Fic: "Hundreds and Thousands"
Title: "Hundreds and Thousands"
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~2200
Summary: Secret Li'l Sebastian fic for my recipient missnumbat, who prompted 'Leslie and Ben go Christmas present shopping.' Set in the mystery Christmas of season 3.
A/N: Thank you to courtknees1 for the beta, and for providing me with the necessary expertise to write this. And thanks also to stillscape for her timeline advice.
For the purposes of this story I've placed the mystery Christmas of season 3 between Camping and Fancy Party. So Ben is still supposed to be leaving Pawnee.
****
Ben didn't know why he did it to himself. Or how he did it. Every single year. There he stood, in the midst of absolute chaos and carnage. The beaches of Normandy had nothing on The Plaza Eagleton on the last Saturday before Christmas.
He moved slowly, making his way through the crowds, muttering profanities with every stray shopping bag that hit an elbow, or a knee, or an ass-cheek. Holiday music blared through the mall's sound-system, mixing unpleasantly with the various groups of carol singers also dotted throughout the mall. Bells jingled incessantly. Children screamed with excitement about their visit to Santa Claus, as they passed on the old-timey train that circled the mall. Ben had a headache.
He looked down at his list.
Mom. Done. Dad. Done. Henry. Done. Stephanie. Done. Chris. Done.
Les....
Halfway through scrawling her name, he had realised that he didn't need to get her anything. That he probably shouldn't get her anything. That there was no way she would be including him on her Christmas list. They weren't dating. He wasn't sure if they were even friends. Was he still just a co-worker to her? He didn't think so, but he didn't know for certain.
He couldn't bring himself to scratch her name out.
He should be going home now. Away from the endless masses, and from the noise that was causing his head to pound.
Everything he needed to buy was safely in the shopping bags he was clutching. Sailing shoes for his Dad, ridiculously over-priced paintbrushes for his mother, a bicycle helmet for his sister, the collected 'A Song of Fire and Ice' books for his brother, all ready to be packed and brought to Partridge for his two-day trip for the holidays. Christmas Eve to be spent with his Mom, and Christmas Day with his Dad. The Wyatt family had long since given up on trying to bring the whole family together, even for the holidays.
And the aerodynamic running shoes, that only needed to be wrapped before giving them to Chris that evening at their traditional holiday dinner - an occasion Ben had reluctantly agreed to the first December they had spent working together, as outcasts in some small town he's long since forgotten the name of, but that he had grown to look forward to every year. A moment of peace between gutting budgets, and the insanity of a Wyatt family Christmas. And this, perhaps, was their last such dinner, with Chris remaining in Pawnee as City Manager, and Ben going back on the road.
Ben wanted to be out of that mall. He wanted to go straight to his car, load his shopping bags in the trunk, and get as far away as possible from the holiday madness that was surrounding him.
But he couldn't.
This may be the only opportunity he ever had to buy Leslie Knope a gift. He would be leaving Pawnee two weeks after he returned from Partridge. There would be no more Christmases. No birthdays. No Valentine's Days. Just distance.
He would put the final touches to the budgetary changes he and Chris had made, and then he would be sent back on the road, to another town that had destroyed itself from within. A town that on the face of it, would be the same as Pawnee, but that could not be, because it would not have a Leslie Knope.
So he had to take this chance, while it was still there.
But the gift. Something small. Simple. Not a grand romantic gesture, just a token. To show he thought of her, but not too much.
Food seemed like a possibility. Could he bake her something? He'd had success with giving her food related gifts in the past. And Leslie had the most extreme sweet tooth of anyone he had ever met.
Suddenly he knew. He had known someone who else who enjoyed sugar almost as much as Leslie. It was perfect.
Ben hurried his steps, and began walking in the direction of the parking lot. He could leave the nightmare of The Plaza Eagleton behind. All he needed to do was stop at Food 'N' Stuff on his way home.
*
“Leslie, what are we doing here?” asked Ann, as they pulled up outside Pawnee's only specialist camera store. “I thought we were having a 'Best Friend's Christmas Spectacular' day? I'm not that into cameras.”
“We are! I just need to pick something up here. I'll be quick. It's for a present. And then we'll get right back to our day.”
“I thought you had all of your shopping done by the end of September.”
“I did. But I've had a last minute addition to the list,” Leslie said as she stepped out of the car. “I'll only be one minute, I promise. Wait here.”
