Des mots d'amour: A Parks & Rec Fic

*

"Bonjour,” Leslie says, reading from a note card. “Où se trouve la... mayor... no wait, la mairie de Pawnee?"

Ben flips through his French/English dictionary, looking up with a raised eyebrow when he finds the right page. “Mairie is city hall?"

"I learned the important words first."

He smiles. "Of course."

They decided to learn the language together following a lively discussion/make out session about John Adams’ inability to speak French. Leslie mentioned she’d always appreciated bilinguality before tackling him on the couch. Ben bought the materials a few weeks later.

“But what about the community center?” she asked when he handed her the box. “They have classes starting up next month.”

“Do you really think we’d have time, with the campaign?” Ben set his hand on her arm and lowered his voice. “I figured we could do our work during the day and then practice this when we have some free time. Alone time. It can be our thing.”

“Efficient and sexy. What a good campaign manager.”

Tonight they lay side by side on top of the covers on Ben’s bed, facing each other as they practice French. Earlier in the evening, Ben set his laptop on the nightstand and tilted it so they could both see the Rosetta Stone program; but after an hour or so, they settle on a looser question and answer system. Leslie keeps her feet near his and tries not to get distracted by the joy of doing two of her favorite things at once: cuddling and intensive study sessions.

After double checking whether or not the French word for ‘where’ has an accent over the ‘u’, Leslie glances up to see her boyfriend staring at her chest, dictionary still open in his hands.

“Hey.” She nudges his knee until he looks up at her face. “Are you going to answer my question?” she asks, grinning when he frowns in confusion. “Où se trouve la mairie de Pawnee? Where is Pawnee city hall? ”

“Oh yeah, sorry.” He glances down at his book, smirking slightly. “La mairie est à coté de le... du parc Ramsett." As he talks, he shifts his leg back against hers. His hand settles on her waist, his fingers tapping something into her lower back.

“City hall is next to Ramsett Park,” Leslie repeats back in English. “Not quite accurate, geography wise, but the French is right! Bien fait.”

They high five, and this time when his hand returns to her, Ben slips it underneath the hem of her shirt, touching her bare skin. His fingers are cold, but she forgets when he pushes their books onto the floor and her onto her back.

“J’aime beaucoup les parcs,” she says, wrapping an arm around him.

“You do love parks.” He kisses her face a few times. “Et j’aime toi."

"I think you mean je t'aime."

He doesn’t answer, just unfastens the top button on her shirt to kiss her collarbone. Leaning her head back, Leslie hums as Ben nips and sucks his way toward her shoulder (a designated hickey safe-zone) and gets distracted enough for him to undo the rest of her buttons. When his fingers reach her bra, her wits return and she pushes him onto his side. Of course, they leave again just as quickly when he moves his hand to her ass, tugging her back to him, but that can't be helped.

"Ben, please. We’re supposed to be practicing,” she says even as she pulls off his t-shirt.

"Je suis désolé. Je ne parle pas l'anglais."

She rolls her eyes but smiles. “Fine. Ben, s'il vous plaît..."

"Nope."

"Of course it is. S'il vous plaît is please. Give me some credit."

"It is, but we wouldn't be formal with each other.” He unhooks her bra as if to make his point. “It’s s’il te plaît, not s’il vous plaît.”

Leslie knocks him onto his back, climbing over him.

"Tu es un gros connard,” she mumbles and then leans down to kiss him. For a few minutes she doesn’t think about much beyond him, his mouth, his hands that are undoubtedly making an utter disaster of her hair, how awesome it feels when she rolls her hips against his just the right way. She definitely doesn’t think about French until Ben pulls back and asks:

"Did you just call me a fat duck?"

"Not canard. Connard. It means you're a big jerk."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "Is that in the dictionary?"

"Ann bought me a dirty French book when I told her what we were doing.” She works on the fly of his jeans while he watches her, his eyes moving between her hands and her face. “It was very enlightening."

"Hm? What else did you learn?"

She slides her hands underneath him.

"Le cul,” she says, giggling when Ben laughs. They kiss. “That means butt," she explains against his mouth as she slips out of the last of her clothes, and then Ben moves over her again, touching and grinding and kissing her the way he does when he’s really in the mood, more tongue and just enough teeth. The bed shakes a little when he kicks his pants off, but he just takes the opportunity to move down her body, her sexy, resourceful boyfriend.

"So you learned the important words, then,” Ben says after a long stretch. “Les mots importants.” Leslie frowns and scratches her nails lightly down his back, making him shudder.

"Your accent is so much better than mine. I need to practice more."

“We are practicing.”

“Practice...” A warm shiver goes through her as he swipes his tongue over her nipple and then blows cold air, making her eyes flutter closed. “Oh god, Ben. French. I mean practice French.”

Ben shrugs. "I like your accent.” He grips her knee and bends so he can settle better against her. “It’s cute." Kissing between her breasts, he slides his hand up her inner thigh but she stops him before he can really touch her. She waits until he looks up at her with the confused frown she loves so much and teases:

"En français, Ben."

Scrambling back up, Ben kisses her hard and mutters, "Ton accent est... cute," before crushing his lips back to hers. Leslie grips his hair until he is flush against her on the bedspread, and by the time he moves his mouth back to her neck, she’s breathing heavy, squirming beneath him. He pulls his hand away from her, grips himself, ready to go.

“I don’t think you translated that right,” Leslie blurts out.

Ben laughs breathily. “Sure I did.”

And then he presses into her, and she’s pretty sure she’d believe anything he said.

*

Some time later, Leslie returns from the bathroom to find Ben right where she left him. She crawls under the covers and makes out with him for a few more minutes before she starts to feel the pull to get working again. She falls back to her own pillow.

“Okay, that was a nice break. Let’s get back to work.” Ben grunts but otherwise doesn’t move. “Come on, honey! It’s only 11:00. Nous devons étudier.” She pushes herself up onto her elbow, making his arm slide down to her hip. “Or is it il faut étudier? I think it’s the first one, the devoir one. Let me check my grammar cards...”

Before she can retrieve her folder from the floor, Ben scoots half-onto her. His arm falls heavy on her stomach and he ducks his head near her shoulder.

“Nous devons dormir,” he mumbles.

“But—”

“Leslie. Sleep.”

“Fine.” She sighs and flips over to her stomach. As she moves to kiss him goodnight, she remembers one last phrase from her dirty French book, giggling as she presses her lips just below his ear. “J’aime te baiser.”

Ben opens an eye. “S’that mean?”

“Sorry,” she says as she settles back against him. “Je dois dormir.”

*
*
*

Glossary (just in case you’re curious):
Ou se trouve la mairie de Pawnee? - Where is Pawnee city hall?
La mairie est à coté de le... du parc Ramsett. - City hall is next to Ramsett Park.
Bien fait - Well done
J’aime beaucoup les parcs - I really love parks
Je suis désolé. Je ne parle pas l'anglais. - I’m sorry. I don’t speak English.
S’il te/vous plait - Please
Tu es un gros connard. - You are a huge asshole
Le cul - butt/ass
Je t’aime - I love you
Les mots importants - the important words
En français - In French
Nous devons dormir/étudier- We have to sleep/study
Je dois/Il faut - I must/It’s necessary to...
J’aime te baiser.- I like/love fucking you (okay it sounds harsher in English hah).