I Own Nothing not even the song Love Don't Run by Steve Holy I just borrowed it.
AN: This is Benji's reaction chapter I wanted it to be by itself.
Summary: Victor sings a love letter like with the song Love Don't Run to Benji at open mic night.
Title: Love Don't Run
Benji hadn't been paying attention to the stage. He'd been trying to figure out which song him and the others were actually going to sing. They'd kept going back and forth all day over which one. He didn't even want to be doing it, but he knew he couldn't bail on them for the second time. He'd been in a mood all week not wanting to deal with everything going on in his life. It had been hell without having the one person he wanted so much. He had done his best to avoid Victor. He knew it was wrong to switch his shifts, but he couldn't face him right now. He needed the time and so far he'd gotten that time. He was waiting for some kind of sign that might give him something to know what he should do.
Then he heard Victor's voice, but he hadn't seen him at all tonight. However, when he turned around his boyfriend was standing on the stage. He'd started teaching Victor how to play when he'd asked him one night. Victor had played and he'd done the singing for the most part, but he knew Victor could sing. He'd heard him plenty of times in here when they were closing up together. He'd missed that all week having Victor to talk to while they closed down. Even before they were together they worked so good together. It had been how he'd fallen for him.
This is gonna hurt, this is gonna hurt like hell
This is gonna damn near kill me, sometimes the truth ain't easy
I know that you're scared of telling me something
I don't wanna hear, but baby believe that
I'm not leaving, you couldn't give me one good reason
Benji looked at Victor and he couldn't take his eyes off of him. The first part of the song took him back to the night of his birthday. He'd been terrified and embarrassed of Victor knowing that part about him. He never had wanted to tell him because he hated that part of his self. He'd then hated his self for blowing up at Victor. He'd been pissed off more at his mom for not listening to him when he'd wanted her to stop. He'd been relieved when they made up only to have it go to hell all over again. He had told Victor he knew who he was with and he had tried not flipping out, but it had been so hard not to say something. He just wanted to be with Victor and not have the complications, but they were there. Of course it was hard because not everyone's situation coming out is the same.
Love don't run, love don't hide
It won't turn away or back down from a fight
Baby I'm right here and I ain't going anywhere
Love's too tough it wont give up no not on us
Baby Love don't run
The moment that Victor opened his eyes Benji saw the storm that was raging there. He knew that he was terrified at the moment. Yet, Victor kept going not stopping. It was like no one else was around them and it was only them. He tuned it all out except for what Victor was singing. He hadn't heard the song before, but it was already one he loved because of right now. He knew this was Victor's apology, but it wasn't like the others they'd given each other over stuff. This one meant more because he felt like it was more than two words over and over.
Let's lay it on the line, I don't care if it takes all night 'cause
This is gonna make us stronger, it's gonna make forever longer
I know it'd be easier walking away but what we got is real
And I wanna save us, baby we can do it, Baby we'll get through it cause
With every word that was coming out of Victor, Benji knew that he was begging him not to give up on them. He was asking him not to through their love away. He didn't want to throw it away. They had so many good times before the bad moments. The summer had been the best of them moments. It had been their bubble and he'd told Victor it wouldn't disappear, but it was like it had busted and destroyed everything good. He'd wanted that sign of holding on, finding away to give them another chance. He knew that he couldn't give up on them. All that they were going through right now would make them stronger in the end because they'd make it. Somehow he could feel that it wasn't over.
Love don't run, love don't hide
It won't turn away or back down from a fight
Baby I'm right here and I ain't going anywhere
Love's too tough, it wont give up no not on us
Baby Love don't run
Baby love don't run
Benji remembered the words he told Victor once about not being able to give up on him. It was after the first day of school. He'd meant it then, but he'd forgotten it along the way. He didn't want to forget anymore though. He wanted to not only remind his self but Victor too how good they were together. They fit perfect in each other's arms too. He felt like he was safe if they were just sitting or lying together, even standing and their arms around each other. It was something about that feeling that made him feel protected.
.
