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[benelman]

dinner & a scene // ben & quinn // @thelastlight

quinn

Mac's Diner was truly a staple of this town, and if Quinn wasn't dropping by before his drive to Denver for a coffee and a blueberry muffin, he was stopping by before he headed home to grade more lab notebooks for a burger and a milkshake. He had a bit of a sweet tooth; sue him. He made his way in closer to closing time because his office hours ended up running later than expected. Messenger bag slung over his shoulder, he placed it on the empty seat next to him at the counter before sliding onto the stool. He grinned when he saw his favorite waiter head over to him. "Did I make it before the kitchen closed? I'd like to think I'm too dignified to resort to ramen or a pizza from the freezer, and yet..." Adult Ben was a new conceptualization for him, but Quinn couldn't deny that he'd grown up to be hot. He was no longer Quinn's friend's kid brother, and well, Quinn hadn't really seen much of his old friend since he'd been back, so there wasn't a whole lot to feel guilty about. No harm in just looking after all. Especially if he kept it subtle. @sophie | ben & kyrie

Ben

It was always a shock to see Quinn in the diner as of late. Not that it was a bad shock, no - not at all. Just surprising to see him after what had seemed like ages apart. It had been ages, that's true - both of them had been away, Ben coming back sooner than Quinn, but it seemed like so much had changed. Quinn used to be the kid who was over at the Elman house for dinner frequently enough that Ben remembered his name, and, at some point, he turned into this man, this incredibly handsome professor, and Ben wouldn't admit that the professor thing checked a few boxes for him, too, but... Seeing Quinn come in always brightened his day. "As if this kitchen closes," he joked in return, leaning against the counter in front of him. "Burger and a milkshake again? Or are we changing things up tonight?"

Quinn

A laugh snuck past his lips at the joking comment, and he tilted his head to the side. "Does going from chocolate to strawberry count as spicing things up?" he joked. In some aspects, he really was a creature of habit. The burger and milkshake was such a quintessential diner food that he hadn't really thought of changing his tune. "Surprise me. That way if it sucks, I'll have someone to blame," he teased. There wasn't much going on in the diner at this time of night, which meant he had all the time in the world to talk to Ben after he put his order in. He probably shouldn't flirt with his former friend's brother, and yet.... If he was going to do it, he'd be subtle about it. It was his job, after all, and Quinn would have to figure out how much of his friendly demeanor was because he was a paying customer.

Ben

The sound of Quinn's laugh really did brighten Ben's day (and his smile), though he probably wouldn't admit that out loud. "No, Sir, I don't think it does," he joked in return, shaking his head. Quinn was the only customer in the diner - there was really nothing else to pull his attention away, and that's the way Ben liked it. "Oh, no - that's far too dangerous. When we're talking Brooke's menu, nothing on it's bad. But I'll surprise you, sure. Remember that you told me to surprise you, though. Give me a minute, I'll go put your order in." He gave Quinn a wink (was that too far? probably) before turning his back to head towards the kitchen and put the order in with Brooke. Once he had, he returned out to the dining area, running his hand down the counter before stopping in front of Quinn again. "How was work, then? Everything good, Professor Heartland?"

Quinn

"Damn, there goes that plan." Ben was just easy to get along with. He wasn't one of those townies that was immediately going to tell someone your business just for it to make its way clean through the gossip mill so everyone in the whole damn town knew. Not that Quinn's business was all that interesting to begin with, but that had been one of the main reasons he left. It had all just gotten old. A fond smile lingered on his lips as Ben praised Brooke's menu, and the wink left him absolutely endeared. Objectively, it was a good business model. Flirt a little bit with the customers, get a better tip. Quinn tipped him well anyway, but that was neither here nor there. "Everything's good. Some poor kid somehow managed to spill heptane on his pants while we were doing titrations in my intro chem lab, but all in all, that's a minor lab incident." He kept himself from rambling on too much about his day. "And how's your day been, handsome?" It rolled off his tongue before he could really second guess himself, so he rolled with it, pretending it had been intentional this whole time, waiting to see if it would make Ben blush.

Ben

"That's me, Ben Elman, plan-ruiner," he replied with a grin, tapping his fingers on the counter rhythmically. He was always more than willing to talk to Quinn - in fact, some people might call him eager to do so. In his childhood, he'd always been a little nervous around him, but, then again, he'd been a little nervous around most of his siblings' friends. He was glad he'd grown out of that stage of anxiety when it came to talking to people. When Quinn started talking about his day at school, Ben felt like he'd been thrown for a loop; he'd almost failed high school chemistry, and, since then, he'd avoided most talk about the topic. "Well, I've got no clue what heptane is and even less of a clue what a titration is, but I hope the kid's okay," he replied, concern in his eyes. Minor lab accidents could lead to major consequences, based on what little Ben remembered. When Quinn called him handsome, though, all worry for Quinn's student rushed out of his brain. He felt a flush rising to his cheeks, one hand coming up to cover his mouth to hide it at least a little bit. "Me?" he repeated, pointing at himself, glancing around as if Quinn was talking to somebody else. Once he was sure the flush had eased, he gave a shrug. "My day's been pretty good, same as usual, though. Of course, that's not a bad thing. Tell me - have you ever tried a fried Oreo? Or is it really as niche a treat as Brooke made me think it is?"

Quinn

"Oh, he's fine. Just had to talk a walk around the science building to let it dry," Quinn assured, not having realized that it wasn't immediately obvious. Of course it wasn't. Even though it was introductory chemistry, their high school chemistry class hadn't been all that comprehensive. Quinn couldn't imagine much had changed when Ben took it five years after him. His reaction was even better than Quinn had anticipated, all trepidation over whether he should've pushed the envelope with him gone. The word was overused among some of his students, but Ben really had to be the definition of wholesome. The blush, the genuine surprise at being addressed in such a way, even the fact that he'd likely been complimented in such a way before and he was still surprised was too damned cute. "A fried Oreo? Can't say that I have. Is that one of my surprises? If so, color me intrigued."

Ben

"Oh, okay, so it's not, like... deadly. That's good. I'm glad he's fine." Ben was just grateful that he only needed one science requirement to graduate and that his school let him take the world's simplest geology class to tick that requirement on his degree planning sheet. If he'd been forced into chemistry, he probably wouldn't have been able to graduate and he knew that. That was part of what made Quinn even more impressive to him; he had gotten enough degrees in chemistry to be able to teach chemistry in higher education - Ben couldn't come anywhere close to that. Raising his eyebrows at the fact that Quinn hadn't tried a fried Oreo either, Ben threw his hands up in the air. "Am I the only one in this town who has had one?" Returning back to the counter, Ben placed both hands in front of him, palms down, meeting Quinn's eyes. "No - no, they aren't on the menu yet, but come back, like... Friday? Next Friday? One of these Fridays, Brooke's gonna put them on there. And, when you do, you can try one with me. Because they're good. Definitely sweet as hell, but good. And I don't ruin surprises before they happen." He smiled a little bit, just enough to bring out his dimples, glancing over his shoulder towards the kitchen before returning his attention to Quinn. "I think you'll like what I picked out, though."

Quinn

"He was more embarrassed than anything. The lab TA automatically has to report a spill to me, regardless of whether or not it's something innocuous, but luckily I've never had any major lab catastrophes that resulted in serious injury." It was lucky. He was glad that his students all seemed to have at least the most basic level of competence. He couldn't help but chuckle at Ben's surprised reaction to him not having tried a fried Oreo. "So I'm not the only one to have disappointed you in the fried Oreo department? Good to know." He listened as Ben told him about when they were going to make it onto the menu, glancing at the appearance of those adorable dimples before meeting his gaze again. "One of these Fridays, huh? Will you be working when we try these fried Oreos?" It was a not so subtle commentary about how they tended to see each other when Ben was working. And as much as he enjoyed seeing him in his work environment, he did wonder about seeing him when he was off the clock. Wondered if there was any interest, or if he always reacted that way to a playful compliment. "I'm sure I will. I trust your judgment," he agreed. He was going to like it even if he didn't like it. Which seemed unlikely, considering his raving review of Brooke's cooking.

Ben

“Oh, you’ve got TAs? You’re fancy, huh?” Ben teased playfully, a grin remaining on his face. “But I’m glad you haven’t had any major spills, too. That’s probably why I should never be invited into a chemistry lab. I’d break something bad, or spill something worse. I’m kind of a disaster in the lab.” Despite the fact that he had good hand eye coordination - good enough that he started at shortstop for three out of his four years of high school baseball - he always seemed to manage to make a mess out of the chemistry lab. “Brooke’s never tried one either...!” He explained, a teasing hint of frustration seeping into his voice. He couldn’t believe that people hadn’t had fried Oreos in their life. Ben had a hard time turning them down; he was glad that he could introduce them to the diner’s menu soon enough. Tilting his head slightly at the question, he raised his eyebrows. “Am I going to be working...?” He repeated back at him. “Um... maybe...? Am I?” Part of Ben thought that that was Quinn’s way of asking him on a date, and, if it was, Ben wouldn’t hesitate to agree. “Oh- thanks. My judgement can be good when it comes to food, but that’s about it,” he joked, the smile returning to his features. When he heard the bell by the kitchen ding, he turned on his heel to grab the food, coming back with two plates. “Okay, so latkes or grilled cheese and tomato soup, take your pick. Whichever one you don’t eat, I will.” Maybe it was a bold decision, but he didn’t regret making it yet.

Quinn

"If you want to call it that," Quinn said with a casual shrug. Truth be told, he was well aware that the whole professor thing worked for him. He was hoping it would for a while. Truth be told, he didn't ever really plan on settling down for good. That ideal had bit the dust long ago. But he didn't assume that anyone he ended up dating or hooking up with wanted that sort of thing anyway. He was more of a mister right now than a mister forever. He chuckled at Ben's comments about avoiding a chemistry lab. "Well, if you had an interest in the lab, I'd invite you. Provided you were wearing safety goggles and didn't touch anything. Just to be safe," he teased. Truly, he doubted that Ben was as much of a disaster as he claimed to be. "Besides, you should probably give yourself more credit. Who's ever heard of a clumsy waiter?" He raised his eyebrows as Ben went on about how Brooke hadn't tried one. "I'm sure you'll remedy that as soon as you get the chance," he said with a playful smirk. Ben seemed genuinely baffled at the question, and Quinn blamed it on poor flirting. Seemed like Ben was someone he might have to be a bit more direct with. He could make that work. That smile of his was cute, though. He wouldn't mind being the cause of that more often. When he came back, Quinn immediately eyed the tomato soup and grilled cheese. "Yes, you do have good judgment. God. Ultimate comfort food right here, and you really can't have one without the other. Gotta dip it," he said with a grin.

Ben  

"Yeah, I do want to call it that, actually," he joked with a smile, leaning against the counter a little more. At the teasing, he playfully rolled his eyes, locking his hands behind his back, left wrist over right wrist. "Yes, Sir, I'd keep my hands behind my back just like this to be safe. Good thing I'm good at following directions, huh?" Returning his hands to the counter in front of him, Ben's smile remained on his face. Maybe he'd have to take Quinn up on that offer to visit the lab someday - not just because his mind went plenty of dirty places thinking about being in Quinn's place of work, quickly shooing aside the professor fantasy he had in his head. He was at work, after all. "Oh - I wouldn't say I'm clumsy. Just that me and chemistry labs don't mix well. I've got good hand-eye coordination otherwise, I played baseball all through high school, varsity all four years, started my last three. But at the same time I was starting on the diamond, I was knocking over vials and shit in the chemistry classroom. God, Mr. Whatever-His-Name-Was hated me..." Ben muttered, shaking his head and rubbing at the back of his neck with a smile. "I definitely will. I'm swinging by the grocery store to pick up Oreos tomorrow, she's gotta try it. You've gotta try it. It's so good, I promise. But, like, cheat day only good. Because if you eat them every day, you'll feel like shit. Don't ask me how I know that." His freshman year of college had been a dangerous time. When he returned with the food, he smiled at the compliment, setting the grilled cheese and tomato soup down in front of Quinn and accepting the plate of latkes for himself. "For sure, yeah. It's not half as good without the dipping. But I'm glad I made a good choice. Enjoy, Professor."

Quinn  

It was entirely too easy to lean into the sexy professor thing. Van Halen's Hot for Teacher had come out five years before he was born, but it sure as hell seemed to apply with some of his hookups. He'd never been stupid enough to hook up with a student, of course, but he had fucked more than one person over his desk with his office door locked behind him. "Very good thing," Quinn said, his mind inclined to wander about just how good he was at it. He'd find out later, if things turned out the way he wanted them to. It was endearing to hear about his high school days, considering his words until he got to Mr. Whatever-His-Name-Was. Eyes widening he said, "Oh, damn, did Dr. J finally retire when you got to high school chemistry? He looked like he was getting around to it when I graduated, but I always figured he'd be one of those that came back to sub when needed. Mr. Whatever-His-Name-Was sounds like a tool," he said with a dismissive roll of his eyes. He'd always admired his own chemistry teacher. He had a doctorate, but he came back to teach high school chemistry because the schedule was less demanding, and it was closer to home. Real family man. Quinn doubted he'd ever get to that point himself, but he could appreciate the fact that others were able to get their lives together enough to do something like that. "But if a chem lab makes you nervous, I can always show you my office," he added with a perfectly innocent expression. "Your choice." He chuckled when Ben went on about the Oreos as a cheat day only food. "I'll take your word for it," he promised before digging into his meal, promptly dipping the tip of the grilled cheese into the tomato soup and taking a bite. "Mm. I am already," he said after the first bite. 

Ben  

At the praise - if one could even consider it praise - Ben felt his cheeks flush a little bit more. Turning around to pretend to check the state of the milkshake machine behind him, Ben forced himself to take a deep breath. Now was not the time or the place - even though his shift was coming to a close, he was still at work, and Quinn was technically his customer. He was grateful for the talk of high school; there was nothing less sexy in Ben's book than high school chemistry. "Yeah, he retired a year before me. All my siblings praised Mr. J to all heavens, but I got stuck with this... yeah - he was a tool. All around asshole, glad I don't have to deal with him anymore -- I used to turn in homework and then get 0s on it because he claimed I never turned it in, when I very clearly did turn it in- which is how I nearly failed the class. Well, that, plus the fact that I can't do chemistry." It was too much memorization for him. How was he even supposed to begin to remember the whole periodic table, anyways? The next phrase caught him entirely off-guard again, his eyes dropping to the floor so he didn't have to make eye contact with Quinn while his mind wandered. "I'm sure your office is really nice." It was probably best to leave that at that for now. Grabbing a set of silverware for himself, he poured the applesauce onto the latkes, taking a bite with a hum. "Good, I'm glad you like it," he spoke, covering his mouth with the back of his hand in case there was any food in there while he talked. "You want a milkshake with that, too? On me...?" That was his best way of flirting while he was on the job, plus he knew that Quinn had his affinity for a chocolate milkshake.

Quinn  

It was just too easy to make him blush, a fact that Quinn was taking full advantage of. He wasn't going to push it too much. After all, the poor guy was working. If he wanted an out, there was literally no getting away from him until he left. Still, his body language implied none of the sort, as far as he could tell. Well, maybe he was a little bit flustered. Quinn would take it easy on him. He looked more comfortable as they moved to the subject of high school chemistry. Truthfully, chemistry had kicked his ass a time or two in his undergraduate. He'd failed Calculus 1 the first go around in college and had to take it again in order to have enough working calculus knowledge to do chemistry. It had been a fucking shit show for a while there, but his stubbornness won out. "It's not for everyone. But I guarantee you'd've had a better time with it if you'd had Dr. J. Guy gets out of Edgewater to get his doctorate and comes back because he wants to teach high schoolers. Practically qualifies him for sainthood." He watched Ben's gaze move to the floor when he mentioned his office and held back a smirk. "It is. There's a desk for working and a couch for when it's time to take a break." His tone was even, not at all suggestive, but providing just enough information for Ben to have a mental picture. He grinned when Ben offered him a milkshake. Didn't go quite as well with this dish, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be turning it down, either. "I'd love that. But only if I'm buying your dinner."

Ben  

"Wish I could turn back time and be born two years earlier, if only to have Dr. J. teaching me high school chemistry," he joked, tapping his fingers against the counter. He didn't want to think about himself as the type that peaked in high school. While he'd had some good experiences in high school, he truly hoped that the best was yet to come. He didn't want to think the peak of his life was winning the state championship in baseball his senior year, didn't want to think that the peak of his submission was kneeling in some barn to give a guy head after the homecoming bonfire in the fall. He had more to experience, he knew it. When Quinn continued to describe the office, Ben wondered if he was doing so on purpose just to tease him. He could practically picture it, if he closed his eyes and really tried to. He was sure that it looked good - better than what his imagination could come up with, in fact. "It's probably nice to have a couch in there for when you want it. But also nice to have a desk so you can actually focus when you need to." Don't think about it, Ben. Don't think about any of it. Turning around to make his milkshake, Ben quickly shook his head in dismissal. "No, no, don't worry about it. You don't have to do that." It was definitely a nice gesture, in Ben's mind, but he didn't want to be a burden to Quinn just because he'd decided to order an extra dish when Quinn only needed one. Quickly making the chocolate milkshake, he set it down on the counter in front of Quinn, setting a straw next to it. "But that's yours, no fighting back, Sir." A big grin accompanied those words, taking another bite of his latkes to occupy his mouth afterwards.

Quinn  

"He gave you peanut m&ms if you got a hard question right, and I really don't think there's any topping that incentive," Quinn joked back. The longer they talked, the less he saw Ben as his high school friend's kid brother. It was easy to push the scrawny ten year old out of his mind when he looked like this. And when his back was turned, it was human nature that allowed for his gaze to dip down to his ass for just a moment. "It is nice having options," Quinn said. His tone of voice made the comment perfectly innocuous; it was up to Ben to interpret it how he would. He cracked a smile when Ben told him that he didn't have to do that. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to," he pointed out. "And it's really rare that I'll do something out of obligation. Well. Outside of a work context, anyway. I'll teach an eight A.M. class out of obligation, but I'll buy a hot guy dinner just because I want to." Much more of a direct flirtation, and he waited for the telltale blush. He was taking it easy, but Ben had walked right into it with his whole 'you don't have to do that'. He stuck the straw in the milkshake and took a sip, closing his eyes and humming with an approving nod of his head. He thought about mentioning how the milkshake was the second most delicious thing he'd seen tonight, but he really didn't want the poor guy to end up choking on his latke.

