EDIT: 06/23/18 Went in and made some minor changes, correcting grammar, filling no plot holes, and such. More like 7,800 words after the edit. Nothing too major. :)

AN: So...about my other stories...No Comment! I'm hateful, aren't I? Yes, I'm still alive! Just not particularly motivated. But I am working on them! Again, I apologize for my laziness and for any errors you will undoubtably find. I had to make quite a few changes from the original, but 7,100 words? Heck yeah!

Enjoy!

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"I'll be with you in a second!" Ethan called over his shoulder and hastily finished wiping up the remaining foam from the floor.

Hot chocolate (which was cold chocolate by now) and melted marshmallows were splashed all over his work apron and pants. He scowled in disgust at the sticky tiles and got up to wash his hands and arms of the offending liquid. Scrubbing off quickly with the sweet smelling antibacterial soap, paying close attention to his hands and wrists. he ripped some paper towels from the wall and rushed to dry off.

Lunch hour was just drawing to a close in the coffee shop, and the employees had been rushing all over, nearly tripping over each other in their haste. Ethan actually had tripped over his own feet when he turned too fast, bumping into Rory, who had been hurrying by with a tray of coffees and donuts. The next thing he knew, pastries had flown, coffee cups had cracked open and the brunet found himself in a sweet, wet sprawl on the ground with his flailing friend crashing down on him. The last he'd seen of the blonde, he'd been rushing in the general direction of the restroom with chocolate stained hair.

"I don't have all day here." A playful, familiar voice called from the counter. "Not even for you, gorgeous."

The counter bell dinged obnoxiously and Ethan just shook his head, ignoring the usual not-quite-nickname, and trading his ruined apron for a clean one on the way to the counter.

"I'm here." Ethan huffed and began typing in the order for this particular customer. It's been a week since he'd last showed his face, but the man always orders the exact same thing. In the last several months he'd been coming in, his order had only changed once. "The usual?"

"Roasted hazelnut with two pumps of white chocolate and a shot of caramel, extra foam." He confirmed, watching with contented hazel eyes as Ethan's hands ran over the pumps and buttons, more careful now that there wasn't a constant pressure to serve three people at once. "And a banana muffin."

"Ooh, changing it up this time?" Ethan smiled as he finished with the drink and snapped a lid over the cup. He grabbed a muffin with the tongs and handed it to the man in a white paper bag.

"Just a little. Thanks. Keep the change." He said and handed over a few bills. "Hey, do you ever take a break?"

This was new. "I took my break an hour ago." Ethan replied as the man as he stepped aside to let another costumer step up to the counter.

"Too bad...I would've taken you out for lunch." He shrugged and gave a bright grin that Ethan couldn't help but respond to, if only a little. "I need a nice time out with a friend."

"Next time." Ethan assured with one last fleeting smile as he watched the man disappear out the front door and into the falling snow. Then he turned to the next customer, a man arguing on the phone with his wife, and discreetly sighed– fighting with your significant other was a topic he was all too familiar with.

Fighting with Erika was in no way his favorite thing to do, especially with Christmas just around the corner. He'd already gotten her a bunch of expensive gifts, including a shiny gold necklace and an even shinier engagement ring he'd ordered in the wrong size...and he was pretty sure she wasn't coming back. Not after that last episode...it had been bad.

At first, he'd thought he might've loved Erika...and was stupid enough to think she could love him back. But now, here they were a year later and it still wasn't working, and they were still stuck in that stage of fighting and jealousy that was normally reserved for teenagers. They were twenty-four years old, for gods sake. They were living together. They were going to law school together. They'd grown up in the same town. Ethan had tried over and over again to compromise, to try and push through all of their differences and disagreements because he thought they'd deserved it.

Ethan knew HE deserved it. Keeping at the top of his class, being in a relationship, and working two-and-a-half jobs to pay the bills didn't just happen overnight, and neither did the love and future he was prepared to promise her. The sad part of it was that he knew she would've been happy, if they'd just tried...just tried a little harder. Then, Ethan had thought mournfully, maybe that just wasn't what Erika had wanted. After some thought, he considered that maybe it what he wanted either...Erika loved to fight and make things complicated, and Ethan liked stability and taking things easy outside schoolwork. Maybe they were just too different.

Now that she was gone, probably for good, Ethan was going to have to take those gifts back...

Or give them to his mother and sister. There was always that option...and then he wouldn't have to return anything, either. Two birds with one stone and all that...but, see...none of this was the real problem. Not remotely.

