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“You’re nice, Bennett, but…”
“I’m sorry, I don’t feel the same way.”
“Ahh well, you’re very nice Bennett but you know…”
When Bennett had been a young teen, his horrendous bad luck hadn’t bothered him too much. After all, he was a kid and the whole world was his playground. Bad luck hadn’t mattered back then when his bad luck only meant some scrapes and bruises, planned events being ruined, and terrible loot.
But as he got older, he found himself wanting more from life than just adventuring. Sure he was still an adventurer and would always be so, but was it so much to ask to have someone by his side?
Rejection after rejection ensued and it stung, he could admit that. It had started with Barbara’s rejection, which he’d been anticipating, but after that? Anyone he tried to get close to eventually turned him down.
It was times like this he wished his dads were still alive to help console him, but that was life for you.
His head thumped on the bar, his glass clinking from the force.
“Not like you to get drunk, Bennett.”
Bennett scowled. He wasn’t drunk, just upset. He groaned.
“How do you get women to like you?”
“Depends on the person, but being kind and thoughtful always helps.”
Bennett was always both of those things! But it never worked out. And if things were working out, something would happen to make the date run away, it was getting ridiculous.
The bartender cast sympathetic eyes on him. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, you’re still young! Plenty of time to find the one.”
He knew the bartender was right, but he couldn’t help but want what he wanted.
His head and heart pounded and he decided it was enough for tonight. His date had already ditched him earlier so there was no point continuing this fruitless night. He reached for his money pouch, reaching in for his mora.
“... Eh?”
He only had two mora… two?? He was sure he packed well over fifty when he left - expecting to pay for not only his but his date’s drinks. He swallowed and heard the sigh from the bartender.
“No money again?”
“I’ll pay you first thing in the morning!”
The bartender waved him off. “Yes, yes - I’m used to this by now, Bennett. Your tab awaits.”
That was one good thing about growing up around here - people treated you like family at times. Bennett thanked the bartender and headed home.
His home wasn’t much - sitting on the edge of the forests near Springvale, it was a shabby little thing but it was his - a home he’d actually built himself. He smiled fondly at the memory, his chest feeling lighter as he opened the door.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home.”
He grinned at his housemate - the other person who had helped build this home that they now both lived in. It had taken time getting used to living with Razor, but it hadn’t been bad and now it was great. The two of them had become close when they had been young teens and Razor had been the one to find Bennett crying when the last of his dads passed away. Bennett could still remember the wolf boy’s words that day.
“Bennett lupical gone but not gone, with you always. Razor can be new lupical.”
It had been sweet and Bennett couldn’t say no. So here they were almost ten years later, living together. Lupicals, as Razor had said.
“You smell of alcohol.”
Razor’s nose was wrinkled and Bennett shrugged.
“I only had one drink, it’s not my fault your nose is stupidly powerful! I honestly should have drank more, my date not only left again, but I think she stole my mora.”
“You don’t need date, why not enjoy life now?”
Razor’s speech was a lot better but even now it was still slightly stunted. Bennett eyed him, curiosity sparking through his whole body.
“Razor, don’t you want to have a girlfriend someday?”
“Girlfriend? Razor has girl friends. Klee, Fischl, Bar-“
“No, no! I mean… like someone you’d want to hold and kiss. A lupical that you want to be very close too.”
Razor frowned at him, his eyes quickly flitting to the floor. “I… Razor doesn’t want a girlfriend.”
Bennett sighed. “Maybe not now but someday you will.”
Bennett plopped down on the worn couch, shoving his face into its pillowy upholstery- sniffing the scent of home. He sighed, his words muffled.
“I want a girlfriend.”
“Why?”
Bennett lifted his head. “Because not only are they cute and smell nice but they also can become your wife and I… want to get married someday, have a family, you know?”
Razor cocked his head before shrugging. “I’m good. Bennett is lupical and all I need.”
