This is a long story. If you would like to read it in a more broken-up format, you can find in on ArchiveofourOwn under the name 'I Know You From Once Upon a Dream' by WanderlustandFreedom.
The biggest problem in Audrey's perfect relationship with Ben is the sporadic dreams that plague her of Ben living happily... with someone who isn't her. She's not used to being jealous and she's never felt so... overlooked. Her only consolation is that when she wakes up, everything is over and nothing is real. Ben is with her, life is perfect, and this Mal person doesn't exist.
I Know You(From Once Upon a Dream)
In her dreams was a large apartment. The sort of thing that existed for families inside of large castles, with all the necessities to function in one small area. It was cozy. There was a kitchenette attached to a living room. A wicker basket filled with nice blankets. Lots of paintings on the walls. An electric fireplace with beautiful tile surrounding it.
Audrey wandered through the halls, peering first into a home office that was so neat she didn't see how it could have ever been used before and then into a bathroom. Dozens of hair and bath products – mostly for men – were set in metal hangers on the wall. She kept going and peeked into a bedroom.
She glanced over the comfortable suite and, upon realizing two people were fast asleep in their bed together, quickly turned to leave. She couldn't. She had no control over what she was viewing. It was as if she were watching a screen she couldn't look away from. She watched one of them – a man, judging by his hand – run his fingertips over the covers.
Her vision panned up until she was looking down on her boyfriend, Ben, who was shifting a little as he opened his eyes. The girl beside him was not her.
How dare he? She stared, dumbfounded. Then, she realized she couldn't look away. She couldn't even close her eyes.
Ben blinked a few times and then peered at the slumbering girl next to him. Audrey wasn't sure what she expected. She realized that this was probably just a funky dream, she had imagined that Ben, being the man of her dreams, would remain faithful even in her dreams. No matter the reality of the realm. Maybe he would jump up and demand who the other person was? Maybe he would ask where Audrey was?
He didn't do either of those things. Instead, he leaned up and traced his fingertips down the other person's cheek before he leaned over and kissed it. She stirred. He continued peppering her face with kisses and gently caressing her jaw and face until a smile crossed the girl's mouth and she opened an eye to peek at him. "Who are you?" She teased. "What do you think you're doing?"
Ben chuckled. "Good morning," he whispered with his mouth close against her forehead as he began to comb his fingers through her hair. "It's time to get up."
"Up?" The other girl moaned, snuggling deeper into her pillow. "Why? You don't want to get up and neither do I. Let's just stay here."
Ben laughed and wrapped his arms around her before burying his nose into her shoulder. "Come on," he whispered. "We both have meetings."
"Says the man still trying to fall asleep on me." The girl released her pillow and rolled over to wrap her arms around his neck. Audrey felt like screaming, but she was disembodied and unable to do anything. As the girl wrapped her left arm around Audrey's boyfriend's neck and started running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, Audrey saw something sparkle and was momentarily blinded by the glint and an intense fit of rage.
This wasn't a dream – it was a nightmare.
"Hmm," Ben replied wordlessly. He kissed her jaw and then somehow managed to tangle his fingers in hers while her fingers were still messing up in his hair. Then, he raised their clasped hands together and turned their fingers around to watch the ring on her hand sparkle in the early morning light coming through the window. The girl laughed and let him play with her hand. Smiles were frozen on their faces.
The girl, Audrey decided to notice now, in favor of watching their infectious show, was an unreal mix of attributes Audrey didn't think could exist together on one person. She was much smaller and shorter than Audrey, with pale skin like she'd grown up in a cave. Vivid green eyes that caught the light in ways eyes were not supposed to and a thin mouth that was pink even without lipstick. And, most unbelievably, long purple hair that was spread out over the pillow behind her. The impossible standards did nothing to ease Audrey's jealousy. Why did her dreams have to conjure up someone so fake and yet flawless? Someone so unlike her?
Ben finally released the other girl's hand and climbed out of bed. "Come on," he called, heading into the attached bathroom.
The girl whined and buried her head underneath her pillow. "Goodnight!" She called.
