When You Look Me In The Eyes
Title: When You Look Me In The Eyes
Author: xxcabalinaxx
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ben Barnes/Skandar Keynes
Warnings: RPS, and lots and lots of fluff
Summary: "More and more, I start to realize, I can reach my tomorrow, I can hold my head up high, And it's all because you're by my side."
When You Look Me In The Eyes
Exhausted, Skandar slowly waved goodbye to his trainer as he exited the gym locker room. Moving slowly because of his sore and tired muscles, Skandar changed out of sweat soaked clothes and into a fresh dry set. It took him longer than he had expected to when he exited the fitness building, he wasn’t surprised to see Will’s car already sitting in the gym’s parking lot.
Skandar gave Will, and Anna, who was in the passenger seat, a tired smile before sliding into the back seat of the car. He pulled his cell phone and flipped it open. His fingers flew across the keys and within seconds had sent a text and was waiting for the reply.
‘Wizzle just picked me up. On my way to set. U gonna b there?’
Will glanced up and into the rearview mirror. “You alright there, Skan?”
He nodded absentmindedly, attention still on his phone, which had just buzzed. “Mmmhmm.”
‘In wardrobe with G. Getting fitted 4 armor and dress.’
‘U? in a dress? Lmao.’
‘haha very funny.’
‘u know u luv me’
‘unfortunately. Still cant figure out y tho’
‘gee thanks.’
‘anytime love. see u soon.’
Skandar had a stupid little grin on his face by the time their conversation was done with and when he looked up both Will and Anna were giving him sly looks. Anna asked, “So, who were you talking to?”
“No one important.”
Will smirked. “You sure about that? You seemed to be typing a bit fast.”
“It was nothing. Will you two just bug off?” He was getting irritated now.
Skandar’s easy dismissal of the text conversation only spurred on Will more. “Who were ya talking to Skandalous? Anyone we know? A certain ‘special someone’? Hmm? You going to let us in on the secret?”
They had just pulled into one of the back parking lots at the set. Skandar was unbuckled and out of the car before Will had even killed the engine.
Whirling around Skandar turned to face Will and Anna as they climbed out of the car. “Leave it the fuck alone, will you!” It was an order, not a question or a request. “Who I talk to or text is my business. You have no right to know what I say to my fucking boyfriend so just fuck off!”
Will could only stare as Skandar stormed off, his mouth agape. “What just happened?” He asked after a few seconds.
Shaking her head, Anna rested a hand on the older boy’s shoulder. “You just don’t know when to lay off, do you?”
Will was definitely confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh c’mon Will, you’ve been giving him grief about this person he’s seeing for weeks. Just let it go. When he wants to tell us whom exactly he is seeing, he will. Until then, back off!” She slid her purse over her arm and walked towards the building in front of them. “Well, let’s go. I promised Georgie we’d go see her in her costume when we got back.”
Still a bit dazed, Will nodded and followed behind the girl.
Hours later, just before dinnertime, Skandar was MIA and no one had seen him since he had climbed out of Will’s car that afternoon.
Anna rapped on the door to the younger boys trailer harshly and waited for a response. Getting none she banged again. This time, when no one answered, she tried the door. It was locked. Skandar only locked his trailer when he wasn’t in there.
Frowning, she turned and headed toward the mess hall. Maybe he was already at dinner.
When she arrived at the hall though, Skandar was nowhere to be seen. She walked over to where Andrew was sitting with some of the other crew members and bent slightly to talk to him. “Andrew, you haven’t seen Skandar, have you?”
The director turned to look at the young woman. “No, not recently. He came to see me after he got back from training this morning, but after that, nothing. Sorry, Anna.”
“No, it’s alright. Thanks anyway.” She walked over to where Will was helping Georgie pile food onto her plate in the buffet line. “Have either of you seen Skan?”
Will picked up Georgie’s plate and carried it, along with his own, over to a table. “No, did you need him for something?”
The three of them slid into chairs and began eating, Anna picking off of both of her costars plates. “Not really, but he was so upset when we picked him that I wanted to see if he was ok.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.”
“I don’t know, Will, he was pretty miffed after what you said to him.”
“Oh, c’mon Anna, it wasn’t that bad.”
“What did Will do?” Georgie asked.
“He was giving Skan grief about this mystery person Will thinks he’s dating.”
“I don’t think so. Skandar was would tell us if he was dating someone.” Will and Anna shared a small smile at Georgie’s naivety.
They were quiet for a few minutes; the only sounds were those of them eating.
Throughout the meal, they all kept shooting glances toward the door, hoping that Skandar would appear at some point.
He never did.
Now somewhat concerned they all rushed outside. They all set off towards the trailers again. “Maybe he went back to his trailer while we were eating?”
He hadn’t. Or, if he had, he had left again.
The trio went back to the slew of buildings and searched all the ones that Skandar could possibly be in.
They were walking toward the stable when they saw a familiar figure moving around in one of the riding arenas.
Georgie said excitedly, “Maybe Ben knows where Skandar is?”
Anna nodded. “Well, it’s worth a shot.”