Ben  

"I wish I got peanut M&Ms, instead I just got an inferiority complex and had to add humiliation to my list of hard limits," he replied, propping his chin up on his hand as he ate. That wasn't entirely true; he'd known his whole life that humiliation and degradation weren't things that turned him on, but he just thought that joking about it would make it easier to deal with in retrospect. "Yeah - yeah, options are nice..." he agreed, curious about what Quinn meant by that. He wasn't going to press, of course -- he was still at work, after all. But the thought would linger in his head long after he got off shift. When Quinn directly referred to him as a hot guy, Ben could feel his heart skip a beat. He almost felt like a kid again, crushing on his sibling's friend, but... there was something more to it. Maybe it was just the desire to submit. "Eight A.M.s suck... but you're the hot guy here, really." That sounded a lot better in his brain than it did coming out of his mouth. He never thought of himself as a bad flirt, so why was it so hard for him to flirt back right now? Taking another bite of his latke so his mouth was too occupied to talk and embarrass him again, he smiled at the hum of approval - Ben craved approval more than he'd ever be able to admit. Once he'd swallowed the bite, he spoke again, another attempt to flirt. "I'm really glad you like it, Sir." Using the honorific again, more than he typically would with old friends of his siblings'. He had always been taught to respect Dominants, sure, but this was going a bit more than respect, in his head; once per conversation was enough respect, but, now, he was really milking the honorific, trying to see what it would get out of Quinn.

Quinn  

Quinn picked up on the interesting observation from the other. Truthfully, he could take or leave that sort of thing, anyway. He would do it if the person he was doing a scene with requested it, but it was by no means his favorite. He could be an asshole at times, without a doubt, but he didn't personally understand the appeal of being mean just to be mean. He was sure there were other perspectives on it as well, but that was for another conversation. "Thank you, Ben. This seems to be one of the cases where there are two right answers," he said with a teasing grin. It was sort of cute, how he was muddling through the whole flirting thing. Quinn was typically the type to go for the easy hook up, but he genuinely enjoyed talking with Ben like this. He wouldn't mind if this was as far as Ben wanted to take it, even though he was getting the hint that he might want more. He'd noticed all of the sirs Ben dropped in conversation, and he idly wondered if that meant that he wanted to submit to him in particular. A good looking, nice guy like him surely had no trouble finding someone to submit to, but he might still be shopping around. "There's a lot to like about the diner this time of night," he mused in return, taking another bite of his tomato soup dipped grilled cheese.

Ben  

Ben had never felt quite like this with anyone else, which surprised him; he flirted a lot, with plenty of other people even during work hours. So why was he so uncertain of it now? Was it because of his childhood experience with Quinn? Or was it because of more recent conversations with him, their frequent run-ins at the diner? Or was it things in this conversation in particular that were making it difficult for Ben to keep up? Had it been that long since he'd submitted to someone else? No, not really. Then what was it...? "Oh - so you were just teasing me, knowing that whatever I was gonna say was gonna be right? That's sneaky, Quinn..." he joked, lips curling up into a smile again. "It's like giving a sub two options and the Dom knowing that both options are good but the sub doesn't know that, so you're being a tease..." Quickly taking another bite of his latkes to keep himself from rambling anymore, he looked down at his food, glancing back up at Quinn. He really did like the way that Quinn said his name. What would it sound like if he called him Benjamin...? "Oh, yeah, the neon looks really good, doesn't it?" glancing around, he gave a little smile. "It's quiet, but not bad quiet. Not creepy quiet, either. Just... comforting quiet. I like it a lot. Feels... cozy, y'know?" 

Quinn  

"What can I say? You looked like you'd be fun to tease," Quinn responded with a playful wink. He didn't let his mind wander around the specifics of how he'd tease Ben if the two of them were ever really alone. It was cute, the little routine of saying something and then quickly munching on his food to make sure he didn't say more than he intended to. "Do you like being teased, Benjamin?" The urge to touch had reached its peak, and the only thing holding him back was the fact that he had something to do with his hands. Sliding the milkshake closer, he sucked on the straw and gave Ben a quizzical look. However, then his wandering thoughts quieted as Ben commented on the neon and the quiet. Sure, he was cute flustered, but he was adorable in an environment that was clearly comfortable to him. "It's nice," he had to agree. "Part of the reason I didn't just get a place in Denver. A lot easier to find a quiet place to grade or relax in a place like Edgewater." When he'd left, the quiet had been too much. All he'd wanted was out of his thoughts, out of his head. He'd gotten that however he could at college. Throwing himself into extra-curriculars he didn't really care about. Throwing himself into his homework. Throwing himself into parties where he drank so much he couldn't remember. It was still hard being back, but thirteen years made it hurt a little less. A dull ache as opposed to a fresh wound.

Ben  

Running his tongue over his teeth, Ben tried his best to hold back a blush this time. Did he look fun to tease? What did that mean, to look fun to tease? Was that a good thing? Mulling over the words in his mind, Ben was slightly distracted until Quinn spoke up again. Holy fuck... it was almost like Quinn could read his mind. And yes, he decided, he very much did like the way his full name sounded coming out of Quinn's mouth. He could almost imagine it now, Ben dropping into subspace with Quinn's hand in his hair, speaking kindly to him, calling him Benjamin and good boy and so many other beautiful things-- until he realized he'd been asked a question. "Yes, Sir..." Forcing himself to take deep breaths, Ben focused on things around them - the smell of the latkes and the grilled cheese, the way the neon reflected off of the counter, the way his nails were getting too long for his comfort and how he'd have to cut them when he got back home. The three glasses drying on the counter behind him. Enough to distract him until he felt calm enough to continue their conversation. "Well, I'm glad you came home. I mean that." Ben had understood the desire to leave, to see other things, when he graduated high school, too. He enjoyed his time in California, but he really had missed Edgewater; he had no regrets about coming back home afterwards. And now, those feelings were even stronger. Maybe his reasons were selfish, but he really was glad to see Quinn back in town.

Quinn  

Quinn waited ever so patiently for Ben to answer his question, noting the long pause but deciding against pointing it out. His gaze wandered around the room, and Quinn had to wonder if Ben had been submitting regularly. Of course it was none of his business yet, and he wasn't going to ask. But he did seem awfully flustered for someone who was submitting on the regular. He'd find out if Ben wanted to tell him. All teasing aside, this would of course only go as far as Ben wanted it to. He quietly finished off his grilled cheese and soup, the silence comfortable enough for him even as he wondered what Ben might be thinking about. When he did finally speak up, the comment made him smile. It wasn't unequivocally good to be back, but it had been better than he expected. Family was a good enough reason to come back, for him. Everett was here. Noel was back. Quinn was by no means completely responsible, but the two of them needed someone to keep an eye on them before they crashed a tractor or worse. "You grew up," he mused, glancing over at him again. "I don't know if I can still call you kid now that you're taller than me."

Ben  

How long had it been? Two weeks, maybe more? That thing with Theo, whatever it was, seemed like ages ago now. And he knew that she had her eyes on other subs, and the two of them would never end up together; it just wouldn't work, they were too close of friends to be Claim partners. Not to say that a Claim can't be a friend, too... A brief shake of his head stopped his thoughts from running again, finishing up his latkes in that comfortable silence again, the sound of silverware almost as comforting as the neon reflecting off the countertops. At the comment about him growing up, Ben shrugged. "I never really liked it when anybody called me kid, anyways, if I'm being honest." There are plenty of other things you could call me, though. Reaching to take his clean plate and bowl back to the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder at him. "Benjamin worked. Ben's good, too. Whatever you want, really. I'll grab your check in a minute."

Quinn  

"Everett did it just to annoy me, which I caught on to pretty quick," he replied. He and his brother had had a relatively decent balance of getting along and fighting, but for the longest time, he'd been the one Quinn looked up to. Eventually he'd gotten over that, not wanting to get into any serious trouble that would prevent him from actually getting out of Edgewater some day. The Heartland name could only do a person so many favors, and it really didn't extend beyond the outskirts of town. "No rush on the check, Ben," he promised with an easygoing smile. "I'm enjoying your company." Back to a neutral enough compliment. He really didn't want to get the submissive too flustered, after all. There was a balance to it. The teasing comments and the more real things. Well, as real as Quinn got with anyone. This town made him nostalgic. He'd built up his walls in anticipation of them coming down easier in a place that was familiar even after over a decade away.

Ben  

"We were never the 'kid' type of family, you know? Like, sure, I got called it at least a couple times, but it was never enough to get on my nerves. I just didn't prefer it."  His siblings were certainly some of his closest friends, but that was likely a whole different story. He knew that he could look up to them no matter what, and he was grateful for everything they'd done in paving the way for him through school. A good reputation was definitely a nice starting block to have. Going to grab the check, he shot Quinn a smile. "No - no rush on your end. Seriously. I'm enjoying your company, too." Part of it was the easy flow of conversation, another part was that he was definitely attracted to Quinn, at least as a person who he could be friends with. He had no idea what Quinn was like as a Dominant, but part of Ben (a large part) hoped that he'd get to find out. Setting the check down in front of him, without the latkes and the milkshake on there, he leaned against the counter again. "So, classes tomorrow? Do you have to teach any 8 AMs this semester?"

Quinn  

"How is your family, by the way?" He saw Ben because of the diner, but he hadn't really run into any of the other Elmans. It was a typical train of conversation, and truth be told, he was asking more out of habit than a general desire to know. Old habits apparently come back, even after thirteen years. It wasn't all that much of a surprise that he hadn't run into any of Ben's family. He didn't spend all that much time in Edgewater, even though he lived there. He went grocery shopping and to the diner, but he wasn't overly keen on socializing with many people. He'd be staying for at least the rest of the school year, but he had no idea if he was going to make a longer commitment than that. "Thank you," he added, looking over the check before raising his eyebrows. "You're really not going to let me buy you dinner, Benjamin?" He thought about making a comment about saving that for another time. "Yes, and yes. I just make my own coffee on 8 AM days so I can roll out of bed at the last minute possible. Luckily tomorrow my first is a 10:30 lecture. Then I have a lab from 2 to 5. What about you?"

Ben  

"Oh, they're good - everybody's good. Dad's back into needlepointing, Mom's still cooking Sunday night dinners, everybody's good. You should come over one of these Sundays, catch up. We'd all like to have you, I'm sure of it." He nodded - Quinn used to be around so frequently when he was a kid; Ben was certain he'd be welcomed back into the Elman household with open arms. "I'd ask the same about your family, but I've seen pretty much everybody around, I think. Everyone looks healthy and happy. And the hayrides are as much of a hit as they ever were." It was nice, living someplace where he knew everyone. While it made dating more difficult, it made his day-to-day life much easier. There was less animosity when you knew everyone around you, it seemed. Except for the feud, and Ben pretended like that just didn't exist. At Quinn's question, Ben shook his head, biting back a smile. "No, Sir, I'm not." Holding back his own comment about saving it for another time, Ben looked him in the eyes, finally letting the smile raise up onto his cheeks. "I start at 9 tomorrow morning, get off at 5. Like a regular old businessman," he joked, grinning. "Or whenever Brooke tells me to leave. It's scheduled 9 to 5, but it all depends on how busy the diner is."

Quinn  

He'd really walked right into that one, and he was kicking himself. Wholesome family dinners with people who weren't his family was exactly the sort of thing he had no desire to do. "Thanks. Maybe one of these Sundays I won't put off grading until the last minute." It was an easy out, and he was grateful for the fact that he was still pretty good at thinking on his feet when it came to this sort of thing. He chuckled at the mention of the hayrides. "Is it really hayride season if one of the Heartlands isn't joking about stealing the tractor?" Noel really needed to get his vehicle fixed. "If you insist," Quinn replied, pulling out his wallet, fully intending to leave a generous tip. "But I'll be buying you the fried Oreo when it gets added to the menu," he said with a grin of his own. "Ah. I get the feeling Stream would be a good boss, though," he said, the childhood nickname rolling off his tongue without a second thought. "I think the only times I've ever seen this place busy is when there's some sort of event going on in town." Which also happened a fair amount of the time. Edgewater was one of those little towns that stuck to its traditions.

Ben  

"And I thought you would've figured out time management by now," Ben teased in a friendly manner, a smile on his lips. "You're always welcome, just let me know." Pushing a hand through his hair to get some of it out of his face, he propped his chin up on his wrist again after that. "You'll be able to see my naivety real quick, but don't tractors go, like, five miles an hour at best? What's the point of stealing one, you aren't gonna get anywhere." He didn't really get it, he knew he didn't. He'd grown up in town, not on the outskirts, so the farms around Edgewood weren't exactly his area of expertise, no matter how much Theo had tried to teach him over the years. "I do insist, actually. But I will take you up on one of those fried Oreos." Ben nodded in agreement, giving him a smile. "Stream?" he laughed at the nickname, looking over his shoulder. "Why do you call her that?" Genuinely curious, and also wanting to get Quinn to talk more, to stay longer, to be around him for as long as possible. "Yeah, that's true, but it's not like Edgewater is a dull place - especially with all that construction going on, people are talking, and people come here to talk over a good meal. It's interesting - nobody really seems to know what's going on. Weird, huh?" Glancing out the window, he turned his gaze back to Quinn. "But - yeah, you're right. It's not busy all that much, so... I've got plenty of free time, Sir."

Quinn  

"That would be the adult thing to do. But I'm never out of bed before nine unless I absolutely have to be, so I guess I missed the memo on a few of those adult things," he joked back. It was one thing with Ben, he'd decided. But he really hadn't stayed close with all that many of his high school friends. Brooke was definitely an exception, not a rule. They'd been hanging out since they were in diapers because their moms had been best friends. When they were both out in California, they made time to see each other. When she was on tour in Baltimore, he skipped his homework for the night to catch her show. He hadn't ended up on bad terms with any of the Elmans, they'd just sort of fallen off each others' radars. "That's what it feels like when you get stuck behind one on the road," he admitted with a laugh. "But top speed's actually 25 miles per hour. So. Definitely quicker and less effort than riding a bike, if it really came down to it." He had a fair amount of useless farm knowledge considering he'd never planned to seriously work on the farm. It had been more of a summer job, helping out when needed. Quinn pulled out his phone, opening a new contact and offering it to Ben. "Text me when they're officially on the menu?" It was innocent enough, and an easy enough in. He shook his head at himself for the slip up. "Well, when you were a toddler, I was busy being absolutely insufferable in second grade, and when I learned that stream was a synonym for brook, she never had a chance." It was a dumb story, one he hadn't had the need to tell in years. "I'm sure someone knows what's going on," he reasoned. "But whoever that someone is is doing a damn good job of being tight lipped." That was almost more impressive, all things considered. It made him think that it had to be the doing of an out of towner. "Oh? And what do you like to do in your free time, Ben?"

Ben  

"Oh, please - nine is still early, I'm not judging you at all. Between you and me? On days I don't work, sometimes I sleep in until ten." He chuckled at his own story, propping his elbows up on the counter again, despite how far he had to bend down to do so. Maybe he hadn't grown out of his high school days, off-season, when he could sleep in in the mornings on weekends and not have to worry about practice or games. "Oh, 25? That's fast as hell, please, forgive me," he teased, holding his hands up in a surrender-esque gesture. Despite his teasing, though, he had loved the sound of Quinn's laughter. His brain started to work on how he could hear the noise again. He hadn't ridden a bike in years, not since he got his car. He remembers liking it as a kid, though, despite how frequently he was lectured about wearing a helmet and staying off the streets. He was pleasantly surprised when Quinn offered him his phone to put his number in. "Yes, Sir, I can do that. Consider yourself on the exclusive Ben Elman Mac's Diner Mailing List," he joked, but he really was glowing with joy about getting to give Quinn his number. Typing it in, putting his name in as Benjamin Elman, he slid the phone back. He had been considering dropping his last name, but he knew that there were plenty of Benjamins out there, and he didn't want Quinn getting confused. "You'll have to text me later so I've got your number, too." He listened along with the story, feeling a little dumb when it took him a second to get it. "Oh, like - the- like a river, brook. Not like, Brooke with an e at the end. Science was not my thing, can you tell?" Nodding along with Quinn's commentary on the construction, Ben bit the inside of his cheek, silently pondering. "Yeah, I wish I could know more..." He muttered, fingers pulling at his sleeve. "In my free time? Read? Watch movies, relax, come to town... pretty much anything, you name it." Go on a date with you. "What do you like to do in your free time?" 

Quinn  

"How rebellious," Quinn replied immediately, laughing. The conversation between the two of them was so easy. It was impossible not to notice that, even though he wasn't sure what to do with the information. Ignore it, that was probably for the best. Not overthink it. At least, not while he was still right in front of him at the diner. "Fast enough for there to be a drive your tractor to school day. Although, come to think of it, that might've been something Everett made up when our folks grounded him from the car," he said with a shake of his head. "Exclusive, huh? Lucky me," he teased right back, taking the phone when it was handed back to him. He noticed the formal first name last name format, and he was pretty sure that Ben thought his social circle was a lot more extensive than it really was. "Oh, I intend to," he responded, immediately snapping a selfie with a goofy face and sending it to his new contact. "Use it responsibly," he said with a very serious expression before cracking a smile. "Science isn't my thing sometimes, so I get it. I worked in a lab after I graduated college, and my boss brought me donuts when I looked stressed, so apparently I have a very obvious stressed look," he joked. Ben looked genuinely concerned about the construction, and he wished he had some useful information if only to assuage whatever feelings he was having. It was a protective instinct, usually reserved for family or friends. "A lot of the same. I've been trying to go to the gym at least once a week, so that's been interesting." He certainly wasn't going to mention how he'd gone flying off the back of a treadmill the other day.

Ben  

"That's me, Edgewood's most rebellious sub." Ben laughed at his own joke, knowing he was probably far to the opposite side of the spectrum. He was genuinely enjoying their conversation. It came easier now that he was comfortable with their flirting, easier to put the past in the past and accept the simple fact that he was attracted to Quinn. "Yeah, I don't think drive your tractor to school day was an actual thing, sorry to burst that bubble." Not that he would've been surprised if there had been; Edgewater was a town that would have something like that every year. "Yeah, it's really exclusive, 'cause you're the only one that gets it, and you can ask for updates on things, too. I hear the guy running the newsletter is a pretty quick responder, too." When he watched Quinn take the selfie, he smiled affectionately, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yes, Sir. Sorry I forgot the picture for you, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only Benjamin Elman that you know, so." Now he wished he had put a picture in Quinn's phone. "Aren't you, like, a doctor of science, though? You've gotta be, like, ten times better at it than I am." He nodded along with what Quinn told him he was doing now that he was back in Edgewater. "Hey, that's more dedication than I've got. I go maybe once biweekly, but I also jog a lot, so... I guess there's that. I may not be in peak baseball shape, but I could still hold my own on a diamond, I think. I can still fit the letterman's jacket, at the very least, so that's a win."

