One

(Sunday Night, June 7th)

He'd skipped dinner, and surprisingly, his parents didn't bug him about it. Somehow, he'd slept through the evening, and now that the castle's quiet, he's awake. He stands from the desk, the emptiness overtaking him, and he walks upstairs to the kitchen. He opens the fridge, but there's nothing compelling. It's all things he's had before, all except the thawed package of bacon. He takes it and looks over the flesh. How nice it would be to have the fresh meat, but it's pork. It's not safe uncooked. He can't have it. He puts it back and scours the fridge, freezer, and cupboards, but there is nothing appealing. He turns around and saunters out the archway. He can wait. He's not even hungry right now.

Back at the desk, he stares at the laptop. He could go out into the woods, eat in peace, but he's too terrible at it. He's never caught anything before. He wouldn't do it now, but how good it would feel to bite into the flesh and let the blood flow. He opens a new tab. So long as no one knew he was drinking it, they would treat him the same. He would be normal, but no. The butcher shop doesn't ship food through the mail. He should have expected as much. It would spoil. He exits the tab. There goes that idea. Ben takes a deep breath and stands from the desk. He can have one piece. One piece of uncooked bacon won't hurt him.

When Ben opens the fridge, he takes the package; however, he pauses. It was thawed to be cooked later. They're going to notice. He stares at the flesh. There's no way they're going to notice one missing piece. He opens the package and lets out a breath at the intense, smoky scent. It smells so much better raw than cooked. He takes one slice from the package and chews it. It tastes smoky too. He takes another bite and then another, until the piece is gone. He stares at the package before placing it back where it was. He can't have any more. If he gets ill from some parasite, how is he supposed to explain that to his doctor? His doctor would tell his parents. They would see him differently. No. He shuts the fridge. One is enough.

Now, where was he? Ben looks over the building materials. The materials for the Camelot apartment building costs the most, but it's a preventative cost. Fireproofing the building is necessary. The dragons are still upset with the kingdom, and they need all the protection they can get. He eyes down. Mal could go to the butcher for him. Everyone knows she's a dragon hybrid. If she got blood from the butcher no one would be surprised, but then he'd have to ask her. He can't do that, not after he hurt her so much. She was wrong, though. He is human. His parents are both human. He must be too. His father eats meat. He doesn't drink blood. Ben will be fine too. He eyes up before checking the time. He can have one more piece. He stands from the desk and heads upstairs. No one cooks one piece anyway. It will look better if he takes a couple more. Ben opens the fridge, takes one bacon out, and takes another piece out. It's so sweet too, but mostly smoky. Why would anyone cook this? It tastes way better this way. He takes the third piece from the package and bites into it. The fatty bits are a little chewy. Turkey bacon would probably be better, but the meat itself is so nice to bite into. His teeth are so satisfied right now. That's it. Three pieces are gone now. That's the perfect amount. He can tell them he cooked some bacon and eggs. He shuts the fridge. There's no reason they should assume anything.

When Ben sits back down at his desk, he checks the time and places his hand back onto the mouse. He scrolls down. Chad and Audrey's kingdoms have the lowest costs. They don't need to worry about hurricanes, sandstorms, or dragons, but are the building's designs able to withstand a tornado or flood? He brings a hand to his mouth in thought, and he smells it. That bacon was so good. He peers at the door. His parents should still be asleep. There's no reason why he can't have just one more. Ben stands from his desk and walks to the kitchen once more.

Ben shakes his head when he enters the kitchen, "Carlos. I told you to keep Dude in the East Wing." and when he sits down, the dog tries to jump up. "No, Dude."

"I forgot to close the gate," Carlos frowns. "Sorry."

Ben irritably shakes his head. That's all he needs, is more blood that he can't have. He sighs. At least Evie's sitting next to him instead of Mal. She covers her scent with perfume. If there's anyone here he can be around, it's her. "Where's the meat?" his father says, and Ben frowns as he eyes from his father to Mrs. Potts.

"Funny thing," she responds. "I had some bacon ready to cook, but by the time I'd gotten here, it was already eaten."

"All of it?" his mother inquires.