They leant against the fence and waited until Ben reined his horse over to them. “What’s up guys?” He reached down to pat the sweaty chestnut horse’s shoulder.
“We’re looking for Skandar,” Ann said. “Have you seen him?”
Ben shook his head. “No. He called me earlier and asked me to ride Hershey for him, but I haven’t heard from him since.”
Anna groaned. “Good grief! All right, why don’t Georgie and I go look for him at his trailer again. If not, we’ll go to Andrew. Why don’t you two go look… look somewhere else?”
The boys chuckled. It was fun to see Anna flustered.
Ben dismounted the chestnut gelding and held the reins in his hand as he led the horse out of the arena. “So why exactly are we looking all over God’s creation for Skan?”
“Well, when Anna and I picked him up from the gym I started giving him a hard time because he was texting someone and wouldn’t say who it was. I was joking around and said it was his mystery boyfriend that he still hasn’t told us about. He was a bit upset when we got to set and stormed off. Haven’t seen him since.”
Ben nodded, Hershey walking along beside the boys. “Why don’t we split up, too? We can cover more ground and we’ll call the other if we find him. Sound good?”
Will nodded slowly. “I guess so. It makes sense.”
Ben nodded as well and looked at the horse. “What do you think Hersh? You wanna join in on the search party?”
The horse snorted and gave Ben a look that clearly said, ‘Bitch, please.’
Ben and Will laughed and Ben swung himself up into the saddle again. “You didn’t work that hard. You can stand a walk through the woods.” He gathered up the reins and nudged Hershey into a walk. “Later Will.”
Will watched Ben ride off with a pensive look. Ben had brushed off his help a little too quickly. When they had to pair off for anything, usually Ben and Will had no trouble working together and could get things done pretty quickly. Why would this time be any different? Ben knew something, and Will was going to find out what it was. Will waited until Ben was just out of sight before following the path he took at a jog.
Ben and Hershey wove their way through the trees at a slow and steady trot. He had a pretty good idea of where Skandar was. No, scratch that. He knew exactly where Skandar was. There was only one place his boyfriend would go when he was upset: the clearing.
The two of them had stumbled upon the spot when they had been riding. It was about a month after they had all arrived on set and Skandar had been giving Ben some riding tips. The older brunette’s horse, Novo, had spooked and bolted. They hadn’t stopped until Novo splashed through a shallow pond and Ben and tipped sideways into the water. And that was the discovery of the clearing.
Since then, the clearing near the center of the woods had become sort of ‘their’ spot. And Ben knew that whenever he wanted to think or relax, Skan would go to the clearing. In Ben’s mind, finding Skandar was a no-brainer, at least to him it was.
As he got toward a flatter part of the trail, Ben kicked Hershey into a canter. The horse’s hoof beats covered any sound that Will made as he began sprinting to catch up.
Ben pulled Hershey to a halt and walked the last few feet into the open area. His dark brown eyes immediately spotted Skandar sitting on a large rock at the edge of the water.
The younger boy had his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around them tightly, and his chin was rested in his knees. Skandar’s eyes moved from looking at the water to look at Ben. As Ben dismounted, Skandar resumed looking at the water morosely.
Ben unsaddled Hershey and lay the leather tack on the ground, the bridle he left on, but made sure the reins were unattached. The horse was well trained and could easily be re-caught when it was time to leave. He turned the horse loose before walking toward the water’s edge, stripping off his boots and shirt as he went.
Will got to the clearing panting madly, and very out of breath. He knew he was in shape, but after running all out for fifteen minutes straight, the blonde young man felt like he was going to die. As he took in a few staggering breaths, Will hid himself behind a cluster of bushes where he had a semi good view of both Skandar and Ben.
Will’s jaw dropped as he watched Ben strip and wade into the water until he was chest deep.
Ben gave Skandar a smirk and yawned lazily. “Water sure is nice. Good for a relaxing swim. Perfect temperature to cool off in.” There was definitely a suggestive note to his voice.
Skandar said nothing. He angled his head and peered through his dark fringe to watch Ben tread water. He hid his face for a few seconds before lifting his head.
Ben could see Skandar’s shoulders quiver with every deep breath he took in. An encouraging smile played across Ben’s lips as Skandar slowly slipped off his sneakers and sweatshirt. He was still dressed in a pair of light cargo pants and a t-shirt as he pushed off the rock and into the water.
For a while, really only a few minutes, the two of them kept their distance. Ben was right in the center of the pond, treading water easily. If he wanted to he could touch the bottom, but for now, he felt like using his muscles instead of just standing there.
Without realizing it, Skandar moved progressively closer and closer to Ben until finally, he swam the last few feet that separated them and wrapped his limbs around the older man’s. His arms went around Ben’s shoulders. His legs tangled with his boyfriend’s, who had finally shifted from swimming to standing. And his face was immediately pressed into the side of Ben’sneck.
Skandar was virtually motionless as he clung to Ben in the chilled water. He breathed in the scent that was a mixture of sweat, horse, earth, faded cologne, and just plain Ben.
