Ben.
(Nearly) Twenty Five.
Things with Mal had never been easy.
But they'd always been worth it.
Things got worse once they graduated.
Lonnie and Jay went off to Sherwood. Carlos, Jane, and Uma went off to AoU. Gil found an apprenticeship working with a mechanic, because he might be terrible with the books, but he excelled at practical things. Harry took a leaf out of Evie's book had his own business idea to launch.
Ben was expected to work for the Crown full time. He appointed Evie as his special advisor for all things Isle related. She juggled her royal duties with her design business effortlessly. Doug joined his staff as his private secretary, also juggling being Evie's right hand man. Audrey transitioned seamlessly into a life of public service and joined as a junior member of the Council. Mal stepped into her role as Heir to the Underworld.
Which meant Ben went from seeing her every day at s school, to once a month at the Council Meeting if he was unlucky.
Some months, he found himself in her converted loft apartment in Auradon City every weekend. In her bed. But she was always gone when he woke up.
Others, she came to Beast Castle. He'd invite her for dinner. Or supper. Or lunch. Or some pretence of work. And without fail, they'd end up back in his suite. Still, he always woke up alone.
It was like they were magnetised.
One minute drawn in, the next something flipped and they were repelling apart.
Ben wished it gave him whiplash.
All it did was make him want her more.
Made him hope that, one day, he could make her stay.
….
Eighteen.
He couldn't do this.
Did eight days count as trying?
Ben tossed in his bed for the whatever-th time in the last few minutes. He sighed heavily.
Should he still keep trying to push through? Should he take it as a sign and do something about it?
He did not know. All he knew was, he couldn't do this.
Eight days.
Nine days since Graduation, eight since they'd all left Auradon Prep for the last time.
Eight days since he'd spoken to Mal.
This had been their plan. They had different paths. Hers was in the Underworld, his was on the surface. They could be friends. They'd be co workers at some point. But the whatever-this-was had to stop.
Because it couldn't go anywhere.
Cold Turkey. It had sounded like such a good idea at the time.
Unlike last summer, Ben had been entirely unable to focus on a damn thing. It was like there was a Mal shaped hole in his life and he did not like it.
He missed her.
He missed her sporadic texts through the day, just giving him a stream of what was going through her mind. He missed the stolen kisses when no one was looking - because those had restarted since the night in the library and he'd missed them.
He missed his girlfriend.
Even if she wasn't his girlfriend.
Swearing under his breath, Ben rolled off his bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. They couldn't go on like this. There had to be a way to make something work.
Just as he clicked her name and lifted the phone to his ear, a flash of purple flame erupted in the middle of his bedroom. His call connected, and then he heard a phone begin ringing.
Mal didn't react to her cell ringing, she just ploughed straight into him, her lips colliding with his. Ben met her halfway, boosting her up without missing a beat.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, Mal complained between kisses, "Don't like this plan."
Ben simply laughed into the kiss, his relief palpable. Whatever this was, she felt it too.
And if she felt it too. Maybe they had a chance.
…
Nineteen.
"So, really, lowering the tariffs by 25% will pump an extra six hundred million into the economy per year."
Ben had to fight to keep his face neutral as the Duke of Weselton tried to convince the Council to reduce the tariffs imposed on goods imported from outwith Auradon.
The man wasn't even pretending that this was about anything other than greed or benefiting the wealthy. He really thought the Council would approve it.
Well they might.
His father wouldn't. Aladdin would probably say no. Queen Leah would be all for it, even though it was against everything Audrey's charitable work stood for. Naveen was a maybe - it would benefit Tianna, but Tianna had solid morals. King Charming would probably abstain. And-
"So what do you plan to do with this extra six hundred million?"
Ben had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his grin under control. Hades had started deferring meetings to Mal, and this was her third solo Council session.
She was lounging back in her chair, clearly bored, studying her nails as she spoke dismissively. Ben watched at the vein in the Duke's neck bulged, and knew he was in for a show.
"It will be available to reinvest as those impacted see fit." He ground out, annoyed that he was being interrupted by a child. Or a woman. Ben wasn't sure.
"This Council doesn't vote to keep gold locked away in family vaults." Mal mused as she studied her nails intently, the warning clear. The Duke bristled, beginning to object, and Mal took the opportunity to attack. Raising her eyes to meet his in a dangerous stare, she smiled sweetly as she continued, "And I like it when my dead don't have to scrounge to pay the ferryman. So I'll ask you again. What do you plan to do with this extra six hundred million?"
Pride swelled in Ben's chest as he watched Mal interrogate the Duke.
