Hi! Could I request a Ben Barnes x reader story where they have been secretly dating for a long time and their relationship only gets publically found out when Ben accidentally does an interview with a lipstick mark on his face/neck 💋
white lies
@/pinchofhoney, i'm the author of this poorly made edit (autocomplete interview with ben is something we all need)
i combined this request with another one, because they are meant to be together: (...) if you could write a one shot where Ben and the reader are in a really private relationship, and when I mean private like literally just them, like their close friends are the only one who knows they're together but one time they got spotted and it went trending and the reader thought they would receive backlash but turns out the people have always been rooting for them? (...)
ben barnes x fem!reader
word count: 2.9k
warning: nothing but fluff, everyone loves fluff<33
summary: The saying goes that a lie has no legs, and this rings especially true when it is caught on camera.
a/n: hello, and thank you for your request!!<33 i know how long you waited for me to write it, so i hope you will be satisfied with the result:(( let me know, please! thank you for your patience<3
every like and reblog is very much appreciated. don't let if flop!!
pages that may interest you: masterlist ♡ taglist ♡ who i write for
taglist: @wolfmoonmusic @myladydarkling @alexxavicry @danelhi @lonelywitchv2
“Hey there, I’m Ben Barnes and today I’m doing WIRED Autocomplete Interview,” Ben introduces himself with a bright smile on his lips and his eyes fixed directly on the camera, so everyone in front of the screen could feel as he was speaking specific to them.
When one of the people off-camera handed him the first question board, Ben quickly thanked them before taking a moment to look on the very well-known by internauts object. With a confident smile, he uncovered the first question and responded without hesitation. “Is Ben Barnes British? Yes, absolutely. I was born in London, England and I am 100% British, even though I spend a lot of time in the States,” he replied with a hint of amusement in his tone. “Although, I thought my accent would give it away,” he added with a chuckle before tearing off another piece of paper to reveal the next question.
“Is Ben Barnes an only child?” as he read question, he shook his hand in front of him to remove a piece of paper that had stuck to his fingers. The paper eventually fluttered to the ground, and Ben's attention returned to the camera with a grin on his face. “No, I actually have a younger brother named Jack,” he said, his eyes sparkling with joy as he recalled his sibling. “He's absolutely lovely, I miss him,” he added, nodding his head slightly.
Upon reading the next question, Ben furrowed his eyebrows, a hint of confusion flickering across his face. “Is Ben Barnes Spanish?” he raised his head to look at the camera and chuckled. “I don’t think we need to answer this question,” he said genuinely amused by the search. Without skipping a beat, he quickly moved on to the next question, and when he read it, his face lit up with a warm smile again. “Is Ben Barnes in the T-Mobile commercial? Yes!” he declared, his voice brimming with pride. He sent the camera a charming grin and added, “I, in fact, am this charming British actor,” winking at the camera and playfully imitating a line spoken in the commercial.
The quiet giggles of the women working in production behind the camera made you burst out laughing. Even though you couldn't see them, you could picture the adorable grins on their faces. Ben always knew how to work his charm, and sometimes you found yourself resenting him for it, especially when he used it against you. Both of you knew you couldn't resist his charismatic plays.
You sit on the couch, absorbed in the latest interview with Ben, which had just been posted online. You could be his girlfriend, his confidante, his partner in crime, but he never shared any behind-the-scenes secrets with you. He loved seeing your genuine reactions to his work, no matter what they were. It was just one of the many things that made him so endearing to you.
As the interview continued to play on your phone, you heard the familiar sound of Ben's footsteps entering the living room. You looked up to see him walking towards you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He knew what you were watching and he couldn't resist the opportunity to tease you. He leaned over the back of the couch, his face hovering just inches from yours.
“What are you watching, love?” he asked, his voice full of amusement.
You rolled your eyes at his playful tone, but couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of your lips. “Just the latest interview with my favorite actor,” you replied, pretending to be unimpressed.
Ben grinned and leaned in closer, his breath tickling your cheek. “Oh, really? And who might that be?” he asked, his voice dripping with mock curiosity.
You shook your head, trying to hide your smile. “I don't know, some Benjamin? He reminds me of my favorite character from Disney animation,” you teased back.
Ben chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to your temple before settling onto the couch next to you. You leaned into him, enjoying his familiar scent and the feeling of his arm draped around your shoulder. The interview continued to play, but you found yourself more distracted by Ben's presence than the questions being asked. You couldn't help but steal glances at him, admiring the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled and the way his hair looked even messier than always. You could hardly believe that the charming and witty actor was your boyfriend.
“Wait,” he suddenly spoke up, snapping you out of your thoughts about him. He shifted his curious gaze to you after he stopped the video, his eyes a warm shade of brown that you could get lost in for hours. “Which character?” he asked, his voice filled with interest.
