treasure_geeks | Another Fic!!! YAY!!

Okay, once again, I had an idea at one in the morning, and decided to run with it. I started at about seven last night, and finished at quarter to three in the morning. (Can you see a pattern here?) I decided to take our boys camping....Enjoy!! (Also, I must thank

irish_smurf, who wrote the first part of this fic. Love you, dear!!!)

Into the Woods

When it was suggested that he and Ben go on a weekend getaway, Riley readily agreed, jumping at the chance to spend some alone time with his other half. Unfortunately, Riley's and Ben's trains of thought were on completely different tracks. Riley felt that a getaway should consist of a luxurious five-star hotel with a queen size bed, hot tub, and room service for the duration of their stay. However, what he got was nowhere close to his idea of a 'weekend getaway.'

Ben had known from the beginning of planning this vacation that he would never get his young lover to agree to go camping without his laptop or PDA; hell, it was be amazing if he could get Riley to go at all. Because of this fact, Ben had resorted to the art of deception. (It was a good thing that Riley's poker-playing skills were worse than Ben's own, because if they weren't, they never would have left the house.) He had told Riley that their vacation destination was a surprise, and that he would do all the planning and packing for the two of them; Riley needn't worry about a thing.

Sneaky Bastard.

Riley, being the genius that he was, should have known that they weren't headed to a five-star hotel the minute Ben blindfolded him upon sitting down in the Ferrari's passenger seat. Also, he should've questioned Ben's motives (and quite possibly his sanity) when the road became bumpy and all noises other than the hum of the car's engine ceased. But he didn't, and this was his punishment, lying in a paper-thin tent with only his sleeping bag and a zipper between him and certain death.

Lying on his right side facing the tent’s wall, Riley asked himself what he possibly could have done to deserve this type of treatment. After all, he had been nothing but kind to Ben. Why then, would Ben think he would enjoy spending the next three days and two nights in the bug-and-animal-infested forest? Shifting slightly inside his sleeping bag, Riley looked over at his partner, who had already fallen asleep. It puzzled him how the older treasure hunter could fall into a peaceful slumber so easily when his environment was so drastically different from the one he was used to. There were crickets chirping, leaves shifted outside the tent (and thus, made noise) every twenty seconds, it was somewhat cold, and there wasn’t a bathroom for at least twenty miles in any direction. Everything about this place screamed ‘cruel and unusual punishment,’ and Riley was pretty sure that he was going to go nuts before the three days were up.

Turning over so that he was lying on his back and looking up at the tent’s canopy, Riley shut his eyes, hoping that sleep would claim him quickly. Being an insomniac under normal circumstances, he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to be getting rest anytime soon. Normally, when he couldn’t fall asleep, he’d sit in front of his laptop and browse the internet, whether it was solving somebody’s computing problems, writing a program for himself (or in the case of treasure hunting, for Ben), or just playing solitaire, it didn’t matter. After enough time of staring at the bright screen in his dark apartment, Riley’s eyes would start to get heavy, and after shutting off his laptop and getting into bed, he’d be asleep in ten minutes. However, the amount of time it took Riley to start to feel tired varied based on his mood. It also depended on how much stress he had been feeling throughout the day. Based on the fact that Ben expected him to fall asleep in this…this…place, Riley knew he wouldn’t be getting to sleep anytime soon.

Maybe it was the wind whistling through the trees, or the moonlight illuminating the tent from the outside, but Riley was jumping at everything. Every sound, every movement; he had been feeling hyper-sensitive ever since laying down in this infernal sleeping bag. He was in the state of mind where one was so nervous that he or she had begun imagining feeling things, like somebody dragging their fingers up your arm, or something such as that. It was ridiculous that he was so nervous at something as childish as camping out in the woods, but then again, he had never been much of a woodsy person to begin with. There was a reason why Ben had found him in a cubicle inside the Library of Congress with a laptop and iPod.

