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“You want to go where?!”
Even with over a year of therapy Gordon can’t stop the panic bubbling up in his chest at Benrey’s words.
“To Xen.”
“Yeah I heard you the first time, I’m trying to process it by yelling.”
“That’s dumb. Chell said uhh...no yelling allowed. Gotta use your indoor voice bro.”
Taking a deep breath, and then another, Gordon counts backwards from ten, letting his panicked thoughts settle before he opens his mouth next.
“Benrey, I love and support you, you know that right?”
“Gay.”
“But when I said that we could go on a vacation anywhere you wanted I was kind of assuming it would be on earth.”
Benrey looks away then, gaze wandering away from Gordon to stare at some nondescript spot at the living room wall. Before, Gordon might have assumed that Benrey had stopped listening or was fucking with him. Now he knows better. Benrey is thinking, very intently it seems with how his jaw muscles clenches and unclenches. Taking this moment of quiet, Gordon goes through a couple of more calming exercises in his mind, pushing away the panic further until it only exists as a tingle in the back of his neck. He can hear Benrey out without freaking out.
“It’s like...my origin story.”
Benrey’s voice is uncharacteristically somber when he starts to talk, a tone reserved for their serious talks. Gordon finds himself straightening up where he sits on the couch, turning to grasp one of Benrey’s hands.
“Benrey...you know that stuff doesn’t-”
“Define me, yeah yeah I remember. Got it the first million times we talked about it.”
It’s not exactly a million times, but Benrey’s worry about being a monster and a bad guy has been a recurrent topic in their couples therapy. Gordon had thought it had gotten better though, that Benrey had understood that his past doesn’t make him who he is. Although it seems Xen still has a hold of him.
“It’s not about that though.” Benrey continues, fingers intertwining with Gordon’s. “Maybe a lil bit. Xen is- it’s where I came from right. Can’t remember much but I was there when I was little, before they- and then I ended up at Black Mesa. Only been back twice. Sucked both times.”
Now that is a sentiment they can both share. Benrey’s first stint back to Xen had ended up with him getting defeated by the science team, and the next one… Gordon prefers to not think too much about the second time.
“Doesn’t have to suck though.”
Gordon furrows his brows, trying to follow Benrey’s disjointed train of thought.
“What do you mean?”
“What if we were both gay and kissed on Xen.”
The sudden meme reference has Gordon wheezing, leaning his head on Benrey’s shoulder while trying to get his giggles under control.
“We could be gay and kiss here you know.”
His attempts at flirting falls flat though as Benrey blows a raspberry at him.
“Done that already. Wanna kiss in a new place.”
“Which is why I suggested we go traveling and asked where you wanted to go and you said…”
“Xen.”
With a heavy sigh Gordon frees his hand from Benrey’s, bringing both his real and prosthetic up to cup Benrey’s face.
“This is really important to you, huh?”
“Yup.”
“I’m not saying no but...I wanna talk more about this.”
And they do talk more about it, both with each other, in therapy and even with the rest of the Science team. It takes a while, but eventually Benrey’s motives for visiting Xen get clearer to Gordon.
“It’s about taking control of his past.” Chell had signed the words very carefully for him, mindful of Gordon’s habit to look away when he got nervous. “Benrey needs to be able to feel that he can control Xen, and that it does not control him.”
The fact that they had been able to find a therapist that they could talk about an alien planet without her so much as raising an eyebrow never stopped surprising Gordon. Although he supposed that having experience with a company like Aperture Science had given Chell experiences not too different from his own in Black Mesa.
“So you actually think going back to Xen would be good for Benrey?”
“Not if he did it alone, no.”
She didn’t need to say it, of course Gordon would never let Benrey go off to Xen alone. Not again.
Never again.
Which is how they ended up in front of the fizzing yellow portal with Tommy smiling like a flight attendant beside it.
“You’re sure you don’t want the- the HEV suit on Mr. Freeman?”
