Parks and Recreation fic, Leslie/Ben
Title: Breaking Up
Author: guffi10
Characters/Pairings: Leslie/Ben
Word Count: ~1,437
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The aftermath of the finale. Ben learning about the news.
Author's Note: A huge thank you to my wonderful and perfect and talented BETA cypanache She literally made this happen.
Leslie Knope never cried over a man.
Until tonight.
As Chris Traeger would put it, it might have been literally the craziest day of her entire life. Lil Sebastian funeral went off with a bang - again, quite literally - which was Leslie’s fault and a result of her and Ben’s shenanigans. It burned off Ron Swanson’s mustache and eyebrows, making history, and quite possibly leading to the next event - her being approached about a potential run for office. What else? Oh, yes, Ben Wyatt broke up with her in a manner that topped the list of the most bizarre break ups she ever had (including that one time when she was dumped in the shower). And here she was lying on her bed, weeping uncontrollably, a bowl of untouched whipped cream on her nightstand and a giant hole in her heart.
***
After people from the committee left the room, she found herself confused, terrified, happy and sad - all at once. She looked at Ben who was standing at the other side of the office glass, and her expression must’ve betrayed her, because he reacted immediately, giving her a concerned look. She hated to see the worry on his face, hated it, because she knew… or… rather she didn’t really know. Did she just seal her fate? Their fate? Maybe. Probably. She wasn’t really sure.
He came in almost immediately, and sat beside her, silently giving her a moment to explain. Weeks of secret dating taught them to communicate without words. Words were spoken only when it was safe - usually in her bedroom during the role play, and then Ben Wyatt was one talkative individual. It was fun, most of the time, though she learned the hard way, that safe was a relative term, and words could easily get you in trouble, like when you butt dial your boss during a heated make out session, involving Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Well, they got away with that (kind of). But now, it was a whole different story.
Now it was real.
“I was just approached about a run for the office”, - she said looking at him with a faint smile. “And I said yes.”
His eyes opened wide, his whole body froze, and uncomfortable silence filled the room. She could read his mind at that moment, his thoughts reflected on his face, the old wound of his own triumph and failure reopened and bleeding into his eyes, his expression going through a series of miniscule, rapid-fire shifts, bouncing from pain to disbelief, from disbelief to concern and finally - relief. It was like seventeen years of his life flashed in a moment before his eyes, and the young naïve scared boy finally gave his place to a grown up man, the man who had enormous amount of faith in one Leslie Knope.
“Leslie, that’s - That’s wonderful…” - he exhaled, every other emotion giving way to the most adorable happy smile. Then he pulled her to him making her gasp in surprise. She hugged him back and nestled against the crook of his neck, so warm and familiar that (screw it all!) she gave in and let herself relax, clinging to him, instinctively, intimately, closing her eyes, inhaling his scent, safe in his arms.
She wasn’t sure for how long the hug lasted (time stopped while it did), but when Ben finally let her out of his embrace, she met his eyes bright with joy and something else she wouldn’t dare to name.
“Which office exactly, did they say?” he asked her, impatient to know all the details.
“The Mayor’s office is up next year.” She said in a weak voice, totally expecting him to freak out.
But his eyes lit up even brighter.
“Leslie, that is great, great news. We are... you are going to win this and I am going to make sure you do. Because there is no way in hell I’m letting you lose.”
And there was certainty and pride, and admiration in his eyes, so overwhelming she almost burst in tears there and then. He was truly happy for her and supportive, and for a short moment in time it made her forget the bad news, made her believe that everything is going to be just fine.
“I am going to help you with that, Leslie. You will run and you will win.”
Of course they were supposed to do it together. They were a team, a dynamic duo. It made perfect sense. It did. Once. But not anymore. Now they’d been turned into a scandal waiting to happen, to be twisted by perception into something dirty and tawdry-- - something that could destroy them both. Blind in his bubble of joy, Ben seemed to fail seeing the big picture. Leslie loved bubbles, but someone needed to pop this one. She hated to be that person.
“They asked me if I had something to tell them, if there was anything that might compromise me and my campaign…”
She was almost whispering and it took him a moment to process, happy smile still lingering on his lips.
But as soon as the realization hit him, it was over. I was like the flick of a switch, smile gone, lights out - the concerned, worried expression back on his face.
“And... what did you say?” he asked.
And as much as she hated it, it had to be done.
“I said there was nothing.” She heard herself saying, avoiding his gaze, watching the floor, feeling it move under her feet - like that one time when she had fever.
