Christmas week at the castle was really emotional for Mal. She had never really experienced Christmas before. The most exposure she had had to the holidays before this year was bitterly watching parades on the half broken TVs on the Isle with Evie. The castle was the heart of it all. There was so much hustle and bustle going on. The staff was always running about. There were smiles and singing filling all the halls. There was greenery and glitz in every nook and cranny. The whole castle was buzzing with holiday cheer and energy. Mal could hardly believe she was apart of it. Ben and his parents really made her feel like family. It was bittersweet. Some moments she felt warmed by the affection, but there were a handful of times it made her emotional thinking she had never gotten this family time from her own parents. She'd never really let herself think about that when she lived on the Isle. Every day was fight or flight and Mal chose fight. But her life was different now and it sometimes left her room to think of things she hadn't considered when she was in survival mode.
But most of the time she was just taking in all the joy and new experiences. Mal helped Mrs. Potts and Chip bake some of the desserts last night. She was enjoying Ben having a little holiday reprieve from his King duties. Seeing him be able to relax and let loose with his family warmed her heart. She was also enjoying helping Belle finish up planning the New Year Ball which would be hosted in the castle's grand ballroom. This year they decided to hold it in her honor considering it was to be her 18th birthday on December 31st. They knew and respected Mal didn't want a big fuss. So the invitations didn't go out as such. But she was okay with them planning some things in her honor at the event. It was not something she thought she would be excited about. The old her would have been overwhelmed or scoffing at the trivial femininity of it all. But the new Mal was confident since opening up and becoming closer with Ben and his family.
The grand ballroom was only used for just that, balls. So it was locked most of the time. Belle handed Ben the key outside the door so he could unlock it and let the staff in to prepare. Mal could tell this wasn't something he had ever done before. Watching the exchange between Ben and his mom, she knew this was a special moment. When those doors pushed open Mal gapped in awe, most people had never seen Mal's jaw drop that far in her 17 years of life. There was so much to take in Mal's eyes didn't know what the settle on. The room was one gigantic dance floor. Stone pillars rose tall and held up a balcony above. Mal's feet carried her to the center of the room almost on their own accord. She was drawn to an enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling, 4 layers deep with countless crystals. Everything felt like it was dusted or detailed in gold. And it contrasted beautifully will all the blue sky you could see coming in from the glorious windowpanes that reached all the way up to the ceiling and spanned the entire exterior wall, leading to an outdoor balcony. Ben watched Mal take it all in, never letting go of her hand. This was such an important room in his family's history. Even if he had been in here countless times growing up it had never felt quite like it did now, sharing it with Mal. She finally turned to face back at him and he pulled her in for a little spin.
She laughed, "Save it for the ball Benjamin. There's no music!"
Belle was transported back to the first time she had laid eyes on the ballroom as well and she was trying not to cry watching the sweet exchange between Mal and her son. "It never loses any of it's wonder. In all the years I've lived here I can never decide which room in the castle holds my heart more, this or the grand library. Both hold such important memories for Adam and I."
Mal turned towards Belle. She could see the emotion in her eyes. She was sharing it with Mal and Mal didn't take that for granted for a second. "It's so beautiful. I can see why it it is so special to you."
"Adam and I shared our first dance here. When this castle only held the two of us. I remember the first ball here I was quite emotional. I almost didn't want to share this sacred space with anyone but him. It felt too intimate. But now I'm glad to see it filled with love and laughter and family." Adam joined them just in time to hear his wife's walk down memory lane. He placed a hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there and she reached up instinctively to grab it and kiss it. Mal watched the exchange in wonder. She didn't grow up with two parents who really loved each other. Mal knew she loved Ben and that he loved her, but their love was so new. It didn't have the history behind it that she could see in their eyes when Ben's parents looked at each other. She allowed herself for a moment to imagine what that might feel like one day.
Mal heard the faint beginning notes on the piano and her head turned to see Chip playing at the grand piano, "Would your majesties like to indulge us in a dance down memory lane?" Mrs. Pott's was tearing up behind him and it was then that Mal noticed so was the rest of the staff. Ben and Mal moved out of the center to make room for his parents and he held her from behind off to the side to watch them glide and spin across the floor in a familiar waltz. The only word that came to Mal's mind to describe this moment was 'magical'. She could tell this was emotional for Ben as well by the way he squeezed her tight. His lips brushed her ear, "I've heard this story a million times, but seeing it now as if watching a homemade film and sharing my family with you brings out an entirely new meaning." Mal snuggled back even closer to Ben. She finally felt totally safe and herself in his arms and she couldn't help but let a happy tear slip with the rest of the staff. Everyone clapped as Belle and Adam shared their last spin and bowed to each other. Adam turned to his family with a wide smile, "Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I couldn't be happier than I am in this moment sharing this with all of you."
