New Week!
How's everyone doing out there?
Twisted and I are attempting to settle and bust out some new chapters in book 5, wish us luck!
Thank you again for all the support! Everyone here who leaves us comments and especially our Patrons, we love you all so much, thank you for being here and taking the time to read our story.
Are you guys ready for this? Ben finally sharing the letters?
Here we go!
Lots of Love,
-Dark-
"How did you get so many in one delivery?" Carlos asks as he looks up at him, eyes wide with excitement.
And hope.
He chuckles as the group looks between him and the packets of paper in their hands, copies of the letters he'd received from the Isle.
It had killed him.
Waiting this long to show them.
Sure it had only been a day since they'd come home from the hospital.
But it had been a whole day.
And yes, he was glad he'd gotten to spend the day with Mal yesterday, but-
He was so excited to see what they thought.
"Oh, well, the ships that haul the barges work for two to four weeks at a time before they return to port." He explains, "The Captains' of the ships only rotate when they get low on fuel. Actually, I was always curious how the Isle side of trash collection worked."
Jay snorts, "Hell if I know. The Goblins run that shit."
"T and Deez were probably the only ones who really worked with the Trash Goblins." Mal rolls her eyes before she plops down on Jay's bed, "Mother-" She huffs, "Fuck, knows I stayed the fuck away from that place."
Evie nods, "T, D, and Carlos always went for me."
"Well, Deez stopped a few years ago." Carlos sighs, "I think the Goblins started meeting her at the edge of the docks."
"That checks." Mal glances at the packet in her hands.
"Because of the shiny things she could make them?" He asks with a grin as he hugs the notebook in his hands close to his chest.
He couldn't wait to show Mal the picture of Irk Deez had sent. And he personally found the song adorable.
"That and the fact she wouldn't be caught dead that close to the water." Mal frowns.
He frowns as the others settle into seats and fall silent as they begin to read.
Mal's eye roll wasn't unexpected.
But it was easy to tell when they all reached the part where Deez wanted them to know she was happy for them.
Evie's tearful gasp.
Carlos's sigh of relief.
Jay's stoic nod.
Mal's scoff of disbelief.
He could only imagine the weight off their shoulders at her words, even if the words seemed too good to be true, as far as Mal was concerned.
"No shit Uma can be a force to reckon with." Mal rolls her eyes again. "Pain in the ass Shrimp."
"I hope you can see the irony there." Jay snorts, "Pretty sure she was taller than you last time we fought."
"And yet I'm the only one willing to stand up to the bitch." Mal snaps back at him.
Evie covers her amusement, "Jay, to be fair, I think they're the same height."
"Whoa now, can't we just like, read the letters?" Carlos begs, stopping Mal's advance on Jay in her tracks with only his eyes visible above the page in front of his face.
Yeah, apparently even Mal couldn't resist the puppy eyes.
"Oh hey, Yensid is with them." Carlos continues as if nothing had happened, "That actually makes me feel a lot better. Whatever was going on with him and Deez is obviously over."
Mal's eyes sweep over Carlos before she sighs. "It's something, at least." She looks down at the page, her teeth worrying her lip.
"Yeah, no kidding." Jay agrees.
"He's the only adult you and Deez trusted, right?" He asks curiously, wanting to confirm what he'd gleaned from Deez's previous letter.
The thing going on between her and their mentor was how badly Deez perceived her handling of discovering that T had two personalities.
He also felt better knowing the Wizard was helping the Sea Family out.
Carlos nods enthusiastically. "He was awesome. He always helped us and loaned us books and stuff."
"Awesome is a word." Mal rolls her eyes.
"Creepy is another." Evie pouts.
"Wouldn't know, always skipped his classes," Jay admits sheepishly.
"Actually, now that I think about it, I might have enjoyed his class more if I'd been allowed to be smart on the Isle." Evie slowly shakes her head, "Funny how easily that perception can change."
"You really would've. He was very hands-on, and he loved chemistry." Carlos grins. "He was the best."
"I wonder what the old man did that made it so they could join-" Jay's eyes widen slightly before he looks away.
Ooooh, he knew Jay and Harry had a secret code.
But as much as it killed him not knowing what the look was, he knew better than to pry.
Knew to give them time before asking anything.
Knew to ask Jay if they could speak one on one.
Mal's mouth snaps shut. "Must've been something for him to agree to be her fuckin' advisor."
Interesting. He was dying to know what she had been going to say.
"Well, uh, I mean me and Deez were like the only ones to attend his class regularly." Carlos stumbles over himself to explain, "Then D dropped, and it was just me, and I'm here now, so like, maybe he just wanted to teach people who wanted to learn…" His voice gets lower as the tips of his ears go red. "Cause you know, they couldn't come to Dragon Hall." He tilts his head thoughtfully.
