#benxjacob week 2024

If you're wondering why there was no content for this week yesterday, it's not because it was art on Tumblr this time. I was sick over the past week so it just kinda creeped up on me. Anyways, enjoy!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Ben always enjoyed the nighttime. When he was working for the military, it was the only time he would get away from others, but now, it was a time for him to relax with some chamomile tea while looking at the stars. It was peaceful, being alone with his own thoughts and a cup of tea beneath the stars. A nice way to unwind after a busy day.

However, tonight was not going to be as peaceful and relaxing as it was supposed to be.

It started off normal enough. He made his tea and was just about to take it outside when he heard knocking at the door. He wasn’t expecting any visitors, especially this late at night, so he peeked through the peephole. His best friend, Jacob Arrow, was standing outside, covered in blood. Frightened by this sudden interruption of his usual routine, he put his tea down on a nearby table and helped his friend into his house.

“Jake, Jesus, what happened to you?” Ben asked as his friend almost collapsed in his arms.

“I…I haven’t a clue.” Jacob panted, clutching his head with one hand and his chest with the other. Between the whole ordeal that he just escaped from and running all the way to Ben’s house, he felt dizzy, more than likely due to the hyperventilation.

“Well, before you explain, let me sit you down and fix you a cup of tea. I’ll tend to your wounds as well.”

Jacob sat himself down on the couch while Ben returned to the kitchen to make some tea for his friend. He made oolong tea, seeing as times like this would typically call for one’s favourite tea, and grabbed the first aid kit from a drawer before heading into the living room.

He first got Jacob to remove his hand from his face, revealing a deep wound underneath. It looked like it would scar, but the military made both of them used to scars. He stitched up the wound before putting a bandage on it. He then moved on to the other wounds, which were scattered around his body.

“Thanks for this.” Jacob sighed solemnly, taking a sip of his oolong tea to distract himself from the mental and physical pain.

“No problem. I mean, what are friends for?” Ben chuckled, fixing a wound on his waist, “Anyways, you mind explaining to me what happened to you?”

“I’m trying to figure that out myself. Some deranged lunatic attacked me and Lily. It…it was a weird experience.”

“Is…is Lily okay?” Ben realised Jacob’s wife wasn’t with them. But she survived, right?

“I…I think she died. After I killed the guy who was attacking us, I went to make sure she was okay and…she was cold. She lost so much blood, and I didn’t get to her in time.”

Ben stopped himself in the midst of tending to Jacob’s wounds. He saw that his friend was crying and immediately put his first aid kit away to comfort him. Both of them wished it wasn’t real, but the tears rolling down Jacob’s face confirmed it. Lily was dead, and it was all because of some random person who had broken into their house.

While Jacob had killed the perpetrator, Ben still wanted to know who it was. After all, there were plenty of people who hated the military.

“Are you able to describe the guy who did this? Anything might help.” He restarted tending to his friend’s injuries. His new plan was to finish with these injuries and let Jacob sleep while he looked up the person who attacked him.

“Call me crazy, and trust me, I feel like it, but…I think it was a vampire.”  Jacob answered, voice hoarse from crying.

Ben chuckled awkwardly before realising Jacob was being completely serious. He was joking, though, right? Maybe he was hallucinating from sleep deprivation? Something was definitely up here.

“What do you mean?” Ben finished the last of his friend’s injuries so that he could look him in the eyes.

“When he attacked Lily, he bit her in the neck. Now, I’ve seen people bleed out on the battlefield, but she bled out much faster than normal. That alone wouldn’t be enough to prove it, but then there was when I tried to kill him that confirmed it. He seemed…untouchable when I shot at him like the bullets were just going through him. It wasn’t until I cut his head off with an axe that I was able to stop him.”

He wasn’t joking. That definitely sounded like the vampires you would hear about in fiction. Watching your wife die to one was probably the worst way to find out they’re real, making Ben feel even worse for Jacob.

He wasn’t sure how else to react. Hell, he hadn’t even really seen Jacob cry before. The closest he got to that was his wedding day, but that was a completely different circumstance. Marrying your wife is different to watching her die right in front of you, and nobody should experience it, especially with how recent their wedding was.

“I feel like I need something stronger than tea. Do you want a beer?” Ben got up off the couch and walked over to his fridge to get himself a drink.

“No, right now, I think I just want to sleep.”

“Do you at least want another cup of tea to get you to sleep?”

“Nah, I haven’t even drunk half of this cup. Besides, I…I think I have an idea of what I’m going to do.”

“Really? You already killed the guy. What else can you do besides defend yourself in court when they realise you killed him in self-defence?”

“You remember that guy from the army who was always a bit…cuckoo? He wasn’t that much older than us, if I remember right.”