After Christmas Eve dinner Belle, Adam, Ben, and Mal settled in to watch a holiday movie, per their tradition. A couple months ago Mal might have felt out of place or intrusive on Ben's family's everyday casual moments. But she felt so included that she felt no awkwardness about snuggling up with Ben on the couch next to his parents. She cuddled up into his side and absent mindedly rubbed circles into his ribcage while they watched. Ben lightly held her hand and brought it up for a kiss. When he settled it back on his chest he didn't let go of it. Mal didn't realize how tantalizing her touch had been to Ben. He looked down at her unaware as she watched Elf and laughed easily. Since they started having sex almost every touch from her felt arousing, even ones as innocent as a brush of their hands. When he'd said to Az he wasn't sure how he was going to control himself, that still held true two weeks later. He'd almost forgotten himself in the middle of the skating rink just a few days prior. And worse he didn't seem to care at all. He just felt so drunk in love and reckless.
Belle completed passed out not even halfway through the movie so his parents said goodnight and went up to bed. They left them with one last warning of not staying up too late so they could enjoy a nice morning Christmas Day together. Ben was honestly surprised they left them alone. It was not as if his parents had been on top of them purposefully trying to stop them from being alone together. But it also wasn't like they were encouraging them to be alone together either. Ben pulled Mal's face close to his and whispered, letting their noses brush back and forth intimately, "Merry Christmas Eve Mal."
"Merry Christmas Eve Ben," Mal closed the mere centimeter gap between them and kissed him sweetly.
"Stay with me tonight, I've missed you." Ben was entranced in the moment. Right now he didn't care that Chip was staying down the hall or that he was still living under his parents roof. Ben didn't care about propriety and he didn't care about getting caught. He felt, not as if he should sneak or be ashamed of his actions, but rather that it was his right as an adult, as king, and as a man in love to have Mal belong in his bed.
Mal cracked a huge smile, "Yes."
There was no rushing up to the room and sneaking about the halls. Most of the staff was in bed already. The young couple just held hands and walked up to where Ben's suite was. There was a timeless serenity and romance about their walk. Like they lived outside of the real world tonight and in this moment. Maybe it was Christmas magic? Regardless the reason, Ben and Mal never wanted to wake from this spell. They were so happy to be spending their first of many Christmas's together.
As they entered his suite Ben locked the door behind them and swiftly pulled Mal into him by her waist. She caught herself on his shoulders and swooned a bit. He dove in for a kiss and nipped lightly on her bottom lip. Her breath caught. With every intimate moment they shared together Ben grew more and more into a man before her very eyes. He was so much more sure of himself and so much more confident now. Not just in sex but in everything. She could see a whole change in the way he carried himself. But maybe she noticed because she could never seem to take her eyes off of him. Mal hoped she was changing for the better as well.
Ben paused in his slow sensuous assault on her neck to ask huskily, "Mal can you silence the room?"
"Make these spoken words unheard," Mal whispered into the quiet space of the room and then turned back to keep kissing Ben. Without breaking their kiss he reached down and lifted her legs up effortlessly to wrap around his waist. He carried her back to lay her down on his bed. She watched on her elbows as he stepped back to swiftly remove his sleep shirt and pants before helping Mal remove her long t-shirt and leggings. They tumbled back onto the bed. Ben was moving so devoted and slow across her body. Her leg and knee ran up his leg and side trying to draw him in closer. But he was only moving lower to swipe at her core with his tongue. Mal cried out and her hands flew to his hair. "You must have missed me as much as I missed you this week because you're already so wet and I've barely touched you." Mal had no response but a pleasurable sigh, he was stating the obvious.
"Come back up here I need you," Mal tried to encourage again with her feet and this time it worked. Their eyes locked as he buried deep into her. He sighed loudly, he had missed her so much. It had only been a couple of days but he was famished for her touch. His arms slid under hers and he pulled her up to a reclined position. Mal threw one hand back to balance herself and shouted out in ecstasy. She was seeing stars with this new angle. Her other hand flew to the back of Ben's neck to anchor him to her. His grip bore into her hip and he bucked their lower halves together over and over, hitting Mal in a spot that made her close her eyes and let the flames consume her. His other hand stayed buried in her hair, their foreheads touching intimately and their pants mixing together. They were both moving in such an eb and flow they were chasing higher and higher while staying completely engulfed in each other. Their passion radiated off their embrace. Ben adjusted to have his entire arm wrap around her waist to give him more control over their thrusts as Mal was totally losing herself. All she could vocalize was higher and higher oos as Ben brought her over the edge and he tumbled over with her, spilling inside her.
They both tumbled over to the side and collapsed completely, breathing heavily and not allowing their faces to part more than an inch. Ben could barely breath but he had to speak, "I love you so much."
"Merry Christmas," Mal sighed as sleep started to engulf her.