He tilts his head to the side, "Why couldn't they-"
"It's so nice of him to offer to teach them then." Evie smiles prettily. "I'm sure they'll all appreciate the opportunity, well perhaps not Harry, but the others."
Carlos grins widely as he pumps his fist into the air, "My metal formulas worked! Guys! We didn't get to test the one we wanted to try to use for Deez and Gil's swords, something way more durable than the metals we used for the thinner blades, and it worked!"
Mal smiles, "Did you seriously doubt they would?"
Jay snorts. "Of course he did."
"Oh, Deez." Evie wipes her fingers delicately under one eye, "Her faith in us never even wavered. She knew we'd never stop trying to prove ourselves even when we weren't sure of it."
Mal rolls her eyes, "Of course she did. Fucking optimist."
He snorts.
She was going to hate echoing T.
He just knew it.
"It's nice to, you know, hear from her, though. Know she's happy for us, but mostly hear from her that she's safe and happy." Carlos points out before he flips to the next page.
Harry's letter.
Evie nods, "It helps."
"Like a fucking lot." Jay joins them in turning the page.
He carefully watches Jay, knowing how much of a relationship the two had
The smile on Jay's face brightens as his grip on his packet tightens.
"God," Mal snorts, "He's such a fucking idiot."
"Oh stop it." Evie chuckles lightly, "He's actually a gentleman sometimes."
"He was writing to the King Evie. Look at this shit?" Mal shakes her head.
"Well, yes," Evie sighs, "He at least made all his capital letters fancy."
He coughs lightly as he presses a hand to his side to stop his laughter.
"He wrote it like he was writing to fuckin' Jay." Mal rolls her eyes.
"To be fair, Harry has a knack of treating everyone like he's familiar with them." Jay shrugs gingerly, "I always thought it was weird, but honestly, I think it's just how he disarms people so he doesn't have to fight."
"I mean, he kind of did that with us, Mal," Evie absently fans her face with the letters, "remember when he was trying to get Carlos back to us?"
Mal's mouth snaps as she looks away with a blush. "Whatever."
Carlos looks between the two with confused eyes and a small pout, clearly wanting to know as bad as he did.
"And he is the one and only Harry Hook on the Isle. He was super proud of that. Makes sense that's how he signs his damn letters." Jay rolls his eyes, though it's hard to take the exasperation seriously with how wide his grin.
"It suits him," Evie adds with a smile, "I'd be disappointed if he'd done anything less."
Deez had done the pirate justice through the years if the chat and letter was any indication.
Jay chuckles, "He did rival you in the drama department."
He couldn't disagree.
Evie loved to bask in attention, and Harry didn't seem much different.
"Fine. Whatever. Moth-Fuck, moving on." Mal grumbles as she flips to the next page before she groans, "Of fucking course it's Shrimpy."
Maybe if he didn't know her that well he would have missed it, but it wasn't hard for him to see how quickly the letter captured her full attention.
The ghost of a smile.
The way her eyes were so at odds with her scoff.
"She always did enjoy the strong approach." Evie smiles as she leans into the couch beside Carlos, resting her head against his shoulder as she reads.
Mal rolls her eyes, "'least she knows how to write properly." She huffs. "Fucking Hook." She grumbles with a shake of her head.
"Was that- Was that a near compliment I just-"
Mal flips him off, but before she can retort-
"She is much more formal than Harry," Evie smiles prettily as she looks between Mal and Jay. "I agree."
He smiles as Mal glares between the two.
"It was an acknowledgment of a rival's tact," Mal's tone daring them to argue, "nothing fucking more you ass."
Carlos looks between the two before his eyes settle on Mal, "You mean former, right?'
Mal stares at him for a moment before she puffs up her cheeks and lets the air out slowly. "Fine Pup." She rolls her eyes, "Former rival. I was acknowledging a former rival's tact."
He drops his eyes to his feet, afraid the look of betrayal on Mal's face would be the last straw for the laugh he was struggling to not draw attention to.
It might seem so small to most people, but to him it meant the world that Mal could, gracefully or not, adjust her perspective on people she once considered an enemy or rival.
If someone who grew up on the Isle, constantly fighting for survival and dominance could swallow her pride and see the benefit of changing her mind, he had to believe there was hope for the conservatives of Auradon.
"It really isn't that bad, Mal," Evie sighs. "It's not like she's Cora or Atilla."
"Ugh. Fair." Mal frowns. "She's just so obnoxious."
If her eyes weren't already green, they would be right now.
He knew her enough to know when she was jealous.
On the one hand, it was sweet that she was upset. The other girl had the opportunity to share her feelings about the ones she cared about so openly.
But on the other?
His heart ached for her.
How sad and frustrating it must have been to constantly remain so reserved and cold to those you loved.
"It is hard to stay angry with her when she writes about Deez like this." Evie points out, "I mean, the Kraken is begging the King of Auradon to save Deez too."