Quinn  

"You know, something tells me that isn't the case," Quinn teased. Truthfully, he had no idea what kind of submissive Ben was. That was part of the intrigue. With the data he had so far, he could see him going either way. He was curious to find out, but he didn't want to spook Ben too early on. "And here I was thinking they just quit the tradition before I got a chance to try it out," he said with a shake of his head. "Yeah? Glad I'm signed up for it, then," he said. "You're the only Benjamin that I know. Or at least, the only one to be a contact in my phone." His contact list was pretty sparse. He wasn't much of a casual texter. He chuckled when Ben commented on his being a doctor of science. "I am. But no one likes it when someone brags about being a doctor of science." Truthfully, it had been a lot of work, and he was still paying off student loans. But he liked teaching well enough. He'd had too many shitty professors along the way to not try to be one of the better ones, even if it was only better in comparison. "See, the idea of jogging is just so fundamentally unpleasant that I've decided to avoid it at all costs." The last time he'd tried it had been the treadmill fiasco, so it was clearly for good reason. More beneficial for his health not to jog, if you thought about it.

Ben  

“You might be right on that assumption, but there’s only one way to find out...” Ben really hoped that Quinn wanted someone who could be obedient. Who was obedient. He just hoped that they were truly as compatible as they seemed to be. “I’m the only one, really?” So he could have just left it at Benjamin. Too late for regrets now. He almost never used his full name with anyone, but giving it to Quinn just felt right. With Quinn’s beautiful voice, he wanted to be Benjamin. “It’s not bragging. I’m more than happy to listen to you talking about your accomplishments, Sir.” That was true; even though Ben might not understand it all, he was definitely going to try. He laughed at Quinn’s feelings about jogging, propping his chin up on his knuckles again. “I just like the scenery changes better than I like the treadmill. And I can run at my perfect pace, not at a weird increment that’s just a tiny bit off. And I can slow down or speed up as much as I want whenever I want.” He realized soon after that he was probably rambling. “There are a lot of pros to it, I mean. I like it. But I’m not gonna push you into going jogging just because I like it. It’s perfectly normal to disagree with me, I mean. The gym is nice for weights, though.”

Quinn  

And an awfully flirty comment coming from the youngest Elman. He was pleased with his poker face because if he didn't have one, he might very well have fallen right out of his stool. "And would you like for me to find out?" Asked innocently enough. He didn't bother putting any innuendo into the question because the words spoke for themselves. "You are," he added in response to Ben's question. Well aren't you just the cutest. He was hot, to be sure, but somehow he managed to be both all at once. "I'll let you in on a little secret, then. Half the reason I got my doctorate is because I knew the hot professor thing would work for me," he joked. Well, half-joked. The tie and button down sleeves rolled up to his elbows only served to emphasize his point. "Oh, I don't get along with a treadmill either," he replied immediately. "Probably wouldn't have bit the dust the other day if I had just gone on a jog outside." It was cute, though, the rambling about jogging. Quinn might actually consider rolling out of bed at a semi-decent hour to go on a jog with him. God, wasn't that a horrifying thought? "Yeah, I'll be sticking with the weights there from now on."

Ben  

The question sounded so innocuous, but if Ben had been any less stable, it might’ve taken him out. Yes, it’s what I’ve been trying to get you to ask the whole night...! “I think I’d like that, Sir,” he replied after taking a deep breath to steady himself. That was the hardest part; admitting that he wanted that. He did it, though. He did it. “The hot professor thing really works for you. Like, really.” That was what he’d been thinking about the whole night, after all. Raising his eyebrows at Quinn’s seemingly continuous failures in cardio, he nodded at the comment about sticking to weights. “Well, if you ever need a spotter, you know where to find one. Especially now.”

Quinn  

"Good boy, Benjamin. Thank you for telling me," he said, a sincere compliment as he looked at him across the counter. He stood up from his stool, knowing that both he and Brooke were likely wanting to close up shot, and he'd lingered long past his welcome. Well. Brooke had never failed him as a wingwoman before. Grinning at the compliment, he took his coat in hand. "Thank you. Hot waiter is not a trope I'd considered before, and yet..." He teased as he let his sentence trail off. "Oh? I suppose we'll have to work off those Oreos somehow." He contemplated making a comment about him getting too distracted, but he was still playing the balancing game, not flirting too much at once.

Ben  

Oh, holy shit... Ben had to grip the counter to keep himself from stumbling. At the same time, he bit down on his tongue to keep himself from moaning. The words replayed over and over again in his mind, though. Good boy, Benjamin. Good boy, Benjamin. Good boy, Benjamin. “Oh, wait, don’t you want change for that...?” He asked as he saw Quinn gathering his coat. Picking up the check and the payment off of the counter, he figured Quinn had to want change; it was a pretty big tip otherwise. “Yeah, hot waiter isn’t exactly... peak sexy, I’ll admit,” he chuckled in concession. He was a service sub, though; with a little twist, something like this could be incredibly sexy to him. “I guess we will.” He did want to spend more time with Quinn outside of work; he’d do pretty much anything to get it. But he couldn’t just reach for him and ask him to stay until the end of his shift, to his dismay. “Just text me whenever. Seriously. I’m always around, Sir.” He sincerely hoped that that would be enough.

Quinn  

Quinn saw the reaction to his words and seriously contemplated taking him home with him right now. His shift was clearly over, and those three words likely wouldn't have had such an effect on him if he were submitting regularly. "No change. I got excellent service," he replied with a grin. He thought about how Ben was easily the sexiest waiter he'd seen, but that was a thought better stuck in his head. Not to mention, he wasn't usually in the habit of having extended conversations with his waiters, so that ruled out a good deal of them out of hand. Whenever, he noted. The invitation was really open, and he couldn't help but wonder again if he wanted to do this right now. "What are you doing after your shift ends?" This was why his time management went to hell. He found a pretty sub and there went his plans to grade.

Ben  

"Do you want to leave a note for Brooke letting her know you had good service at the diner tonight?" he teased, trying to get his mind to quiet down -- good boy, Benjamin -- it would be for the best if it just let him focus on the conversation at hand. "But thanks. Really." The tip was excessive, but Ben wasn't going to insist on giving the money back to Quinn. He could buy himself an extra hot chocolate or three in the morning. Or rent a movie. Or buy a toy. He could treat himself to something, and he was grateful. "After my shift..." he repeated, running his thumb over his lower lip, looking down at the counter as if he was contemplating. "Well, I was going to go home and make dinner, but now that I've already had dinner, it looks like my planner's empty. Why?" His eyes returned to Quinn's face as he spoke. Ben was almost bouncing on his toes with enthusiasm. He wanted the invitation - was it a dream that he was getting it so soon? Was he daydreaming? Had Quinn already left the diner, leaving him in the relative silence of the old Edgewater establishment? Or was this reality? Was he about to get something that he'd wanted since he first laid eyes on Quinn again...? 

Quinn  

“I might just. Never had a favorite waiter before, so here’s to new experiences,” he replied with an easygoing grin. He was aware that this tip was certainly bordering on excessive, but Ben didn’t seem to mind. Things were just easy with him in a way they hadn’t been since-. He should put the brakes on this. Logically he knew that. Still, was he going to actually listen to logic where Ben was involved? Probably fucking not. “I’m interested to find out if your claim about being Edgewater’s most rebellious sub is accurate,” he admitted. “I know it’s a rather last minute invitation; if you’d rather plan for another time, that can be arranged, too.” It was nice, knowing that regardless, Ben was interested in exploring this with him at some point. They had the hardest part of the conversation out of the way, now it was just a matter of when.

Ben  

"Here's to new experiences," he repeated back with a smile, Quinn's grin enough to make Ben want to return it. Going to the cash register, he quickly put away what Quinn owed, storing the rest in his own tip compartment, closing things up after that. Turning his attention back to Quinn, his heart almost leapt out of his chest. "It's not accurate," he replied, unable to bite his tongue. "Unless rebellion is your thing? I could be- I mean- fuck--" he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Forcing himself to take a breath before he continued, he nodded. "I mean, now's good - not now, but, like..." glancing at the clock on the wall, he nodded. "Twenty minutes from now? I'm free. Are you sure you don't have... like... other things? You don't have to be up too early for this? Because I want this. I do - I just- are you sure?" Trying to get his words straight, Ben looked over at Quinn, both excited and anxious at the same time. "If you wanna sit with me 'til the end of my shift, we can maybe discuss limits and the rest? Unless somebody else comes in before my replacement, then I'd have to worry about them, but - if nobody does...? We could talk?"

Quinn  

They were back to the part where Ben was incredibly flustered once again. “No, I didn’t think it was,” he agreed with a smile. “You like being a good boy too much to misbehave, right?” he asked, wanting to reach out and brush his hands through his hair but holding back for now. “Twenty minutes, sure. I can help you put the chairs on top of tables or whatever you do to close up shop, too,” he offered. He didn’t mind being put to work, particularly now that the place was Brooke’s. “I’m sure, Ben,” he added, making sure to make eye contact with him to drive the message home. “I’m interested in you. And I’m flattered that you’re willing to try this with me.” He wanted to make sure Ben was aware that he was wanted, too. Quinn then set his coat back down, pulling up the seat he’d just vacated. “Let’s talk about it,” he agreed. 

Ben  

"The more you call me good boy on shift, the less my brain realizes I'm on shift," he pointed out. As much as he wanted to drop to his knees right then and there, he couldn't exactly do that -- he was still working, after all. "The diner's 24/7, Sir. I'm not closing, I'm just off-shift. We've got replacements coming in in 20 minutes." Nineteen minutes. God, if only time could move a little bit faster, Ben would appreciate it endlessly. When Quinn pointed out that he was interested in him, Ben had to do his best to keep from blushing. "I'm flattered that you're willing to try this with me, too." Going to lean back against the counter, he nodded in agreement. It was an easy enough discussion to have; he'd had it plenty of times before. "My safeword is shortstop. My hard limits are scat, needle play, age play, and degradation. Softer limits are watersports, public sex, and heavy pain play."

Quinn  

"Well, I can't have you distracted if there's a last minute customer, can I?" He took the hint, not wanting to overuse it anyway. "Is it really? Here I was thinking Edgewater's too small to have anything that's open at all hours." He wondered if that was a Brooke decision, or if it had been that way for a while and he just hadn't noticed. He was sure that they got some customers at 3 A.M., probably more around the weekend. Then Ben was complimenting him once again, and he was pulled out of his speculation. He smiled before listening as Ben went into the basic safeword, hard limits, soft limits spiel. "And what are your favorite things to do?" he asked, wanting to have the information instead of just guessing at it. "As for me, I use the stoplight system, and my hard limits are scat, vore, and age play."

Ben  

"I appreciate that," he replied sincerely; if there was a last minute customer, god forbid, Ben didn't want to be as distracted as he was at any moment that Quinn decided to call him good boy. "Yeah, we get the three am customers in from Rammer Jammer drunk off their asses, because nothing says drunk food like fries and pancakes." He took the overnight shifts more often than usual, mostly because it was easier for him to handle the drunk crowds than any of the women who worked at the diner. He'd pretty much learned the ways of the customers by now. He just did his best to make sure that everyone left Mac's happy. "Stoplight system works for me, too," he quickly clarified - it was good to have something like 'yellow', something that said they needed to pause as opposed to a hard stop like a safeword brought. "As for my favorite things..." This was harder to talk about for Ben; it was easier to have quick hookups where neither of them cared about boxes being checked, favorites being hit. Nevertheless, he spoke up. "Um, I like bondage, ropes are better than leather, but either are good -- and orgasm control, those are the big two. Power exchange is good for me, body worship, sensory play, um... marking. I'm sure there's more, but... not at the top of my head. There's more stuff that I do like than stuff that I don't, let's say that."

Quinn  

"Kinda forgot how popular the Rammer Jammer gets," he admitted. He hadn't been there since he'd been back, which was a testament to Everett not calling him for a ride home. Probably had other people to call since he'd gotten used to him not being around. "Gotta soak up the alcohol, though, right?" he asked with a playful roll of his eyes. He'd stumbled upon way too many people who genuinely believed the myth. Short stop and stop light, he noticed. Easy to remember. Then when he went into specific questions, Quinn thought about making a note on his phone, but he decided he'd do that once he was alone. It wasn't that serious, but he did like knowing what, specifically, Ben wanted. He was a little surprised that praise hadn't made the list because calling him a good boy had had such an effect on him. "Good," he said, leaving off the boy, as promised. He could work with all of that, and it had given him plenty to choose from, including two favorites. He thought about combining them, seeing how long Ben could last. He had fifteen minutes plus the drive home to decide how he wanted the scene to play out.

Ben  

"Yeah, I don't really stay that late ever when I'm there, but I know that there are people who love it, and who am I to judge them...?" He was too much of a lightweight to fully enjoy the bar scene. But Theo did work there, so he did have to stop by every so often to say hello, to enjoy the company, to soak up the social scene, and nurse a beer. "Oh, yeah, um - I didn't mention praise, or, like, hair pulling - did I say hair pulling? I like it when people play with my hair. And body worship. I can't remember what I said at all, the words came out of my mouth and my brain decided to forget them." He nodded a bit, tapping his fingers on the counter, trying to recall what he'd said shortly before. "Um - did I ask what you like? Cause I wanna know what you like, too. Like... I want to make you feel good, you know? As a Dom, what makes you feel good?" He was genuinely curious; he did like to please his Dom whenever possible. And now they had plenty of time for Ben to get antsy with anticipation.

Quinn  

"The latest I've ever stayed there was back when I wasn't old enough to buy my own drinks." It was beyond easy to get someone who was old enough to buy drinks to get one for you, but he didn't let himself think too much about that. That had been Callan's scene. Like Ben had read his mind, he mentioned praise and hair pulling, and Quinn added that to the mental list he had going. "Brains do that sometimes," he assured with a fond smile. "And if you'd like to know, I'll repeat what you said back to me," he said. It was worth note that he mentioned body worship twice. Maybe he'd tie him up and kiss him all over until he was begging. The thought sent a pleasant shiver down his spine. Ben changed gears, and Quinn nodded. "Thanks for asking. I do like a well-behaved sub. I don't mind putting a brat in their place, per se, but it's nice to just reward good behavior." He paused, considering. "Other than that, we have a lot of common interests. Edging, bondage... I might not tie your hands tonight so you're free to explore. Or I might make you wait for it, depending on your preference."

Ben  

"Oh, god, I remember those days..." Ben admitted sheepishly. When he'd graduated high school, his siblings had brought him there, buying him drinks until he was too drunk to know his own name. "I really only go because my best friend works there. Bars aren't really my scene." He was glad that Quinn could repeat back what Ben said, because Ben genuinely couldn't remember half the things that had left his lips. "Did I mention power exchange and bondage?" He figured he had, but his mouth was moving faster than his mind could keep up. "Can you tell I'm nervous? But, like, good nervous. Excited nervous." Taking a deep breath, Ben shot a look at the clock. Less than ten minutes to go. "I'd like to think I'm a well-behaved sub. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been punished in my life, so... that's good, right?" Almost bouncing on his toes, Ben nodded along as Quinn spoke. "I -- I want you to surprise me. Is that asking too much? I trust you. If I didn't trust you I wouldn't have agreed to submit to you so quickly. I trust you - all that to say that I want you... to do what you think's best for both of us. I trust your mind, Sir."

Quinn  

If you grew up in this town, it was all but predestined that you had some embarrassing story that happened at the Rammer Jammer. How many embarrassing stories; however, that all depends on a person's personality. "Yeah? Who's that?" He was just asking to make conversation. It was important to know things about any sub he was planning to do a scene with. Just run of the mill holding a conversation. "You did," he confirmed. "Ropes are better than leather, but either are good. You also mentioned orgasm control, sensory play, and marking." He neglected to mention the fact that he'd brought up body worship twice, although he found it endearing. "Excited nervous is good. We have the stoplight system if it ever gets into bad nervous," he said, which of course Ben already knew. Still, it seemed prudent to mention it again. He was well aware that Ben was giving him something with all of this. He wanted him to know that he wasn't taking it lightly. "That is good," he agreed. He listened intently as Ben said that he wanted him to surprise him, smiling again. "That's not too much. That's what it's all about, right? None of this works if the trust isn't there."

Ben  

"Oh, her name's Theo. Theodora Flanigan. She's my age. You might've seen her around the house once or twice when we were kids." He was more than happy to talk about Theo; it was easier to talk about her than it was to talk about himself, after all. When Quinn started listing back everything he said, Ben nodded along. "Okay - yeah - yeah, I like all of that stuff. All of that stuff is really good. You said edging? That's good. Okay. We're on the same page." Taking another deep breath to calm his racing heart, Ben gave Quinn a smile. "We still have the stoplight system. We're green right now, I'm green, I mean. This is good. I'm looking forward to it." Fiddling with his hands a little bit, he glanced at the clock again, eagerly waiting for his shift to end. "Yeah, that's what it's all about. And I do trust you. I do. I've known you practically all my life, I know you aren't going to do anything to, like, hurt me or anything. It'll be nice." When his replacement finally - finally - walked through the door, Ben gave him a smile and a pleasant greeting about the night. Taking off his apron, he nodded again to Quinn. "Okay... ready...?"

Quinn  

"The name sounds familiar," Quinn replied. It was Edgewater. What name didn't sound familiar? He noticed Ben relax a little bit when he asked about her, though, so he decided to continue talking about her. "What's she up to when she's not wrangling patrons at the Rammer Jammer?" he joked. It was good to hear back from his sub that they were on the same page. It had been a while since he'd so obviously overwhelmed a person, and as much as he was enjoying it, he really didn't want to take advantage. That smile of Ben's had to be enough to level the playing field, though. And when Ben started using the stoplight system before he even asked, the feeling of fondness hit him again. He glanced over at the clock when Ben did, also more than ready to head out. Quinn decided against pointing out the fact that he really hadn't been around a whole lot in the past thirteen years. People could change after all. He had in a lot of ways. But the main point of acknowledging that was knowing that he wasn't going to hurt him. He wouldn't. Fortunately, Ben's replacement came a little early. He wondered if that was a norm, people coming slightly early to their shifts to relieve the next person. In a place like Mac's, it definitely seemed plausible. "I am. Do you want to follow me to my place?" he asked, coat in one hand, bag slung over his shoulder. He didn't want Ben to be without a ride if he didn't end up wanting to stay the night.

