Side Note : I'm obsessed with 5 Times fics, so if you like those, I have about a hundred plus with ten or so different pairings lined up, so have fun being bombarded with those ^_^ And I'm in a Bethan mood (when am I not?!) so enjoy this shit.
xXxXxXx
1.
To be fair, Ethan always had really stunning eyes. They looked like chocolate melted into honey being poured over a freshly baked brownie square, and they told more stories than the geeky boy could spit out. When he was happy they shone like the sun, when he was sad they were as dull as a flattened pencil head, and when he was angry they could scorch anyone with fire bolts if they looked at him in the wrong way.
And they were what captivated Benny more times than not- sure, his best friend had beautifully long hands, thin and limber from all of the video games he had played. He also had a smile that could kill someone from all of the joy and warmth that it bubbled up inside of them. And his hair was cute and messy at the same time, seemingly untamable and curling lightly at the ends.
But it was Ethan's eyes that could stop him mid-walk, mid-ramble, mid-anything, really. All he had to do was look up into them and he was immediately stopped in the midst of whatever he was doing. Sometimes it made him giddy.
And sometimes it was really, really inconvenient.
More than once Benny's uncontrollable body had decided, hey, why not- let's tell Ethan that his eyes could melt glaciers and bloom flowers in the dead of winter if they wanted to, and it was quite embarrassing.
This was one of those times.
The duo hadn't been doing anything extremely exciting, which was probably the cause of Benny's mild boredom. He had collapsed spread-eagle onto Ethan's bed, while Ethan had chosen to relocate under the desk to repair his computer, and honestly all Benny wanted to do was watch some goddamn Batman.
"Ethan, when are you going to fix that thing?" he all but whined, and Ethan had to remind himself that Benny was like a toddler; he needed constant attention.
"Momentarily, Benny. Just chill out."
Benny scoffed. "I've been chilling out for the past ten minutes."
Tugging at a couple of wires, Ethan rolled his eyes at his best friend's infantile behavior. "A whole ten minutes. Sorry to inconvenience you."
Benny stuck his tongue out at the back of Ethan's shaggy head. "I just to go watch Batman, dude."
Ethan didn't respond this time; instead, he finished hooking up the wires he'd been fiddling with and upon plugging them in, he heard his computer boot up again and he smiled victoriously.
Crawling out from under his computer desk, Ethan looked up at Benny from the ground with a smile that reached his eyes and practically set them on fire.
"I'm done now, Ben. Jesus you're whiney."
And just like that, Benny could care less about Batman than he did about math class. He was enraptured by Ethan's twinkling brown eyes at once, and he couldn't tear himself away from them to save his damn life.
"You have really pretty eyes, you know that?" Benny blurted out, and then proceeded to blush at his frankness.
Grinning widely, Ethan's cheeks also colored themselves a light pink color, but instead of teasing Benny about his sappy habits, he got to his feet and moved towards his door.
"Let's go watch Batman, Love Shack."
Benny watched as he walked away down the hall, and waited until Ethan was out of earshot before facepalming.
Real smooth, Benny.
2.
The boys were following their tradition of the years and were having a Friday Night Movie Marathon in Ethan's living room, duvet wrapped around them both and snacks littering the floor like land mines. They were cuddled up together and watching the 2009 edition of Star Trek, and while Ethan was secretly fawning over Chris Pine, Benny was secretly fawning over Zachary Quinto.
It was just getting to the part where Chekov had to beam Kirk and Sulu back onto the Enterprise to avoid getting them killed, and Ethan was practically livid with enthusiasm because it was one of his favorite scenes. Benny was more focused on Ethan's grin and awestruck expression, and he momentarily forgot all about the movie they were watching in favor of staring at Ethan in the glow of the TV.
The scene had just finished with Kirk and Sulu slamming down onto the Enterprise in the knick of time, Chekov screaming out something in Russian, and Spock getting ready to beam down to Vulcan, when Ethan finally noticed that Benny was staring at him. Looking over at his boyfriend with the grin still stretched across his face, he raised a dark eyebrow at Benny as a sort of inquiry.
And once again, Benny had no control over what he said.
"I think you're so much more attractive than Chris Pine."
Ethan stared at him in wonder for a moment, Benny's flush hidden in the bright red coloring on the screen, before his grin grew and he leaned forwards to kiss Benny's cheek.
"Thanks, Benny."
