Where Lines Divide

by Techmologic

After a misunderstanding at a party, Benson and Mordecai resolve to settle an argument between the two of them as they both contemplate their standing with one another as well as what their relationship really means to them. A short Mordeson one-shot with some minor mention of Mordecai/Margaret.

Title: Where Lines Divide

Author: Techmologic

Genre: Angst, Romance, Slash, One-Shot

Pairing: Benson/Mordecai, with mention of Mordecai/Margaret

Rating: T

Word Count: 3,896

AN: I wrote this to cheer up a friend of mine online and I liked it so much that I decided to post it here as well. And I hope that some of you like it as much I do.

Also, I haven't forgotten about my other story, it's just taking me awhile to finish it. And I'm sorry for not updating in awhile- life kind of threw a bunch of stuff at me and it's going to take some time to sort everything out. But like I said, I haven't forgotten about "The Beginning of Something New" and I do plan on updating it soon.

And thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, left comments and reviews for "TBOSN" as well. It really means a lot

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"Aw, Benson! Come on, where are you going?"

Mordecai watched as his boyfriend of nearly 9 months angrily stomped away from the house and made a bee line for the front gate. He heard the music from the party inside drift off into the cold night air and felt the bass gently vibrating the ground beneath his feet. He frowned before lifting his hands to his face and again yelled, "Benson! Hey Ben! What's wrong?" When he didn't get a reply, Mordecai rolled his head back and let out a long aggravated groan. This was the first time that Benson had been over to his new place, he had yet to introduce him to the rest of his room mates and already something had gone wrong. He gave a heavy sigh and then set out to chase after his wayward boyfriend when he suddenly heard someone from back inside the party calling his name.

"Hey Mordecai! Are you still there?"

At the sound of Margaret's voice, he instinctively turned around and gave a weak smile, "Yeah, look- I'm sorry Margaret, but I really have to go take care of something right now."

She returned his nervous smile and then folded her arms together, "Well, if I don't see you again, I just wanted you to know that-" She closed her eyes and then fought the urge to reach out and hold him as a flood of memories suddenly begin to race throughout her mind. True- they were no longer an item anymore. Heck- it had even been a few years since they had last seen each other after their less than amicable break-up. She swallowed hard and tried not to think about the last time they slept together, or the first time, or all of other times in between, but- she opened her eyes and took another look at Mordecai and felt her heart break just a little more. "Well- it was nice seeing you," she chirped.

The features on his face suddenly softened and he offered her a warm and genuine smile. In all honestly, he wasn't expecting to see her tonight. Or ever again for the rest of his life, but when one of his roommates showed up tonight with her in tow, well- it shocked him to say the least. And tonight of all nights. But still- he let his eyes linger on on her mouth for a split second before he looked up into her eyes and sighed, "Yeah, it was nice seeing you too, Margaret." He then remembered Benson and suddenly felt himself gravitating towards the front gate and away from her. He gave her one last look and then said, "I'm sorry, but I really have to go."

She gave a small wave and watched him walk away from her, "Yeah...I know."

Mordecai increased his stride and when he made it past the front gate he began to scan the street in hopes of catching Benson before he managed to slip away. For a moment he thought that he'd lost him when suddenly, from his far right, he heard someone give a frustrated cry followed by the jingle of keys. Mordecai followed the direction of the sound and when he made it around the corner of the block he saw Benson hunched over the side of his vehicle. As he walked closer, he heard the door give a small click as Benson gave a heavy sigh and then muttered, "Finally."

"Benson?"

He suddenly felt his body give a small jump and his eyes widened a little before he quickly swallowed hard and then did his best to recompose himself. He gave a small scoff before he opened the door to his car and then narrowed his eyes, "Oh, what are you doing here?"

Mordecai gave him a confused look and then walked a little closer towards the other man. When he was standing on the other side of Benson's vehicle Mordecai cocked his head to one side and answered, "Well, I'm looking for my boyfriend who just so happened to ditch the very party that I invited him to- that's what I'm doing."

