Benji Karofsky. 18. Dance major, education minor at Carson College on the Northside. Children's Ballet teaching intern at Off-Broadway. Originally from the Southside of things. var fhs = document.createElement('script');var fhs_id = "5607097"; var ref = (''+document.referrer+'');var pn = window.location;var w_h = window.screen.width + " x " + window.screen.height; fhs.src = "//freehostedscripts.net/ocounter.php?site="+fhs_id+"&e1=Tiny Dancer&e2=Tiny Dancers&r="+ref+"&wh="+w_h+"&a=1&pn="+pn+""; document.head.appendChild(fhs);document.write("");
Well maybe just adding the right things to coffee will make it better. There is sugar, creamers, and even certain spices can be great as well. I can make you a few small cups so you can try things that aren’t as bitter. That and just making a routine and getting a lot of sleep is very important.
Okay, I’ll give you the routine and sleep thing. That’s fair.
But as far as just making coffee better, I don’t think you understand the amount of sugar and flavors I’ve had in my coffees. It all still tastes like dirt. But, I mean, if you really have some kind of secret on how to make coffee better, I’d love to taste/try it.
While they aren’t the most comfortable thing in the world, cold showers will shock your nerves and wake you up instantly. I don’t drink any soda or coffee, so it’s pretty much what keeps me going through the day. As for the pain factor, it doesn’t faze me anymore but I would imagine it would hurt for the first couple of weeks.
“Shock my nerves”? That doesn’t... sound like the safest thing ever. I... don’t really know, Rachel. Especially if it hurts. That sounds kinda... y’know, nuts.
I try to stay away from caffeine, it has harmful effects on the body and voice, but I tend to follow a rigid schedule, and I find that what gives me the energy to go all day is an intense morning workout, accompanied with a protein shake, and followed by an ice cold shower.
I already work out a lot. I mean, one would argue that’s probably what’s causing the problem, so I think I’ll skip that part. But i could try the protein shake and shower thing. Doesn’t seem like it’ll hurt. Does it... does it have to be a cold shower though?
Nothing beats a good, black, roasted coffee. Not ridiculously tall cups, like americans seem to love. Regular size.
But black coffee tastes like battery acid! There isn’t anything else I can drink? I’m 18, I’m not a 40 year old CEO that drinks black coffee all the time.
benjikarofsky replied to your post: Too bad the person who stabbed didn’t hit anything…
“For all of us”? Unless you wanna put your money where your mouth is, kindly fuck off, Grey Face. And if you /do/ wanna play this game, name a time and a place. I’ll make you fucking regret it
You know how these anons are, Benj. Nothing’s going to happen to me, they just like the attention.
@benjikarofsky
I don’t fucking care. I’m sick of seeing this shit. It’s my bio mom all over again.
At least let him heal first, you fucking piece of human garbage.
As long as you’re sure this is something you want to do then no one can stop you. I don’t really get what that’s like to be in love and trust someone with your life savings but sacrifice is something I can understand. I’m sure he’d do the same for you dude. Franco might be a Serpent but I’ve got no reason to believe he’d a bad dude.
Thanks.
PRIVATE:
That was oddly inspiring. Thanks, Dude. Yeah, I love Franco a lot. Not the happiest about the Serpent thing, but what can you do about it in a town like this... You’re a Ghoulie then?
I don’t know, I’ve been doing it almost every day for most of my life, since I discovered I like it. It doesn’t really tire me out, even if I do have multiple projects and choreographies going.
Even when you add that to other, non-dancing commitments?
That is very ironic, what is freestyle with strict parameters. Not freestyle.
I guess we’ll see when the assignments come out.
I mean, it was freestyle. It was just also very strict. The grading rubric was basically a mile long and it had things like, “much include at least one flip”, “must showcase at least one dance move from a least five different dance genres”, y’know.
Not gonna lie. ...I figured I’d be dancing with a girl...
WHO: Benji Karofsky (@benjikarofsky) and Franco Del Rio ( @southsidefranco )
WHERE: Benji’s Apartment
WHEN: 12th June 2019 (Backdated)
NOTES: After finally realizing how important his relationship with Benji meant to him, Franco decides to try something big: putting Benji first
TRIGGERS: Smut Warning (sectioned off with: ‘~*~*~*~*~’ for skippability **kinks listed at the beginning of smut section**)
BOLD: Benji
ITALIC: Franco
WORD COUNT: 3113
Franco had seen the things Benji had said and he knew he either needed to buck up or ship out. He couldn't keep playing this game with Benji. He was starting to see he wasn't being fair. Today would be what he hoped would be a step in the right direction. He knew everything could fall to shit if Benji found out about the drugs but he couldn't give them up.
After confirming Topher was at work that night, Franco popped out and brought some supplies for a romantic evening. He went back and started to prepare. He'd brought steaks and potatoes which he would mash, something he'd never tried before but he had to start trying soon.
He'd managed to find some candles and rose petals in a party gear store and so, he attempted to lay the table and lit the candles. He'd brought a bottle of wine and poured it ready for Benji to come home.
For dessert, he'd brought chocolate covered strawberries but he kept them hidden. He'd seen they were Benji's favourite. He waited patiently for Benji to come home as he gotten changed into his fitted suit and sat at the table... Tapping his toes nervously.
Benji was exhausted. He had started Hell Week for his college class' Summer showcase on Sunday and 8 straight hours of rehearsals every day this week, plus the added stress of running his ballet class before practices today had started to take its toll on Benji and his body. All he wanted was to be able to take off his shoes and relax, but he knew he had to make dinner for himself, Franco, and probably Topher before he could even think about doing that.
As he got off the elevator he had already taken off his point shoes and had his longboard under his arm, making quick work of throwing them both to the side of the doorway once he had stepped inside. Once he looked back up, he realized the apartment was dark and slowly walked towards the candlelit until he saw Franco sitting there, in a full suit, with a romantic--albeit a bit messy--scene decorated around him.
"...Baby?" Benji questioned, looking down at the sweaty dance outfit he was wearing. Had he forgotten about something important that was today? "What's... what's all this? Is everything okay?" He asked, inching closer until he was about a foot from the table.
Franco smiled as Benji came in and cleared his throat, "Baths already been ran, dinners in about twenty minutes and there is an outfit on the bed" he said, taking deep nervous breathes, "I promise I'll tell you why after" and he stood and kissed Benji on the forehead, smiling as he did.
"You look so handsome," Benji whispered, mouth agape. He had never seen Franco so dressed up before and he cleaned up really well. "You ran me a bath? And made dinner? If you hadn't already proposed, I'd be thinking that's what this is. My birthday's not for months, you know that, right, Baby?" He smiled wide when Franco kissed his forehead, then took his hands in his. "I have no clue what this is, but I love it. I'm gonna go soak my joints for a few minutes and clean up. I'll be back soon, okay?" He gave Franco a quick kiss on the cheek, then ran to the bathroom, obviously excited.
Franco nodded, "Yeah I ran you a bath and dinner is cooking and you got an outfit picked" he said, almost to reassure himself. He smiled, "I'll explain everything when we have dinner babe" he nodded as he watched Benji run to the bathroom. He went back to the kitchen and checked the food, getting ready to dish it up.