Wriggling around in the sleeping bag, Riley managed to extricate his left arm (without hitting Ben, who was about three inches from his left side) and turn his wrist so that he could read his watch. The illuminated numbers read ‘two-fifteen,’ causing Riley to sigh. Yep, he was never getting to sleep tonight. He chuckled quietly, however, when the thought crossed his mind as to what Ben would say when the older of the pair woke up and found his younger companion red-eyed, quiet, and irritable. Settling down into his sleeping bag once more, he wiggled for a moment, casting one last glance over at Ben before shutting his eyes, vowing that he would fall asleep this time.

The wind blew the flap of the treasure hunters’ tent open, and Riley felt the breeze cross over his face as if somebody had been trailing a silk ribbon over his nose. Taking a deep breath, Riley finally felt himself start to relax. Smiling slightly to himself, he shifted subconsciously towards Ben, as he often did on nights when Ben stayed over. Suddenly, the cool sensation of silk on Riley’s nose changed, becoming more uncomfortable. His nose began to itch, almost as if somebody (a girl, most likely) was running their nails across the bridge, with touches so light that they almost weren’t there. Riley scrunched up his nose, hoping that it would stop the unpleasant sensations that were keeping him from sleep. After trying this method for almost thirty seconds (and finding that it didn’t do anything), he opened his eyes. There, sitting happily on the bridge of Riley’s nose, was a june bug, staring back at him with black, sparkling eyes. Eyes widening in panic, he froze, knowing that he couldn’t start flailing about (as instinct told him was the best course of action). Instead, he spoke, his voice breaking the long-present silence in the tent.

“Uh, Ben?”

The inquiry was met with the sound of Ben’s soft, even breathing coming from his left. Riley, whose breathing was beginning to accelerate at a fairly steady pace by now, raised his voice, hoping that the increase in volume would wake Ben from his slumber.

“Uh, Ben?”

The increase in volume did have a great effect this time; Ben took a deep breath and rolled over onto his side so that he was now facing Riley, rather than staring up at the tent’s canopy. However, just facing him wasn’t enough for Riley; it certainly didn’t solve his ‘I-have-a-bug-on-my-face’ problem. By this point, he was seriously beginning to panic, and decided that although Ben might be angry at him later for being woken in the middle of the night, he didn’t really have a choice. He needed somebody to get this bug off his nose before he had a stroke, and the only other person in the tent was Ben.

“BEN!”

Riley was still laying stock-still when Ben sat bolt upright, the movement mimicking the body’s reaction to a taser. Looking around, alarmed, Ben’s gaze scanned the tent before falling on Riley, whose face was shrouded in darkness. A confused (but in Riley’s opinion, adorable) expression crossed Ben’s face as he continued to stare at the younger man. Running his right hand through his hair, Ben spoke, his tone conveying his puzzlement.

“What’s going on, Ri?”

Because Riley’s face was hidden in shadow, Ben had no idea of the torture his companion was enduring. All he could see was the outline of the younger man’s body, illuminated from about the waist down. (The moonlight was streaming in through the open tent flap; the wind had blown it open two minutes previous.) Riley was still lying stock-still, deathly afraid of moving. Ben didn’t know what was going on, but he could tell that something was definitely wrong; even when stressed, Riley was never this still.

“Riley, what’s wrong? Talk to me, buddy.”

“There’s…a bug.”

Ben chuckled softly, the sound seeming louder than it really was because of the thick silence around them.

“We’re in the middle of the woods. There are bugs all over.”

“Not…what I meant.”

The smile left Ben’s face to be replaced by that confused expression once more. It must be something huge that was bothering the younger man; normally, it took a lot to unsettle him.

“Then what’s wrong? I can’t help fix whatever it is if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

Ben could hear Riley take a breath, long, deep, and by the sound of it, not calming at all. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again.

“There’s a bug…on my nose.”

