Pairings: 2016!Ben Hanscom x 2016!Reader, 1989!Ben Hanscom x 1989!Reader - reader's gender not specified!

Request: Can you do one where instead of Ben meeting Beverley he meets y/n?

A//n: 📢  BEN HANSCOM STOLE MY HEART❗❗+ I have yet to finish the novel, but there's one moment with him that made me fall in love with Ben hanscom instantly and that's the scene in the grass and I had to add it cause there isn't enough Ben love in the fandom and I'm certain its cause they hardly had enough time to include his best moments. Yall will try and come for me and roast me with this fic but before you do, HE REALLY DO BE LIKE THAT IN THE NOVEL THO OKAY 😂 Ben Hanscom was the original simp, except Beverly actually loved him back and stuff in the end but yeah, our boi is a simp and we love him for it

Fictober Day 23: "do we have to?"

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Were you really doing this? Like were you really doing this?

The question bounces around your head, stuck on an infinite loop like a broken record ever since you booked a flight back to Derry. The real question was why? Why the fuck did the name itself lock your jaw, and scramble your insides until you were well past inconsolable? And why hadn't you remembered anything about this town─itself included─had even existed until that phonecall?

These were all questions that swam around your clouded brain, each of them fighting for attention and top priority as you stood locked in place. Your feet hadn't moved since you reached the front doors, the frosted words Jade of The Orient painted into the glass has been burned into your vision when you hadn't blinked in a while.

A slim figure reflecting behind you in the glass was the thing to break you from your stupor. Though it takes your brain a moment to send its signals to the rest of your body to move out of the way of the entrance you were clearly blocking.

A sorry slipped past your lips as you shuffled aside, at least you think it did. You were still much too lost in your own head to go in quite yet. That word came back your mind again; Why?

"And here I thought I needed a secret password," came a deep voice over your shoulder.

The voice pulled you out almost immediately, you didn't know it at all and yet it was strong enough to save you from drowning in your thoughts. You could feel yourself break the surface, recapturing your focus and that's when you found the source of the voice. It was a very handsome man, around your age with dark, graying hair and very kind eyes. He wore a bashful smile as he looked at you, expectantly, you realized as if he was waiting for a quick witted remark.

Something about him was tugging at you─screaming at you, somewhere deep inside. Like a special ache in your chest that had been missing for a long long time and you didn't even know it. It grew when his expression weakened a bit, he looked wounded almost but tried to hide it. All the while, a genuine smile still brightening his face as he shrugs.

His mouth parts to reveal his identity when a soft gasp he nearly misses leaves your lips without permission. The words 'new kid' jumping out, another lost fragment breaking the murky surface of your memory that comes back to you in overpowering waves.

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A flood of voices assailed your ears as you ventured the overpacked hallway. The stimulation was enough to give you a headache, and for a moment you thought you might not even make it to the end of the hallway. The double door exit seemed like golden gates now after that shit excuse of a year and you were ready for them to take you to a better summer. As hoped, the blaring voices and plumes of body odor that clung to every other kid was snuffed out in the humid June air.

Sure, it was hot and a little sticky but at least you weren't stuffed in a small classroom with a few dozen kids like a pack of sardines. But there was still the issue of getting home.

And you were NOT looking forward to the bus ride home, last day or not. Marcia Fadden─a grubby 15 year old with heavy acne and a horrible sense in partnership─had taken a liking to making your bus ride as unpleasant as possible. She was the number one goon to Gretta Bowie, and her boyfriend Peter Gordon was a goon of Henry Bowers. Nothing about her was kind or pleasant, nor were any interactions with her.

You were so twisted up in your head you nearly failed to realize the kid blocking your path. You stopped suddenly before you could collide with him, and you half expected him to see this and move. But he was lost in his thoughts, bike in one hand, a diorama of the Derry Standpipe in the other as he looked out onto the grass.

"You gonna let me go by? Or is there a secret password or something?" You joked dryly, not really caring if it came out meaner than intended.