Ann watched as Leslie practically skipped towards the door, and rushed inside, re-appearing no more than three minutes later clutching a small envelope.
“Is that a photograph?” she asked shaking her head, as Leslie climbed back into the driver's seat. “You have your own photo printer, Leslie. Why did you come all the way here to get a print?”
“I wanted it to be right.”
Ann looked puzzled, and picked up the envelope that Leslie had carefully placed on the dashboard beside her.
“Who is it for?” she asked, as she opened the envelope and pulled the photograph out. “Oh.”
“Do you think he'll like it? I wasn't sure what to get. I'm usually so great at gift shopping, but this was hard, for some reason. I thought this would make sure he didn't forget m...Pawnee.”
“It's perfect, Les.”
Leslie smiled, and began reversing out of the parking space.
“Now, back to our 'Best Friend's Christmas Spectacular!' Next stop, JJ's diner!”
*
Ben had been so eager to get started on his gift, that he hadn't realised that their last day of work before finishing for the holidays wasn't until the following Thursday. Supplies had to be re-bought, and he had to, completely selflessly of course, stuff himself full of what was originally going to be Leslie's surprise. He had barely been able to function on Monday, such was the extent of his sugar crash.
But Thursday finally came, and he arrived at City Hall with his ingredients, carefully keeping them hidden from Chris, who he knew would absolutely not understand.
At 4.50pm, knocking off a few minutes early, he headed for the cafeteria to create his masterpiece.
Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the door of the Parks Department, praying that he hadn't missed her, but that everyone else would be gone. He couldn't deal with April's withering glares, or Tom's smart remarks right now.
He was in luck.
He could see Leslie, dressed in the ugliest Christmas sweater he had ever seen, staring intently at whatever document lay on her desk. The rest of the office was deserted. The only trace that anyone had been there that day were the half-eaten cookies and broken decorations that were strewn throughout the room.
Approaching the door to her office, he paused for a moment before knocking.
“Hey, do you have a minute?” Ben asked, trying to nonchalantly keep the plate he was holding behind his back hidden from her view.
Leslie looked up, and beamed.
“Ben! I thought you were gone! I went looking for you in your office to... I was worried you had already left to go home for the holidays.”
“I don't fly out until tomorrow morning. I should be back in Partridge by mid-afternoon. Do you have anything exciting planned?”
Ben could feel the beginnings of a cramp in his upper arm.
“No. I'll just spend the day with my Mom, here in Pawnee. Sometimes we go to Indianapolis to visit my aunt, but I'm always happier when we get to spend the holidays right here. We have an awesome carol concert in Ramsett Park on Christmas Eve. It's my favourite event of the year!”
“It sounds great.”
“It is! All of the school choirs perform, and there are sleigh rides. You should come next year. It really is the best possible way to spend Christmas Eve.”
“Well...” the smile on Ben's face fell slightly.
“Oh. Right. You won't be here next year. Well, you should come visit,” Leslie said, clearly her throat slightly.
Ben blushed.
“Maybe I will.”
Silence filled the room. Leslie looked down at the documents sitting on her desk. Ben stepped out of the doorway, moving so that he was standing in front of her desk.
“So, I got you something,” he said, breaking the tension.
Leslie looked up, and smiled.
“You did?”
“Don't get too excited. It's not exactly a traditional present.”
“I got you something too,” she replied, her voice coming out much louder than she had intended.
The blush that had begun to recede from Ben's cheeks returned in earnest.
“You go first,” she continued.
Ben pulled the plate out from behind his back. Leslie stared blankly at the green and red stars that greeted her.
“Is that...?” she started.
“It's called fairy bread. I know it looks kind of gross, but I promise you that it tastes awesome. I had an Australian roommate in college who ate the stuff every day. He was homesick, or something. Eventually, after months of putting up with my mocking, he forced me to try some. And well, I never went back.” Ben explained.
“Are they sprinkles?”
“Not exactly. They're hundreds and thousands. A small, but crucial difference, according to my roommate. It's not usually this colour, or star-shaped, but I tried to make a more Christmassy version. I promise, you will love it once you taste it.”
“Okay. I trust you. Mostly.”
Leslie slowly lifted one of the stars off the plate, and bringing the bread close to face, examined the fairy bread closely.
“Is there butter on here? That's gross, Ben,” she said, scrunching her nose with disgust.
“Well, the hundreds and thousands would just fall off if there wasn't,” Ben replied.
“Good point. But still, butter? With sprinkles?”