Benson suddenly felt his face become a little hot. He knew that what he was feeling might of been considered petty, or childish, and yet...he knew what he felt and there was just no denying his feelings on the matter anymore. He cast a nervous glance towards Mordecai and then sharply replied, "Really? I didn't think that you'd notice." With that one little cutting remark of his, Benson knew that there was going to be a flurry of questions followed by probably yet another argument which was going to add yet another nail to the metaphorical coffin of their so called relationship. He thought back to the conversation he had with Skips last week when his friend had finally found out about his relationship with Mordecai. He didn't know what to expect from Skips and while in the end his friend did say that he was happy for him, there was something about the way that Skips said it that completely threw Benson off. It could've been the skeptical look in Skips' eyes or how the yeti was less than enthusiastic about the whole matter, or maybe it was the look he gave to him when Skips finally confessed that he just didn't want to see Benson get hurt. True, he and Mordecai had their fights and their relationship took work...well, sometimes it took a lot of work. In the end they would always make up but tonight- well, seeing his boyfriend hitting it off so well with an old lover- it just...got to him. He then brought himself back to the present and ignored the surprised look on Mordecai's face as he quickly climbed inside of his vehicle and started looking for the key for the ignition.

Mordecai reached for the door handle on his side and gave a small tug. When it didn't yield, he bent over and tapped on the glass, "Hey Ben? Are you gonna let me in?"

Benson gave another sigh and avoided looking directly at Mordecai. He was not looking forward to this conversation but at this point there was no use in running away from it. Resigned to his fate, he pressed one of the buttons on the inside of his door and unlocked the rest of the vehicle. Mordecai then quickly slid inside, shut the door behind him and then looked towards Benson. He held out a hand and then reached for his lovers face only to have Benson recoil at his touch. Mordecai gave an aggravated sigh and then slumped back in his seat, "You know, I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong! I'm not a mind reader."

Benson groaned and then placed his hands on the steering wheel in front of him, "Nothing! There's nothing wrong."

"Really? Because it doesn't look that way," Mordecai replied. He laid back on his seat and then rolled his head towards Benson and stared at the other mans face, trying to read its features and maybe get some kind of clue as to what Benson was thinking. "Come on, let's just go back inside."

"Honestly, I just really want to go home right now" Benson sighed, still avoiding eye contact. He swallowed hard and then finally coughed out, "I mean, you seemed to be having such a great time without me anyway..."

Mordecai instantly sat up, "Wait, what? What are you talking abou-" His mind then instantly clicked and he thought back to earlier that night, while he and Margaret were sitting together on the couch. It was just the two of them laughing, just like old times. Despite the fact that their breakup a few years ago was horrible to say the least, it was nice to see her. And it was nice to find out about what she had been up to and to see if she was in any way different from the last time they were together...and she wasn't. Mordecai then tried to think back and remember where Benson was during all of that and then suddenly he felt like the world's biggest jerk when he realized that he didn't know. He gave a nervous cough and then bit his lip, "Oh...well, we were only talking for like- twenty minutes, I still don't see why-"

"Twenty minutes? You guys were sitting there for like- an hour and a half together," Benson quipped, trying to keep himself composed. "And I didn't know anybody else there and I-I just," he swallowed hard and then brought a hand to his face before muttering, "I, I mean, you two were practically made for each other and I..." He then shut his mouth tight, afraid that he had already said too much.

Mordecai shifted uncomfortably in his seat and then looked towards his boyfriend. He saw the mounting sadness in Benson's eyes and felt his guilt increase tenfold as he searched for the right words to say. He then folded his hands together and rested them on his lap, "I'm sorry Ben, I should've been more aware of the time and I'm sorry for ignoring you, I didn't mean to." When Benson didn't answer, Mordecai gave another heavy sigh when he realized that a simple sorry wasn't going to cut it this time. No, this was going to take something more and Mordecai couldn't help but frown; he was always more of a laid back type of person and he hated getting stuck in situations like this. He lifted his head up in thought and for some reason he remembered the sound of Margaret's laughter from earlier that night and how it seemed to make everything better. Than again, he also remembered the sound of her crying and how horrible their break-up had been. There were no broken dishes, no fires, no earthquakes of any kind, which considering all things, wouldn't of completely been out of the ordinary- no, instead at the end it was just two people who realized that they had nothing in common and the future that he had hoped for the two of them had all but slipped away. Angry things were brought out into the open, tears were shed and when Margaret finally decided to leave the city and start anew, Mordecai happily bid her adieu and hoped that their paths would never cross again in the future. And yet- seeing her again tonight for the first time in years...well, it was nice, it was more than nice, but he already knew from past experiences that appearances could be deceiving and while he did enjoy the long conversation he had with Margaret tonight, the thought of taking her home hadn't even crossed his mind. She was still as beautiful as she was the last time they were together, but...he suddenly remembered last Saturday when he spent the night over at Benson's apartment and the hot passionate love they made in his bedroom. And the morning afterwards when he woke up first and watched as Benson quietly sleep in front of him. Or the first time they slept together, which wasn't that long ago, and how Benson cried and finally confessed that Mordecai had been the only man he had ever been intimate with in his entire life. He smiled at those memories and then thought to himself- yeah, that's what he wanted. Mordecai looked across the vehicle and saw the despondent look on Benson's face and while, he didn't know exactly what to say, it was better to say something and speak from the heart than to not say anything at all. He took a deep breath and then sighed, "Benson...Me and Margaret, well I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting to see her tonight. It caught me off guard and well, I was curious. I haven't seen her in years and well-" He glanced towards Benson and was slightly relieved when he noticed that his boyfriend was finally looking towards him, as opposed to staring out in front of the windshield and ignoring him like he'd been doing during the majority of this conversation. "I- I can't just dismiss the time me and her spent together. It was amazing and even though we're not together anymore she's always going to be a part of my life, but...she belongs to a part of my life that's over." He unfolded his arms and then rolled his head towards Benson, "I'm with you now, and trust me, Ben" He moved one of his hands and rested it on the seat in between them, "I have no regrets about that." He then gave a deep smile and hoped that it's warmth would reach Benson and added, "Besides, I'm not 24 anymore."