You furrowed your eyebrows completely off guard. It took you a moment to realize that he was referring to the words spoken as a joke. “Oh,” you said, your eyebrows raising slightly as your brain processed his question. “Eugene Fitzherbert.”
“Eugene?” Ben repeated, looking even more confused than you were a seconds earlier.
“Oh my goodness,” you muttered pretending to be annoyed. “Flynn Rider, does that tell you anything? Girl with magic hair? An evil stepmother keeping her in a tower?” you shifted away from him, settling into a cross-legged position as you faced him. “I've got a dream, I've got a dream. I just wanna see the floating lanterns gleam,” you sang, earning a chuckle from Ben.
“Okay, Rapunzel. Right,” he said, still laughing as he watched you. “I should have known. You’ve watched that movie, what, a hundred times?”
You rolled your eyes playfully, but couldn't help the fond smile that crept onto your face. "Only a hundred? I thought you knew me better than that," you teased, leaning back into his side.
Ben shook his head, still grinning from ear to ear at your playful banter. He reached for your phone and resumed the interview with a smile. You watched him intently as he answered all this questions, his passion for storytelling evident in every word he said. But suddenly your attention was diverted by something you hadn't noticed before – something that could potentially create a stir online.
Your hand flew to your mouth in surprise. “Oh no,” you gasped. “Is this what I'm thinking about?”
Without a second thought, you took the phone out of Ben's hands and held it up to your face, squinting to make sure you weren't mistaken.
Ben chuckled at your sudden change in behavior. “What are you looking at? I know I'm devilishly handsome, but you can look at me in person, you know?” he joked, but as he noticed your furrowed brow and lack of response, his expression turned serious.
“What is that?”
You turned your head, shifting your gaze to Ben, all the while holding your hand to your mouth with eyes wide open. “The reddish mark on your neck.”
Hearing your words, Ben's eyes widened and he almost snatched the phone from your hands to get a better look. At the same moment, a question about whether Ben had a partner appeared on the white board, to which he firmly denied and quickly moved on to the next topic. Hearing this coincidence, you burst out laughing uncontrollably, but Ben didn't find it as amusing since you had managed to keep your relationship a secret for over a year. Only your closest friends and family knew about it, and no one else. You had made the mutual decision to keep your relationship under wraps. It had started as a way to avoid unwanted attention and speculation from the media and fans, but as time went on, it had become a way to protect your relationship and keep it sacred. It had been a source of stress and anxiety at times, but it had also brought you closer together, sharing this special secret that only the two of you knew.
The situation was too ironic, and you couldn't stop laughing. The timing of the question about Ben's relationship status coming up at the same moment you noticed the mark on his neck was too much of a coincidence to ignore. Finally getting a hold of yourself, you asked, “What do we do now?” Noticing the look on Ben's face, you could tell he was worried.
He tried to reassure himself by saying, “This mark is barely noticeable. No one should be able to spot it, right?”
But you couldn't offer him any comfort, and you just helplessly shrugged your shoulders. You had to be honest with yourself, the idea of it being exposed was kind of terrifying. You knew that if you made it public, it would change everything. People would start scrutinizing every little detail of your lives, and the media could potentially spin it in a negative light. Being a regular person, you valued your privacy and didn't want to deal with the hassle of being in the public eye. Besides, what if his fans didn't like you? The thought of reading negative comments about yourself on all your social media profiles was daunting. You knew what kind of venom some users were capable of spewing, and you didn't want to expose yourself to that kind of negativity.
You quickly navigated to the comments section below the interview, frantically searching through the fan reactions, praying that no one had caught a glimpse of the conspicuous reddish mark on Ben's neck that you had left there before he went to work. Why the makeup artists had failed to conceal the mark before filming? They should have noticed it.
As you scrolled through the fan reactions in the comments section, you couldn't help but groan when you came across the first comment that mentioned the hint of your lipstick with an exact time reference. “03:31 BENJABIN THOMAS BARNES WHAT IS THAT MARK ON YOUR NECK?” you read aloud, and looked uncertainly at Ben, who was also staring at the phone screen. Your fears had come true.
As you continued to read, you noticed that there were other comments that also mentioned the mark. Ben pointed his finger at one of them too, confirming your suspicions. The situation was getting out of hand.
But amidst all the serious comments, there were a few that made you chuckle. “Someone wrote all men do is lie,” you laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
“I don’t lie,” he rolled his eyes, biting his lower lip to keep himself from laughing along with you.
“You do and this video is the proof of that,” when you said these words, you suddenly realized something. You straightened up, opening your mouth in surprise, and looked at Ben with feigned indignation. “Are you the one who ate the last cookies in the package? Don’t lie to me,” you said clearly, pointing an accusing finger at him with a serious face, wandering your eyes over his face.
“I-” Ben began in a defensive tone, and you watched the amusement that started painting on his face. “Okay, fine, it was me,” he admitted, laughing and defusing the tension. “But let’s not start a cookie war right now.”
