I do not own Descendants or its related franchise.
A plush carpet led into a white tile bathroom, longer than it was wide. The cabinetry was dark in color. A marble sink was set atop the drawers and a mirror reflected two-thirds of the bathroom back. A tan backsplash offset the blue paintings on the floor, and a small bottle of Dramamine sat next to a package of Seaband Nausea Relief.
Ben stood in front of the mirror, straightening his collar as he pulled a v-neck blue vest over his shirt. A gold sash that was supposed to go around his shoulder sat on the counter while a heavily-embellished jacket was hung in a closet in the attached bedroom.
As Ben smoothed his hair down and propped a foot up on the toilet lid to tighten his shoelaces, he heard the door open and close. Immediately, he assumed it was Mal, come for support. Or maybe one of the Isle kids, asking if he was okay after their rendezvous at the Isle of the Lost. He looked up and spotted a flash of bright, turquoise blue as someone moved into the frame of the mirror. Was it Jane? Or had Evie dressed Mal up in turquoise instead of the bold, royal blue he was wearing?
Ben stepped into the room, leaving his other shoe untied and the sash still on the bathroom counter.
"Mal?" He asked, then stopped. This was not Mal. This was a lady with many turquoise braids up in a bun. She turned, and he took a few steps back. "Uma." He corrected himself. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
Uma blinked as if she, too, was surprised to see him, and then smiled. "Ben." She said softly. "I'm sorry to startle you. I just wanted to talk to you." She sat down on the bed in a delicate manner. Ben watched her look at the ground and take a deep, slow breath.
"What you said on the Isle, it really affected me. I guess… I never had anyone actually believe in me." Uma said slowly. She picked a little at the braids in her bun. "I came to apologize. For what I said. I'm all dressed up so I could get past the guards to tell you that." Uma picked at her dress, which looked almost like it was made of sea foam.
"Of course, Uma." Ben was still a little tense over having a resident of the Isle suddenly appear in his suite on The True Love, but he couldn't turn away someone who was so earnestly apologizing. "You know, my offer still stands. You can stay in Auradon. I know there's good in you. You could make life better for a lot of people on the Isle."
Uma chuckled, but her heart wasn't in it. He was looking at her dress, playing with the hems of one of the frilly layers. She sniffled, and when she looked up, he realized she was crying. He immediately sat down.
"Uma, what's wrong?" He asked.
She wiped her eyes, dried them on her dress, and gently placed her hands on top of his, which were folding in his lap. He stared at her, tense.
"Mal's so lucky." Uma hissed. "You're amazing."
"Thanks…" Ben trailed off. He tried to stand up, but Uma quickly seized his hands. Ben suddenly had a very bad feeling about this whole encounter.
"Please don't go!" She begged, brown eyes filling with more tears. "That's not the only reason I came back, and I-I need to get this off my chest."
Ben, against his better judgment, sat back down.
Uma took a deep breath. "I've never known a person like you." She said. "I've never known someone who would so selflessly venture into a land filled with villains in the hopes of convincing their girlfriend to return. And you were really brave, you know, the whole time you were with us. I really admired you. In fact, I felt something I didn't think I'd be able to feel – love."
"Uma," Ben stood up, now in full retreat. "I'm flattered, really, but I'm with Mal. She's going to be my Lady of the Court. You know, tonight."
"But it could be me." Uma protested. She carefully put her arms around Ben, who stiffened and stared at her with wide eyes. "Ben, I love you, and I know we could never be anything, but I hope you'll understand that I had to come tonight if only to try and –" Uma cut off in a small sob. Ben had never felt so awkward in his entire life. And that was before what happened next.
Uma used her arms around his neck to pull him down into a very wet kiss. He could feel her tears as she pressed her face to his. The only thought running across his head was 'oh no'.
If only Mal was here. If only he could rewind time and stop Mal leaving Auradon at all. If only…
If only he never had to stop kissing Uma.
He relaxed and brought his hands up to her cheeks as he leaned into her.
Mal… lady of the court, almost. Why had he liked her again? Uma… she was here. She told him she loved him. She kissed him. Mal had never done that.
But Uma had… something in the back of his head tried to remind him.
'It doesn't matter.' Something new in his head soothed the part in distress. Everything will be alright, just as long as Uma loves you.
When they finally disconnected, Ben met Uma's beautiful brown eyes. He'd never noticed, but they were the same shade as his mom's in the old pictures. He smiled. "Uma?" He breathed. "Will you be my Lady in the Court?"
Uma smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes." She accepted. "I'll always be there for you."
That statement felt wonderful to Ben's wounded soul. Mal had never said that to him. He kissed Uma's cheek. "I'll see you tonight." He murmured.
"Bye." She whispered and headed out of the room. Ben returned to the bathroom, feeling lightheaded as he tried to remember what it had been about Mal that had caused him to fall so desperately for her when it was so clearly Uma he was meant to be with.
Out in the darkened hallway, Uma slumped against the door in success. She let out a bright smile and pulled out a tube of lipstick, subtly coated with the same love potion Mal had used on Ben before. It wasn't a perfect brew – even for a perfectly-brewed spell it would still cause dangerous mood swings if the person already had strong feelings for someone else, but if all else failed she could kiss him again, right? So long as it lasted for tonight, everything would go to plan.
Everything would turn out alright.