Sure, he was sad about Erika, and he was going to miss her, and he felt like a disappointment for not making it work, especially with Christmas so close. Oh, and the engagement thing, too. That had stung pretty bad, and not just because the ring had hit him square in the forehead before joining the roses in the snow at his feet. The image of Erika's angry but still upset and tear-streaked face before she stormed away was something Ethan would never forget...but this was all inevitable, and he realized that now. He was just sorry he didn't realize it sooner.

Because he'd told his parents he had a fiancée.

Ethan had been so sure...and so incredibly stupid! What had he been thinking? That proposing would somehow solve everything? That she would just say yes and everything would be okay and they would live happily ever after? Maybe that was exactly what he was thinking...maybe love really did blind you.

"Hey, Mr. Dead-Beat," Rory greeted as he came up behind him, making him jump and effectively shaking him out of his sulking. "Are we still on for later? Cuz I need a shower. Like bad and right now, because my hair is still sticking to my head from all that hot chocolate, and you know they don't actually have showers handy at Starbucks..."

"Yeah, we close in like ten minutes anyway." Ethan sighed, scrubbing the last of the stickiness from the floor and shoving the mop pail away.

"I know that!" Rory grimaced like he couldn't believe Ethan would remind him, even though he'd been working there longer.

But Rory still forgot. He'd forgotten six times.

"Okay. I'm gonna go start the car, and I'm hungry." The blonde tried discreetly glancing at the clock before he began wrapping himself in is winter coat and scarf, heading for the door.

"We can get fast food on the way up town." Ethan answered absently, now wiping off the countertops. Since Erika had packed and gone a few days ago, he'd been too depressed to go out and shop. "I don't really have anything at home, need to get groceries..."

"Anything's fine with me, but if I don't get food within the next fifteen minutes, my stomach is going to start eating itself."

"Sounds painful." Was Ethan's only reply and with that, his friend exited the establishment and Ethan watched him walk away through the huge glass windows.

Later, when Rory had come and gone from his apartment, and Ethan was cleaning up the mess from their Chinese take-out, he got a call from his mom. His phone buzzed and clattered and his moms photo from a few months back smiled at him from the countertop.

"Hey mom." Ethan answered, busily scrubbing away some rice that had dried to the plate.

"Hey sweetie! How's everything going in the big city?" Sam's too-cheery voice assaulted Ethan's ears. "We haven't talked in a while."

"Yeah, well...it's been a week." Ethan smiled to himself. "Anyway, everything's fine over here, mom. I might have to get the thermostat looked at, though. Rory came over today, and don't ask, but now it's kind of hanging off the wall and it won't stick back on."

"Rory's a character." His mom sighed, then said more loudly, "Can I get a large tropical tea and an apple pie?" There was a pause before she said thanks, and Ethan could hear her driving up.

"You're ordering McDonalds?" Ethan asked in amusement and finished rinsing the rest of the dishes.

"The drive-thru. I just got off work, and I need comfort food. So, how're things at school, honey? Tell me quick, before my cell phone dies."

"Things are great." Ethan nodded to himself as he went around tidying up stray books and papers. "Everything's going fine, actually. I'm just finishing up with semester tests."

"Keep it up, and you'll go to great places." Sam replied, pride clear in her voice, before it took on a tone of excitement. "Soooo...how's the engagement going? How's the happy couple doing? I can't wait to finally see her again! I'm so excited!"

Ethan's face turned red, and suddenly he couldn't make himself confess to his mother like he'd planned. He'd completely forgotten the feeling of doom hanging over him since he and Erika had split.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her...God, he was a loser.

"You are bringing her to the party, aren't you? Oh Ethan, it's going to be so nice! You're father's excited to meet her too, I'm sure. It'll be his first time, and-"

"Mom!" Ethan spoke over her, trying to stop her excited rant before she could be too disappointed. "There's something I really need to-" Suddenly there was a click and then the dial tone. Her phone must've died. "Damn it."

Okay...so, he was afraid to tell his family...but his break-up with Erika was humiliating and sad.

Did he mention that he was supposed to go to his parents' anniversary party with Erika? This was only the second time they would actually meet her, his dad's first, and by now she was supposed to be his fiancée. Oh God, what had he gotten himself into?

Why had he lied?