"Mal!" Ben called, still in a teasing tone as he re-emerged from the bathroom, still in his pajamas. He pulled all the covers off her and then took hold of her foot and pulled her towards him. Mal yelped and tried to grab hold of the headboard before he could pull her away, but found herself being pulled off the bed nonetheless. Ben snatched her hand as soon as it was close enough and pulled her to a sitting position.
"Ben…" Mal began to whine, but he caught her jaw again and kissed her to cut her off.
'Wake up', Audrey told herself. 'Wake up right now.'
Mal sighed against Ben's mouth and then slowly got to her feet. "Okay," she sighed, putting her arms around his neck briefly. She leaned in to kiss him again but dodged his mouth so she could plant her lips on his neck. The filthy, slimy little wrench.
Audrey was too blinded by her rage to even notice as Ben and Mal disappeared into the bathroom together before re-emerging fully-dressed. Ben was still wearing button-downs and shined shoes, but Mal wore a t-shirt with rips around it. Audrey could see both skin and parts of a black undershirt that made her blood boil when she saw the way Ben's eyes clung to Mal's sides.
Ben put his watch on. It usually sat on the bedside table while he slept. Audrey knew that much from late-night and early-morning visits. He read the time quickly and then glanced over at Mal. "We have about an hour and a half," he told her.
"Why did you make us get up, then?" Mal demanded, picking a purple phone off the nightstand and putting it in her pocket. She then began tossing pillows from the bed onto the floor.
"Because I wanted to spend time with you at breakfast," Ben responded, picking up his phone and then starting some music before joining her in her endeavor to rid the mattress of all its accessories. Mal scoffed but didn't respond as they both yanked up the first sheet and then pulled it tight over the bed.
They were domestic. How cute.
Audrey wished she could throw up.
Mal procured a bottle of something brown from her nightstand and began to spray down the sheets. "I don't know why you like this stuff," she wrinkled her nose at the smell, which Audrey quickly realized was vanilla. "It all wears off after the first little bit."
"I like vanilla," Ben replied, reaching across the bed to take the bottle from her. "It smells nice."
Please let her wake up now. Please let her wake up now.
Mal snorted. "Whatever makes you happy, Ben."
"You," Ben replied without a moment of hesitation. Mal's face flushed. A pink color crept into her cheeks as she rolled her eyes and then helped Ben pull up the rest of the covers.
"You make me happy too," she promised as she began picking pillows up and replacing them in their proper positions. Ben gave her a goofy grin.
It was such a simple scene. Such a simple task. Something sweet and trivial and something she'd imagined herself doing with Ben oh-so-many times.
It made her blood boil to imagine this other… tart experiencing it with him.
Let me get this straight," Ben snorted, swinging their hands together as they walked down a road not too far from Auroria's castle. "You're angry at me for something that I did in a dream?"
Audrey pulled her hand back and crossed her arms as she looked away and sulked. Ben began to laugh. Earnest, loud, and clear. He paused on the side of the road and Audrey stomped her foot against the ground. "It's not funny!" She whined.
"You're being silly," Ben rolled his eyes. "You don't have to get jealous of someone who doesn't exist."
"I know…" Audrey whined. She didn't protest when Ben reached for her hand again and then they took a detour onto a trail together. It was something they often did – go hiking through the Auroria woods together. She was wearing grey shorts and a pink shirt while he wore blue jeans and a yellow shirt. Ben had never been a big fan of shorts. Waterbottles were tucked into their backpacks and snacks for later were stowed away. Audrey had her phone in her pocket and Ben had his in his backpack. She wanted to take photos. He wanted to pretend he was far enough away no one could contact him.
"So, you were wandering through a house," Ben began, and Audrey's mood immediately soured. "You walked into a bedroom and I was lying down with someone else and that's when you flipped out?"
"No, I couldn't do anything," Audrey huffed. "And then you both got up and you were talking and laughing and touching-" She shuddered. "Oh, it made me so mad!"
"You know it's not real, right?" Ben gave her an easy, soft smile that made her heart forget it was angry. "I'm here, not there. There's no one else right now. I'm your boyfriend."