His eyes were pulled to you and they tripled in size, his rosy cheeks growing scarlet as he broke out in a mad fluster. You were certain you recognized this kid now, the new kid. He moved here not long ago, and he had been in a handful of your classes.

He had a funny habit of staring.

Immediately, he scrambles for words, anything to say at all. You can tell just by the look on his face. All he could manage was a bashful smile he sent your way as he tried to get a hold of his things.

You quickly decided you wanted to see more of it, and your expression softened. "Or is there a new toll-"

The diorama he held in his left hand quickly lost its balance, crashing onto the pavement in a painfully awkward clatter. He scrambled to pick it up, pieces of the model scattered on the concrete.

"...I don't... know about." You trailed off, biting the inside of your cheek and looking away when you realized it was too late to help.

That was when he lost his grip on his bike. He quickly dove after it, pulling it back up to his side, diorama now somewhat collected. By now he was redder than his shirt and those kind eyes that always stole fleeting glances at you in class could barely meet your eye.

You sighed, taking pity on him. It was no secret Bowers had it out for him, not after what happened in last weeks math test. Henry Bowers had already been held back, and had insisted that Ben give him the answers he needed not to avoid another year in freshman math, which Ben refused. At least that's what you overheard from Sally Mueller, and she always had her nose in other people's business as much as she was around for everyone's drama.

You think back to the last minute reroute you took to avoid the Bowers gang that lead you here, and your voice softens. "Henry and his goons are over by the west entrance, so you should be fine."

He shakes his head, burrowing further in his sheepish state as he tries to shake it off. "Oh, I wasn't-"

"Everyone knows he's looking for you," You eased.

Finally, your hopes lifted when his chin did, his eyes finally brave enough to meet yours again and it brought a small smile to your face much to your surprise. This kid was sweet, much too naïve and bashful for his own good,, almost like some Walt Disney cartoon baby bunny. But he was cute too, charming even and his smile was contagious.

A second time, you wished again to see it.

"Ya know, I'm surprised you stood up to him. Bowers, I mean," You say, watching carefully as he slips into another daze. And yet you don't have to wonder if he's listening cause you know he is, all too closely. "No one ever does, cause, well... He's pretty fucked up and he can get away with just about anything."

This was the first time, you realized, in your whole encounter that his face was a normal shade. The same as the rest of his body, and not a beet red mess and that's when you put it together by the look on his face that this kid was paling. Quickly, you finished what you had meant to say, trying to calm him a bit.

"That's pretty cool that you did though," his brows jumped up his forehead in surprise, the color returning to his cheeks little by little.

"R-really?" He breathes. "You think so?"

You nod, a satisfied smirk tugging at the corner of your lips as you laughed lightly. "Stupid, but cool, yeah."

You eye the headphones sitting on his head, and you step forward to take them off. "Whatcha listening to?"

You put the headphones over your ears, your face brightening into a blinding grin when you recognized the song from the radio.

'You got the Right Stuff, Baby-'

You took the headphones back off, and looked to him still grinning.

"New Kids on The Block,"

"I don't even like them," he sputters defensively. "I was just-"

"Wait, you're the new kid right?" You asked, a glint of humor in your eyes. "Now I get it,"

He didn't seem to take it all that well, and you promptly dropped your teasing act.

"There's nothing to get," he said quietly.

You couldn't help but wonder just how many kids made fun of him, and you figured you must have touched on a delicate subject.

"I'm just playing around," You made him meet your eyes before sending him a goofy smile, messily setting the headphones atop his head, which he quickly fixed around his neck. "I'm Y/n L/n, by the way."

"I know─" he pauses for half a moment, like his brain was buffering and his skin flushed yet again making you wonder if this kid was born this bright a pink. "Well, I mean, I know that because─because we're in the same class. Social studies. You were─"

He stops again, shaking his head.

"I'm Ben. But pretty much everybody just calls me the─"

"The new kid." You finished, nodding.