To explain whole issue with the party, it turned out that Ethan's parents had gotten married just two days after his grandparents on his mom's side. Even weirder than that, his grandparents from his fathers side had gotten married in that same week, but one of them, his grandfather, had died about ten years before. It was a melancholy time, but this year Ethan's mother (god knows what possessed her) had planned a big party to celebrate all of their anniversaries. So that meant that pretty much every family member they were close to and then some was going to be there...

And knowing his mother, word had probably already spread that he had a fiancée, which, hello, he didn't! Great. Just grand.

What was he supposed to tell his mother? She'd sounded so excited...and Jane would make sure he never heard the end of it.

"What was I thinking?" Ethan groaned aloud, sinking down onto his couch to sit in a gloomy heap. He'd been such an idiot, because the more he thought about it, the more he realized that proposing to Erika had been little more than a joke. Most of the time, he felt as though she were seeing right through him– as though all his words went through one ear and out the other.

Did he really think that they were going to get married and live happily ever after? No...the ring had been one last desperate hand of cards to save their relationship before it was too late...and those cards had turned out to be crap, and now he had none left to play anyway. To make matters worse, it felt like all his efforts had been towards a lost cause. There had been no real spark for months prior, and Ethan had a depressing feeling that this was going to be the fight they weren't going to come back from. The time Erika wasn't going to move back in.

Ethan wasn't sure how he felt about that.

It was much later, the next morning in fact, as he was showering that the solution to Ethan's predicament came to him.

Okay, so it might not've been the best or most moral solution, in fact it was kind of really-freaking-bad! But...it was kind of an okay idea if you turned your head sideways and closed your eyes and he was pretty sure it would work, if he payed well enough.

Ethan pondered who his victim would be while he stocked the dispensers with napkins, cups and straws. Only a few quiet, early-risers populated Starbucks right now and and snow fell pleasantly in soft cottony flakes outside the shop windows. There was still a slight lemony taint to the air from when he'd wiped everything down with Clorox last night, but it was quickly being replaced with the strong scent of brewing coffee.

He mulled over the idea of Sarah posing as his wife, but that was just wistful thinking...she was in England right now with a research program that would last at least another week, and besides, Sarah had been his friend since pre-school. It would be either way too obvious a lie or way too hard to fake and then get out of, and Sarah was already happily in a relationship with her high-school crush, Jesse.

Rory? Hell no, because one, he was pretty sure neither of them were gay, and Rory couldn't fake anything to save his life. The blonde had also grown up with Ethan, and he was sure his mom would see right through them in less than a second. It was only out of pure luck that they'd ended up living in the same city, only the hand of god that had given them the same job and residence in the same building.

Ethan had a few girl friends (that being, friends who were girls) and a few other people he just knew from around but he didn't really want to ask them. It just seemed too personal, so he guessed he would have to find someone new, and pretty quick too, if he was going to pull this off. It had to be someone smart, because Ethan did go to law school, and also someone who knew how to play it cool...a good actress. There were a few regulars at the shop, who were on pretty good terms with him, and looked the type as well, but he wasn't sure who was willing to skip their own long weekend to fill in for his.

Ethan was in the process of chatting up Hannah, a cute and single student from several of his classes when someone literally fell into the shop through the front door. Someone in totally non-winter appropriate apparel took a step, slipped on the textured rubber mat, took another step to right himself and tripped over his own feet before falling to the floor. In all the commotion, Ethan didn't see the man hit his face on a chair leg until he saw the blood dripping onto the mans dark green jacket, and onto the floor tiles. Crimson blood dripped to the floor at an alarming rate as the man tried to pull himself up.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Ethan called, and rushed to get napkins as Hannah hurried to the mans side to help him up. After running around the counter, nearly slipping himself, he dropped down beside the man. Sitting up on his knees gingerly, the man, now cold and wet as well as hurt, was gently shooing Hannah's away helping hands.

"I'm fine. It was my own fault. Clumsy me." The man was saying rather cheerfully and when he looked up, Ethan found himself feeling the startling sensation of déjà vu as he met his eyes. "Oh. Hey, beautiful."

Ethan only shook his head with a relieved sigh, handing him a handful of paper towels. Hannah laughed once she realized he was addressing Ethan standing behind her and not herself; and Ethan grinned.

"Are you sure?" Hannah asked sweetly, and this time he accepted her help and allowed himself to be carefully pulled up, clutching the tissue to his nose with the other hand.

"Yeah, thanks. It'll probably stop in a minute."

"Okay..." Hannah made sure he was comfortable in a chair, and then smiled and turned to Ethan. "Well, if everything's fine, I guess I should get going. Looks like we're gonna have to have coffee some other time, Ethan. I can see you've got your hands full here." She joked, gesturing to the three people who made up the entirety of the shop.