"All of it," the servant confirms, and his parents look at him.

"What?" he defends.

"Who else is going to eat meat in the middle of the night?" his mother calmly comments.

"I don't know," Ben immediately responds. "How about the carnivore?"

"Right." Evie jabs, "Because, you're not."

"I didn't eat it." Mal alibis, "I was with Evie all night."

"You mean with," Doug inquires, "or with with?" Mal darts her eyes at him, and he adjusts his glasses. "Okay, then."

Mal notices Belle's expression, "Don't worry. It's fine. Ben broke up with me, so it's all perfectly fine."

"You did what?" his mother faces him.

"I just can't be with anyone right now," he excuses.

"Well, as happy as I am to hear you've come to your senses," his father interrupts, "can we get back to the bacon."

"Oh, for goodness' sake," his mother stresses. "Please, tell me you at least cooked it."

"I'm not an animal," he shouts.

"No," she agrees. "I know. It's just… Adam. Help me."

"It wouldn't be the first time you ate raw bacon," his father reasons.

Ben suspiciously eyes him, "I don't know what you're talking about." before the dog's paws land on his legs again.

He lightly pushes him off, and his mother frowns, "Ben. Just be honest." He faces her, and she questions, "Did you eat the bacon?"

"Yeah, okay," Ben quickly answers. "I cooked it. I ate it."

"You had to have known it was for all of us," his father replies. "What were you thinking?"

Ben hears the dog bark and irritably responds, "I wasn't." before he shakes his head at the disgusting smells. "Can I go? The food's making me feel sick."

"But you haven't even eaten," his mother disbelieves.

The dog tries jumping on him again, and Ben pushes him off, "Dude, Stop it."

"If he wants to go," Adam comments, "let him. It's not like there's anything here for him." She gapes at him, and he frowns, "What? It's not like he's going to eat hash browns."

"He will if there's ketchup," she counters, before she faces Ben. "Honey."

When the dog's paws land on Ben's leg again, he grits his teeth at him, "I said stop." and the next moment the dog whimpers and runs to hide behind Carlos. He sighs, "Dude. I'm sorry."

"What's wrong with you?" Carlos says, and Ben meets his horrified expression.

"Honey." He faces his mother, and she hesitates, "Uh. Did you just, um, growl?"

No. No, he didn't, but when Ben eyes over everyone's silence, he knows he did. He faces his mother and darts his eyes between his parents, before he abruptly stands and hurries away.

"Ben," his father calls, before he grumbles. "You should talk to him."

"I've tried," she sighs, "but this whole development's embarrassed him." She looks at him, "You should try."

"But I'm not good at the talking thing," he counters.

"Adam," she takes his hand. "You know what he's going through. It has to be you."

He takes a deep breath, "Very well." before he stands from the table and makes his way to the hall.

"Seriously," Jay disbelieves, and she meets his gaze. "You're going to let him be alone with Ben?"

"Adam's doing well right now," Belle busies herself with the lunch. "There's no reason why he can't try to be a half decent father every once in a while."

"I guess," Mal's eyebrows furrow, before she gives Jay a look. "I'm going for a walk. You coming?"

He frowns, "But we just woke up." Her eyes widen, and he sighs, "Yeah. I'll come with."

"Alcohol?" Doug inquires.

"Shut up," Mal shouts, and Doug purses his lips with a silent grin.

After Adam opens the door, he sees Ben on the Bed, "Can I come in? Ben merely eyes down, so he comes in, shuts the door, and grabs the desk chair to sit across from him. "So," he uncomfortably starts. "Was that, uh, the first time… you know, that it—"

"No," Ben whispers, before he gulps.

"So, when did it start?"

He takes a moment, "Around last winter."

"Wow," his father surprises. "That's a long time to keep it a secret." Ben doesn't respond, and he hesitates, "Son. This, what you're experiencing, it's normal for us."

He faces him, "You don't growl."

"Well, no," his father accepts, "but that's just because I shout so much, I no longer can. I, uh." He clears his throat, "I've ruined my vocal cords in a way."

"So, if I scream," Ben thinks, "then this can stop."