“Oh definitely! You couldn’t pay me to get into that thing a third time. And Benrey has promised he’ll protect me, right babe?”
Gordon gives Benrey a little teasing shove and gets one in return, no comeback from the alien though which is concerning.
“Do- do you want me to go through it first or…” Tommy doesn’t finish his question, instead gesturing vaguely at the shining portal.
Benrey’s hand that is intertwined with Gordon’s tightens, a twitch of nervousness that has Gordon want to gather him up in his arms and never let go.
“Would that be ok Tommy? Maybe give us a signal if it’s all clear.”
There is a look of fondness on Tommy’s face as he watches the two stand hand in hand before him. It’s a look that Gordon has seen many times since he and Benrey finally got their stuff and each other together.
“Of course Mr. Freeman. I’ll make sure it’s safe as a ball pit at McDonald’s.”
Laughing awkwardly, Gordon is about to question how safe a ball pit at McDonald’s can really be, just think of all the bacteria! But before Gordon has the chance to do so the taller man steps through the portal and is gone. Beside him, Benrey shuffles in place, uncharacteristically quiet for once.
“You ok Ben?”
“Hnnmm.”
The answer is accompanied by a stream of deep green. Green like a hedge means I feel on edge. Gordon has gotten better at understanding the different colors of sweet voice, especially the ones that indicate negative feelings. He takes a moment to study Benrey. His eyes are downcast, shoulders tight and his free hand balled into a fist. Even without the sweet voice it’s easy to see Benrey’s distress. Stepping in front of his boyfriend, Gordon drapes an arm over his shoulder, hugging Benrey to his side.
“It’s ok to be afraid.”
Benrey’s dark eyes shift from staring at the floor to meeting Gordon’s. He can feel Benrey’s jaws working under his hands, chewing at his cheeks in a nervous habit that usually manifests when he tries to figure out what to say.
“S’ like...I wanna do this but…”
Gordon waits patiently as Benrey searches for the right words.
“Don’t wanna fuck up.”
There is a hitch in Benrey’s voice that makes Gordon’s heart ache. Brushing a thumb up his cheek he dips down to press a soft kiss to Benrey’s temple.
“If you do I will be right beside you, probably fucking up as well.”
There is a quiet laugh from Benrey and Gordon celebrates the small victory by pressing another kiss to Benrey’s forehead.
“We can do this together.”
“Together.” Benrey echoes.
Right at that moment Tommy sticks his head back through the portal, giving the pair a wave.
“It’s- coast is clear.”
Letting his arm fall from Benrey’s shoulder, he grips his hand again and gives it a squeeze.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
...
Walking through the portal and emerging at Xen is just as Benrey remembers it. A surge of power washes through him, like electricity speeding through every nerve in his body. This time around though he doesn’t let himself get dragged along with the current. Gritting his teeth, he tries to keep everything in place, tries to keep looking...normal. It’s hard though, every fiber in his being screams to expand, to add and multiply. To give all that power someplace to go. He doesn’t realize that he’s let go of Gordon’s hand and has wrapped his arms around himself until he feels Gordon’s hands on his shoulders.
“Ben? Benrey?! What’s happening?”
“S’ ok. Just...keeping stuff in place.”
It’s a bad lie, even if his voice didn’t sound like a whimper Gordon would still see the grain colored sweet voice slipping through as he speaks.
“He needs to- to shape shift Mr. Freeman.”
Of course Tommy would get it. Gordon would have understood too, if Benrey hadn’t chickened out from telling him. He’d promised Chell he would, so Gordon would be prepared when they got to Xen. But it had been easier not to. He didn’t want to shape shift after all. What if Gordon got scared? What if he hated Benrey after seeing him like that...again. The solution was simple, don’t shape shift. Stay in his human form, and then there would be no need to tell Gordon that Xen demanded the monstrous form that had tormented him twice now.
Flawless logic.