They heard the crashing of water up ahead and rounded a bend to reveal a little pond with several different tiny waterfalls rippling down a creek. Audrey hummed as she took a seat on a little wooden bench and then withdrew her water bottle from her backpack. "I know," she mumbled and took a long drink. "I just… feel a little insecure, is all."
"Insecure?" Ben burst into laughter again. "You? Audrey Rose? Insecure?"
Audrey grumbled and yanked back on her zipper as if to punish the poor article for her boyfriend's teasing. Ben dropped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She leaned into his side a little and focused on the waterfall bubbling over the rocks in the creek.
"I know it's silly," she muttered in his ear. "I guess I just feel like… you could have anyone you wanted and just… anyone would be happy with you. You're just that person."
"Thank you," Ben laughed. "But that's not a reason to be insecure. I pick you, Audrey. It's you and I. Don't forget that."
Mal kicked her legs back and forth as she sat splayed across the couch in Belle's library with her knees over the armrest. She turned a page in the book she was reading – which was on artists – and Audrey fumed. Of course, the girl would like art. It was something she admired too. Her dreams had to give this girl similar attributes so that Audrey could continue feeling insignificant and overlooked and…
Ben appeared, dropping his suit coat on the back of an armchair, and then sitting down on the opposite side of the couch where Mal's feet were kicking back and forth lazily. Mal yelped as the cushions shifted towards him. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her forward until her head had dropped onto his lap and then pushed his fingertips through her purple hair.
"Hard meeting?" She asked as he leaned down to press their foreheads together. She carefully laid the book out on her lap so she could reach up and pet her hands through his hair.
"Not really," Ben hummed, taking a deep breath of her scent. "I'm just happy to see you."
"I see that," Mal chuckled, kissing his cheek before he leaned back up and grabbed her book. "What are you reading?" He asked.
"Mine!" Mal whined, taking it back and sitting up. She leaned past him to the table and snatched a smaller book with white lettering. "Here's yours," she grumbled, shoving it into his grasp. She laid back down on his lap as he laughed and thumbed to a page in the book. His hand found it's way back down to be tangled in her locks.
Audrey expected Mal to just go back to her reading, but the purple-haired princess shut her book and closed her eyes as Ben's fingertips massaged her scalp. And Ben started reading aloud, almost as if they had arranged for this. As if it had happened before.
"Set fire to all your maps," Ben murmured, combing her hair back over his legs as she kept quiet with her head falling in between his legs. "forget how it's always been. We're explorers of the heart, learning to dream again. The adventure of a lifetime, with Love alone as our guide. Exotic places beyond imagination – ones we've longed for deep inside."
"You always pick the romantic ones when you read," Mal told him, reaching up to run her fingers down his chin. "You don't have to filter things just because I'm here."
Ben just gave her a goofy grin and set the book down. He kept reciting, even though he wasn't looking at the pages anymore. "Eyes are the soul's windows, I know this to be true – for when I gaze into yours, it's such a beautiful view."
Mal laughed as he kissed her cheek, then her jaw, creeping down closer to her neck. His mouth hovered over the fluttering pulse in her neck. And she only laughed before Audrey felt her vision begin to dim.
She sprang up, breathing heavily, in her bed at home. Utterly filled with hate towards all books and every memory she had of Ben ever reading anything aloud ever.
"So, we're now avoiding the library," Ben snorted as a way to start a conversation. He finished plugging in the old television set and then began sorting through his phone to find pictures and videos to look through. Audrey huffed as she set down hot chocolate, popcorn, and a bunch of assorted fruit in bowls.
"Not really – well – I'm just frustrated right now, okay?" She sat down and pulled a blanket over her legs. "I'm sorry. I swear I'll get over it soon."
Ben rolled his eyes and sighed. He then sat back as his phone started a montage of memories. They were doing a home movie thing for a date night. Audrey would have preferred to go out somewhere and do something, but Ben was a huge fan of these 'at-home, low-key, personal' dates. Some of the ideas were cute, but others Audrey had a hard time trying to keep from spitting out the words 'tacky' and 'cheap' at.
There were just some things she had to sacrifice, she supposed, and her political pride during personal events was one of them.