"Another time, then." Ethan nodded and gave her a small grin. "I've gotta clean up this blood. See you, Hannah."

"Bye!" As Ethan went to get a cleaning rag, she left, along with another person who had just finished their coffee. And then there were three, which was surprising. At this time of day, there were usually a lot more.

"You're name's Ethan?" Ethan heard a question from behind him, and turned.

"Yeah. Ethan Morgan." He disappeared into the closet and then came back out with a rag and a bottle of disinfectant. When he reached the front rug, he bent down to begin spraying.

"I'm Benny." The man replied, finally putting a name to his face as the pungent scent from the spray bottle filled the air. "Benny Weir."

"Nice! Yeah, the label maker for out name tags broke a few months ago and it hasn't been replaced yet." Ethan shrugged with a quick laugh. "No one who has them really bothers anyway."

"Kind of off-topic, but you're kind of a stud, huh?" Benny grinned suddenly, still holding the napkins to his face. "Do you promise everyone a good time out, loveshack?" He laughed and Ethan felt his cheeks heating rapidly.

"No! It's just..." Ethan was struggling to reply.

Then, a much more significant thought came to him. It was crazy, and hit him like a freight train.

"You!" Ethan said in realization. Benny looked at him funny, with an admittedly adorable confused look.

"Me? Um, yeah I'm right here. Hi!"

"No, no..." Ethan shook his head, as though trying to shake the idea off, but he couldn't ignore the suddenly nagging feeling that this was the right answer. "Forget Hannah! Would you be willing to go out with me later?"

"Huh?" Benny was really looking astronomically confused now, all wide hazel eyes and blood dripping down his chin with his mouth hanging open, and Ethan found himself thinking...maybe this guy was a little cute.

Then he remembered he wasn't gay and he really needed to get his thoughts together and come up with a great explanation for his dilemma...that is, if Benny even said yes to his proposition. Benny, who was still gaping, and in the process hadn't returned the tissues to his still bleeding nose. The taller man seemed to realize what he was doing and placed the wad of napkins back in place before he could do any more damage to his jacket. "Did-did you just...ask...me out?"

"I think so." Ethan gave him a few more tissues from his apron pocket before moving back behind the counter, as more customers were coming in. "How about it, Benny? I'll make it worth your while, I promise!"

"Uh...aright." Benny slowly nodded, looking absolutely taken aback. A few moments passed and he grinned then, replacing the soaked tissues with clean ones. "It's a date..." The taller brunet paused. "On one condition."

"Yeah? What's that?" Ethan asked from his spot at the sink, where he was washing his hands, finding himself suddenly nervous. As he thought about what he'd just done, he tried desperately to keep any guilt or anxiety from his face.

"I'll plan everything, and you don't worry about a thing." Benny answered and Ethan found himself oddly charmed by his crocodile grin. "Come by my apartment later."

"...sounds good." Ethan smiled hesitantly at the other man as he proceeded to take a new customer's order. When he finished, he gave Benny his usual drink, along with a warm Holiday Turkey-Stuffing Panini he'd chosen at random from the menu. On the house, sort of as an apology for the wet mat that Benny had slipped on after barely making it two steps into the establishment. Ethan soon replaced the mat with a dry carpet after that incident, and placed a 'Wet Floor' sign near the doors.

As it turned out, Benny had hated stuffing since he was a kid, but insisted that the sandwich and drink combo was damn near perfection. He also insisted that the delicacy he would prepare for their date night was going to blow Ethan away (and not to worry, it wouldn't be sheep brains or anything creepy like that, because apparently he was a man of distinct class) and had assured Ethan rather inappropriately that he "wouldn't wanna be anywhere else tonight, (gorgeous)".

Rory's only (and also inappropriate) comment was that he was insanely tired, so Ethan better not be calling him in the middle of the night crying because someone had gotten pregnant.

"Rory!" Ethan's face burned red, indignant and slightly embarrassed. "Seriously?"

"What? I'm really tired and crazy things always happen your first time going places." Rory insisted, plopping down beside him at a booth, fifteen minutes before the shop closed. "Remember the first time you came to my apartment? We hypnotized my roommates dog and drank white wine out of a box until you passed out on my dresser."

Rory grinned just then at his friend's scowl, and then laughed. "It's been so long, I kind of forgot."

