When it all came down to it, it was all Ben's fault.
It had been his idea that the tourney team hung out more after their most recent victory; something they've never really done before in the past because no one had really felt the need to. They were all close enough- a group of rich pretty boys on the same team- but that all changed when the villains' kids joined them.
So Ben declared that they all hang out somewhere, get to know each other a little better. He figured it couldn't hurt, after all he realized he knew very little about some of his teammates that tend to stay in the background.
He was surprised by how quickly the team took to the idea, though, everyone seeming to be eager to just hang out after a game and Chad offered his home. Unfortunately his house was also equipped with a huge pool and with quick instructions to the other boys to bring their swimsuits he was gone, leaving Ben with a sour feeling.
Mal told him that she didn't know how to swim because the barrier prevented anyone on the island to get in the water. She also told him that there wasn't any swimming pools they could all learn in so none of them had.
"Are you two going to be alright with a pool?" he asked Carlos and Jay, whom he barely managed to catch up with; they looked at him like he was crazy and he briefly wondered why he was the only one who seemed concerned.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Carlos questioned with a slight laugh as he raised an eyebrow at him.
"Because you can't swim," Ben explained like it was obvious because- to him, at least- it was but they just laughed again as Jay punched him in the arm though not as aggressive as when they had first arrived.
"So we won't get in the pool," he reasoned and it made sense but couldn't shake the feeling that it was a mistake and that he should've argued more, offer up his own home but his parents would kill him if he did that.
Several hours later and he was arriving at Chad's house dressed in his swimsuit and immediately made his way to the pool, having visited the house frequent enough to feel confident in being able to find his way around. He immediately spotted Carlos and Jay sitting in two of the chairs that lined the side of the pool.
They waved him over once they noticed him and he smiled as he made his way towards them. Dude was sitting beside Carlos in his chair, the teen's hand stroking the fur almost unconsciously as he grinned up at him.
"Hey man," he greeted and he nodded before his gaze cut over to where the rest of the team was splashing around like a bunch of idiots; he decided he'd much rather sit and watch as he settled himself beside his new friends.
They didn't protest and soon were chattering about seemingly nonsense until Jay stood up, declaring that he had to go to the bathroom. He waved off Ben's invitation on showing him the way and with a quick goodbye, disappeared in the house.
Ben watched him go before settling back in his seat.
One of the boys on the team splashed at them as he urged, "Come on you two, it's funnier in here anyways."
"Oh, no thank you," Carlos denied with a shake of his head that Ben was quick to mimic although he was getting a little hot; perhaps when Jay returned he would jump in.
"Oh Master Ben," one of the many housekeepers said as they suddenly rushed over, cautious to stay away from the side of the pool as they pleaded, "I could use your help in the kitchen if it's not too much trouble."
"Of course not," Ben reassured as he rose from his seat and after a quick grin goodbye to Carlos he followed the housekeeper in the house.
As it turned out, they needed his help testing the snacks they had prepared for the team- something he was eager to comply to and he had just finished his fourth mini sandwich when he heard it.
Barking.
From the direction of the pool.
"Oh dear," he gasped rushing out of the kitchen as he tried to force himself to convince himself that it was nothing, Dude was just barking- except he hardly ever barked.
He made it out back by the pool, panic tightening in his chest when he realized that the place he left Carlos was empty and several of his teammates were hovering around the pool- the shadows of laughter already fading as they realized something was very wrong.
Ben rushed to the side, catching a flash of red and black swim trunks as the thin body lashed out near the bottom of the deep end. He didn't need any more incentive then that, gracefully leaping in after him.
He knew this was a bad idea and swore his heart stopped when the body stopped lashing with such a desperate vigor as before. His hand clamped around a thin wrist and he immediately kicked off the bottom, dragging the almost too limp body up with him.
They both came up sputtering, Carlos's head seeming to loll back near his shoulder but he was blinking groggy eyes open which was good. At least he was alive and awake as the older boy paddled to the edge of the pool, Jay suddenly appearing out from nowhere as he hefted his smaller friend out from the pool dragging him away from the edge.
