fic: non-negotiable, leslie/ben, ensemble, pg13
title: Non-Negotiable
author:
shornt
pairing: Leslie/Ben, though this is also an ensemble fic
rating: PG13
words: ~1700
notes: So last night I was like just a ball of feelings and had to get it out and spent all night writing this a bit at a time. This show, you guys. Sitcoms shouldn't be allowed to make me feel this many things. Also SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE.
"Guys, we're going to JJs for victory waffles, and then we're staying up all night talking about our lives and our feelings -- non-negotiable."
Leslie’s a woman of her word. Sometimes the words are fuzzy, and sometimes her eyes get so squinty that she gets distracted by her eyelashes and forgets what they were, but rest assured, when she remembers, she sticks to them.
Which is why, after some distraction, she’s talked everyone into walking to JJs (there is no way anyone’s getting behind the wheel of a car; her chart explicitly forbids it... she thinks... the font is kinda small right now). But here there’s some coffee and food, and people look a little clearer. And as she shoves forkfuls of waffle down her throat, knees jiggling against the bottom of the table in excitement and pent-up energy, she remembers the other part of this plan.
“Feelings!” she exclaims, and claps her hands together. Ben jumps back in surprise, Ann looks up with a wide grin, and Ron groans. Jerry might be asleep on his placemat. “We have them! We should talk about them, right? I think we should talk about them. Ron!”
He groans again, louder, but it seems to get caught in his mustache. He blinks wearily and coughs.
“Present.”
“Yes! Ron. How are your feelings?”
“I’m glad you won, and I’m questioning my last scotch, but not enough to regret it. I don’t believe in regrets. And right now, this bacon makes me feel pleasant. End of story, there you go, you are welcome.”
She thinks he giggles, just a little, as he grabs another greasy handful.
“Great feels, Ron, really excellent!” That’s a funny word, really, so she laughs. Aw crap, and put her hand in the whipped cream on accident. Oh well, it’s not like she’s not used to cleaning up whipped cream. Ben’s looking at her in a funny way, and oh. She’ll save him for last. “Tom!”
“I’m supposed to be on a cleanse, but I think this Greek omelette is pretty dope, if I do say so myself.” He smiles, looks to Ann for approval, and she offers him a high five. “And Ann is being mine, so that means Drake should be here any minute. Perks! Perks of Perkins. Perkins, would you have some Haverford?”
Or she thinks that’s what he says, the words run together a little and he’s mostly gesturing his hands around and Ann’s started laughing. But then she pushes Tom in the face and shouts that he’s being gross, so it’s probably okay.
“This is right you guys, yes. Let’s keep the train partying. Donna?”
“I get my baby back tomorrow so life is good.” And then Donna’s face screws up and her hands clench into vice grips around her utensils. “I’ve been so worried about Fassy. All alone. Who’s shining his leather interior every evening?” A lone tear trails down her cheek, and Tom pats her arm in support.
“Donna you just feel so many things, who knew! Just like us.” This is awesome, and Leslie must be really really good at leading people because these are real moments happening and she’s sitting at the head of the table like she’s at the City Council desk and yes. This is a good thing, all of it. Wait, her eyelashes again -- are they purple?
Wait no, that’s just the weird lighting. She takes another bite of waffle and forgets to swallow before talking again.
“Andy! You usually feel stuff, right?”
“Do I ever! And I’d like to take this time--” he stands up, but hits the side of the table and nearly falls back into his seat. It knocks a mug of coffee over. “I just gotta say, this has been great, and dreams! They’re happening. So I might be a cop or something! We’ll see. April says its a good idea, and she’s never wrong except for once when she wanted to put mac and cheese in soup, so.”
“That was your idea,” April corrects, but she’s smiling. Leslie likes it when she smiles. It’s probably her positive influence or else April’s muscles in her mouth would have frozen and she’d always look surly.
“You guys are the best,” Leslie says, and holds her hand out to April. “April? Your turn.” Of course, they’re sitting on far ends of the table, so her hand ends up flailing in the air and April doesn’t even raise hers.
“I guess this has been cool. And I didn’t want you to lose, so. And I didn’t ruin anything. I feel nice things, I guess.” Then she starts mumbling in Spanish and Andy’s laughing like crazy (does he know spanish? Leslie thinks probably no) but she looks kinda happy and shy and that’s so much for April, so many good feelings, that Leslie feels more tears in her eyes.