"Forgot what?" Ethan dared ask, annoyed scowl still set firmly in place.

"When we get going, we really get going." Rory burst out laughing, and Ethan couldn't hold back just the smallest of grins. For all his goofy characteristics and exasperating ways, he could always count on Rory– to make him feel better and to give him support.

By the time Ethan was actually standing at Benny's door, freshly showered and brushed, in soft cotton shirt and his favorite pair of jeans, he was feeling unsure about the whole thing. What if Rory was right? No, not about the getting pregnant thing, but about the crazy things going on.

What if Ethan ruined everything between he and Benny before it even began? The brunet was still trying to think of a way to tell the other man that he needed him to be a stand-in. How would he react to that? The taller brunet seemed like an easy-going guy, but would he be mad about this? Would he be hurt?

He was still biting his lip, with a hesitant hand raised to knock when Benny opened his front door.

"Hey." Ethan said right away. "Let me just say...I'm kinda nervous."

"Don't worry Ethan!" Benny gave a reassuring smile, looking quite at ease, if not a little disheveled with his hair askew and a powdery patterned apron tied around his waist. "I haven't done this in a long time either."

Then the taller man opened the door wide and made a grand gesture for Ethan to step inside.

"That's kind of what I was afraid of..." Ethan murmured anxiously to himself and followed the taller man inside, right into a living room.

The interior of the home was really disorganized, but homey and clean. Everything was pretty standard, no fancy furniture except a few unique couch pillows and a big love seat which had to have been moved in and not just included with the furniture set. There were papers and books everywhere, in plastic bins on the shelves, and on the bookcases, looking to be both educational and fiction. There were some comics too, and oddly enough, a lot of science fiction novels that he himself had read over the years.

"Make yourself at home." Benny called over his shoulder, walking further into the kitchen. "I hope you're hungry!"

"Yeah!" Ethan called, shrugging off his coat, and suddenly having the thought that maybe things were taking a turn for too far too fast. After all, this was this first meeting they'd had outside of Starbucks, and now Ethan was going to his house for dinner, casually hanging up his jacket and making himself at home.

Didn't that seem a little fast?! Ethan had just found out Benny's name a few hours ago. For all he knew, Benny Weir could've been an axe murderer with a clown suit in his closet.

"Uh, Ethan? Could you come and help me with this? I was washing my hands and I dropped my ring down the disposal again." On second thought, maybe he didn't need a clown suit. Benny was a one-man improv act without any need for props.

"Coming."

So Benny seemed like a sweet guy, if not a little blank at times, and here Ethan was...ready to use him for a solution to his own problems because he was too ashamed to admit his mistakes. That made him a bad person, didn't it?

It was all Ethan could think of as he precariously helped Benny fish his strange, Celtic-looking ring from the sink.

"Don't think so hard." Benny commented as Ethan pulled up the glinting object with a pair of thin tongs from a rack hanging on the wall. Ethan tried his best for a smile and ran the ring under some hot water to rid it of any slime before handing it back to Benny.

"Uh...hey Benny?" Ethan asked nervously, trying not to gulp as his own plain, brown eyes raised to meet those deep hazel ones that looked so much nicer than his own. Erika's eyes had been blue and so striking that every time Ethan dared to look into them seemed like an icy challenge. But Benny's eyes...

"What's up, E?" Benny asked easily, and Ethan shook himself out of his pondering thoughts, blinking for a moment in surprise. The nickname sounded so natural.

"...I need to tell you something." Ethan started, making his words slow and careful as he could without being weird, because all of a sudden he was feeling very nervous and more than a little shameful. Why had he come in the first place? It was all hopeless.

"Okay." The taller man smiled, making Ethan's stomach ache. "Go right ahead, I'm listening."

It was all Ethan could do not to reach out and shake the other man in exasperation when Benny suddenly announced that dinner was finished and began taking potholders and such off of various metal racks. "You can help if you want. Or you know, you could go and chill by the table for a bit. Actually, I'd rather you did, because I want to see you're reaction when I set the plate in front of you."

"Uh...but Benny, there's really-"

"Just go wait at the table, I got it, g-" Benny made a strange noise between a cough and a strangled sound, effectively cutting off the pet-name he'd gotten so used to saying. "Ethan. I'll be there...momentarily."

Feeling too awkward and too disgusted with himself to do much else, Ethan headed over to the table in the other room with a raincloud hanging over his head, feeling more glum than ever. How could he be such a jerk? Benny was such a nice guy, and more than that, he was making freaking dinner in a leafy, flowery looking apron that should've looked way out of place on a man's body, but on him just looked natural...and he really needed to stop thinking about a Benny as an actual person with a personality and feelings.