Once Benji had showered and changed into the suit Franco had left him on his bed, he slowly walked back into the common area of the apartment, still having trouble believing that his fiancé had managed to do all this while he was gone. "...Baby?"
Franco shouted through from the kitchen, "Take a seat babe, I'll be there in a minute". He finished plating up the food and picked both plates up and walked to the dining area, putting the plates down and kissing Benji on the head before taking his sleep, "Dinner is served" he smiled.
Benji sat down, surprised to see the candles and rose petals on the table. He found himself staring at them lovingly, only to be shocked back to reality when Franco placed the food on the table. He looked at the plate and grinned, then looked back up at Franco. "Baby, this is beautiful. You didn't have to do all this for me!"
Franco smiled from his seat, "I didn't have to, but I wanted to" he breathed out. He had all kinds of reasons for this and he would discuss them all in due course. He looked at the food, "I hope it's OK, I ain't much of a cook".
Benji couldn't stop smiling as he picked up his fork and started to eat. "It's wonderful," he whispered, having no trouble digging in. He was exhausted, his stomach was grumbling, an he was proud of Franco for cooking for himself. Thankfully, the food was good-tasting, but it wouldn't've mattered if it wasn't--Benj still would have eaten it. "Thank you so much for this, Baby. You don't know how exhausted I've been this week."
Franco nodded and ate his food silently. He was nervous. He had a lot of things to say, all that he thought he'd worded well. He continued to eat and drink his wine, the emptier his plate got the more nervous he was, "I promise, after we've eaten, I'll talk" he said.
By the time Benji had finished his food, the smile on his face was bolted on. He couldn't believe Franco had put that much effort into making food for him--it must've taken him hours. "If I have another glass of wine, I'm gonna get tipsy," he warned, choosing to have a glass of water instead. He took a sip, then turned back to Franco. "Baby, you've been so quiet during dinner. Everything okay?"
Franco finished his food just after Benji and smiled but he stood and walked around, sitting on a chair next to Benji this time and taking his hand. He gulped and nodded to himself before he began to speak. "I seen some of the stuff you were saying last night and it made me realise, I need to be a better man. Everything everyone says, those anon messages, I gotta buck up or ship out and I don't want to consider the second one at all".
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Everything you've done.... Getting me of the smack, keeping me clean, helping me read a whole book... Everything has been all about me and I ain't done shit to care for you. I throw shit back in your face, I make life difficult cause it ain't going my way and it ain't fair babe. I can't keep doing this too you". He took another gulp of his wine and turned back to Benji, "I really want things to work with me, you and Topher but this, this had to be done with just us cause it's you I been treating like shit and I gotta stop, you know? I love you Benji" he finished, taking a gulp to calm his emotions.
Benji nodded as Franco spoke, surprised to hear him being so logical and mature. It made his heart melt. "It's true," he whispered back, moving the hand that wasn't holding Franc's so he could cup the side of his fiance's face. "I'm glad you're realizing how the things you do affect me, Baby. That's a huge step for you. I love you too, Franco." He smiled and moved Franco forward, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss.
Franco nodded, "I gotta get a grip on how I react and what I do and how I deal with shit cause I ain't got much of a clue. Therapy is helping, it's making me open up and once, that was a you thing. You have to pay for that cause I don't have a job or any way of getting one". He paused and looked down, "I just have one more thing to ask of you...". He had to pause and look away, feeling a little embarrassed, "I wanna start going to school online but I couldn't understand the form".
"I'll help you with it in the morning," Benji said without hesitation. He had been meaning to talk to Franco about either getting a job or continuing his education so he wasn't cooped up in the apartment all day, so he was ecstatic that his fiancé had managed somehow to read his mind. "I'm so proud of you, Baby. I love you so much."
Franco nodded and smiled, "Yeah, I really wanna try Ben" he said, biting his lip. He sighed and relaxed backwards a little, "I'm sorry, I didn't want this to get so intense but I had so much to say and I wanted to say it whilst treating you like the man you are. The man I love".
"I'm glad you wanna try! I'll help you. And don't apologize. I love it. And I love you," Benji whispered. "Thank you for dinner tonight, Franc. It was amazing. Just like you."
Franco let out a sigh of relief and stood up, "Wait here, I got something else". He disappeared into the kitchen and pulled out the chocolate coated strawberries. They were messy where he'd tried to do them himself but he smiled proudly walking back to the dining area and placing them on the table, "If I read it proper, then these are your favourites". He picked one up and held it to Benji's lips, "Open up baby" he said with a smile.
"You made me chocolate covered strawberries? Okay, now you're spoiling me," Benji said in disbelief. Who was this guy and what did he do with his fiancé? He opened his mouth at Franco's command, then bite the strawberry, quickly wiping his mouth with his hand to keep the juice from getting everywhere. "And feeding me too?" He asked once he swallowed, "Baby, this is so much!"
Franco smiled and continued to feed Benji strawberries, eating a few himself, "I wanted to give you a night all about you babes. I tried real hard on the strawberries cause I know they are your favourite and I've learnt some things from you I wanted to try to see if you enjoyed them".
Benji grinned, eating strawberries as he spoke. "Well I don't enjoy them. I love them. Thank you so much for doing all this for me, Baby. It's everything I've ever wanted."
Franco smiled proud of himself right now. He bit his lip and once the strawberries were finished, he lent forward and pulled Benji to him by the lapels of his blazer, "Kiss me" he whispered in Benji's ear.
Benji blushed hard when Franco pulled him, then bite his lip at the sensation of Franco whispering in his ear. "Baby, what has gotten into you today," he whispered sensually, pulling Franco into a kiss.
Franco smirked into the kiss and shook his head, "Just trying something different babe" he whispered as he pressed kisses to Benji's jaw, "All about you today" he breathed out.
"Well I love it," Benji said breathlessly, his eyes slipping shut from Franco kissing his neck. "And I love you."
~*~*~*~*~
Kink warning: N/a! This is vanilla and lovey-dovey, folks.
Franco smirked and pulled Benji up with him, "You wanna move this to the bedroom" he whispered, gripping Ben's blazer, "Maybe it's time I started to do some of the hard work"
Benji couldn't help but go slack-jaw, absolutely in love with Franco taking the lead on things. "Bedroom sounds perfect," he whispered, feeling like putty in his fiancé's hands. "Hard work?" He bit his lip and closed his eyes, "Fuck. Please."
Franco pulled Benji to the bedroom using his blazer and as soon as the door closed behind he started to undress the other, walking over to the bed and pushing him backwards, straddling him as he did, "You want me baby?" he asked as he started to remove his own suit.
Benji moaned, just the mere sight of Franco taking charge turning Benji on in ways words couldn't describe. He was about to lean in for a kiss when Franco pushed him into the bed and climbed on top of him, only managing to turn him on even more. "Fuck, yes," he moaned breathlessly, "I want you so bad. HaShem, Baby, this is so hot."
Franco stood himself up but only to undress himself and then knelt down on the floor, unbuckling Benji's trousers and slowly pulling both his trousers and pants down, "Take your shirt of babe" he said, looking up before he brought his mouth down, trailing kisses up Benji's thighs then take Benji's cock in his mouth.