They both turned back to watch as Spock jungle-gymed his way across the rocky terrain of Vulcan, and when Benny leaned forwards to shout for Spock to hurry up and go (though they'd seen the movie a dozen times), Ethan leaned with him.
"I think you're so much more attractive than Zachary Quinto." Ethan whispered bravely against his ear, and it was simple enough to say that they spent the Spock and Uhura moment in the elevator kissing along with them.
3.
For some cosmic reason unbeknownst to either of them, Benny and Ethan decided to wash the dishes after eating dinner. Sarah and Jane were busy upstairs, playing with dolls and doing whatever girls do, and the two boys just randomly decided to wash the dishes. Normally, Samantha would just do them when getting home with Ross later on that night, but Ethan was feeling charitable and had suggested they do the dishes for them.
So now they were stationed by the sink, Benny scrubbing off food remains from plates, cups and bowls, and Ethan was drying them with a towel and putting them up in cupboards. Ethan had his iPod on speaker, and was swaying his hips lightly in time with Wonderwall by Oasis.
Benny was kind of shocked that Ethan knew and loved this song, but it was a pleasant surprise because the song was one of his favorites.
He hadn't even realized it until Ethan had said something, but Benny starting singing along to the song as he scrubbed at a particular annoying stain on a china dish.
"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you, by now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do, I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now."
It was almost unheard over the thrumming of the guitar from the song and the rushing of the water from the tap, but Ethan heard it nonetheless, and was warmed by Benny's voice.
"You have a really nice voice, you know." Ethan told him, putting a plate up on a shelf. Benny looked over at him in surprise, his eyebrows scrunched and eyes wide, and Ethan thought he looked incredibly amusing.
"You're joking." Benny laughed quietly after a moment, shaking his head. "My voice sucks."
"No it doesn't." Turning to face him more as Benny worked on a bowl, Ethan cross his arms over his chest and smiled lightly. "You just can't hear it because you sing so quietly."
"So you're suggesting that I bring my voice out?"
Ethan nodded, and this caused Benny to smile wickedly.
"Alright." And clearing his throat, Benny warmed himself up for the chorus of Wonderwall, and Ethan was admittedly scared to see what he would end up doing.
Yelling, apparently, is how Benny had taken Ethan's bring-your-voice-out advice, and suddenly the entire kitchen and house along with it was filled to the brink with Benny shouting out Wonderwall lyrics. Musically, though.
"Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me, and after all, you're my wonderwall!"
Laughing hysterically, Ethan flinched away from Benny as the taller boy turned to him, still singing, with his hands coated in soap suds. He reached out and cupped Ethan's face in between his warm, wet hands, and pulled the squirming boy closer to him.
"Today was gonna be the day but they'll never throw it back to you, by now you should've somehow realized what you're not to do, I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do, about you now!"
"This isn't what I meant." Ethan managed to gasp out through his laughter, but that only charged Benny further.
"And all the roads that lead you there were winding, and all the lights that light the way are blinding, there are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how."
The next part of the song was muffled as Benny attempted kissing Ethan and singing at the same time, but Ethan still felt the lyrics sliding down his throat as they made his heart feel like it was ten times its original size. When Benny pulled away, his grin matched Ethan's, and even though it was incredibly cliche to serenade someone in their kitchen, he did it anyways.
"I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me, and after all, you're my wonderwall!"
But Sarah, apparently, wasn't as amused as the two boys "washing dishes", and they could hear the annoyance in her voice when she yelled down the stairs.
"Benny, shut up! You're going to wake the entire neighborhood up."
"Oh, calm down, Sarah!" he shouted back. "Don't get your fangs in a twist!"
Sarah muttered about getting something in a twist, alright, but she was moving away back towards Jane's room before they could fully decipher what, exactly, she'd said.
When they went back to actually doing the chore at hand, Ethan still had bubbles all over his face, and he decided in that moment that Wonderwall was now his new favorite song.
4.
"Trying to kill these things is turning out to be one hell of a time." Benny panted out, leaning his head back against the wall.
Ethan nodded in agreement; the two were currently trying to get rid of an honest-to-god ghost that had been haunting the school for years now, and quite frankly, Ethan was sick to death of the things. He'd had enough fun with the ghost of the coach who'd hid in the trophy- he didn't need another one of the things tormenting him and flinging mashed potatoes at his dad's head.
He said as much out loud.