“Falcon? What about- Oh yeah, he used to say things like werewolves were real, didn’t he? Yeah, I think I see where you’re going with this.”

“He said he was going to hunt them down after he was discharged. I’m going to find him and see if he can teach me how to defend myself and others against these people. I don’t want anyone to end up like Lily…or me.”

Ben always admired Jacob’s bravery and determination to protect everyone around him, especially those he loved and cared about. Seeing this still shining through despite what happened that night gave him hope for his friend’s future. Sure, he had some learning to do, but Ben was certain he’d get there.

“Hey,” Ben took Jacob’s hands in his, “Jake, I’m not much of a fighter, but remember, if you ever need someone to help you with your wounds, especially in battle, then you can just call me. I’ll always be there for you, no matter what.”

The first thing Jacob noticed as he woke up was the itchy feeling on his hand. He looked down to see an IV connected to his hand, which was also connected to a bag of what was presumably blood. He couldn’t quite remember what happened, but apparently, he had lost enough blood to need a transfusion. He did feel a bit lightheaded from the blood loss but overall didn’t feel any different.

He heard the door to his bedroom fling open as Ben stood there, seemingly panicked over whatever had just happened. He gave a smile, but it was when Ben hugged him that he finally started to realise what had really happened to him. He went to return the hug and realised that he couldn’t feel his left hand on the back of his shirt. In fact, he couldn’t feel any part of his left arm.

He looked over at his left arm. It wasn’t there.

The memories started slowly coming back to him. He was fighting a werewolf that had attacked him while he was out getting some firewood. He remembered teeth sinking into his arm before the excruciating pain as his shoulder was ripped straight out of its socket. He must’ve passed out sometime afterwards because he couldn’t quite remember his arm being completely ripped off.

“Jake, are you-“ Ben started before being cut off.

“Wolfsbane. Do we have any?” Jacob asked, concerned about the effects of being bitten by the werewolf.

“Yes…why?”

“Rub some on me; I need to test something.”

“That’s a bit of a weird ask, but okay.” Ben picked up some of the wolfsbane from their stash and rubbed it on Jacob’s leg.

While he was prepared for a burning sensation on his leg, Jacob was thankful it didn’t happen. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he hadn’t been turned.

Still, he was now left with one arm. It would most certainly make hunting a lot more difficult, not to mention trying to explain this to people who would be nosy enough to ask him. Ben would have to take over a lot of the chores around the RV, even driving. His stomach churned at the thought of how his life would change because of this injury.

“Fuck me.” He sighed, unable to say much else without breaking down. He needed to stay strong, especially in front of his best friend.

“I would if I could,” Ben muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“What?”

“Anyways, uh,” Jacob had to pretend like he didn’t just hear what Ben had mumbled, “What…what do we do now?”

“I know you. You aren’t going to give up on hunting, are you?”

“No…not when people like that are out there. The ones that don’t want to live peacefully amongst humans and instead turn to violence. That was our deal with Aculus, even if Falcon didn’t agree with it.”

“Speaking of other people, why don’t we…I don’t know…recruit a team? I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who have lost something or someone because of violent supernatural creatures. I mean, there’s the Harper family. Why don’t we talk to them about forming some form of alliance?”

“No, the Harper family’s methods are unethical, and they don’t consider the number of supernatural creatures who just wish to live peacefully. I’m not associating with any of them.”

“Yeah, that’s true. However, I’d like to think that maybe future generations that come from families like that will be more accepting of supernatural creatures. Actually, I met their daughter…Gwen, I think her name is, and she didn’t seem to hold the same beliefs as her parents. That could just be an act, though.”

“Well, maybe one day we’ll sit down and talk with her about it, but we’re going to need more than just one person.”

“Hey, we’ll get there when we get there.”

Jacob sighed. He hated waiting around for something to happen. It was the main reason why he and Ben had started travelling the country, even occasionally taking brief visits across the borders to Mexico and Canada.

It felt as though he had lost more than his arm. He felt like he had lost control of his life. He kept thinking about the things he wouldn’t be able to do or at least be limited in doing. He didn’t know how to drive with one arm. He didn’t know how to fish with one arm. He didn’t know how to handle a saw, a chisel, or any other DIY tools with only one arm.

Would they really get back to how things were?

God, that was one thing he wished that could happen. He wished he could go back to ten years ago. He wished Lily was still alive and by his side. He wished he still had a job as an army weapons expert before his grief started to rule his life.

However, there were things he was grateful for in this current life. He had grown closer to Ben. They were close in the military, but between his help during his times of grief and living together in an RV travelling the country for the past decade or so, their bond had definitely gotten stronger. Hell, he would even say he loved Ben just like he loved Lily.

Oh god, he would say he loved Ben just like he loved Lily.