Ok maybe there was a flaw, or two, or three. Point is that the urge to be big and many limbed is much stronger than Benrey had anticipated. And apparently holding it back hurt like a motherfucker. Who knew?
“Nuh uh. Don’t need to. Can be like this...s’ ok.”
“You are obviously not okay Benrey.”
Gordon is using his dad-voice, the same one he uses when Joshua refuses to go to bed despite being obviously tired. That’s really unfair.
“S’ ok.” Benrey wants to protest more but every time he speaks more pained yellow sweet voice leaks through and it’s really not helping his case.
“You’ve said that three times now Benrey.”
“You countin’? Nerd.”
Gordon sighs and suddenly his hands are on Benrey’s cheeks. The alien holds back a shiver at the touch, wanting to lean into it but not daring. If he relaxes even for a second he might not be able to hold it back any longer.
“Benrey, listen to me. I know what you turn into, I’ve seen it before. I’m not afraid. I know you won’t hurt me.”
Of course Gordon says all the right things, he always does. Doesn’t make it less scary though. And yet…
“You promise?”
“Promise.”
And Benrey lets go.
It starts with an exhale of breath, and then he breathes in, and in, and in, and in. The air fills him up, Xen fills him up, expanding through every part of Benrey, and him with it. He can’t help the laugh that spills from his lips, a cackle that grows as he does as it echoes throughout the planet.
When he opens his eyes again he sees everything. All the lives and movement on the planet, the distance to the stars that hang above and…
“Gordon.”
He shines, like he always does when Benrey looks at him through these eyes. A bright orange despite him not wearing the HEV suit. Below the glow he can see his face though and for a moment the wild happiness that has been coursing through him is halted, replaced by cold fear.
Gordon looks up at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw and Benrey is prepared for him to turn on his heel and run. He can’t give chase then, he has to keep that old ancient thing that lurks beneath the surface at bay. Can’t make the same mistakes again.
“Wow.”
There is something breathless in Gordon’s voice that gives Benrey pause. Focusing several eyes on his small boyfriend he hones in on his expression. Eyes wide yes but the pupils are blown out, a blush is painting his cheeks and the tip of his ears as well. Benrey recognizes this expression, it’s the same one Gordon gets when Benrey manages to sneak up and kiss his neck or sometimes when Benrey sings while cooking. He can’t help the grin that splits his face as he lets himself sink down to be face to face with Gordon.
“Like what you see?”
Gordon gives a low chuckle, walking up to him to lean his forehead against Benrey’s nose.
“You look amazing and ridiculous.”
“Rude. M’ super cute. Extra large boyfriend. Can fit so much adorable in this bad boy.” He smacks his belly to emphasize the last joke and is rewarded by another laugh.
Mine.
Huh, that’s new. The urge to scoop Gordon up and hold him close is as sudden as the growling voice in the back of his head. Seems like that ancient instinct is still around, but it no longer tells him to hunt or hurt, instead it has shifted gears towards something more...possessive. Its pull is hard to resist so Benrey decides to...not do that. Although he’s going to be polite about it. Ask for permission and shit. Like a good boyfriend.
“Uhh...gonna pick you up now. That ok?”
“Yeah, I don’t see why noOOOOOT!”
The last word turns into a surprised shriek as Benrey gently wraps his fingers around Gordon’s midriff and lifts him up. It’s a funny sound, reminding Benrey of how Gordon had sounded that time when they went on a roller coaster. It’s a fearful sound laced with laughter, a good sound. And much like the rollercoaster Gordon is a giggling mess when he reaches the highest point, face flushed with adrenaline and eyes wide.
“Wow...heh...we’re- ok...this is very high up!”
Mine. Protect.
The voice and Benrey really are on the same wavelength today. Yeah, Benrey should make sure his boyfriend is safe. Good catch inner instinct.
“You scared Gordos?”
“No. I mean...a little bit. I wasn't prepared, that's all.”
“Nah, I get it. Lil’ chicken hat thinks I’m gonna drop him.”