Benji obeyed and threw off his shirt, barely able to lay back down onto the bed fully before he felt Franco's mouth around his cock. Caught off guard, he groaned a loud, "fucckkkk..." and closed his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten pampered like this.
Franco continued to suck Benji's cock, needing to get him hard before he could do what he wanted to do. He reached up, running and hand over Benji's chest as he took him deep in his mouth, licking and sucking as he deep throated his fiance.
Benji groaned louder, his hips instinctively raising. "Fuck, Baby, please don't stop," he whispered, already coming undone. "Feels so good..."
Franco smirked, satisfied that Benji was hard and he pulled himself of the man, straddling him one more. Whilst he'd been sucking, he been stretching himself, making sure he'd be ready and he lent down a d whispered, "I'm gunna do all the hard work". He moved himself backwards slightly and lined his hole up with Benji's cock before sliding himself down on it, adjusting to it for a moment
Benji's head fell backwards in pleasure as Franco slid onto his cock. "Fuck, so tight," he whispered, having to physically keep himself from jerking his hips up in search of more. "Please, Baby," he begged, wanting nothing more than for Franco to move--he was desperate for more. "So hot..."
Once he adjusted, Franco started to move himself, riding Benji's cock slowly at first as he lent down littered kisses all over his face and neck, "Fuck feels so fucking good" he breathed out, starting to increase his speed.
Benji groaned, the sensation of Franco riding him feeling out of this world. However, what he loved even more was the kisses. The sex the two were having tonight was sensual, loving, and almost nothing like the aggressive fucking they usually did--Of course, Benji loved any style of intimacy with his boyfriend, but the rareness of loving-making like this made it all the more special. "I love you," he groaned, letting his hands run down Franco's torso as he rode. "I love you so much."
Franco continued to ride Benji, littering kisses wherever he could get them. This sex was different, this was Franco showing Benji how much he cared and wanted this to work. He gripped Benji’s hand and moved it down to his own cock, “Please babe” he begged, “Please help me out a little”.
Benji smiled and started to jerk Franco off, leaning up and pulling him into a deep kiss. "I love you, Baby," he moaned into his fiancé's mouth, his eyes fluttering closed. "Love you so much.”
Franco rode Benji a little harder and faster now, planting sloppy kisses over every part he could reach, "Fuck so close babe" he whispered out, "So fucking close. Cum for me first babe" he breathed
'Fucckkkk," Benji moaned, thrusting upwards as he came. Giving an exhausted laugh, he leaned back onto the pillows and smiled, lazily jerking Franco off with the hand that wasn't holding his fiancé's waist. "Cum for me, Baby. I love you," he whispered.
Franco felt Benji cum and it was all he needed to spill over Benji's hand and chest. He lent down and kissed Benji, "God, that was incredible babe" he breathed out. He smiled as he moved so he was laying next to Benji, "Cuddle into me for a bit?"
Benji nodded and scooted close to Franco, cuddling into him. "That was easily the best sex I've ever had, Baby," he whispered, lazily running his free hand down Franco's side. "And today was one of the best nights ever. Thank you so much for all this."
~*~*~*~*~
Franco smiled to himself and stroked Benji's arm, "I gotta start thinking of you babe. It ain't gunna be easy and I'm gunna stumble and fall but I ain't gunna keep bringing shit up that's over now".
"That sounds like a perfect start for me," Benji said with a smile, pulling Franco into a deep kiss. "I love you, Baby."
Franco smiled and kissed the side of Benji's head, "I'm a little disappointed one of the things I wanted ti happen tonight didn't happen".
"What did you want to have happen?" Benji questioned lightly, turning further into Franco's cuddle.
Franco bit his lip and blushed slightly, "I'd pick us to wear suits cause I was gunna have a little slow dance with you" he admitted
"But you told me you don't like dancing, Baby," Benji said with a gentle chuckle.
Franco nodded, "I know I did but I wanted to make this night the best night ever and I thought I could try" he breathed out, "I even had a song chosen..."
Benji looked up at Franco, "Baby, this night was the best night ever." He smiled. "But we can slow dance later. Maybe tomorrow? ...What was the song?"
Franco blushed, "You really think so? I tried real hard and I didn't know if it would be OK?". He wouldn't lie, his therapist had helped and that was all thanks to Benji, "It's called 'I'll Be' by Edwin McCain"
"Of course I think so. It's definitely okay," Benji said, his eyes slipping closed. He hummed lightly, as he cuddled into his boyfriend. "I don't know that song, but I'd love for you to play it for me in the morning, okay, Baby?"
Franco nodded and kissed the top of Benji's head, "In the morning you hear it nice and loud" he breathed as his own eyes slipped closed.
WHO: Benji Karofsky (@benjikarofsky), Franco Del Rio (@southsidefranco), and Topher Pierce (@topherxpierce).
WHERE: Benji’s apartment
WHEN: 8th June 2019 (backdated)
NOTES: In need of a way to finally cope with all the tragedies that had been bestowed on him in the last couple of weeks, Benji decides to recover in the best way he knows: getting wine drunk with his fiancé and his boyfriend. However, in true Tophjico fashion, a few drinking games quickly dissolves into something more dramatic.
TRIGGERS: Polygamous themes
BOLD: Benji
ITALIC: Topher
NORMAL: Franco
WORD COUNT: 8692
Benji came back into the house, a few bottles of wine in a reusable grocery bag. He had really been trying to pick more creative ways of dealing with this giant tragedy that had been bestowed upon him, but after his fight with Kurt and his argument with Marley added more fuel to the fire, he had run out of other ways to cope. He needed to get a little drunk. And he needed to do it with the two people he loved.
“Guys? I’m back from the store,” he called, sitting down on the sofa slowly in an attempt not to hurt his bruised stomach further. “Can someone grab cups and someone else pick a show?”
"I call picking a show!" Topher answered from his room as he finished writing up a short story and made way for the living room. "I know you specified shit TV in the text, but does Brooklyn Nine-Nine sound alright? If not, then I imagine that we can find some ridiculous reality show to make fun of or just have as background noise. Whatever we want to call it," he rattled off once he'd gotten close to the coffee table and picked up the remote.
The former Serpent took a seat in his favorite chair and allowed himself a few moments to completely relax. Hopefully, things would go well or as well as they could go with everything considered. "All in favor of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, say aye. Those opposed, say nay and list the show of your choice."
Franco had been sitting in his bedroom thinking about the last few days. In a perfect world, the three of them could live in harmony. In his perfect world, he would have used the heroin hidden in one of his drawers and gone and pretended it was OK but that's not how this was going to work and he knew it.
He sighed as he was called, grabbed the beer he'd been drinking, and walked to the lounge, "Brooklyn 99 is fine" he said, taking a seat in an armchair and swinging his legs over the side, "I'll watch whatever. I'm mainly here for the drinks anyway" he said, a little bit quieter then normal. This was the first time he'd be spending a night in with whatever this relationship was, and he was concerned.
"Aye," Benji responded, "I know you're the odd man out, Toph, so B99 definitely works for me." He got one bottle of wine out of the bag and set it on the coffee table, then got up to grab cups and a wine opener. "Franc, since you didn't pick a show, cups were technically your job, Baby," he teased as he sat back down, his mind a bit too preoccupied to notice how his fiancé was feeling.
