Hey everyone! Since this is February, I am finally working on this story again (despite Valentine's Day being my least favorite holiday. Almost every year I get sick on or around it)! So, I hope you enjoy!
Ben had fallen asleep after a while and woke up around lunchtime.
"Hey sleeping beauty," Mal said in a light teasing tone. "Will you be okay for a few minutes while I go get us something to eat?"
Ben nodded, holding back a cough. "I'll be fine."
Mal didn't seem completely convinced, but she started to walk towards the door anyway. As soon as she was out the door, Ben got up, grabbing a tissue to muffle his cough, and reached for the pile of books, which contained the folder that held the documents he had to look over. It was mandatory to finish those papers in the next two days. And he still had to put the finishing touches on his surprise for Mal...
Mal had only made it to the end of the hallway when she saw someone familiar turn the corner. "Hey Belle, what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see how Ben was doing," Belle answered as she held up a picnic basket she was carrying. "I also brought you both some lunch to spare you the trouble of having to go get it."
"Thanks Belle," Mal said as she started to lead Belle to her dorm. "That's really thoughtful of you."
"I'd figure it's the least I can do since you're taking care of Ben while he's ill," Belle said. "It's no easy task either. He definitely inherited his father's stuborness."
"You can say that again," Mal said. "He wouldn't even admit that he had pnuemonia."
Belle giggled. "That doesn't surprise me. Ben almost never admits that he's sick."
When they reached Mal's dorm room, Mal opened the door, and to their surprise, they saw Ben sitting up in his bed, doing paper work.
"BENJAMIN FLORIAN BEAST!" Belle yelled.
Ben almost dropped his folder. "Mom?!"
Belle just put her hands on her hips. "You know you aren't supposed to do paperwork when you're ill! It causes you more stress, which makes you sicker!"
"But mom, I really need-" Ben whined before Belle interrupted.
"Especially with pneumonia!" Belle exclaimed. "Do you realize how dangerous pneumonia can be?! More people have died from it than the flu!"
Ben nodded before he started coughing. Once he stopped, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "I know, mom."
Belle's facial features softened as she ran her fingers through her son's hair. "Why don't we eat some lunch now, and then you can have a bath. It will help lower your fever."
Mal just stood to the side and let Belle's motherly instincts take over. Mal had seen Belle go into mama-bear mode before, and she knew that it was best just to let Belle do her job. For lunch, Belle had brought Mal and herself ham and cheese sandwiches, and for Ben, she had brought chicken noodle soup. Ben insisted that he could feed himself, but Belle spoon-fed him anyway, only stopping when Ben needed to cough.
When they had finished lunch, Mal looked at the clock. "Ben, you need to take your antibiotics."
"Do I have-" Ben said before being silenced by his mother's glare. "Alright." As soon as he took his antibiotics, Belle lead Ben into the bathroom to take a bath. A few minutes later, Mal got a text from Evie.
Evie: How's Ben doing?
Mal rolled her eyes as she thought about what Ben had done. He's being stubborn about the whole thing. He even tried doing paperwork when I wasn't looking.
Evie: Geez Mal, you have your hands full
Mal: You're telling me. Luckily, Belle stopped by and pretty much sorted him out.
Evie: Well, that's good. At least she's there to help
Mal: Oh, so you're saying I can't handle him myself? ;)
Evie: You know what I mean.
Mal: Yeah, I do. Hopefully, after this Ben will be less stubborn.
Evie: Hopefully. I have some deliveries to make this afternoon, so I'll drop by after class
Sounds good to me. Ever since Cotillion, everyone had been asking Evi e to make clothing for them, including people from other kingdoms. During the past few weeks, Evie had gotten a ton of offers for Valentine's Day, to the point where she even had to ask Mal if she could use her closet space. Mal rejected it of course, but Evie still snuck a few dresses in there.
Once she heard the bathroom door open, she looked up. Belle was leading Ben, who looked wet and shaky, towards the bed. As soon as she set Ben down, he promptly cocooned himself in the covers.
"That should bring his fever down at least a little bit," Belle said. "And I've talked some sense into him, so hopefully he'll be less stubborn now."
"I heard that!" Ben protested from under the covers.
Belle giggled. "I'll be back to check on him in the morning. Take good care of him."
Mal nodded. "I will." As soon as Belle said goodbye to Ben and left, Mal turned to Ben. "So did you learn your lesson?"
Ben groaned as he lifted his head. "Yes, I did."
Mal sat down and brushed Ben's bangs out of his face. "Ben, we just care about you. We don't want you to get worse."
"I know," Ben started to say before he started coughing again. After the coughing finally subsided, Ben began to speak again. "Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, and I just wanted to make it special, you know? I had a whole picnic planned, and-"
Mal put her finger up to Ben's lips before she spoke. "Ben, I know Valentine's Day is important to you, but honestly, the only thing that matters is that I get to spend time with you. Besides, we can always have the picnic another day."
Ben nodded, his eyes dropping. "I guess you're right."
Mal smiled. "Why don't you get some sleep now?"
Within a week, Ben was back on his feet again; however the doctor said that Ben still had to take it easy for about a month or so. Although to Mal, that meant until his fatigue and cough had fully vanished. And an indoor picnic seemed like just the thing to do to relax.
"You really out did yourself this year," Mal said as she took a bite out of a chocolate covered strawberry.
"Well, I did have to up my game over roses and chocalates, " Ben replied. "Besides, I know fancy dinners aren't your thing." Mal nodded, not being able to say anything due to the fact that her mouth was full. "You know, I never did get to thank you for taking care of me this past week."
Once Mal swallowed, she smiled. "Anytime, Ben. After all, don't you Auradonians say "Through sickness and through health?"
Ben chuckled. "We do, but we usually say that at weddings."
Mal shrugged. "I know, but it's the same for us."
"Yeah, I guess so," Ben said.
Little did they know that they would be exchanging those vows sooner than they would think.
Whew! Finally done! Despite college, work, and at times typing from a Kindle and a cellphone. I will go back and edit any errors, and rewrite the ending so it's a bit less rushed. Also, I don't know if I already said thos, but these one shots take place between Descendants 2 and Descendants 3. The reason why... Well, you're going to have to wait until next year to find out. But I will be updating my other stories in the meantime.