Heat creeped onto Bennett’s cheeks at that, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at Razor, who was polishing his claymore, eyes focused on it. He’d be lying if he said there wasn’t a time he found Razor attractive, because he did… and still did. Razor was handsome in a wild sort of way, he’d been cute before now he was just handsome. It was just a shame Razor wasn’t a girl, he’d marry Razor if he could.
He giggled to himself at the thought.
“Why are you laughing?”
The smile on Razor’s lips made Bennett’s body tingle, he propped his cheek on his palm as he laid on his side. “I was just thinking how funny it would be if we got married.”
Razor shook his head, his lips still curled in a smile. Bennett grinned at him. “Would you want to marry me?”
“Bennett is my lupical. Is enough.”
Bennett feigned a sniffle. “Even Razor rejects me.”
“Enough, time to eat.”
“It’s always time to eat with you.”
The two of them both rummaged the kitchen together. One thing Bennett had learned was that Razor wasn’t that bad of a cook, unlike him. He tried still on occasion but he let Razor do most of the cooking after a few incidents.
“Bennett.”
Except for one thing.
“Yeah yeah, I got you.”
After lighting a quick fire, he got to work on the one thing he could make… somewhat okay. He finished the egg and placed it on a plate, handing it to Razor who slid the burnt egg onto his steak, eyes sparkling.
“Bennett makes good egg.”
Bennett laughed. “I always burn it though!”
“Still good.”
A strange heat pulsed in his chest at that, coughing into his hand as he poked at his reheated food. His eyes flickered briefly to watch Razor eat some of the egg he made. He found his lips curling up and his cheeks growing warm in happiness.
—
Razor didn’t want much in life, he only wanted three things.
Food.
Home.
Bennett.
As long as he had those three things he’d be okay. Food was obvious, everyone needed to eat to survive and Razor was no exception. He hunted as often as he could to make sure the both of them were fed. A home hadn’t always been a necessity. His family was a roaming wolf pack and while Wolvendom had been their terf, they hardly had a place to call ‘home’, but now Razor had a home and he couldn’t live without the soft scent of wood, wolfhooks, and windwheel asters.
And lastly… his lupical.
Bennett was someone who he hadn’t known he’d end up needing, but he did. When he found Bennett crying out in the woods, his heart had felt strange and he found himself wanting to dry those tears. It wasn’t right for Bennett to cry, Bennett should be smiling and laughing. They grew close naturally and Razor parted from his family to live with his human lupical. And now, Razor knew he didn’t want to live without Bennett.
So when Bennett began going on these ‘dates’, Razor felt a strange sense of abandonment. Did Bennett not need Razor like he needed him? It made his chest throb. But each time after a date, Bennett was back and while Razor was happy for that, the way Bennett moped around after made Razor feel sad too.
He wanted Bennett to be happy, even if that meant he would leave him.
He shifted in his bed, looking at the empty bed beside his. Bennett had left for a late date not long ago and Razor couldn’t stop the anxiety that rushed through him. He told himself he’d be happy for Bennett but… but!
Just as Razor was about to growl at himself, he heard their door opening and closing sharply. He watched as Bennett came into the room, dropping his adventurer pack on the dresser before sitting down on his bed.
“Razor? You still awake?”
“Mn.”
Bennett was silent for a beat before he sniffled. “Why am I not good enough?”
Razor was up in a flash, a streak of purple left behind in his wake as he wrapped his arms around Bennett.
“Bennett is good enough! No, better than that!”
“Then, why do they all turn me down? Am I really that unlucky? I know I have bad luck and I know that can be scary but…”
“Bennett is worth it, they just don’t know.”
Bennett sucked in a shaky breath, his wet eyes looking up at Razor. Razor thumbed at a stray tear, brows lowering.
“They don’t deserve you.”
Bennett’s lips curled and he laughed. “That may be the case but don’t I deserve someone?”
“They aren’t good. Bennett… Bennett will find good one soon.”