There was silence for a moment, followed by (what sounded like) wheezing breaths from Ben. Riley couldn’t see his companion other than out of his peripheral vision, so his theory that Ben was silently laughing at him would have to go unconfirmed. Suddenly, the sound of a zipper being unzipped rent the night air as Ben got out of his sleeping bag. Sitting himself down on top of the soft fabric, he scooted the bag closer to Riley, so close that Riley could feel the heat from the sleeping bag radiating off of the older man. Now that he was closer, Ben could make out the outline of Riley’s face, and the bug sitting on his companion’s nose. Smiling, but not laughing, Ben spoke.

“It’s a June Bug, Ri. Hardly bigger than a baby acorn.”

“I don’t care, Ben. Just get it off my nose.”

Ben, who was trying very hard not to laugh (the only thing that gave away his amusement was the sparkle in his eyes, being intensified by the moonlight), spoke in even tones.

“It really bothers you that much? You’re so much bigger than it!”

“BEN!”

Riley’s voice, which had been calm but showing signs of strain (and slight terror), had risen to an emphatic shout. His chest, which had been rising and falling increasingly more quickly as the seconds passed, was getting close to the point where he would be hyperventilating. Ben, sensing this, put his right hand on Riley’s shoulder and brought his head close enough that Riley could see him without looking sideways or tilting his head. Ben saw Riley’s gaze find his; they locked eyes, and Ben squeezed his shoulder for a little added comfort.

“Okay, I’m gonna get the bug off your nose, but you have to calm your breathing. You’re going to make yourself pass out otherwise. Can you do that for me?”

“Can you get the bug off first?”

Ben chuckled, smiling down at Riley. Sighing, but with eyes still sparkling, Ben reached over with his left hand and snatched the june bug off Riley’s nose. Riley, as if breaking the surface of the water for the first time in twenty minutes, took a humongous deep breath, shutting his eyes to try and calm his nerves. Ben, knowing he’d regret it in about twenty seconds but at the same time knowing it would be worth the laugh, quickly dragged his right index finger down Riley’s side. Riley, whose eyes were still closed, jumped as if electrocuted and let out a few choice curses. Sitting up quickly and opening his eyes, he came face to face with Ben, who was laughing hysterically. Grinning widely but getting a hold on his laughter, Ben reached out a hand and ruffled Riley’s hair.

“I’m sorry, Ri. I just couldn’t resist.”

Riley mumbled something that Ben couldn’t quite catch all of; he heard “grow up” and “not funny” and a curse word or two, but the only thing that did was make him laugh again. Riley, however, didn’t find it funny at all, and settled back down into his sleeping bag, back turned toward Ben. Sighing, Ben rolled his eyes slightly and settled back down on top of his own bag, leaning on one elbow. He was watching the techie beside him, not being thrown off by the façade of sleep Riley was trying to give the world. (He had tried it enough times that Ben had picked up on the difference in his breathing from when he was feigning sleep to when he was actually sleeping.)

“Riley, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Ben waited in the silence for a response, but none came. He could tell that the younger man still wasn’t asleep, but he wasn’t acknowledging Ben’s presence, either. Ben decided, after waiting another thirty seconds or so, that there was only one other thing he could do. It was a good idea (Riley would thank him later), and he was going to see it through. After all, it was never good to go to bed angry. Getting up onto his hands and knees (and doing it quietly so as not to let the younger man know he had moved), Ben reached out and grabbed Riley’s left shoulder and pushed it down so that the techie was now on his back; he then proceeded to straddle the younger man, making it impossible for him to escape. Riley raised his eyebrows in an expression that combined ‘oh really? We’re doing this?’ and ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’ Ben just sat there, even with the belt on Riley’s jeans, grinning like an idiot.

“You think I’m supposed to forgive you? Just like that?”