Ben laid his chin on her shoulder and began to candidly explain things about the various old pictures. Many of these early ones were from his middle school years. She saw many of their old friends, such as Chad Charming or Herkie, hanging out in classrooms and at people's houses together. She wasn't in many of them as she and Ben had gone to different schools. His mother also made many appearances as photos of them at professional events making funny faces flashed across the screen.
"That photo was from some art gala," Ben mumbled as a photo of him, two feet shorter than his dad and in a white suit, appeared. "I was having an obsession with white everything. I even painted my nails white. See?"
"Who told you that was a good idea?" Audrey made a face. "You look blinding."
Ben laughed and nodded. "I liked the nail polish," he shrugged, holding up one hand as if he could still see it on him. "Maybe I'd look good with navy blue now."
"Please do us all a favor and don't try it," Audrey stuck out her tongue. "I'm sorry, Benny-boo, but nail polish just doesn't belong on guys." She traced her own long acrylic nails down his cheek and Ben snapped at them playfully.
"I don't think it matters," he said. "Just so long as I don't try and wear white again. Oh! I had a sky-blue suit too that my mother hated. Maybe we'll see it up here."
"Sky blue?" Audrey made a face as if she were barfing. "I'm glad to see your style has gotten better." Then, she paused. "Well, at least with your suits."
"Hey, my socks are amazing!" Ben snapped back playfully. Audrey began to laugh. He knew exactly what she'd been poking at. He kicked a foot up and out from under the blanket to show her his current adornments. They were toe socks whose fronts had been decorated to look like he was wearing a suit on his feet. Little buttons and a red tie and everything. Audrey groaned.
"Come on," he coaxed. "They're great. Admit it."
"You are such a dork," she snickered.
"A dork?" Ben faked outrage and poked her side. Audrey flinched and yelped and a wicked smile spread across Ben's face. "You take that back!" He demanded, digging his fingers even firmer into her sides. Audrey writhed and began to laugh.
"No!" She screeched, trying to arc away from him. Don't you dare – stop it!"
"Take it back!" Ben demanded, grabbing her arms and pinning her so he could dance his fingers up and down her sides. Audrey howled and squirmed.
"Oh," Ben paused when the screen changed and shook his head. "There's the suit. Talk about awful middle-school memories."
Audrey looked up and almost passed out when she saw Ben in a suit so vividly blue that she didn't even recognize him for a few seconds. "Oh god," she groaned. "I think I might throw up."
"Oh, come on, that was my favorite suit," Ben laughed even though it was clear he, too, regretted the look.
He helped her back up and they curled into each other again, watching as the screen began to display more recent things, with some of Audrey's fashion faux pas appearing before it was over. Audrey had to hold back groans every time she saw herself. Goodness, why had she ever thought that was a good idea?
"I like this," Ben whispered into her hair when he reached for her phone to switch out with his. "I like doing this."
Audrey shrugged. "I still could have gone for dinner someplace," she admitted. "But this is nice. It's good to remember I'm not the only one with awful pre-teen memories."
"Stand still."
Audrey almost screamed when she heard the familiar, smooth-as-silk voice. Ben, on the other hand, laughed as he tried to hold a pose beside an open window. Mal was standing in front of a very tall canvas, sketching a very quick outline of him while he gazed out over the palace grounds. She worked fast and her hands made quick work of his body before she sighed and nodded, and he stepped away to stand behind her and watch as she worked.
"Is my head really that large?" he asked as she penciled in the outline of the mirror and then took a palette which had hung on the wall. They were in an art room, with paint-splashed countertops and open drawers of art supplies as Mal stood in the center behind an easel.
"It only seems that way because there's no shading," she assured him, stepping away towards where Audrey could see various types of paint in a box. As she shuffled through, collecting browns and greys and blues, Ben stepped up and flicked his eyes from the window to the canvas.
"It looks good," he complimented her. "Why are you painting me again?"
"Because the national art foundation asked if I could donate and you're my favorite model," Mal teased, leaning towards him as she balanced her palette. Her wedding band sparkled on her hand. Audrey would have grit her teeth if she could.
