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“Oh come on," Ben chuckled. "Haven't you ever wondered what you'd look like as a pretty girl?" he joked, wasting no time to grab a miniature pink bow and tie Ricky's hair into a ponytail.
"I haven't even wondered what I'd look like with a girl." Ricky scoffed , hissing at the rough way Ben handled his hair.
"Pfft— what?" The brunette cackled, lifting his head back for a second. For some reason , Ben was going through another phase of a sort of art block — ( one that Ricky couldn't fix with his handsome face this time ) , so they decided to do something else together for a change.
Ben bothered Donna for a hot minute and she insisted on giving him something to do instead , so she gave him a box of her old things from when she was a kid. At first, he didn't really know what he'd do with it , or what she thought he'd do , but sooner or later it became pretty clear what was necessary.
Devotion to creating some sort of new hobby or activity to get him active certainly came through, as he went through to trouble of washing and blow-drying Ricky's gel-infested hair. It.. definitely took a while. It took a little too long, actually.
So all of that led them to where they were now — Ricky laying his head in Ben's lap while he arranged the accessories in his hair. Of course, Ben wasn't thinking anything of it at the time, he was too concentrated. But Ricky sure was. To be fair, it wasn't what they were doing that was intimate, but the way it felt.
Ricky's face even turned a crimson red every time Ben's hand accidentally brushed across his cheek. It didn't get any better once he noticed Ben leaning towards him.
"You know, Ricky, your hair looks pretty good just like this." Ben's expression softened with a quickness as he kept playing in his hair. In response to that, Ricky flipped himself over to face Ben fully.
"Seems like Brookie's taking a liking to me." The greaser winked as Ben's smile slipped, despite the way he rolled his eyes afterwards. Ricky smirked as they locked eyes for a little too long — before being nosey as always.
"There you go with that eye contact again." Ben's eyes widened at that comment. "You say you're not good at it, but you're pretty good with me." And as suggestive as it sounded, it was true. Ben did happen to have an easier time locking eyes with Ricky .. which wasn't even surprising , because his eyes are weirdly distracting.
"I'm just .. thinking."
"About me?" Ricky leaned forward even more, his gaze never leaving his eyes, no matter how many times Ben looked away.
"No, just about if I should try more hairstyles or strangle you with a pillow." Ben smacked his lips, looking away in thought.
"Wouldn't mind—" Ricky proposed before he was ever-so-NOT gently shoved away with a hand to his face. In what seemed like a millisecond, Ricky grabbed Ben by the arm and pulled him down on the bed with him. They laughed with each other for what seemed like ages, before they finally realized just what they were doing.
Although he felt weak at the moment from.. whatever had just happened, Ben managed to prop himself up with his arms and get one last good look at Ricky. Even though he looked a bit disheveled, his hair in his face way more than usual, he still looked.... perfect.
So, they stayed like that for a little while. A little longer than they both expected or would have liked.
"You know.. it’s rude to stare, pretty boy." Ricky expressed, his stupid face looking amused.
"It's hard not to." Ben thought, even though he seemed annoyed by the comment on the outside. Sooner or later, Ben got off of Ricky, and hoped to just leave the tension where it was.
"Considering how many times you've put your hands on me, Brookie, I'm surprised you don't want to finish what ya started." Ricky chimed in, finger-combing his hair out of his face.
Ricky sat up, staring Ben down once again. Ben , being so suddenly met with those piercing blue eyes again , wanted to find a distraction so badly to get him out of this situation. Ricky could see the way Ben’s eyes flicked down to his lips. And maybe Ben should have pulled away, maybe he should’ve pushed Ricky off the bed and out the door, but instead, he let it happen.
”You always this fun, or did I just get lucky tonight?” Ricky cracked that conceited smile of his and earned a sigh from the slightly shorter boy.
Ben’s arms crossed, brows furrowed, now looking everywhere but at him. “You’re not lucky, you’re just really annoying.
Ricky laughed, low and teasing. “You keep inviting me over for someone who’s so annoyed.” This time, Ben didn’t answer. His jaw clenched slightly, but his eyes betrayed him, glancing toward Ricky for half a second too long. Ricky noticed. He always noticed.
“I know you like me being here,” Ricky said, voice softer now, almost.. reassuring? Ben shot him a glare. “Don’t flatter yourself.” he said, though it was far too late for that.
“This is stupid,” Ben muttered, but his voice had thinned out. He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than Ricky. Ricky leaned in, close enough that Ben could feel the heat of his breath. “D’ya ever stop pretending?” he whispered. Their breath was tangled—hot, shallow, uneven—and then Ricky’s mouth was on his. It wasn’t gentle. It was messy, desperate, like they’d both been starving for it and didn’t know until now.
Ben’s hand curled into Ricky’s shirt, gripping tight like he needed something to hold onto or he’d fall off the bed. Ricky kissed him harder in response, lips moving with too much need, and too much heat. Their teeth bumped once, or maybe twice.
Ricky’s fingers found the side of Ben’s jaw, and his thumb started brushing the edge of his mouth like he was memorizing it. Ben let out a sound—something between a gasp and a groan—and kissed back like he was angry, like this shouldn’t be happening, like he hated how good it felt.
Ben was the first to break the space between them again. “We really shouldn’t be doing this.” He huffed out. But his mouth didn’t move far. Ricky’s hand was still on the back of his neck, holding him there, close enough to feel the breath between them.
“Nobody’s around, y’know..” Ricky whispered against Ben’s mouth. They kissed again, harder this time. Ben couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands, and he was nervous, and—then it slowed.
Their mouths softened, lips lingering more than pressing. Ricky’s hands traced along Ben’s cheekbones, slower now, almost tender. Ben opened his eyes. Ricky’s were already on him, wide and searching, like he was trying to read thoughts Ben hadn’t spoken aloud.
They both pulled away, this time.
Ben’s hair was a mess. His lips were red. His shirt was half untucked, and he wasn’t sure when that happened. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, chest rising and falling like he’d just run a mile, and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Ricky moved to sit beside him instead, flopping down on the pillow. Breathing just as hard, too. His eyes were locked on the floor, like if he looked anywhere else, everything would fall apart.
Ben shook his head, biting down a grin as he let it fade into something more serious, more real. “That was, um…” He trailed off.
His fingers twitched at his side. He looked down at his lap. “I think I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” Ricky smiled slowly, something softer, deeper in it.
“… Well, if it helps, I liked it.”