Mal lets out a long-suffering sigh, "I know."
He frowns at the tone.
He could see it now. Her comparing herself to the other leader. Asking herself if she'd have begged for Deez to be saved.
It hurt to watch her struggle.
To see the tension in her jaw.
The way her eyes took a glassy sheen.
The frustration.
It was killing him.
"I think the next letter is Gil's," He finds himself saying to break the tense silence, "he wrote a message for all of you at the end."
"Gil!" Carlos grins widely as he scrambles to flip to the next page, nearly ripping the paper in the process.
The enthusiasm was enough to break the hold on the room.
Jay snorts. "He would apologize for his father being a dick."
"And he's right, Deez is sooooo bad at seeing herself, or even thinking about herself sometimes." Carlos rolls his eyes.
Evie nods, "She is pretty blind to how sweet she is." She sighs with a shake of her head.
Sadly, that just seemed to be an Isle thing.
It seemed when it came to seeing themselves, they were all blind. Or at the very least ignorant to it.
None of them could take a compliment.
It hurt.
Mal scoffs, "Deez is blind to everything about herself." She rolls her eyes. "This kid though..." She shakes her head.
"He's come so far for only learning to read a few years ago." Carlos beams.
"That's not even what I was talking about." Mal sighs, "But yeah, for only just learnin' to read and write, this is good." She admits begrudgingly. "I was more talking about how…" Her eyes narrow, "he writes, I guess."
"What?" Evie blinks innocently, "Soft, gentle, and sweet?"
"Ugh, yeah. That."
"You know, T always called him a gentle giant, and you never believed him." Jay chuckles before it turns into a controlled cough.
The rest of his pack could have gotten whiplash with how quickly they turned to him in concern.
He grimaces at the reminder.
It was going to be a while for Jay to heal from their encounter with Maleficent.
"If you can't call me out without hurting yourself, then learn a damn lesson." Mal grits through her teeth. "Asshole." Her hand twitching as if to smack him before she blows out and holds onto the packet tighter.
"I refuse." Jay grins through the pain.
"Ugh." Mal glares at him before she returns to the page. "Pain in the ass."
"I really miss him." Carlos bites his lip as he caresses the page with his thumb.
"I know," Evie sighs before she pulls him closer to her side, "You three were really close in the end."
"Book Club was one of my favorite things on the Isle." Carlos nods before he ducks his head behind the letters.
"Mine too, Pup." Jay sighs. "It was fun hangin' with you nerds."
He smiles at how deeply he could relate to Jay's sentiment.
After all, he was equally enjoying getting to be part of the exclusive pack.
An amused snort draws everyone's attention to Mal.
"This fucking kid." She breathes in disbelief with a shake of her head. "Did you finish the letter Pup?"
"Right." Carlos pulls the page back and starts reading again.
It doesn't take long before a wide grin brightens his face, "Oh, the part about us?" He asks as he looks up.
"Yeah," Mal nods, "Clearly, he misses you too."
"I'm happy we're still friends." Carlos slowly nods before his eyes drop back to the letter.
A soft peel of laughter brings a smile to everyone's face.
"Oh, that." Carlos continues with a grin. "The library was kind of cool." He slowly turns to look over the back of the couch at Mal, "But I don't remember it if you, ya know, don't want me to."
Mal glares at him for the briefest moment before she rolls her eyes. "Remember what you want." She huffs with a roll of her eyes as she flicks her wrist dismissively.
Carlos grins, "Well then, yeah, it makes sense that he liked hanging out with all of us in the Library. We were all terrified of that huge-"
He loses track of the conversation as a thought captures his attention.
Carlos.
Deez.
Gil.
T.
Mal.
His eyes narrow thoughtfully before he chuckles to himself.
Introverts.
He was pretty sure that was all the introverts out of the nine of them.
Of course they'd pick to hang out in the library during the middle of a party.
He smiles.
Would Mal accept the invitation the others were likely to extend?
Would he get one too?
He really hoped so, he'd be fascinated to watch them all interact.
"I thought we all agreed not to talk about that thing!" Evie glares at him.
Mal's lips tilt into a smirk. "It was in T's lap thou-"
"Zip it," Evie commands.
"Letting the drool just like soak-"
"Mal let Gil pick her up and carry her past the," Carlos eyes Evie before he looks away. "the thing we don't um, name."
Really?
He had a hard time believing Mal had needed a rescue.
He turns to Mal skeptically but finds all the answers he needs at the intensity of her blush.
He quickly schools his features.
That was just… Adorable.
"You did too!" Mal shoots back quickly.
"Nu-uh! I used him and Harry as shields." Carlos quickly, and almost smugly, points out as he crosses his arms over his chest.
Mal's eyes narrow threateningly before her blush deepens. "Oh, fuck you." She huffs.