You could understand that, and your heart went out to Ben. Once again you could hear the shrill and grating voice of Marcia Fadden chanting freak. You could still feel her sticking the wad of gum she had been chewing all day, right into your ear two weeks ago as everyone joined in on her chant.

"Well, Ben, there are worse things to be called,"

Your eyes fell to Ben's open backpack, and you recognized the yearbook peaking out of it. Stepping forward, you grabbed it from the open pocket. "Mind if I sign this?"

Ben's eyes shot to the yearbook, his heartrate skyrocketing to lethal heights. You were looking at him, holding his yearbook and a pen you had pulled from its previous hiding spot behind your ear.

Before too long, he realizes you were still waiting for an answer. He gulps.

"Uh, yeah, no." He stutters, melting at your smile as you opened the yearbook. "Go ahead."

He saw the look in your eye when you reached the Autograph Page and he thought he might die. He was downcast, and that rampant storm of butterflies in his stomach turned to a quick lurch. But like magic, you managed to lift his spirits as your face brightened with an idea, and you began to sign.

The sun was peaking out from behind the trees and kissing your skin and the soft breeze that he felt cooling his cheeks was also ruffling the hem of your collar, teasing your neck. Ben felt his heart might explode and he swore he had never seen anyone more breathtaking. He felt ashamed for staring, he always did. And yet his gaze was drawn to you like magnets.

Briefly his mind drifts to last Friday, precisely six and half weeks after his first day; and the first time he saw you in class. You weren't paying attention to Mrs. Douglas like you should have been. Your mind had clearly wandered to the side of your homework sheet where you were haphazardly doodling something he couldn't see, mindlessly nibbling on the inside of your cheek. And in that moment when he took his next breath, he inhaled something so powerful into his lungs that he knew even then would never leave.

It was a something warm and heavy that stuck to his heart and the walls of his lungs, weighing down every breath making it harder to breathe. Something so sweet, pure, and divine it made his head dizzy and he felt he might faint as it races through his veins and tingles his skin. It was the most intense infatuation he had ever experienced, and that was saying something for the boy who always loved deeply and fully.

He didn't have the courage to admit he was falling in love, even though he was. He simply let himself carry on believing throughout those next following weeks that he was blessed enough to have a feeling so profound, and with someone so wonderful. And then came last Friday...

School had let out just past noon; his mother hadn't gotten home until at least six, because on Fridays she went right to the Shop ’n Save after work. The rest of the day was his.

He had gone down to McCarron Park for awhile and sat under a tree, not doing anything but occasionally whispering “I love Y/n L/n” under his breath, feeling more lightheaded and romantic each time he said it. At one point, as a bunch of boys drifted into the park and began choosing up sides for a scratch baseball game, he whispered the words “Y/n Hanscom” twice, and then had to put his face into the grass until it cooled his burning cheeks.

The very memory sent his heart beating right out of his chest, and he felt ashamed he had done it and yet it still brought a flutter to his stomach. But it all vanished within moments, evaporating instantly at the sound of your voice as you capped your pen and closed the yearbook that you were handing to him.

"Stay cool, Ben from Soc. class," you said with the most entrancing smirk he was sure he had ever seen.

"Y-You too, Y/n," He grinned, breathing a laugh at your quick wit.

Ben stood there in awe as you finished your journey down the steps and began your walk, unsure as to how or if that even just happened. He even thought of pinching himself to be sure but that's when he remembered the yearbook you had placed on his diorama. He thought of opening it when he got home, but he simply couldn't wait. Quickly he parked his bike against the stone wall, and with his now one free hand opened the hardcover book to the very back, and Ben felt a tingling so intense in his chest and arms, he was convinced it was a heart attack.

There, scribbled in red ink was a small message amidst a blank canvas.

Here's my number New Kid,
"What'cha Gonna Do" about it? ;)

(XXX) - XXX - XXXX

- Y/n L/n             

A squeaky and awkward laugh left Ben, he had never imagined even in a million years anything like this would happen. And yet here you were, and there you went, leaving behind a trail for him to follow. He was delighted by your reference, and even more so by the fact you wanted to speak with him more.