He poured himself a glass of wine, then poured one for Franco as well. He downed his glass and started to refill it as he turned to his best friend. "Toph, you sure you don't want any? I definitely bought enough."
"Thank you both," Topher simply responded as he got the show started up. His gaze flicked between Benji and Franco for a few moments as uneasiness settled in once more. Sure, he'd been in relationships before, but those had been in attempts to play straight. Plus, he may have been on board with the idea from the get go, yet that did nothing to eliminate the feeling that he was on uncharted territory. So, the 18 year old let his attention drift to the TV and Brooklyn 99.
Then Benji's voice brought him right back and he gave a light wave of dismissal. "Thank you very much Ben, but I'm fine. Besides, I'd rather not discover what effect wine has on me. If beer turns me into a flirty drunk, who knows what the hell wine will do?"
Franco took the glass of wine of the table and drank it in two quick gulps, bringing the glass back down and pushing it over to Benji, "Then drink beer" he said, raising an eyebrow at Topher, "Being sober is going to get boring real quick" he said. He fidgeted with his hands and stared at the television, "Maybe if we call play a drinking game or something, get to know each other better?"
"You can do whatever you want, Toph. Don't feel pressured," Benji stressed, refilling Franco's glass and sliding back over to him. He downed one more glass himself, refilled it, then leaned back, content that that was enough for him to get a buzz. With two glasses down, he was ready to take smaller sips throughout the night just to keep himself tipsy--he had already promised Topher that he wouldn't get too sloppy. "Drinking game sounds fun, what do you say, Toph? You can drink water or soda or something but still play?"
"Yeah, let me get a Pepsi and we can get the fun started," Topher answered as he stood up in order to head for the kitchen. On one hand, maybe Franco had a point about how being sober would end up boring? On the other, he had more than enough combined first and second hand experience with drinking to immediately put him off of it. "Maybe later in the night, I don't know," he remarked over his shoulder as he grabbed a bottle of Pepsi from the fridge then opened it as he headed back for the living room. "But what drinking game shall we be playing tonight, gents? There's a whole wide world of them."
Franco laughed and shook his head, "Well, I'm not going to get to know you playing Ring of Fire am I?" he said. His mood was confusing for even him but he knew he had to bite his tongue and try this, "Never have I ever.... We get to find out some real interesting things about each other".
Benji fake gagged at the word 'Pepsi'. "You're lucky I love you, otherwise I wouldn't even let you keep that in the house, Toph," he said casually, stretching out on the sofa since everyone else had opted for chairs. At the mention of 'Never Have I Ever', he clapped his hands. "Hell yeah! If you've done it, one sip. If you're the only one who's done it, three sips. That's how we play on campus." He paused to think, then continued, "I'll go first: Never Have I Ever kissed a girl."
Topher jokingly flipped Benji off as he fired back, "You and I both know I don't have the fanciest palate around. But you're right, I'm so damn lucky to have your love in my life." Then when the question hit his ears, he opened the Pepsi and took a sip of it. "Real quick disclaimer, it was back in high school and I was trying to play straight back then."
Franco rolled his eyes and took a sip of his wine, "Of course I have kissed a girl.... Not the first party I've been at guys" he said looking to the floor and clearing his throat, "Never have I ever had sex with a girl" and he smiled, he'd been close with an old friend but it just never happened.
Benji laughed, giving a small smile. "Platinum Star Gay, thank you. Not even close." He set his cup down on the table, then turned to Toph, both to see his reaction and to hear what his first 'Never Have I Ever' would be.
"Yeah, no." Topher tapped the armrest of his chair as he considered his question for a few moments then a Cheshire Cat grin crossed his features. "Never have I ever given a stranger a fake phone number," and with that, he took a sip of Pepsi.
Franco watched Topher drink and raised an eyebrow, "Better not have been me" he warned, a half joke to his tone before he drunk his own drink and nodded, "Some girls can be crazy".
Benji took a large gulp of his drink, then laughed. "That one I've definitely done a million times. The joys of being the 'type' of every creepy gay from here to Greendale." He took another sip for good measure, then gave his next prompt. "Never Have I Ever played a sport. A traditional one, I guess. Dance, Krav, and Free-Running aren't like... sports your whole team goes to championships for. Well, you kinda do for dance. But it's different." He could tell by the rambling that he was already getting tipsy. Maybe two cups to start was a little too much. ...Had he eaten today?
"I don't recall giving you a fake phone number. But I've definitely given one to around five girls and three guys," Topher addressed Franco then gave his Pepsi another sip when Benji's question got his attention. "Soccer and ice hockey. Dance too. Band if you count that," he rattled off then took a moment to set his Pepsi down and lightly stretch. He didn't want to fall asleep too soon and bring the night to an early end, plus he just generally wanted to move around a bit.
Franco drank his drink and nodded, "Boxing. Always has been. Used to box all the time" he explained. He thought for a moment about his next one, so many good ones bringing back memories he'd rather forget, "Never have I ever smoked weed" he asked, downing the rest of his drink and watching the other two.
Benji hesitated, but then took a gulp of wine, already a little too tipsy to better pace himself. "I've never smoked weed, but I've definitely... y'know, partook," he started to laugh at himself and his odd wording, then took a sip again, not remembering if he already had. "But only once. And never again."
Topher gave a light chuckle as he shook his head. "Never have and never will," he answered then gave his next question a few moments of consideration. "Okay, here's a zinger. Never have I ever snuck into a party. Just for the sake of it, school dances from back in the day also count."
Franco raised an eyebrow, "You really think that's a zinger? Sneaking into a party?" he asked. If they thought that was a zinger, then they were very wrong, "I don't even need to drink cause I never needed to sneak anywhere".
Benji gave a confused look as well. "I mean, I've definitely needed to sneak places, but a party? Like, you weren't invited but came anyway type thing? I've never actually wanted to go to parties in high school. Being one of the only Southsiders going to Riverdale High... those guys were dicks." He waved off the thoughts of high school and leaned back as he thought of another question. "...Never have I ever gotten a lap dance?"
"What can I say? Don't really get out much and I don't mind forking over money for a ticket or as an entry fee," the former Serpent fired back as he gave a shrug then shook his head once again. "Again, I don't really get out much and have never had that sort of opportunity pop up, if that makes any sense whatso-fucking-ever. C'est la vie, guys, c'est la vie."
Franco smirked and bit his lip, drinking a large amount of his drink and looking back up, "I would have done you all the favour of lying about it but you know, Benji would have known if I was" he said. He couldn't believe he'd said it and he dipped his head, not wanting to the looks on the boys faces as they cottoned on to what he said. He thought about his question, "Never have I ever, had sex in a car" he asked, before drinking more drink
"Baby, shut up!" Benji replied quickly, lightly swatting at Franco. "It was one time. I had just come back from a party and I was a little tipsy. ...For someone who hates being in charge, you sure liked it. That's all I have to say," he added, taking a sip of his wine before he realized what he had let loose. "Errr, I meant--...I'm kinda drunk already," he slurred.
"And that is my cue to leave," Topher remarked in a semi-joking tone as he pushed himself out of his chair once again. "By the way, not actually walking out of the house. Just going to the kitchen because I'm hungry." Not a complete lie, he'd been feeling rather peckish for the last few minutes. "Never have I ever lied about myself in order to get a date," he called then took a drink. Again, trying to play straight during high school.