“Beautiful, April. Oh my god.” She wipes the tears with her fingers -- why can’t she stop crying? This is silly, so much crying tonight. But they’re good tears. They’re not sad tears. They’re dream tears. Who’s left? “Ann?”
Ann makes a weird choking noise, blinks a lot, smiles, and waves her hand.
"Happy!" she says simply, before batting away Tom's hand again. And that's enough to hear from her best friend in the world. That's also good. Who else?
"Ben?"
He makes a funny, pinched face, hands clasped around his cup of coffee. It’s how he looks when he’s thinking a lot, and it’s really sexy, and Leslie wants to reach over and--
“I feel good,” he says, slow and thoughtful. “I think. Happy for Leslie, and... a little weird, but good.”
He reaches out for her hand and to his credit, doesn’t flinch at the bits of whipped cream that smear onto his suit sleeve.
“And things are gonna be... different. But still good. Right?”
She really shouldn’t cry again, not here, but god she has two days left with him and it’s not like he’s leaving forever and she’s never gonna see him again but who knows when they’ll get to visit each other, he’ll have to get settled and she has to get settled, and holy crap she has two jobs and he’s gonna be states away, and she knows he needs this and she owes him this but wow, it’s just gonna be so hard, and--
“Les?” Okay, judging by his concern, she’s crying again. Crap on a chrysanthemum.
“It’ll be hard,” she says weakly, wiping at her tears again. She doesn’t want to look at the rest of the table. But she said they had to talk about feelings and she has a lot of feelings right now and she’s talking about them, so. The theme.
“We can do it,” he says, squeezing her hand. She throws her head back like it’ll force the tears back into her eyes, and shakes her head.
Suddenly there’s a loud honking noise and everyone jumps.
“Sorry,” Andy sniffles, dabbing at his face with the napkin he just blew his nose in. “But roomie! I didn’t think how you’re gonna leave us and stuff, and man. That blows.”
And now there’s more than one person crying. That must mean this was a successful venture!
“Good feelings talk everyone!” She sniffles a little. “And I feel weird, but also awesome, but also sleepy.”
Everyone nods.
“So I think we’re all done, is everyone finished?”
“Uh, hon?” Ben jerks his head over to the forgotten corner of the table, where Jerry is still passed out face-down next to his hashbrowns.
“Oh! Jerry. Should we wake him?” No one answers. “Jerry?”
April sharply pokes Jerry in the arm. He snorts and raises his head with effort, confused.
“Wait,” he slurs, and reaches up to wipe sweat off his brow. “Did she win? I don’t - I’m so sorry, she won right?”
---
She and Ben leave last, because she makes him call cabs for everyone. He’s sobered up the most, putting himself on a steady regimen of coffee and water since they got to JJs, so he insists that he’s fine to drive and doesn’t mind walking back to her car. She knows she definitely can’t, too much drink and too much waffle, so that’s okay.
They don’t really say a lot, just let their clasped hands swing between them. She likes his hands. They’re big and she wants to hold them always. It’s good. His fist clenches when she gets wobbly, so she finds herself tripping over nothing just to feel it. It’s solid and strong and it helps. She’s not gonna cry again, right? Nope.
The drive home’s quiet too, but it’s nice after all the noise. Ben flips on the radio but turns it on low, hums along with a little smile. And Leslie can see straight now, but she’s just so tired, it’s been so overwhelming and she doesn’t know how to feel right now. She wanted to talk about feelings because she thought she’d sort hers out.
It’s like cloud nine, but with a chain around it. DC’s on the other end.
And really, she knows it’s not the end of the world. She knows he’s gonna come home and they’ll visit and Washington sex is definitely gonna be some of the best because how can it not be? She hasn’t been there in a few years and she’s always wanted to go with Ben and, well... she gets to go as an elected official.
She’s an elected official.
Pawnee voted for her and Ben didn’t write a concession speech and she gets a new nameplate and her picture on a wall that’s been staring at her since she got her first job at City Hall.
It’s good. Things are good. Ben will be a little far, but he’ll always come back, and she gets to live her dream and he gets to start on his, and they’re still them but different and it’ll work out because it has to.
If she can win an election, she can handle this.
And she’s barely noticed getting home, to her place, where they can be alone. And he’s leading her out of the car, and she stumbles again, not on purpose, and he laughs a little when he catches her.
“Steady,” he saws lowly, but she can’t stop wobbling.
Two days. She hasn’t slept a lot, but sleep can wait while Ben’s still with her.
“We’ve got approximately 48 hours to make the most of things,” she says, unbuttoning his shirt once they’re in her room. He lifts an eyebrow and smiles.
