Brooken Ficlets

Jealousy 2

Request by EtherVoid55 on Ao3 and Kingbeast500. Enjoy!

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"Is that from Alfie?"

"Oh, this?" Ben asked, grasping the chain of the necklace he was wearing before twisting his upper body to face the person who had addressed him. It was Gaia, one of the newest additions to the squad Ben commandeered. "Yeah it is. Alfie gifted it to me for our two month anniversary."

"Well it's very... cute?" Gaia said, uncertainty in her voice, "Is that the word?" She raised a brow at Ben for confirmation on whether or not she used the right descriptor.

Ben nodded and said, "Yes, that's the right word."

"Excellent!" Gaia beamed, "I wish you two a very happy courtship."

The cadet ran off before Ben could correct her on human dating. He shook his head fondly before turning back around in his chair. He picked his phone up from the break room table and pressed the power button. He then smiled down at the screen as his wallpaper was on full display. It was a picture of him and Alfie on their first date a mere two week after they met at that one club. Ben let out a blissful sigh at the memory and proceeded to unlock his phone.

He opened a random social media app and scrolled through it for a few minutes. As he scrolled, Ben could feel a shift in the break room's atmosphere. It seemed to have grown tense where it was previously lighthearted. The quiet chatter that gave the space a lively hum in the background had all but ceased. Ben looked up from his phone and glanced around to find the space nearly empty now aside from him, Rook and a couple other plumbers. However, they looked as if they desperately wanted to flee. The change in demeanour was strange to say the least.

Speaking of Rook, Ben finally looked across the table to him. His eyes widened as he took in the Revonnahgander's body language. Rook was hunched over in his seat, his body tense. His face, though partially obscured by the hologram of a report projected from his tablet, was screwed up in some form of anger or annoyance. What happened to upset him so? No one else had approached the pair apart from Gaia and she did not even acknowledge Rook seeing as he was nose deep in reading a report. It couldn't have been her presence. Perhaps it was something she said? Ben didn't quite know.

His attention then shifted to the tapping noise coming from beneath their table. Ben didn't even have to look to know what was causing it. Rook had developed a habit of tapping his foot on the floor in recent months. Ben initially assumed he developed it as a response to stress or even boredom but he didn't think that anymore. It started to become a regular occurrence outside of stressful times, but why? What was the reason?

Now that Ben thought of it, Rook seemed to do it more and more whenever Ben's love life is involved. Even before him and Alfie officially got together, Rook tapped his foot away. But still the question remains: Why? What about Ben being romantically interested in people causes Rook to feel-

"Oh my god..."

"Hmm?" Rook hummed, deactivating the hologram on his tablet and looking up from it, "What is it Ben?"

"Are you... jealous?"

"Jealous?" Rook asked, tilting his head slightly, "Jealous of what?"

"No way, you totally are..." Ben said, ignoring Rook's question, "It all makes sense now. That's the reason why you've been acting so weird the last couple months."

"I am not following."

"Oh, quit it!" Ben said, raising his voice but not quite shouting, "Don't you think I've noticed your change in behaviour since I started showing interest in Alfie?"

"My demeanour has not changed," Rook insisted.

"Yes it has," Ben argued, "I've only just put it together, but whenever Alfie is mentioned by me or someone else you get all tense and screw up your face. Not to mention the foot tapping which you're still doing right now."

"It has not," Rook said, stressing every word.

"Oh, fuck off Rook!" Ben shouted, slamming his hands on the table and standing up. His chair screeched against the tiled floor. The sound echoed in the now empty break room as the stragglers had finally fled the increasingly hostile scene. "You're jealous of my relationship and you know it!"

"You think I am jealous of your relationship?" Rook asked, his face going dark as he stood up eerily slow, "That I cannot stand hearing about your love for that lustful buffoon you call a boyfriend, so much so, that I want what you have?"

"Well yeah!" Ben said, "Why else would you be jealous?"

"Because I lo-" Rook cut himself off by biting his tongue. He deeply inhaled through his nose before slowly letting it out. His eyes slipping closed as he calmed himself. As Rook's eyes reopened, they landed on Ben. The uncharacteristic anger in them gradually faded until a somewhat faraway and saddened look consumed his amber irises.

"Never mind," Rook said, his voice much softer and calmer than it had been moments before, "See you tomorrow, Ben."

Ben's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask Rook what he was going to say but didn't get the chance. The Revonnahgander quickly gathered up his things and briskly left the break room. The slight echo of the automatic door shutting behind him echoed in the room as Ben was left by himself. He blinked ever so often, confusion still plaguing his mind. What was Rook going to say? Why did he cut himself off? Just as Ben thought he figured out his work partner's change in behaviour, Rook went and threw this curveball at him.

Ben's gaze finally broke away from the door as his phone rang. His loud ringtone stole some of his attention though his mind was still reeling from what had just occurred. Ben lightly shook his head and took his phone off of the table. He didn't even look at it as he swiped accept and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey sweetheart," an all too familiar voice said over the phone, "Are you excited for our date tonight?"

Ben sighed deeply and looked back in the direction Rook had stormed off in, not answering his boyfriend's question. A feeling he couldn't identify swirled in his chest. It felt kind of achy and strangely... heartbroken?

"Ben?" Alfie said, "You okay?"

"Yeah..." Ben replied, finally giving his full attention to his boyfriend, "I just... It's been a long day."

"Completely understandable," Alfie said, "Your line of work is no joke. I can only imagine how stressed and tense you are."

"Mhm."

"I'll tell you what," Alfie said, his voice gaining a flirty undertone, "How about we scrap the date and instead, I come over to your place and help you... relax."

The usual anticipating shiver that ran down Ben's back whenever Alfie spoke like that was overshadowed by that funny feeling in his chest. A frown formed on his face and his shoulders sagged. He shouldn't be feeling this way. Ben should be overjoyed and excited to get to spend some intimate time wit his boyfriend. Yet, his mind kept drifting back to Rook and what he'd almost said. What was he going to say?

Ben soon realized that he had yet to answer Alfie. He lightly shook his head and took a deep breath once again. His eyes closed as he did it and he pushed aside everything related to his argument with Rook and forced himself to get in an appropriate mood. It worked as Ben felt that familiar anticipating tingle run down his spine at last. Then, with thoughts of how he'd be spending his evening with Alfie, Ben finally gave him an answer.

"I'd love that."

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Before y'all ask, yes I'll be making a Jealousy 3 to wrap this up. I thought about leaving it here but I got a great idea halfway through writing this so stay tuned for that sometime next year. I have Christmas ficlets and two other requests lined up first so yeah.

Have a good rest of your day/night!