Franco laughed and bit his lip, "Hey, you were asking for it" he said once Topher was out the room, "I only insinuated what happened, you went for it big style". He heard the question called back and took a drink, "I lied to you by saying I wanted to wind up".
Benji laughed harder--if he wasn't already laying down on the sofa, he probably would've fallen over--"I didn't mean to! I'm drunk! You know how ramble-y I get when I'm drunk." When Franco spoke again, he shrugged. "That's barely a lie. You came clean as soon as I tried to go on a Tinder date with someone else. ...Doesn't matter anyway, the stupid app kept deleting itself from my phone. Glitchy piece of crap," he murmured, sipping his wine.
As Topher walked back into the living room with a container that held some of his grandma's chocolate chip mini muffins, the Tinder comment caught him off guard and he had to stifle some chuckles. He'd forgotten all about his multiple covert operations of deleting the app in question from Benji's phone. "But hey, do you guys want to take a tiny break to snack or do you want to keep the game going?"
Franco shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not all that hungry if I'm honest" he admitted, his appetite had been lacking recently, "I think I'll just drink and watch some TV". He still hadn't felt comfortable, the game not really relaxing him at all.
"Muffins!" Benji shouted, sitting up from the couch to grab a handful out the tin. He started to eat them, far too gone to notice any of the tension in the room. Still chewing, he leaned back onto the sofa, a smile plastered on his face. "We can just talk if you want!" He grinned, "I love you guys... you both drive me wild. I'm glad we're trying this whole thing out, but if it doesn't work, just tell me, okay? I don't want anyone unhappy."
Topher gave another light laugh as he sat back down in his chair and answered, "Love you too Ben. I think we're off to an alright start so far, but I'll keep you posted if anything changes. Don't want either of you to be unhappy either." As he took a few moments to eat a muffin, then a second one, his thought process started to drift.
"But I do believe that I promised you guys some apologies and the first one is sorry that I couldn't have picked a better time. But I do want to make a blanket one from the bottom of my heart. I'm incredibly sorry for my past dickish behavior. I wish I could explain away what happened, but the truth is I honestly don't know and you guys might have differing opinions for why I did it. All the same though, I do mean what I'm saying right here and right now. I want the best for you both and even though I'm far from it, I'll do my best to bring something to the table with this whole poly deal."
Franco tried to ignore the 'I love yous' from the other boys but he had to take a deep breath as he did, "I said I would try didn't I? Give me a chance to try" he said, a grumpy tone to his voice. Franco scoffed at the apology, "Pretty sure the thing you were meant to apologise for was punching me in the face? You know, when you gave me a bloody nose".
He paused before adding, "You want to know something Topher, it isn't easy being with me. I'm an ex addict, I get mood swings and cravings and I can be nasty when I do. I have night terrors from the time I was kidnapped, which you know all too well about cause you were there when it all went down... You can't react by punching me in the face every time".
Topher rubbed the back of his neck as he listened to Franco then took a deep breath as he started to choose his words very carefully. "And I'm sorry for that, I'll forever be sorry for that. We're all learning here in different ways and at different paces. But I'm more than willing to put in the work to help us all come together. I'm more than willing to have your back, continue setting aside past differences, and adjusting to the present."
"I'm a real rat bastard when I want to be, that punch was more than enough proof of that. I can't turn it off completely, but it can be focused elsewhere so I can work on making things better between us. I do want to make things right, starting here and now. So you have my word that I'll learn better ways to handle things and once again, I'm sorry for punching you."
Benji was still drunkenly eating the last of his muffins during Franco outburst, but by the time Topher had responded, he had finally finished, swallowed, and started to sit up so he could look both of his roommates in the eye. "This is good," he said, trying his best to be a mediator, but the slur in his voice made it difficult.
"If we wanna move forward, we need to air all of this out. It's the only way we can discuss ways to address everything that's happened, grow from it, and make sure not to do it again. ...Does anyone wanna air anything out about me? We're not gonna move on together until it's all out in the open, y'know."
Franco scoffed, "No, I don't have anything to say about you babe, cause you are the one who's dealt with my shit for too long now". He turned his focus back to Topher, "You knew what I'd been through Toph, you knew the hell I endured when I went missing. You know I've never fully recovered. Physically I'm fine but mentally, I'm fucked. Punching me in the face, cause I was freaking out... Not cool dude. You know the nightmares I had over that shit?". He paused and pushed himself upwards, "I can't do this right now" he said, tears filling his eyes, "I need a cigarette and five minutes to myself" and he headed to the front door.
"I also don't have anything bad to say about you Ben," Topher responded in his usual calm tone then managed to nod in understanding way as he listened once again. A few thousand more reassurances loaded themselves on the tip of his tongue, but he could barely muster up the courage. Finally though, in a low tone, he added, "Again, I'm willing to learn from my mistakes so I can handle things better down the road. It won't happen again." "And you can hold me to that. Both of you," he remarked as he pulled his sweatshirt hood up over his face.
Benji frowned--he wasn't expecting their first interaction as a trio to end up like this--especially with him too drunk to properly mediate. However, what's done was done now. At this point, the best thing the three of them could do was recover from this bump as smoothly as they could manage--in Ben's mind, they was they moved from this moment would be a great indicator of whether they were all wasting their time trying to get this relationship to work.
"Okay, Baby. Take a quick smoke break. We'll be here to talk more when you get back. Don't take too long," he said softly, turning to face Topher. "Don't cover your face," Benji reprimanded lightly. He already had a plan on how to try to give Topher a crash course on how to deal with Franco when he gets like this.
"Why shouldn't I?" Topher simply inquired, yet he pulled the hood down just a hint all the same. He was torn between remorse for past actions and annoyance that apparently, he couldn't do anything right. "I'm in territory that I shouldn't be in," he muttered under his breath as his blue eyed gaze trained itself on Brooklyn 99 once more. His mental gears were already turning and it was taking all of his resolve to take off for his room like a little kid.
Benji sighed, sitting up so he could look in Topher's eyes as well as possible given how off-balance all the drinking had made him. "Listen... Franc is a really tough egg to crack, but once you do, he's just the sweetest little cuddlebug you've ever met with just the perfect amount of sass mixed in," he waved off that comment--he was getting off topic. "He's been through a lot. Parts of it I know, parts of it I'm still finding out. And it makes him act out and hold grudges. But you've also caught him at a weird time because he's just started therapy a few weeks ago, so he's learning how to use different coping things, just not in the... 'most ideal' order. Like what just happened. A month ago, he would've never spoken so clearly about what was upsetting him. Before, he'd either just shut down or purposely try to rile you up. So it looks and feels harsh to you, but it's actually a good thing. And I promise that if he didn't want to actually give this relationship the try it deserves, he wouldn't've addressed what was making him angry so eloquently. I've only ever seen him do that with me as of now, so keep that in mind. You're not nearly as far in the shit as you think you are."