“Just try it!”
Leslie nervously brought the star to her lips, eyeing Ben suspiciously as she did. He nodded his encouragement at her, watching as the bread passed into her mouth.
She chewed.
Ben realised he had been staring at her mouth, slack-jawed, for at least 30 seconds, and vigorously shook his head in an attempt to snap himself out of his stupor.
“So...?” he began.
“These are awesome!” Leslie squealed.
“Right?” Ben replied, the smile returning to his face.
“Yes! It's like a whole new world of sugar is opening up in front of me.”
Ben laughed, as Leslie reached out to grab a second slice.
“It's crunchier than I expected,” she said through her mouthfuls.
“Yeah, that was my first reaction too.”
“Thank you so much, Ben. This was seriously amazing. The best.”
“You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. Though I was pretty confident you would.”
Their eyes locked. Silence filled the room again.
It was Leslie's turn to break it.
She reached into her purse, pulling out an envelope.
“It's just a small memento. Of the time you spent in Pawnee. And of what we achieved, together, while you were here,” she said, handing the envelope to Ben, their fingers brushing against each other as she did so.
Ben's fingers wrapped around the small white envelope, and slowly, carefully, he opened it, pulling out the photograph.
It was him. And Leslie. Smiling. Together.
And Li'l Sebastian.
The Harvest Festival.
Their Harvest Festival.
Ben's stomach tightened.
She was watching him expectantly.
“Do you like it?” she asked nervously. “I was going to get it framed, but then I figured it was more fitting without one. I don't really know why. I should have gotten it framed.”
“It's perfect, Leslie. Thank you.”
“Are you sure? It's nowhere near as good as the fairy bread.”
“It's so much better than the fairy bread.”
“Nothing is better than the fairy bread.”
Ben laughed.
“I'm glad you think so. But really, this is better. Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
Ben looked down at his watch.
“I'd better get going. I still have to pack.”
“Right. Have a great time. I'll see you when you get back.”
“Yeah. Happy Holidays, Leslie.”
“Happy Holidays, Ben.”
Ben turned and walked out of her office. As he reached the door of the Parks department, he paused, and turned back to look at Leslie, who was smiling, and enthusiastically eating her final slice of fairy bread.
It would probably all be downhill from here, but this Christmas was off to a great start.
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~2200
Summary: Secret Li'l Sebastian fic for my recipient missnumbat, who prompted 'Leslie and Ben go Christmas present shopping.' Set in the mystery Christmas of season 3.
A/N: Thank you to courtknees1 for the beta, and for providing me with the necessary expertise to write this. And thanks also to stillscape for her timeline advice.
For the purposes of this story I've placed the mystery Christmas of season 3 between Camping and Fancy Party. So Ben is still supposed to be leaving Pawnee.
****
Ben didn't know why he did it to himself. Or how he did it. Every single year. There he stood, in the midst of absolute chaos and carnage. The beaches of Normandy had nothing on The Plaza Eagleton on the last Saturday before Christmas.
He moved slowly, making his way through the crowds, muttering profanities with every stray shopping bag that hit an elbow, or a knee, or an ass-cheek. Holiday music blared through the mall's sound-system, mixing unpleasantly with the various groups of carol singers also dotted throughout the mall. Bells jingled incessantly. Children screamed with excitement about their visit to Santa Claus, as they passed on the old-timey train that circled the mall. Ben had a headache.
He looked down at his list.
Mom. Done. Dad. Done. Henry. Done. Stephanie. Done. Chris. Done.
Les....
Halfway through scrawling her name, he had realised that he didn't need to get her anything. That he probably shouldn't get her anything. That there was no way she would be including him on her Christmas list. They weren't dating. He wasn't sure if they were even friends. Was he still just a co-worker to her? He didn't think so, but he didn't know for certain.
He couldn't bring himself to scratch her name out.
He should be going home now. Away from the endless masses, and from the noise that was causing his head to pound.
Everything he needed to buy was safely in the shopping bags he was clutching. Sailing shoes for his Dad, ridiculously over-priced paintbrushes for his mother, a bicycle helmet for his sister, the collected 'A Song of Fire and Ice' books for his brother, all ready to be packed and brought to Partridge for his two-day trip for the holidays. Christmas Eve to be spent with his Mom, and Christmas Day with his Dad. The Wyatt family had long since given up on trying to bring the whole family together, even for the holidays.