"No, uh," his father pauses. "I don't think it's that simple." Ben doesn't comment, so he explains, "It's just that… it took years for me to lose my voice, and when I lost it, I did lose it. I took me a while to even get that much back."

"So, I'm stuck with it," Ben realizes, as a heavy dread fills his chest. "I'm not even human." He meets his father's blue eyes, "Am I?"

His father's mouth opens, before he admits, "No. You're not." and Ben holds his breath as the tears intruding his eyes slip to his cheeks. "I know we've misled you," his father apologizes, "but we were just doing what we thought was best for you."

"Go," Ben stares past him.

"Ben," he tries to reason.

"I said go," Ben roars, and the long sound turns into shaky cries. He knew it'd happen, but he hadn't cared until he'd heard it. He wraps the blanket tighter around him, and he shakes his head at him, "Just go. Please."

His father nods, "Okay, then." before he stands; however, after he makes it to the door and cracks it open, he turns around. "Just know… you're not alone. We're here for you." Ben fails to look at him, and he nods, "Okay… I'll just…" He turns back to the door, "I'll go." before he leaves Ben alone and heads back to the dining room.

"That sounded like it went well," Carlos intrudes, and Adam glances at him, before he sits and faces Belle.

"I wish we'd had more time. He was supposed to find out after that hybrid meeting." He places a hand to his head, "Now, it's just the same as before."

"So, he knows," she nods.

"He knows," he confirms.

Evie watches Doug stand from the table, "Where are you going?"

"To talk to him," he answers as he makes his way around the table.

"Uh, no," Carlos counters. "He's a mess. I don't think talking to him right now is a really good idea."

"And why's that?" Belle questions.

Carlos glances at her before sternly eyeing Doug, "He's going to kill you."

"He's my friend," Doug disbelieves.

"Yeah," Carlos agrees, "but you shouldn't have to die for him."

Adam grumbles, "Maybe now isn't the best time."

Doug evenly nods, "Right. I'll just have to forget about all the suicide attempts he did on my watch." before he gives Ben's parents a look, shakes his head, and turns into the hall.

"Wait," Belle puts a hand up. "Attempts, as in multiple?" She offers a shocked expression, and Carlos and Evie share a look. "Well?"

Evie eyes over her nails, "I'm sure that's not what Ben was actually thinking."

Carlos stares at her, "What? Is the voice telling you to cover for him?"

She smiles at him and innocently inquires, "What voice?"

"You're unbelievable," Carlos comments. "The voice that's telling you to hide your food in your napkin right now."

Belle notices the folded napkin, "Evie." and she frowns at her. "The napkin." Evie eyes off in annoyance, as she slides the napkin towards her. Belle's mouth gapes, "If I'd wasted this much food—"

"Making her feel guilty isn't going to get her to stop," Carlos informs.

Belle nods and takes a deep breath, "Evie." before she tries to smile at her. "Next time I'd like you to just be honest."

Evie half laughs, "Of course."

She nods, "You're excused." but as Evie leaves, she eyes over the room. "Did Doug really go to see Ben?"

Adam sighs, "I'll get him." before he stands from the table.

Carlos unsurely looks at Belle, "You do know that he really did almost kill me once, right? Like, I wasn't just overreacting."

"I must apologize," she frowns. "His appetite is growing, but he never eats, and I can't seem to convince him. It's quite ridiculous." She eyes over him, "Did he hurt you?"

"Um, no," Carlos excuses. "It was just… kind of intense."

She nods, "Good." before picking up her fork. "That's good."

"Now's not a good time, Doug."

He watches him wipe the tears from his face, "Not hungry?"

Ben laughs, "I'm always hungry." and Doug nods before stepping closer. He cautiously eyes him, "Stay back."

Doug pauses before walking closer, "You need me."

"I told you not to ask me," he seethes.

Doug sits beside him, "I'm not asking." before he faces him. "It's here if you want it, and I'm still going to be here if you don't."

"Just because I can growl," Ben eyes away, "that doesn't make me a carnivore."

"No," he accepts. "It doesn't."

"I could just be crazy," Ben's eyes widen.

"And I told you I won't tell you that." Ben meets his green eyes, and he reassures, "Even if this is just a need in your mind, I won't tell you you're crazy."