The realisation hit him like a truck. Over all these years that he had known Ben, he slowly developed feelings for him. It wasn’t a platonic kind of love that he had previously, nor the familial one he had for his parents. It was the same romantic love that he had felt years ago when he had first met Lily.

“Hey Ben,” He decided to distract himself by joking around with his friend, “What was that you said after I said fuck me?”

“Oh, come on, Jake, do you really want me to repeat it?” Ben chuckled, though a little nervous.

“Yeah, come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Alright, fine. I said that I would if I could.”

Jacob’s brain stopped working after that sentence. That was definitely a way to find out his feelings were mutual.  Now, he was faced with a choice – swallow his pride and admit his feelings or keep quiet and let his feelings simmer as Ben wallowed in his embarrassment over what he had said.

Screw it; he wasn’t going to let his best friend feel awkward around him for God knows how long.

“I love you too.” He said suddenly as though the words had just slipped out of his mouth.

“What?” Ben’s face reddened as he stared at Jacob with wide, bewildered eyes.

“I said…I love you too.”

Ben smiled, making Jacob question his own actions until both their lips met. All the embarrassment and anxiety melted into the pure bliss of the moment.

The floor at the wedding reception seemed to vibrate under Jacob’s feet as he stood there, tapping his glass of wine. He wasn’t ever much of a party person, but seeing everyone so happy gave him a reason to stay past the dinner and the speeches. Come to think of it; he hadn’t actually been at a wedding since his own. That was over twenty-five years ago now, and, sadly, his wife couldn’t be with him to dance with him at this one.

He wanted to relive some of those memories. He wanted to dance with someone tonight, but he wasn’t quite sure who.

Scratch that; he knew who he wanted to dance with, but he wasn’t sure how to ask him. He didn’t even know how he would dance with him. Was there a difference in dancing with a man? Especially when he only had one arm now. Would that make a difference as well?

Not to mention, there was the tension. He knew the team had forgiven him on the surface, but he wondered how much of that was just a mask to keep the peace. He wondered if he deserved to continue being their leader, he wondered if he deserved to be officiating Zander and Priya’s wedding that day, but, most importantly, he wondered if he deserved to ask Ben to dance with him.

“Chief,” A sudden calling from Priya beside him snapped Jacob out of his thoughts, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just…tired, that’s all. Long flight and everything.” He responded, trying to compose himself.

“Are you sure? Why don’t you go back to the hotel then?”

“No, no, I-I’m not that tired. I’ll just sit down at my table again.”

“Okay, if you need anything, just let me know.”

He thanked Priya and sat down at the table he was assigned to earlier that evening. It was empty now, with all the other guests either up dancing or huddled over at the bar ordering drinks. It probably looked sad, just an old man sitting at a table alone, but he somewhat enjoyed the peace it brought him.

His mind wandered back to Ben. He still had so much to say, especially tonight, but his guilt was holding him back. It was as though it was chaining him to his chair, forcing him to stay in place. He wished he could go back in time and slap the hell out of his past self, but despite this being a world where demons, vampires, werewolves, and the like existed, this wasn’t a world where time travel did.

“Teeth!” He heard, right before Gwen crashed into his table.

“You alright there, Gwen?” He asked, trying to hold back his laughter at her obviously drunken state.

“Why are you shitting there like a loon-sher, Teeth?”

“I’m just tired and thinking about stuff.”

“Oh, whatcha thinking ‘bout? Ish it a giirrl you wanna dansh with?”

“N-no, it’s not. I mean, it is someone I want to dance with, but it’s not a girl.”

“Ooh, you wanna dansh with a guy. I can be your wish-man if you want me to, Teeth.”

“Absolutely not. Not in the state you’re in.” He chuckled, imagining the sheer embarrassment of having a drunken Gwen ask Ben to dance with him. It was probably worse than him doing it himself.

“Fine, I’ll be your hype-man. Who ish he?”

Jacob was about to say something when he breathed a sigh of relief. Hope was (somewhat aggressively) walking over to them.

“Gwen! I told you to go back to our hotel room, not to harass the chief.” Hope gave Gwen a slap on the back of the head.

“I wasn’t hash-assing him, Hopie. I was hyping him up because he wants to ash someone to dansh with him,” Gwen explained, flopping from the table onto Hope’s shoulder.

“Really,” Hope raised an eyebrow, “Who would that be?”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m going to do it.” Jacob took a deep breath and stood up. Screw it; if he was going to enjoy this night, it wasn’t going to be looking after a drunk Gwen or sitting around moping. He was going to have a good night and there was nothing going to stop him.

“WHOO! TEETH EDDO! GO KISS HIS ASS!” Gwen cheered loudly, hyping up the embarrassed man as he started walking away from the girls.