Ben wrapped his arms around Skandar’s waist to keep him afloat. He let Skandar brood for a while, the silence enveloping them, with the occasional snort from Hershey sounding in the background.
Ben knew that Skandar wasn’t the most affectionate person. He had learned that little tidbit from the DVD extras on the LW&W DVD, and had found it to be true once he had met the young actor in person. Skandar wouldn’t exactly reject affection, but he would rarely instigate it and if he could, he would avoid it.
Because they were together, Skandar was a bit more open with Ben, and wasn’t quite so physically distant, but he was by no means a touchy-feely person. For Skandar to willingly come to Ben for comfort with no fuss, Ben knew Skandar was in major mental distress.
After getting the nursery school version from Will, Ben had a pretty good idea as to what was bothering Skandar. “You know,” he started softly, “that whatever you decide to do would be fine with me.”
Skandar tensed and nodded stiffly. He knew what Ben was referring to: whether or not they should make their relationship public to family and friends.
Letting the press know was out of the question. The public at large would never understand how a sixteen year old, and a twenty six year old, could be in a relationship that was completely consensual and normal. The ten-year age difference between them would definitely cause a large stir, and neither of them wanted that.
But when it came to just telling family, and close friends/pseudo family members, like Will, Anna, Georgie, and Andrew, there was some uncertainty.
At first both of them had wanted to keep things quiet. Their relationship wasn’t exactly textbook or normal, and they hadn’t even known if what they had was even a relationship at the time.
Over that past few months though, Ben had come around to the idea of telling only those who were closest to both him and Skandar.
Skandar wasn’t so sure, and Ben was okay with that. Having a relationship was a two-part deal, and if Skan wasn’t completely, and 100% on board with telling people about them, then he could wait.
Skandar pulled back so that he could see Ben’s face. He knew what he wanted to say, or at least he had a general idea, but the words wouldn’t seem to form on his tongue and he ended up just staring into Ben’s dark eyes.
Ben could feel Skandar’s inner turmoil as the younger boy started to fidget in his arms. Skandar never could stay still for very long, even in his sleep he continued to shift and toss and turn. “What do you want to do?” he asked.
“I think,” Skandar started. “I think that maybe it would be ok if we told a few people.”
A big, stupid grin split over Ben’s face and he leant forward to kiss Skandar briefly. “Any idea as to how we are going to do that?”
Skandar deflated. “No fucking clue.”
Ben laughed. Skandar joined in moments later, an easy smile on his face as well.
The two of them stayed like that for god knows how long, gliding through the water, splashing each other whenever the urge struck, and exchanging lazy kisses whenever the fuck they wanted to. That was the best part of coming to the clearing. They weren’t Ben Barnes, 26, Prince Caspian, or Skandar Keynes, 16, King Edmund Pevensie. Here they were Ben and Skan; two guys who just happened to be going out with each other.
Two days later, Will was moving about the set with watchful eyes. Ever since he had followed Ben into the woods, he had kept an extra close eye on both Ben and Skandar. And if he wasn’t completely, and utterly sure of what he had seen that day in the trees, he wouldn’t believe it was possible for Ben and Skandar to be together.
Nothing they did was out of the ordinary. They interacted just like two members of the cast. No quick glances, or secret smiles, nothing. There didn’t seem to be any inside jokes that only the two of them laughed at, or something, anything, which would indicate that they were a bit closer than it appeared.
And, to be honest, it was starting to piss Will off.
When he had first discovered their little secret, the only thing he had been was shocked. How could Ben and Skandar, of all people, be in a relationship. They were ten years apart for fuck’s sake. As it had started to sink in Will had started to feel outraged that Ben would dare to touch his little brother, but then his subconscious started telling him that Skandar was a big boy and could take care of himself. The overprotective big brother side shoved the sensible side into the closet and propped the chair under the handle.
He had snuck away from the two who had been splashing in the water and made his way back to his trailer. Anna had called him that night saying that Skandar had shown up at her trailer and wanted to know if he wanted to come over for a movie or a game of cards. Will had declined. He had needed some more time to mull over his new knowledge.
And now here it was, two days later and he was no closer to making a decision or coming to any sort of conclusion.
They were filming yet another battle scene and everyone in the shoot was dressed from head to toe in full armor and battle garb. Skandar felt like he was going to pass out if he didn’t get out of his armor soon. The metal plating was heavy and trapped all the heat his body produced while moving. Combined with the heat from the sun’s glaring rays, Skandar was a bit more than flushed and overheated.
Skandar groaned when Andrew called for them to get into place. He summoned energy he had used four takes ago and managed to get his body into position, sword poised to strike a Telmarine soldier. When Andrew called, “Action!” it was only through sheer willpower that Skandar was able to move in the correct pattern and swing at the right beat. His body ached, muscles stiff and sore, limbs tired from use, hell, even his bones hurt right now.
It took them an hour too long, at least in Skandar’s opinion, but finally Andrew got the shot that he wanted and Skandar wasted no time in getting to wardrobe so he could strip off his armor. He had a light and thin pair of breeches and a lightweight shirt underneath, so modesty was thrown out the window.