“Nothing at all"
If Leslie dared to look at Ben at the moment she would have seen a surprising mix of sadness and relief captured on his face. But she didn’t look. She was busy fighting the urge to throw up and imagining his reaction instead - disappointed, disgusted, angry. Oh, she deserved it. All the feelings she thought he had. Everything she would expect.
But not at all what she got.
“Good. That’s good.” She heard his voice echoing in her ears.
When she looked up his face was calm, almost solemn. Determined.
No, she definitely didn’t expect this.
“You did right thing, Leslie.”
Who was this man and what did he do to Ben Wyatt?
“I think it means…” he started in the same eerie voice that utterly freaked her out.
She didn’t let him finish.
“I don’t know what it means…” She rasped, alarmed by this new development, dreading the direction the conversation was taking… “I don’t know. I mean… I need… I want… We… You..…”
She went on muttering words, failing to form a single sentence and even her thoughts were big incomprehensive mess. And here she was, supposedly a potential mayor of Pawnee.
He waited patiently for her to express herself, his brown eyes filled with warmth and care and somewhere deep inside, almost unnoticeable - a faint glimpse of regret. Leslie was oblivious to all that, preoccupied with her own inner battle and when she finally gave up, he took her hand in his.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to do that, to break up with me…” He smiled sadly.
Loud circus music started playing in her head and she made a sound, trying to protest, but it wasn’t her call any more.
“…so I’m breaking up with you.”
His voice was soft, but firm, and standing there in front of her, at that moment Ben Wyatt was the epitome of determination and confidence. He gave her no room for argument. Before she even realized what had happened she felt his hand gently squeezing her cold fingers and then he was gone.
*****
Leslie Knope never cried over a man. But that night she lay in her bed, weeping like some kind of pathetic teenage girl that was dumped by her boyfriend, sobbing, sniffling and gasping loudly, hating herself for that and not being able stop. It was Ben Wyatt - Fascist Tard Ass Mean Ben - the man who invaded her department, got under her skin and finally into her bed - it was him who made her like that. Just yesterday he was here, in her bedroom. And the night before, and, oh well, almost every night since that kiss in Chris’s office. And she could still smell the scent of his cologne on her sheets (laundry day tomorrow) and see his stupid face, and hear his stupid laugh and that sound he made every time she… and here comes another wave of tears.
God, she is in love with Ben Wyatt, isn’t she?
Author: guffi10
Characters/Pairings: Leslie/Ben
Word Count: ~1,437
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The aftermath of the finale. Ben learning about the news.
Author's Note: A huge thank you to my wonderful and perfect and talented BETA cypanache She literally made this happen.
Leslie Knope never cried over a man.
Until tonight.
As Chris Traeger would put it, it might have been literally the craziest day of her entire life. Lil Sebastian funeral went off with a bang - again, quite literally - which was Leslie’s fault and a result of her and Ben’s shenanigans. It burned off Ron Swanson’s mustache and eyebrows, making history, and quite possibly leading to the next event - her being approached about a potential run for office. What else? Oh, yes, Ben Wyatt broke up with her in a manner that topped the list of the most bizarre break ups she ever had (including that one time when she was dumped in the shower). And here she was lying on her bed, weeping uncontrollably, a bowl of untouched whipped cream on her nightstand and a giant hole in her heart.
***
After people from the committee left the room, she found herself confused, terrified, happy and sad - all at once. She looked at Ben who was standing at the other side of the office glass, and her expression must’ve betrayed her, because he reacted immediately, giving her a concerned look. She hated to see the worry on his face, hated it, because she knew… or… rather she didn’t really know. Did she just seal her fate? Their fate? Maybe. Probably. She wasn’t really sure.
He came in almost immediately, and sat beside her, silently giving her a moment to explain. Weeks of secret dating taught them to communicate without words. Words were spoken only when it was safe - usually in her bedroom during the role play, and then Ben Wyatt was one talkative individual. It was fun, most of the time, though she learned the hard way, that safe was a relative term, and words could easily get you in trouble, like when you butt dial your boss during a heated make out session, involving Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Well, they got away with that (kind of). But now, it was a whole different story.
Now it was real.
“I was just approached about a run for the office”, - she said looking at him with a faint smile. “And I said yes.”
His eyes opened wide, his whole body froze, and uncomfortable silence filled the room. She could read his mind at that moment, his thoughts reflected on his face, the old wound of his own triumph and failure reopened and bleeding into his eyes, his expression going through a series of miniscule, rapid-fire shifts, bouncing from pain to disbelief, from disbelief to concern and finally - relief. It was like seventeen years of his life flashed in a moment before his eyes, and the young naïve scared boy finally gave his place to a grown up man, the man who had enormous amount of faith in one Leslie Knope.