Jay snorts as Evie quickly turns to fuss over Carlos's hair, though it was hard to miss her smile.
He also couldn't recall Carlos's grin ever being so satisfied.
Evie clears her throat, "If it helps," She offers softly. "I would've run out of there screaming if T dared to do something so stupid. Opening that monstrosity's cage. From the sounds of it you actually-" She shivers, "Stepped in with it. Which, seriously? What were you two thinking?" She scolds.
"There were off limit books." Carlos admits sheepishly, the same time Mal shrugs and states, "I uh, I really wanted to know what was so secret about the books."
"I never asked, was it worth it?" Jay asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Not really," Mal rolls her eyes.
"Kinda agree, like at least mostly." Carlos rubs the back of his head. "But we at least got to check it out. And we found a couple of books that helped-" he stops abruptly before he sighs, "Or at least would have helped Book Club. They're probably just sitting in my old room."
Mal's eyes roll again, "The ship then, you mean."
Carlos's eyes brighten as he turns to Mal again, "You think T would have gotten them?"
"Honestly, Pup, it'd be weirder if he didn't." Jay gingerly shrugs. "All the supplies probably got moved too."
"Fuckin' psycho." Mal scoffs.
"Supplies?" He can't help himself.
His curiosity was seriously getting the best of him.
Usually, he loved to sit back and watch without interrupting their exchanges, but sometimes their inside 'secrets' made him speak before he could think better of it.
But he only regretted it when it brought all conversation to a halt.
Evie titters, "T had a thing for making sure we were prepared."
His brows furrow, "Prepared for what?"
Jay chuckles, "Anything."
Mal rolls her eyes, "If T could find something that he could prepare for, he did, and he had a bad habit of making sure we were prepared for it too." She shoves her hand through her hair.
It was hard to miss the-
He was pretty sure that there was fondness in her voice.
Evie smiles as she lightly finger-combs Carlos's hair, "Yeah, he was a fan of constant vigilance."
"Ah." He nods.
From everything he knew, that checked.
The room falls into silence before Mal flips the page in her packet, her face almost immediately scrunching in confusion.
"The fuck?" Mal looks up to find the others looking equally puzzled.
"Oh." Carlos blinks.
"This is from Faustina?" Mal's eyes narrow as she scrutinizes the page.
"No way." Jay's brow furrows as he looks up.
"It's not even close to T's handwriting." Carlos frowns, "His handwriting is so hard to read. And this-" He shakes his head, "T doesn't ever talk like..."
Everyone turns to stare at Carlos.
"T doesn't ever talk like-" Jay prompts as he gestures for Carlos to continue.
Carlos blinks, "Oh, well I was going to say he never talks like that, but then, well, sometimes he does."
"Like fucking when?" Mal scoffs with a look of disbelief.
"Yeah," Evie nods curtly. "When."
"Um, mostly when we like," Carlos scratches his head, "You know, worked on projects and stuff. But it wasn't so, I don't know, concentrated and formal. Just like…" His brow furrows, "Huh."
"Care to share with the pack?" Jay glares impatiently.
"Right. Um, okay, so I did a lot of reading about Dissociative Disorders and Split Personalities, and maybe when I used to think T somehow managed to be patient, I was wrong." He scrunches his face, "What if the patient one is Faustina?"
"When the fuck was T patient?" Mal lifts an eyebrow.
"When we worked on projects together and with Book Club," Carlos shrugs, "when he stayed."
Mal turns to Jay, "You?"
"Well yeah, I was at Book Club, but I was testing swords, not speaking nerd." Jay rolls his eyes.
"No, I mean the time you said T woke up and was different with you." Mal snaps.
"Oh, uh, well, I already said maybe 'cause it definitely wasn't a normal T." Jay shakes his head as he shifts to stands against the wall, "We just didn't have a name at the time. Just, ya know, the girl part of T."
He tilts his head to the side, "So Faustina has come out before. Or at the very least, you believe she has. Do you think that could be how she knows you so well?"
"What do you mean well? She said general shit about us in the letter." Mal glares as her gaze drops back to the page.
"Sorry, she wrote two letters."
He really should have known better than to interrupt. He'd chosen the lineup of the letters carefully, trying to give them as much good news as he could before letting them see Faustina's second letter.
And while he was mildly amused at T's delivery, he doubted the others would find it humorous. Which was the only reason it was last.
"One is addressed to the king," He continues, "but the second is addressed to me."
"Oh thank god." Evie sighs, "I thought T has written three pages."
He grins as he shakes his head.
No, just one page of very strongly worded opinions.
Which they would probably find worse.
"Her second one is written specifically to me and was tucked in the notebook. She also mentions the video chat." He points out as he hugs the notebook again.
"She sent a notebook?"
"Deez did." He quickly clarifies, "Harry and T must've passed on that I would love to have pictures."
"Oh, cool!" Carlos grins.