And the aerodynamic running shoes, that only needed to be wrapped before giving them to Chris that evening at their traditional holiday dinner - an occasion Ben had reluctantly agreed to the first December they had spent working together, as outcasts in some small town he's long since forgotten the name of, but that he had grown to look forward to every year. A moment of peace between gutting budgets, and the insanity of a Wyatt family Christmas. And this, perhaps, was their last such dinner, with Chris remaining in Pawnee as City Manager, and Ben going back on the road.
Ben wanted to be out of that mall. He wanted to go straight to his car, load his shopping bags in the trunk, and get as far away as possible from the holiday madness that was surrounding him.
But he couldn't.
This may be the only opportunity he ever had to buy Leslie Knope a gift. He would be leaving Pawnee two weeks after he returned from Partridge. There would be no more Christmases. No birthdays. No Valentine's Days. Just distance.
He would put the final touches to the budgetary changes he and Chris had made, and then he would be sent back on the road, to another town that had destroyed itself from within. A town that on the face of it, would be the same as Pawnee, but that could not be, because it would not have a Leslie Knope.
So he had to take this chance, while it was still there.
But the gift. Something small. Simple. Not a grand romantic gesture, just a token. To show he thought of her, but not too much.
Food seemed like a possibility. Could he bake her something? He'd had success with giving her food related gifts in the past. And Leslie had the most extreme sweet tooth of anyone he had ever met.
Suddenly he knew. He had known someone who else who enjoyed sugar almost as much as Leslie. It was perfect.
Ben hurried his steps, and began walking in the direction of the parking lot. He could leave the nightmare of The Plaza Eagleton behind. All he needed to do was stop at Food 'N' Stuff on his way home.
*
“Leslie, what are we doing here?” asked Ann, as they pulled up outside Pawnee's only specialist camera store. “I thought we were having a 'Best Friend's Christmas Spectacular' day? I'm not that into cameras.”
“We are! I just need to pick something up here. I'll be quick. It's for a present. And then we'll get right back to our day.”
“I thought you had all of your shopping done by the end of September.”
“I did. But I've had a last minute addition to the list,” Leslie said as she stepped out of the car. “I'll only be one minute, I promise. Wait here.”
Ann watched as Leslie practically skipped towards the door, and rushed inside, re-appearing no more than three minutes later clutching a small envelope.
“Is that a photograph?” she asked shaking her head, as Leslie climbed back into the driver's seat. “You have your own photo printer, Leslie. Why did you come all the way here to get a print?”
“I wanted it to be right.”
Ann looked puzzled, and picked up the envelope that Leslie had carefully placed on the dashboard beside her.
“Who is it for?” she asked, as she opened the envelope and pulled the photograph out. “Oh.”
“Do you think he'll like it? I wasn't sure what to get. I'm usually so great at gift shopping, but this was hard, for some reason. I thought this would make sure he didn't forget m...Pawnee.”
“It's perfect, Les.”
Leslie smiled, and began reversing out of the parking space.
“Now, back to our 'Best Friend's Christmas Spectacular!' Next stop, JJ's diner!”
*
Ben had been so eager to get started on his gift, that he hadn't realised that their last day of work before finishing for the holidays wasn't until the following Thursday. Supplies had to be re-bought, and he had to, completely selflessly of course, stuff himself full of what was originally going to be Leslie's surprise. He had barely been able to function on Monday, such was the extent of his sugar crash.
But Thursday finally came, and he arrived at City Hall with his ingredients, carefully keeping them hidden from Chris, who he knew would absolutely not understand.
At 4.50pm, knocking off a few minutes early, he headed for the cafeteria to create his masterpiece.
Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the door of the Parks Department, praying that he hadn't missed her, but that everyone else would be gone. He couldn't deal with April's withering glares, or Tom's smart remarks right now.
He was in luck.
He could see Leslie, dressed in the ugliest Christmas sweater he had ever seen, staring intently at whatever document lay on her desk. The rest of the office was deserted. The only trace that anyone had been there that day were the half-eaten cookies and broken decorations that were strewn throughout the room.
Approaching the door to her office, he paused for a moment before knocking.
“Hey, do you have a minute?” Ben asked, trying to nonchalantly keep the plate he was holding behind his back hidden from her view.
Leslie looked up, and beamed.
“Ben! I thought you were gone! I went looking for you in your office to... I was worried you had already left to go home for the holidays.”
“I don't fly out until tomorrow morning. I should be back in Partridge by mid-afternoon. Do you have anything exciting planned?”