Ben  

"Yeah, but it's Edgewater. Every name of somebody who grew up here sounds familiar," he pointed out, pushing a hand through his hair again, the product he'd used to smooth some of it back quickly losing its grip on his hair, causing some of his curls to fall into his face. He was practically bouncing with excitement as he went to clock out, grabbing his keys and his coat and leaving his apron behind. Fidgeting with the keys in his hand, he nodded at Quinn's suggestion. "Yeah, that sounds great." He was going to offer to take Quinn's bag for him, but given the fact that they were driving separately, Ben didn't want to accidentally forget Quinn's bag in his car and leave him without his work materials. He'd offer small acts of submission elsewhere, then. "My car's the black one, over there--" he pointed at one end of the parking lot, scratching at the back of his neck. "Just so you know I'm not some random creep that's following you. I'm me." He tried to joke, giving a little smile. "I'll be right behind you, here's to hoping I don't get lost on these streets I've known my entire life."

Quinn  

Quinn chuckled when Ben caught him in his non-committal comment. Truly, he didn't really remember any of the friends Ben had over when he hung out at the Elman place. Then they were headed outside into the crisp autumn air, and Quinn was glad that it was only a short walk to his vehicle, a white Equinox that was a few years old. "I'll make sure not to lose you. The traffic in this place is just awful," he said with a playful roll of his eyes. "See you when we get there," he said, settling into his car and turning on the heat. It was a pretty short drive, so it probably wouldn't even properly kick in until he got to his place. He made sure Ben was ready before he drove out of Mac's parking lot. He wasn't committed to staying in Edgewater long enough to buy a house, but he didn't mind his apartment. It wasn't as cluttered with boxes as it had once been, but it wasn't fit for company according to the standards he was raised on, either. He didn't feel self-conscious, though; he doubted Ben would judge. He mulled over what he wanted to do as he drove, careful not to get too distracted. He stepped out of his car when they got to the parking lot, gathering his things once again. This time it was his turn to ask if Ben was ready. "Still green?" he asked instead when he saw him.

Ben  

"Oh, yeah, I've never sat in worse traffic in my life," Ben joked in return, unlocking his old Camaro convertible - something he'd spent plenty of paychecks saving up for, and something he still treasured to this day. "See you then." Going to get in the car, he didn't bother with the heat, figuring it would take too long to warm up between Mac's and Quinn's apartment. Edgewater wasn't exactly big, and it wasn't as if it was as cold as it got in winter quite yet. Following close behind Quinn's Equinox, Ben tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove, both nervous and excited at the same time. It would be nice to scene with Quinn, nice to scene in general, but he was especially glad that it was Quinn. Once they reached an apartment complex that wasn't too far from Ben's own apartment, he took the parking spot beside Quinn's, climbing out of his car and locking it behind him. "Yes, Sir, still green," he replied confidently. "Can I take your bag for you? So your hands aren't so full?"

Quinn  

"Good," Quinn replied with a small smile. "Nice car, by the way," he added, glancing over at it. He really didn't know much about cars in general, but a convertible definitely suited him. He could easily picture himself in the passenger's seat as they drove with the top down, showing Ben a new song he found. Of course, that would probably have to wait until summer, and that was something Quinn wasn't going to think about. "You can, thank you, Ben," Quinn replied to his next question. He hadn't yet put his bag over his shoulder yet, so it was easy enough to hand it over. He led the way inside his apartment complex, stopping in front of apartment 23. "That can just go on the table, thanks," he said, referring to what could technically be considered a dining room table, even though there were only four chairs, and there was no way in hell he'd be able to fit all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins at it. Lucky for him, he wasn't planning on hosting any family holidays anytime soon. Meanwhile, he busied himself getting both of them a glass of water.

Ben  

“Oh, thanks. My pride and joy,” he admitted, looking down at the car. He already missed being able to drive with the top down during the warm summer months. He just had to wait the rest of the year before he could do that again. “My pleasure, Sir,” he replied with a smile, taking the bag from him and draping it over his shoulder. Following him up to the apartment, he noticed that it was still not quite unpacked, but who was Ben to judge? He hadn’t moved in the past four years, but, if he were to move, he would definitely take his time unpacking, too. Nodding at the instructions, he went and sat the bag down on the table, looking around. “It’s nice here. Cozy,” he smiled over at Quinn, leaning against the table. He could definitely see himself feeling at home here, but he decided against mentioning that. “I like it.”

Quinn  

Quinn very nearly made a comment about how he hoped that would be the theme of the night, Ben’s pleasure, but he decided against it. He wanted to get Ben acclimated to his place a little bit before he got him flustered. “Yeah? The half unpacked boxes do it for ya?” he teased as he handed over a glass of water, taking a sip of his own. “Thanks for not minding it,” he said seriously. “My mom would be absolutely horrified that I’m allowing company in with my apartment looking like this, but I didn’t think you’d mind.” His tone was joking again, easygoing, wanting to make sure Ben was comfortable before he dragged him unceremoniously off to the bedroom. Normally, he’d have no qualms about it. They had their stoplights, after all. Stop lights and shortstop, and yes, the baseball reference was endearing too.

Ben  

“It’s not the boxes, it’s... I don’t know, the place. It’s... I don’t know. It’s like you. Just showed up in Edgewater, for the first time in over a decade, still settling in, but... it suits you, you know?” Reaching for his glass of water and thanking Quinn for it, Ben took a little sip, shrugging. “Well, good thing I won’t tell your mom,” he teased back playfully, drinking more of the water. He knew he’d have to be hydrated for the scene; he was grateful for Quinn for taking that into account. “I’m happy to be here, really.” The more they stood there, though, the more antsy Ben became. He was excited, but the longer he had to wait, the more curious he got. Quickly finishing the glass of water, Ben set the cup aside, giving Quinn a smile. “Thanks again for that.”

Quinn  

“I’ll take that as a compliment, then,” Quinn replied with a smile. He finished about half of his own glass before setting it down, deciding he’d come back for the rest. “Of course. You’re welcome to anything here,” he replied before reaching out to take Ben’s hand, showing him the way to the bedroom. He’d been wanting to touch him all night, and now the slightest thing had him all but vibrating. He already had an idea of what he wanted to do. “Take off your shoes, socks, and shirt, and kneel on the bed with your back facing me.” Quinn let go of his hand so he could follow his instructions, bending down to take off his converse and mismatched socks.

Ben  

“Oh, yeah, it is a compliment. I promise.” He did mean what he had said— he really did think that Quinn’s place felt nice. Ben could definitely feel comfortable there. As soon as Quinn took his hand, Ben felt his heart pick up with excitement. Taking a deep breath, he let himself focus on the feeling of Quinn’s hand in his; it was softer than he expected, but a good size for holding, relative to Ben’s own hand. Following him into the bedroom, he did his best to keep himself from bouncing with excitement. As soon as Quinn uttered the word kneel, Ben felt his excitement pick up even more. “Yes, Sir, thank you, Sir...” he murmured happily, taking another deep breath. Bending down, he undid the laces on his shoes, tugging them off and putting them neatly off to the side, placing his socks inside of them. Then, he stood, tugging off his shirt. After folding it, he dropped it to sit on top of his shoes. Then, he finally made his way to the bed, climbing onto it, and kneeling with his back to Quinn, his butt resting on his calves, palms face up on his thighs. Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath, letting the feeling of kneeling for the first time in a while consume him. It felt amazing. 

Quinn  

"Good boy," Quinn murmured, taking in the sight of him, letting him kneel untouched for a moment. He was even more gorgeous with these extra layers removed, and Quinn was still contemplating all of the possibilities. He had time; Ben seemed more than content to be kneeling for him. Next time, he'd have him waiting and kneeling. If there was a next time. Normally, he was ambivalent about whether or not there was a next time. Shaking off the thought, Quinn focused again on the task at hand. Kneeling on the bed put Ben at an ideal height for what Quinn was going to do next. Typically, he'd do a quick hook up, but sometimes he liked to take his time. He hoped Ben wanted to take his time. Quinn stepped forward, putting his hands on Ben's shoulders and starting to massage his bare skin. He applied light pressure at first, not wanting to accidentally hurt him. His hands drifted downward, applying consistent pressure, and even as he was tempted to dip his head and press a kiss to the back of his neck, he held off for the moment, instead interested in Ben's reaction to what he was doing so far.

Ben  

The praise drew a hum from his lips, Ben's eyes fluttering shut for a minute. He really couldn't overestimate the amount he liked to be called a good boy; he practically lived for the praise. He let the feeling of kneeling relax him, deciding against kneeling up - if Quinn wanted him to lift his ass off his legs, he was sure that Quinn would say so. His mind was silenced, no longer wondering about what Quinn wanted to do to him, with him, now just appreciating the feeling of being on his knees on the bed, the mattress far more comfortable than most other surfaces he'd knelt on in the past. "Oh, fuck..." he whispered as soon as he felt Quinn massaging his shoulders. He figured that he was allowed to speak - Quinn didn't gag him, didn't give him orders to hold his tongue, so why wouldn't he be allowed to comment? "Sir, your hands... where did you learn how to do that...?" Biting his lip gently, he could feel the stress running off of him in waves. "Mmm... thank you..." His muscles had been tenser than he realized, but, now, with Quinn working the tension out of them, he felt much looser, much more relaxed... the fact that subspace was already creeping in proved that to him.

Quinn  

Feeling Ben relax under his hands was yet another good sign. Even though he'd explicitly stated that he trusted him, the first time doing a scene with someone could be a nerve-wracking experience. Quinn wanted him to feel as relaxed as possible. Safe with him. He smiled when Ben first spoke, a quiet curse word that was further indication that he was doing something right. He didn't really have an answer for how he'd gotten so good at it. It was just instinctual, a habit he'd picked up in college after someone had helped him out of a terrible drop. "You're welcome, handsome." He kept at it for a few more minutes before pulling his hands back. "Now, I'd like you to stand up and take off the rest of your clothes. Then get back on the bed, this time on all fours. I'm going to let you touch yourself while I rim you. I want you to say my name only when you're getting close. Then you stop, and wait for instructions. You may not come until I say so. Understood?"

Ben  

Ben practically felt like putty in Quinn’s hands as the Dom continued to work at his muscles. He could certainly get used to this. He’d have to learn Quinn’s tricks for himself, too, already hoping to return the favor one day. His mind was nearly blank when he heard Quinn speak up again. He stayed silent as he gave the instructions, nodding along ever so slightly to show that he was listening. Every step of it seemed more exciting than the first. With a shiver running through him, Ben nodded. “I understand, Sir.” Rolling out of his kneeling position, he climbed off of the bed, making quick work of his slacks and his underwear. He wasn’t ashamed of his body; he never had been. He just wanted Quinn to like it, too. As he folded the clothes, he snuck a glance over at Quinn, trying not to moan at the knowledge that he was fully nude and Quinn was fully dressed. Climbing back onto the bed, he settled himself on all fours, making sure he was both comfortable and stable. He was genuinely looking forward to this- he’d never felt quite so excited about submitting before, and he wanted Quinn to have a good time Domming him. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his hands just enough that he could comfortably wrap a hand around himself and stay balanced, his head hanging down as he gave himself a single stroke to test the water, a sharp inhale accompanying it. Eager wouldn’t even begin to cover how Ben was feeling in the moment.

Quinn  

Ben was nothing if not respectful, never forgetting a title. It made him consider asking Ben to call him something different, besides sir. Sir was fine, but it was a bit nondescript. Neutral. He likely called every Dominant he came upon sir when they were first introduced. Filing that thought away for later, he watched Ben undress the rest of the way. The phrase body worship came to mind, and a part of him just wanted to pay special attention to all of him. Memorize every detail. For now, though, he just let his gaze linger. "Did you know that you're absolutely gorgeous, Benjamin?" The question slipped past his lips so casually, like he was pointing out the weather, but with a simmering heat behind it. Once again, he let Ben get himself positioned, this time loosening his tie and taking it off. Next came his shirt, right after Ben reacted to his own touch. His pants stayed on for the moment, and he figured his shirtlessness would come as a surprise when he turned Ben over. The bed dipped a little as Quinn came to join him, running a slow hand over the perfect curve of his ass. His own hard on was visible through his pants, now, and this was going to be an exercise in self-control for him as well. He then parted his cheeks and teased Ben's entrance with his tongue, exploring.

Ben  

Taking a few deep breaths, Ben let his eyes slip shut, absorbing the moment without letting his eyes get distracted. He focused on the texture of the blankets beneath his hands and knees, the feeling of the air against his bare skin, the feeling of subspace at the edges of his mind slowly seeping in. When Quinn spoke up again, it took Ben a moment to respond, to breathe through the blush it raised to his cheeks and the shiver it sent through his skin. "Thank you, Sir..." he murmured back, shifting his hands and knees slightly. Taking another deep breath, he could hear Quinn's words echoing through his mind, the air in the room crackling like it was electric against his skin. It felt like Quinn was leaving him waiting like that on purpose, but who was Ben to say what Quinn was doing? He trusted him; he was letting Quinn Dom him, after all. Finally, after what felt like a millennia, he felt the bed dipping behind him. A shiver ran down his spine at the feeling of Quinn's hand running down his ass, Ben's mouth hanging open in desire. Forcing himself to raise a hand to his mouth, he spat in it for lubrication's sake, before wrapping it around his length, just as Quinn's tongue pressed against his hole. He moaned quietly, beginning to stroke himself at a leisurely rate, trying to match Quinn's pace. "Oh my god..." he whispered, mind nearly blank with desire. "Thank you..."

Quinn  

Figuring that he must be doing something right with Ben's thanks, he kept going, varying his tactics as he went. Quinn moved down to lick along his taint before moving back, his lips forming an o as he lightly blew along where his tongue had once been. He gave a light press of his tongue against his hole before pressing in as far as he could. After he pulled back again, he took his time spelling Ben's name with his tongue, all thirteen letters. He listened the whole time, making sure that it was well received. He wasn't sure how Ben felt about rimming alone, but combined with giving himself a hand job, Quinn was sure that he would be able to get himself close, just like he was hoping for. The discomfort of his hard on straining through his pants was hardly noticeable as he distracted himself with Ben's glorious reactions to his ministrations.

Ben  

The feelings were indescribable, every sensation amplified. Every time he felt Quinn's breath against his skin, he felt shivers going through him. What Quinn could do with his mouth was unbeatable. And the feeling of his tongue pressing into him was amazing. He tried to keep his strokes paced evenly, despite how ragged his breaths were, a moan breaking his lips every so often. He could feel himself getting closer and closer, pressing himself to last longer despite his hand picking up speed. He'd lost track of time long before he could feel himself getting close to climax, forcing his hand back to the bed as his mouth finally managed to speak Quinn's name, teeth biting down at his lips, hands curling in the blankets. "Oh my god -- Quinn--" his breathing was ragged at best, his whole body feeling like it was being shocked in the best way possible. He could feel an ache in him, an ache that would surely be worth it when Quinn allowed him to cum in the end - if Quinn allowed him to cum in the end. Even if he didn't, it would be worth it. This felt amazing.

Quinn  

Ben's moans continued to affect him, even as he was listening for the sound of his own name on his lips. He couldn't wait to hear how it sounded, desperate and close. As he continued to use his breath and tongue, he pulled back immediately when Ben managed to say his name. Not a moment before, even though the oh my god would have made him smirk in satisfaction. He gave Ben a moment to collect himself, listening to his ragged breaths. "On your back, sweetheart." He cringed immediately after the term of endearment rolled off his lips, and he was just glad that Ben hadn't seen it. Where had that come from? He didn't just... Call people he did a scene with pet names. Sure, he'd called him a good boy, but that was different. Quickly correcting himself before he got lost in his thoughts, he scooted up so he was laying alongside Ben, on his side so he could get a good look at him. "Color?" Quinn prompted, his pointer finger tracing lightly over Ben's abs, very tempted to glance down at his dick, but for now just curiously watching his face.

Ben  

The pet name was endearing - if Ben had been any more grounded in reality, he would have loved to say something about it. But, instead, all he could do was lower himself to the bed and roll over onto his back, pushing some of his hair out of his face. Finally managing to catch his breath, he laid his eyes on Quinn for the first time, and he looked amazing shirtless. It made Ben want to reach out and touch, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to. "Green, Sir," he replied as soon as he was prompted to give his color, his hand moving to run over Quinn's shoulder and collarbones, forgetting about the fact that he hadn't asked permission to touch. He figured that Quinn would have told him if he wasn't allowed. Words weren't coming as easily to him - it was likely due to subspace creeping into his mind - but he knew better than to leave a prompt for a color hanging, especially when he felt as good as he did. Nodding a tiny bit, he let his eyes slip shut for a minute, appreciating the feeling of Quinn's finger running over his abs.

Quinn  

Edging could get intense, and even though Ben had listed it as one of his top two favorites, Quinn was going to keep checking in for as many times as he was close and not allowed to come. Being brought to the edge once could be frustrating enough, and Quinn was planning to do it at least one more time before he let Ben have his release. He was thinking that the third time would be the charm, and he'd make it a surprise for Ben, continuing with the theme of saying his name and telling him he could come right after he did. For the moment, though, he was content to let Ben come down a little bit before he started in again. It took him by surprise when Ben touched him without asking for permission once he answered his question. He hadn't told him he couldn't, though, and really, Quinn had wanted him to. He glanced down at Ben's cock, red and leaking pre-cum, and then back up to his face, surprisingly relaxed for just having been denied an orgasm. He let a few more minutes pass before he started moving to position himself between Ben's legs. "This time I'm going to blow you. You can put your hands wherever you'd like them. Same deal, say my name when you're getting close."