"Did she send one of Dizzy?"
"Tch, would she be Deez if she didn't?" Mal rolls her eyes.
"I was going to share it once you all got through the letters." He smiles as he taps the top of the notebook against his chest. "But, I figured you might get excited over some of them, so I got copies of the pictures for you guys."
Evie claps through a soft squeal of joy, "You're simply always the best, Ben."
"I do try." He smiles, not missing the look Mal shoots him. "There's one of her too, that I'm sure you'll appreciate. The story too."
Mimi.
Mal's mini.
He knew the others were hesitant to bring her over, but he couldn't wait.
He could only imagine she was close to how Mal would've been at that age.
"Got it," Mal turns to the others, "I need you guys to hurry the hell up." She glares as she flips the page of her packet.
"Waiting on you, Malgon." Jay grins as Mal flips him off.
The room falls silent as they all begin to read the letter he had the hardest time with.
Everyone in the room looks up at Jay's pained snort followed by hissing laughter.
Mal's eyes narrow as she looks Jay over suspiciously. "I feel like you deserve that."
"Maybe." Jay takes a slow, deep breath, "But. Worth. It."
Evie glances between the two before she looks down at the letter again, her eyes brightening. "It's cute," She looks up towards Mal, "she holds you in very high regard, Mal."
Mal turns her glare towards Evie before the anger fizzles out, and her brows knit thoughtfully before she returns her attention to the letter.
Carlos pouts as he looks up from the letter, "It's like she knows Ben though."
He chuckles as Mal lets out a huff.
Evie bites her lip for a moment before she smiles, "She didn't have a lot to work with." She glances at Mal, "She really must think of you highly."
Mal scoffs, "Goblin shit." She rolls her eyes. "No part of that freak respects me." She crosses her arms as she glares towards the Isle. "Lil' asshole."
Jay's laugh is once more cut off with a grunt of pain.
"What's so damned fuckin' funny, cripple?" She turns her glare at him.
Jay holds his ribs as more strangled laughter pours from his lips.
"I will kick you." She threatens only to have Jay laugh harder.
"You wouldn't dare," Evie glares.
"If he keeps it up, watch me." She bites back.
He smiles, grateful for the reprieve.
He was glad he wasn't the only one who found it odd though.
Faustina was so full of insight.
So sure of how the pieces on the board worked.
She seemed so confident, but at the same time that she advised him, she left the choice up to him.
When had she come to the conclusion that the Isle needed Deez and T just as much as he wanted them, needed Deez to help further his point with her ability to advocate for those left behind?
And how were the others in this room going to react to her strong opinions?
To how different the Isle might be with them gone?
To how she saw herself with the Sea Family?
Mal's jaw tightens, "This bitch." She growls under her breath.
He can't help the small smile; he knew exactly where Mal was.
The part where Faustina was completely correct about the fact none of them liked talking about the Isle in general, let alone their home lives while trapped there.
"Huh, you know, I thought Yensid was just being encouraging at the time, but now that I think about it, Deez does inspire a lot when she writes. I mean-" Carlos gestures to him, "We never believed anyone outside of the barrier, you know, gave a damn about the people inside. And then boom, you."
Evie puts down the letter thoughtfully, "Deez is a very persuasive writer. She's always had a knack for pulling out the best in people. I always came up with the best ideas when she was around. I mean, did you see the clothes we wore to that howler." She kisses her fingers, "Perfect."
"You always come up with the best ideas." Mal rolls her eyes, "It's called talent."
"Well, I know that." Evie waves her off. "I more mean that-"
"I get it. The ideas came faster when she was around." Mal shakes her head.
"Like the murals?" Evie smiles prettily, "Cause I have to say, you caught us all at our best angles."
The murals. His smile widens.
He'd seen plenty of Mal's art.
Had wondered at the perfection of it, of her style.
But nothing compared to the murals in the hideout. It was like she'd managed to capture everything that was her pack and manage to paint it in beautiful recreations of them.
They were gorgeous and a bonus he hadn't been expecting.
He'd been so glad to find out Harry had insisted Deez put the pictures in the notebook.
The depth of love Mal had for her pack poured from those portraits in ways he was positive she never could have spoken or shown on the Isle.
"Fucking- Seriously! What the fuck is wrong with them!" Jay growls as his hand fists around the letter. He turns to face the wall, bracing himself against it with his forehead.
He rubs the back of his neck.
He knew it wasn't going to be easy for them to read all of that one, but-
He hadn't thought this all the way through in his excitement.
-hadn't thought about how Jay was going to take Faustina's analysis.
Now though?
He was kicking himself.
If it had hurt his heart to hear her thoughts, to hear her plea.
Then what was it going to do to the others?
"What?" Mal turns in concern. "What's wrong?"
"Just, you'll fucking know it when you fucking read it. Not like we didn't already have the fucking thought, just-" Jay sighs deeply before he falls silent again.