As you both sat there in silence, you reached over to lock the screen of the phone, effectively ending the interview. With the device now resting on the table in front of you, the weight of what had just occurred began to sink in.
After a few moments, you tentatively broke the silence with a suggestion. “Why don't we just pretend that nothing happened?” you offered, hoping that Ben would agree. It was clear to both of you that publicly announcing your relationship was not an option, and this seemed like the best way to handle the situation.
Ben looked relieved at your suggestion and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that's probably for the best,” he said, his voice sounding a little strained. You could tell that he was still processing everything that had just happened.
You sat in silence for a few more minutes, both lost in your thoughts. Finally, you decided to break the tension with a joke. “Well, at least now we know that your fans are Sherlock-level detectives,” you quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
Ben chuckled, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yeah, I guess I underestimated their sleuthing skills,” he replied, his voice sounding a little more relaxed now.
As the weeks passed after the incident during the interview, you and Ben did your best to keep your relationship under wraps. You avoided going out in public together, and when you did, you made sure to keep a low profile. But on this particular day, you decided to grab lunch at a small café near the neighborhood he lived in. You were enjoying your meal and chatting with Ben when a fan spotted him and shyly approached your table.
“Excuse me, are you Ben Barnes?” the fan asked excited, holding out their phone for a photo.
Ben smiled politely and put his coffee down on the table before agreeing to take a photo with her. She handed you her phone, her hands shaking with excitement, and asked if you could take the picture for her. You accepted with a soft smile and positioned yourself to take a few shots while Ben stood up to pose with the fan.
After the photos were taken, she couldn’t contain her happiness and gushed, “I’m such a big fan! I loved you in The Punisher.”
Ben chuckled and responded with a grateful tone, “Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
The fan asked him a few more questions about his upcoming projects and music, and you observed with admiration as Ben responded with a smile and listened intently to her every word. He never gave the impression that he was bothered or uninterested, even if the topic wasn't something he was particularly fond of. You thought how much his fans meant to him and how he treated each of them with respect and kindness, making them feel important and appreciated.
As the fan walked away from your table, beaming with excitement, you couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy at her experience. It was amazing to see how Ben handled his fans with such kindness and charm, making each and every one of them feel special, and you were sure that the girl would cherish this encounter for a long time. Despite having witnessed this before, you were still impressed every time by his sincere connection with his fans.
When Ben sat back down, you could tell that he was still in a good mood. “She was sweet,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “It's always nice to meet fans, you know?”
You smiled at him, feeling warm in your heart. “You're amazing with your fans, Ben. I don't know how you do it.”
He shrugged, looking down at his coffee cup. “I don't know, I just try to make them feel appreciated. They're the reason I get to do what I love, after all.”
The two of you continued chatting for a while longer, discussing the least important things, enjoying each other's presence and having lunch together. But as you were about to leave the café, you noticed something strange happening on your phone.
“What's going on?” Ben asked, noticing the look of concern on your face.
You showed him your Twitter feed, where several notifications were popping up, all of them about the photo you had just taken of Ben with the fan, praising Ben's good looks and speculating about your identity. “Looks like we're trending on Twitter,” you said not sure how to react.
You glanced at your phone's screen once again and read the tweet that had caught your attention. “JUST SAW BEN BARNES OUT FOR LUNCH WITH HIS MYSTERY GIRLFRIEND! I have no idea who she is but THEY LOOK SO CUTE TOGETHER! Screaming crying throwing up #thatshouldbeme”.
Ben let out a small laugh as he read the tweet on his phone. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag," he said, glancing up at you.
The tweet had already been retweeted hundreds of times and you could feel your anxiety rising as you thought about what this might mean for you. For your relationship.
“What do we do now?” you asked him, your voice trembling slightly.
Ben took a moment to think before responding. “I think we should just embrace it,” he said, his voice calm and reassuring. “We can't change the fact that people know now, so there's no point in trying to hide it. And honestly, I’ve been thinking about it. I don't want to have to pretend that I'm not dating the most amazing person in the world,” he added, reaching across the table to take your hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.
Despite the less-than-ideal situation, his unwavering support and affection provided you with a sense of comfort, as though everything would be alright.
As you and Ben exited the café, you couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched, even though it seemed like everyone was just minding their own business. Some pedestrians recognized Ben and pointed discreetly, while others tried to catch a glimpse of you, the mysterious girlfriend. The paparazzi were nowhere in sight, but you knew it was only a matter of time before they caught on. You wondered how you would handle the inevitable intrusion into your private life, but for now, you were content to hold Ben's hand and enjoy the moment.
As you walked down the street, Ben leaned in close to whisper in your ear. “Don't worry, we'll figure this out together,” he said, his breath warm against your skin. You turned to him and smiled, feeling grateful to have him by your side.