A soft sigh and Bennett slumped in Razor’s arms. “I hope so, Razor. Hey! Maybe the one will have a sister for you, then you can get married too and we can both be happy.”
“Razor’s happy now, is… Bennett not happy?”
“Ahh, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant like, happily ever after, you know? I’m happy right now, Razor.”
Razor knew Bennett didn’t mean it that way, but he could pretend it meant he was happy in his arms.
—
“What’s your friend's name?”
Bennett blinked in surprise. Not only was this girl not running away after escaping the storm that seemed to follow them, but she was striking up a conversation! Hope blossomed in Bennett’s chest as he grinned at her.
“Do you mean Razor?” She had to as she had seen him as the two of them left to go on their date. “He’s great! I’ve known him for… wow, I don’t even know how long now. He used to live with wolves.”
“Oh my, really?”
“Yeah, he’s not very talkative because of that and when he does talk it comes out funny sometimes but he’s a great guy. He’s… he’s my best friend.”
The girl smiled at him. “Does he have a girlfriend?”
“Ahh… no, he says he doesn’t want one, but I told him he’d eventually want one! How could he not, right?”
The air seemed to shift now and the girl hummed disinterestedly. Bennett frowned, not sure why she suddenly seemed distant but he kept at it, giving her a grin. “Do you want to go to Mondstadt? Angel’s Share is having a deal right now, we could get something to eat and drink!”
“I think I’m going to head home.”
“Ah… okay.”
He watched her go, oddly feeling numb at it. Razor’s words from the night before surfaced in his mind so he shook his head. No sense on feeling down, she just wasn’t the one. He’d meet the one soon enough.
He quickly made his way home as well - peering into the darkness. Was Razor still not home? He walked in, glancing around curiously until his eyes landed on Razor- napping on the couch. Bennett smiled as he approached, watching Razor’s chest rise and fall. The more he watched the more he felt an odd impulse…
I want to kiss him
Bennett’s throat felt dry at the thought. Not that he hadn’t thought of kissing boys before, some of his dads had been intimate with each other after all, but he couldn’t think that about Razor! Razor was his best friend, his lupical, his…
His.
Bennett swallowed roughly, jolting when Razor’s eyes opened slowly- immediately finding Bennett.
“Bennett. Welcome home.”
“Yeah, I’m home.”
“How was date?”
“Mm… not good.”
“Sorry.”
Bennett snorted a laugh. “You have no reason to apologize, Razor. It’s not your fault she wasn’t good enough, right?”
Razor smiled and raised one arm, scooting close to the couch. Bennett’s heart thumped. They haven’t laid on the couch since they were young - two boys proud to make a home together, of course other Springvale people helped - they didn’t do it all by themselves but Bennett liked to think they did.
He slid on beside Razor, shivering as that arm closed around him. Bennett couldn’t help but breathe Razor in - the scent of the forest and wolfhooks.
“Bennett too good for everyone.”
Bennett’s heart tugged and he couldn’t help but wonder…
Was he “too good” for Razor too?
—
Bennett wasn’t going on dates anymore.
Razor noticed that immediately. The other had been so gung-ho about it before that now that he stopped it was very noticeable.
Instead, Bennett was always asking Razor to accompany him on adventures. Razor of course always went, how could he not? His lupical not only wanted to spend time with him but with Bennett’s penchant for bad luck, he wanted to be there in case anything bad happened.
It was on this particular trip that Razor noticed something off about his lupical.
They had escaped not only a downpour but an eye of the storm, taking cover in a cave. Space was minimal but Razor didn’t mind, until he smelled something strange.
“What’s that?”
“What’s what? I don’t see anything.”
Razor sniffed at Bennett’s neck, making the other stiffen up. “You smell different, strange…”
Bennett’s lips quivered and he looked down, not saying anything - which was unusual for the talkative man. Razor sniffed the spot again. It smelled like… strong wood and flowers, like scent of the men they would pass in town. Razor scowled, he didn’t like scent of others on his lupical.