He didn’t even bother to say goodbye to everyone. He just grabbed his phone off the table, and walked out the door as fast as he could, which really wasn’t very fast considering how much he hurt.
Skandar was focused on one thing and one thing only at this point: find Ben. Ben could always make him feel better, whether it was by listening to him rant about whatever, making him laugh when he was being moody, or just be there when Skandar wanted him for no good reason.
Unfortunately, Ben was not nearby and was at another set rehearsing for the scene between Caspian and Dr. Cornelius on the ledge at Aslan’s How, which was going to be shot later that afternoon.
When he realized this Skandar nearly started banging his head against the nearest hard surface. He just wanted to see his fucking boyfriend, dammit! Why was that so hard? It only got better when Will popped up out of nowhere and tried to get him into a conversation. Skandar had no idea what Will was talking about. He just nodded and made a noise every now and then. Apparently Will was into whatever he was talking about because he didn’t seem to notice that Skandar really didn’t care.
When Andrew drove by on a golf cart and asked if he wanted a ride though, Skandar felt somewhat better and nodded with relief as he stiffly climbed into the passenger seat. That relief was short lived as Will made him shove over and squeezed in next to him.
Minutes later they arrived at the set for Aslan’s How. The crew was still setting up the cameras and machinery so there was still time for him to visit with Ben. As Andrew began talking with some of the crew, Skandar wasted no time in scrambling over Will and making his way toward Ben, who was standing near the snack table and talking with Vincent Grass (Dr. Corneius).
Will had been trying to think of what he would say to Skandar all day, but once he’d cornered him he’d gotten too nervous to say what he’d actually wanted to. Will had just begun rambling on and on about stupid things. Skandar must not have noticed because he never said anything, and Skandar was the one who never hesitated to tell Will when he was being an idiot.
So, when Andrew had pulled up, it had been a welcome distraction. They had been silent on the short drive and when they had arrived and Will tried to say something, Skandar had left him there before Will had a chance to blink.
He just stared, openmouthed, much like he had two days ago while hiding in the bushes, as Skandar walked, well, limped is the more correct way to describe it, over to Ben.
Ben nodded and laughed at a comment that Vincent made and reached up to run his fingers through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Skandar scramble over Will and make his way over to them. Without really thinking about it, as Skandar drew closer, Ben lifted his arm and wrapped it around Skandar’s shoulders.
Skandar wasted no time in burrowing into Ben’s side and wrapped his skinny arms around Ben’s waist. He slipped his phone into Ben’s other hand so he wouldn’t have to hold on to and could instead, hold on to Ben.
Ben smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Skandar’s head and squeezed his shoulders. “Long day?” he murmured.
Skandar nodded and clutched Ben a bit tighter. “Hurts,” he said simply.
Ben nodded and ran his hand up and down Skandar’s back. “Sorry, babe.”
Skandar closed his eyes and let Ben support more of his weight. “S’okay. Just don’ move.”
Ben chuckled. “Yes, sir.” He wrapped both of his arms around Skandar and pulled him against his chest. He could feel the younger boy’s breathing begin to even out as he drifted in and out of a light sleep.
Ben frowned slightly as he held his boyfriend against him. Well, there goes the whole, ‘how do we tell people’ problem. They had both just outed themselves without even realizing it. They could deal with the aftermath of that later. Right now he just wanted to get Skandar to a place where he could sleep, or at least rest a bit and recoup. But, there was that whole, ‘you’re and actor and have a scene to shoot’ thing that he needed to get done first.
It was nothing short of a miracle when Andrew swore loudly over a broken piece of equipment, which meant that shooting was cancelled for the rest of the day.
Ben said goodbye to Vincent, who had been watching the exchange with a smile, and gently nudged Skandar awake. “Skan, c’mon love. Wake up.”
Skandar really did look adorable when he was confused and still not quite awake. “Wha’?”
“Filming’s cancelled. Time to sleep.”
Skandar nodded and settled against Ben again. “M’kay.”
Ben nudged him again. “Not here. In a bed. Here, I’ll carry you. Climb up.” He crouched down slightly and practically pulled Skandar onto his back for a piggy-back ride.
Skandar hazily did as directed and latched on around Ben’s neck and waist as he was carried back to a golf cart.
Ben was just about to let go of Skandar and let him slide to the ground when Will appeared next to them. They all froze and an extremely awkward silence ensued. Skandar was too out of it to notice the looks Will and Ben were giving each other.
It was Ben who broke the tension by moving around Will and setting Skandar down in the passenger seat of a golf cart. He was about to go to the driver’s side when Will’s hand on his arm made him pause. “Just don’t hurt him, alright?”
Ben nodded and gave Will a small smile. “Never,” he replied before getting into place and turning on the engine.
As Ben put the cart in reverse so he could back out of the way of some of the equipment, Skandar woke up briefly and yawned widely. “By the way Will, you really need to work on your eavesdropping skills.” And with that Skandar let out another yawn, and settled against Ben’s shoulder as they drove towards Skandar’s trailer.
