A/N: I do not own the name for this book. Waking Eyes belongs to the movie The Girl In The Book one of my absolute favorite movies of all time.
*This story takes place in Auradon. Jay and Carlos are on the Tourney team with Ben. This story takes place after coronation, but before Ben settles down to officially rule Auradon.
**The prompt is supposed to be filled with angst, but the idea I had was for something a little more fluffy.
"Hi, Ben!" Evie exclaimed as soon as she opened the door. Mal sat up on her bed, her textbook forgotten and lying in her lap. The King of Auradon entered the room when the bluenette stepped to the side.
"Evie." He nodded her direction before he set his duffle bag onto the wooden table. "Just came to say goodbye."
"Oh, are you leaving?" Evie's head tilted to the side, confusion clouding her expression.
"The guys didn't tell you?" Ben asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.
"Tell me what?" The blue haired teenager looked at the King, her eyes focused solely onto him.
"It's an away game this week. For tourney. They leave in an hour." Mal answered, sitting up so her legs dangled over the edge of her bed. A look of understanding flashed across the purple haired girl's face. "Jay didn't tell you?"
Evie opened her mouth, then closed it abruptly. Without saying a word, she stalked over to her nightstand. She swiped her purse from its position on the side table. Rolling her shoulders back, she lifted her chin up high. Her brown eyes shone with determination. For what, Mal and Ben weren't entirely sure.
"E?" Mal called out, tentatively.
"I'll be right back."
The blue haired villain opened then slammed the door shut behind her, leaving the couple stunned by her spontaneous behavior. Her blue curls bounced as she strutted down the hall. Her purse hit her hip with each step, her high heels making clacking noises on the hardwood floor. Her eyes were locked onto the door to Jay and Carlos's dorm room. She didn't even hesitate to knock on their door.
The door opened almost instantly. A menacing shadow caused her to retreat a few steps. His presence forced her straightened shoulders to hunch at his intimidating figure.
"Not you again-" He hissed before his narrowed eyes landed on blue curled hair instead of the irritating dark brown that had been pestering his door all day. "Evie?" He breathed out softly, stunned at her bowed head and trembling fingers. She avoided looking at him, her eyes staring at her shoes and her blue curls hiding her face from his view.
"I was just going to tell you to be safe on your tourney trip." He blinked at the sound of her voice, surprised at her unusually soft tone.
"I thought you were Lonnie. She's been stopping by all day." He opened the door wider, allowing her access into the room if she wanted. "C'mon."
"No, that's okay. I promised Mal I'd be back to help her with her shoes." She turned on her heel, eager to leave.
He licked his lips before his fingers shot out and curled around her wrist. Her eyes finally rose to meet his and the breath hitched in his throat at her blank expression. He caused her to shut down...all because of his irritation at Audrey. The small sinking sensation tugging at his stomach caused him to internally scramble to put that beautiful smile back on her face.
"Wait!" Her eyes gave away her confusion-at his actions or his panicked tone he didn't know. But at least it was an emotion. "Stay." She waited for him to continue with his request. "I could use the company. Carlos is taking Dude for a walk and won't be back until right before we have to leave. I was gonna swing by your dorm to get Ben later when I came to say goodbye, but I'll just meet him with the rest of the team."
Doe brown eyes lit up with delight. Her shoulders no longer slumped inward, instead her posture returned to its normal perfect position. Her chin rose to show her confidence and relief clouded her expression.
"You were going to say goodbye?"
"Of course. Can't leave without saying goodbye to my personal cheerleader." He opened the door wider. "So, care to come in?" She smiled, nodding her head.
"I would love to."
Blue curls brushed his shoulder as she entered the familiar dorm room. Her brown eyes landed on his bed first, noticing his blue and gold Tourney duffle bag sitting half open with his pads hanging halfway out of it. Her eyes then landed on the table in the corner of the room, a couple textbooks open and papers splayed over the wooden tabletop.
He closed the door behind her and made his way to the chair, proceeding to sit down in it. He gestured for her to do the same. She walked over to the table with a slight bounce in her step.
