeks that turned more and more pink with each sniffle as Waverly watched Ben panic. She waited until he stepped toward her again before lurching against him to sob against his chest with her fingers clutching at his shirt. “No it’s not you,” she whimpered out. “I just…why did they have to leave?!” That was the extent of her ability to verbalize what was going on since her crying went to a heightened level. His arms moved to wrap around her and he pulled her in close to kiss her forehead. “I don't know. None of it makes any sense to me at all.” Ben replied honestly, wishing that he had the answers she needed. “I doubt they left willingly.” He never paid attention to any of that, but it seemed to be a common occurrence. People appeared and disappeared with no rhyme or reason to any of it. Ben pulled her away from the stove and kept rubbing her back. “If anyone deserves all the good things in life, it's definitely you. Life is just a crock of shit and we rarely get a say in what happens.” “...i know,” she whimpered against his chest. It took a couple tries, but finally Waverly was able to take in a shaky but deep breath then lift her head. Her expression was pure misery as she turned her eyes up to Ben. They seemed to be seeking something from him, practically begging. “Please don’t leave,” she whispered. “I mean, I know you can’t stop the dome. I mean here. Don’t ever leave me.” Having Wynonna and Doc leave entirely was one thing. Being left and still knowing the person was in town would be real torture. Ben looked down at Waverly in surprise. Did that really just happen? Nobody had ever begged him to stay before. Usually, everyone couldn't wait to get rid of him, and hearing those words threw him for a loop. “You don't have to worry about me leaving. I know a good thing when I see it. Even if it only comes in vegan.” He teased her playfully and let his fingers caress over her jaw. “Besides, why would I ever leave the best thing to happen to me?” When it came to romance, he wasn't always the best, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of scoring a homerun every now and then. “Is dinner almost ready? I'm not trying to harass you. I was just going to suggest going out if you still had a lot to do.” All of that earned him another big hug. This one was less soggy than the last, but still full of emotion. Nobody saw this side of Ben. Just her. Most of the time, Waverly wished they did. It would definitely rid her of the eternal question she got: “You’re dating him?” But there were times like now where she was glad she was the only one that saw it. It was as if she had the best kept secret in the world, just her. She pulled back with a sniffle then swiped at her eyes. “It’s almost ready. Another half hour. Maybe a little more.” Waverly caught Ben’s face between her palms as she lifted onto her tip toes to give him a kiss. “Thank you.” When she pulled back, Ben ran his thumbs gently under her eyes to brush away the tears and looked down at her with a smile. “I think that instead of watching the game, I'll hang out here and keep you company. Maybe I'll even take off my shirt to provide you with some eye candy.” Sometimes, he couldn't believe the things that came out of his mouth. The old Ben would have just given her a kiss and another swat on the ass before walking out with his beer. He often found himself struggling to figure out what was so different about her that made him behave differently, but it didn't matter. At the end of the day, she made him want to be a better man for her and he could only hope that their future together would be a bright one. “I love you,” he whispered against her lips, their foreheads pressed together, and if she looked closely enough, she would even see the making of a tear in the corner of his eyes. Or maybe it was just sweat from being in the hot kitchen. |