#harzello

“This is bloody bullshit,” Ben muttered, checking the time on his watch. He had been called in by the management team. Those bastards called him in and they decide to be late. Who the fuck does that sort of thing?

“No need to get your knickers in a bunch,” Joe commented from beside him. He was far too relaxed for this.

They both knew what this was about and yet both acted so differently. One was calmer. Unfazed by being called in while the other was utterly annoyed and pissed off at the very idea of having to drop everything just so they could be talked to like some little boy who made a mistake.

When the man finally did arrive, the appointment itself wasn’t exactly ideal. They had been over the whole thing a time before, back when Joe and Ben had only been hinted at being together. It was playful, to say the least, with the silly cardboard Ben they used as a prop.

It started off as fun. Just something to entertain the fans while they did their own thing. Everybody got a kick out of it, even management. The marketing department even supplied them with extra cardboard just in case anything happened to the first one.

With all the bad press going around because of fucking Singer, the guys just wanted to do something lighthearted and sweet. None they have to put up with this bullshit because they took it too far.

One video. Exactly one minute long. Apparently, it was too long since the bloody internet was going out of their minds because of a sixty-second video featuring them lying in a bed.

“You have to understand where we come from,” The head of the management department told them. The big wig in the fancy suit laid it all out for them, trying to make them understand. They already had one scandal going on and the blooming romance between Rami and Lucy wasn’t even enough to get people to stop shitting all over their film.

What made them think two men suddenly being in a relationship would?

Ben argued that for fuck sake, it wasn’t like they were doing anything wrong! They were just as engaging at Rami and Lucy were, if not more! They played fucking romantic partners, obviously, their chemistry was going to be on point. Roger and John were never in love, they were best friends.

Having actors who fell in love while playing best friends was even more fascinating to see that two straight people who got paid to kiss one another.

Management didn’t think so. And while they weren’t exactly told to take down the video, it didn’t seem to matter much more. Memes were made. Screenshots were taken. People were writing bloody fanfic about it.

Joe was amused more than anything, to be honest. He found the whole thing hilarious, especially since he was the one who started the whole Ben Cardy romance deal. Ben just played along. It made the fans happy and more importantly, it made Ben happy.

When they left the studio, Ben was in a huff. He didn’t like being told what he could and could not do. Joe was running to catch up to his angry stride, trying to calm him down from his harsh comments.

“Who the fuck do they think they are, telling us that we can’t be out in public. They’re lucky I don’t post a video with my cock up your-”

“Hey! Hey. All right, bring it down a peg big guy.” Joe insisted, grabbing Ben’s arm and pulling him to a nearby corner. “Number one, while I am sure the fans would love it, I’m fairly certain they would shut down my Instagram account if you did that.”

“We could always post it on my account. Your cock. My ass. Change it up a bit.” Ben offered.

He gave Joe a look the man could rarely refuse and to Ben’s dismay, today was one of them.

“Number two, it’s not like we can’t ever be out in public. We’re in public now, see?” He gestured around them. “Public!”

“Yeah, and if I dare kiss you, I may be dragged off the lot.”

“Look, what if I make you a deal?” Joe offered him carefully. “The Oscars are just weeks away, right? We are good until then. We support our film and support our friend. And the moment the camera stops rolling, I’m all yours.”

Ben wanted to be grumpy and argue that it wasn’t enough, though the last bit did pique his interest. “Mine, eh?”

“We got invited to the after party, remember? How do you think all those people with their academy awards would feel if we walked in, hand in hand?”

“Pretty fucking jealous, if you ask me.” Ben stepped closer to him, biting his lip. He wanted to kiss him. To touch him. To do fucking anything a normal boyfriend would get to do. “I love you, you know.”

“You should. I’m sort of a big deal.” Joe answered, smiling back at him.