Promise

(Wednesday Night, July 31st)

Ben smiles when he opens the door, "Hey."

Tyler smiles in return, "The next time someone asks for my name, I'm lying. Because of you, I got called in on my night off."

He unsurely apologizes, "Sorry."

"I've got a large stuffed crust pizza with extra pepperoni, extra bacon bits, and extra cheese." He lifts the receipt, "Can I get a signature?"

Ben takes the pen, before he meets his forest green eyes, "Other than getting called in, how's your night going?"

"Well, you're the only order I actually have to take," he contemplates, "so it won't be that much longer."

"Does that mean you're free, then?" Ben grins.

"When you were asking for company before," Tyler inquires, "were you trying to ask for my blood?"

"I mean," Ben leans against the doorpost, "I wouldn't have turned that down."

"Is that why you ordered me?" he irritably replies. "You literally ordered me?"

"I mean, I'm not really in the mood tonight," Ben frowns. "My stomach hurts too much to be ingesting anything."

"Then why?"

"Well, I wanted to see you," he explains, before he eyes off. "And my mother said she'd get off my back if I ate something."

"Are you going to eat it?" he questions.

"Can't right now," Ben sighs, before he smiles at him. "Maybe I could try having a piece if you joined me?"

"You still need to sign it," he reminds him.

Ben places his signature on the receipt, and Tyler takes the copy before handing the pizza to him. Ben sets the pizza inside on the entrance table, before he turns back to him, "I know it might seem like I'd be able to get anything I want, but I was raised in a way where I learned not to really want anything." His frown deepens, "There's not a lot of things I want, but I want you."

"I have a girlfriend," Tyler informs.

Ben eyes over him, "Can you come closer?"

He takes a moment, "I don't think so."

"But I'm so open," Ben tries to smile.

He smirks at Ben leaning further back against the doorframe, "I see that."

"Please," he sadly says, and Tyler steps towards him. Ben moves his hand to Tyler's dark brown curls, "I love your hair."

"I'm not a homosexual," he makes clear.

"Neither am I," Ben whispers, as he stares at his neck, places his hands onto his arms, and moves into him. "You smell so nice. I really wish I could have you sometime."

"King Ben," Tyler unsurely replies, "are you a carnivore?"

"Technically," he admits, before he sucks on his neck once and scrapes his teeth against the skin.

Tyler hears the shaky breathing, before he feels the tears fall to his neck, "Your Highness?" He moves him away and notices his shut eyes and silent sobs, "Ben?"

"I don't know why I'm crying," he apologizes.

He pauses, "Is there something I can do?"

"Hold me?" he pleads, and after Tyler wraps his arms around him, Ben slowly sinks to the floor.

When Belle walks into the foyer, her mouth gapes, "What's going on here?"

"He just started crying," Tyler explains.

She hesitates, "You're going to want to move away from him."

When Tyler lets go, Ben grabs his arm, "No."

Belle strides toward them, "Ben."

"You can't make him leave." Ben defies, "He's mine."

"Ben," she tries to reason.

"He's mine," Ben repeats. "Why can't anything just be mine?"

Belle moves to his level, "Ben. You can't have a person."

"But I want him," he counters.

Belle sighs, before she notices her on the staircase, "Mal. Can you help us, please?" Mal moves towards them, and Belle stresses, "Explain to Ben why it is he can't own a human."

"Why not?" Mal evenly expresses, before she sees Belle's jaw drop. "Just kidding," Mal strains a smile, before she kneels, and it slips. "Right." She faces Ben, "Look. The reason why you don't need to own a human is because they're smart." She eyes off, "Well, smart-ish." before she meets his hazel-green eyes. "All you have to do is ask him to come back when you call on him, and he'll say yes."

"What if he doesn't come back," Ben sadly responds.

"I'll have to," Tyler inputs, "if you keep ordering me with your pizza."

"And you're king," Mal reminds him. "If he doesn't come, you have ways to find him."

Ben faces Tyler, "Promise I'll see you again."

"Promise," he frowns.

When Ben lets go, Belle stands, "You should get back to work."

Tyler makes it to his feet, "You're probably right." and she follows him to his car.