Gordon twists in Benrey’s grip, a tiny hand rubbing at one of Benrey’s fingers.
“You won’t. I know you won’t.”
There is such warmth and love in Gordon’s voice that Benrey instinctively slaps a pair of hands over his face to hide a blush that he too late remembers doesn’t show on this form.
Mine!
Yeah yeah...he ignores the instincts sudden outburst in favour of shifting his focus to Tommy.
The scientist is still standing on the platform where the portal is, a big smile on his face.
“Tommy!”
“I’m right- right here Benrey. No need to shout.”
“We’re gonna go for a walk. You ok there?”
A fold up lawn chair suddenly appears out of thin air, together with a can of soda and a small book of puzzles.
“Take your time. I’m fine right here.”
Benrey gives a slow nod, Tommy has worked hard on developing his powers, he’ll be fine on his own. The only thing on Xen powerful enough to be a problem is Benrey himselves, and he has no intention of starting a fight with best boy Tommy.
“See you later Tommy.” Gordon gives a wave before turning back to Benrey. “Right, you ready to go on a stroll through Xen then?”
There is no trace of fear left in his voice, and Benrey feels himself relax. The voice in the back of his mind has backed off as well, curled up somewhere deep inside, content with the fact that Gordon is held close.
…
To see Benrey grow big had been...a lot.
First there is an initial surge of fear of course, the urge to turn and run from the massive threat growing in front of him. But then Benrey laughs, the same cackle that always fills Gordon with the most profound sense of happiness. He starts to notice the details. How Benrey’s clothes expand with him, including the mustard stain that he’d gotten from today's lunch. How his now long hair floats out like he is underwater.
What catches Gordon’s attention mostly though is the eyes. As more and more opens up, he finds that they aren’t that yellow hue he had previously seen on Xen. Instead they are the same dark orbs that greets him when he wakes every morning. How could Gordon ever be afraid of that? Impossible. What stands before him is not the monster that still appears in his nightmares at times. No, this is the same old silly Benrey that steals the blankets in bed, eats cereal without milk and kicks his ass in Tekken.
That is not to say that Benrey looks all the same. His skin has turned that pale grey color again, His nails have grown longer, turning almost claw-like. And then, of course, there is the myriad of eyes opening all over Benrey’s face and spilling out into his hair. There is also the addition of several arms, all somehow still dressed in the t-shirt Benrey is wearing.
Gordon can’t help but stare at the being in front of him. Now that the layer of fear is stripped away he can really appreciate the strange beauty that is Benrey in his Xen form. Alien beyond comparison, powerful and gigantic. It makes something odd shift inside his chest and a blush bloom on his cheeks.
Benrey like this is much like Xen, Gordon muses as his giant boyfriends floats them both over the islands, capable of being dangerous but strangely beautiful when not.
Below them he can see the creatures of Xen scuttle and move around. It’s fascinating watching them in their natural habitat while they are not trying to gorge his intestines out. There are headcrabs stacking on top of each other in what he assumes is some sort of pack bonding habit, peeper puppies of different sizes play and tumble around in one of the shallow pools. There is even a nad, sleeping peacefully on a rock as they quietly zoom by. He points this out for Benrey and gets varied levels of enthusiasm in return. When he barely hums in response to the sleeping nad Gordon twists in his hand to glance up at Benrey.
There is an uncharacteristic look of concentration on Benrey’s face. Usually only presence during hard boss battles in video games. His eyes keep scanning the horizon, as if searching for something.
“Ben, babe are you alright?”
“Wuh…”
Gordon takes a moment to tap at Benrey’s finger, properly catching his attention.
“You are very far away right now.”
“No I’m not...M’ right here.”
As if to prove a point Benrey ruffles Gordon’s hair with a giant finger, earning him a huffed laugh.
“No, I mean, mentally. What are you looking for?”
“It’s uhm...surprise.”
“A surprise?” Gordon tries to hold the scepticism out of his voice but fails miserably at it.