Baby tell me everything that's on your heart,
(I want to protect that heart and you, cause)
I won't run, and I won't hide
I won't turn away, I just wanna make things right
Baby I'm right here and I ain't going anywhere
Love's too tough it won't give up no not on us
Baby Love don't run
Baby Love don't run
The last part of the song finished, but even if Victor had told him to tell him, he couldn't find the courage to move yet. He wanted Victor back, he wanted them to be like they had been, but he wasn't sure how to actually open up to everything. There was so much more than just the way he'd felt his trust had been violated. There was the small things they both had to over come. He would do anything though if it meant having Victor back in his life. Victor hadn't just become his boyfriend, he'd become his best friend too. The person he could talk to about things, though he hadn't said everything. He'd held back scared that Victor would run away if he knew it all. He told his self to move though, but then Victor started talking after everyone had started cheering for him.
Not once with everything that Victor said to Benji did he look away from him. What he felt even if he wanted to make up with him was said. Victor actually got how he was feeling. They always could see each other. Usually if they'd been down they'd take care of each other by just being there. It hadn't felt like he could have that this time. However, with Victor's words and the song he felt like he couldn't breathe.
Benji remembered the first day in the school when he'd seen Victor in the garage sale shoes. He hadn't been able to help his self when he'd talked to him. It was the day he'd started questioning a lot of things. The more time he'd spent with Victor things had gotten clearer. He wasn't happy, he was always anxious and terrified of doing something that Derek didn't like. When Victor was around he could be his self, his carefree self that started dancing to a corny song in the middle of Brasstown while they cleaned up. The night that Victor had kissed him had made him wake up like he had been in some kind of dream for a year. It had felt like he'd been in some kind of slumber and Victor woke him up.
The last week or maybe even the last few weeks he'd felt like he'd been stuck. Things had gotten tough and he'd said he needed a break. It had killed him saying those words, seeing Victor's face had hurt more, but nothing felt right without Victor. He heard what he said about their future and destiny. He also remembered something that he'd heard once that relationships take effort. If you really loved someone then it took work and he didn't want to walk away from what they had because it was one of the best things in his life. It was nothing like when Derek and he had gotten into it. He'd always done what he didn't want to do with that, but he knew what he wanted to do now.
The last thing he heard Victor ask was for him not to hate him. It felt like a dagger in his heart to even think that Victor thought he could hate him. He was hurt yes, but he loved him still. He knew what he had to do and he couldn't keep standing there. The entire place was so quiet and he knew that he had to do something to make Victor know he didn't hate him. He did the only thing that he knew.
~BV VB~
I through my wish in the well
Don't ask me I'll never tell
I looked at you as it fell and now you're in my way
I beg and borrow and steal
At first sight and it's real
I didn't know I would feel it, but it's in my way.
It was the song that he'd sung the night of the Battle of the Bands. He had sung it looking right at Victor that night and he'd felt a lot of things he hadn't thought he should feel then. Now Victor was his and he didn't have to feel guilty about the song. It was their song in a way even if when he'd sung it the first time they'd had a lot of things that stopped them from being together. Right now there were obstacles, but not as badly as before. They could fix what was broken, they could be better like Victor had said. He didn't even have the band backing him up this time. He kept singing it though.
Your stare was holdin', ripped jeans, skin was showin'
Hot night, wind was blowin'
Where you think you're going, baby?
Hey, I just met you and this is crazy
But here's my number, so call me, maybe
It's hard to look right at you, baby
But here's my number, so call me, maybe
He saw Victor turn around and he did what he'd wanted to do that night almost a year ago. He finally got his self to move and he walked up to Victor. He didn't stop singing the song though. He kept going needing him to know that he was going to fight for them. Everything kept coming back to Victor. He'd tried clearing his head all week of him, but when he closed his eyes he saw this entire future and it hadn't felt like it had vanished. It had just been on hold, they could work at making things right, better. The one memory that held fast in his mind was not their first kiss together. It wasn't even anything really to anyone, but maybe him or them. They'd just been sitting at one of the tables taking a break. Victor had given him this grin and he'd smiled back. It was a smile that he only saw on Victor when he was around. He'd missed that smile so much and he'd kept replaying it in his memory all week.