He tried to catch her eye when the topic moved on, but she was too busy reading her notes to see him.
Ben repressed a sigh, turning his attention back to the front of the room where the head of the Forestry Commission was giving them an update on the latest tourism impact assessment.
He could take a hint. She wasn't talking to him.
Which meant they were still firmly in their off swing. Week six was always a killer.
…
Twenty
"Ben."
Ben turned towards the voice calling him from the doorway of the Green Room.
It was July, and Mal was throwing her first benefit. It was uncommon for Olympians to get involved in mortal charity work, but Cinderella's VK Opportunities Programme was close to Mal's heart. And she wasn't above scaring Auradon's wealthy into pulling out their cheque books.
The move was so Audrey, it genuinely terrified him.
Until he'd found Mal pacing his bedroom an hour ago, freaking out because she was about to host a hundred people who had hated her a few years ago in Queen Belle's favourite drawing room.
And for the first time since they were eighteen, he'd caught a real glimpse of the girl who held his heart. She was still in there, hidden behind the bravado and enticing looks and disappearing in the middle of the night.
Now, it was ten minutes until the first guests arrived. And instead of the indifferent coolness he'd been on the receiving end of for the last month, Mal was calling after him. Her eyes warm, her expression open.
Ben knew by now that it was naive to expect anything to change between them after a rare moment of vulnerability, but the knowledge that his Mal was still in there was enough to give him hope.
So he met Mal's gaze easily, quirking an eyebrow in question.
Mal smiled, and he could almost feel the secret playing around her lips. She shrugged, and the smile shifted into a smirk, "Thanks for the pep talk."
Ben's eyes widened at her words, the tips of his ears burning red as he remembered his 'pep talk'.
There hadn't exactly been much talking.
"Anytime."
...
Twenty One.
The Rehabilitation of Willing Villains Act was Ben's second major policy success, and his most controversial.
The VK Programme completed according to plan, bringing the rest of the school aged children over by its third year.
Once the plans to get any future VKs off the Isle were in place, attention had turned to those left behind. Questions were raised about lesser villains. And family life. And second chances.
For about six months, debate was rife over what the best approach was.
Ben, nineteen and a little wiser, had searched his soul and then some before telling his parents about his ideas. And then did even more soul searching before he'd broached the subject with Mal.
Back then, she didn't talk about her mother, but he knew things were frosty and she hated it. Maleficent had stopped taking Mal's calls during their senior year, and Mal had stopped making them after the second snub. His proposals had the potential to make things between them even worse, and that was only in the dozen different scenarios he'd thought of. There were probably more.
Mal hadn't been sold on the Act. He'd seen it in her eyes. But she'd been open to listening, and that was all he'd asked. He took onboard her feedback about people who may be too far gone to rehab (Frollo), and those who would take the chance to use this as a long con (Gaston), so he'd tried to build in safeguards against that.
Surprising them all, Hades had been his biggest ally during the policy approvals. Ben didn't think anything of it. It broadly aligned with other policies Hades had supported over the years.
He really should have been more suspicious.
Eighteen months ago, the Act became law. And the applications were steady.
Most of the lesser villains, and those with good relationships with their children, applied within the first week.
There were some surprises. EQ had been first in the queue. Cruella and Jafar weren't far behind her.
Maleficent's application was one of those collected on the first day, but no one saw her drop it off.
Mal had been suspicious. Ben had allowed her that without question, even if he was taking it as a win.
Maleficent turned up for every rehab class, assessment and reintegration session, even if she was full of sarcastic quips and comebacks. She even reached out to Mal. And they tentatively began building bridges, even if neither quite trusted the other.
Eight months ago, the first lot of OVs graduated back into society. With full support.
Some, like Dr Facillier and Mr Smee simply wanted to be reunited with their children and were working on how to exist in the shades of grey. Others, like Madam Mim, went off on their own. Happy to be off the Isle, but not quite ready for people. Ben was keeping a close eye on them.
And then there were the Big Four. The worst villains of them all.
Cruella, the furthest gone by far, was heavily medicated, and always kept away from fur. But she was coping. Jafar found that managing up and coming VK sports stars was far more lucrative than evil.
EQ had reconnected with Snow White and Evie immediately - as an adult royal Snow finally understood the woman who raised her, and after a few years around Sally White, so did Evie. As EQ was still part of her home kingdoms' royal family, she left the Isle and moved straight back into her castle. She filled her days with mirror gazing and bragging about how successful her daughters were. It was...oddly normal.
