BEN CHILWELL X HANNA

Ben has never been the kind of guy for the big occasions. He doesn't like to get dressed into a thin suit, with tie, that strangulates him and he doesn't like to wear those uncomfortable shoes that feel like his feet are pressed into concrete. It's one of the main reasons he hates weddings and one of many reasons he hates funerals, though Mason would probably slap him for thinking that egoistic about funerals. But as far as he knows there's no funeral coming up, so he doesn't think too much about it. In fact there're other occasions, which might lead him to wear a suit and tie.
„Man, you can't skip being the prom date of your girlfriend!", Kai says to Ben. They're all on the training ground waiting for Thomas to join them.
For the first time Ben actually WANTS Thomas to finally start the training session because he can't stand those accusing looks of Mason and Kai any longer.
„We've only been a couple for like three weeks, why do I need to be her prom date? I don't even know her friends yet, only her best friend!", Ben says.
„Yeah and prom is where you supposed to meet the other ones!", Mason clarifies. Ben sighs.
hell Thomas, where are you?
„She doesn't asked me, so obviously she doesn't want me to join her", he says but Kai and Mason immediately shook there heads.
„No, no, no, she wants YOU to ask HER. That's how it works, the boy asks the girl, it's what nearly every stupid teenage movie is about", Kai says. Ben rubs his hand over his face, than right through his hair. Thomas seems to take it really slow today. But still, Ben has some arguments left to integrate into the discussion because he doesn't plan on losing against Kai and Mason.
„Kai, it's not like it's been with Sophia and you. We don't know each other from school, we didn't graduate together. In fact I'm like five years older than most of her friends, so we wouldn't probably have even much to talk about.
She probably just wants to have her last big school occasion with her friends and doesn't want me to disturb it!"
Mason and Kai look at each other in disbelief and than shook their heads again synchronously.
„Do you listen to yourself? I don't even know where to start to explain to you how stupid everything is that comes out of your mouth right now!", Mason stands.
„Yeah, he's right!"
Kai points to Mason and than continues: „First things first: You don't disturb your girlfriend's prom, you spent her prom with her - there's a huge difference. Moreover, she's as old as her friends and you two have still a lot in common, even though being five years apart and you'll have a lot in common with her friends as well. And thirdly, in my opinion the most important aspect of it all: it doesn't matter if you two went to school together or not. Girls want to be asked to be a boy's prom date or in your situation, they want a boy to ask them if they can escort them to their prom. It's romantic and romantic is..."
„Something I ain't", Ben concludes and for him this is reason enough not to ask Hanna. Well, it isn't for Mason and Kai.
„Yeah, well that's kind of the reason you weren't in a serious relationship until your mid twenties.
Man, Hanna is amazing and she loves you, don't mess this up by being lazy!"
Ben groans.
„You two really think I should ask her?"
And for the first time this early morning: Kai and Mason don't shook their heads synchronously, instead they nod synchronously.

So after the training session that's what Ben does. Well, not exactly. He had a plan on asking but by the time he was only a couple of meters away from Hanna's home, he started getting nervous.
He is dressed into joggers and his training jacket, his hair is messy and his body smells, because he didn't feel the need to shower after training, like a really, really old sock. Okay, that's definitely not the way Hanna deserves to be asked for a prom date.
„Fuck Chilly, you're messing it up again!", he mumbles. He lets his head fall on the steering wheel but even that's something he can't do right, because as a matter of fact his face touches the horn and probably scares some inhabitants to death.
He leans against his seat and closes his eyes for a couple of seconds. Mason was right, when he said Ben shouldn't try his luck with Hanna, just because he doesn't like getting dressed up. It's a stupid excuse for risking a relationship that may last forever because being with Hanna feels pretty amazing. Ben has never felt this way for a girl and he doesn't want to lose this feeling.
However, that's not how he should ask her.
He starts the engine of his car again and turns around to drive home, so he can make a better plan on how to ask her to be her prom date, properly.

***

„Wow, what the fuck, where the hell are you going out like this?"
Most of the times Ben love being neighbors with Mason. But there are times, like now, he hates it. He would've preferred to  be on his own, because he feels uncomfortable as hell wearing that suit, that tie and those SHOES and Mason knows him well enough to see right through the fake smile on Ben's lips.
„I'm going to ask Hanna", he says and than points to the rose in the pocket of his jacket. Mason lifts his left eyebrow.
„Google says that's what to wear!", Ben says in self defense.
„Yeah, to the prom, you muppet, not when you ask her!"
„Yeah but I thought that's, I don't know, romantic?"
Mason bursts out into laughing and by the time the elevator reaches the ground floor he still hasn't fully reassured.
„So you think I should throw the rose away?", Ben asks, while stepping out and feels now nervous again. He normally isn't that insecure, but he wants to ask Hanna out right, so today he is nervous and insecure - for all the right reasons.
„No!"
Mason tips his finger on the rose and than gives Ben a encouraging smile.
„It's cute, it may not be, in the ritualistic way correct, but it shows that you cared about it enough to google it and knowing Hanna, I'm sure she's gonna fall in love even more with you!"
Ben smiles at his friends.
„Thank you, mate!"
„You're welcome!"

By the time Ben arrived at Hanna's home, for the second time, the sun had already set and the whole world turned into all the shades of dark blue and black, only the streetlights giving some contrast to the black and blue.
Ben takes a deep breath before he steps out of his car and grabs the jukebox and the poster from the back of his car. It's cheesy and so, so classic but spontaneously he had no better plan and he definitely doesn't want to just ask her. He wants it to be a bit more.
He moves to the driveway and puts the jukebox on the ground. Again he takes a deep breath. Damn, he never thought he would play Bruno Mars out of free will but here he is, doing the exact thing.
He takes his phone out of his pocket and opens up Spotify and gets goosebumps as his thump is just a second away from pressing the play button.
„Now or never", he encourages himself and than presses the symbol. The jukebox starts playing just the way you are and Ben cringes a bit, because he really does hate Bruno Mars for that song.
It's pretty loud, so it doesn't surprise him that not only the lights in Hanna's house but also in the neighbor's house turn on, though he only waits for Hanna's room to lighten up. By the time this finally happens Bruno Mars is played again and Ben is close to going crazy. But finally the door opens and Hanna and his Mum step out.
„Oh my god!", Hanna shouts as Ben unfolds the poster in his hands. It isn't the best poster he's ever done but it's the only one he could do in such little time and at least the message is clear: can I be YOUR prom date?
Ben tries to give his best puppy look as he holds up the poster and than, because Hanna doesn't say anything, shouts the question.
„Oh my god", she repeats. She jumps down the three stairs, starts running to him and jumps into his arms, laughing so loud, it's even louder than Bruno Mars - and that's a good thing, definitely.
„Obviously, yes, yes, yes! But I thought you hated occasions like this and you didn't want people to see us together?!", she asks while pulling Ben into a deep hug again. He lifts her up and let the poster fall to the ground, so he can wrap both arms around her.
„Yeah, I do, but I decided that making memories with you is far more important than not being catchend by the press or anything", he explains. He isn't really interested in reading his name on the cover of the sun and being asked stupid questions about his new love interest but than again he can't hide forever with Hanna and he most definitely doesn't want to hide forever.
Hanna grins, while playing with the rose on his chest and says: „So, if I ask you to kiss me in front of all this people, will you do it?"
She points behind Ben. He turns around and notices a couple of neighbors applauding in their driveways. Than he turns to Hanna again, whose smile shines brighter that the moon. A big thanks to Mason and Kai, he thinks.
„I think a kiss is something I deserve, isn't it?"