You took your time with the call, I took no time with the fall
You gave me nothing at all, but still, you're in my way
I beg, and borrow and steal, at first sight and it's real
I didn't know I would feel it, but it's in my way
Benji finished the parts that he wanted to sing back to Victor. He already knew he wasn't running away anymore. He didn't need anymore time, he knew what he wanted. He wanted his boyfriend back in his life. He wanted to be better than they had been. Find a way to have that future that they both deserved that had them both together. He put everything that he had into the next thing he did pulling Victor to him and kissing him. How could he ever hate Victor when he'd just taken the chance at sernading him front of a lot of people. He was the one that usually got on stage and sung, but Victor had put his self out there for him. It turned him on too.
~BV VB~
Victor hadn't expected for Benji to start singing Call Me Maybe to him. He hadn't thought he'd even give him a hint of what he might want. He'd expected to sing the song and then wait. Though the moment that Benji had started singing to him he'd stopped. He'd faced his boyfriend seeing him close up for the first time in a week. He saw the love in Benji's eyes looking at him and then he felt it when he started kissing him. He didn't hesitate for a second kissing him back. He had been scared he'd never get to do it again. He had never wanted to hurt the person he cared about the most. He'd put so much on the line to be with Benji. The biggest had been the relationship with his mom. He'd do it all again in a heartbeat too, except the messing things up. That he never wanted to do again.
When air became needed Victor pulled back even if he didn't want to. "I'll do anything to make it up to you, babe. If I could go back and change it I would. I should have just found you talked to you. I'm sorry I broke us even if sorry doesn't mean much after what I did." He said.
"I don't hate you, I've never hated you. I love you. It's why it hurt like hell. I forgive you, but we gotta work on us. It's not a magic over night fix, but I still believe in destiny too. That future you mentioned, I want it with you. Doesn't matter if we're sixteen and eighteen. I see it with you too." Benji said.
"Did you just propose?" Victor asked trying to lighten things, but it felt like he was flying at the same time.
"No, I think you did that first." Benji laughed wrapping his arms tight around Victor hugging him. He knew he'd have to let go soon so he could play with the band. At the moment he just wanted to feel Victor holding him back.
Victor held on just as tight knowing that they'd have to work on things. He had no intentions of ever saying anything to another person about them. He wasn't going to risk throwing the best thing away he had going. At the end of the day when the world sucked Benji was his safe place. He was his safety net and he always caught him. When it got bad he had a place to land. It was what he wanted to be for Benji too.
"Would you go to the wedding with me, please?" Victor asked.
"Yeah, you think you could come over afterwards so we could talk?" Benji asked wishing that the wedding was more than a night away.
"What if I come over in the morning and we hang out until then?" Victor offered.
"I changed my shift so I'll be working until twelve. I could always change your shift back. I am the assistant manager." Benji offered a counter option.
"Okay and just so you know never ever make me close with Leeane again. I would have done it solo before having to deal with constant thousand questions on what's wrong with us." Victor sighed. "I think I finally scared her though."
Benji couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, she was doing it to me too. I thought she just got tired of asking. What did you do to get her to stop? There was no off button it seemed."
"I told her I'd make her clean the toilets and she seemed to just stop talking after that. Of course I might have shouted 'You say one more thing then you're cleaning the toilets with your tongue.'" Victor said. "I didn't know she knew Spanish. I was also upset so I switched out a word it wasn't supposed to be tongue." He added.
Benji looked at Victor for a moment before they started laughing. He knew how Victor could start ranting in Spanish without even thinking about it. There was also what he said when they were in bed together which really was sweet. After a moment Benji pulled Victor to him again kissing him because he'd missed that all week and just being near him.
"I promise the only person you're closing with is me. Though I should make you clean the toilets, but I'll give you a brush." Benji smiled.
Victor groaned. "Fine, I'll clean the toilets if I have to." He held onto Benji knowing they needed to talk more, but they could do that. They could work on them and be together.
~THE END~