Ben looks down at his sleeve, "People think blood is gross. What if I only like it in my mind? What if I don't like it when I have it?"

He takes a moment, "I still won't call you crazy."

Ben tightly folds his hands, and after a minute of silence, he nods, "Yeah. Okay. One time isn't going to hurt anything." He faces him, "And if I hate it, I don't have to keep thinking about it. Right?"

"Yeah," he frowns.

"So, uh," Ben feels his teeth tense, "how do we do this?"

"Well," Doug breathes. "We could just do what we did last time."

Ben's face falters, "What?" Doug unbuttons his shirt's cuff, and as he rolls the sleeve up, Ben notices the scars on his wrist. "How? What…" He eyes the two marks at the bottom of the wrist, "Is that… are those teeth marks?"

"Uh, yeah," Doug recognizes them. "But I, uh, have a knife if that's easier."

Ben frowns at him, "How bad was it?"

"The bite?"

"Yeah," he worries.

"Well," he adjusts his glasses. "It wouldn't stop bleeding. I, uh, think it was your bottom teeth that did it."

"My bottom teeth?" Ben questions.

"Open up," Doug instructs, and Ben slowly opens his mouth. He examines them, "Yeah. That's not normal." before he points. "Your bottom canines are a lot longer and sharper than they should be." He thinks, "Well, for a human." Ben immediately shuts his mouth, and Doug comments, "So…"

Ben watches him take out the pocketknife and hurries, "You don't need to do this."

"Ben," Doug's eyes widen, "it's fine. Really." Ben opens his mouth to deny that fact, but it slowly shuts as he transfixes on the blade connecting to the skin and the red releasing. Doug moves his wrist up towards him, "It's okay." and after being permitted to, Ben latches onto his wrist. It's sweet. It's so sweet, but the juice does not flow enough. He nips at the wound to make it bigger, and as his front teeth cut, more liquid flows. It's full and intense, and it's just so unbelievably good. He must have more.

When the door opens, Doug stares at Ben's father; however, with a single glance over the situation, Adam merely steps inside and slowly shuts the door. He steps towards them, and after Ben finally takes a breath, Adam places a hand on his shoulder. His eyes shoot up, "Father. I, uh. I was just—"

"You don't need to explain," he interrupts, glancing at Doug's injury. "I assume you have a first aid kit somewhere." Ben leans forward to grab it from underneath the bed, and after he starts to take care of Doug, his father asks, "So, how long have you been doing this?"

"I don't like to do this," Ben immediately answers.

"That's no what I asked."

Ben shakes his head, "I don't know."

"Well, then, how often," his father persists. "Once every few weeks?"

He gulps. Is that how often it's supposed to be? "I, uh." He hesitates, "I don't keep, um, track of it, really."

"You should." He comments, "You need to get to know your body better."

Ben gives him a look, "Do we need to talk about this?"

"That depends," his father counters. "Do you know how to take care of yourself?"

"Father." Ben asserts, "I'm fine. Really." before he shuts the kit. "Okay?"

He nods, "Okay, then." but after he takes a few steps, he turns back to Doug. "And you're okay?"

"Yeah," he nods. "I'm fine."

"Good," he nods again, before he leaves back to the dining room.

"Where's Doug?" Belle questions.

"Oh," Adam sits beside her. "It turned out they were behaving, so I left them to, uh, talk."

"So, Ben didn't try to tear him to pieces?" Carlos asks.

"No." He uneasily responds, "His friend is still in one piece."

Carlos's brows furrow as he hums, "Weird." and stands from the table.

After Belle hears him turn down the stairs, she frowns at Adam, "Is he really okay?"

"Doug is fine," he promises. "Alright? They both are."

She nervously nods, "Yeah. Alright."

Adam places an arm over her shoulders, "Belle. There's nothing to concern yourself with. Our son is going to be fine."

"Going to be?" she notices.

Adam shushes her and places a kiss on her forehead, "There's nothing to worry about."

- Ben going back-and-forth from the desk to the raw bacon may or may not be based on something I definitely did not do in middle school one early morning.