“Loot box.”
“On Xen?”
“Yup.”
“Alright man, if you say so. But if the surprise is a pet peeper puppy I will scream.”
“Nah, already tried that. They’re uh...dumb. Can’t be trained. N00b’s better.”
Gordon agrees that the cat is better than a peeper puppy, but only by a small margin. The cat has grown over the last year, now too big to fit into Benrey’s hoodie pockets. She has calmed down as well, no longer trying to attack Gordon’s feet at every opportunity. Although she has still to warm up to him, preferring the company of her alien owner over his.
Finally Benrey finds what he seems to have been searching for. A small burst of yellow and orange spilling from his mouth before he changes direction towards a small cluster of islands. At first Gordon can’t really see what is so different about these islands compared to the others floating all over Xen. There are some rocks, a pool of shimmering liquid and some glowing plants. As they come closer though he starts to notice little things. There are rocks placed on top of each other and in little circles on the ground, some are toppled over and a lot of them are overgrown with the glowing flora that covers most of Xen. It’s not until Benrey shrinks down so that he can land on the bigger of the islands that Gordon sees that what he had taken for a big rock is actually a cave.
Benrey is uncharacteristicly silent, shrinking even further and gently placing Gordon down on the ground. Benrey is still towering over him but more in the manner of a freakishly tall human rather than the looming form he held earlier. Glancing up at him Gordon still finds the look of concentration on Benrey’s face, brows furrowed as he stares at the cave. His hand finds one of Benrey’s bigger ones and he does his best to hold it.
“Benrey, what is this place?”
“It’s uh- it’s…my origin story.”
Gordon lets his gaze follow Benrey’s, taking in the piles and circles of stones, the cave opening, everything covered in the vegetation.
“Is this- was this your home? Before…”
He doesn’t finish the sentence, having a hard time taking the words “before you were taken” into his mouth.
“Think so. Don’t remember much about it. Didn’t remember anything about it before.”
Benrey’s steps are slow but measured as he walks towards the cave. When they reach the opening Gordon peers inside, his heart clenching at the sight that meets him. In a corner there are still traces of a bed, although bed might not be the right words for it, it’s more akin to a nest. A small pit in the ground filled with dried plants. On the walls there are carved markings, small circles and swirls, something that looks like a crude depiction of a headcrab. It looks similar enough to Joshua's crayon drawing that Gordon feels a lump forming in his throat.
Benrey heeds it no mind though, ducking inside and heading towards a crevice in the back of the cave. They crouch down, an arm stretching in a way that should not be possible to reach inside and pull something out.
“Yo! It’s still here. Gordon, come look.”
There is an excitement in his voice that floods Gordon with relief, he’s not sure how effective he’d be in calming Benrey down if he had gotten a panic attack or something similar. However confident Gordon feels at comforting Benrey at home, being on an alien planet with his boyfriend in a mostly alien form is a very different situation. Walking up to Benrey he peers down on the small bundle he is holding. It’s some kind of leaf that by the look of the creases on it, had been used to fold up the things that now lie in the middle of it. It’s an odd assortment of knick knacks. A stone, round and glowing with a soft light, a couple of small shells and what looks like a bone. Gordon has seen this kind of collection before, hell, he had one of those collections once, albeit not as alien.
A child's little treasures.
His assumption is confirmed by Benrey picking up the little bone, turning it over in his hand while grinning.
“This was my favorite stuff. Didn’t have a playstation so I played with this instead.”
Swallowing the lump still in his throat, Gordon tries to formulate his next question a s delicately as possible.
“Were you- did you have anyone else to play with?”
“Don’t think so, memories still kinda fuzzy. Mostly remembers this place, and my stuff.”
“So you didn’t have any parents or…”
Gordon doesn’t know how to finish the question. Friends? Siblings? Anyone?
Were you all alone out here?
