Let's pretend Ben did come along on the bohemian rhapsody press tour for the movie, shall we?
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With a raised eyebrow, Joe listens to some Japanese fella talking to their translater. He's glad to see that the other three boys don't understand it either.
"What's he saying?" Gwil asks confused.
"For tonight there are only two rooms available, so you'll have to share. After tonight you'll all have your own room." The translater explains.
Ben immediately looks at Joe, hoping he'll get to share a room with the ginger. "That's alright, we can share. Can't we, Joey?" He says to the boy before Gwil or Rami get the chance.
The ginger nods with a smile. "Of course, Ben and I will share one, then Rami can share with Gwil. I look foreward to it." He says before shooting a wink at Ben and biting his lip.
The latter can feel his cheeks heat up a little. "I u-um, yeah g-great." He stammers.
Rami gives Ben a questioning look when he notices how uncomfortable the boy suddenly gets. He mouths an 'are you alright?' to the blond.
Ben just nods at that, even though he isn't.
The past few weeks, Joe has been sending him these rather mixed signals. One day the ginger keeps making these flirtatious comments, in combination with things like biting his lip and touching Ben's arm. But then the day after that, Joe would hardly speak to Ben.
"Ben, stop day dreaming. Let's go to our rooms to unpack." Gwil says, snapping his fingers in front of Ben's face to get his attention.
Ben blinks a few times and nods. "Right, let's go." He mumbles.
When all four of them have disappeared into the right bedrooms, Ben plops down onto the bed. "Can you believe we're actually in Tokyo?" He smiles as he stares at the ceiling.
When Joe doesn't respond, Ben looks aside. He swallows when he sees that Joe has put all his clothes from his suitcase onto the bed. The first thing that catches his eye are the ginger's boxershorts.
"Like what you see?" Joe asks, standing with his back towards Ben.
The latter looks up in surprise. How did Joe know he was looking at his underwear? Instead of answering the question, the blond decides to change the topic. "I... I don't know what you mean. S-so ehm, what should we do tonight? We have nothing planned yet." Ben stutters.
Joe turns around with a smirk. "How about we go out? I think we could have some fun in one of those karaoke bars." He suggests. "I could sing you a song." He shoots Ben a wink before disappearing into the bathroom to freshen up a little.
And again, Ben is left with dark red cheeks. He needs to know what's going on here. Is Joe seeking more than friendship here, or does he just like to tease? The blond grabs his phone, and decides to ask Rami to meet up. After all, he is the one to know Joe the longest.
"Who are you texting?" Is the first thing Joe asks when he comes out of the bathroom.
Ben raises his eyebrow. "Why do you want to know? Jealous?" For once he decides to play along with Joe's game, and to tease back a little. He chuckles when he sees Joe rolling his eyes.
"Just curious." The ginger mumbles.
Ben smiles before typing a message to Rami.
(05:24 Pm) Ben: Hey, do you have a moment to talk in private anywhere today?
After Rami agreed to meet up to talk, they settle a place and a time. Ben puts his phone away with a smile, and lets his head rest on the pillow of the bed. He decides to just listen to some music and relax a bit before their wild evening at a karaoke bar.
++++
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Rami asks Ben, trying to hide his curiosity.
Ben takes a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to you about Joe, actually. Because you're the one that knows him best. And lately he has been...-" He stops talking, thinking of a way to put it.
Rami raises his eyebrow. "He has been what?" He asks.
"He has been flirting with me lately, teasing me even. And I'm just not sure what to think of it." Ben admits. "Is he always like this?"
Rami smiles. "I see. You want to know whether he is looking for a relationship with you." He says with a slight grin.
Ben looks away in embarrassment. "I'm not even sure what I want. I mean, is he even... you know, into men?"
Rami lets out a laugh. "It's not very like Joe to label his sexuality. But I think you'd have a chance with him." He says with a wink. "Is he making you uncomfortable?" He asks when he sees that his remark is received with a frown from the blond.
Ben shrugs. "It's not that exactly. I think...-" He mumbles. "He's confusing me."
Rami thinks for a moment. "Well, why don't you just talk to him? Just ask him what he's trying to pursue. If he wants a relationship, you can tell him whether or not you'd be open for that. That way there's clarity, and no one will feel like their being led on by the other."
Ben slowly starts nodding after processing everything Rami just said. "That's actually a good idea."
Rami gives the boy an indignant look. "Don't sound so surprised!"
Ben can't help but laugh. "Sorry." He giggles. "But thanks for the advise. I'll talk to him tonight, after we get back from the bar."
Rami lets out a confused noise. "What bar?" He asks.
