Work Text:
"You… for real?" Riley said, eyes wide, gaping at his best friend.
Ben nodded, the corners of his mouth quirking up in one of his almost smiles.
"You… really? Really, really?"
Ben nodded again before taking a drink of his beer, keeping his eyes on Riley.
"But… what about Abigail?" Riley asked, clearly shocked.
"Bisexual?"
Riley gasped, "Abigail's bisexual?" He paused, then said, "Well, that's kind of hot."
Ben huffed a laugh. "No, I'm bisexual."
"But what about Abigail?"
Ben cocked his head to one side. "You do know that bisexual means that I'm attracted to both men and women?"
Riley frowned. "Well, yeah. I know what it means, Ben." He took a drink of his soda and shook his head. "I guess the question would be why Abigail, not what about her."
"What do you mean, why?" Ben asked, putting his bottle down.
Riley stared at him. "Why her? Why not me?" He gestured with his soda as he spoke. "We've been through a lot together, and I've done everything but tie a bow around me to show you I'm interested."
Ben shook his head. "We work together, Riley. Relationships, sex, work… never a good combination." He met Riley's gaze. "I rely on you too much to put that at risk."
Riley's eyes narrowed. "You rely on me, but you won't sleep with me? What the hell is your problem, Ben?"
Ben held his hands up in a gesture clearly meant to placate Riley, but Riley wasn't having any of it.
"You'll rely on me, but you don't trust me to not complicate your life. Great." Riley stood up and pulled on his coat. "You're an asshole. No wonder your dad told me to unvolunteer myself!"
Ben cocked his head to one side, then reminded Riley, "He also said I had you." He gestured to Riley's seat across the table from his. "Come on, Riley. Sit down."
"Yeah, well, so your dad's gaydar works. Fantastic." He picked up the copy of his book that he'd brought with him and shook it at Ben. "You couldn't even bother to read my book, Ben. And no, I'm not sitting back down."
Storming out of the bar, Riley scowled at no one in particular and as he walked home, he started muttering to himself about Benjamin Franklin Gates and what a jerk he was.
As he let himself into his apartment, he tossed his keys and the book on the coffee table and hung up his coat, talking to himself. "Bisexual. Right." Riley headed into the kitchen and started making some hot chocolate. "Of course, he's bisexual. Just not into geeks. Geek guys, anyway. Geek girls are okay, I bet. Or worse, he's hot after guys like that jerk Ian." Slamming the box of hot chocolate down on the counter, he turned off his stove and headed back into the living room, grabbing his coat so he could go back down to the bar and yell at Ben some more.
Jerking open the door, Riley stared at Ben, who was standing there, his hand up to knock. Finally, Riley found his voice. "What?"
"Going somewhere?" Ben asked, smiling.
"Huh? No. Why would I be?"
Ben shook his head, looking more amused than he had any right to. "You're wearing your coat."
"I like this coat," Riley protested, backing up as Ben advanced.
"For the record, I do trust you, Riley." Ben grabbed him, pulling him close, ignoring Riley's little squeak. "You already complicate my life."
Riley's mouth worked but nothing came out.
Ben chuckled softly. "Why do you think I was telling you I was bisexual?"
"Because – oh!" Riley blinked. "You like me? Really? Really, really?"
Ben grinned. "I like you. Quite a lot, actually. Why do you think we've been partners so long?"
Riley began to babble. "But what about the whole work thing and the –"
"I was curious. I wondered how you felt about it," Ben explained. "I didn't know how else to ask."
"Asking, asking would have been good," Riley growled. "I feel like –"
"Shut up," Ben said, pulling him even closer, kissing the words away. "Besides," he said as they came up for air, "it's too late now for me to complain about complications, Riley. You've been complicating my life ever since I found you in that office." He rested his forehead against Riley's. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Me either," Riley agreed, getting with the program as he shoved Ben down onto his couch and tossing his coat aside. "I like complications."
They didn't say anything else for quite a long time.