Ben  

Ben did appreciate the check-ins; if he was any more coherent, he would have said so. Instead, he could just lay there, absorbing the feeling of the moment, of being in Quinn's bed, beside him, just an edge shy of an orgasm. His balls did ache, but it was a good sort of ache, like the ache after a workout. Propping his head up slightly against the pillows, he let himself breathe for an indeterminate amount of time, knowing that Quinn was keeping an eye on him. He felt so good, it was almost like he had left his body on the bed and was floating above it, the air electric around him, his body feeling so good he could almost cry. He felt the bed moving, so he opened his eyes again, looking to see Quinn positioned between his legs. If he could manage to speak very much, he would explain that Quinn was a far more generous Dom than many he'd been with in the past, and that Ben was appreciating every second of their time, but all he could do was nod, one hand curling up in Quinn's hair lazily. "Yes, Sir," he managed to roll the words off his tongue, giving him a smile to show that he was enjoying himself despite his lack of vocabulary at the moment.

Quinn  

He'd been hoping that Ben would put his hand in his hair, but he wasn't going to order him to do it. He was enjoying himself regardless. Ben was a wonderful submissive, and the fact that he'd had such an easy time coming up with this scene on the fly just spoke to their compatibility. He ignored that for the moment, taking it slow as he pressed soft kisses to his inner thighs, first. One hand reached up to tease his thumb over his nipple, glancing up to watch Ben's face for just a moment. After a bit more teasing, he withdrew his hand to spit in it, giving Ben's dick a few lazy strokes as he tongued over the tip. He started with a slow rhythm at first, more teasing with his tongue than moving back and forth. The movement of his tongue was constant and intentional, one hand stroking where his mouth couldn't reach and the other holding Ben's hip.

Ben  

Playing with Quinn's hair gently, Ben was enjoying the feeling of it between his fingers. It felt silky, perhaps even more so because of the way his senses felt heightened. A sharp inhale escaped his lips at the feeling of Quinn's thumb teasing over his nipple - he hadn't realized how sensitive they'd be until Quinn did that. As soon as Quinn's mouth was on him, Ben had to do his best not to squirm. It had been a long time since someone had blown him, and he was loving every second of it. His hand curled up a little tighter in Quinn's hair, teeth biting into his lower lip. "Oh my god--" he whispered, arching his hips up slightly. Ben had to do his best to refrain from saying Quinn's name, knowing he wasn't close enough to the edge for that quite yet. "Sir--" 

Quinn  

Even if Ben hadn't been making the most delicious noises in response to his mouth, the hand in his hair was an indication that he was enjoying himself. Quinn loved the feeling as his grip tightened, and huh, maybe hair pulling was on his list of things that he enjoyed. He usually told subs they couldn't touch when he was giving a blowjob, but Ben had been so good for him that he'd allowed it. He certainly didn't regret it even as his cock twitched in his pants again at the sensation. He kept his wits about him as he hollowed out his cheeks, careful not to suck too hard as he did so. Moaning around his cock to show just how into it he was, his hand moved from his hip to lightly brush over his balls. Quinn glanced up at Ben as he took a teasing pace before he ramped up the intensity, moving up and down, swirling his tongue around, and god was he tempted to get his lube from the drawer of his bedside table and add a finger, but they hadn't discussed that, so he refrained for this time.

Ben  

It was almost as if every single thing that Quinn did, he did it because he could read Ben's mind. Each movement brought him closer and closer to the edge in the best way possible. His breath was ragged as he felt Quinn brush a hand over his balls, his eyes opening at the teasing pace. He gave a little whine, mouth hanging open with desire. That teasing didn't last for long, though - soon after, Quinn picked up the intensity of everything, and Ben threw his head back with pleasure. He could feel himself getting close to the edge again, his hand tightening in Quinn's hair. "Oh - fuck-- Quinn-" he blurted out quickly, trying not to push past the point of no return; better to stop now than to cum without permission. His hand remained curled in Quinn's hair, his head back against the pillow, mouth hanging open as he gasped for air, not realizing he'd been holding his breath between moans.

Quinn  

Quinn kept up his pace, idly wondering how quickly he could bring Ben to the edge, so he was saying his name that way again. Just when his jaw started to ache, Ben said his name, and he dutifully pulled off with a slight pop. He pressed one small kiss to Ben's thigh before pulling completely back. This time, instead of laying next to him, Quinn got off the bed entirely. He took off his pants and boxers so he could put them in his hamper. His half hard dick was obvious, but he wasn't paying attention to see if Ben looked. Instead, he reached into the drawer beside his bed to grab the lube and a condom. The bed dipped again as he laid down next to Ben on his side once again. "Very good boy, Benjamin," he murmured, brushing a hand through his hair and taking in his facial expression. He'd been doing so well that Quinn had to contemplate whether or not he still wanted to surprise him and let him come or just tell him point blank that he could come whenever he wanted for this third time around.

Ben  

A whine escaped his throat when Quinn pulled off of him and then climbed off of the bed; he wanted the lazy touches that had come after the edging prior to come this time around, too. But he wasn't in charge of the situation, thankfully - and it seemed like Quinn had other plans. When Quinn undressed, Ben couldn't help but let his eyes rake over his body. Of course, his body was just as beautiful as his face, and Ben felt his mouth watering with desire. Finally, Ben was given what he wanted prior when Quinn laid down beside him again. It felt like his whole body was going to melt into the bed at the praise, leaning into the hand in his hair, his eyes fluttering shut. "Thank you, Sir..." he managed to reply, the warmth of subspace drifting underneath his skin. He could lay like this for hours, he decided. It felt amazing.

Quinn  

It was lucky that Ben seemed to enjoy all of the sexual positions he'd suggested so far. Not every guy could come from a blow job, nor did every guy enjoy being rimmed. Ben, though, had been so good throughout. He continued playing with Ben's hair as he let him come down for the second time. He really was beautiful. So well controlled, trusting, looking absolutely content even though he'd just denied him a second orgasm. No complaints, just pliant, laying next to him. He wasn't sure how long exactly he'd just laid there playing with his hair before he used his free hand to give himself a few good strokes. Between that and remembering how fucking hot Ben sounded moaning his name, it didn't take long at all for him to get hard. Then he pulled back his other hand, needing both to open the condom. Rolling it onto his dick, it occurred to him that he could make it four rounds, see how close he could get Ben from fingering him and stroking his dick. Maybe they'd work up to it. He didn't want to push too many limits their first time around. "Same rules. This time I'm going to fuck you. Color?"

Ben  

It had been a long time since Ben had experienced anything like this. Most of his experience submitting was nonsexual, just submitting to fend away headaches and keep himself in his peak of health. When he was in high school, he had a few repeated scenes with people in his class and the class above him that were sexual, and the same thing applied to college, but since his college graduation, sexual submission had been rare. It was a disappointment to Ben, of course, who would have preferred to be submitting in every aspect of his life, but he didn't know what he was missing out on until tonight. Maybe it was best that he'd waited this long to submit sexually, because everything Quinn did seemed to hit. There were no strikeouts, no foul balls; it was home run after home run. Leaning into the hand in his hair, he finally opened his eyes when that hand was pulled away. He understood why the hand was taken from him, though. Condoms were important and Ben was glad that Quinn had one at the ready. He was able to answer with less of a pause this time; "I'm green, Sir, thank you for asking."

Quinn  

Quinn smiled at Ben's sweet response, before taking the lube and applying some to his hole and some on his finger. He had no idea how regularly Ben was doing this sort of thing, so he planned to err on the side of caution and take his time fingering him before he tried to actually fuck him. He slowly pushed in with his pointer finger first, carefully watching his face. He didn't touch his dick, and he wouldn't until he was actively fucking him, wanting to make sure that Ben was as open and relaxed as possible. Once his finger was all the way in, he gently moved around until he found his prostate, and crooked his finger against it, a reward for taking his finger so well. While he did this, he watched Ben's face, remembering full well the dual sensation of pleasure and pain bottoming brought on even though he hadn't done it in years. Once he seemed adjusted to one finger, he pulled out, added lube to two fingers, and ever so slowly pushed in again, ready to slowly retreat if he was asked to stop.

Ben  

The lube was cool, but not cold. Enough to ground him to reality for just a second longer. As Quinn pushed in, Ben inhaled sharply, his hand going to curl up in the blankets, unsure if he was still allowed to touch him. It took Ben another moment to relax, knowing that the experience wouldn't be good for either of them if he was so tense. Once he had relaxed, he felt Quinn's finger pushing in more, his eyes fluttering shut again. Then, though, he felt Quinn's finger prodding around inside of him until it hit just the right spot, his eyes snapping open again. His mouth hung open in a silent moan, his hips arching upwards. "Oh my god--" he whispered again, the only words his brain could manage to form, along with a moaned-out "Sir..." Resisting the urge to wrap a hand around himself, Ben managed to relax even more afterwards, another moan being dragged from him as Quinn pushed in two fingers. "Yes..." Maybe he had needed this more than he would've admitted. "Thank you..."

Quinn  

All of Ben's reactions were going straight to his cock, but he had absolutely no intention of rushing the process for his own gratification. He gave Ben more time to adjust to his two fingers, brushing against his prostate once again. After a few teasing come here motions from his middle finger, he pulled out again. To Quinn, there was no such thing as too much lube, so he applied just a bit more to Ben's hole and a generous amount to his dick. Then he helped move Ben's legs so they were hooked around his shoulders, positioning himself accordingly. Now for the moment of truth. Slowly, he pushed inside, knowing that the most difficult part would be getting the head in. Luckily, Ben had been relaxed, so it was easy enough to slide in, the head of his cock sliding relatively seamlessly past the tight ring of muscle. He couldn't help himself as a moan snuck past his lips as he slowly but surely sank all the way in. He waited to move, wanting to give Ben all the time he needed to adjust to the difference.

Ben  

Ben was grateful for the time that Quinn was giving him to adjust; he hadn't done anything like this in a long time, and heaven knew he needed that adjustment period. Thanks to that adjustment, he could enjoy the pleasure-pain feeling, as opposed to just feeling the pain. Every time Quinn's finger brushed against his prostate, a moan escaped his lips, his hands curling up tight in the blankets and his cock leaking precum. It felt like Quinn was taking him apart, watching him melt into the blankets, and Ben loved every second of it. It took him a moment to realize that Quinn had pulled his fingers out of him and was maneuvering his legs to be over his shoulders. Shifting slightly to get himself into a more comfortable position, he took a few deep breaths to relax himself once again, eyes on Quinn's face, as if he could read his mind by looking him in the eyes. "Oh, fuck..." he groaned at the feeling of Quinn pushing inside of him. He could hear Quinn's moan, which drew another moan from him. "Thank you--" he whispered, mouth hanging open slightly, hips pressed up towards Quinn a little more. Nodding, he pushed some of his hair out of his eyes again, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Thank you Sir--"

Quinn  

It took all of his restraint to take things slow. Ben felt so good, tight around his dick, moaning and thanking him, and he hadn’t even realized he’d closed his eyes until he opened them to see Ben’s slight smile. “So good for me, Ben,” he said, a hand reaching forward to cup his cheek, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. He let it linger for just a moment before pulling back and starting to move. He took a painfully slow pace at first, pulling back and pushing in again, the head of his cock brushing against that bundle of nerves, watching Ben’s face every time as his own breathing grew a little ragged. He was so ready to come, but he was drawing out this last part as long as he could.

Ben  

Leaning into the hand on his cheek, Ben moaned a little bit at the praise. This all felt like a dream, a wonderful dream, a dream that, if he could choose, he would never wake up from. When Quinn started moving, it was at an achingly slow pace, as if Quinn was trying to tease him. Every time Quinn's cock brushed against his prostate, though, he felt like fireworks were going off inside of him, his cock leaking against his stomach. "Please, Sir--" he whispered, knowing he could hold on a little longer - at least long enough to make Quinn proud of him. "Oh-fuck--" he had to do his best to keep his hands to himself, curling up tight in the blankets. A little moan escaped his throat every time Quinn thrusted, sweat matting some of his hair to his forehead. He didn't want it to end.}

Quinn  

This was without a doubt the best scene he'd had in a long time, but as much as he wanted it to last, Ben had been very good for him. He was going to let him come this time, just as soon as he said his name. He picked up his pace slowly, from teasing to more intense to all but relentless. He wondered if Ben would be able to come untouched if he kept it up. Either way it would be hot. He wanted to know what he looked like when he finally got to let go, even though he knew the clench of Ben's tight ass around his cock would be his own undoing. He was already holding himself back, having worked himself up in addition to Ben, although not quite as much. Fortunately, he still had his wits about him. He just had to remember to tell Ben it was okay when he ultimately said his name again.

Ben  

It felt like each of Quinn's movements pushed the breath from his lungs with a moan. The longer the scene could go on, the more Ben wanted it to, which was why he was holding back as long as possible. Each time Quinn hit the bundle of nerves inside of him, though, more precum leaked out, and Ben was smart enough to know that he couldn't last much longer, especially as Quinn picked up the pace. Hooking his ankle against Quinn's back, trying to pull him in closer, Ben nodded quickly, opening his mouth. "Quinn- Quinn, I'm- I'm close--" he pleaded, his eyes staring up at the Dom above him, pushing his hips up a little more. "Please--" He didn't know how many more times Quinn planned on edging him, but he wasn't sure he could take much more; holding back was difficult enough already.

Quinn  

As soon as Ben said his name, he stilled, leaning in a little closer. "You can come now," he told him, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his lips before pulling back and getting back into his rhythm. Eyes open, he watched Ben's face, wondering how long it would take after all of the back and forth he'd experienced tonight. He was still marveling over how well he'd done, how frequently he'd expressed his thanks, how perfect he looked spread out underneath him like this. Vulnerable and open, utterly gorgeous. He picked up the pace a bit more, hand not drifting between Ben's legs just yet. If he seemed to want it, Quinn would be more than happy to provide, but for the moment, he wanted to see if that gorgeous cock of his would come untouched.

Ben  

The permission felt like relief, like a cold shower after a hard day of baseball practice. And then Quinn kissed him - if one could even consider something as chaste as that a kiss, because Ben desperately wanted more. When Quinn picked up his pace again, Ben's eyes fluttered shut. Little moans escaped him, Ben not making any attempt to quiet himself. It took his body another minute to warm back up to Quinn's movements, but it was as if Quinn knew him, inside and out. Every thrust hit him in just the right place, driving him closer and closer to the edge, his orgasm building much quicker. It wasn't long before he climaxed, moaning Quinn's name. His cum splattered against his chest, relief washing over him, the orgasm drawn out thanks to the edgings prior. "Fuck, Sir... thank you..." he moaned, eyes shut as he rocked his hips through it.

Quinn  

After all the build up, finally watching him come was fucking incredible. His face was absolutely gorgeous, and Quinn let himself go too, eyes falling closed. Ben’s tight walls clenching around him was just what he needed to come shortly after him, Ben’s name on his lips. He rode out his orgasm, a few more thrusts until he was spent. Then, carefully he pulled out, tying off the condom and tossing it in the trash. He’d help Ben clean up in a moment, but for now, he just wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. He hadn’t gotten around to marking him up this time around, and it was a little disappointing. He wanted Ben to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror and think of him.

Ben  

He could feel Quinn's hips stutter inside of him, even through his post-orgasmic haze. A little smile came up onto his cheeks, knowing that he was good enough for Quinn to come while he was fucking him. A little whine surprised even himself when Quinn pulled out of him -- he didn't want the scene to be over, no matter how exhausted he was. Cuddling close to him as soon as Quinn's arm was around him, he took a few deep breaths, trying to ground himself. "Hi..." he whispered, pressing his nose to Quinn's hair. "That... was amazing..." He was still out of breath, even if he wouldn't admit it, his pulse still racing. Pushing some of his hair out of his face again, he gave Quinn a smile, putting a hand on his stomach. "Thank you..."

Quinn  

"Hi," Quinn replied with an endeared grin, glancing over at Ben. "I'll bring a warm wash cloth in a second," he promised, glancing at Ben's chest. He looked just as good in their post orgasm haze as he had when he was edging him. He was just nice to look at. "It was amazing," he agreed. It had been a while since he'd had such a good scene. Someone he'd really connected with. It had been years, but he wasn't going to think about that. He was just going to enjoy it. "It was quite literally my pleasure, Ben," he responded with a teasing grin when he thanked him. He usually cuddled out of obligation when it seemed like a sub needed it post-scene, but this was actually sort of nice.

Ben  

"Thank you," he replied to the promise of a warm wash cloth, not wanting his come to dry to his chest. When Quinn agreed that the scene was amazing, Ben practically lit up. It had been so long since he'd had a scene that good, since he'd felt subspace like that - and to know that Quinn agreed that it was a good scene, well, it made him feel incredible inside. Tucking himself a little closer to Quinn, Ben ran his fingers over Quinn's bicep, grounding himself to the feeling of having him next to him. "We'll... do a post-scene eval in, like... five minutes, just let me... lay like this for a minute..." he murmured, tucking his head a little closer to Quinn. Not every scene needed an evaluation, Ben had found, but he did want to know what was good for Quinn, for the future. That was implying that they'd have future scenes together, of course, but Ben really did hope that they would have them.

Quinn  

Quinn let Ben explore his body at his leisure, eyebrows quirking up at the mention of a post-scene eval. It sounded so formal to him, and he definitely wasn't in the habit of doing them. Was that something he was supposed to lead? Ben brought it up. He'd had his fair share of once and dones, but he doubted that Ben was going to be a once and done. It had just been too good. And even though he'd eventually have to break it off before either of them got too close, he was going to enjoy what they had now. Beginning with the end in mind, something one of his friends from his college years had told him, who was majoring in social work. There is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends. A lyric from the music he listened to when he needed to get out of his head. Pulling back to stand up, he brushed a hand through Ben's hair. "Be right back," he promised, going to the kitchen first to get a small bottle of juice. Then he came back to the room, heading to the bathroom off of his room to get the warm washcloth. He brought both back, offering Ben the juice and then kneeling on the bed to clean him up.

Ben  

It wasn't common for Ben to feel like this after a scene. He felt incredibly comfortable, safe, warm - he didn't know how much time had passed since he'd left work, and, quite frankly, he didn't care. He could've laid there with Quinn for all of eternity and he would be happy. Leaning into the feeling of Quinn brushing his hand through his hair, Ben hummed an acknowledgement, scooting up on the bed slightly to rest his head against the pillows. The haze of subspace still surrounded him; he could fall asleep right there and then because of the warmth of it all. But he was coming down, and he wanted to talk with Quinn about all of this before anything left his head. Accepting the bottle of juice with another smile, Ben propped himself up so he could drink it without choking. Taking his time with it, he thanked Quinn for cleaning him up, leaning back against the pillows when he was finished with the bottle. Screwing the top back on, he fiddled with it in his hands, despite how tired his muscles were. "So..." he started, a hand moving to brush over Quinn's skin again. "How was that for you...? Anything you would change? Keep the same?"

