When The Stars Align | A Ben Pincus x Reader Fanfiction

30. Rude Awakening

Taken and imprisoned

[Ben POV]

Mae squints one eye into her microscope at the white cube.
She grabs a pencil and writes some notes on a pad of paper.

"Mae, I need your help." Kenji says

"Yes?"

Kenji sets down a card in frustration. "Does a full house beat four of a kind?"

"Uh-uh. Sorry Kenj. Not today. Not ever." Mae says

"Aw man!"

"Boom!" Darius slaps down 4 cards on the table triumphantly.

"Shh!" I hiss to the others. "Y/N is taking a nap, so keep your tones low!"

Y/N breathes peacefully on my side, and I wrap an affectionate arm on her. I feel a fond smile form on my mouth.

"Are you two a couple?" Mae calls from across the room.

My whole face turns as red as a tomato. "N-no. We- we're not a couple or any thing like that..." Taken off guard, I stammer.

"You're in love with her, I can clearly see that." Mae smiles.

"I, uh... uh- um..."

Yaz smirks.

I turn my head to see Caleb's reaction but he just smiles knowingly at me.

Weird. Doesn't he like Y/N, too?

Mae turns her chair around to us. "Don't mean to interrupt, but if anyone wants to round up some chestnuts in the forest, I make a pretty mean soup"

"I'll go." Yaz says. "It's getting kinda boring beating these guys." She triumphantly sets down four cards from her hands

"Aw man!"

"Girl is on fire!"

"I knew it."

•·•

Yaz wakes up with a gasp, waking me up too.

My eyes open and I groggily make out Y/N to be beside me. My arm is wrapped around her, and our legs are tangled up with each other's on the floor.

I feel my cheeks slowly heating up, and I smile at Y/N's sleeping form, brushing a little hair behind her ear.

I completely forget that Mae, and Yaz are awake and their voices snap me out of my trance.

"You okay, love?" Mae asks kindly.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm good."

"I only asked because you gasped loudly, dropped my tablet on the floor, and startled awake."

I raise my hand. "You also startled me awake, but I don't mind."

Yaz chuckles and picks up the tablet. "Sorry."

"No, look. I appreciate you keeping an eye out for BRADs, but you should rest like your friends over there."

"Besides, I'm awake." I chime in

Kenji snores. Sammy shifts uncomfortably. Caleb whimpers a little.

"Yeah, we've been through a lot."

I snort. "Tell me about it."

"But I'd rather stay up, if that's okay." Yaz rubs her neck.

"You're the boss." Mae shrugs. "Except when you're assisting me, then obviously I'm the boss. Now hand me that petri dish."