Author: xxcabalinaxx
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ben Barnes/Skandar Keynes
Warnings: RPS, and lots and lots of fluff
Summary: "More and more, I start to realize, I can reach my tomorrow, I can hold my head up high, And it's all because you're by my side."
When You Look Me In The Eyes
Exhausted, Skandar slowly waved goodbye to his trainer as he exited the gym locker room. Moving slowly because of his sore and tired muscles, Skandar changed out of sweat soaked clothes and into a fresh dry set. It took him longer than he had expected to when he exited the fitness building, he wasn’t surprised to see Will’s car already sitting in the gym’s parking lot.
Skandar gave Will, and Anna, who was in the passenger seat, a tired smile before sliding into the back seat of the car. He pulled his cell phone and flipped it open. His fingers flew across the keys and within seconds had sent a text and was waiting for the reply.
‘Wizzle just picked me up. On my way to set. U gonna b there?’
Will glanced up and into the rearview mirror. “You alright there, Skan?”
He nodded absentmindedly, attention still on his phone, which had just buzzed. “Mmmhmm.”
‘In wardrobe with G. Getting fitted 4 armor and dress.’
‘U? in a dress? Lmao.’
‘haha very funny.’
‘u know u luv me’
‘unfortunately. Still cant figure out y tho’
‘gee thanks.’
‘anytime love. see u soon.’
Skandar had a stupid little grin on his face by the time their conversation was done with and when he looked up both Will and Anna were giving him sly looks. Anna asked, “So, who were you talking to?”
“No one important.”
Will smirked. “You sure about that? You seemed to be typing a bit fast.”
“It was nothing. Will you two just bug off?” He was getting irritated now.
Skandar’s easy dismissal of the text conversation only spurred on Will more. “Who were ya talking to Skandalous? Anyone we know? A certain ‘special someone’? Hmm? You going to let us in on the secret?”
They had just pulled into one of the back parking lots at the set. Skandar was unbuckled and out of the car before Will had even killed the engine.
Whirling around Skandar turned to face Will and Anna as they climbed out of the car. “Leave it the fuck alone, will you!” It was an order, not a question or a request. “Who I talk to or text is my business. You have no right to know what I say to my fucking boyfriend so just fuck off!”
Will could only stare as Skandar stormed off, his mouth agape. “What just happened?” He asked after a few seconds.
Shaking her head, Anna rested a hand on the older boy’s shoulder. “You just don’t know when to lay off, do you?”
Will was definitely confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh c’mon Will, you’ve been giving him grief about this person he’s seeing for weeks. Just let it go. When he wants to tell us whom exactly he is seeing, he will. Until then, back off!” She slid her purse over her arm and walked towards the building in front of them. “Well, let’s go. I promised Georgie we’d go see her in her costume when we got back.”
Still a bit dazed, Will nodded and followed behind the girl.
Hours later, just before dinnertime, Skandar was MIA and no one had seen him since he had climbed out of Will’s car that afternoon.
Anna rapped on the door to the younger boys trailer harshly and waited for a response. Getting none she banged again. This time, when no one answered, she tried the door. It was locked. Skandar only locked his trailer when he wasn’t in there.
Frowning, she turned and headed toward the mess hall. Maybe he was already at dinner.
When she arrived at the hall though, Skandar was nowhere to be seen. She walked over to where Andrew was sitting with some of the other crew members and bent slightly to talk to him. “Andrew, you haven’t seen Skandar, have you?”
The director turned to look at the young woman. “No, not recently. He came to see me after he got back from training this morning, but after that, nothing. Sorry, Anna.”
“No, it’s alright. Thanks anyway.” She walked over to where Will was helping Georgie pile food onto her plate in the buffet line. “Have either of you seen Skan?”
Will picked up Georgie’s plate and carried it, along with his own, over to a table. “No, did you need him for something?”
The three of them slid into chairs and began eating, Anna picking off of both of her costars plates. “Not really, but he was so upset when we picked him that I wanted to see if he was ok.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.”
“I don’t know, Will, he was pretty miffed after what you said to him.”
“Oh, c’mon Anna, it wasn’t that bad.”
“What did Will do?” Georgie asked.
“He was giving Skan grief about this mystery person Will thinks he’s dating.”
“I don’t think so. Skandar was would tell us if he was dating someone.” Will and Anna shared a small smile at Georgie’s naivety.
They were quiet for a few minutes; the only sounds were those of them eating.
Throughout the meal, they all kept shooting glances toward the door, hoping that Skandar would appear at some point.
He never did.
Now somewhat concerned they all rushed outside. They all set off towards the trailers again. “Maybe he went back to his trailer while we were eating?”
He hadn’t. Or, if he had, he had left again.
The trio went back to the slew of buildings and searched all the ones that Skandar could possibly be in.
They were walking toward the stable when they saw a familiar figure moving around in one of the riding arenas.
Georgie said excitedly, “Maybe Ben knows where Skandar is?”
Anna nodded. “Well, it’s worth a shot.”