Ethan needed to end this! Before it got too out of hand!

Letting out a noise of deep discontentment, Ethan began tapping his foot in anxiety, letting his fingers dance across the polished but worn wood of the table. How was he going to fix this? He couldn't very we'll ask Benny to do this for him now. Not now that he had actually spent a little time with him...was it immoral? He chewed his lip. Hell yeah, it was immoral! What in the world had he been thinking?! God, he was such an idiot...

"What did I say about thinking too hard?" Benny's voice jolted him out of his internal ranting for a second time, and Ethan restrained himself from visibly jumping.

"What?"

"You've been staring out my window for like a whole minute, E." Benny looked at him with an odd mix of curiosity and affection that almost make him flinch. "Are you okay?"

"No." Ethan blurted. "I-I mean yeah, but..."

"Should I be worried?" Was the playful and semi-serious reply, and Ethan wanted to scream at Benny for how charming he was being for no apparent reason. Why was his smile so nice and inviting? Ethan was setting him up, dammit! The poor fool couldn't even see that-

Wait...what were those?

Ethan's head tilted to the side on its own accord, his eyes widening minutely in wonder at the intricate dish set on the table before him. And it wasn't even the food, really, that startled him, it was more of the actual dish...was it wooden? Those marks...

"Uh, yeah, the dishes are wooden." Benny's answer mirrored his thoughts, which was really starting to become an awful habit. Ethan glanced up to see the man looking surprisingly nervous. "I mean, if you don't mind..." He bit his lip and glanced up at Ethan before those hazel eyes settled back down on the table. "I could switch them, if you want."

"Oh..." Ethan shook his head and gave what was close to a genuine smile, accompanied with a laugh. "No! No of course not, it's just...aren't those a little too nice..." For me? He wanted to ask.

"Well, it is a matching set." Benny replied, then shook his head as he explained further. "The bowls and the food, I mean. They're supposed to go together. That's what they were made for."

"They're so beautiful." Ethan murmured, and it didn't occur to him that what he's just said wasn't exactly the manliest thing to say until he looked up and saw the smile on Benny's face. He felt his own face begin to flush in embarrassment until he recognized the sincerity in the brunet's eyes.

"Thanks. My grandma made them." Benny replied, looking very pleased with Ethan's comment. "She makes all kinds of things like this, she's actually pretty crazy about it."

"I wish I could make something like this." Ethan replied truthfully, and then did his best to act like there was nothing wrong at all. Which, of course, was impossible, but...

"Wow." Ethan grinned and motioned to all of the dishes that had almost like magic appeared on the table while he had been facing the other way. They were all just really beautiful and rustic. What else could he say? It felt so...special. "This is amazing. You didn't have to do this."

"I know." Benny shrugged, and grinned whilst crossing the table and pulling off his apron with a grand sweep. He pulled out a clunky chair for Ethan, and the shorter brunet really didn't have time to think about how that was so not something a just-friend would do (none of this was) before he was sitting down with a flustered smile.

"Thanks." Ethan cleared his throat and before taking a bite, allowed Benny to explain what was sitting on his plate. As it turned out, the curry-like dish with a mix of vegetables, chicken and sauce was a Scottish recipe his mother had taught him to make when he was a young teen. The berry-sauce and bread amongst others were traditional side-dishes for the meal, as was the red wine Benny insisted he kept around for 'medicinal purposes'.

"This is all too much." Ethan found himself saying after having taken only a few bites of the delicious food. He had been hungry a while earlier, but now more than ever, guilt and nervousness was eating away at his stomach.

"Well, I tried my best." Ethan smiled and looked up at Benny, trying to decide how to go about it. He had to get it out of his system now. "I'm just going to come right out and ask, Ethan...is there something bothering you?"

"Um...what do you mean?" Ethan forced a laugh and lowered his gaze to the table directly in front of Benny, where a fork was tapping lightly against the wood of the plate. He abruptly stopped, not wanting to damage the wood.

"You've been weird this whole time." Benny went on, setting down his fork and whiping needlessly at his mouth with a napkin. "Look, I know I might come on a little too strong...like all the time, but..." He struggled for words. "I'm nervous too, E. If you're really that uncomfortable, just say so. You can leave anytime, I wouldn't-"

"Woah, wait a second." Ethan looked at him with a small smile. "You don't make me uncomfortable. You're actually a great person. That's the whole reason I'm here, Benny, I wouldn't have asked you otherwise." He could visibly see the other male relax, seen some of the tension leave his posture.