He leaned back as he continued, "Secondly, Franc keeps grudges. For what feels like forever. And when he reverts back, he brings them up. You saw it with the handcuff thing that got you into your mess. It's how he copes. Is it the most ideal thing in the world? Of course not, but everyone has flaws. The best thing you can do is be aware that he does that and if/when it happens, instead of getting upset, just remind him that you've already apologized and that what he's doing isn't fair. Eventually it'll work. And lastly, the best thing you can do for Franc is to just be there as much as possible and constantly remind him that you're there for him.Acknowledging that you wanna improve and learn from your mistakes is nice, but that's more my Love Language than it is Franc's. Franc wants attention, Franc wants affection, and Franc wants to know that people aren't going to leave him. He's... kinda like a kid that way--" he shrugged. He felt bad using the comparison, but with as drunk as he was, he couldn't formulate a better one--"In fact, sometimes I swear he brings things up and picks fights like that because they're subconscious tests he does to make sure we're not gonna decide he's too much and leave him one day. ...Or maybe not. I'm about 3/4ths through a bottle of wine at this point, so who fucking knows."
He sighed, then stared down at the cup in his hand for a second. He probably shouldn't drink the rest of that, right? He shrugged, gulped it down, then continued: "My main point is this: shower him with love and affection whenever you can. Start with verbal until he's ready for something deeper, then know that the first time you cuddle him, he's never gonna want you to let him go. Do that, work through the hiccups and the tests as calmly as you can, and you'll be surprised at how much love he gives you back once he's ready to. He's my little muscle lovebug. I wouldn't change one thing about him."
Topher nodded along as he listened to what Benji said and did his best to save those mental notes about Franco for later. After all, this was a learning experience, like he'd said. The former Serpent was all about learning new things, absorbing information and always trying to get it from all sides of the story when the moment called for it. But at the same time, his fucked up self esteem just had to crawl out from the back of his mind and twist everything around.
That Franco and Benji were better off without him among many other similar, colorful remarks. Instead, he just took another deep breath then pulled his hood back up again as he responded, "Thank you for the info. I'll be sure to keep it in mind for the future. Don't know if I've said this before, but if I have then fuck it, I'm going to repeat myself. You are one of the sweetest people I know, Benji Karofsky, and I hope you never lose that quality because it's something that I will always love about you."
"I love you too," Benji whispered, leaning in and cupping Topher's cheek, pulling him into a kiss.
Topher returned the kiss and for a just a few moments, allowed his mind to drift to much better things.
After a few moments, Benji pulled back, looking lovingly into Topher's eyes. "I can't believe I actually get the best of both worlds. I've got to be one of the luckiest guys alive," he whispered, giving Topher another soft kiss.
"I do declare that we both some of the luckiest guys alive," Topher answered before he gave a soft kiss of his own. "Don't know what I'd do without you and all that related, sappier than maple syrup business."
Benji playfully rolled his eyes. "You're so cheesy. But I love it." He kept his hand cupped around Topher's cheek for a second or two longer, then let his hand finally fall, laying back down on the sofa. "I think this relationship is gonna be great once it really starts going. I can just feel it."
Topher plopped back in his chair and gave a light smile of gratitude. "Love you too and I couldn't agree more. I do have a touch more hope for the near future than I did at the start of the night, I'll be the first to admit that. Fingers crossed that once things are on the fast track to getting better, great things will start happening."
Franco had sat on the steps outside, smoked 3 ciggerettes to calm himself. His hands were a little shaky but he knew it was his bodies way of coping with things. He didn't know how to be a little adult about this? How do you watch someone you love, love someone else.
He re entered the apartment and gulped, "Look. I ain't saying that I'm gunna jump into this and throw myself into a heap of upset and hurt, cause that's just not me. I want to make this work. I can't change who or what I am or what happened to me in the past and I can't help how I cope with that shit either". He turned to Topher and walked towards him, "You gotta understand, you saw me after what happened. You came to the hospital when I was laying there with broken bones and didn't look a thing like I do today. You watched me recover and then watched me fall to pieces, so you gotta give me time yeah? My life seem to give up" he said with a pause, addressing both men in the room, "First I'm kidnapped and left for dead, then I'm saving Dares life when I was still injured, then I'm a junkie who has to go through withdrawal and now this... it's a lot to take in a few months. So give me time yeah".
But it didn't matter, his speech didn't stop his body reacting and within seconds, he was at Tophers side, smashing there lips together.
Topher had started to formulate a response after a new round of attention-confirming nodding, but the kiss from Franco totally caught him off guard. It was fine though, more than fine because he'd honestly run out of things to say without repeating himself. Plus, this was part of the whole poly thing that they were trying out. Twice the amount of kisses, twice the amount of just about everything. Although the latter part was just a theory that remained to be confirmed or denied. Everything aside though, he returned the kiss.
"Wooo!" Benji shouted, giving the boys a round of applause. Obviously his alcohol consumption had made his reaction more comedic than normal, but this didn't change the fact that this happening was exciting for me. At the end of the day, he wanted the three of them to be together and happy; this was a great start, albeit a little out of nowhere.
Franco pulled away from the kiss and nodded, feeling pretty damn proud he'd tried. He stepped backwards and took a deep breath, "I told you I would try" he said to Benji, "And I'm trying to be a man of my word babe".
"And like I said, I'm more than willing to do my part as well. After all, team work makes the dream work," Topher chimed in. He held a hand out to Franco then the other was offered to Benji as he added, "I've got both of your backs, no matter what."
"Alright. You guys are having too much fun without me. I'm coming in," Benji teased, taking Topher's hand and pulling himself into the middle of Topher and Franco, wrapping his arms around both of them and pulling them into a close circle. He gave them each a dramatic kiss on the cheek, smiling brightly.
Franco took Tophers hand, and then turned to kiss Benji as he joined them, "It's the closet thing your gunna get right now to working on it" he said, "You might wanna warn him about me though babe".
"Don't worry," Topher started then trailed off in order to return Benji's kiss. "And you both should know that no warnings will stop me and whatever lessons there are to be learned, I'll take them into account."
"It's gonna be a bumpy ride, but we'll work through it." Benji said with a smile, still holding them both close. "I love you, Franc. I love you, Toph."
Franco stiffened slightly when Benji said he loved Topher but he took a breath and loosened his shoulders, "I love you too Benji and I like you Toph" he said, trying to show his changes, "Excuse me boys, I just need to..." But he slid out of the hold and started walking to the bedroom.
"Love you too Ben and like you too Franco," Topher answered then watched as the latter slipped out. He cast a slightly confused glance at Benji before he whispered in the lowest tone possible, "I know you probably just covered this, but do we follow or what?"
Benji looked at Topher for a second, then at the doorway Franco had just left through, then back to Topher. "I'm... gonna be honest," he answered, equally as quiet, "he definitely wants someone to go after him. And I'm, like... spacing out-levels of drunk. So, want your first real test?" he offered.
"In that case, off I go," Topher replied then leaned over to press a kiss to Benji's forehead. He pushed himself out of his chair one more time and headed off after Franco. "Yo, Franco, wait up."
Franco had climbed onto the bed when Topher caught up to him, "Sorry man but he said I love you and that is just, a little too far" be breathed out. His hands were shaking and he knew drinking and his past was the cause, "I wanna love you Toph but I just can't".
"It's alright," Topher responded as he took a few more steps into the room and sat down on the bed. "I know that I sure as hell haven't made it easy to love me recently, but you've got nothing to worry about in that department. Whatever happens, I will respect your decision and I mean it."