"Is this oil or acrylic?" Ben asked as she opened a canister. Ben leaned forward to examine it and then leaped back with his eyes watering. "Oil," he coughed.
Mal nodded. "Yup," she affirmed, smiling at him as she took his place in front of the canvas. "You know, if I wanted, I could give you a funny hair color." She took a grey, added some brown in, and began to paint the walls in her picture with thoughtful, textured strokes.
"Make me purple," Ben nodded in agreement, taking a chair that had been set aside for him and sitting down with his legs splayed. "Everyone will start spreading rumors that you want to have a son and we can laugh while they all freak out."
"Or it could be an allegory for how I wish you were?" Mal suggested, mixing a lighter shade of the tan for the walls next to the window. Audrey was sure no one could paint so accurately on the first try in real life and was rather annoyed at her imagination for making her believe it could be so.
"But those rumors are going around constantly," Ben protested, though hints of annoyance had crept into his voice and were now betraying his real feelings. "Rumors that you're pregnant only start every-"
"Other hour."
"-six months or so." Ben raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Mal and leaned back with his back hitting the wall.
Mal hummed, drawing a dark streak for the shadows Ben had cast on the wall and then spared him a surreptitious glance as he fell silent, watching her work. "I'm… happy the way we are now," she told him.
Ben nodded. "Me too," he agreed. And that seemed to be the end of it. Mal was smiling as she turned back to work on her painting. She couldn't see it, but Ben was smiling and rolling his eyes too.
"Go slow."
"I'm going to fall and break my neck!"
"No, you won't. You just have to learn to glide, not walk."
Audrey watched, unimpressed, as Ben stepped out onto the ice and began to skate in a small circle to demonstrate to her what to do. Audrey pouted. Most kids in Auradon hung out with their parents in the great outdoors and therefore learned activities such as skiing, snowboarding, climbing, and skating. However, Audrey had been raised in sunnyside Auroria and hated getting cold. Therefore, while most of her friends could skate, she could not.
Nor did she want to.
She took a tentative step forward in her skate. "Just like walking in heels," she thought. "Just stay on your toes and-"
She took a step onto the ice and very nearly slid into the splits.
Splits. As in gymnastics. As in something she could do with ease. None of this foolish sliding around without warmth or friction.
If only spring could come instantaneously and melt this entire frigid landscape so she and Ben could go swimming instead. Audrey traced her boyfriend's frame as he skidded to a stop and looked at her expectantly, trying to imagine him shirtless even as he was waiting for her. Her cheeks grew red.
"Can you get out?" Ben asked.
"No," Audrey snapped, withdrawing a few steps. "Ugh. Why do you like this? It's so… cold!"
Ben sighed and rolled his eyes good-naturedly and then skated over to offer her his hands. "Just get on the ice," he directed, "don't lock up your knees and push off one of your feet at a time."
"But then they get too far apart!" Audrey whined.
"You don't keep pushing off. Just little pushes. You know what, come on, I'll hold onto you for the first little bit. Come on, Audrey." Ben opened and closed his hand to further urge her to take it.
Audrey finally clasped his fingers, growling a little at the scratch of gloves. She took a few steps forward and then Ben began skating backward. She balked at him. "How are you doing that?" she demanded.
Ben shrugged. "My dad did it once and then I had to learn so I could race him," he explained. "It's not that hard. Like riding a bike."
"I'd rather do that," Audrey grumbled. "Is there a bike I could ride on the ice? At least so I don't have to worry about falling?"
Ben shook his head. "No. I know some places have kid-helps you can use that you push, but you still have to use your legs."
"What if the blade went all the way around the wheel?" Audrey asked. "I feel like that would work. It's the same technology as the bike."
"Except for the propulsion," Ben shook his head. "Ice Skates glide. A bike like that would grind. Pedaling would be impossible without any friction for the wheels to catch onto."
Audrey sighed. "That's what I get for dating the son of Belle, I suppose," she grumbled. Ben laughed. He let go of her hands then and she waved them around frantically to get her balance. "Ben!" She squawked.