They leant against the fence and waited until Ben reined his horse over to them. “What’s up guys?” He reached down to pat the sweaty chestnut horse’s shoulder.
“We’re looking for Skandar,” Ann said. “Have you seen him?”
Ben shook his head. “No. He called me earlier and asked me to ride Hershey for him, but I haven’t heard from him since.”
Anna groaned. “Good grief! All right, why don’t Georgie and I go look for him at his trailer again. If not, we’ll go to Andrew. Why don’t you two go look… look somewhere else?”
The boys chuckled. It was fun to see Anna flustered.
Ben dismounted the chestnut gelding and held the reins in his hand as he led the horse out of the arena. “So why exactly are we looking all over God’s creation for Skan?”
“Well, when Anna and I picked him up from the gym I started giving him a hard time because he was texting someone and wouldn’t say who it was. I was joking around and said it was his mystery boyfriend that he still hasn’t told us about. He was a bit upset when we got to set and stormed off. Haven’t seen him since.”
Ben nodded, Hershey walking along beside the boys. “Why don’t we split up, too? We can cover more ground and we’ll call the other if we find him. Sound good?”
Will nodded slowly. “I guess so. It makes sense.”
Ben nodded as well and looked at the horse. “What do you think Hersh? You wanna join in on the search party?”
The horse snorted and gave Ben a look that clearly said, ‘Bitch, please.’
Ben and Will laughed and Ben swung himself up into the saddle again. “You didn’t work that hard. You can stand a walk through the woods.” He gathered up the reins and nudged Hershey into a walk. “Later Will.”
Will watched Ben ride off with a pensive look. Ben had brushed off his help a little too quickly. When they had to pair off for anything, usually Ben and Will had no trouble working together and could get things done pretty quickly. Why would this time be any different? Ben knew something, and Will was going to find out what it was. Will waited until Ben was just out of sight before following the path he took at a jog.
Ben and Hershey wove their way through the trees at a slow and steady trot. He had a pretty good idea of where Skandar was. No, scratch that. He knew exactly where Skandar was. There was only one place his boyfriend would go when he was upset: the clearing.
The two of them had stumbled upon the spot when they had been riding. It was about a month after they had all arrived on set and Skandar had been giving Ben some riding tips. The older brunette’s horse, Novo, had spooked and bolted. They hadn’t stopped until Novo splashed through a shallow pond and Ben and tipped sideways into the water. And that was the discovery of the clearing.
Since then, the clearing near the center of the woods had become sort of ‘their’ spot. And Ben knew that whenever he wanted to think or relax, Skan would go to the clearing. In Ben’s mind, finding Skandar was a no-brainer, at least to him it was.
As he got toward a flatter part of the trail, Ben kicked Hershey into a canter. The horse’s hoof beats covered any sound that Will made as he began sprinting to catch up.
Ben pulled Hershey to a halt and walked the last few feet into the open area. His dark brown eyes immediately spotted Skandar sitting on a large rock at the edge of the water.
The younger boy had his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around them tightly, and his chin was rested in his knees. Skandar’s eyes moved from looking at the water to look at Ben. As Ben dismounted, Skandar resumed looking at the water morosely.
Ben unsaddled Hershey and lay the leather tack on the ground, the bridle he left on, but made sure the reins were unattached. The horse was well trained and could easily be re-caught when it was time to leave. He turned the horse loose before walking toward the water’s edge, stripping off his boots and shirt as he went.
Will got to the clearing panting madly, and very out of breath. He knew he was in shape, but after running all out for fifteen minutes straight, the blonde young man felt like he was going to die. As he took in a few staggering breaths, Will hid himself behind a cluster of bushes where he had a semi good view of both Skandar and Ben.
Will’s jaw dropped as he watched Ben strip and wade into the water until he was chest deep.
Ben gave Skandar a smirk and yawned lazily. “Water sure is nice. Good for a relaxing swim. Perfect temperature to cool off in.” There was definitely a suggestive note to his voice.
Skandar said nothing. He angled his head and peered through his dark fringe to watch Ben tread water. He hid his face for a few seconds before lifting his head.
Ben could see Skandar’s shoulders quiver with every deep breath he took in. An encouraging smile played across Ben’s lips as Skandar slowly slipped off his sneakers and sweatshirt. He was still dressed in a pair of light cargo pants and a t-shirt as he pushed off the rock and into the water.
For a while, really only a few minutes, the two of them kept their distance. Ben was right in the center of the pond, treading water easily. If he wanted to he could touch the bottom, but for now, he felt like using his muscles instead of just standing there.
Without realizing it, Skandar moved progressively closer and closer to Ben until finally, he swam the last few feet that separated them and wrapped his limbs around the older man’s. His arms went around Ben’s shoulders. His legs tangled with his boyfriend’s, who had finally shifted from swimming to standing. And his face was immediately pressed into the side of Ben’sneck.
Skandar was virtually motionless as he clung to Ben in the chilled water. He breathed in the scent that was a mixture of sweat, horse, earth, faded cologne, and just plain Ben.