"Joe is planning to take us all to a karaoke bar." Ben smiles.
Rami rolls his eyes. "Good to know."
----
That night, the four actors take a cab towards the nearest karaoke bar. And even though it was Joe's idea to go to the bar, he seems the one that is either the least enthusiastic or the most distracted.
"You okay Joe?" Gwil asks, a hint of concern in his voice.
The ginger nods. "Yeah. Just missing home a little, I guess. But I'm sure some booze can fix that." He forces a smile, hoping that the others won't ask any more questions. Then he suddenly feels a hand on his own hand.
"It's okay to feel homesick, please know that." Ben whispers with a comforting smile, making sure the other two boys won't hear him.
This time a more genuine smile appears on Joe's face. "Thanks Benny." He whispers back.
"Joe, slow down." Rami says with a frown when Joe chucks down his fifth glass of tequila.
Joe gives him an agravated look. "I wasn't kidding on drinking my home sickness away you know." He grumbles before taking a big sip.
When Gwil is about to say something too, Ben sighs. "Leave him be guys. Rather join him." He raises his glass before gulping down another beer.
Joe grins. "See, now that's a good friend." He quickly kisses Ben's cheek.
And even though it would have made Ben uncomfortable before, he doesn't mind this time. Maybe it's just the alcohol flowing through his veins, but it could also be because of that talk he had with Rami earlier today.
What if Joe really does want a relationship? Ben isn't even sure if he's really into Joe. Maybe the flirting did only affect him so much because he is physically attracted to Joe.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Gwil asks Ben when he sees how deep in thought his friend is.
Ben quickly smiles, and shakes his head. "They're not worth a penny. Nevermind me."
About an hour and quite a lot of drinks later, the four boys are drunk enough to go up to the karaoke stage.
After Gwil sang '39, Ben sang I'm In Love With My Car and Joe sang Another One Bites The Dust, the ginger decides to sing Ben a song like he promised.
"What's he up to?" Gwil slurs.
Ben, who is the drunkest of all four, shrugs. "I-I have n-no idea." He giggles. "I need another bloody drink." He mumbles before walking, or rather zig zagging, to the bar.
"Another Queen song?" Is the first thing Rami asks Gwil when he returns from the restrooms and sees Joe picking another song from the song list.
Gwil mutters a slurred 'I don't know'.
The bartender is just handing Ben his Scorpion cocktail when the blond hears the start of Purle Rain filling the bar.
"I only want to see you bathing in the purple rain." Joe's with alcohol ruined voice sounds through the speakers. "Oh Benny Benny Bennyyyy" Joe points at Ben, the latter is too wasted to get flushed about it.
Instead he just looks at the singing boy with a big goofy smile while occasionally taking a sip from his coctail.
---
The next morning, Ben wakes up with a throbbing headache. When he sits up, he notices that he's wearing nothing but his boxershorts. Next to him, he sees Joe lying in his own bed, still looking fast asleep. The blond doesn't get much time to think about why he is in his boxers, because suddenly he has to make a run to reach the toilet in time.
"Having fun there Benny boy?" Joe's voice says behind him.
"S-shut up." Ben groans before throwing up again. "I'm never drinking again." He winces in pain.
Joe rolls his eyes. "I'm going back to bed, my hangover is huge." He grumbles. "Turn off the lights when you're done please." He quickly leaves the bathroom, crawling under the covers of his bed. But even though he is exhausted and his whole body is aching, he can't manage to go back to sleep. He needs a way to bring up last night without making Ben suspiscious.
"Do we have any interviews planned for today?" Ben mutters as he enters the bedroom, pulling Joe out of his thoughts.
Joe mumbles an 'I don't think so' back before the room falls silent. After about ten minutes, Joe finally has the courage to ask the blond about last night. "So, how much do you remember of last night?"
Ben plops down onto his bed with a groan. "All I remember is that we were the ones who drank the most. And that you sang me purple rain." He smiles a little.
Joe swallows. "That's all?"
Ben nods. "It is, why? Is there more I should know?" He asks.
Joe quickly shakes his head. "No no, don't worry. I don't know why I said that."
An hour later, the two decide to go down to the dining hall to get some breakfast. Ben can't help but notice how much his lower back is hurting. Maybe he fell down the stairs last night, drunk as he was.
"Anything I can get you from the buffet?" Joe asks the blond.
"Just something light, please. Something hangover proof. You choose." Ben mumbles with a grateful smile.
Joe nods and walks towards the buffet.