"Just glide," Ben nodded at her feet, then began pushing off of his own to increase the distance between them. "Come on! Try to keep up!"
"Oh no!" Audrey yelped, trying and failing to get to an upright position. "Don't leave! Prince Benjamin Flor-" she slipped and crashed face-first into the ice. She heard Ben rush over and grab her hands.
"Audrey?" he asked, trying to help her up. "Are you alright? Oh… dear." He stopped, staring at her, and sighed.
Audrey fumed. Blood was dripping down her nose and she was pretty sure she was going to have a shiner of an eye for a good little while. She shoved him back and began to crawl back towards the snowbanks. To her shame, Ben didn't even fall when she pushed him. He just started gliding backward.
"I'm done," Audrey decided, picking up a handful of snow to press to her nose. "I don't like cold. Take me home, please, Ben."
"Remind me again why we do this?" Mal asked, taking a seat in front of the mirror with a sigh. Ben rolled his eyes as he picked his brush up and began brushing her hair back from her face. He pulled open the second drawer for a claw clip to secure it back and then began pulling out tons and tons of different types of makeup.
"We could just not," Ben shrugged, glancing at her with a smirk. "I could let you do your makeup and you could just not care about the news sources afterward. I mean, it'd be just like when we first started dating, before you got sick of everyone saying things about how-"
"I got it," Mal cut him off, grumbling while he ducked his head to hide his smirk. She gazed at all the different products with a grumble and didn't comment much further than a groan when he handed her a rag and a face scrub and directed her to wash her face off.
Audrey had already known the other girl didn't wear much makeup. It hadn't occurred to her that it was because she didn't like it.
"What's that?" Mal snarled at a colorful bottle as Ben set it down. It looked like a kid's product and featured a dancing watermelon slice.
"Relax," Ben snorted the same way he did when Audrey did something he found amusing. "It's a detangler. So, I spray it in your hair-" he did, one long spritz down a lock that Mal flinched away from, "-and then I take the brush and – viola!" He held up a freshly-detangled lock of hair. Mal perked up.
"Wait, so it makes it so you don't have to take five years detangling my hair?" She asked, picking up the bottle and sneering at the watermelon.
"Exactly," Ben agreed.
"Why didn't you tell me about this back when we first got married?" Mal demanded. "Or better yet, when we first started dating?"
"Because Evie told me it existed last week and I had to go through my acceptance period to realize such a wonderful product existed," Ben explained, taking the bottle from her so he could spray down her hair. "Also because I had to have Chip run down to town for it."
Mal sighed in relief as Ben brushed through her hair without any trouble and finished scrubbing her face with the rag. Ben plugged in a set of hot rollers, which Mal also sneered at before he began picking his way through the makeup.
Audrey knew Ben liked makeup. She also knew he was good at it. But she never, in a million years, would have let Ben see her without makeup, much less help her do hers. This other girl shared none of the same qualms, and that only fueled Audrey's disdain for her. How dare she not share her reservations? How dare she be a better compliment for Ben than Audrey was?
Ben occasionally wore touch-up and contour makeup for events and he was sometimes invited to girls' sleepovers specifically so he could decorate them, but he was never really allowed to go crazy and do his own thing. It was always at someone else's command or, on him, had to be socially acceptable and fitting for the event. Audrey doubted Belle ever would have let her son try going out in public with lipstick and fake lashes. She'd never seen him like this – with his own personal non-protesting canvas who seemed content to let him put anything on her face so long as his hands lingered there.
Mal held still as Ben drew contour lines across her face, around her nose, and underneath her eyes. She grumbled and shifted as he twisted her hair up in the rollers. She flinched away briefly when he applied primer to her eyelids, but then melted into his palms when he cupped her cheek to blend a striking mix of black, green, and gold across her eyelids.
It was making her uncomfortable to watch.
"You don't need three different reds," Mal deadpanned when Ben withdrew blush brushes to drag across her cheekbones. "They all look the same once they're on anyway."
"I don't get to do this on me, so just hush," Ben implored. "And they don't look the same. This one has blue undertones and this one has yellow."
"Blue?" Mal repeated. "They're all reds!"