He can’t form the words, not without breaking down crying. Just thinking about it has tears gathering in his eyes and he presses his face into one of Benrey’s arms, hoping to hide it. That fails though as Benrey makes a surprised little sound before catching Gordon’s face between two giant hands, turning it up to face him.
“You crying bro?”
There was a time when those words might have seemed mocking, but not now, not with how laced with concern they are.
“I’m sorry. Don’t mind me, you’re trying to show me something important.”
He gets it now, finally gets it. Returning to Xen was not only about facing who he was there for Benrey, it was about returning home. He had brought Gordon to his childhood home. Despite the alien world surrounding them there is something so human about it all and it sends a new wave of sentimentality through Gordon. The tears that gathered in his eyes finally overflows and spills down his cheeks.
“Don’t have to be sad Gordos. M’ not gonna stay here or anything.”
Giving a wet chuckle, Gordon rises on his toes to be able to press a kiss to the corner of Benrey’s mouth.
“I get that silly. It’s just...this was your home. ”
It’s hard to properly explain why that suddenly overwhelms him, especially when Benrey doesn’t seem as emotional over it. Luckily Benrey doesn’t seem to need an explanation.
“Yeah…” Benrey agrees, slumping down so that he sits on the floor, several arms wrapping around Gordon to pull him to his chest. “...yeah it was. Kinda shitty though. Didn’t even have soda or doritos.”
“That does sound shitty.”
Benrey gives a slow nod, a hand coming up to stroke Gordon’s head, not unlike how he pats N00b when she rests in his lap.
“Mmm...was bad at Black Mesa too...in the beginning, it got better. Then I met you, got to do all kinds of crazy stuff. Like going outside and visiting GameStop. Got to be a person...you know?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“I- I wanna continue doing stuff with you...forever.”
“I want that too Benrey.”
And he does. There are actually very few things in life that Gordon wants to do more than to continue doing stuff with Benrey.
The shrill sound of sweet voice has him looking up. Above him he meets a starry sky of wide eyes, all fixated on him.
“You mean it? Gordon player 2 forever?”
Hold up…
“Benrey, what’s going on right now?”
Confusion flashes over Benrey’s face for a moment before he maneuvers one of his many hands to facepalm himself.
“Stupid....forgot the- the thing.”
“The thing?”
Benrey doesn’t answer, too preoccupied with rummaging through the pockets of his jeans, grumbling to himself before pulling something out. It’s small, held between thumb and forefinger. Gently he untagles Gordon from his octopus-like embrace, giving him room to accept the small offering.
It’s a small velvet box.
“Wha-”
“Open it!”
Little suns of yellow and orange floats around Benrey’s head, signalling his excitement as clearly as his voice does. It’s with shaking hands that Gordon opens the box, revealing the simple golden ring inside.
“B-Benrey...is this....what I think it is?”
“I uh...yeah. Had a whole speech prepared and everything. Forgot half of it...and to give you the ring. Kind of a N00b at this stuff.”
Still holding the box Gordon waves an arm, trying to convey what he wants with his body as his words stumble over each other.
“Can you- I need you to...smaller please? I need to…”
Luckily Benrey picks up on his rambling and his body shrinks yet again, now only slightly taller than his original shape. The moment he does Gordon pounces him, wrapping him up in his arms and showering his face with kisses.
“Oh um...is that a yes then?” Benrey manages between the kisses.
“Yes! Yes you stupid gremlin!”
Pausing his ministration Gordon leans his forehead against Benrey’s, mindful of the eyes that reside there.
“Of course I want to marry you.”
There is a goofy smile on Benrey’s lips as he yet again cocoons Gordon with his arms.
“Pog.”
…
Mission success! S rank on that proposal if Benrey says so himself. Sure he had stumbled a bit, fumbled the landing and almost forgot the whole ring thing. But that doesn’t matter because Gordon had said yes! That other stuff doesn’t matter. Although he is glad that he remembered the ring. It looks very good, gleaming on Gordon’s finger. Tommy had been right, the gold does go very well with Gordon’s hair. He can’t help but to glance at it when they sit side by side at the edge of the shimmering pool outside his childhood cave. It’s hard to hide when there are so many eyes looking and Gordon catches him doing it. With a wide smile he holds up his hand, letting the light from the pond catch in the gold of the ring.