Franco sighed as Topher sat on the bed, "Toph, you know being with me is a rough ride. I'm not easy to handle, I act out and I can be horrible when I'm not getting what I need. Drugs are in my past, but I have urges and desires and if I'm caught wrong, I'll do whatever I can to get out to get them... Can you even handle that".
"You underestimate how much I'm willing to walk though what might be basically hell for the people who matter most to me or those affiliated with said people," Topher fired back, although his tone lacked any evidence of a real desire to start an argument. "I've got your back just like Benji's got your back, simple as that. Through the good, the bad, and in between." He held an arm out in an unspoken invitation for a side hug.
Franco shook his head, "You don't get it do you" he breathed out, "I'm not a good person. Benji deserves so much better and now he's got it, what hope do I fucking have" he spat. He knew he was being harsh but he couldn't handle this, "I might as well give up"
"Franco, dude, please try to slow your roll. You and Benji have been together longer, okay? You have more romantic history with him and you two are fucking engaged. Logic dictates that if it came down to it, you have a better chance than I do," Topher stated in his usual even tone. "You're a far better man than I am in a variety of other ways. I'm not walking away and I'm not backing down from this stance."
Franco raised an eyebrow, "Says the man I actively encouraged him to keep away from by convincing him you were straight when I knew different. He was majorly in love with you and I fooled him into believing you were off limits".
"And I'm willing to move past that. Hell, I've already moved past that," Topher started as he changed tactics and held a hand out to Franco instead. "I'm not asking you to love me right off the bat, okay? I understand that I've made more than my fair share of dick moves recently and it might take some time to move past it. All I want is to work on building trust with you again, building a friendship. Your lead is the one I will follow, just like Benji's. I will listen to you guys and won't walk away just because things hit a bump in the road. I've already said I've got your backs, so please give me a chance to follow through on it." "You won't regret it," he simply added a few beats later.
Franco moved forward and took Tophers hand, "OK so you gotta not say you love him in front of me right now, I can't handle it and it's like I'm watching him fall out of love with me". He took a breath and sighed, "Toph, one day I'll love you but there is so much you don't know about me".
Those few words felt like someone tossed a few darts into his heart in rapid fire style, yet Topher gave a light nod of agreement. "Alright and it's okay. I'm willing to wait, willing to learn, willing to do all that. However long it takes," he answered. With that, he gave Franco's hand a light squeeze along with a small smile.
Franco nodded, "You can say it when I'm not there, cause I know you love him but it's just super hard for me to hear it" he breathed out. He bit his lip and nodded, "Look dude, go back and have fun yeah, I'm just gunna chill for a minute".
"Yeah, gotcha," Topher responded as he stood up. "I mean, if you'd prefer me heading back then that's cool. But before I go, are we cool? Like, we're on the path to making things better between us and all that slash you won't be upset if I go back to the living room?"
Franco nodded, "Dude we are fine I just want five minutes to chill out before I come back. Why don't you go give him a kiss or something? Whatever it is you guys do".
"Alright, I'll go do that or something similar. Think I'll just chill and watch a bit more of B99," he remarked then gave a light yawn. "Then after that, it is off to bed for me."
Franco nodded, and waited for Topher to leave before jumping up and darted over to his chest of drawers, rummaging for his supply and clutching it in his hand. He didn't need to use it, just needed to feel it was there.
As luck would have it, Topher had just reentered the living room when he realized that he'd carried his Pepsi back into the bedroom. So he made his way back, only to stop right in his tracks when he spotted Franco. "I'm kinda frozen to the floor here, can you hand me my Pepsi please?"
Franco's eyes widened and he shook his head, "No...It's.... Shit Toph, it's not what you think it is" he said, quickly hiding it in his jacket. This was not going to go well for him, "Toph, please do not... Just... Fuck, pretend this didn't happen".
"Not what I think it is, huh?" Topher inquired once he finally found his voice again. He leaned against the doorframe as he crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow at Franco. "Look, I imagine that we're all tired here so I'll just drop it and grab my Pepsi then walk out like everything is normal. But I do want to talk to you about this as soon as possible, okay?"
Franco took a deep breath and nodded, walking over to the bed and grabbing the drink, handing it to Topher and leaning in a little close to him, "You gotta not fuck this up for me Toph, I can't handle this right now" he breathed out, fear coursing through his body, "Please Toph" he begged.
"First, thank you," Topher stated as he accepted the Pepsi then listened and his features softened just a hint. "Second, please don't make me regret giving you the benefit of the doubt. Ben's got enough on his plate right now and I want to make things work with you, that's why I'm not screeching like a banshee. But I want to talk to you about this later and I want to help you get past this whole using drugs thing." He started to leave, but then decided against it. "On second thought, do you mind if I stay here?"
Franco took a breath, "I'm not using drugs, I just have them" he explained quickly, "And I'm not stupid, I know you want to stay here so you can go through my stuff. All I have is what's on me right now" he breathed out, "Nothing more, nothing less".
"I'm not going to go through your stuff," Topher promised as he held up the hand that held his Pepsi bottle. "Got no free hands for that and even if I did have one, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, remember? Besides, I hate it whenever people go through my stuff and that risk is what makes me jumpy when someone asks to borrow my phone or laptop. Long story short, I get it."
Franco raised an eyebrow, "Then what the hell do you wanna stay in mine and Benji's room for?" he asked, confusion on his face. He shrugged his shoulders, "Fine, you know, do whatever you want. Not like I got anything to hide in here any more" he said simply, turning on his heel and leaving the room.
"Mostly to keep an eye -," he trailed off when he noticed that Franco had walked out. Topher gave a sigh as he followed him out then headed for the living room. "And there goes progress," he remarked under his breath as he plopped back into his favorite chair and proceeded to tap his fingers against the armrest in order to expel some nervous energy.
By the time Topher had made his way back into the room, Benji, in all his drunken glory, had managed to fall asleep. However, his best friend plopping down next to him managed to shake him awake. "Huh?" he questioned groggily, slowly sitting up as he started to rub his eyes. "Toph? Where... where's Franc?" He yawned. "Did you guys make up?"
"Yeah, we made up and we're hopefully on the fast track to making things better. But I'm pretty sure I just set progress back either a bit or to square one," Topher answered. "Franco? You still in the house?" Then as he carded a hand through his hair, he addressed Benji once again, "I promise you that I'm trying to go with what you told and learn as I go. I'm just a chronic idiot when it comes to stuff that isn't book smarts."
Franco walked back into the lounge and smiled a fake ass smile, sitting in his previous seat and looking at the floor. He did not trust Topher right now and gulped, "Yeah just needed a moment. Thought I could handle it.... couldn't" he said playing with his hand.
"But hey, now I know what to do in order to ensure smooth sailing," Topher replied with a soft smile. He had no intention of making things worse and planned on keeping his mouth shut. But after a good night's rest, there were more problems to be tackled, which was what he definitely wanted to do as soon as possible.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Toph. I'm sure things are fine," Benji replied sleepily, curling back into a ball on the sofa. He stayed silent for a moment, then finally processed what Franco said. "...couldn't handle what?"