Ben wrapped his arms around Skandar’s waist to keep him afloat. He let Skandar brood for a while, the silence enveloping them, with the occasional snort from Hershey sounding in the background.
Ben knew that Skandar wasn’t the most affectionate person. He had learned that little tidbit from the DVD extras on the LW&W DVD, and had found it to be true once he had met the young actor in person. Skandar wouldn’t exactly reject affection, but he would rarely instigate it and if he could, he would avoid it.
Because they were together, Skandar was a bit more open with Ben, and wasn’t quite so physically distant, but he was by no means a touchy-feely person. For Skandar to willingly come to Ben for comfort with no fuss, Ben knew Skandar was in major mental distress.
After getting the nursery school version from Will, Ben had a pretty good idea as to what was bothering Skandar. “You know,” he started softly, “that whatever you decide to do would be fine with me.”
Skandar tensed and nodded stiffly. He knew what Ben was referring to: whether or not they should make their relationship public to family and friends.
Letting the press know was out of the question. The public at large would never understand how a sixteen year old, and a twenty six year old, could be in a relationship that was completely consensual and normal. The ten-year age difference between them would definitely cause a large stir, and neither of them wanted that.
But when it came to just telling family, and close friends/pseudo family members, like Will, Anna, Georgie, and Andrew, there was some uncertainty.
At first both of them had wanted to keep things quiet. Their relationship wasn’t exactly textbook or normal, and they hadn’t even known if what they had was even a relationship at the time.
Over that past few months though, Ben had come around to the idea of telling only those who were closest to both him and Skandar.
Skandar wasn’t so sure, and Ben was okay with that. Having a relationship was a two-part deal, and if Skan wasn’t completely, and 100% on board with telling people about them, then he could wait.
Skandar pulled back so that he could see Ben’s face. He knew what he wanted to say, or at least he had a general idea, but the words wouldn’t seem to form on his tongue and he ended up just staring into Ben’s dark eyes.
Ben could feel Skandar’s inner turmoil as the younger boy started to fidget in his arms. Skandar never could stay still for very long, even in his sleep he continued to shift and toss and turn. “What do you want to do?” he asked.
“I think,” Skandar started. “I think that maybe it would be ok if we told a few people.”
A big, stupid grin split over Ben’s face and he leant forward to kiss Skandar briefly. “Any idea as to how we are going to do that?”
Skandar deflated. “No fucking clue.”
Ben laughed. Skandar joined in moments later, an easy smile on his face as well.
The two of them stayed like that for god knows how long, gliding through the water, splashing each other whenever the urge struck, and exchanging lazy kisses whenever the fuck they wanted to. That was the best part of coming to the clearing. They weren’t Ben Barnes, 26, Prince Caspian, or Skandar Keynes, 16, King Edmund Pevensie. Here they were Ben and Skan; two guys who just happened to be going out with each other.
Two days later, Will was moving about the set with watchful eyes. Ever since he had followed Ben into the woods, he had kept an extra close eye on both Ben and Skandar. And if he wasn’t completely, and utterly sure of what he had seen that day in the trees, he wouldn’t believe it was possible for Ben and Skandar to be together.
Nothing they did was out of the ordinary. They interacted just like two members of the cast. No quick glances, or secret smiles, nothing. There didn’t seem to be any inside jokes that only the two of them laughed at, or something, anything, which would indicate that they were a bit closer than it appeared.
And, to be honest, it was starting to piss Will off.
When he had first discovered their little secret, the only thing he had been was shocked. How could Ben and Skandar, of all people, be in a relationship. They were ten years apart for fuck’s sake. As it had started to sink in Will had started to feel outraged that Ben would dare to touch his little brother, but then his subconscious started telling him that Skandar was a big boy and could take care of himself. The overprotective big brother side shoved the sensible side into the closet and propped the chair under the handle.
He had snuck away from the two who had been splashing in the water and made his way back to his trailer. Anna had called him that night saying that Skandar had shown up at her trailer and wanted to know if he wanted to come over for a movie or a game of cards. Will had declined. He had needed some more time to mull over his new knowledge.
And now here it was, two days later and he was no closer to making a decision or coming to any sort of conclusion.
They were filming yet another battle scene and everyone in the shoot was dressed from head to toe in full armor and battle garb. Skandar felt like he was going to pass out if he didn’t get out of his armor soon. The metal plating was heavy and trapped all the heat his body produced while moving. Combined with the heat from the sun’s glaring rays, Skandar was a bit more than flushed and overheated.
Skandar groaned when Andrew called for them to get into place. He summoned energy he had used four takes ago and managed to get his body into position, sword poised to strike a Telmarine soldier. When Andrew called, “Action!” it was only through sheer willpower that Skandar was able to move in the correct pattern and swing at the right beat. His body ached, muscles stiff and sore, limbs tired from use, hell, even his bones hurt right now.
It took them an hour too long, at least in Skandar’s opinion, but finally Andrew got the shot that he wanted and Skandar wasted no time in getting to wardrobe so he could strip off his armor. He had a light and thin pair of breeches and a lightweight shirt underneath, so modesty was thrown out the window.