Ben could feel the beginnings of a cramp in his upper arm.
“No. I'll just spend the day with my Mom, here in Pawnee. Sometimes we go to Indianapolis to visit my aunt, but I'm always happier when we get to spend the holidays right here. We have an awesome carol concert in Ramsett Park on Christmas Eve. It's my favourite event of the year!”
“It sounds great.”
“It is! All of the school choirs perform, and there are sleigh rides. You should come next year. It really is the best possible way to spend Christmas Eve.”
“Well...” the smile on Ben's face fell slightly.
“Oh. Right. You won't be here next year. Well, you should come visit,” Leslie said, clearly her throat slightly.
Ben blushed.
“Maybe I will.”
Silence filled the room. Leslie looked down at the documents sitting on her desk. Ben stepped out of the doorway, moving so that he was standing in front of her desk.
“So, I got you something,” he said, breaking the tension.
Leslie looked up, and smiled.
“You did?”
“Don't get too excited. It's not exactly a traditional present.”
“I got you something too,” she replied, her voice coming out much louder than she had intended.
The blush that had begun to recede from Ben's cheeks returned in earnest.
“You go first,” she continued.
Ben pulled the plate out from behind his back. Leslie stared blankly at the green and red stars that greeted her.
“Is that...?” she started.
“It's called fairy bread. I know it looks kind of gross, but I promise you that it tastes awesome. I had an Australian roommate in college who ate the stuff every day. He was homesick, or something. Eventually, after months of putting up with my mocking, he forced me to try some. And well, I never went back.” Ben explained.
“Are they sprinkles?”
“Not exactly. They're hundreds and thousands. A small, but crucial difference, according to my roommate. It's not usually this colour, or star-shaped, but I tried to make a more Christmassy version. I promise, you will love it once you taste it.”
“Okay. I trust you. Mostly.”
Leslie slowly lifted one of the stars off the plate, and bringing the bread close to face, examined the fairy bread closely.
“Is there butter on here? That's gross, Ben,” she said, scrunching her nose with disgust.
“Well, the hundreds and thousands would just fall off if there wasn't,” Ben replied.
“Good point. But still, butter? With sprinkles?”
“Just try it!”
Leslie nervously brought the star to her lips, eyeing Ben suspiciously as she did. He nodded his encouragement at her, watching as the bread passed into her mouth.
She chewed.
Ben realised he had been staring at her mouth, slack-jawed, for at least 30 seconds, and vigorously shook his head in an attempt to snap himself out of his stupor.
“So...?” he began.
“These are awesome!” Leslie squealed.
“Right?” Ben replied, the smile returning to his face.
“Yes! It's like a whole new world of sugar is opening up in front of me.”
Ben laughed, as Leslie reached out to grab a second slice.
“It's crunchier than I expected,” she said through her mouthfuls.
“Yeah, that was my first reaction too.”
“Thank you so much, Ben. This was seriously amazing. The best.”
“You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. Though I was pretty confident you would.”
Their eyes locked. Silence filled the room again.
It was Leslie's turn to break it.
She reached into her purse, pulling out an envelope.
“It's just a small memento. Of the time you spent in Pawnee. And of what we achieved, together, while you were here,” she said, handing the envelope to Ben, their fingers brushing against each other as she did so.
Ben's fingers wrapped around the small white envelope, and slowly, carefully, he opened it, pulling out the photograph.
It was him. And Leslie. Smiling. Together.
And Li'l Sebastian.
The Harvest Festival.
Their Harvest Festival.
Ben's stomach tightened.
She was watching him expectantly.
“Do you like it?” she asked nervously. “I was going to get it framed, but then I figured it was more fitting without one. I don't really know why. I should have gotten it framed.”
“It's perfect, Leslie. Thank you.”
“Are you sure? It's nowhere near as good as the fairy bread.”
“It's so much better than the fairy bread.”
“Nothing is better than the fairy bread.”
Ben laughed.
“I'm glad you think so. But really, this is better. Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
Ben looked down at his watch.
“I'd better get going. I still have to pack.”
“Right. Have a great time. I'll see you when you get back.”
“Yeah. Happy Holidays, Leslie.”
“Happy Holidays, Ben.”
Ben turned and walked out of her office. As he reached the door of the Parks department, he paused, and turned back to look at Leslie, who was smiling, and enthusiastically eating her final slice of fairy bread.
It would probably all be downhill from here, but this Christmas was off to a great start.