“Leslie, that’s - That’s wonderful…” - he exhaled, every other emotion giving way to the most adorable happy smile. Then he pulled her to him making her gasp in surprise. She hugged him back and nestled against the crook of his neck, so warm and familiar that (screw it all!) she gave in and let herself relax, clinging to him, instinctively, intimately, closing her eyes, inhaling his scent, safe in his arms.
She wasn’t sure for how long the hug lasted (time stopped while it did), but when Ben finally let her out of his embrace, she met his eyes bright with joy and something else she wouldn’t dare to name.
“Which office exactly, did they say?” he asked her, impatient to know all the details.
“The Mayor’s office is up next year.” She said in a weak voice, totally expecting him to freak out.
But his eyes lit up even brighter.
“Leslie, that is great, great news. We are... you are going to win this and I am going to make sure you do. Because there is no way in hell I’m letting you lose.”
And there was certainty and pride, and admiration in his eyes, so overwhelming she almost burst in tears there and then. He was truly happy for her and supportive, and for a short moment in time it made her forget the bad news, made her believe that everything is going to be just fine.
“I am going to help you with that, Leslie. You will run and you will win.”
Of course they were supposed to do it together. They were a team, a dynamic duo. It made perfect sense. It did. Once. But not anymore. Now they’d been turned into a scandal waiting to happen, to be twisted by perception into something dirty and tawdry-- - something that could destroy them both. Blind in his bubble of joy, Ben seemed to fail seeing the big picture. Leslie loved bubbles, but someone needed to pop this one. She hated to be that person.
“They asked me if I had something to tell them, if there was anything that might compromise me and my campaign…”
She was almost whispering and it took him a moment to process, happy smile still lingering on his lips.
But as soon as the realization hit him, it was over. I was like the flick of a switch, smile gone, lights out - the concerned, worried expression back on his face.
“And... what did you say?” he asked.
And as much as she hated it, it had to be done.
“I said there was nothing.” She heard herself saying, avoiding his gaze, watching the floor, feeling it move under her feet - like that one time when she had fever.
“Nothing at all"
If Leslie dared to look at Ben at the moment she would have seen a surprising mix of sadness and relief captured on his face. But she didn’t look. She was busy fighting the urge to throw up and imagining his reaction instead - disappointed, disgusted, angry. Oh, she deserved it. All the feelings she thought he had. Everything she would expect.
But not at all what she got.
“Good. That’s good.” She heard his voice echoing in her ears.
When she looked up his face was calm, almost solemn. Determined.
No, she definitely didn’t expect this.
“You did right thing, Leslie.”
Who was this man and what did he do to Ben Wyatt?
“I think it means…” he started in the same eerie voice that utterly freaked her out.
She didn’t let him finish.
“I don’t know what it means…” She rasped, alarmed by this new development, dreading the direction the conversation was taking… “I don’t know. I mean… I need… I want… We… You..…”
She went on muttering words, failing to form a single sentence and even her thoughts were big incomprehensive mess. And here she was, supposedly a potential mayor of Pawnee.
He waited patiently for her to express herself, his brown eyes filled with warmth and care and somewhere deep inside, almost unnoticeable - a faint glimpse of regret. Leslie was oblivious to all that, preoccupied with her own inner battle and when she finally gave up, he took her hand in his.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to do that, to break up with me…” He smiled sadly.
Loud circus music started playing in her head and she made a sound, trying to protest, but it wasn’t her call any more.
“…so I’m breaking up with you.”
His voice was soft, but firm, and standing there in front of her, at that moment Ben Wyatt was the epitome of determination and confidence. He gave her no room for argument. Before she even realized what had happened she felt his hand gently squeezing her cold fingers and then he was gone.
*****
Leslie Knope never cried over a man. But that night she lay in her bed, weeping like some kind of pathetic teenage girl that was dumped by her boyfriend, sobbing, sniffling and gasping loudly, hating herself for that and not being able stop. It was Ben Wyatt - Fascist Tard Ass Mean Ben - the man who invaded her department, got under her skin and finally into her bed - it was him who made her like that. Just yesterday he was here, in her bedroom. And the night before, and, oh well, almost every night since that kiss in Chris’s office. And she could still smell the scent of his cologne on her sheets (laundry day tomorrow) and see his stupid face, and hear his stupid laugh and that sound he made every time she… and here comes another wave of tears.
God, she is in love with Ben Wyatt, isn’t she?