“Yep, we’re going back to the hotel.” Hope sighed, dragging Gwen out of the room, mostly to avoid embarrassing the chief even further.

Jacob wasn’t quite sure if that helped him or not. Sure, the reduced noise level made it easier for him to focus, but now he could hear his breathing getting heavier while his heart started racing. He wondered if Ben could hear them, too, making his anxiety even worse.

Ben’s appearance wasn’t helping his heart rate at all. His suit was fairly tight on his body, showing off his muscles easily, especially without his jacket. Sure, it wasn’t too different from his usual outfit, but there was just something about him in a suit that made Jacob’s brain go haywire.

“Ben?” He called, almost unconsciously. He was so focused on how handsome he found him that he completely forgot where he was.

“Oh, Jake, sorry I didn’t see you there.” Ben’s voice made Jacob’s blushing face deepen in shade.

“Yeah, I, uh, just wanted to check in on you.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, but I know you. Come on, what’s up?”

“Dammit, how can you always see right through me?” Jacob chuckled, embarrassed.

“It’s called knowing you for over twenty-five years. Now, what are you hiding? What did you do this time? Anything like what you did at your wedding?”

“Oh god no, never anything like that ever again, especially not at someone else’s wedding. No, I…I wanted to ask you if you wanted to dance with me. I know this is pretty sudden, and you probably haven’t forgiven me for what I did a few months ago, but…I’ve wanted to ask you something like this for a while now.”

A few moments of silence passed between them. Jacob started reconsidering everything. He started wondering if he just made the person closest to him uncomfortable, maybe even made him hate him, like this was the last straw after everything that happened over the past year or so.

“Alright,” Ben gave him a smile, “Let’s dance.”

“W-wait, what? Just like that?” Jacob smiled back, hands trembling nervously.

“Yeah, I mean, why not?”

“Because of everything that has happened. I mean, a few months ago, I left you alone with everyone just because the demon queen was disguised as Lily.”

“You acted out of grief, Jake. I’m not saying I’ve forgiven you for that, but I don’t think that matters right now. So, yes, I’ll dance with you.”

“I…why? Why would you dance with me? Why would you dance with someone you can’t forgive? Someone who can’t be forgiven?”

“Jake,” Ben put his hands on Jacob’s shoulders and pulled him closer, “I’ve been in love with you for years since we met, but I kept it secret because of how much you loved Lily. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to forgive you for the way you left us behind, but deep down, that hasn’t changed how I feel about you.”

Jacob stepped back a little, shocked at all of this. He never knew Ben felt that way, and for over twenty-five years, no less. The guilt over his actions got worse, knowing that not only did he leave behind the people he was supposed to lead but also someone who truly loved him, unlike the person he was willing to blindly follow because of who she looked like.

“I…” His eyes welled with tears, “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.”

“Hey,” Ben moved one of his hands to Jacob’s face to wipe off the tears, “Like I said, that doesn’t matter right now. For now, let’s dance.”

“Yeah…” Jacob nodded, being pulled closer to Ben as the two started moving in sync with each other and the music.

He tried to lose his thoughts in the music and movement, trying to distract himself from everything, but nothing seemed to work. He tried looking into Ben’s eyes, but he was disgusted at his own reflection. He turned his attention to his surroundings, seeing Priya giving him a thumbs-up of support. To him, it felt disingenuous because of his actions.

Did he really deserve to be dancing with Ben after everything he did? After abandoning him all of a sudden? If he were in Ben’s position, he wouldn’t even want to look at him.

So why was he dancing with him right now?

The guilt caught up to him eventually and he let go of Ben. He left the room, trying to catch his breath as he stumbled out onto the balcony. He flopped his body onto the railing and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t believe he would be so selfish and not consider how Ben felt about everything. He hated himself for his actions, praying he could turn back time and take back everything he did.

“Jake?” Ben called, alerting Jacob to his presence on the balcony.

“I’m sorry, I…I guess the guilt is catching up with me. I don’t understand why you would want to dance with me after I just abandoned you. I don’t know how you weren’t embarrassed even just to be seen with me.”

“Jake,” Ben took his friend’s hands and sat him down, “I’ve been waiting for you to swallow your pride and ask me to dance for years. I wasn’t even thinking about what happened and honestly, I don’t care. All I want is for us to be together, even if it’s not romantically.”

Jacob gulped as tears welled in his eyes. He still didn’t feel like he deserved forgiveness, especially from him of all people, but if Ben didn’t care, then why should he? Why shouldn’t he just swallow his pride and move on?

“Y’know, I think it was the crowding that also got you.” Ben got off his chair and took out his phone. He started playing a song – one he knew was an old favourite of Jacob’s – and extended a hand to him.

Jacob accepted his hand and got up from his chair. He pulled Ben closer, and the two started dancing again.