Title: What Riley Poole and Ben Gates Know
Rating: K+
Pairing: Ben/Riley, of course!
Summary: Lots of people claim that they truly know Ben Gates and Riley Poole, but only they
truly know about each other.
Disclaimer: I don't own National Treasure or Ben or Riley, sadly.

There are many people who claim they know Riley Poole, and sure, they do know him. But there is only one person who honestly knows Riley Poole, inside and out, and that person is Ben Gates.

Ben knows more about Riley than anyone could imagine. He knows how much Riley loves to wear his Converses. He knows Riley's special detergent, because he can't stand the ones with too many chemicals. He knows Riley sings in his sleep sometimes. Ben even caught Riley one night sleep-singing and sleep-dancing to "Old Time Rock and Roll" in his boxers in the living room!

Many people know or think of Riley as the quirky, nerdy, and somewhat childish techie who is useful for technological purposes or the occasional smart-assed comment. But not Ben. Ben knows that Riley is just as much of a man as he or Sadusky is. (Riley went on all of those adventures and didn't run away crying or scared, even after those near-death experiences!) Ben knows that Riley is hurt whenever he feels that people don't appreciate and/or realize the person he really is. A great example is when Ian basically insulted him right to his face during their Templar/Declaration adventure. On the outside, however, Riley seems like the kind of guy who doesn't give a damn about what others think of him. But when it comes to his job, and especially Ben's approval of him as a person, Riley will do whatever it takes, through hell and back, to do everything just right.

Ben knows the quirky things about Riley. He knows that Riley loves to play only Nintendo video games; the others simply won't do. He knows that Riley loves pickles, and must have them with every meal, should the meal call for them. He knows how much Riley loves minty-flavored toothpaste.

Ben knows that Riley also had it hard as a teenager. He knows that Riley got bullied and laughed at on a daily basis. He knows that his parents died when he was only five, and that he bounced from household to household until he was in junior high, and that his home from then on was not the best or the most stable of households. Ben knows that it wasn't any special connections that got Riley a full ride to MIT. Riley did that all by himself.

But most importantly, Ben Gates knows that he loves Riley Poole and every single thing about him, more than anyone else could ever know. And he always will.