Carlos continued to cough and hack up the water in his lungs, Jay patting his back supportively as he kept a tight grip against his arm and he waited until Carlos gave him a slight nod- he was fine, he'd live and it was all over- before he spun to glower at the other boys.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he demanded, voice angry in a way Ben's only heard once at the crocket game when he stood up against Chad when he had been insulting Evie, "He could've died, and you all just stood around watching!"
"We don't understand," one of the boys muttered as his eyes shifted from the still coughing Carlos to the now furious Jay, "It was just supposed to be funny."
"Do I look like I'm laughing?" Jay shouted as he took a threatening step forward, probably dangerously close to hitting someone; Ben decided it was time to step in as he climbed out from the pool.
"They can't swim," he explained, earning everyone's attention as they stared at him.
Jay's eyes only seemed to darken as he growled, "How do you know that?"
"When I took Mal on our first date she jumped in the lake to save me when she thought something was wrong, only she almost drowned," and it was then that he realized he probably shouldn't have admitted all of that out loud.
To his surprise, Jay just narrowed his gaze as he asked skeptically, "Mal tried to save you? Our Mal?"
Ben just nodded, trying to read the other boy's expression, when Carlos sputtered again and Jay immediately returned to tending to his friend.
"We're leaving," Jay finally decided as he helped Carlos up to his feet, Dude appearing from nowhere, begging to be picked up, which Carlos quickly complied and Ben didn't miss the way Jay walked casually on his side where the rest of the team were standing. Watching with dumb expressions.
No one bothered to stop them, too afraid of Jay to even dare speaking up and Ben felt the burnt edges of his panic and adrenaline start to ebb away as he finally dismissed himself from the party.
The event was known by the whole school by that Monday, meaning not only was Mal angry with him but had stopped speaking with him completely and every time he saw one of them the other three weren't far behind and he realized it never struck any of them that not being able to swim would be such a big deal until then.
Carlos, at least, looked fine and would ignore most of the looks he received in a day as he played with Dude. He was also the only one out of the four of them that didn't seem to blame him for what happened, which he understood why it was his fault. It was his idea and he left him alone with the rest of team who just didn't know.
That still didn't comfort Ben as he found his eyes gazing to them more and more with terrible possibilities running through his skull: what if they ended up somewhere by themselves and accidently fell in and they couldn't swim and drowned or what if someone maliciously cornered them and shoved them in water. The list continued and he spent most of his time fretting over it, worried about something happening to any of them.
That was why he had been surprised when a couple of the other kids on the team approached him one day after practice.
"We think someone needs to teach them how to swim," they proclaimed and he was too shocked to do anything but blink dumbly at them.
"I'm sorry," he finally said once he found his voice to ask, "What?"
"You need to teach those four how to swim," one of them clarified with something akin to worry in their eyes as the pleaded, "What if next time no one's around to rescue them."
Something he figured he shouldn't be worried about- it hadn't been a problem with them before- but couldn't seem to stop himself from worrying. Already he's rescued two of them from nearly drowning and he wasn't fond of the idea of what would happen if he wasn't there next time.
So he ended up knocking on Mal's door, not at all surprised to find the rest of them sitting in the large room. She frowned upon seeing him, poisonous green eyes glaring.
"I know you're probably still mad at me, but I think it's about time for the four of you learn how to swim," he explained quickly and Mal blinked at him like he declared the sky was purple.
"I'm sorry?" she asked leaning against the door as she demanded, "What?"
"You heard me," he replied smoothly as he continued to look at her, "you four need to learn how to swim. You're not living on the isle anymore and there's already been too many accidents-"
"Wait," she interrupted voice deceptively even as she demanded, "Is this about our date because that is not even remotely the same-"
"Yes it is," he protested with a firm sort of gentleness as he added softly, "Please. It'll make me feel better."
And apparently she couldn't resist his pleading expression or agreed with him because the next day he found himself with the four of them at his house dressed in bathing suits and unsure expressions. He just grinned and welcomed them warmly before ushering them out to his pool.
No more near drowning accidents were going to happen.
He was going to make sure of that.