He didn’t even bother to say goodbye to everyone. He just grabbed his phone off the table, and walked out the door as fast as he could, which really wasn’t very fast considering how much he hurt.
Skandar was focused on one thing and one thing only at this point: find Ben. Ben could always make him feel better, whether it was by listening to him rant about whatever, making him laugh when he was being moody, or just be there when Skandar wanted him for no good reason.
Unfortunately, Ben was not nearby and was at another set rehearsing for the scene between Caspian and Dr. Cornelius on the ledge at Aslan’s How, which was going to be shot later that afternoon.
When he realized this Skandar nearly started banging his head against the nearest hard surface. He just wanted to see his fucking boyfriend, dammit! Why was that so hard? It only got better when Will popped up out of nowhere and tried to get him into a conversation. Skandar had no idea what Will was talking about. He just nodded and made a noise every now and then. Apparently Will was into whatever he was talking about because he didn’t seem to notice that Skandar really didn’t care.
When Andrew drove by on a golf cart and asked if he wanted a ride though, Skandar felt somewhat better and nodded with relief as he stiffly climbed into the passenger seat. That relief was short lived as Will made him shove over and squeezed in next to him.
Minutes later they arrived at the set for Aslan’s How. The crew was still setting up the cameras and machinery so there was still time for him to visit with Ben. As Andrew began talking with some of the crew, Skandar wasted no time in scrambling over Will and making his way toward Ben, who was standing near the snack table and talking with Vincent Grass (Dr. Corneius).
Will had been trying to think of what he would say to Skandar all day, but once he’d cornered him he’d gotten too nervous to say what he’d actually wanted to. Will had just begun rambling on and on about stupid things. Skandar must not have noticed because he never said anything, and Skandar was the one who never hesitated to tell Will when he was being an idiot.
So, when Andrew had pulled up, it had been a welcome distraction. They had been silent on the short drive and when they had arrived and Will tried to say something, Skandar had left him there before Will had a chance to blink.
He just stared, openmouthed, much like he had two days ago while hiding in the bushes, as Skandar walked, well, limped is the more correct way to describe it, over to Ben.
Ben nodded and laughed at a comment that Vincent made and reached up to run his fingers through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Skandar scramble over Will and make his way over to them. Without really thinking about it, as Skandar drew closer, Ben lifted his arm and wrapped it around Skandar’s shoulders.
Skandar wasted no time in burrowing into Ben’s side and wrapped his skinny arms around Ben’s waist. He slipped his phone into Ben’s other hand so he wouldn’t have to hold on to and could instead, hold on to Ben.
Ben smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Skandar’s head and squeezed his shoulders. “Long day?” he murmured.
Skandar nodded and clutched Ben a bit tighter. “Hurts,” he said simply.
Ben nodded and ran his hand up and down Skandar’s back. “Sorry, babe.”
Skandar closed his eyes and let Ben support more of his weight. “S’okay. Just don’ move.”
Ben chuckled. “Yes, sir.” He wrapped both of his arms around Skandar and pulled him against his chest. He could feel the younger boy’s breathing begin to even out as he drifted in and out of a light sleep.
Ben frowned slightly as he held his boyfriend against him. Well, there goes the whole, ‘how do we tell people’ problem. They had both just outed themselves without even realizing it. They could deal with the aftermath of that later. Right now he just wanted to get Skandar to a place where he could sleep, or at least rest a bit and recoup. But, there was that whole, ‘you’re and actor and have a scene to shoot’ thing that he needed to get done first.
It was nothing short of a miracle when Andrew swore loudly over a broken piece of equipment, which meant that shooting was cancelled for the rest of the day.
Ben said goodbye to Vincent, who had been watching the exchange with a smile, and gently nudged Skandar awake. “Skan, c’mon love. Wake up.”
Skandar really did look adorable when he was confused and still not quite awake. “Wha’?”
“Filming’s cancelled. Time to sleep.”
Skandar nodded and settled against Ben again. “M’kay.”
Ben nudged him again. “Not here. In a bed. Here, I’ll carry you. Climb up.” He crouched down slightly and practically pulled Skandar onto his back for a piggy-back ride.
Skandar hazily did as directed and latched on around Ben’s neck and waist as he was carried back to a golf cart.
Ben was just about to let go of Skandar and let him slide to the ground when Will appeared next to them. They all froze and an extremely awkward silence ensued. Skandar was too out of it to notice the looks Will and Ben were giving each other.
It was Ben who broke the tension by moving around Will and setting Skandar down in the passenger seat of a golf cart. He was about to go to the driver’s side when Will’s hand on his arm made him pause. “Just don’t hurt him, alright?”
Ben nodded and gave Will a small smile. “Never,” he replied before getting into place and turning on the engine.
As Ben put the cart in reverse so he could back out of the way of some of the equipment, Skandar woke up briefly and yawned widely. “By the way Will, you really need to work on your eavesdropping skills.” And with that Skandar let out another yawn, and settled against Ben’s shoulder as they drove towards Skandar’s trailer.