Quinn  

Once his bases were covered, Quinn settled back into bed next to Ben. Normally at this point if things seemed okay, he would have left. Or the sub would have left his place, as the case may be. But Ben wanted to talk about it, and he could give him that. "You were good," he replied to Ben's question, letting him explore some more. He wanted to start out with a compliment before he considered things that he would change. "Honestly, the things that I'd change were on my part. I didn't mark you up," he said, a hand moving over to his collarbone, thumb brushing over it. "And I could've added one more round to the edging where I just fingered you. You were very responsive to that as well. But by the look of you, three rounds was plenty," he ended his brief ramble, looking over at Ben, anticipating what he would say. He was fine with constructive criticism; he just had no idea what Ben would say. He'd seemed to enjoy all of it.

Ben  

Figuring that Quinn would tell him to go home if he didn't want him there, Ben assumed that this conversation could be had now, as opposed to later. "You don't need to flatter me, but thank you," he replied to the praise, fingertips just barely brushing over Quinn's bicep. "I probably could've taken one more round of edging, if it wasn't such a hard edge, and there's nothing to say that you can't mark me up right now," he pointed out, propping one arm behind his head to rest on it. "It was good for me, genuinely. I felt subspace like I have't felt in a long time, it felt nice to be able to submit. I especially liked the part where I was fully naked and you were still dressed. The only thing I would change is about myself, too. I would've probably asked you more questions," he explained, trying not to scare Quinn off. "Like... your preferred honorific during scenes. Not everybody prefers Sir or Miss, I should've asked that. And I can kneel on something harder than the bed, for the record - one guy who Dommed me in high school had me kneeling on hay, so I think I can handle the carpet or the hardwood," he admitted with a chuckle. "I had a really good time, though, Quinn. Seriously, thank you."

Quinn  

"I wouldn't flatter you," Quinn replied simply with a small shrug of his shoulder. Truly, he wouldn't have given such high praise if it hadn't been earned. Quinn thought about saying that maybe they would work on more rounds of edging the next time, but that was assuming there would be a next time, and he wasn't going to get into those details just yet. "Do you want me to? Hickeys always seem like foreplay to me," he admitted. The last time he'd given a hickey and it hadn't led to sex had been... Well, high school. His choice to have Ben strip for him had been more for convenience so he wouldn't have to take his clothes off while in the bed, but he was glad it had worked for him, and the little detail was noted. "Sir is fine," Quinn added. "I mean, if you had something else in mind, we can talk about it, but I don't mind sir." He chuckled at the kneeling comment. "I had you kneel on the bed because I wanted you to be at a convenient height for that back rub," he explained. "I don't doubt your kneeling abilities," he added. He was proud of himself for showing Ben such a good time, though. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I did, too."

Ben  

"I don't think hickeys have to be classified into one area of a scene or sex. I just like them. I mean, if you don't want to right now, it's definitely not a requirement." Ben didn't want to pressure Quinn into doing anything he didn't want to do, even if it was something as simple as giving him a hickey. Pushing his hair out of his face again - was it really getting long enough to need a hair tie? He didn't think so - he looked over at Quinn, raising an eyebrow, laughing gently. "Sure, Sir is fine, sure, you don't mind it, but is there something you prefer? Something you like? Something you would enjoy to hear me moan?" he asked, tilting his head. "If you like Sir, then I'll stick with Sir. I just want to be sure I'm making this as good for you as it was for me." His eyes lit up at the mention of the back rub, though - "speaking of the back rub, that was excellent. Your hands are like magic. My body felt like putty. I'd seriously pay you to just give me the massage." Rolling onto his side to face Quinn more, he hummed. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, too. Really glad." 

Quinn  

"If you want one, you're getting one," Quinn said with a smirk. Truly, Ben had been so good for him, and Quinn was absolutely in the business of rewarding good behavior. Not that the reward would be a hardship for him either. Quinn mulled over Ben's questions, not exactly sure where he stood on that side of things. "Let me get back to you on that one," he decided for the moment. None of the people he'd done a scene with had asked him what he wanted to be called. They just deferred to sir, and he accepted it because he was used to it. "You don't have to worry about that, Benjamin. It was definitely just as good for me," he said, grinning at his response to the back rub. "Maybe I missed a secret calling as a masseuse," he joked. "It's a seriously good trick to have up my sleeve for when I get to take my time in a scene," he admitted, rolling as well so he could see Ben better. "We're really going to have to thank Brooke for those fried oreos now," he quipped.

Ben  

"If that's the case, then hell yeah, I want one." Ben wasn't going to lie about it; he wanted something that he could look at in the mirror the next day, something that would be a reminder of their scene for however long it lasted. Unlike the hickey, though, Ben knew that the memories would never fade. "Yeah, no worries. Take your time. If you think of something in an hour, let me know. Or tomorrow, or in a week, or a month-- you get it. Take your time, I'm happy to use Sir." When Quinn called him Benjamin again, Ben pushed him playfully. "Hey, now - you can't do that when I'm in the afterglow-- it'll just make me horny again, and I don't think either of us has the energy to deal with that right now," he joked, a smile on his face. "Well, I could do a 24 hour scene with you and I wouldn't grow tired of it, seriously. I'm a service sub, I'm happy to scene for as long as you'd like to, and -- I'm definitely off-topic, but the massage was great, so thanks for taking your time with me." His eyes went to Quinn's as soon as Quinn rolled to face him, Ben's tongue darting out to lick his lips. "We'll have to thank Brooke for not firing me when she bought the diner; if I was working anywhere else, who knows if we'd have gotten this chance reunion..." he murmured, eyes going down to rest on Quinn's lips. "Can I kiss you...?" the words came out before Ben realized that they had, but he wasn't going to take them back. He did want to feel Quinn's lips against his, especially now that they were laying like this.

Quinn  

Quinn couldn't help but smile at Ben's enthusiasm. It was a small thing, really, but he'd do it for him. He thought about the title question some more as Ben told him to tell him if he thought of anything. His students called him professor, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be doing scenes with any of them. He had his Ph.D., but Doctor seemed a bit too extra. Although he was fond of Doctor Who. He was usually decisive about these sorts of things, but it was a pretty good point Ben made, about this being what he would be moaning in bed. God, if he wasn't hot when he was moaning his name. He chuckled when Ben pushed at him. "You mean I can't do that just to tease you? I think you should let me do that just to tease you. Although sometimes I don't even think about it consciously, so you might have to be careful," he teased. The usage of his full name couldn't make him that horny. "A 24 hour scene, huh?" He hadn't done a scene that long in his life; he'd have to do some research. "People do tend to like my hands," he said with a chuckle, his finger tracing an absentminded pattern on Ben's hip. "Brooke wouldn't fire you, you're too good at the job. And before you say I'm flattering you, just take the damn compliment," he joked. However, he caught Ben's gaze shifting to his lips. "Go ahead," he replied, not allowing himself to focus on the fact that this was different, definitely different, outside of the scene kissing in his bed.

Ben  

Pushing a hand through Quinn's hair, Ben couldn't help the smile that remained on his face. There was just something about Quinn, something about their scene, something about the way they were interacting both before and after the scene. It made Ben feel better about himself than he'd felt in a long time, though he wouldn't have admitted that to anyone. "I mean, you can technically do whatever you want, because I'm not gonna safeword out of getting teased. But you know how teasing affects me. I mean, it's not, like, the worst teasing you could do - not even close, because, like, my mom still calls me Benjamin if I'm lying to her, but still. You know." He grinned, his hand moving down Quinn's side, just wanting to feel his skin beneath his fingers. "As for the 24 hour scene thing, it's not, like, 24 hours that are as intense as what we just did. It's more... simple, you know? Kneeling while you're working on things, me getting you snacks, stuff like that, I think - I mean, I've never, technically, done one, but I think I'd be happy to try it out, you know?" He tried his best not to ramble at Quinn, looking down at his shoulder so he didn't have to make eye contact. "Okay, okay, thank you, Quinn - I'm good at my job." He rolled his eyes playfully as he surrendered to the compliment. When he heard Quinn telling him that he could kiss him, Ben took a deep breath to muster up his courage, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to Quinn's lips, his hand cupping his cheek. It sent butterflies through him again, lips curling up into a smile through the kiss, despite how chaste he was keeping it.

Quinn  

Eyes falling closed when Ben ran a hand through his hair, it was so easy to just relax into the touch. He all but hummed in contentment. He really loved it when someone played with his hair. Hadn't happened in a while. He opened them again to look at Ben when he started talking, laughing a little when he said that his mom still called him Benjamin. "Two very different effects of getting the full name dropped, huh?" he replied. He nodded thoughtfully when Ben elaborated on his 24 hour scene suggestion. "I'm open to it. I'll never say no to you getting me snacks," he joked. "Unless it's between you getting me a snack and you being the snack I get," he joked. He kept up with the meme culture as best as he could, considering the general age of his students. He didn't want to be completely out of touch as a professor. He chuckled a little as Ben reluctantly agreed to his compliment. This time, Quinn waited for Ben to come to him. The deep breath was adorable, like he was steeling himself through the nerves. Logically, there shouldn't be nerves. They'd just fucked, after all. But this was different, he guessed. Outside of scene, Ben laying in his bed, Quinn idly wondering if he was going to stay the night. However, it was easy to stop wondering and just enjoy the moment when Ben kissed him. It was soft and sweet, gentle and easy, almost achingly so. It wasn't foreplay and it wasn't sexual, it was romantic. Ah, fuck. After a moment, he pulled back, not daring to say anything, instead wriggling downward and pressing kisses along his neck, trying to decide where he was going to leave the hickey they'd talked about earlier.

Ben  

"Yeah, there's, like, Benjamin, and then there's Benjamin. Two very different Benjamins," he laughed, laying his head back against the pillow again. He wasn't about to assume that he could stay the night, but if Quinn let him, Ben would gladly take the opportunity. Quinn's bed was comfortable, it felt safe, and Ben didn't particularly want to get up, get dressed, and drive home anytime soon. He rolled his eyes playfully as Quinn called him a snack, gently shoving at his shoulder. "Well, that'll be up to you, Sir, to dictate the scene," he teased. "I just get to come along for the ride." Running his fingers through Quinn's hair again, Ben hummed, the hand moving down to Quinn's neck, thumb running over his jawline as he kissed him. He kept it gentle, not wanting to escalate it past there, just wanting to be able to remember the feeling of Quinn's lips against his. He let Quinn pull back, his hand moving back up into his hair, his eyes opening. Humming at the feeling of Quinn kissing down his neck, he tilted his head to the side slightly so Quinn could have more access to his skin. Part of him hoped that Quinn was picturing how Ben would look with a collar on, but he knew that that was far too drastic for a first scene. It wasn't something that happened in real life, just something that the movies talked about. Pushing one hand under the pillow he was using, he took another deep breath. "Thank you..." he whispered again. "This is... really nice."

Quinn  

"Perks of being the Dom," he had to agree. "Speaking of riding," Quinn said, not letting himself lose the point of what he was saying even though the hand in his hair was certainly distracting. "Next time," he finished, a little bit lamely. "Bet you look just as good above me as underneath me," he complimented, once Ben moved his hand. When Ben moved to give him better access, he thought it over, deciding whether the mark should be visible on his neck or further down. Well, if he didn't want one on his neck, Ben would stop him. He couldn't help but smile against his skin when Ben thanked him for the umpteenth time that night. He was so responsive and appreciative, and honestly, Quinn liked the validation. It was always good to know that he was doing something right. Maybe just a little bit too right. Pushing that thought aside, he sucked a mark onto his neck, pulling back and kissing the spot when he'd finished. Then he moved down and sucked another one into his collarbone. Finally, he moved back up to meet his lips again, running a hand through Ben's hair as he did so.

Ben  

"Perks of being the Dom, of course." He laughed, shaking his head. "Honestly, I'm glad I'm not the Dom. That's too much decision making. And you enjoy it, and I don't, which makes me a good sub," he joked, leaning towards him a little more. "Bet I do look just as good above you. We'll have to wait and see, won't we?" Ben couldn't help but smile to know that Quinn was already making plans for a next time. Ben really did like Quinn, and he really had enjoyed their scene together; he was just grateful that there would be a next time. That's all he could hope for, realistically. In real life, one scene led to another which led to another, and it kept going like that until a couple decided to make a contract and a claim. Humming happily at the feeling of Quinn sucking hickeys into his skin, Ben smiled, his eyes drifting shut. The kiss was unexpected, but surprising in the best way. Meeting his lips, he leaned his head into the hand in his hair, his hand going down to rest on Quinn's waist. He darted his tongue out to lick at Quinn's lower lip, humming to him. This moment felt like an eternity in the best way; Ben didn't want it to end. 

Quinn

"A very good sub," Quinn agreed with a grin, tracing his finger over Ben's bicep. He looked so good laying here next to him that it was pretty much impossible to keep his hands to himself for too long. "Unless you think you have one more round in you," Quinn teased. Truthfully, one more round was probably not the best idea, if only because both of them had responsibilities in the morning and he had no idea what time it was at the moment. He didn't want to look. That felt like it would somehow break the spell. Relief hit him when Ben deepened the kiss this time around. The soft, gentle kisses were making him get a little too much in his head, but this was familiar. He parted his lips a little more to allow Ben access if he wanted it, tugging ever so slightly at his hair. Alright, he might be a bit of an instigator.

Ben

“I’m glad you agree.” Ben smiled at that; the sound of Quinn calling him a very good sub made it feel like there were butterflies in his stomach again. Ben was glad that he’d kept a semi-regular gym routine; it seemed like Quinn was enjoying touching him, and Ben was more than proud to show off his body to him. “You know, I wouldn’t say no to another round if you didn’t have class in the morning. And I’ve got work, which is equally unfortunate when it comes to doing another scene right now.” Ben similarly didn’t know what time it was, and, quite frankly, he didn’t care. He could definitely lay with Quinn like this all night. Slipping his tongue into Quinn’s mouth, Ben hummed to him, hand on his stomach. He was taken entirely by surprise when Quinn pulled his hair, though, causing a moan to be dragged from his throat, head leaning with the tug. He just barely bit back the instinct to call Quinn Sir.

Quinn

Quinn had definitely expected some sort of remark about him being a flatterer, and he was pleased when it didn't come. Quinn didn't give out compliments without meaning them, and with Ben, he really did mean it. "Ugh, adult responsibilities," Quinn said with a playful roll of his eyes, smirking. He wanted Ben to stay, which should really be the indication that he should pull back and let him go. Instead, he tangled their legs together, enjoying the closeness without really thinking about it. Next time they'd do the scene at Ben's place, and he'd leave after he did the proper aftercare. That was all this was, really. Just aftercare. He was entirely too interested when he heard Ben moan, and he let the kiss go on for a few more moments before he pulled back, opening his eyes and looking at him. "Turns out I can behave. Shocking," he said, pulling his hand back and wrapping his arm around his waist again.

Ben

Ben knew that he was a good sub, but it was always nice to hear it from someone else. It was easier to accept compliments about his submission than it was to accept any other sort of compliment, in his experience. The number of times he'd been told he was a delight of a submissive was enough to convince him that it was true. Plus, he felt comfortable in his submission, and he valued it about himself. He didn't want to be any other way. "I agree." He smiled at the playful response about having adult responsibilities. If only they could lay there forever, not having to worry about anything else. He hummed against Quinn's lips at the feeling of him tangling their legs together, happy that it seemed like Quinn's way of asking him to stay. All that Ben could hope was that this wasn't just aftercare - that Quinn actually wanted him there. When Quinn pulled back and wrapped an arm around his waist, Ben nuzzled close to him. "I'd have to spank you if you couldn't," he joked, shaking his head, laughing at himself. Pressing his forehead to Quinn's shoulder for just a second, he kissed there, a smile on his lips. "This is nice..."

Quinn

A surprised huff of laughter escaped Quinn’s lips at Ben’s joking comment. “Oh yeah, tough guy? Got a big bad dom side I don’t know about?” he teased. Spanking could be hot, but he’d never really pictured himself on the receiving end. He couldn’t really imagine Ben being bratty enough to warrant a spanking either. If he wanted one, it would definitely be the sensual kind. Filing that thought away for later, he just relaxed into Ben’s touch. He didn’t have to think so hard about it. He was getting a little bit sleepy anyway, and Ben was right. It was nice. Do you wanna stay? He almost asked the question just like that, but at the last minute thought better of it. He didn’t want to put Ben into a position where he felt like he had to say yes to be a good submissive. The scene was over, and he was under no obligation to stay. He finally decided on, “Are you staying?” Much more neutral, the invitation obvious even if it wasn’t explicitly stated.

Ben

"Don't I look like it?" he joked back, propping his head up on the pillow a little more. More than once in his life, he'd had people confuse him for a Dom. Maybe it was because of his height, or his stature, whatever it was, it had happened. And, whenever it happened, Ben had to explain that no, he was a submissive, but thanks for asking. "But you should've seen your face," he grinned, a finger coming up to trace over one of Quinn's cheekbones. At the question, he felt his heart skip a beat. Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes, his heart told him, but he pushed that thought down, not wanting to scare Quinn off (despite the fact that they were in Quinn's apartment). "I'd like that," he replied, a far more simple yes. Reaching down to tug the blankets over them, he hummed. "You big spoon or little spoon?" he asked, his tone nonjudgmental - Ben was happy to oblige either way. "Or no spooning? Up to you, it's your bed."

Quinn

Quinn tilted his head to the side, considering. "No. But I know you, and I just had a scene with you, so my answer's biased," he replied. A mind-blowingly good scene, but he didn't want to go overboard on the praise now they were out of the scene, he was pretty sure Ben was out of subspace and therefore more likely to remember the specific words he's said. He was pretty sure he'd gotten away with the term of endearment he'd dropped because of how far gone Ben had been. Not that he was going to ask and find out. "You don't usually catch me by surprise," Quinn replied. That wasn't necessarily true, but usually he was better at hiding it. When Ben said that he'd like that, Quinn smiled. He was a step ahead of him with the blankets, and when Ben asked about cuddling, he didn't have an immediate answer for him. He hadn't spooned with someone in a long time. But clearly Ben had been thinking about it. His genuine answer and the answer he was giving Ben were different, so after a beat he said, "Big spoon." And it was dumb, picking his least favorite option because he didn't want to enjoy the other one as much, but he'd made his call.