“You like it?”
“It’s beautiful, Benrey. I love it.”
A frown suddenly crosses Gordon’s face as he picks up one of Benrey’s hands.
“I don’t have one for you though.”
“Don’t need one, already know I wanna marry you.”
Gordon chuckles at that, spreading Benrey’s fingers and stroking a thumb over one of his claw-like fingernails.
“Ok yeah part of the whole ring thing is to pop the question. But it’s also to show the rest of the world that you belong together.” He quiets for a second before continuing. “And it’s of course pushed by the capitalistic wedding industry that sells the idea of the “perfect wedding” so that people will spend as much money as possible on-”
But Benrey has stopped listening, his thoughts caught on the words “the rest of the world” that keeps repeating in his head, drowning out everything else. He wants that! He wants everyone to know that he and Gordon are player 1 and 2.
Mine.
Exactly! His stupid inner instinct voice is right. Gordon is his, and Benrey is Gordon’s.
Mate.
He still doesn’t know what that word means but yeah!
“I want one too.”
Gordon cuts his ramble short to look over at Benrey, a fond smile spreading over his face.
“You want to wear a ring too?”
“Yeah. Need to match. Show the world and stuff.”
Still smiling, Gordon leans in to capture his lips in a soft kiss. Benrey is glad he kept the smaller form, even if it takes some of work to maintain it. Kisses like this are much better when he can feel Gordon’s lips properly.
“Let’s pick one out for you when we get back ok?”
“Nu-uh. I got you yours. Gonna have to- have to return the favour, Gordon Lazyman.”
Gordon barks a surprised laugh and gives his shoulder a light push.
“Oh yeah? What if I pick a ring pop or something?”
“Bro, that would be so cool!”
“You really are a little gremlin, you know that?”
Not able to resist the chance, Benrey loosens the hold on his form, letting himself grow gigantic again.
“Big gremlin.”
It takes Gordon much quicker this time around to regain his composure at the sight of big Benrey and he laughs breathlessly.
“The biggest.”
It takes them a while longer before they finally return to where Tommy sits. Benrey was so focused on finding his old island that he forgot to really take Xen in. They rectify that by going on a little sightseeing tour on their way back, letting themself get distracted by all the strange and wondrous things Xen has to offer. Eventually though Gordon’s stomach starts to growl so Benrey casts his mind out into the void of Xen, easily finding the small sun that is Tommy among all the glowing life.
As they approach Tommy hops up from his chair, fingers tapping on his arm in a nervous stim.
“How- how did it go?”
“He said yes!”
Benrey knows his voice is too loud and on a closeby island he can sense a flock of peeper puppies fleeing at the sound of his booming voice. It’s worth it though to see Tommy start to jump up and down, his hands clapping excitedly as they descend towards the island.
“Oh! Oh con- congratulations you two!”
As Gordon is put down on the island he is swept up in the lanky embrace of Tommy.
“I’m so- so happy for you Mr. Freeman.”
Benrey also wants in on the hugging and hurriedly shifts into a size that makes it possible for him to wrap his arms around his two favourite people in the world at the same time.
“There is one problem though.”
Gordon’s voice suddenly serious.
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Benrey interrupts “You gonna be my best man right bro?”
“Oh I…”
“You didn’t even know what a best man was until ten minutes ago.”
“So? I know now and I call dibs on Tommy.”
“I-”
“You can’t call dibs on a human.”
“If I could-”
“Hah. Jokes on you, Tommy’s an alien, like me.”
“I would-”
“Oh? Alien dibs work differently now?”
“ Boys !”
There is a fizzing of energy which quickly shuts the bickering couple up. Even though Tommy’s powers don't really affect him here on Xen, Benrey is still not keen on knowing how much stronger Tommy has grown in the last year.
