Ben Loves a Challenge Ch. 15

"Spoken for, formerly straight or not," Bambi snapped.

"But, you're straight?"

Ben shook his head. "Formerly straight. Or maybe bi. Probably. I mean, I'm just gay for-"

"Fuck that," Liam said with the look of a predator. "You and I should get outta here, Ben. Find somewhere more intimate to conversate. With less," he motioned to Bambi without looking at him, "distractions."

Ben shook his head. "No, no thank you, I'm here with-"

"Bitch, I already told you he's spoken for. Dean's gonna flip his shit all over you if he finds you feeling up his boyfriend. Why don't you do everyone a favor and go fuck yourself?" Bambi jerked his head to the side, motioning exactly where Liam could go. "Like, somewhere else. Anywhere else but here."

Ben didn't like the look on Liam's face as he looked around the table slowly. Liam wanted him, and now he wanted him even more since he couldn't have him, practically eyeing him like meat. "Like I give a fuck what Dean thinks. We were just talking."

"Well, you need to learn how to talk less with your hands," Bambi shot back with a glare. "And, maybe not with people who are already spoken for. I believe he already told you he was unavailable."

"We all know that relationships are... fluid."

"Not this one," Ben snapped. "I'm with Dean. I'm not-"

Liam rolled his eyes. "Ditch him. What's that stringbean got on me? Also, don't see no ring, so he must not be too serious."

Ben didn't like anything about Liam, not one thing. Bambi rolled his eyes, grabbing Liam's wrist again before he could touch Ben again. "He don't need a ring, ya dumb prick. He's collared."

Ben's fingers went straight to the black chain around his neck. Liam's eyes followed them. "Collared? What the fuck does that even mean?"

"It means he's taken, off the market, so to speak," Bambi snapped. "Catch the hint already. Now buzzy-bye off." Bambi released his hand and flittered his fingernails in the air away from them.

Liam scowled at Ben. "Why'd you dress like that if you weren't looking for a daddy?"

Ben flushed. "I'm definitely not looking for a daddy," he choked out. "I dressed like this for Dean."

"Whatever," Liam growled, standing up so fast his chair shot back behind him. "Fucking tease." He stormed off without looking back, which Ben was thankful for.

Bambi took a seat next to him. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Ben shook his head. "No, just hit on me. I didn't know what to do, like, I've never, I mean, there are probably rules and shit, right? I don't wanna fuck this up."

"Trust me. You're not gonna mess it up by telling that brainless beefcake to beat it."

"Still, I don't know that, right? Like, everytime things seem to be going well, I feel like something goes wrong. I just want Dean to be happy, you know?"

Bambi tilted his head to the side, the curls of his mermaid wig strangely still exactly in place. "You're something else, Ben."

"Huh?" he said, confused about what just happened. "I'm really not. I like your look tonight. You look like Lana Turner."

"Huh. I was going more for mermaid Rita Hayworth." He shrugged. "You look good yourself," Bambi said, taking Liam's seat. "The tux."

Ben flushed. "Thanks?"

"Dean ate you up before you got here, didn't he?"

Ben flushed harder. "Um..."

Bambi laughed, then sobered. "You'd better tell him about Liam, or he'll find out some other way. He can be pretty jealous, he's not had a lot of luck at love."

"Don't tell him, Bambi! Please!" Ben said, his chest hurting already from the instant anxiety he felt. "I don't want him to be all upset."

"Lover, I won't, but he'll find out anyway. There are no secrets here, it's like high school, but if high school was really just the men's locker room. So, just pull off the bandaid and tell him first." There was electronic static, then a thumping sound and Bambi turned towards the stage. "Your beau's got the sound working again. Gotta go. Don't let any other busy bees try to steal your honey, Ben. Tata!"

"Mic check, check, check," Dean said over the speakers. The room grew quieter, then after another minute the Queen from earlier stepped onto the stage again.

"Good evening all you fabulous individuals out there! I am so totally pleased to welcome everyone to the annual Rhinestone New Years Eve Bash! Tonight will be one with friends and family by choice, of new resolutions and letting the past go. Oh, and kickass food and drink, and of course a battle of the Queens. As you know, only one group gets crowned. Will our current crownholders Zion and Bambi be able to defend their titties, I mean titles? Or will our lovely reigning Queens be dethroned? Oh, I just can't wait, the suspense is killing me. It's literally killing me." He brushed cotton candy hair away from his eyes dramatically.

A hand on his shoulder had him jumping up, but it held him in place firmly. He whipped around to find Dean behind him. "Hey," Dean whispered. "Sorry about that."

The anxiety and nervousness he'd been pickling in lessened at the sight of his boyfriend. He closed his hand over Dean's and squeezed it, then picked it up and kissed the back of it. Dean pulled away quickly, but he could tell the rosy patches were staining his cheeks. "Glad you're back."

He twisted back, then turned his chair towards Dean, ignoring the emcee. "You okay?" Dean asked, sitting in the chair that Liam, then Bambi had warmed before him.

"I am now. Listen, ah, I need to tell you something."

Dean had been looking at the stage, but he turned back to Ben sharply. "What?"

Just as Ben went to confess the music swelled. He turned and found the cotton candy haired Queen had begun dancing, somehow moving in a way that he'd never seen a man move, and also in a way that had him questioning where the Queen's dick was, because it should have been obvious in a thin dress that clingy, but it wasn't. He shook his head, more worried about getting this over with. "Can we talk in the hall?"

Dean frowned, then looked around the relative dimness of the room. "Sure." He stood up, then motioned for Ben to follow him. The sound cut down considerably once the metal double doors shut behind them. Ben noticed there were a few others in the lobby, small coteries chatting in their own little isolated bubbles.