Mal's brow furrows as she turns back to the page.
"Oh." Evie's lip quivers a moment later.
"Are you fucking serious!?" Mal's eyes flash green as she jumps to her feet to kick the bed. "Mother-fucking-dammit!"
Carlos sighs, "We kind of guessed that, didn't we? When you told us you and your dad could only get the council to agree on bringing four of us over each time?"
"But she doesn't know about that limitation. She's just asking to be left behind because apparently she and T are both fucking stupid martyrs." Mal hisses through her anger as she kicks the bed again. "Fucking assholes."
"First Deez doesn't write about herself, and now T and Faustina expect to be left behind if you do call for that fucking family." Jay taps a fist against the wall, "It's fucking bullshit, and we all know it."
Evie shifts on the couch until Carlos moves to let her up. "Jay-" She reaches for him as she slowly walks closer, "It's-"
"Fucking bullshit is what it is." Mal crosses her arms as she fumes.
Jay's shoulders stiffen, "What's the point of us getting help if they're just going to have to suffer?" He asks as he shakes his head. "Why should they have to do that shit on their own?"
He swallows a sigh. Maybe he should have had David here for this.
"Because apparently they're both selfish assholes." Mal spits out. "Like Uma and the others would come without T and, and, that."
"Mal!" Evie's eyes narrow.
"Faustina." Carlos corrects Mal at the same time.
"What?" Mal huffs. "She's just as fucking bad as T."
"She was just pointing out her thoughts on the situation." Evie sighs, "And honestly Mal, with us gone, the other kids would be in so much more trouble without T looking out for them. You just don't want to admit that."
He closes his eyes when Jay punches the wall.
"Jay!" Mal snaps in concern, "Go take a walk or something before you break something the fuck else." She glares at him, "Talk to David or whatever. Just stop punching shit."
He breathes out, doing his best not to smile despite the situation.
His little hypocrite.
And bed kicker.
"Fine." Jay snaps before he pushes off the wall with a grunt and storms from the room.
Keeping Faustina's second letter in with the rest of the letters had clearly been a mistake. He should have given a copy of it to David and Nani and let them show it to the group.
Jay was super protective of T, and after hearing Jay's only experience with Faustina, he really should have known better.
At least Mal was good at telling her pack what to do when they needed the push.
He walks over to Mal, but Carlos starts laughing before he can put an arm around her.
"I'm really not seeing the humor here, Pup," Mal growls.
"Sorry." Carlos coughs. "I just, did you see T's letter?"
"What? No." Mal looks down at the packet in her hands. "That shit-tard actually wrote one?"
"Yeah, he did." He sighs as he takes a step back.
Mal was going to glow green over T's letter, and he very much wanted her to have her space.
Evie slowly sinks back onto the couch, her mouth agape in horror as she reads over the final letter. "No… He didn't."
Mal narrows her eyes at Evie before she turns the page. Her eyes widening in alarm at the greeting.
"I mean, I thought it was funny." Carlos winces as he slowly inches off the couch, eyes bouncing from Mal, to Evie, to the door.
"He- he wrote this expecting the king to read it." Evie blinks at the page, mortified.
Mal closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath. "I'mma kill him."
"Just to be clear, I have no intention of ever letting my father read this." Hopefully, that would help stem the building anxiety in the room.
"Oh thank goodness." Evie sighs in relief.
Mal turns her glare on him. "You-" Her eyes narrow, "You think it's fucking funny too, don't you."
He takes an involuntary step back, "I am open-minded enough to sway my opinion on the matter."
"Are you fucking serious!" Mal stomps as she throws the packet at him in exasperation. "He seriously fucking sent your father-" 'She inhales swiftly. "What about this is funny to you exactly?"
"His delivery?" He admits before quickly following it with, "And the fact that I'm the one who got it. Did I mention not showing anyone else?"
Mal drags her hand down her face.
He sighs, "Mal, I know you're frustrated with him, but I have to appreciate his honesty." He walks over to her to stand beside her, "We're all thinking the same thing. My father really fucked up how he handled the new laws and how the various levels of ruling were handled when he united the kingdoms." He carefully puts an arm around her, silently cheering when she doesn't knock his hand away.
"Well, no shit, but he- Mother-fucking dammit." She scowls, "He legit sent that hoping it would get to your fucking father." She presses her fingers to her eyes in stunned disbelief. "I'mma kill him." She repeats.
"And if he hadn't added 'I think the only thing we'll ever agree on is that it's a good thing that we never meet', I think it would have been good for him."
Mal scoffs, "That's the part that bothers you? Not the fucking 'you're a piece of shit and I hate you' part'!?"
"The rest is just genuine honest opinion." He shrugs, "The other could be taken as a threat."
"Probably was." Carlos mumbles.