"That's good to hear." Benny cleared his throat and gave a hesitant grin. "Well, if it's not me, then...what is it?" When Ethan didn't immediately answer, Benny went on. "Is it something I can help with? You look...kinda scared."

"I want you to be my fiancé!" Ethan blurted, unable to hold it in any longer and not knowing how else to say it, wanting to get right to the point. Benny choked on his wine.

Unable to answer, Benny gave an exaggerated questioning look and did his best to stop coughing as Ethan watched him guiltily, shoulders stiff as a board. When Benny could breathe, he picked up his goblet, red-faced, and downed the rest of his wine in one go.

"That's moving a bit too fast, don't you think?" Benny wheezed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean-" Ethan fiddled with the food on his plate. "I mean...I don't know how else to put it...so I'm just going to say it..." He tried to work up just enough courage to get the next few sentences out. "I-I need a fiancé by tomorrow. Not a real one! Just someone to...pose...as my fiancé?" He winced at how bad that had come out.

"Oh." Benny blinked and then gave a weak laugh. "Trying to make someone jealous? Shouldn't be too hard, I guess..."

"No! Nothing like that!" Ethan bit his lip, but he couldn't stop the words now. The pressure in his chest was decreasing with each confession he made, and he couldn't be more relieved. At least Benny was taking it well...he didn't seem ready to throw him out or anything. "It's so embarrassing, but my family is having this big party in a few days and I already told my parents I was engaged...which I'm NOT, and they probably already told everyone I am..."

"What do you mean?" Benny asked, bewilderment crossing his face. "You mean you didn't propose yet? Or...I don't get what the problem is, I...I mean, why are you here, if you-"

"Because she broke up with me!" Ethan exclaimed, slamming back the rest of his wine as well and running a shaking hand through his hair. "She said no! She threw the ring I proposed with in my face and left." He hung his head, suddenly overcome with the same sadness that had plagued him earlier this week. Saying it out loud had hurt more than he'd thought it would.

"Aw...Ethan, I'm sorry." Benny looked at him sympathetically.

"That's still not the real problem." Ethan shook his head as thought trying to clear his thoughts. "The problem is, my parents think I'm engaged and I'm so NOT. I can't fess up about this Benny! The humiliation would kill me!"

"Well..." Benny shrugged, a small grin lighting up his otherwise oddly solemn face. "You did get yourself into this."

"I'm trying to get out." Ethan insisted and slumped. "I know it's not fair that I ask this of you, especially after how nice your being to me. Why are you being so nice? Why do you have to be so...you?!"

"Okay, was that a real question?"

"Yes! No...wait a minute..."

"Look." Benny scooted closer, bringing his chair around the rounded table to sit beside the near-panicking man. "You can do this. Granted, you probably haven't made the smartest decisions possible, but...it could work out." He shrugged helplessly. "If it makes you feel any better...I could go with you. If-if you want me to, I mean. I can." Ethan had never heard Benny sound so awkward.

"You would?" Ethan asked, peeking out from between his hands, which were situated over his burning face. "Really? After all this-"

"You need help." Benny shrugged. "And I've got nothing better to do. So...yeah."

"Really?" Ethan asked, perking up and unable to stop the waves of relief that suddenly flooded through him.

"Well, yeah." Benny grinned and Ethan found himself beaming back. "A challenge, a gorgeous date, a party that probably comes with free food...totally." The last part sounded a bit forced, but Ethan launched himself across the small space between them to wrap his arms around the lanky boy in front of him.

"Oh my god, you don't know..." Ethan gave a helpless shake of his head, still clinging to the taller man. "How relieved I am. And how sorry! God, I'm such a horrible person but thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it." Benny grinned, wrapping his arms around Ethan in return. "And E, you're not a horrible person. Everyone makes mistakes."

"I'm sorry you went through all this trouble." Ethan's eyebrows drew together, his eyes suddenly stinging. Just like that, he'd managed to solve one of his problems, but create another one. How could he let Benny know that he wasn't just taking advantage of him? Ethan actually did like him, as a person. "For someone like me..."

"Come on, I don't wanna hear you say something like that again." Benny chuckled, rubbing his back lightly. "Look, I'm a big believer in fate, so if this little adventure will somehow bring us closer, then I'm happy for the opportunity. I'm just...really sorry about what happened with your girlfriend. I had no idea, or I might not have been so eager to push you into this."