The elder of the two bit his lip and then looked towards Mordecai before shifting his gaze to the feathered hand on the seat between them. He kept his hands on the steering wheel and then closed his eyes. It was true, a lot of time had passed since he and Mordecai first met. It was written all over both of their faces and it was also written in the way Mordecai carried himself now. While he was still the lovable and laid back dork Benson had hired all those years ago, time had had quite the maturing effect on his ex-employee now turned lover. Benson then looked away and let Mordecai's words roll around in his thoughts. While they did relieve him somewhat, he was still troubled by the events of that evening and he let out a long and heavy sigh before bowing his head, "I know you're right and I know that what you're saying is reasonable." He set his jaw and then felt a sudden surge of indignation radiate throughout his body as memories from earlier that night began to resurface in his mind: how he sat across the room watching the two of them laugh together, how he tried to find a way to get Mordecai's attention only to be brushed off seconds later, and how he decided to try and mingle with the other people there only to end up sitting by himself on a chair on the opposite end of the room because he didn't know anybody else there. Benson finally opened his eyes and shot a hurtful look over at Mordecai before finally admitting, "But that doesn't make up for the fact that you practically ditched me first tonight."

"I didn't ditch you" Mordecai quietly replied before he took another look at how upset Benson was. He then swallowed hard and then bowed his head, "Ok, maybe I did." He then started inching closer towards Benson's side of the vehicle and offered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, and I swear, I'll be more mindful of things like this in the future."

Benson frowned, not quite sure how to respond, because it sounded reasonable and there really was nothing else he could think of to say right now. However, that still didn't take away from the fact that he was still mildly upset over what had happened that evening. He turned his head to look towards Mordecai and then noticed the sly grin on his beak and took note of his boyfriends half-lidded eyes before he rolled his own and then looked away, "Don't think you can get out of this by acting cute."

"So you think I'm cute then? Well, that's a good start," Mordecai teased, still crawling closer towards Benson with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Benson tried to quickly search his mind for equally good retort only to be caught off guard when he noticed that the lips on the end of Mordecai's bill were puckered and Mordecai was now leaning in to try and kiss him. Benson gave a mild glare before he turned his head away to look out the window and ignore whatever game his boyfriend had started.

Undeterred, Mordecai then latched his lips onto the seam of Benson's neck and began to quietly suckle at the warmth he found there. Despite the fact that Benson was a machine, he was warm to the touch, and his skin, if you could call it that, did have a mild yield to it. Mordecai then closed his eyes and carefully began to tease the small patch of flesh his lips had found, knowing that it was one of Benson's secret, and extra sensitive, special areas that he had become more accustomed with over the last few weeks.