Ben had his doubts about Maleficent. When she'd stepped out without magical bindings for the first time, Mal had him convinced he should expect fire and brimstone. Instead, she'd eyed Mal warily. And they went for coffee before Maleficent headed back to her cottage by what used to be the Moors.
It was anticlimactic, to say the least.
The next morning, Ben had been discussing the lack of instant villainy with his parents over breakfast when Mal smoked right into the middle of the dining room, still in her pyjamas and paler than pale.
Ben's stomach had dropped, fearing the worst.
"My parents are asleep on the sofa with Cerberus. Help."
His mother had gasped. Lumiere had dropped the plates he was carrying. His father looked like nothing could surprise him anymore.
And Ben...Ben had laughed. Full-bellied, tears streaming, wheezing laughter. It had earned him a swat to the chest and an indignant huff.
As it turned out, Mal's parents had never actually filed the paperwork for the divorce. That was just how things were done on Olympus. Along with forging your wife's signature on application forms.
It was a brave new world.
...
Twenty One.
Ben strolled into Evie and Doug's engagement party exactly on time. He had no excuse to be late - his diary had been cleared for this weekend save a few last minute pieces of paperwork and, well, he'd offered one of his parent's holiday castles as a venue.
The Alcazar of Segovia was located in his home kingdom of Villeneuve. It was a stone fortress, rising out on a rocky crag above rivers. It was near the mountains to Auradon's north, looking down onto the Loire Valley. His grandfather, a stubborn, cruel man, built the castle to be his base of operations. Beast Castle, on the other hand, had been his grandmother's family home. The Alcazar was a beautiful piece of architecture - with its white stone, it was designed to look like the bow of a ship, and was visible from almost every point in Villeneuve. The views were absolutely stunning.
But that wasn't why he offered it.
It was Evie's favourite castle in Auradon.
It was hours away from Auradon City, meaning everyone had to make a conscious effort to put down their busy lives and attend. Evie and Doug deserved everyone's undivided attention, and Ben was adamant he was doing everything possible to make that happen.
Even if it meant throwing a party in the prison where their parents had been held before their trials. And then inviting said parents.
The plan was entirely flawless.
Mal and Jane had been in the castle since Thursday preparing, and now the great hall and gardens were completely unrecognisable. Little fairy lights twinkled everywhere. Blues and greens and whites and reds dominated the colour scheme. Things were floating around the room, and he probably had Mal to blame for that.
A few guests were already mingling, everyone was staying at the castle so no one had an excuse to be late. Jay and Carlos were out on a balcony, looking down into the valley and talking about abseiling. Lonnie was talking to one of Doug's cousins about the upcoming world championships.
Ben spotted Doug and Evie next to the ice sculpture of a giant heart and made his way over to say hi. Like he hadn't seen them a few hours before.
"Now when are you going to realise you're just too good for him? There's still time to run," Ben laughed, pulling Evie into a hug. To anyone else, her dress was a wedding gown. White, floor length, off the shoulder with a daring neckline. But for Evie4Hearts, it was perfectly casual engagement attire.
"Never," Evie grinned, and Ben could feel the happiness radiating off her. She was almost vibrating, and from what he could tell hadn't even touched her champagne yet.
True Love looked good on them.
Someone else arrived, and the happy couple moved off to greet them. Moving further into the room, Ben spotted Mal instantly. Unsurprisingly, she was over by the chocolate foundation stealing strawberries.
Ben took a moment just to watch her, before she realised he was there or that she'd been caught in the strawberries before the night had even begun.
Evie had put her Maid of Honour in a dress fitting of the occasion - rose gold sequins, spaghetti straps, cinched waist...a thigh high split. Somehow, it worked with her hair perfectly.
But in true Mal fashion, despite the perfectly manicured outfit, he could feel the chaos just bubbling away under the surface. Whether she was going to drop chocolate on Doug's mom, or accidentally let EQ near a mirror, he couldn't say.
Whatever it was, he wanted to be part of it.
She was everything he wanted.
If anyone caught him looking, they'd know.
Everyone except her, that is.
Signalling one of the passing waiters, Ben ordered a vodka red bull.
This might not be his best idea, but it was an idea he'd been working on for a while. Every time they saw each other, Mal refused to stay the night. She always snuck off when he was asleep.
But if he didn't fall asleep, she couldn't leave.
It was genius.
…
It did not work.
...
It was 10.30pm, and Ben was pleasantly buzzed.
He'd done his Best Man duties - he'd circled the room, he'd played nice, given his speech and even stopped the bride's second-mother (his not-girlfriend's actual mother) from scaring too many of the wait staff.
