How about a benverly hc where benny offers bevvie to stay with him and his mom instead of moving to Portland and benny's mom like lowkey ships them?
Beverly stood on the front steps of her father’s house, breath wavering as she clutched onto the ends of her curling hair. The voice caught her off guard, snapping her out of a loop of haunting memories that played through her thoughts. She turned on her heel, eyebrows furrowed at the sight of Ben.
“W-What are you doing here?” Beverly asked, her voice soft as she scurried down the steps to greet a panting Ben. He shook his head before looking up at her, mouth slightly agape. Ben was bent over, hands pressed to his mid-thighs as he worked to fill his lungs once more. Sweat coated the back of his neck and dripped down the sides of his face, suggesting he ran. From where, Beverly couldn’t tell.
“Don’t move to Portland,” Ben spat out as he straightened his posture. His cheeks were darkly flushed and he seemed to stumble over his thoughts but he was confident in the way he spoke. Beverly opened her mouth slightly before clamping it shut, letting a soft and sweet smile grow across her face. Her eyes filled with sympathy as she wondered if Ben was trying to make her stay because he loved her. Just as she opened her mouth to apologize, Ben shook his head frantically. “I mean it, Bev, don’t go. We need you, Bill needs you, I-” His words faltered off before he reached towards her and pressed a hand to her shoulder, purposely staring into her eyes.
“The Club isn’t the Loser’s Club without you, Bev. Please don’t go. Ma said she’d set up a place for you, we have a spare bedroom-” Beverly cut Ben off quickly with a quick press of her lips to his still-flushed cheeks, a smile growing on her face.
“Of course I’ll stay, Ben.”
It took weeks of convincing Beverly’s aunt to allow her to stay. Ben lost count of all the hushed whispered exchanged between his mother and her aunt, snarling comments of ‘what will people think’ and ‘it isn’t right, letting her live with a boy that isn’t family’. It took weeks of convincing, of showing the life and happiness that was instilled in Beverly through Derry and her aunt finally cracked. She wrapped her arms around Beverly the last night and whispered words into her ear, words that Ben never heard but watched as they made Beverly’s eyes swim with tears and lips curl into a smile.
“You’re apart of the Hanscom family.” Ben’s mother pulled the girl into her arms, giving her a warm hug. “Now we just gotta make it official!”
Beverly smiled before she turned to Ben, who was holding onto her duffel bag of clothes and other miscellaneous belongings. He dragged her into her new room and stood in the doorway with a shy smile as Beverly looked around. She ran her fingers over the wall, fingertips dipping into the small dents and bumps over the room. Her heart filled with joy as she turned to Ben with a wide, happy grin on her face.
“I love it.” She gripped onto Ben’s hand and pulled him into the room, laughing at the boy’s startled yelp. He dropped her bag onto the bed before turning on his heel, facing Beverly. She grabbed onto his hand and began swaying, dancing along to a silent song. He quickly settled into the small, rigid movements and placed his hands on her waist. He began to hum a soft song, cheeks flaring red as Beverly’s arms moved up from his shoulders to around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. They still swayed to Ben’s gentle hums, letting the silence fill the room around them and letting the words left unsaid remain so.
“Thank you Benny.” Beverly finally spoke, her fingers twitching nervously against the back of Ben’s neck. “For everything. Thank you.” Ben just smiled in response, pulling away slightly to give her a shrug. He knew that if he spoke, his tongue would fail him and nothing he wanted to say would come out. The shrug was enough for Beverly; it was just Ben enough. It told her that it was okay and that he would have done it over and over again. So she ran her thumbs along his cheek before pulling away, nodding towards her bag.
When Ben’s mother quietly walked down the hall to tell the young teens that dinner was nearly ready, she smiled at the sight she was greeted by. Ben, sitting on the floor with his poetry book in hand and Beverly, laying on the bed with her eyes shut. Ben’s soft voice floated around the room, making it feel so detached from their harsh realities and gave everyone nearby a sense of serenity. Beverly’s hand was resting on Ben’s head, a few fingers stretching and balling together beneath strands. The older woman stepped away with a smile on her face and gratification swelling in her chest.
Ben, her lonely and lovely son, was sedated and happy with the gaze of a girl that loved him. And Beverly was sedated and happy in the presence of a boy who loved her. And maybe, just maybe, one day in the future, they’ll realize what should be fate.