"You're an artist – shouldn't you know the difference in colors?"
"My knowledge only applies to noble forms of art."
Audrey watched, slightly impressed, as Ben flicked out the wings of Mal's eyeliner in a method that had taken her years to learn. When he was satisfied, he handed her a mascara tube and then turned to sort through lipsticks. Mal sighed and leaned closer to the mirror, pinching her lips into a frown as she unscrewed the tube.
"I hate this stuff," She snapped when she was done with the first eye.
"I know," Ben replied simply. "But hey, you'll be the talk of the tabloids and I get to play with makeup. Win-win."
Mal only grumbled and tossed the tube back into the mix. Ben snorted and turned around with a vivid pink in his hand. On the back of his arm, he'd tested a few different shades to find the one he was looking for. Mal snorted when she saw the streaks. Audrey couldn't blame her. He looked ridiculous, in her opinion, but content.
Ben took her face with a soft touch and drew her in closer, almost with gaze alone. Mal's eyes landed on his lips as he dragged his thumb over her bottom lip to part the two and uncapped the lipstick with his other thumb.
"Hold still," he whispered in a tone she hadn't heard before. Just because it was new didn't mean she couldn't immediately place it, though. It was desire. It was want. It was him pretending he wasn't captivated by her and that he was still in control despite the fact he'd probably melt if Mal decided to kiss him.
Mal blushed underneath her makeup. Ben dragged the tip of the stick around the perimeter of her mouth and then slowly filled it in, cradling her jaw all the while.
He kept hold of her face when finished until her cheeks flushed and she leaned forward into him. Then he withdrew with a laugh and started removing rollers from her hair.
When he finished, Audrey had to admit that she looked beautiful. Ben had clearly been working with her face shape and skin tones for a very, very long time. He knew what looked good on her.
Ben turned her back towards the mirror with a proud expression. "See?" He beamed. "You're going to blow everyone away tonight."
"All thanks to you," Mal hummed, closing her eyes and leaning back into him. Ben's smile only grew even brighter and more proud. "Ben, why don't you do this to yourself every once in a while? Let Auradon know that you like it and you think it's fun. It won't make you any less of a king to them."
Ben's smile faded and he shrugged. "I'm kinda content to just play with your appearance," he shrugged. "And all of this doesn't usually fit in well with suits."
"Wear a dress, then," Mal suggested, but at this, Ben's face twisted into one of clear disgust. He liked his suits, actually. "Or not. Well, you could always do a bit of blue eyeliner and get away with it. That's what Evie does when the kids get her too busy."
Ben shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed. "I remember I used to paint my nails as a pre-teen, but I stopped once I got to high school. Audrey once told me that she didn't think nail polish belonged on guys."
"Audrey is a traditional princess," Mal kissed his cheek, leaving a faint imprint that Ben immediately wiped away before catching her face to correct her lip coat with his nail. "You're not a traditional king. Everyone already knows that."
"That is true," Ben shrugged in acquiescence. "Maybe I'll try it sometime. We could do something to you too."
"I could get some horns?" Mal offered with a smirk that was just… evil spreading across her face.
Ben burst into laughter and then kissed the top of her curly hair. "God, you look beautiful," he whispered.
Mal turned and pressed her forehead against his shirt. "Only with you here," she replied.
Sometimes, dating Ben felt like dating a member of the citizenry. He didn't care to spend lots of money, preferred home dates, was very close to his parents and treated them as parents rather than overseers, and never mentioned his status or future to people when they went places. But other times(and these were the times Audrey loved)… this happened.
The doorbell rang. Audrey's father opened it with a smile. A white limo was in the drive with a golden crown ornament of the hood. Ben was standing on the doorstep, hair combed back and spicy cologne floating in the doorway, holding a dozen red roses in his arms. Audrey floated forward, pushing her bouncy ringlets behind her ear, and smiled her biggest, brightest smile.
"Happy Birthday!" Ben exclaimed from the doorstep. He presented the bouquet. "These are for you."