Ben knew he was buzzed. There was no way Hades had looked at him with approval when he'd coaxed Maleficent back to her table with a large glass of wine and her own platter of cheese as a peace offering.
Searching the room, he found Mal back by the chocolate fountain with Carlos, studying their parents carefully.
The once-villains were seated at one of the tables in the centre of the room by the dance floor, slightly closer to the buffet than the bar.
EQ and Maleficent were making their way through the cheeseboard as they judged the room. Jafar was watching a Tourney match on his new phone - one of his recruits was playing and he didn't trust anyone to give him an accurate update afterwards. Cruella was spaced out, drawing idly on a napkin.
And Hades was sitting beside his wife, one arm draped over the back of her chair and looking amused at something across the room.
The members of the Auradon Guard in attendance paid no mind to them. They were his, Audrey and Chad's protection details, and the OVs were not threats.
It was surreal.
So he couldn't blame Mal and Carlos for their what the fuck moment.
A year ago, no one knew if the Rehabilitation Act would work. And now, the biggest bads were at Evie's engagement party.
Sharing a cheeseboard.
"They've literally never changed. I don't understand how they can be exactly the same without evil." Ben caught the tail end of Carlos' observations as he cut in. If he'd been sober he'd have asked them how they were feeling. Tried to fix things.
But he didn't.
Instead, he winked at Carlos, grabbed Mal's hand and swept her towards the dancefloor.
The alcohol was warm in his veins and Mal was dancing with him tonight.
He didn't care who saw.
Let the pictures end up on the front page of AuradonNow!
Maybe that would convince her it was okay to stay.
…
Ben had maybe gotten a little too brave.
It was either the alcohol, or just sheer proximity to Mal, that made him do stupid things.
Dragging her up to dance was one thing.
Twirling her around the dance floor, spinning her out so that her skirt spun out in all its glory, dropping her into dramatic drips...that was another.
And kissing her on one of those dips...that was asking for trouble.
He'd planned for just a quick peck. Just to say they'd experienced it together.
But like everything with Mal, he couldn't stop there.
The moment their lips touched, he was pulling her closer. Her hands anchored to the back of his neck, opening up to him, trusting him not to drop her.
Once they were the right way up again, he led her into the next turn as if nothing had happened.
Until the next time he did it.
And the next.
And the next.
And every time, Mal just laughed breathlessly and went with it.
He didn't know who dragged who from the room, at least an hour before the party ended. He remembered the way she'd pawed at his shirt as they'd to work out whose room was closer between heated kisses. The way she'd looked up at him as he'd peeled her dress off and tossed it across the room was seared into his brain.
He'd gotten brave. Too brave.
He found the courage to slip more than one I love you between the kisses he pressed into her bare skin.
And his drunk, traitorous brain almost convinced him that she'd said it back.
...
Ben knew he was alone the moment he woke up.
He was almost positive she was spelling him if he didn't fall asleep by 4am. How else did you explain waking up hungover-free, when you'd been partying the night before and drinking vodka redbull in an attempt to outsmart your not-girlfriend.
He'd still been buzzed, snuggling in bed afterwards. And then the next thing, he was waking up alone.
He couldn't even pretend he was still drunk.
This wouldn't hurt so much if he was still drunk.
There was no sign of Mal in his suite. Not even a note.
It was depressingly predictable.
If they were at her place, he'd wake up alone and let himself out. If they were at his, he'd wake up alone, and get back to work.
Was it seriously too much to ask that the girl he'd been basically dating since he was seventeen stuck around for breakfast?
I love you. The words danced around the edges of his mind. He could hear Mal's whispered admission. But he knew it couldn't be real.
Wishful thinking.
If it was real, she'd still be here.
…
Ben slunk into breakfast an hour later and refused to look in Mal's direction. If she was sneaking out of his bed but still staying in his castle that was her deal. He didn't need to engage.
So he walked over to the breakfast table and started grabbing some fruit in an attempt to pretend he was being healthy. He'd definitely be ordering a full fry up when the kitchen staff came for his order.
When he couldn't stall any longer, he turned to the table and took the seat next to Carlos instead of the free one next to Mal. He tried to pretend he didn't see her deflate a little, but before he could feel guilty and move she perked up, launching into a conversation about beaches on the west coast with Jane.
Ben stabbed his pineapple angrily - he had deliberately not picked up any strawberries, because that was an invitation for Mal to steal them - and ignored the questioning looks Jay and Lonnie were throwing between them.
They had snuck off around 11, he remembered. And they were sitting next to each other. So even though they weren't together, he bet they'd woken up together.
It wasn't fair.