Ben looked down at Riley, a smile on his face that had nothing to do with the joke he had just played. It amazed Riley sometimes how Ben could make one simple gesture, like a smile, say so many things at once. It said ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘I won’t do it again,’ and ‘I love you,’ and that was just to name a few. He also noticed that the longer he stared up at Ben, the harder it became for him not to smile, to return the message that had just been given. Ben’s grin slowly got wider as he watched Riley fight the smile that was soon to burst out; his expression became more and more cloudy until his own activities, combined with Ben’s ever-widening grin, made him crack up laughing. Riley’s laughter then set off Ben’s own, and soon the thick silence of the wood was broken completely. Riley probably would have continued laughing for another minute or so, had Ben not leaned down and silenced him with a kiss. The techie responded to the kiss instantly, threading his hands into Ben’s hair as he deepened the kiss. In fact, Riley was so engrossed in the activity at hand that he didn’t realize that Ben had reversed their positions until they broke apart, Ben looking up at him. As Ben ran a hand through the younger man’s hair, Riley smiled, that half-smile he was notorious for. Ben kissed him again, quickly, then spoke, trying to figure out if their problems had been settled.

“Ri, I really am sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“You sure?”

Blue eyes pierced blue, searching for the truth in the orbs beneath them. Riley nodded, quirking another smile. Ben leaned in to kiss him again, but as he did so, Riley sat up, drawing a curious glance from the man currently lying beneath him.

“I forgive you…providing you never laugh at my fear of bugs again. One day I’ll find something stupid that you’re afraid of, I’ll laugh at you, and you’ll see how it is. Get it?”

Ben grinned, nodding. He was tempted to laugh, but he could tell by the tone of the younger man’s voice and the look in his eyes that this was important to him, and Ben wasn’t stupid enough to start an argument by laughing at his other half. He’d learned that lesson….many times over. One of those times, the lesson had finally stuck.

“I get it. I’m sorry for laughing at you in the first place. I just haven’t seen you freak out so much since Ian pointed a gun at you and told you to shut up.”

Ben’s grinned again, and Riley’s eyes twinkled in response.

“I hate that guy.”

There was silence for a moment, then both men burst out laughing. After about a minute or so, the two quieted down. Riley had laid his head down on Ben’s chest, not having moved from his prior position; Ben had one arm wrapped around his waist, the other reached upward to entangle in his hair. The two laid in silence for about ten minutes, listening to the crickets chirping outside their tent and the quiet sounds of each other’s breathing. Riley, having had something he wanted to say for quite a while now, lifted his head and looked down at Ben, whose eyes had opened in response to the sudden shift of weight.

“Yes, Ri?” Ben asked after about thirty seconds of the techie looking at him, but saying nothing.

“I, uh, wanted to thank you for bringing me out here. Forgetting my total spaz-out earlier, I’m, uh, actually having a good time.”

Ben could tell, even by the tiny sliver of moonlight that was spilling across Riley’s back and part of his face from the doorway, that the young man was blushing. At the sight, an idea hit Ben like a freight train, and the mere thought had him grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Riley watched the grin spread out on the treasure hunter’s face as his own faded, not quite sure what could cause Ben to grin like that. (Well, that wasn’t totally true. He could think of quite a few things that could make Ben react like that, but sadly – for Riley, at least – none of them had to do with the conversation at hand.)

“Uh, Ben, you’re starting to freak me out here.”

Ben’s grin, which already seemed like it was running on a million-watt light bulb, got wider. Riley raised his eyebrows, completely confused by this point. Running his right hand through the younger man’s hair, Ben decided to take pity on him and share what he had been thinking about.

“We’re all alone out here.”

“No shit, Sherlock. I never would have figured that out on my own.”

Shaking his head, Ben smiled again before continuing.

“You think you were blushing before? I’ll give you something to blush about, Riley Poole.”