What you didn't realize at the time, was just how significant that moment in time was. That small act of innocent flirtation and the small spark you got when he smiled at you. How important he would become in the months that followed, how essentially, he would become your anchor and you his at a point in your lives you would need it the most. And what would in turn, like a game of chess, slowly escalate as you two slowly became more entangled in one another's lives.

It started with your signature in his yearbook - another fact you were both blind to at the time, would be something Ben would cherish and carry with him for years to come - then came your poem from a not so secret admirer, that would hold the same value. And then a kiss that would soon be lost to you, but never quite the intense feelings for the boy who

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—Stood before you, now a man. His hands in his jean pockets, fingers grazing the wallet that contained one of his favorite memories of you. His heart swelled at the faraway look in your eye as you took him in, and he knew now that you recognized him. There was hope yet.

Your mouth was still parted in shock but as if caught by an invisible hook, the corner of you lips stretched into an open mouth smirk. You shook your head slowly, and Ben was alight with the mischief in your eyes.

"No," you croaked, inching forward. "No, sorry, but there is a toll,"

Your brisk walk turned into a jog and you tackled him in a hug. All at once he felt at home. He wrapped you in his arms, himself in yours, and a delighted chuckle vibrated through his chest that you felt against yours. He was warm and although he had clearly grown defining and rather impressive muscles that you could feel through his clothes, his touch was still soft and so was he. You hadn't realized how much you had missed his hugs—how much you had missed him.

For Ben, it was if time had finally started up again. Like his life was on pause the moment you left it, and while he changed and grew and made a name for himself... The world rushing and buzzing, racing on without him while he felt left behind. Inside, he was still the little lovesick puppy who thought he'd never have a chance with you no matter how much you tried to convince him otherwise. It was an empty life. An empty house with no one to share it with, and all that kept him drifting away completely was the dog he adopted several months ago and the small token of you that he kept tucked away in his wallet at all times.

To remind him of who he was and who he wanted to be.

He took a deep breath of relief as he hugged you tight, and for a second time he felt that sickly sweet breath settle on his lungs. That breath of love and adoration replenishing his airways and infecting him as he fell in love all over again. Ben grins so hard it hurts.

"It's been so long," he all but exclaims, straining to contain his excitement.

You squeeze him tighter to your chest, blissful memories of him overtaking you all at once. "Too long,"

The hug lingers, neither of you wanting to let go of each other or the fluttery feeling in your hearts. After several moments, Ben is surprised to find himself being the first to break the special moment.

"Uhm, Y/n?" His voice is a whisper so delicate, it could break like glass. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass you or make you uncomfortable in any way, and yet he doesn't break from the hug either. "Do you, uh, think maybe we should go inside now?"

You took a long deep breath, an inward sigh at the thought of facing whatever was making you so nervous. And as you did so, you savored the scent of his cologne and the feeling of safety being with him brought.

"Do we have to?" You sigh.

He smiled into your neck, and nodded. "I'm afraid so,"

The thought of letting your long lost, first love go was an impossible thought. You wanted so badly to take his hand, get back in your car and drive off into the sunset who knows where. You didn't care as long as it wasn't here, and yet you still didn't know why. All you knew was that every bone in your body was screaming at you to run and never look back, your heart and soul telling you to take Ben with you. And for the briefest of moments, there seemed like nothing else in the world was stopping you from doing just that. That was until,

"You two look amazing," drawled a nasally, all too familiar voice that broke you and Ben apart. "What the fuck happened to me?"

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Edit: stop me before I make a mini series. ... I REALLY WANNA MAKE A BEN FIC, HE LITERALLY HAS THE BEST AND BIGGEST HEART AND WRITING THIS MADE ME FEEL THINGS 😩😭 someone please ask for one so I can make one 👉👈