Ben

"Yeah, and you knew me before I was this big, which also gives a different idea," he pointed out, still smiling. He'd almost never been confused for a Dom in Edgewater, but, when he was in college, it happened at least once a month. "I don't usually catch you by surprise, sure, but I've caught you by surprise before." He caught almost everyone who had left town and then come back by surprise, especially if they'd been away from Edgewater for a while. Those people who missed his growth spurt, his high school baseball days, filling out from the scrawny thing he used to be. He could tell that Quinn didn't have an answer about spooning immediately, so he gave him the time to think, not bringing anything else up, just running a finger over his shoulder. He nodded with a little smile as Quinn decided on big spoon, rolling over so that his back was to him. "If I pass out mid-conversation, I'm sorry. But you wore me out, Heartland, I'll give you that. It was a great scene, thank you."

Quinn

"True. You being this big was definitely a surprise." He wasn't just talking about his height, either. He didn't typically bottom, but it wasn't as though he'd never done it before either. He had no idea if Ben was interested in that, but it might be worth bringing up later on. His visits home had been so brief that he hadn't so much as stopped by Mac's. Mostly because it was all but guaranteed that you'd run into someone you knew there and end up locked in conversation for who knows how long. Not that he minded the conversation, per se. It was when the small talk got repetitive. Which, he'd definitely been guilty of now that he was back. Reaching over to grab his cell phone from the top of his bedside table, he asked, "What time am I setting the alarm for?" He was pretty sure Ben had to get to work before he had to get to class, and he had the added disadvantage of having to go home. Smiling at the compliment, he ducked his head to press a kiss to Ben's shoulder. "Glad you liked it."

Ben

"I think it was a surprise to my mom, too." Ben chuckled, completely missing the double entendre. Shifting to fluff up his pillow, he rested his head back against it, almost groaning at Quinn's next question. "Fuck-- alarm..." he mumbled to himself, rubbing at his eyes. "Dunno, like, 8? I should shower before work, and I gotta go home first to grab a change of uniform..." Ben continued to mumble to himself, half-hoping Quinn could hear him. Pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, he did his best to hold back a yawn, not wanting to seem as worn out as he was. "8 should be good, yeah." He didn't want it to be any earlier than 8; the longer he got to spend in Quinn's arms, the better. If he was a tiny bit late, Brooke wouldn't care. "I hope you liked it as much as I did..." this time, he couldn't hold back the yawn, nuzzling against the pillow. "Mm... your bed's comfy..."

Quinn

Quinn snorted at Ben's comment, amused at how the dual meaning seemed to go straight over his head. He set the alarm for 8 as requested and then another for 8:30 for when he inevitably ignored Ben's alarm. Ben was seriously worn out, and Quinn took some small satisfaction knowing it was because of him. Once the alarms were set, Quinn rolled to put the phone back and plug it in before ultimately settling, pressed against Ben, an arm wrapped around him. "I did," he promised, eyes falling closed as he heard Ben yawn. "G'night," he murmured, even as his own mind wandered. Had it been a good idea to invite him to stay? He'd have to work it into conversation at some point that he wasn't on the market for anything serious. Then again, who knew if Ben was? Maybe he'd ask Brooke before making assumptions. Satisfied with that course of action, he drifted off.

Ben

Ben found himself more than content. He hadn’t felt this satisfied with anything in a long, long time. He had no clue if this was a one-time thing, but the fact that Quinn wanted him to stay was a good sign, right? He hummed at the feeling of Quinn wrapping around him, his hand going to rest on top of Quinn’s. He pressed himself back against him, nuzzling against the pillow again. Feeling thoroughly content, it wasn’t much longer until he fell asleep, knowing he was both safe and warm tucked up against Quinn.

[benelman]

ben & tommy ; movie night @fitslikeacardigan

tommy

Tommy spent the past hour getting ready for movie night. He made popcorn, ordered food, and had made a carefully curated dessert table. He grinned and queued up Netflix on the tv just as he heard a knock on the door, leaping up and getting tangled in the oversized hoodie he was wearing as he staggered his way to the door. “Dude!” He threw the door open and beamed at the boy on the porch. “Child’s Play, Nightmare before Christmas, Or Corpse Bride?”

ben

Ben would never say no to a movie night. They were opportunities to both rewatch old favorites and expand his horizons. They also were conducive to wearing oversized sweaters and cuddling up with friends or partners under a shared blanket, occasionally talking over the movie, and losing track of time. So he was glad to go over to Tommy's for one of these movie nights. Giving him a smile, Ben shrugged off his coat, draping it over one arm, a plastic grocery bag in his hand. "Corpse Bride, I guess? Honestly, man, I'm down for whatever you'd want to watch - it's been ages since I've seen any of those." Going to toe off his shoes, he rested one arm against the wall to keep his balance, still smiling with excitement. "Oh - snacks are in the bag- gimme a minute, I don't want to fall over."

tommy

almost literally lit up when Ben mentioned the Corpse Bride. “Dude that snd Beetlejuice are my favorites!” He left the boy to right himself and hopped over to show him the snacks he had laid out. “Set em here! Help yourself. I got your favorite from the diner and so much candy.” He beamed and flopped back on the couch, panting in an  attempt to catch his breath because he had been talking way too fast. “Jeeze.... and we have tons of drinks too. Help yourself.”

ben

Following him in after making sure that his shoes were off and pushed out of the doorway - not wanting to cause any trips - Ben set the bag down on the coffee table, draping his coat over the back of the couch. "Yeah, this is mostly all candy - I can't remember, are you pro-candy corn or anti-candy corn? I bought some, but if you're anti-, I'll eat it myself." Going to sit down on the couch, he gave Tommy an affectionate smile. "Catch your breath, maybe drink some water?"

tommy

“i like it but only the orange part.” He was aware of how weird that was but he just smiled and shrugs. “I’m ok. Just got too hyped.” He laughed and reached for the sandwich he had bought for himself. “As soon as you’re ready i’ll start the movie.... and i’m apologizing in advance. The end of this movie always makes me cry. Like.... ugly sob.”

ben

"Only the orange part? It tastes the same--" That had Ben thinking about the taste of candy corn; he was pretty sure that the whole thing tasted the same. Reaching into the bag he brought, he pulled the candy corn out, taking a little bite of just the tip, then just the orange part. "Yeah, tastes the same, but whatever, man - enjoy the orange part." Pushing the bag into the center of the table, he leaned back against the couch, getting settled in. "Ready when you are. And don't worry about that - I cry during movies, too. I'm not gonna judge you at all."

tommy

“i know. But i can’t eat generic cheetos or fruity pebbles either.” He shrugged and stood up, grabbing the remote  as he flopped down beside him and started the movie. He sat like a child; knees to his chest, as he finished the sandwich and started on a bowl of chips he’d sat on the coffee table. When Victor started to play the piano, Tommy smiled softly. “God  i wish i could play the piano that nicely. I’m so out of practice....”

ben

"Cheetos are bad, but I'm not letting go of Fruity Pebbles. Those are good. I may be a grown-ass man, but I'm not trading my sugar cereal in for, like, plain Cheerios yet." Draping one arm over the back of the couch as he tried to get comfortable, Ben kept his eyes on the TV, reaching to steal a chip every so often. "Hey, at least you've got some experience. I can't do instruments. Like... at all. I suffered through music ed in school and then immediately gave up. But if you want to pick it up again, why don't you find someplace you can practice? There's gotta be somebody willing to teach you around here."

tommy

“or cornflakes.” He wrinkles his nose. “They were made for women as an anti-masterbatory food.” He paused. “It didn’t work.” He laughed. “Yeah... i guess i could. It’s my minor at school and they do have piano rooms.” He paused again. It was something to think about.

ben

"Yeah, I knew that. That Kellogg's guy was..." He whistled under his breath, shaking his head. "But some of his cereals still have merit. Like Frosted Flakes. And I genuinely like Corn Pops, too." Nodding enthusiastically, Ben bumped his shoulder against Tommy's. "Nothing's stopping you. I say go for it, man."

tommy

He laughed. “Imagine being so scared of women discovering their sexuality you try to take it away completely. Does not compute.” He grinned and turned back to the movie, eating and watching in silence until Victor accidentally proposed to the bride. “Hey did i show you my latest sketch?”

ben

"Imagine being scared of women and it being in a... like, y'know, non-sexual way. Could not be me..." he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head. Carding a hand through his own hair nonchalantly as the movie played, he kept picking at the array of snacks on the table, only looking over at Tommy when he spoke up again. "Huh? Oh - no, I don't think so. I'm down to see it, though, for sure."

tommy

looked over at Ben with a grin, planting a kiss on his temple before stretching his slender body over him to reach his bag. He pulled out his sketch pad and turned to the last page where a pencil drawing of Ben was. He passed it back to him and grinned. He hoped he wouldn’t find it creepy. He had a habit of drawing his friends and acquaintances when he was feeling down.October 8, 2020

ben

Smiling at the kiss to his temple, Ben had to resist the urge to kick his feet up on the coffee table. He could practically hear his mother's voice in his head chiding him and telling him to sit properly. Adjusting his posture slightly, he leaned more of his weight against the back of the couch, hearing his coat slip to the floor behind it. He'd grab it later. Reaching to take the sketchbook, he let his eyes adjust slightly before examining the sketch. "Oh, shit, that's me--" he muttered in astonishment. No one had ever drawn him before. "That's really good, man. Like... really good."

tommy

smiled at the compliment. “Thanks. I did it over the past few days. Drawing people helps me calm down when i’m having anxiety.” He moved to sit up before getting distracted by the film, humming softly along to the song that was playing on the tv as Victor found himself panicking in the afterlife.

ben

"I could never get proportions right in art class. All I was really good for in high school was English analysis, baseball, and... like, submission studies, but that's a whole different ballpark." Still looking down at the sketchbook, he didn't want to let it go quite yet. "But I'm glad this helps you. It's a good thing - funneling anxiety into art." Eventually drawing his attention back to the movie, he set the sketchbook down in his lap, tilting his head towards Tommy ever so slightly.

tommy

He grinned at that and shook his head. “Drawing people in the nude was how I realized I wasn’t straight,” he admitted ruefully, pushing himself up and sitting back in his spot. “Don’t feel bad though. I did your profile because i couldn’t get your second eye to look right.” He didn’t say anything else about his anxiety. “I always feel so bad for Emily. She just wants to be loved....”

ben

Smiling at that, he looked over at him. Mine was... god, was it really so long ago that I don't remember? I don't know - we went to school with a lot of handsome guys, I think. Might've been them. But it was probably a movie star." He was sure he could remember if he thought about it hard enough. "Maybe Captain Von Trapp in Sound of Music? I haven't seen that movie in ages..." Shaking his head, he decided to give up on trying to remember and pay attention to both the movie and his friend. "Well, I could draw you as a stick figure, if you want. That's about as much as I can do for you in return, though." When the conversation turned towards the movie, he nodded in agreement. "I understand that feeling... aches pretty deep inside."

tommy

He paused to think about it. “Huh.... i never thought about it. I probably had a thing for Donald o’Connor in singing in the rain. Have you seen that one? It is so much fun. Maybe next movie night should be old musicals.”  He grinned. “Captain Von Trapp js a good choice though.” He laughed. “If you draw me anything i will keep it forever.” He grew quiet and nodded. “Hurts like hell....” he ran the flat of his palm over his chest; right above his heart. He was starting to wonder if he would ever get over that feeling. If he would let it....

ben

"Oh, yeah. That was on my syllabus for my 1950s film and TV class at school. Masterpiece, honestly. But I'd be down to do a musicals night. I grew up watching them, and I feel like it's been ages since I've seen most of them. I can't even remember the last time I watched a Disney movie." Pushing a hand through his hair again, he tried to think back. He'd seen Coco in theaters - was that really the last one? "I don't have a pencil or anything, but remind me later, and I'll draw stick figure Tommy." Nodding along, Ben's fingers traced over a thread in his jeans. "Yeah..." he muttered, biting the inside of his cheek, hands trying to busy themselves in any way possible. "Sucks."

tommy

laughed. “Known a lot of them so we can pick a few and go from there.” He loved musicals and had even managed to learn the dances to a few of them, Hairspray included. “Uh.... Onward? Barley is my hero” he nudged him then got quiet. There was a lot he could say, and he trusted Ben so much. It would feel good to- “my mom disowned me when she found out i liked boys too....” he blurted before he could stop himself, his hand slapping across his mouth. He had never told anyone before and now it was out. He wished he could take it back and stuff it down his throat.

ben

"That works for me," he agreed, shifting his weight against the couch. "Did not see Onward." Tommy's next words caught him completely off-guard. He figured he should probably pause the movie to discuss this, but he couldn't find the remote. "Shit, man..." he muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm... really sorry, if there's ever anything you need, I mean... it's not like I make a ton of money, but, like, anything else, I'd be happy to help out with... that... fucking sucks." That was the best that he could do. His heart ached for Tommy - he couldn't imagine something like that happening to him. "I'm here for you."

tommy

He felt ashamed for blurting it out like that, pausing the movie so they could finish it. He leaned over his knees and ran his hands through his hair. “I... it’s fine.... She was toxic. She was before i even got caught.... but if your own mother can’t love you why should you expect anyone else too, ya know?” He had turned to sex to heal the ache but he never allowed them to get close, get serious. What happened when they got tired and left him too? He didn’t think he could stand being abandoned again. “I’m... i dont know why i said that. I’m sorry...”

ben

"No, you don't have anything to be sorry for," he quickly piped up, not wanting Tommy to feel bad about admitting those sorts of things to him. Ben couldn't know that pain - his whole family was a rather tight-knit unit, and, while they all had their spats, they did all love each other. He couldn't imagine it being any other way. "Fuck her. You'll find somebody, some Dominant who makes you forget about all of that self-doubt. It's gonna hurt for a long, long time, but... I mean, yeah. It might hurt forever. But I don't doubt that you're gonna find somebody who loves you like you deserve."}

tommy

“i dont let people get close, Ben.... i sleep around and let them bruise me and bite me but i never stay. I leave the first chance i get.... what if something is wrong with me...?” His voice cracked and he swallowed the painful knot in his throat. “What if i never find anyone and i have to be alone...?” He met his gaze finally, tears glimmering on his lashes. “What if she broke something in me and i never get it fixed...?”

ben

The conversation was a little overwhelming, but he wouldn't admit that. Tommy needed his support - he could have his own existential crisis about dying unclaimed later. Pulling him into a hug, Ben kissed his hair, letting him hide his face. "I'm... definitely not a therapist, so I can't tell you how to safely go about this, but... have you maybe tried non-sexual submission? Just... letting somebody else be in charge for a little while?" Ben knew that he craved that pretty frequently; maybe it would help Tommy, somehow. "I don't think you're broken inside."

tommy

He presses his face into the crook of his neck, allowing himself to be taken care of even if only for a moment. “No.... i’m only good for sex. Why would anyone want me for anything else...?” There, just like that, another insecurity was out on the table. Once he started he couldn’t stop. “I just.... worry...” he finally admitted. “Youre the only person i’ve told.”

ben

"Who told you that you're only good for sex?" That would have probably destroyed Ben's self-confidence, if anyone had ever said that to him. That was part of the reason why degradation was on his list of limits. Scratching Tommy's back, he nods. "I worry, too. If that helps you. I think we all do. We all want to find our match, settle down. I promise you aren't only good for sex. I mean it - nonsexual submission is... really nice. I'm sure there're people out there willing to try it out with you." Taking deep breaths to try to get Tommy to mimic him, Ben nodded. "Well, it's our secret. I won't tell anybody."

tommy

“No one did.... that’s just how I feel... and i do it to myself because i don’t let anyone get close enough to prove otherwise.” He presses his face against Ben’s shoulder, willing himself not to cry.  “I’m just twenty-three... i have time... but i see people starting relationships and being happy and I can’t help but feel deficient....” he sighsx and sat up, ruffling his hair unhappily. “I’ll remember that though... maybe that will help...” he exhaled and tried to center himself. “Thanks, Ben....”

ben

Pushing his hand through Tommy's hair, Ben did his best to be comforting to him. He understood the way that he was feeling, understood how it could be damaging to somebody's mental health. "Dude, I'm twenty-five, I've got two years on you. So don't feel deficient or whatever, because, if you're deficient, what does that make me? You aren't deficient. You just aren't getting what you deserve." There were definitely times that Ben worried about his age, but there were other times that he remembered that people had been older than he was and found their Claim eventually. "I'm here for you. Really. If you need anything, just give me a call."October 11, 2020

tommy

He let the older boy gently pet his hair, basking kn the gentleness of his touch.  “I worry maybe i don’t deserve anything....” he admitted quietly, hand grabbing anxiously at the arm of the couch. “Thanks ben.... i didnt mean to unload on you like that.....” he exhaled. “Thanks for staying...”

ben

"I think everybody's worried about that at one point or another," he murmured in response, nodding. Ben knew that he'd had worries like that of his own. He had his own issues with body image, of what it meant to be a good submissive, of what it took to deserve love. It had taken a lot of self-love and introspection to get past it. "I don't mind. I'm here for you, like I said. I mean it."October 13, 2020

tommy

hugged Ben, perhaps for a bit too long, before sitting up and wiping his eyes. “Thanks”,” he offered an apologetic smile and started the movie up again, reaching for the caramel corn.

ben

Hugging him back, Ben kept rubbing his back, trying to ground him a little bit. When he pulled away, he nodded, adjusting the way he was sitting slightly. "Yeah, no problem, man. It's seriously no big deal. I'm here." Reaching for the bag of M&Ms he brought, he gave him a smile before turning his eyes back to the movie.

tommy

tried to forget the outburst he had just had, chomping on popcorn as the movie reached the end. He wiped his eyes again as  Emily vanished in a flock of blue butterflies and laughed. “God this movie is always such a gut punch....”

ben

"Sometimes that's a good thing, you know...? That catharsis. Being able to feel something, even when it's hard to feel things." He felt like he was rambling about nothing, hand still buried in the resealable bag of M&Ms. "Feels good to feel something."October 14, 2020

tommy

nodded. “Sometimes if i’m feeling numb i’ll watch something sad on purpose....” he admitted softly. His coping mechanisms were... honestly far from healthy but he had made them somehow work over the years.

ben

"I don't think that's the worst idea... sometimes you just need to feel something." Ben had done that at least a handful of times, but he tended to default towards his comfort movies when he was feeling off. "Have you seen Mamma Mia?"

tommy

perked up at his question. “No! But I love ABBA. What’s it about?” He sat up and turned to Ben, sitting up and sitting on the couch cross legged facing him. “I’m actually shocked i havent seen it. Meryl streep is a goddess.”

ben

"It's my comfort movie, not even gonna lie. It's about a girl who's getting married, but she doesn't know which one of three men is her dad, so she invites them all to this island in Greece to come to her wedding so she can figure out who her dad is. And they sing ABBA the whole time. And it's really good." Typically, Ben wouldn't admit to Mamma Mia being his comfort movie, but he felt like Tommy needed to have something positive to turn towards, and there was no harm in admitting it.

tommy

looked utterly delighted as Ben explained the plot of the movie, laughing at the ridiculousness of it. “I bet i will love it!” He grinned. “We can watch that one next time we have a movie day.” He bounced in his seat slightly, too excited to worry about anything a the moment

ben

Glad that he could turn Tommy's mood around, Ben smiled, nodding in agreement. "Definitely. I will never say no when someone proposes a watch party of Mamma Mia. Seriously." He'd lost track of the number of times' he'd seen it, but he didn't care - he was just glad that he could help someone else's mood improve.