“Get started, Councilwoman.”
author:
shornt
pairing: Leslie/Ben, though this is also an ensemble fic
rating: PG13
words: ~1700
notes: So last night I was like just a ball of feelings and had to get it out and spent all night writing this a bit at a time. This show, you guys. Sitcoms shouldn't be allowed to make me feel this many things. Also SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE.
"Guys, we're going to JJs for victory waffles, and then we're staying up all night talking about our lives and our feelings -- non-negotiable."
Leslie’s a woman of her word. Sometimes the words are fuzzy, and sometimes her eyes get so squinty that she gets distracted by her eyelashes and forgets what they were, but rest assured, when she remembers, she sticks to them.
Which is why, after some distraction, she’s talked everyone into walking to JJs (there is no way anyone’s getting behind the wheel of a car; her chart explicitly forbids it... she thinks... the font is kinda small right now). But here there’s some coffee and food, and people look a little clearer. And as she shoves forkfuls of waffle down her throat, knees jiggling against the bottom of the table in excitement and pent-up energy, she remembers the other part of this plan.
“Feelings!” she exclaims, and claps her hands together. Ben jumps back in surprise, Ann looks up with a wide grin, and Ron groans. Jerry might be asleep on his placemat. “We have them! We should talk about them, right? I think we should talk about them. Ron!”
He groans again, louder, but it seems to get caught in his mustache. He blinks wearily and coughs.
“Present.”
“Yes! Ron. How are your feelings?”
“I’m glad you won, and I’m questioning my last scotch, but not enough to regret it. I don’t believe in regrets. And right now, this bacon makes me feel pleasant. End of story, there you go, you are welcome.”
She thinks he giggles, just a little, as he grabs another greasy handful.
“Great feels, Ron, really excellent!” That’s a funny word, really, so she laughs. Aw crap, and put her hand in the whipped cream on accident. Oh well, it’s not like she’s not used to cleaning up whipped cream. Ben’s looking at her in a funny way, and oh. She’ll save him for last. “Tom!”
“I’m supposed to be on a cleanse, but I think this Greek omelette is pretty dope, if I do say so myself.” He smiles, looks to Ann for approval, and she offers him a high five. “And Ann is being mine, so that means Drake should be here any minute. Perks! Perks of Perkins. Perkins, would you have some Haverford?”
Or she thinks that’s what he says, the words run together a little and he’s mostly gesturing his hands around and Ann’s started laughing. But then she pushes Tom in the face and shouts that he’s being gross, so it’s probably okay.
“This is right you guys, yes. Let’s keep the train partying. Donna?”
“I get my baby back tomorrow so life is good.” And then Donna’s face screws up and her hands clench into vice grips around her utensils. “I’ve been so worried about Fassy. All alone. Who’s shining his leather interior every evening?” A lone tear trails down her cheek, and Tom pats her arm in support.
“Donna you just feel so many things, who knew! Just like us.” This is awesome, and Leslie must be really really good at leading people because these are real moments happening and she’s sitting at the head of the table like she’s at the City Council desk and yes. This is a good thing, all of it. Wait, her eyelashes again -- are they purple?
Wait no, that’s just the weird lighting. She takes another bite of waffle and forgets to swallow before talking again.
“Andy! You usually feel stuff, right?”
“Do I ever! And I’d like to take this time--” he stands up, but hits the side of the table and nearly falls back into his seat. It knocks a mug of coffee over. “I just gotta say, this has been great, and dreams! They’re happening. So I might be a cop or something! We’ll see. April says its a good idea, and she’s never wrong except for once when she wanted to put mac and cheese in soup, so.”
“That was your idea,” April corrects, but she’s smiling. Leslie likes it when she smiles. It’s probably her positive influence or else April’s muscles in her mouth would have frozen and she’d always look surly.
“You guys are the best,” Leslie says, and holds her hand out to April. “April? Your turn.” Of course, they’re sitting on far ends of the table, so her hand ends up flailing in the air and April doesn’t even raise hers.
“I guess this has been cool. And I didn’t want you to lose, so. And I didn’t ruin anything. I feel nice things, I guess.” Then she starts mumbling in Spanish and Andy’s laughing like crazy (does he know spanish? Leslie thinks probably no) but she looks kinda happy and shy and that’s so much for April, so many good feelings, that Leslie feels more tears in her eyes.
“Beautiful, April. Oh my god.” She wipes the tears with her fingers -- why can’t she stop crying? This is silly, so much crying tonight. But they’re good tears. They’re not sad tears. They’re dream tears. Who’s left? “Ann?”
