Ben would have preferred Ari cut to the chase. He didn't have a clue as to why he was impeded by such impatience.
Each pause between words stretched out miles before him. Even as he prolonged pouring his drink slowly, the liqueur was getting towards the top quicker than he'd have liked. It was as if each millimeter promised a new level of alcoholism on his part to help remedy the overwhelming sense of dread rising in him. Why did he feel like this was something that Ari had been saving towards the end of the night? When they could say goodbye as quickly as possible?
Before he could figure out an answer, Ari had said it.
It was such a weird feeling, this. It felt as if his stomach had just dropped to his knees, and at the same time, his heart leapt to his throat, wrapping around his windpipe as tight as a vice. For a few, small excruciating seconds Ben couldn't breathe. Why was this his reaction? He didn't have a reason for it. It's not as if Ari was leaving. But....it felt like he was. For the briefest of moments, something like an expression of pain flashed over Ben's face. He wanted to wheel around and yell at Ari. Yell at him for completely blindsiding him. He was getting married. That was something your best friend told you before a proposal was even imminent. You told them while you were courting or hey, at the very least, in love. Yet Ari had done none of these things.
For once, words failed the auror.
But....for all the rage that rose inside, Ben couldn't stay mad at Ari for long. This was Ari for Merlin's sake. Ari, who had healed him time and time again after he was such a prat. Ari, who had found him and brought him back.... didn't he owe this to Ari? Owe him this favor of....being happy for him?
Ben spun around, the drink in his hand sloshing over the sides and completely forgotten. His knuckles were quite white, but the expression on his face was as if someone had turned on a switch. A grin spread across his face and his eyes twinkled. "You're bluffing," he said, the humor in his voice a fairly good imitation of what it would sound like if he was actually finding this to be a funny joke. "Blimey, Ari, I didn't even know you were courting!"
Each pause between words stretched out miles before him. Even as he prolonged pouring his drink slowly, the liqueur was getting towards the top quicker than he'd have liked. It was as if each millimeter promised a new level of alcoholism on his part to help remedy the overwhelming sense of dread rising in him. Why did he feel like this was something that Ari had been saving towards the end of the night? When they could say goodbye as quickly as possible?
Before he could figure out an answer, Ari had said it.
It was such a weird feeling, this. It felt as if his stomach had just dropped to his knees, and at the same time, his heart leapt to his throat, wrapping around his windpipe as tight as a vice. For a few, small excruciating seconds Ben couldn't breathe. Why was this his reaction? He didn't have a reason for it. It's not as if Ari was leaving. But....it felt like he was. For the briefest of moments, something like an expression of pain flashed over Ben's face. He wanted to wheel around and yell at Ari. Yell at him for completely blindsiding him. He was getting married. That was something your best friend told you before a proposal was even imminent. You told them while you were courting or hey, at the very least, in love. Yet Ari had done none of these things.
For once, words failed the auror.
But....for all the rage that rose inside, Ben couldn't stay mad at Ari for long. This was Ari for Merlin's sake. Ari, who had healed him time and time again after he was such a prat. Ari, who had found him and brought him back.... didn't he owe this to Ari? Owe him this favor of....being happy for him?
Ben spun around, the drink in his hand sloshing over the sides and completely forgotten. His knuckles were quite white, but the expression on his face was as if someone had turned on a switch. A grin spread across his face and his eyes twinkled. "You're bluffing," he said, the humor in his voice a fairly good imitation of what it would sound like if he was actually finding this to be a funny joke. "Blimey, Ari, I didn't even know you were courting!"
![[Image: WEY2zhj.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/WEY2zhj.jpeg)