Evie and Doug walked in, and Carlos let out a cheer. Ben took full advantage of the distraction to pretend he had a message about princely-business. A quick hug with the happy couple later he was in his office, staring at the floor.
It had been four years.
She had to know where his head was at by now.
I love you.
Ben clenched his fist, remembering the phantom words. It was nothing more than wishful thinking.
...
Twenty Two.
"Do not read the cover story White As Snow has just posted online."
Ben didn't even say hello when Mal answered the call. He was too busy trying to avoid crushing his phone or launching his laptop.
Mal simply laughed down the line, and he knew she'd seen it.
That bloody cover photo was seared into his brain, and she was laughing at it.
"But it has such excellent pictures of you."
"It has a dozen photos of me that you've been cropped out of." Ben growled, clicking through the images again.
Carlos' birthday barbecue, cropped out.
Evie's new collection launch, cropped out.
Jay's last tourney match, cropped out.
Audrey's charity launch for VK internships, cropped out.
Chad's disastrous birthday party. Cropped. Out.
Any other day he'd be shocked to see such blatant evidence of their togetherness. That he wasn't hiding his feelings as well as he thought he was. Especially given that for the last six months they'd been trying to quit each other again. Trying to be just friends.
But right now, he was pissed that the media had decided to ignore the incredibly obvious story in favour of some well timed angles.
The photos didn't prove anything beyond the fact that he and Claire Charming travelled in the same social circles. Claire wasn't even in the photo from Carlos' birthday. That was Chad. A very drunk Chad on the receiving end of Mal's magic. But still Chad.
"Of course. No one wants to piss my dad off by speculating about my love life." Mal's laugh told him she was genuinely unruffled by this.
And that pissed him off even more.
On his petty days, he considered taking his courtiers' advice and going on a few dates. It didn't need to be anything serious. Just something to prove to himself and Mal that he could date someone else. If he wanted to.
He never followed through though. Not because he was afraid she'd turn up and start cursing people. No, he was too afraid that she wouldn't care. And then he'd be stuck dating some princess for however long it took him to break it off without offending anyone.
"You sound far too calm about this." He ground out, glaring at the point just to the left of the photo where Mal should have been. Instead it was just white article space.
"Because I know damn well that I was the one in your hotel room that night, not eighteen year old Claire Charming."
Oh, so she'd read the story. He hadn't got that far. He'd seen the pictures and the headline, and he was in damage control mode.
"Not the whole night." He countered petulantly, knowing damn fine it was a low blow. "I could have snuck her in after you left."
Mal paused for a moment. Ben felt the temperature of his office drop at least twenty degrees. Then she asked sweetly, "Do you want me to set you on fire?"
He didn't answer. The temperature dropped another ten degrees. A glass in his drinks cabinet shattered.
"No." He groaned, knowing she'd follow through on that threat just to make a point. He was lashing out. It wasn't her fault the media was running garbage. And he knew what he'd signed up for when it came to her. Sighing, he added, "There's a story about you too."
Mal laughed again, "I know. It's hilarious. Aziz wishes that was true."
Her story was less controversial.
His was on the cover, an affair with his friend's barely legal little sister.
Her's was just a filler, some pictures of Mal with Aziz and his parents in Agrabah. A suggestion that she was going to be buying some real estate out there - a holiday pad. There had also been some mentions of the last time nymphs came partying in Auradon, of the lust-fuelled parties that lasted weeks until they got bored and moved on. Nothing explicitly linked Mal to Aziz, but the implication was there.
"I am aware." He muttered, trying to remind himself that Aziz was a playboy and of course he had noticed Mal was...Mal.
"You jealous, Ben?" she teased, and he knew if she was here she'd be pouting at him. Mocking his tantrum. He missed it. "Of a fake story?"
"If they hadn't cropped you out of my photos, that same story could work for us."
There. He said it. He ignored her jibe about Aziz and got straight to what was bothering him.
The media thought he was sneaking around with Claire Charming. Well, he was sneaking around. Just not with her.
"Why would they? They don't make Lost Girls Queen." Mal had said those words a dozen times over the years, but they didn't get any easier to hear. He could hear her demons in the background, chattering away about soul allocations. And maybe, just maybe, she had a point. "Besides. It's not like they can print what really happened that night, can they?"
Ben felt the heat rising in his cheeks.
They'd been on an on swing. They'd had dinner in a private room at the Citizen A hotel, and made out in the elevator on the way back to his hotel room. At least two maids had caught them before they got back to his room.
Just once, would it kill for someone to leak a story he actually wanted leaked?