"Twelve?" Audrey asked, hands shaking as heat burned her cheeks. "You're being flirtatious,"
"Eleven plus one," Ben agreed with a smile, and Audrey's blush burned even deeper into her skin. He looked up at Audrey's father then as Audrey turned to where one of the servants had already procured a vase for her flowers. She pressed the thorn-less stems into the maid's hands and whispered a request to put them in the window of her room.
Ben and Audrey's father finished shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, and affirming when he'd be required to drop her back off. Then he offered her his arm and she felt like she was floating as he guided her down her front steps to where he opened her door for her and a footman greeted her as 'Princess Audrey'.
"Where are we going?" Audrey asked, curling into his shoulder in the car.
"I booked your favorite place, down by Oceania," Ben replied, reaching for her hand and twisting their fingers together. Audrey's face felt like it would stretch too far and split.
He escorted her inside, dipping his head uncomfortably when servers bowed for them. They got a private room overlooking the ocean and with only one table in sight.
"Thank you for this," Audrey said after the first course. "You always know just what I like."
Ben just shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm glad you like it," he said and reached across the table for her hand. It wasn't easy – the table was a bit longer than his family table at home – but she met him halfway and tangled their fingers together. "I want you to be happy."
"You make me happy," Audrey told him.
Ben smiled a tight little smile. "I'm glad," he whispered.
She had to get a bunch of photos of them to post online about how amazing he was, of course. But she could tell when Ben's smile began to be a bit strained after the tenth set of photos and so she set her phone down to focus on him and try to give him the attention he deserved. He didn't like being photographed constantly. That was fine. She loved him anyway.
"It means a lot that you stopped and did this for me, Benny-bear," she hummed, taking a long sip from her fluted glass. "I know you prefer quiet stuff with not lots of things around, and I'm grateful that you're doing this for me even though I know you'd rather do something else."
The strain in Ben's smile vanished and he perked up a little. "Of course," he nodded, smiling at her as if she was the most priceless thing on the planet. "I'm glad it makes you happy."
Then, he cleared his throat and shrugged. "Besides, you have been going along with a lot of my stuff recently. This was kinda overdue."
It was, wasn't it?
They made it through dinner. The waiters and waitresses came over to serenade her with 'Happy Birthday'. Ben sang along and she didn't think it was possible to feel more special.
Then, walking out to the car, Ben glanced at the ocean and asked if she wanted to take a walk on the beach with him.
What? No.
With seaweed on the beach and then tiny sand particles that dried up your skin and clogged your pores and itched between her toes? Audrey would have to shower when she got home. And after she'd spent four hours on her curls!
"Um, I'd rather not," she winced and bit her lip when Ben's expression solemnized.
"That's okay," he agreed. "It's getting closer to your curfew anyways."
But Audrey saw him glance back towards the waves breaking onto the beach and sighed. She leaned down and yanked off her $450 Tamara Mellon glass shoes before tucking them into her purse and taking Ben's hand. "Come on," she decided. "Just a quick walk."
They walked hand-in-hand down towards the waves. Ben ended up holding his dress shoes and rolling his slacks up like they were blue jeans or something before he stepped into the surf and kicked the water back out to the ocean with a laugh. Audrey made a face as he bent down and picked up a red shell that had been peeping up through the sand.
"It's shaped like a heart!" He announced with glee. "Do you want it?"
Audrey blushed and was suddenly a little more glad that they had come down. She took the shell, rinsed it as best she could in the surf, and then stowed it away in her purse. "Thanks," she giggled.
Then, as they continued their walk down the surf, Audrey felt a sharp stab in her foot. "Ouch!" she yelped and grabbed her foot. Ben snatched her arm, narrowly helping her avoid falling into the surf.
"Woah!" He exclaimed. "Did you step on a shell?"
"Blasted, sneaky little things," Audrey frowned. Her foot was bleeding.
"Oh well," Ben laughed. Audrey's frown grew deeper. Why was he laughing? She had gotten hurt and this had been his idea.
Ben swept her off her feet and into his arms. "Look," he said, securing his arms around her legs, "It's okay. No harm is done. I'll just carry you back to the car."
This, Audrey decided, was the type of romance she'd been born for. Just her handsome Prince Charming and her.