Riley’s eyes widened; he didn’t even have time to open his mouth to respond before Ben flipped the two of them over, the back of Riley’s head cushioned from hitting the ground by the sleeping bag in between. It was almost as if somebody had flipped a switch in the back of Riley’s mind; he had been calm and relaxed, almost to the point of sleepy, two seconds ago, and now – now he was grabbing at every inch of Ben he could reach, and kissing him like the older man was the very oxygen he needed to breathe. Ben was reacting similarly; it had been quite a while since he had been able to catch a private moment with Riley. Everytime things got – and it made him smile to think about this way – passionate, they were interrupted, whether it was by the doorbell ringing, Abigail walking into the room (she was like the third wheel to their duo in times like those), or Ben’s father calling, it didn’t matter. It seemed that with the type of lifestyle they both kept, private time was not found outside of the bedroom and at night. To put it simply, Ben needed this. They both needed it, and it was one of the reasons that Ben had picked a retreat to the woods rather than someplace else a little closer to home.

After about five minutes, the two broke apart, both panting heavily, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Somewhere in that five minutes, Riley’s shirt had found its way to near the tent entrance, Ben’s shirt had been pushed up to his shoulder blades by Riley’s roving hands, and Riley’s glasses had been placed neatly on Ben’s sleeping bag next to them, so that they wouldn’t be in danger of getting crushed if things got heated (like they always did). Despite the cold outside the tent, neither felt it; besides, they had more important things to worry about, like exactly how long two people could stay in liplock without taking a breath and passing out.

Ten minutes later, a howl broke the silence outside the tent. Riley, whose wandering hands had been trying to get to Ben’s belt for the past five minutes (and always had been intercepted on their way), froze, head whipping around in the direction of the tent’s entrance. Ben stopped as well (he had just gotten Riley’s Converses off and had been in the process of getting the younger man out of his jeans when the noise had rent the air), turning slowly in the direction of the door. Riley opened his mouth to say something, but Ben gestured for him to stay quiet as he moved in the direction of the tent’s entrance. Eyes widening, Riley stood up and took a step towards Ben before tripping over his half-off jeans and falling flat on the sleeping bag. Ben, looking back, smiled and rolled his eyes before peeking his head out the door. There was nothing out there; the forest was empty. Shutting the tent flap (and zippering it this time), Ben crawled back over to where Riley sat on his own sleeping bag, jeans now all the way off and flung in the corner with his Converses. However, Ben noticed the change that had come over the younger man; he was shaking slightly, but not from the cold. Ben, smiling, pulled Riley into his arms and stretched out on top of the sleeping bag, grabbing a blanket they had packed and throwing it over the two of them.

“Ben?”

The voice was small in the silence, and Riley couldn’t have looked younger as he turned in Ben’s arms to face him. He was frightened, and that made him look quite small compared to the treasure hunter.

“There was nothing there, Ri.”

“But it’s out there somewhere.”

“It lives out there, but it’s not gonna get to us.”

“How d’you know?” Riley asked, sounding much like a child asking his mother how he knew that the monsters in the closet weren’t real.

Ben looked at Riley, eyes twinkling, and pulled the young man closer.

“How do I know? I know because I’ll be damned if I let some forest animal ruin my vacation…especially my alone time with you.”

Ben grinned as Riley flushed again, the flush spreading over his face and across his chest, visible in the pale half-light. Managing a small smile, Riley wiggled around and kissed Ben, deepening the kiss farther than he had intended (but he certainly wasn’t complaining). When the two broke apart, Riley grinned, then settled back down into Ben’s embrace.

“Night, Ben. Love you.”

Riley’s voice had already faded into the nothingness that could only come as sleep claimed him by the time he finished speaking. Ben, looking down at the young man in his arms, could only thank the stars for being so lucky. Kissing the young man on the head, he spoke, at the same time pulling him closer.

“Night, Ri. Love you too.”

Okay, there it is. My second Ben/Riley fic. I'd love to hear what you think...just press the button!! <3 <3 <3