zoe

Since the very moment Ben saw you, he felt something he’d become unfamiliar with throughout the years. He looked at you and saw an aura of calm that he never wanted to break.

You were his redemption, the island of refuge in an ocean of pain and anger he’d felt all his life.

So, he loved you, protected you, treated you as if you were a goddess among men. He let you soothe him, your fingertips tickling over his shoulders after a particularly rough fight with an enemy.

It was quite a sight to see, this calm presence settling like a cat in Soldier Boy’s lap, but it was one The Boys had found to be a constant through their days.

“I missed you.” You whispered to him, knees finding their home on either side of his thighs. His hands, calloused from years of violence, brushed against the smooth fabric of your sundress, ensuring you wouldn’t accidentally slip away from him. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of you.

“Missed you too, sweetheart.” He grumbled out, low and quiet, just for your ears. Then he waited, hanging on your every breath, body begging for your next words like a drug addict waiting for his next fix.

When it didn’t come, he furrowed his brows, eyes shooting open to find you grinning at him.

“There you are.” Your voice slithered toward him, silky smoke in the air that wrapped him in a warmth only you could provide. “I wanted to see those pretty eyes.”

Pretty eyes.

If anyone else had said that to him, they would’ve been introduced to Soldier Boy’s already battered fist.

Not you. He would never admit it out loud, wouldn’t even admit it in his own mind, but he loved when you talked to him like that, like he was something worthy of gentleness. It wasn’t something he’d ever experienced before.

“Could’ve just asked…,” he murmured, pushing his face closer, letting his nose brush against yours so he could feel the puff of breath from every word.

“Mmm…” The sound was half hum, half exhale, a physical reaction to the affection he was giving you, like a purring. Ben knew you made the same noise when you sunk into a bubble bath, or got a taste of something with just the right amount of spices, or when a baby smiled at you.

“Hm?” Ben hummed, eyes falling shut again. He inched forward, hands splaying out to make sure you were still real, still his.

“I love you.” You whispered, the scent of strawberry lip balm wafting toward him.

“Love you too.” Ben breathed out, melting a bit. He didn’t really know how this answered his question, but he’d be damned if he missed an opportunity to tell you it.

“The dahlias are blooming.”

This caught his attention.

Dahlias.

His mom’s favorite flower, information you’d pulled out of him late one night. He didn’t talk about his family. Not with you, not with the government, not with any goddammed person who cared enough to ask.

But that night… well, that night, he slipped up, just once, but you never forgot the important things, and this was one of the most important things.

“They’re gonna be beautiful.” You pulled your face from Ben’s, making his breath catch in his throat. He didn’t want space right now, he wanted you.

His protests died before they could even start when you looped your arms around his neck, resting your cheek on his still armored shoulder.

Good, he thought, this is good.

“I’ll take care of them, promise.” You mumbled, the heavy glaze of sleep weighing your words down.

Ben didn’t doubt that for a moment. You were good at that. Taking care of things, keeping them safe, making sure they were happy, which, according to you, flowers could be.

He believed the very thought of plants having emotions to be ridiculous, but he did really like hearing you talk to your garden like it was a crowd of friends.

“I know.” He traced a soft circle on your skin, feeling you melt into him. “I know.”

He listened to your heart, counting and memorizing every beat until his own matched your rhythm.

You didn’t speak again, having finally fallen victim to the late hour’s pull.

Ben, on the other hand, sat there for an hour more, letting his body flush out the remaining adrenaline from the day with the constant reminder that you were there, you were real, you loved him, you loved him, you loved him, you loved him…

God, he loved you.