“I’m sorry Mr. Freeman but as Benrey’s old- oldest friend, it’s my d-duty to be his best man.”
“Hah!”
“Well I guess that’s fair. I’ll take dr. Coomer then. Please no one tell him he was my second choice.”
Benrey makes a zipper motion over his lips and then winks, at least he thinks he winks, it’s a bit hard keeping track with this many eyes.
“You can have Coomer, me and Bubby have a deal.”
Gordon gives him a surprised look.
“A deal?”
“He gonna be my maid of honor and I’m gonna be his when he and Coomer get hitched.”
“Aw, that’s really swee- wait! You talked to Bubby about this?”
“Mhm, told me everything about weddings and proposing n’ stuff.”
Gordon’s hands are suddenly balled into fists, a look of frustration on his face.
“That sneaky- You realise they made another bet right? That old bastard is probably laughing his ass off right now and collecting his winnings from dr. Coomer. We got played Benrey!”
It’s hard not sounding smug when you are the smartest one in the room...so to speak, since they are not in a room, but on Xen. Smartest on Xen...although those nads were clever bastards. It doesn’t matter though! What matters is that Benrey gets to brag.
“Nah bro, Bubby got his money on it taking at least another month, made sure Coomer got this one in the bag.”
“You...Benrey you crafty motherfucker.”
“Swear jar.”
Giggling, Gordon intertwines their fingers together.
“Swear jar rules only apply on earth.”
“Oh? Cool.” Taking a deep breath Benrey lets his voice swell and spread all over Xen. “I HAVE THE BEST FUCKING FIANCÉ IN THE UNIVERSE!”
He doesn’t need his heightened senses to hear the scuttling of critters fleeing away from his booming voice. Beside him Gordon grips his hand, his laugh mingling with the echo.
“You ready to go home now?”
“Yeah...lemme just…”
Closing his eyes Benrey lets his earth body take form in his mind, visualizing every single detail, down to the scar on his arm and the chipped nail polish on his nails. He makes one little addition though, as a treat.
“Can’t hold this for long here...open portal please and thank you.”
“One- one portal home coming right up.”
There is a sparkling noise that reminds Benrey of the fireworks they had set off on New Years eve. Not the big crack and boom sound that came first but the one that accompanied the glitter falling from the sky afterwards. The portal looked a lot like it too, although less falling and more swirling. He doesn’t have time to admire it for long though as Gordon pulls them both through.
And then they’re home.
N00b jumps down from the sofa to greet them, buffing his leg in demand for cuddles. He picks her up, letting her cold nose bump against his cheek.
“He said yes.” He informs her, getting a yawn in response.
Gordon watches him, eyes so impossibly soft that Benrey has trouble meeting them. He instead buries his face into N00b’s fur. Beside him he hears the portal close and Gordon talking to Tommy.
“You ok man? I know using your powers can be bothersome.”
“Oh I’m alright as a- a tulip in May Mr. Freeman.”
“That’s good to hear. You need us to give you a ride home?”
“No it’s alright, I have p-plans with Darnold so I’ll be on my way.”
Benrey is tired and talked out, he’ll thank Tommy properly for the help setting this up later. For now a hug will have to do. Tommy knows him well enough to know what it means.
It’s not until they stand in the hallway, side by side and waving goodbye to Tommy that Gordon notices.
“Hey, are you- did you grow taller again.”
Grinning, Benrey turns to Gordon, bumping their noses together.
“Perfect kissing height.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“You like that though.”
Gordon gives a dramatic sigh, leaning heavily against Berey’s shoulder.
“Unfortunately I do.” He falls quiet for a moment, eyes locked with Benrey’s. “I love you.”
There are a lot of things they need to do, wedding stuff that Benrey only has the smallest idea of what it is. But that is for the future. Right now, he is content with existing in the moment, drowning in his fiancés eyes.
“Love you too Gordon.”