Ben.
Twenty Five. Present Day.
Ben was pretty sure Mal had decided to set her Auntie Fates on him after their fight. The last week had been full of minor inconveniences and setbacks that made him wish for the day all the spoons disappeared before a State Dinner.
First, it was one of each pair of shoes. Not just left or right, but a mixture. Luckily, he and Doug were the same shoe size. Then it was the recommendations from all his reports - paper and electronic. Yesterday it was the door hinges and the Ms from his keyboard. Today it was his underwear - he was not asking Doug to help him out on that one - and his entire office seemed to have moved one inch to the left.
It was all too petty to be Hades - he'd just storm in and steal his soul - but Ben hadn't entirely ruled out Maleficent's involvement given the sustained nature of the assault.
He bit back a groan as he turned a page and found that yet another page of recommendations was missing. He shifted it to the pile that he needed Doug to fix for him, and grabbed another report about inter-kingdom migration. The front page was missing from this one, but he could deal with that if that was all that was removed. He was halfway through when he heard his office door slam against the wall.
"Here we go, an outfit fit for a future King." Evie sang as she swooped into his office carrying garment bags. It put him on edge. Her words were too chirpy. The swooping reminded him of his future mother-in-law. Assuming he could pull tonight off, that is.
Ben looked up and found his not-girlfriend's best friend glaring at him. Then he spotted Lonnie lurking behind Evie's shoulder, wearing a matching glare.
Clearly, the gods had decided he hadn't suffered quite enough yet.
"Why haven't you called her?"
That was the thing about Evie. She looked entirely harmless. She looked like a typical Auradonian girl. But Evie was kind of like the Aconitum she kept in her studio - pretty, blue, and could kill you with just a few drops of poison.
"I really didn't think you were this much of an idiot," added Lonnie closing the door over. Probably for the privacy to kill him. Not that Doug would be saving him. He was Team Ben's An Idiot For Taking So Long.
And…well, Ben didn't disagree. He'd missed so many opportunities over the years. Too many. He just didn't want to miss anymore.
"I have called. She won't answer." Ben sighed, leaning back in his chair and looking closer at Lonnie. He noticed the way she shifted the strap on her shoulder, and his eyes narrowed, "Why do you have a duffle bag?"
Lonnie shrugged, looking him dead in the eye as she answered, "Because I haven't decided if we're disposing of a dead body or not. I brought the tarp."
Ben did not doubt that for a moment.
"Is there a reason we're doing this," he made a show of checking his watch, "six hours before my ball? Shouldn't you guys be...doing your pre-ball things?"
It was usually Doug who delivered Ben's outfits. Not for any reason other than he was coming to work from the same house as Evie anyway. Ben only normally saw Evie in relation to his wardrobe for fittings and active dressings. The fact she'd taken time out of the day before the social event of the year, when she should be primping and prepping and hassling Mal about not caring enough, spoke volumes.
"Because you are an idiot, and my best friend is upset." Evie announced primly, draping the garment bags over a seat while she kept up the glaring. "The media is linking you to Audrey. Now, we know that's a load of bull, but this needs to stop Ben. If you don't want her, just let her go."
Ben stood abruptly knocking his chair to the floor, snapping, "Is that what you really think?"
He should be happy that Mal had such good friends in her corner. That they would be so emphatic in their defence.
But.
Let her go?
No. That wasn't happening.
Not a chance.
He started pacing.
"Getting kind of hard to think anything else." Lonnie ignored his reaction, crossing her arms as she picked up one of the photos he'd put on his desk in recent days. They weren't the ones he wanted to put up - those didn't exist yet - but looking through years of photos had given him plenty of material. The one in Lonnie's hands was a group shot from Mal's first Olympian Gala. If Lonnie was surprised, she didn't let it show. Instead she held the picture up as evidence, "It's been almost ten years."
"Do you know how many times I've had to resketch wedding dresses, Ben?" Evie cut in, sounding furious. She stepped into the path of his pacing and grabbed him by the shoulders, giving him a shake. "I could have your wedding ready in ten days. Ten days."
Ben raised his eyebrows, not believing that for a second, you couldn't pull together a royal wedding that quickly. Evie paused, considered his challenge, and relented, "Okay, tonight, but that's without considering the Succession to the Crown Act. But I feel like that's important to you."
Ben stared at Evie as if she'd just started talking gibberish. He didn't underst- she was serious.
She genuinely thought he wasn't- She was planning- Tonight?
"Mal won't even stay the night, and you're planning our wedding?" Ben burst out. He looked between Evie and Lonnie, his laugh bordering on hysteria. "Did I miss something?"
"Yes." Lonnie didn't miss a beat.
