Chapter Text
Rook wasn’t sure when exactly it had started. Maybe it was when he had unlocked the super secret extra level in the Sumo Slammers anniversary edition game before anyone else had. Or maybe it had been that very first day when Ben had been so hungry and he had given him that peace offering of chili fries. Whatever it had been that had triggered the occasional amazed, even adoring at times, look from his partner it seemed to be happening more frequently.
The alien frowned in thought from his seat as he waited for Ben to return. “Hey, partner. What’s gotten you all down?” Asked the familiar voice of the human teen as Ben climbed back into the truck with the bags of their lunch. Setting the bags down between them, Ben reached out a hand and placed his bare skinned hand over Rook’s blur furred one. That was something else the revonnahgander had noticed happening more and more frequently as well. Ben seemed to like touching him. Always in what seems like a casual way, a pat on the shoulder, a congratulatory fist bump, or even a friendly hug. But these instances kept happening more often then the alien could remember.
“Rook,” Ben asked again, the human’s tone hinting at an edge of worry. Rook shook his head and offered his partner a faint smile. “Everything is well, Ben. I was just thinking on something.” He grabbed his bag and set about opening it. The teen offered his alien friend a small, caring smile. And even as Rook noticed that look on the human’s face of fondness, he decided to think on it a little later. Tearing open the wrapping of his food though gave him pause. In his hand was a meatball sub.
“Ben?” Hearing the confused tone, the human looked at Rook’s sandwich. “Did they get something wrong? Meatball is your favorite, right?” Even as the human spoke, he reached out a hand to touch Rook’s arm. This wasn’t what Rook was used to from his partner. This was behavior that if it had been on his own planet would mean the person was interested in you… but that couldn’t be right, could it. Deciding to test this theory, Rook lifted his arm and gently cupped Ben’s cheek. “The food is very much appreciated, Ben. Meatball is my favorite.”
The faint blush that came to Ben’s face, had the revonnahgander smiling. This was a theory he wanted to gladly put more experimenting in to. Lifting up his sub to eat with his left hand, Rook let his right fall from Ben’s face down to rest on top of the human’s. The flash of Ben’s admiring gaze before the human turned back to his own food was not lost to Rook either.