"I hope this is the last ghost we have to go up again, Ben, because these things are making me mad." Ethan told him with complete seriousness.
Looking over at Ethan, Benny gave him the grin Ethan had seen countless times before, and he knew that Benny was absolutely determined to get rid of the thing just for Ethan.
"Don't worry, E- I'll protect you from anything!"
And with that, Benny pushed himself away from their hidden alcove to begin battling with the ghost again, flinging all sorts of things at it, and Ethan came to the conclusion that his best friend was a giant ball of mush at the best of times.
"Sap." Ethan chuckled, before diving back into the fight, as well.
5.
When Ethan awoke in the morning, he was aware that he was the only one in his bed- it was missing a gangly, dorky teenage boy that usually slept next to him and babbled in his sleep. Sitting up, he looked around to make sure that Benny hadn't accidentally fallen out of bed, as he sometimes did, and came to the conclusion that he was, indeed, alone. So getting out of bed, Ethan pulled on some pajama pants and made his way downstairs in search of Benny.
He smelt rather than saw Benny cooking something up in the kitchen, and he followed the scent of something incredibly wonderful to his location.
Benny was leaning over the stove, humming along to the radio next to him and flipping various food items in frying pans. Ethan could smell bacon the best out of everything Benny was making, but he was still curious as to what else was there.
"Morning." he said softly, climbing up onto a chair at the breakfast bar. Benny looked over his shoulder to grin at Ethan, the calmness of just waking up still clinging to him.
"Hey." Benny replied, before turning back to his food.
"What're you making?" Ethan sighed as he stretched out some, and then proceeded to curl up on the top of the bar. "It smells delicious."
Benny rolled his eyes affectionately at Ethan's obliviousness, though the other boy couldn't see it on account of facing his back.
"Just some breakfast, E."
"No way." Ethan tsked. "I meant what are you making?"
"You'll just have to wait and find out."
Ethan made a protesting sort of sound but didn't complain, because how often was it that he woke up to Benny making him breakfast? The good kind?
Very rare, so he was going to shut his cake hole and wait, dammit, because he was eager for some mouth-watering bacon and the works.
He waited only another five or so minutes before Benny announced that breakfast was done, and turning around with a plate in hand, he moved over to an excited Ethan who was inspecting the plate to see what lay on it.
In the very center of the plate, surrounded by bacon and pieces of fruit and hash browns, lay a small stack of pancakes cut out to be shaped like hearts with butter melting in a square on the top and syrup splashed over it.
Ethan laughed, looking up at a faintly pink Benny, and his heart swelled with affection.
"I love them. Thanks, Benny."
Chuckling with both amusement and relief, Benny simply kissed Ethan's forehead before going back over to the stove to cook his own pancakes.
"Any time."
+1.
"I love you."
Ethan didn't know why, exactly, he chose that moment to say the words, but the whole thing felt domestic and romantic and comfortable, so he thought to hell with it.
Him and Benny were watching The Avengers together, curled up on Ethan's bed together and just enjoying the moment of peace in their seriously whacked out lives. Jane was at a friend's, his parents were out on a date, and Sarah was hanging out with Erica- there was no one there to interrupt them, and it was so, so nice.
He wanted to convey this to Benny, but didn't know how without making it sound super casual and dumb, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
Which had been a declaration of love.
And now Ethan was blushing, and hoping to god he hadn't made everything super, duper awkward, and oh lord what if Benny didn't want to act all RomCom right now and ugh Ethan you're such a moron-
Benny laughed with delight, looking down at Ethan where the smaller boy was laying on his shoulder.
"That was random. And cheesy."
"Shut up." Ethan mumbled, poking him lightly with a smile of his own. Okay. Well, the momentary break down had been for nothing, then.
Benny cackled even harder and pulled Ethan closer, dropping a kiss onto the top of his head.
"No, it was nice- I'm always acting like a dork and saying schmoopy things like that. It was nice for you to be embarrassed about it for a change."
Ethan smiled against the warmth of his shoulder, and he let out the breath he had been holding. I guess it is nice.
"Hey, E?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you, too. Even more than all of the Avengers put together with Batman, Wolverine, and Spiderman added onto the side."
"And you say I'm the cheesy one."
xXxXxXx
I literally and for real have no excuses for this. It just kind of happened, you know? Anyway, I hope you liked this :D Don't get bit by Jesse this summer or you're in tough shit ^_^