Dean dragged him over to a small alcove that was vacant close to one of the buffet lines, the smell of which was distracting, but Bambi was right, Dean needed to hear it from him first.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked. He stood in a way that pushed Ben's back to the wall, and put himself between Ben and the rest of the room.

"So, while you were gone, ah..."

"Gone, like, just now? Jesus, Ben, it was, like, ten minutes at most."

Ben held up his hands defensively. "I'm not complaining. I got hit on, or something, I mean, it was all very awkward and, like, I didn't know what to do, like if there are rules or something."

"Ben," Dean said, but he couldn't stop.

"Like, he just waited for you to leave and then he was there and he smooshed my hand and got all feely and shit even when I said I was here with you, and I don't want you to hear it from someone else that I got, like, I dunno, propositioned, or whatever."

"Ben, I-" Dean tried to cut in again, but he kept going, unable to stop himself, the anxiety that had been bubbling in his stomach finally finding an outlet.

"And Bambi came over and saved me when dude wouldn't take no for an answer and-"

"Ben!" Dean said. "Ben, stop!"

"Sorry," he said, looking down. "I didn't, I already messed tonight up."

Dean took a micro-step forward. "Who was it?"

"The guy who hit on me?" Ben asked.

Dean nodded, but he was wearing that too-neutral face that Ben knew meant trouble. "Who was it? The guy who touched you? How'd he touch you? Where?"

Ben swallowed hard before he could speak. "Liam, didn't ask his last name. He's big like a, I dunno, big muscly man. Bambi called him a brainless beefcake. Lots of hair, too." He bit the inside of his cheek, freaking out a little about how Dean was gonna react.

"How'd he touch you, Ben? Where?" Dean asked again, still way too neutral.

Ben scratched his nose before he spoke. "Shook my hand as hard as he could, like crushed it, then held it to let me know he was in charge. Then, like, we talked for a minute, I didn't know, like, I've never been hit on before like that, so I thought I was just being polite, but then he kept getting close and asked me to get a drink and I kept saying no, then he put his hand on my thigh and wouldn't move it-"

"I'll fucking kill him," Dean growled, pure hatred in his eyes. "Why'd he even approach you?"

"Said my tux made it look like I was, um," he bit the inside of his cheek again, but this time in embarrassment. "Said I was dressed like I was looking for a daddy."

Dean was beyond pissed, but he was controlling it relatively well. "Bambi showed up?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, I didn't know what to do, so he really saved me. Or, should I call Bambi she? Sorry, that part confuses me."

"Bambi doesn't care, but some Queens prefer to he 'she' when dressed up. But, seriously, I'll fucking kill him, yea?" Dean asked, but it wasn't a question. "I'm gonna-"

"Dean, stop. It's over. I told you because I wanted you to hear it from me, not from anyone else and Bambi said you would if I didn't. It made me feel nasty, like gross, when he touched me. I just didn't want you to hear it from anyone else, you know?" Ben took Dean's hand in his, then held it firmly when Dean started trembling.

"I shoulda made you change," Dean said, already putting the blame on himself.

"Stop that now," Ben said, squeezing his hand. "This isn't your fault. I'm showing off, I dressed like this for you, not anyone else."

"Maybe if you weren't wearing that he wouldn'ta bother you. I was the one who told you to keep it on."

Ben shook his head. "Look, maybe if I'd been in something more normal no one would've hit on me, or maybe they would've. The point is, I look freaking fantastic and totally Dean-fuckable. Let people look, Dean. Let them see what they can't have, and what you've got. You can gloat a little, if you really think I look that good."

"You look fucking amazing," Dean said. "I-"

"No," Ben said, stopping any more of Dean's self-depreciation. "Let them look, and everytime they do I want you to feel good about it because at the end of this, the only one who gets to go home with me is you, forever and ever."

Dean opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, his eyes growing wetter. "Ben?" he said after a few breaths to subdue his unspent tears.

"Dean?" he whispered, pulling Dean closer to him by the lapels of his jacket.

"You're amazing," Dean whispered back.

Ben just smiled, then pulled Dean in for a kiss. Dean fought it at first but quickly relented, then kissed him back like they were alone. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like forever. "We should get back," he said when Dean pulled back.

"Yea. Hey Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm still gonna kill Liam."

"Dean, orange is not a good color on you, and I'm pretty sure conjugal visits are only for straight couples. Also, they're supervised, and I'm really, really not into that. And anyway, fuck him. He's not worth your time."

Dean looked confused, then snorted out a laugh. He stepped back and fondled Ben with his eyes. "Shit, Ben. You're so fuckable tonight. You look so good. I promise I won't actually kill Liam, but only because then I wouldn't get to see you dressed like this again."

"You wanna get back in there?" He asked, delivering a quick peck to Dean's cheek.

The night, once both he and Dean relaxed, was actually a lot of fun. Bambi and Zion won their competition with a comedy song and dance that was actually really good. He was honestly surprised to find it was already 3 am by the time they left, the night flew by. Bambi and Zion made him feel super welcome, he understood why Dean liked them so much.

Dean was inebriated by the end of the night so Ben drove, he hadn't had any drinks because he was worried about embarrassing Dean. Dean, as usual, was on his phone as he drove. He smiled when he peeked at what was on Dean's screen at a red light.

Damn. The picture Dean had taken of him earlier was super hot. Who knew he could look that sexy? Dean noticed him looking and turned the screen off, his rosy cheeks practically glowing in the dark.

He didnt say anything, just reached out with his left and caught Dean's, then squeezed gently. Dean squeezed back, cheeks still glowing.