While Joe is getting their breakfast, Ben walks over to the table where Gwil and Rami are sitting. "Hey." He says as he forces a smile. When he sees his two friends looking at him with somewhat illegible expressions on their faces, the blond raises his eyebrow. "What?"
Rami clears his throat. "Well that talk with Joe last night certainly went greater than you thought, didn't it?"
Gwil nods in agreement.
Ben looks at them in confusion. "But I haven't talked to Joe yet. I must've gone straight to bed when we got back from that bar." He says with a shrug. "And how are the two of you not hangover?"
Gwil rolls his eyes. "We're high on painkillers. And you went to bed alright. Next time warn us when you're planning to get busy, then we can put our headphones on." He grumbles.
"Do you remember anything at all from when you got back from the bar?" Rami asks.
Ben shakes his head. "Not really. Just the karaoke stuff." Then he understands what his friends are hinting at. "Oh my...-" He mumbles before turning around. He hurries over to the buffet, and grabs Joe's wrist.
Joe slightly jumps when he suddenly pulled out of the line for the buffet. "What the-"
"Shut it, we'll talk in our room." Ben says through gritted teeth.
The two walk back upstairs, and the door of the hotel room closes behind them with a loud bang. "You knew! Why the hell didn't you tell me this morning?!" Ben yells.
Joe stays silent for a moment, rather shocked by Ben's outburst. "I-I ehm, I don't know what you're talking about." He stammers.
Ben rolls his eyes. "Yes you do, why else would you ask if I remembered anything from last night." He grunts. When Joe stays silent once more, Ben really starts to lose his calm. Maybe if he wouldn't be so hangover he might have stayed calm. "When were you gonna tell me that we.... that we slept together?!" He whispers the last part of the sentence. "Or were you just glad I didn't remember so you wouldn't have to tell me?"
Joe looks down at his feet. "I was going to tell you, I promise. I was just scared you'd get angry at me." He admits, his voice nearly above a whisper.
Ben shakes his head. "Why would I get angry? I'm only getting angry when you hide it from me." He takes a deep breath, calming himself down.
Joe shrugs. "So... you don't regret it?" He asks.
The blond smiles a little, hoping it will calm Joe's nerves a bit. "I can't really regret something that I can't remember, can I?" He says with a wink.
Joe lets out a soft chuckle. "I guess. What do we do now? What did it mean?"
Ben swallows. "I'm not sure. To be honest, I was going to talk to you last night about what all that flirting of yours meant." He admits.
The ginger can feel his cheeks heat up. "It means I like you, it's that simple." He whispers. "I want us to be together."
Ben immediately avoids Joe's gaze. "I- I can't give you an answer right now. I'm too hangover to think properly, and I don't want to rush it now and give you a wrong answer."
Joe immediately nods. "I understand that. How about we talk tonight? We can meet in my room." He says. He is glad they'll have their own rooms this night, so that if their talk doesn't go that well, they won't have to spend the night in the same room.
Ben smiles. "Sounds perfect."
()()()
That night, Ben is at the door of Joe's hotel room. He takes a deep breath, and knocks on the door.
The door flies open, and Joe is standing in the doorway with a bottle of wine in his hands. "Hey Benny." He grins.
Ben raises his eyebrow. "Are you drunk?"
Joe shakes his head. "No no, just a bit tipsy." He takes Ben's hands and pulls him into the room.
The blond sighs. "Joe, I thought we were going to talk?"
Joe scoffs. "Have you made up your mind then?" He takes another swing from the wine bottle.
Ben shakes his head. "Well, no. I haven't yet, but still...-" He mumbles.
"What's keeping you from making up your mind?" Joe asks curiously.
Ben shrugs. "To be honest, I'm not sure whether I'm in love with you, or just physically attracted to you." He admits.
Joe smirks. "In that case I have a proposal for you." He takes a step forward, so he can whisper something in Ben's ear. "Let's have one more drunken night, Mister." He whispers.
A shiver runs down Ben's spine as Joe's voice creates goosebumps all over his body. "I- I don't see how that will help." He stammers.
Joe intertwines their fingers. "Simple. Either you'll want to cuddle me afterwards, or you'll want a round two. That's the difference between love and lust." He whispers.
Ben opens his mouth to argue with that, but Joe doesn't give him a chance.
"You said you can't regret something you don't remember. So I'll give you something to remember." Joe slowly starts opening the buttons of Ben's shirt, kissing the boy in the neck as soon as the skin is exposed enough.
"J-Joe I...-" Ben gasps, melting into Joe's touch. "Alright screw it." He mutters before smashing his lips against Joe's, starting a long, long night together.
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I don't know what this is😂🤷🏼♀️
Kisses from me😘