“I just put on some cologne, sorry that you don’t like-hh! R-Razor?”
Razor licked at the offending area until all he could smell was his scent on Bennett. He licked his upper lip, looking at Bennett’s face now. His eyes were wide and mouth slightly agape as he looked at him, cheeks a pink color that Razor found he liked on Bennett.
“Better.”
Bennett once again was silent, while Razor looked over at the cave opening. “Still raining hard.”
Razor stiffened when a warm wetness swiped across his neck. He looked at Bennett in surprise, whose tongue was poking out from between his lips. The little pink appendage disappeared as Bennett grinned.
“Now we’re even.”
Razor nodded, but neither of them couldn’t stop the thumping of their pounding hearts as their eyes met and held.
Razor was the first to break their eye contact by licking Bennett on the tip of his nose, causing the other to laugh.
“What the hell!”
Razor chuckled and did it again, making Bennett paw at him, patting him in a “stop, stop” manner. But Bennett’s laughter only prompted Razor to keep going, licking as his chin this time.
Bennett retaliated by licking Razor on the forehead, who huffed, licking at the corner of Bennett’s mouth. A strange flicker of a challenge passed through Bennett’s eyes as he stuck his tongue out and licked at Razor’s tongue.
Razor jolted at the feeling but licked back before he found himself licking in Bennett’s mouth, swallowing not only his groan, but Bennett’s as well.
He broke away with an apology, head swimming as his chest felt stuffy and other places pulsed that he hadn’t known could feel like this.
“Am I too good for you?”
Razor blinked and looked at Bennett, whose eyes looked glassy and dejected. Razor’s heart pounded and he shook his head.
“No, Bennett is lupical, Bennett is perfect for Razor.”
Bennett shuddered, wiping at his eyes, his cheeks hot. “Then why did you stop?”
The words made Razor feel something he’d never felt before and he looked away. “Wait for home.”
Bennett sniffled and wrapped his arms around Razor’s shoulders - never had he wanted to stop adventuring so soon.
—
If someone would have told younger Bennett he would want to kiss Razor, he would have laughed at them and told them not to joke like that.
Younger Bennett would be shocked to see Future Bennett kissing Razor, over and over.
The two of them fell in a heap on their lumpy couch, teeth clicking before they settled on the couch- their kisses growing softer as they just explored each other.
Razor was the first to break the kiss. “This mean no more dates?”
Bennett kissed Razor. “No more dates.”
Razor broke the kiss again. “Bennett all mine then?”
“Razor, please stop breaking our kissing, isn’t it obvious I’m all yours now?”
Razor hummed into the kiss that Bennett roughly pulled him in to. Their kisses grew heated and sloppy before Razor broke it again, pulling up and away from Bennett.
“Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“...”
Bennett followed Razor’s line of sight and smiled. “It’s okay, I’m like that too right now… I like it.”
Bennett lowered more onto the couch, taking Razor with him, pressing up against the other. Razor shuddered as his hips moved instinctively, rolling against Bennett, who moaned loudly - prompting Razor to move a little harder, a little faster.
“Ah! Razor!”
Razor grasped hold of Bennett’s hand, feeling the other grip him back, their clothes rustled as they rutted against each other until they were both coming.
Razor slumped against Bennett, soft whimpers escaping his lips as he nosed against Bennett’s cheek. Bennett laughed and kissed his cheek.
“We should clean ourselves off.”
“Are we dating?”
Bennett’s eyes widened at Razor’s words before he smiled softly at him.
“If you want to, we can... but you’re more than a date to me.”
Razor shyly met Bennett’s eyes, smiling at the other. “Bennett is my lupical mate.”
“Mm, you too, you’re mine.”
Razor held Bennett close, breathing him in. They’d get up to wash up in a little bit, but for now, the two of them just bathed in the afterglow and soaked in the mere presence of each other. Bennett sighed in pleasure as he snuggled against Razor.
“Thank you for being perfect for me.”