"I'm sorry about Ben's behavior," Belle apologizes. "He can get a little compulsively obsessive in certain situations."

"Is that it?" he faces her.

"If you were to ignore Ben's ordering of you," she slowly suggests, "I'm sure he would find someone else to obsess over—with the new school year starting soon and all."

"Isn't he like clinically depressed?" Tyler mentions. "I don't want to drop someone who's just trying to connect to the world and cling to the people they know."

"I'm getting him help for his depressive state," Belle reassures, "but don't mistake this for anything other than what it is."

"And what's that?" he frowns.

"Well, in full discloser," she evenly expresses, "he's a carnivore, and that makes him a predator. He's not clinging to you for a reason to remain alive. He's doing it, because you are his prey and he wants your blood."

"But he looked so hopeless," Tyler rebuttals. "There had to be more to it than that."

"Ben doesn't like being a carnivore, and he refuses to get a donor." She nods once, "But he still drinks blood, and he will unwittingly attack those closest to him to get it. He's ashamed of it, and he swears he can live without it; however, he continues to do it." Her eyes widen, "If I were you, I'd take every opportunity to avoid seeing him again."

"How can you say that?" he disbelieves. "You're his mother."

"I can say that," she counters, "because I married his father. I got the life of adventure I'd dreamed of, but I've grown very tired of it throughout the years. I'm too old for it." She warns, "It takes over your life. I know now that carnivores and humans were not meant to coexist."

"Then what's stopping you from leaving?" his eyebrows furrow.

"Well, that's simple," she folds her hands. "I love them." She calmly comments, "They may very well kill me one day, but I'd only have myself to blame."

"Well, now I'm definitely not leaving Ben alone," Tyler enforces.

"How old are you?" she inquires.

"Twenty-one."

"So, let me put it a different way," Belle challenges. "Stay away from my seventeen-year-old or I will alert the authorities."

"Ben's not a child," he gapes. "Talking to a high schooler isn't against the law."

"I can make it one," she frowns. "Officer, this man used his job to get into our home, and now he won't leave my son alone. I fear he may have sexual intentions."

He huffs, "If anything, Ben came onto me."

"He's just a hungry carnivore who doesn't know any better," Belle disproves. "You're the college student taking advantage of that."

"I study agriculture, not animal behavior," he furiously responds.

"You don't need to study animal behavior to blackmail the king," she points out, and he silences. "I don't want to see you with my son again. Am I clear?"

Tyler's eyes glower, "Yes, Your Highness."

"I still don't understand why I couldn't have him," Ben holds his legs to his chest.

"Because we're in Auradon," Mal easily answers. "Owning a human on the Isle wouldn't be a problem, so long as you had the power and authority."

"I didn't want to own him," Ben clarifies. "I just wanted to keep him."

Mal smiles at him, "You're so cute like this."

"I really wanted him," he says again.

"He didn't seem afraid of you," Mal replies. "I bet you'll hear from him again."

"I hope so." Ben frowns, "I miss him already." before he looks at her. "He smells like cookie dough."

"That sounds really good," Mal slightly nods.

"I bet he'd taste like chocolate chips," Ben continues, "but not with the sugar Carlos has, so I wouldn't feel sick after."

"That would have been nice," she sympathizes.

He shakes his head, "I should have just had him, but I didn't think I'd… joy it."

Mal takes a moment, "He said he'd come back. You'll get another chance."

When Ben sees his mother come back into the castle, he questions, "What happened?"

"It's not easy for me to say this." She faces him and hesitates, "Tyler's told me he'd rather not see you again, and if you try ordering him again, he will tell the police he considers it an attempted assault and get an order of protection."

"But he promised," Ben voices.

"And he's sorry about that," Belle addresses. "He just didn't think you'd let him leave if he didn't say that."

Mal turns to him and whispers, "Ben."

Ben cries, "But he promised." as he holds his stomach.

"I know," Belle frowns. "I'm sorry."

When he sobs, Mal hugs him, "It's okay. You'll find someone else."

"I didn't want anyone else," he heaves. "I wanted him. And he left. He lied and left."