[benelman]

tom x ben || chit chatting about a hay ride @benelman

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[benelman]

chiefgrimaldi​:

Really, he hadn’t expected the waiter to come back to talk after he put his order in - he even told him to just forget about his request, but it seemed that the male was willing to do so. It had him curious - was he only doing so because he was a Dom and he was trying to please him, or was he generally happy to give in to his request? Whatever it was, Enzo had to stop himself from sighing as soon as he called him sir.

“First things first, I’d like you to stop calling me sir,” Enzo spoke, grabbing the badge that was on top of the table and slipping it into his pocket. “I’m just Enzo, nothing more. As for what I want to talk about? You. I want to get to know you. And I figure you can get to know me, too. So… tell me things about yourself? What do you like to do when you’re not working?”

At the request to stop with the title, Ben had to note that in his mind; he was raised to use proper titles for Dominants, taught that it was respectful to do so, but if Enzo wanted him to drop it, Ben would do his best. At the request to talk about himself, he rose his eyebrows slightly. He’d never been the best at talking about himself without any prompts; in his mind, Theo could describe him much better than he could describe himself. But he would try. He wasn’t the sort to just give up if he didn’t believe he could do something, after all.

“Well... about me... my name’s Ben - you knew that.” Did he know that? Well, Ben was wearing a name badge, so if he could read, he would know that. “I read a lot, I watch a lot of movies. I played baseball in high school, but it’s been a while since then - I do still try to work out pretty regularly, though.” Running his hand over his jaw, he pondered for another minute before continuing. “I like to try new things, see new things, experience new things, you know? Life without new experiences isn’t any fun.” Nodding at that, happy with what he’d come up with, he gave a little smile. “That what you wanted to know, Enzo?”

[benelman]

chiefgrimaldi​:

‘

It had the older male let out a small sigh before he nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair. I just figured your break was coming up, and I could use the conversation.” This time of the year was always lonely… sure, he had Mariella but… Mariella was busy with her own work as a nurse - something of which he was incredibly proud of and he knew that Marisol would be too - and most of the people that he encountered on a daily basis seemed to care more for instant gratification than a deep, meaningful conversation. “But I get that you can’t drop everything for more. I don’t think I’m that special.” A light chuckle left his lips then.

“You just forget what I said, alright? It was a stupid request to begin with.”

His break. Now that he thought about it... “My break’s at 10:50, and it’s not like there are a bunch of people in here...” he muttered to himself, glancing around. Rubbing at the back of his neck, he went to go put the order in, throwing in a side of fries for himself. There would be no harm in it, right? So he had a nice break, Brooke wouldn’t mind it. And it’s not like the lunch rush would hit mid-break -- it typically didn’t come until around 12:30-1ish. 

Coming back to the table, he shook his head, raising a hand to stop him. “It wasn’t stupid. I put in something for myself, I’m more than happy to make conversation with you, Sir.” Pulling the chair across from him out, Ben sat down in it, resting his elbows on top of the table and his chin in one palm. “Anything in particular that you want to talk about? I’m all ears.” 

[benelman]

Send my muse a 🕯KINK⛓ and they’ll rate it!

scale: not today satan | fuck no | no thanks | eeeh | not sure | I’d give it a shot | sure why not | omfg yes | there go my pants | holy fuck take me now

[For multi-muse blogs please specify muse]

[benelman]

chiefgrimaldi​:

Eyes remained glued to the window, watching the way that the wind caused some leaves to dance across the sidewalk, a small smile playing upon his lips. Fall was indeed a beautiful season, as the cliche suggests, but it always had him feeling a bit solemn. Not because he disliked the season, or even winter, but because it was during the fall that he had lost his wife and the mother of his child - and it was during the fall and winter months when he could still feel her loss, even after twenty years.

Hearing the male’s voice ripped him from his reverie and he turned the other way to face the waiter, small smile pulling at his lips. “Not sure it’s the afternoon yet… it is only ten-thirty,” he teased playfully before he took a deep breath and nodded. “But yes, biscuits and gravy… throw on a couple of flapjacks too. Oh, and if you could join me and order whatever you want for yourself? That’ll make my breakfast perfect,” he said with a small smile. Though he was used to dining alone, especially now that his kid was a full-fledged adult and didn’t need dear old dad as much. “I’ll be sure to talk with your boss about it if they’ve got a problem with me monopolizing your time…” Though considering that there wasn’t that many people in there at the moment? He doubted they’d care.

“Oh - I guess you’re right,” Ben replied after a quick glance at the clock. Time seemed to pass differently while he was on shift, not that he really minded. He did genuinely enjoy his work, despite how frequently people seemed to doubt that. Why get a degree if you were just going to come back home and work the same job you’ve worked your entire working life? Ben didn’t let those questions affect him, though. In his mind, as long as he was happy, that’s all that mattered. 

The next comment was flattering, and Ben allowed himself a smile at it, before he shrugged. “I don’t think I’m supposed to eat on shift, but what I can do is sit with you between tables, if that’d work? While I’d love to have a meal with you, Sir, I can’t shirk my other tables.” It wasn’t as if the diner was busy - there were just a couple of other people in there at the time - but Ben would feel guilty if he just up and abandoned the rest of his work to enjoy lunch with Chief Grimaldi. “Let me go put in that order while you think it over, alright? I’ll be right back.” He gave the older man another grin, tapping on the tabletop twice before turning to do just that.

[benelman]

He remembered Cole’s teasing from his senior season; it might’ve had something to do with the fact that they won the state championship that year, it might have had something to do with the fact that Cole was cocky to begin with, but, whatever it was, it always irritated Ben. “If there was any rookie on the team that year, it was you, Park,” he replied, reaching for the next milkshake glass he had to clean. Ben knew that he had talent on the field, that’s why their coach had him starting at shortstop from his sophomore year onward. “I like this place. I did leave, and then I came back, because I like this place. It’s home, right? Why are you back, anyways? I thought you were off at school.”

closed starter for @benelman​

    Cole hadn’t been back in Edgewater for too long but he knew there was only one place where he could get the thickest shake and the hottest fries. No sooner had he walked into Mac’s Diner and sat at the bartop booths when he spotted a familiar pair of dimples. A guy with the sweetest face. He couldn’t help one corner of his lips tilting up in a half smile. “Well if it isn’t the most talented rookie from my Freshman year,” he teased. Ben had been on the baseball team before Cole had even gotten there but he still liked to act like he had more raw talent. Hence the nickname. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Woulda figured you’d have left this place a long time ago.”

[benelman]

rafaelruiz​:

Seeing that someone was intrigued by his offer had the veterinarian chuckling and shaking his head lightly as he lifted his shoulders in a light shrug. “I guess that really depends on how much fun you’re willing have… and what you’re willing to risk,” Rafael said before he gestured at the other male, eyebrows arched in a challenge. “So tell me… if you win… what would you want?” Of course, he was about seventy percent sure he’d win; but crazier things have happened, and he was feeling a little rusty. “Because if I win? I’d like to take you home and tie you to my bed where I edge you for hours until you’re practically begging me to let you cum.”

“I mean, I’m not the sort to risk something small. If I’m making a bet, I’m playing to win, I want something good out of it, you know?” Trailing his fingertips over the rim of the pool table, Ben reached for a cue of his own, testing the size to make sure that it was the right one for him. What did he want if he won...? When Rafael described what he would want if he won, Ben’s eyes immediately moved back up to him. “Would you let me? In the end?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Because that sounds pretty ideal to me - you just ticked off my two biggest boxes, Sir, I’m not gonna lie.” Running a thumb over his own lower lip, Ben pondered the situation for a minute. “So how about... if you win, I don’t get to. And if I win, I do. Unless you can think of something better...?” 

[benelman]

belruiz​:

She knew him as well as most, to be honest if anyone asked Isabel know one knew her and she only knew a few. It was an endless cycle of knowing you should let people close then realizing that it’s a lot of work and having fun was… simply easier. “Miss? Isabel is fine you make me feel like I’m 40 years old.” She teased a bit lifting her cup up , still keeping her gaze locked on him. “They are absolutely self obsessed right now I don’t think anyone would even notice if another left.” 

“Sorry, then - Isabel, my bad.” She was younger than him; from what he could remember, she was a freshman in high school when he was a senior, but he’d always been taught to show respect to Dominants by using a title. He knew better than to argue if somebody told him to drop it, though. “At least they’re enjoying talking about themselves, right? You leave Edgewater for a day and suddenly you’ve got the town’s best stories. I’m sure it feels good to tell them. But yeah, they aren’t exactly... paying attention to their surroundings, I don’t think. Like, seriously, a truck could probably ram through the building right now and they wouldn’t even notice.”

[benelman]

Ben had been grateful for the invitation - he was rarely the sort to turn down any invitation of any kind - but now that he’d been sitting at Perk Up for this long, milking the one hot chocolate and croissant that he’d ordered, he was starting to get bored. The conversations weren’t interesting enough for him to try to insert himself into, and nobody seemed to be paying any attention to anyone else, all in their own worlds. He was surprised to hear Isabel speaking to him, though - or, well, he assumed she was speaking to him. Turning to look at her, his assumptions were confirmed. “What? Oh- no, Miss - I mean, yeah, kind of, but that’s not your fault, you know? I mean, everybody seems nice, but-- the hot chocolate’s really good, thanks for inviting me.” He decided it was probably best to change the subject before digging himself into a hole he couldn’t climb out of.

@benelman​.

 Isabel invited a few people to get together, some drinks at Perk Up and a good conversation however more than half the people were in their own world talking about some no name nonsense. All she could do was roll her eyes, leaning back in the seat she gave a little glance around. Ben,  silent next to her.

   “Bored sweetie?” She questioned with a small brow raise. 

[benelman]

evheartland​:

“I’m not calling you a liar. Just thought you where standing me up” watching as he stepped closer, before stopping right in front of him.  Their matched height, made it easy for him to meet his gaze. “Wouldn’t be surprised if you had changed your mind last minute, and just had me standing out here like a damn fool” shrugging easily. He offers him a faked pout, “Just sit out here all by myself. How would you feel about that?”  He looks past the other for a moment, looking towards the crowds of people who where all lined up for the hayrides for the evening, “Did you want to go for a ride? Or you know, better yet, steal one with me?” smirk reappearing on his lips.  He had been there done that before, still didn’t know what happened to that tractor. If his cousins knew he was out here suggesting this again. He’d get his his ass handed to him. Didn’t stop him though, “Do you want to?” looking back at him, as he gently squeezed his shoulder before turning to face the crowds of people with the other. 

“For a Dom, you’re kind of a brat, you know that?” Ben teased, one hand reaching up to scratch at his chin. “I mean, I’d feel pretty guilty. Which... is why... I don’t stand people up.” Speaking slowly, lips turned up into a smirk as Ben looked Everett over. He hadn’t changed much in all the years that Ben had known him, but that was part of the reason he loved Edgewater so much. Before recently, things had been the same his entire life, and he liked that consistency. “Steal one?” he questioned, rubbing at the back of his neck and looking towards the crowd. “Wouldn’t that piss off... y’know, everybody?” he gestured to the people waiting in line - he wasn’t the sort to do anything that would turn public opinion against him. The squeeze to his shoulder made his heart skip a beat, though he wouldn’t admit it. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Ev... but I’ll take one with you.”

[benelman]

Despite the fact that he was a lightweight, Ben visited the Rammer Jammer every so often to catch up with others from around town; others who wouldn’t typically stop by the diner once a week. Being there meant nursing one beer, conversing with almost anyone who wanted to talk, and generally just absorbing the environment until he felt drunk enough to go home. This time, he was lingering around the pool table, making conversation with someone from high school who was  two grades above him at the time. When he heard someone asking for a call to play with them, though, he raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” he questioned, setting his beer down as he approached the table. “Well, I can’t say I’m as good as you’ll be, but I think I’m probably decent...” Enough times in college playing pool at the dive bars around campus proved that. “How fun is fun?”

Location: Rammer Jammer

Timeframe: Monday evening

Open to: Anyone

@edgewaterstarters​

“Damn it… I’m losing my touch,” Rafael said with a groan, watching as none of the balls sunk into the holes after he broke them from their starting positions. It made sense as to why he lost his touch, though - he wasn’t really one that played pool all too often, not like he did when he was a kid, because usually? If he wasn’t at the clinic, he was at the ranch and if he wasn’t at either of those places, he was usually at the gym. Down time was a near foreign concept to the heir to the Ruiz empire, so when it came? Well, he usually didn’t know what to do with himself. “Alright, I’m getting tired of playing against myself… Anyone in here want to play me? I’ll warn you, though… I’m a pretty good billiard person.” If only because he understood geometry and angles, but he’d keep that quiet. “Come on… We can even make it fun if you want.”

[benelman]

Rolling his eyes at the playful words out of Everett’s mouth, Ben slid his hands out of the pockets of his jeans. “You’re the one who told me to visit, and I said I would. You callin’ me a liar, Heartland?” he teased in response, raising an eyebrow. He was still in the white t-shirt he wore under his work button-down, but he’d abandoned his uniform top for his denim coat, well-worn after who knows how many years. 

“I’m not the kind to go back on my word. When I say I’m doing something, it’s ‘cause I’m doing it. What would you have done if I was leading you on, anyways?” That was a joke, all lighthearted. “But the hayrides are going well this year, it seems. So congrats for that.” Everett was one of the few people in town who wasn’t shorter than Ben, so he could keep his eyes on Ev’s face as he spoke, not having to crane his neck. “I’m glad things are going well around here.”

Heartland farm @benelman​

“Did you come visit me, or are you trying to get yourself first on one of the rides?” he stood at the front of the Heartland farm, watching Ben as he walked up.  He knew the two to them had talked about Benjamin coming up to visit.  It was later in the day, he wasn’t sure if the other male was going to show or not. 

 He smirked anyways, as he stepped off the steps.  He was dressed from working, just getting done a couple hours ago.  Cleaned up a bit, but still in his work attire. “Didn’t think you where coming” giving him a small look as stopped in front of him. 

[benelman]

He genuinely loved the Halloween festival - it reminded him of his childhood, of getting excited to dress up and go from door to door collecting as much candy as his little arms could handle. He also loved the social aspect of it; it meant getting to see people who usually didn’t (or couldn’t) come into the diner, meant interacting with everyone in town. And it meant s’mores over the fire for the last time before winter, indulging his childlike side once again. As he approached the fire to see if anybody had started it yet, a bag with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars in it in his left hand, he chuckled at the words. “Yeah, man, I totally get it. After all of our games in high school, all of the little kids would want autographs.” Shaking his head playfully, he rounded the hay bale, a little disappointed that the fire hadn’t been started yet. “I’m joking,” he quickly clarified, sitting down next to Dom. “Either way, I don’t have anything for you to sign, I’m not really a basketball guy - no offense.” That didn’t mean he hadn’t kept up with the Warriors; having one of Edgewater’s own on their starting five was impressive to say the least. “But you guys did well this season, congrats on the playoffs.”

Timeframe: Sunday, 5 o’clock

Location: Town Square

@edgewaterstarters​

The Halloween Festival was always an interesting time, but this time it seemed even more so - after all, there were a lot more people in town, and that meant that there were a lot of photo ops and autographs to sign. After spending about thirty minutes taking pictures with tourists and signing t-shirts, baseball caps and even their leather gear - he wasn’t sure how long his signature would last on those - he needed to have a seat. Walking over near one of the hay bales that was placed around the fire pit, though the fire hadn’t been started as it was only five o’clock, he took a deep breath as he finally took a seat before he heard the crunch of leaves behind him. “If you want an autograph, you’re going to have to give me a couple of minutes. Even professional athletes need a break, you feel?”

[benelman]

Back when he was a kid, the morning rush used to overwhelm him (most likely because he’d still been in high school, so he could only really work the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays outside of baseball season, which made the morning rush that much worse, thanks to the weekend crowd). Now, he was practically an expert at handling the rush times, mostly thanks to the fact that he was a people pleaser, eager to go out of his way to make people happy. Noticing someone waving him over, his eyes lit up at the sight of Sierra. Setting aside the glass that he was cleaning, he crossed the restaurant to her in a few easy steps, his ever-present smile tugging at his cheeks. “We’ve got it, Miss, no need to worry. And - let me guess - pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, over-easy.” It was easy to remember orders, for him - as easy as associating names with faces. And when people came in multiple times a week asking for the same thing, it drilled into his head pretty quickly. “Anything else I can get for you today? It’s a little early for a milkshake, but they’re still delicious.”

@benelman

sliding into an empty booth,  the morning rush of bustling townsfolk walking in and out of the diner,  as per usual  —  sierra glanced down at the menu  …  not like she ordered the same thing every time she came in:  pancakes with a side of bacon,  sausage and eggs,  over-easy.  and a cup of black coffee to go.  it’s been years,  she should probably switch it up once in a while  …  unless you counted the dinner menu as a switch-up ?  familiar with the diner’s options,  she slid the menu back behind the sauces,  and waved someone over,  hoping she didn’t have to wait for too long.  though,  mac’s was a popular spot,  and she couldn’t fault the waiting staff if they were run off their feet.  kicking her boots up,  resting them against the opposite seat,  a sigh of relief immediately leaving from her lips at the sight of a familiar  &  friendly face.              “ben,  my hero.  please tell me you’ve got some coffee left for me,  and that i don’t have to wait for you to whip me up a fresh brew.”