Ann makes a weird choking noise, blinks a lot, smiles, and waves her hand.
"Happy!" she says simply, before batting away Tom's hand again. And that's enough to hear from her best friend in the world. That's also good. Who else?
"Ben?"
He makes a funny, pinched face, hands clasped around his cup of coffee. It’s how he looks when he’s thinking a lot, and it’s really sexy, and Leslie wants to reach over and--
“I feel good,” he says, slow and thoughtful. “I think. Happy for Leslie, and... a little weird, but good.”
He reaches out for her hand and to his credit, doesn’t flinch at the bits of whipped cream that smear onto his suit sleeve.
“And things are gonna be... different. But still good. Right?”
She really shouldn’t cry again, not here, but god she has two days left with him and it’s not like he’s leaving forever and she’s never gonna see him again but who knows when they’ll get to visit each other, he’ll have to get settled and she has to get settled, and holy crap she has two jobs and he’s gonna be states away, and she knows he needs this and she owes him this but wow, it’s just gonna be so hard, and--
“Les?” Okay, judging by his concern, she’s crying again. Crap on a chrysanthemum.
“It’ll be hard,” she says weakly, wiping at her tears again. She doesn’t want to look at the rest of the table. But she said they had to talk about feelings and she has a lot of feelings right now and she’s talking about them, so. The theme.
“We can do it,” he says, squeezing her hand. She throws her head back like it’ll force the tears back into her eyes, and shakes her head.
Suddenly there’s a loud honking noise and everyone jumps.
“Sorry,” Andy sniffles, dabbing at his face with the napkin he just blew his nose in. “But roomie! I didn’t think how you’re gonna leave us and stuff, and man. That blows.”
And now there’s more than one person crying. That must mean this was a successful venture!
“Good feelings talk everyone!” She sniffles a little. “And I feel weird, but also awesome, but also sleepy.”
Everyone nods.
“So I think we’re all done, is everyone finished?”
“Uh, hon?” Ben jerks his head over to the forgotten corner of the table, where Jerry is still passed out face-down next to his hashbrowns.
“Oh! Jerry. Should we wake him?” No one answers. “Jerry?”
April sharply pokes Jerry in the arm. He snorts and raises his head with effort, confused.
“Wait,” he slurs, and reaches up to wipe sweat off his brow. “Did she win? I don’t - I’m so sorry, she won right?”
---
She and Ben leave last, because she makes him call cabs for everyone. He’s sobered up the most, putting himself on a steady regimen of coffee and water since they got to JJs, so he insists that he’s fine to drive and doesn’t mind walking back to her car. She knows she definitely can’t, too much drink and too much waffle, so that’s okay.
They don’t really say a lot, just let their clasped hands swing between them. She likes his hands. They’re big and she wants to hold them always. It’s good. His fist clenches when she gets wobbly, so she finds herself tripping over nothing just to feel it. It’s solid and strong and it helps. She’s not gonna cry again, right? Nope.
The drive home’s quiet too, but it’s nice after all the noise. Ben flips on the radio but turns it on low, hums along with a little smile. And Leslie can see straight now, but she’s just so tired, it’s been so overwhelming and she doesn’t know how to feel right now. She wanted to talk about feelings because she thought she’d sort hers out.
It’s like cloud nine, but with a chain around it. DC’s on the other end.
And really, she knows it’s not the end of the world. She knows he’s gonna come home and they’ll visit and Washington sex is definitely gonna be some of the best because how can it not be? She hasn’t been there in a few years and she’s always wanted to go with Ben and, well... she gets to go as an elected official.
She’s an elected official.
Pawnee voted for her and Ben didn’t write a concession speech and she gets a new nameplate and her picture on a wall that’s been staring at her since she got her first job at City Hall.
It’s good. Things are good. Ben will be a little far, but he’ll always come back, and she gets to live her dream and he gets to start on his, and they’re still them but different and it’ll work out because it has to.
If she can win an election, she can handle this.
And she’s barely noticed getting home, to her place, where they can be alone. And he’s leading her out of the car, and she stumbles again, not on purpose, and he laughs a little when he catches her.
“Steady,” he saws lowly, but she can’t stop wobbling.
Two days. She hasn’t slept a lot, but sleep can wait while Ben’s still with her.
“We’ve got approximately 48 hours to make the most of things,” she says, unbuttoning his shirt once they’re in her room. He lifts an eyebrow and smiles.
“Get started, Councilwoman.”