Evie makes a cry of distress as she covers her face.
"Hence never letting my father read it." He sighs before he looks down into Mal's eyes, "Look, if there are some people in Auradon so bent on proving that you don't belong here they'd attempt to frame you-"
Mal scoffs, "Poorly."
He can't help his small smile, "Poorly," He agrees, "But if there are people like that here, then I have to also accept that there are people on the Isle who are equally as angry. And honestly, I can understand T's anger far better than I can the anger of adults who aren't willing to give kids a chance to be free of evil."
"Yeah, but he still shouldn't have been so obnoxiously obvious about it. With the fucking King. Who he thought was the fucking recipient." Mal shakes her head. "It's called fucking tact."
Carlos snorts. "T stands for a lot of things-"
Evie's hand on Carlos's shoulder interrupts him, "But he's never been well versed in tact, and you know that." She flicks her hair back from her face, "Stop looking for more reasons to be angry when you already have so many."
Mal sighs, "It comes so natural though."
He sighs as he squeezes her lightly.
"Being mad at T was like seventy percent of your free time on the Isle," Evie admits with amusement shining in her eyes. "Well, mad and suspicious. Some might even say paranoid."
Mal's eyes narrow as she crosses her arms over her chest, "But was I wrong though?"
"About it fucking you over?" Carlos tilts his head to the side, "I mean, yeah. He waited until you were gone to put all those plans into action apparently."
Mal groans angrily, "But I saw it happening." She huffs. "Like knew it the minute he jumped down that fucking well. No. Before that. When he started stalking you four."
"He stalked you too, you know." Evie bats her eyes innocently.
"And the Rats," Carlos adds before he frowns thoughtfully, "or at least Gil."
"That's my fucking point, kid fucking lived for recon. Who does that for fucking-" She frowns, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"T." Evie and Carlos say at the same time.
It was hard to not laugh at the identical shrug as well.
He could only imagine how good T had gotten through the years.
Which only brought him full circle to why it was important to the Isle that the Sea Family remain where they were, for now.
Uma obviously cared about the kids of the Isle if she was so supportive of Deez's writing. And with T able to recon so easily-
He hated that Faustina's letter was only making more and more sense.
"And, we've told you like a million times, he stalked everyone. It's what he does." Evie giggles.
Mal rolls her eyes, "Yeah, yuck it up, Princess." She grumbles as she shuffles through the packet to settle on Faustina's second letter.
Evie rolls her eyes, "You're just moody because you've agreed with T several times without even meaning to."
"Shut it." Mal snaps, sparing a glare in her direction before she returns her glare to the page.
Carlos looks over the back of the couch at them, his face scrunching as if he were trying so hard not to finish the thought he was having.
If the goal was to stay out of Mal's glare, it was probably for the best.
"It wasn't for fucking fun." Mal throws the packet to the bed.
"Oh?" Evie lifts an eyebrow as she studies Mal and the discarded letters.
"It was for fucking her." She seethes as she crosses her arms.
Huh.
He glances down at the letters.
Her bold word choice.
How confident in their characters she was.
How she knew the best pieces to put where.
It had been clear to him since he'd picked it up that she had a lot of insight. He'd just been at a loss as to how she had gotten it.
"Huh…" Carlos's brow furrows as the room goes silent, "That actually makes a lot of sense."
"Thank you!" She gestures in vindication. "Told you he had ulterior fucking motives. I see this shit."
"I don't think that's how they saw it." Carlos tilts his head to the side again, "Thinking back on things, like, knowing what we know now, Faustina like made him to protect her, right?"
"To our knowledge, yeah?" Mal
"Well, what if part of protecting her was teaching her things or telling her stories? When I taught T to read he asked for things like the flashcards and stuff," Carlos winces before he blinks and shakes his head, "I mean, it makes my head hurt to think about how it works, but what if he was collecting things to tell her?"
"Ooh," Evie fans her hands before she presses them to her chest, "and in the process of finding things to share with her, he found us, and then T and Faustina ended up liking us?"
Carlos nods, "T was created to protect Faustina. Faustina enjoyed stories about all of us. T started protecting and doing things for us that helped."
Mal lets out a sigh of relief. "I knew I wasn't fucking crazy."
"You still thought it was malicious." Carlos points out.
"It's the fucking Isle." Mal crosses her arms, "It should've been."
"You knew Deez was different," Evie points out with a smug smile, "why was it so hard to accept T was too?"
"Deez had fucking powers. She could burn people to a fucking crisp. What the fuck did T have? Cause it certainly wasn't fucking social skills? Or fucking well-" She snorts, "anything."
"The powers of observation from the shadows and balls enough to attack people twice his size?" Carlos shrugs before he stands from the couch, "Especially when he was outnumbered."
Mal rubs her temple. "Which- Ugh."