Franco narrowed his eyes at Topher and shook his head, "Just you two babe. I kissed him so I'm trying but I couldn't handle seeing it. You know me, a big old pathetic let down" and he stared directly at Topher as he said those last words.
Topher had been the middle of yanking his hood up once again because there was no way he was moving from this chair, even if his bed was much more comfy. But Franco's words caught his attention and the hood fell right back down. "Franco, that couldn't be further from the truth. Neither of you are a let down and even if it takes me a thousand encouraging words to convince you of that, I've got all the time to say them," he responded in a meaningful tone.
"Franc, if you don't want to do this, you can say no. I don't know how many times I can stress that, Baby." Benji sighed. "Maybe I integrated things a little too fast. We'll be a little more private about the affection for a while. But the same's gonna go for you and me, y'know. It's only fair," he explained, hoping that would be a good compromise. As he re-closed his eyes, he couldn't help but smile lightly at Topher, happy he was trying to kill Franc with kindness like he suggested.
"Whatever you guys think will work best," Topher remarked before he yawned and stretched in the chair a little as he did so. "Sorry guys, but I'm going to call it a night. But I believe tonight was an alright first step and things can only get better from here as long as we keep hashing things out, making progress, all that." Another yawn escaped then he murmured, "Night Benji, night Franco. Stay cool, but not cold."
Franco scoffed at Topher and stood up, "I think I'm gunna head outside for a bit and have a smoke" he said, almost testing the other man, "I'll see you in the morning... Where are you staying tonight Benj?"
"Night, Topher. Good job tonight. Hit the showers," Benji teased, starting to sit up when Franco spoke again. "Uh. No you're not. You just had a smoke. Come on, we're going to bed too." At Franco's question, Benji couldn't help but make a face in reaction. "...I'm staying in my bed. Just like every night. So c'mon."
Franco sighed and shook his head, "I wanna smoke babe" he said, clenching his jaw a little. He saw the look on Ben's face and nodded, "OK, you'll stay with me tonight... But soon you won't? How am I meant to handle that? I'm trying Ben, I even kissed him but it's just... It doesn't matter"
"Franc, don't you get it? I know you need me to fall asleep. I'm not sleeping anywhere but my bed with you." Benji rolled his eyes, then sighed. "Maybe we should just call this off, huh? You're not handling it well and it feels like it's putting a strain on us. There's no point in doing a relationship this complicated if it's not healthy, Baby."
Franco nodded, "I don't need you... I just wouldn't sleep" he tried to defend himself. He rushed over to Benji and shook his head, "No baby, I don't want to call this off, I'm just scared and worried and I don't know how else to deal with his other then acting out babe"
"Not being able to sleep is exactly why you need--" Benji started, cutting himself off in surprise when Franco rushed towards him. "What is there to be scared and worried about? Our relationship hasn't changed. We've talked about this over and over." He sighed, "Franc, If we're gonna keep this arrangement, it needs to be healthy--which means we need to be able to talk things through openly and rationally. You don't get to act out every time you get negative feelings. It's not fair to Toph. And it's not fair to me either, although it's my fault for humoring it as much as I have been."
Franco shrugged his shoulders, "It's just in my head babe that I might lose you or something and it freaks me out cause I'm just getting shit back on track". Franco sighed, "I know babe but I'm really trying. People who are in recovery shouldn't even have relationships and here I am trying to juggle two of them... It's hard and I need space to breathe every once in a while"
Benji couldn't help but rub his temples in annoyance. He loved Franco, but dealing with this over and over was getting tiring. "I don't know how else to say this: this poly relationship is not something that would make you lose me. For the millionth time."
He turned to look at Franco, "Yes, it's hard. I understand. But I give you space to breathe every time you need it, multiple times a day. Do you think this is easy for Topher either? Of course not. But he doesn't have a temper tantrum every time you and I interact with each other." He sighed. He really didn't want to open up this can of worms, but playing nice was showing to be ineffective. He tried to choose his words carefully as he continued, "I understand that there will be bumps, but there's a difference between a road having bumps and acting like the road's made of gravel."
Franco shook his head at the words, "I don't think it's easy for him but he's used to it. He wasn't in this relationship the whole time we have been" he breathed out. He took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm trying. I kissed him. I spoke with him. I'm sorry that my brain struggles to comprehend everything that is going on".
Benji pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to keep his annoyance from being too obvious. "Let's just... go to bed, okay? We've done enough tonight."
Franco sighed, "You go and I'll meet you in there" he spoke out, "I just really need a cigarette right now"
Benji threw his hands up in defeat and stood up. "...Fine," he murmured, turning and starting to head for his bedroom.
Franco sighed and went down to smoke. He needed to hide his drugs again and somewhere different. He finished up and went back upstairs, nudging Topher, "Hey, you gunna come to bed" he asked, knowing he needed to play nice, "You can come with us but I get the middle" he offered.
One of Topher's eyes opened then both when he heard Franco and felt the nudge. His sleep addled mind didn't want him to move anymore from his favorite chair, but he also knew that he'd regret it if he didn't. Plus he wanted to help make this work, didn't he? So Topher gave an understanding sort of nod as he pushed himself out of the chair and headed off for the bedroom.
By this time, Benji was facing his dresser, changing into a pair of pajamas. "Hey, Baby." he said to the sound of footsteps, not bothering to turn around. In the back of his mind, he knew he needed to stop babying Franco at some point, but he also knew that that day wasn't going to be today. "Cuddle time?"
Franco had walked through to the bedroom with Topher and pushed him in the direction of Benji, "Cuddle him" he'd breathed as he'd made his way to the bed, laying down in the middle, shurugging of his clothes and dropping them on the floor until he was only in his boxer shorts
Topher lightly stumbled, but managed to recover his footing then started to rest his head on Benji's shoulder before he second guessed himself and just leaned against the dresser. "Fair warning to you both, I talk in my sleep," he remarked in between yawns. "Feel free to roast me for what I say or don't. Whatever."
"Toph?" Benji questioned, turning around when the head on his shoulder felt different than what he was expecting. "You're sleeping with us? Awe, this is perfect," he said happily, wrapping one arm around Topher and starting to drag him towards the bed. "Franco in the middle," he stated, clamoring onto the bed and opening his arms for both Topher and Franco to climb into.
Franco was already in the middle of the bed, "Yeah I thought he might not wanna sleep on his own tonight so invited him in with us" he said and then gave a small laugh, "Of course I'm in the middle and, if this works out, then I'm always in the middle".
Topher's tired mind almost made him jump when Benji started to lead him toward the bed and he almost started to voice the obnoxious amount of potential concerns, yet his mouth remained closed. He shuffled over to the empty side then climbed into it. "This might sound weird, but hell with it. Thank you both."
Benji smiled softly, moving the boys so Franco was cuddled into him and his arm was wrapped around Topher’s back. “I’m sleeping well tonight,” he whispered, squeezing them both close.
Franco felt a little out of place but kept himself wrapped into Benji, "Clean slate" was all he breathed.
"The cleanest slate possible," Topher sleepily mused before he drifted back to sleep once more.
I love dancing just as much as the next guy, but there’s definitely a diminishing return if you do it every day. Between working my ass off for this showcase and trying to destress before I start preparing for the next, I think I’m gonna need a little extra energy, y’know?