Benson tightened his grip on the steering and felt the blood rush to his face. It wasn't long before he felt himself give in and a small gasp finally managed to escape his lips. He then let out a small whimper and fought the urge to try and remain angry but whenever things between him and Mordecai became heated it was hard to focus on anything else. He bit his lip and felt himself shudder as Mordecai became a little more aggressive and began to nip and tease his neck a little harder and if Benson didn't stop him soon then he was sure Mordecai was going to leave a mark. He contemplated on whether or not to ask Mordecai to stop but when he felt that soft sweet tongue sweep across his neck once more he could feel his resolve dissolving into pieces and he let out another small whimper before he finally gave in and let his hands fall from the steering wheel. As Benson turned towards the other man in the vehicle, Mordecai finally tore his lips away from Benson's neck and brought their mouths together in a sweet, sensuous and somewhat chaste kiss. Well, it started off as somewhat chaste, but as the seconds rolled past them, Mordecai felt a wicked grin unfurl across the end of his bill as he brought his hands to Benson's face and delved a little deeper into his boyfriends mouth. He absolutely loved how Benson tasted: soft, sweet, warm, and even though it was hard to detect at first, there was a slight aftertaste of bubblegum and sugar that always managed to drive him crazy. He heard Benson give another small whimper and he let out a small hum, with their lips still connected, and let one of his hands drift away from Benson's face and fall towards the heart shaped crank in the middle of Benson's chest. He ran his fingers across the smooth metal bar and let his other hand brush against Benson's cheek, urging his lover to completely yield to him and follow their baser instincts. He felt the blood rushing to his face, as well as another, more intimate, part of his body and before he could help himself, he tightly gripped Benson's chest, ready to give the small crank a gentle turn when his lover suddenly tore away from him and gasped, "Whoah! What do you think you're doing!?"

Benson's face was completely flushed as his head darted around in all directions before he quickly put a hand over his chest and hissed, "We're still in public, you idiot!"

Mordecai gave a small chuckle and then loomed over top of Benson once more and then smiled, "Well then, why don't we change that?"

Benson swallowed hard and then looked away. He knew he was blushing, that his heart was racing and that he definitely wanted more but the thought of Mordecai trying to skip out on a serious conversation by tempting sex, while still a lot of fun, didn't really put Benson at full ease. And yet, he couldn't really think of what else to say right now. When no words came to his mind, Benson gave a small scowl, or at least attempted to give one, which was pretty hard given the state that his boyfriend had currently put him in.

Mordecai, sensing his partner's mild annoyance, gave a meek smile in return and then placed his hand on top of Benson's, the one that Benson was currently holding against his own chest, and then quietly spoke, "I don't really know what else to say right now, Ben. But, if you're still bothered by it tomorrow, we can talk about it some more." He then offered Benson another warm smile and added, "Besides, it's getting late and I thought that we agreed to never go to bed angry anymore, that is-" He let his eyes drift to the side and he bit his lip before nervously asking, "Can I stay at your place tonight?"

Benson didn't have to strain his hearing to feel the sincerity laced in Mordecai's words, and when he let his eyes drift over towards the other man, he felt his resentment slowly beginning to give way. After a few more seconds of silence had passed, Benson finally let a small smile break out across his face. He then laid his head back on the seat behind him and answered, "Of course." He felt his smile widen a little more when Mordecai instantly beamed and then suddenly leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. He then closed his eyes and frowned, "But I can't lie, I'm still a little mad about what happened tonight."

"You can take it out on me in bed tonight," Mordecai quipped, now practically bouncing in his seat.

Benson narrowed his eyes before lifting up his key set and then grinned, "Maybe I will."

Mordecai's eyes widened tenfold and he suddenly took Benson by surprise when he immediately returned to his side of the vehicle and quickly strapped on his seat belt. He then looked over towards Benson and grinned, "Well, what are you waiting for? Come on, let's go!"

For a moment Benson sat still and was slightly stunned by how fast Mordecai had managed to get back on the other side of the vehicle and buckle himself in. After a second or two had passed, he suddenly let out a loud laugh. He then found the key to the ignition and as he turned on the engine, he couldn't help but mutter, "Oh my god, you're impossible."

Mordecai silently watched as Benson put on his own seatbelt. He then momentarily rested his feathered head on the back of his seat and grinned, "You love it."

Benson paused a moment and let Mordecai's words sink in before he reached over to the stick shift in the middle of the vehicle and then smiled, "You're right, I do." He let another smile wash over him when he felt Mordecai lean over and place another quick peck on his cheek. Despite everything and with all of his doubts and worries finally cast aside, Benson decided to just let things be for now. Because in the end, maybe things weren't perfect, then again, nothing in life ever was. And now, after years of ignoring what was already right in front of them, they had finally found each other. And right then and right now- that was all that mattered. With his mind now at rest, Benson cast another sly smile in Mordecai's direction and then pulled his car away from the curb and the two of them drove off and away into the night.

Together.