"And on that note, I'm gonna go walk Dude." Carlos pats his thigh to call Dude from his blanket on his bed, "Later, please text if Jay makes it back before me."
"Of course." Evie smiles, "Be careful, kay?"
Carlos nods, "Right. I mean, I'll have Dude, and I think Hiro is still hanging around, so I might end up running into him."
"Yeah, 'cause that's how that works." Mal snorts."See you at dinner. Maybe- Wait, you know what, if Hiro runs into you, you text before you engage."
Carlos frowns, "Are you mad at Hiro?"
"I mean, when am I not slightly? But no, it's cause-" Mal blushes, "Just fucking do it. I don't need Evie spending half the night stress sewing about you cause you're nerding out."
"Oh." Carlos blushes as his feet scrap the ground, "Yeah, I'll message as soon as I see him, if I see him."
"Good pup." Mal nods in approval.
Evie turns to them the moment the door closes, "Oh yeah, I'm the only one who freaks out when Hiro nerd naps him."
"What? Your sewing keeps me up." Mal shrugs.
He snorts at the glare Evie shoots her.
"If that's what you need to tell yourself, Mal." Evie chuckles daintily before she looks back over the letters.
"Didn't I say shut it?"
"You did. To Carlos." Evie shrugs without looking up, "And I dare you to say it to me."
Mal's mouth snaps shut. "Whatever." She turns to him. "Pictures."
He smiles as he holds the notebook out to her, "There's a picture of a Goblin in there that Deez thought you'd be entertained to see. She even included the song he was singing as he strung glass onto a necklace."
Her eyes light up as she greedily snatches the book, "Tch, like I'd enjoy stories about Goblins."
His Dragon, always so tough on the exterior, even as she flips through the book. Until she gets to the last page.
Her eyes sweep over the picture as her lips tilt in a smile. "Fucking birds." She snorts as she reads the letter next to Irk.
She shakes her head before she flips back through the pages.
His smile widens.
Mimi.
The picture was a little blurred and almost looked like it was taken from a strange lower angle, but it was hard to miss the pink hair or the finger she was flipping the camera.
With all the letters from Deez, the picture, and the story about the girl dodging T since Mal left, it was no wonder what Mal saw in the girl.
Mal studies the picture for a moment before she lets out a snort. "Ha." Her eyes brighten with amusement, "That's my girl." She smiles with pride.
"Dizzy now." Evie claps happily before she holds her hand out for the notebook.
"Yeah, yeah." Mal absently acknowledges as she pulls out her phone to snap a picture of the blurred image.
He smiles as the two end up sitting together on the couch to pour over the pictures and stories.
Things could have gone better.
But he couldn't complain about having the opportunity to listen in while Mal and Evie read through the notebook, giving him their insights on the little stories about the people and even the places in the pictures.
One.
Fuck this was another long chapter.
Two…
Seriously this was a long chapter.
This took a lot of time to write, and yeah, I'm sure you guys would have loved to see everyones reactions, but damn this was a long fucking chapter.
Not our longest but still, I had a headache while reading over this and well, hopefully you guys enjoy it.
Kind of a rollercoaster.
We picked Ben because it seemed like the most congruent way to do it.
Everyone else's thoughts would've been scattered as fuck.
Do you wish we had done it differently, and if so how? We're all ears.
Still, despite my headache, I fucking loved it.
Poor fucking Jay never seems to catch a break though.
Carlos, bless his cinnamony heart, I loved everything Dark had pour out of his mouth.
OMG them cringing over T's letter though?
And Mal judging everyone's so hard- except notably Gil's. Which, LoLz, didn't even have to have that happen, it just did.
Which LoLz.
And Evie's mortification. Albeit she was delighted by everyone else's.
Carlos's just pure affection for everyone.
Love it.
Honestly I could write a whole synapse about this one, so I'mma just jump to the questions now.
What did you think about how everyone responded? Did it seem in character?
Did Ben pick up on enough of everyone's reactions?
Did it leave you feeling satisfied?
Do you understand Jay and Mal's anger?
Fave quote (lines technically):
"It wasn't for fucking fun." Mal throws the packet to the bed.
"Oh?" Evie lifts an eyebrow as she studies Mal and the discarded letters.
"It was for fucking her." She seethes as she crosses her arms.
Huh.
He glances down at the letters.
Her bold word choice.
How confident in their characters she was.
How she knew the best pieces to put where.
It had been clear to him since he'd picked it up that she had a lot of insight. He'd just been at a loss as to how she had gotten it.
"Huh…" Carlos's brow furrows as the room goes silent, "That actually makes a lot of sense."
"Thank you!" She gestures in vindication. "Told you he had ulterior fucking motives. I see this shit."
Speaking of, thoughts on this?
Do you agree with their epiphany? Have a similar one?
Dark wanna throw yours in?
Which, more importantly, what was yours?
Much love and appreciation,
-Twisted