But Evie was slower to react. She studied Ben carefully, her eyes suddenly suspicious. Slowly, she asked, "What do you mean she doesnt stay the night?"
He looked at Evie, the exactly that clear.
Evie and Lonnie shared a Look - for once Ben was sure it wasn't he was the victim of it. They spoke in unison as realisation dawned, "We're in the wrong office."
And then they were gone. And Ben was just glad Lonnie took the duffle bag with them.
Sighing, Ben went to move the garment bag to his en suite. Evie would kill him if he turned up wearing a crushed uniform.
...
That night.
The girl in front of him had a death wish.
Adele was one of King Triton's granddaughters. She didn't come to the surface very often.
She was one of the few girls who had been brave enough to speak to him after they had made their entrance. And she was the only girl who ignored his hints that he wasn't interested.
Everyone else had heard the last minute announcement that there would be no dancing with eligible maidens and made the correct assumption. Ben might not be going public, but he was off the market.
And now everyone was waiting to find out who had finally caught the Crown Prince's eye.
If he was being honest, he was a little insulted by how wrong the speculation was. And although he hadn't spoken to her, because she wouldn't answer her damn phone, he was pretty sure this speculation wasn't helping his case on the locking down Mal front.
Mal might not be ready, but he was.
Even before Lonnie and Evie's ambush, he knew what his plan was. His cards were on the table. He'd made his last move. And now he'd wait for her. And remind her that he was hers at least daily.
It had already been almost ten years. What was a few more?
Unfortunately, Adele seemed to have missed the memo.
She'd been by his side for almost ten minutes now, lurking and talking and smiling at people who came to wish him happy birthday like she was meant to be there.
The whole thing made Ben deeply uncomfortable.
His usual excuses to get away from over friendly suitors weren't working. And Doug was no help, he was just looking pointedly from his spot next to Evie, trying to convey a message Ben couldn't quite decode while he was trying to keep Adele's hands off him. Evie looked positively giddy, which only made him worry. It reminded him of the look Mal got when she sensed impending chaos. And after her little threat session this afternoon, surely she should be pissed at him.
Everyone was looking. This whole thing was being live streamed.
Everyone wanted to know why he'd cancelled the dancing…and now there was a princess in a peach gown attached to his side and it was going to look like she was the reason why.
Everyone was looking.
Everyone.
And that was before his not-girlfriend turned up and started with the fire and brimstone and the cursing people.
Adele laughed airly and touched his arm again, sliding closer. Ben tried to slip out of her grasp, but she followed him. He suppressed a groan and kept his face neutral, mindful of the cameras.
He met Audrey's eye desperately, but she merely rolled her eyes in disgust. Ben understood, this was probably too close to Chad-like behaviour, even if he was trying to get away. Audrey was not going to save him this time.
Mal was going to murder him.
She was next on the entrance list. He had maybe a minute or so to work out how to salvage this. Before his head ended up on a stake.
It had only been a few months since his little jealous moment over Prince Hans. Not that he thought Mal would be jealous, but...territorial was entirely possible.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Unless they were still on an off swing after that fight and she didn't care who was hanging off his arm.
The courtiers called everyone to attention with a few sharp taps of the gavel. Everyone looked up, Ben's heart stopped. He tried to duck out of Adele's grasp again, but she laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world and followed him.
Carlos, of all people, shot him an it was nice knowing you look. Traitor.
"Presenting, Hades, God of the Underworld, his wife Maleficent, and their daughter Malia."
Ben heard the heavy wooden doors swing open, and felt the air change as it always did when Hades entered a room.
Her mom's going to curse you, her father's going to steal your soul, and poof. It's Sleeping Beauty all over again.
Ben stopped breathing, trying once again to get away from Adele, Doug's warning echoing in his ears. Lonnie was on the opposite end of the crowd, in a position where she could see both him and Mal. It was purely tactical. She was giving him the side-eye now and he knew how bad this was, he didn't need the rest of his friends counting down to his untimely demise. Jay looked like he was about to stop a server and ask for some popcorn.
And then Mal rounded the corner, and everything screeched to a halt.
His world narrowed to the girl gliding into the room just a few feet away.
She was in midnight blue tonight, the colour of the House of Hades. In a room full of ball gowns, Mal's dress fit like a second skin. The tiara was new, sitting in her curls like a halo.
He was used to seeing her encased in fire. Tonight, she was draped in ice.
He'd let her burn him either way.
And then Mal's gaze found him.
Ben smiled automatically, stepping towards her.
And then he felt a hand on his arm, and his features froze in place.
Oh no.
Mal's eyes narrowed.
Ben's heart started hammering in his chest. He braced for the flames hitting the ceiling.
Mal's eyes flashed green.
He was a dead man.