"I don't know how you could say that when I'm the one who asked you out." Ethan pulled back from their hug, wiping discreetly at his eyes (though there was no real way to be discreet about it). "And thanks, Benny...it's okay, really."

"We don't have to talk about it." Benny replied carefully. "But, uh...if you don't mind, I think you should mention a few things about your family...like their names. I don't know anything about them."

Giving a breathy laugh, Ethan leaned back and tried to deal with his pounding heart. He tried to convince himself that it was from all the relief and gratefulness rather than the close proximity to the brunet in front of him. It was so embarrassing, but he thought that maybe he even felt tears stinging his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I should mention a few things at least." Ethan sighed and blinked rapidly to get the waterworks under control. "And I should probably get to know you a little better. I can't have a fiancé and know nothing about him and that really sounds so weird. I don't think my parents ever thought I'd be into guys...and honestly, neither did I."

Ethan blushed heavily at Benny's laugh. "I mean, I'm still not completely sure I'm-"

Ethan found his babbling to be cut off by a pair of lips against his own. Blinking, he felt his face burn and slowly, let his eyes slip closed. For a long, long moment he got lost in the sweet meeting-of-lips. Okay, so it was definitely not the relief at finding a solution to his problem that was causing the flipping in his stomach. Erika's kisses had usually been passive and quick or completely passionate with no in-between.

Kissing Benny was different. Ethan was used to taking incentive, making the first move, letting Erika take control to be the gentle boyfriend, and then taking control only when she'd wanted him to...Benny's kiss was slow and careful. Emotional without being deep. The taller man had moved closer once more, caressing Ethan's face like he was something to be taken great care with.

Ethan was a little reluctant when they finally pulled away. He was panting, embarrassed at his lapse in rational thought, and was also sure that his face had never felt hotter than it did right then. Opening his eyes, he gazed into burning hazel orbs and for the first time found himself both intimidated and comforted with one simple look.

"The first thing you need to know about me." Benny said, and Ethan was pleased to hear that his voice wasn't altogether steady. "Is...I really like you Ethan. I have for a long time."

Pulling him closer, Benny rested his forehead against Ethan's, and the shorter man felt his eyes slipping closed again. He couldn't even begin to believe that he was admitting it. He wasn't...gay...but Ethan might have liked Benny back. Just a little.

Logically, Ethan knew that after this, there would be a lot of questions and answers to go through. A lot of studying to catch up on, a lot of drama to deal with. Probably a lot of awkwardness and a couple more apologies on his part, but now that he was thinking about it, it almost felt like Benny had been waiting for this. For how long? He wondered, and wondered vaguely if he should mention it, because unlike Benny, Ethan wasn't really a believer in fate, but he felt undeniably as though something had just fallen into place.

"I can deal with that." Ethan surprised himself by answering, although the tremors he felt refused to let him speak above a whisper.

Even more surprising was the fact that he was the one to initiate the next kiss, scooting closer and closer until he was all but sitting in Benny's lap. The other man didn't seem to mind in the least.

Ethan had never thought that he'd ever be the one holding the other close, never thought he'd be tilting his head back, pulling Benny's down to get lost in their kiss while running his fingers through short, silky curls. It was safe to say that before he met Benny, he'd never been attracted to any male like...this. In fact, if Benny hadn't kissed him, he might never have found out what kissing a male could be like He'd never in his dreams imagined he'd be hot all over, kissing a dude. A dude!

Not until that night. A few minutes later, between heavy breaths, he still couldn't believe it. When he regained his rational thought later, he would later tell himself it made sense. In any case, he couldn't look awkward and inexperienced with his fiancé, could he?

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AN: How was it? There will be a second-part to this, in which Benny and Ethan struggle through the gathering of his family, and I will try quite a bit to add some humor. This chapter to me, seemed quite a bit tense and slow in places, but I gave it my best. It still ended up way OOC from what I intended, and half of it is Ethan freeing out...notice how I do a lot of that? xD

How was it? I've been working on this since mid-December, but a lot of **** came up, and you know how that goes. This was originally supposed to be a Christmas story, but then Christmas passed, and it turned into this because posting an x-mas story now would be embarrassing. I'm disappointed in myself, because there was gonna be a cute mistletoe scene and everything! lol

Review, please? (Maybe if I be nice about it, it'll actually work.)

Original Publication Date: May 31st 2015