"I have homework to do, but feel free to use the gaming console or watch a movie or something."
"What kind of homework?"
"Remedial Goodness." He said, his nose crinkling in disgust. "Usually Carlos does it for me, but he's been busy with his own homework."
"I can help, if you want."
"You know princesses are supposed to be airheads."
"Ha, ha. Very funny." She rolled her eyes, though a small smile still graced her lips.
"Nah, you just sit there and look pretty. I'm almost done." Evie set her purse down on the floor. She opened it then took out the small needlepoint she always kept in case she got bored.
"So you said Lonnie has been bothering you?" She began to thread the needle through the small canvas.
"Yeah. She wants us...well she wants me to try out for the Swords and Shields team. I guess tryouts are coming up soon."
"What's that?"
"From what she said it's sword fighting."
"You're pretty good with a sword." His pen hovered over the paper, an offended look taking over his previously concentrated expression.
"I'm awesome with a sword."
"Always modest, aren't you." He let her snarky remark slide, choosing to finish writing out his answer. "Are you sure she hasn't been trying to find a reason for you to ask her out? It sounds like she's interested in you."
"Yeah, it's a shame to be this good-looking. Too bad I'm interested in someone else." Her mouth opened and she gasped in surprise, her eyes raising from her needlepoint to stare at him.
"What?" His eyes suddenly widened and he shut his mouth, dropping his gaze to his homework.
"What, what?" He said, trying to ignore what he had admitted.
"Don't play dumb with me, Jay. You said you like someone."
"No, I don't think I did."
"Yes you did!" Her voice rose, as well as her eyebrows. "I can't believe it. You're actually interested in someone? The infamous player is actually interested in an Auradon girl?"
"Okay. Woah, hold up. I never said that." He held up his hand to halt her false information.
"Yes, you did. You just said you're interested in someone."
"I did. I never said it was an Auradon girl I liked."
"Okay, but if she's not from Auradon, then she's back on the Isle."
"Not necessarily." She set her needlepoint in her lap as her head tilted to the side.
"Okay, so..." She trailed off, lost in thought over who it could be that managed to capture his attention. "But the only girl I can think of to fit in that category is Mal."
"It's not Mal."
"But-" He stood up abruptly with a sigh.
"You're making this so complicated." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't like Lonnie, or Audrey, or Jane or Melody or anyone else you might be thinking of. And I like Mal, but not like that."
"Okay, well then I don't know who it is. Can you just tell me?"
"It's you, Eves." She swallowed, her mind working on overdrive to process what he was saying. "I wanted to tell you...but with you and that band nerd and everything...it was never the right time and I didn't want to risk our friendship over something as stupid as an Auradonian crush."
"Jay, I don't like Doug."
"And I know that." She opened her mouth but he held up his hand. "Now. I know that now. But I thought you did."
"Why would you think I was interested in Doug?" He licked his lips. He rolled his shoulders back and his head tosses from side to side. He shifted awkwardly on his feet.
"I don't know. It seemed like he made you smile and laugh and he always had something to say to you. He's just...different than me. Than us."
"You do realize he admitted to stalking me, harassing me, and failed to stand up for me, right?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"But I'm not interested in a guy who can't protect me or stand up for what he believes in." She set her needlepoint on the table. "I'm interested in a guy who will fight for me, treat me like a princess, hold my hand when he gets scared even though he won't admit being scared. I'm interested in someone who's my best friend, who I can talk to without saying a word. Someone who knows my past and isn't going to judge me for it." She let out a small laugh. "I'm interested in someone who has a Tourney game tonight that I was afraid wasn't going to say goodbye to me." She tilted her head to the side, lightly shaking it, causing her blue curls to softly fan her face as she gazed up at him with a lost look in her doe brown eyes. "So, what do we do?" She bit her perfectly plump red painted lip, waiting for him to form a response.
"I guess the only thing we can do..." he began, a soft smile forming on his face as he voiced out his answer to her question, "...is to try and make us work, right?"