Red as Wine

(Day 42: Saturday Evening)

When Ben and Mal enter the restaurant she widens her eyes at the wide areas and dim, twinkling string lights, "Now I see why you wanted me to dress nice."

He looks over her burgundy top, black leather jacket, and dark jean skirt, "And you do look absolutely extravagant." before he takes her hand and kisses it.

After he straightens back up Mal laughs, "You know, when it comes to being royal you can be a real dork sometimes."

"It's not too much, is it?"

Mal shakes her head, "No. Actually, it's quite refreshing." and then she touches his shoulder. "Just don't do it too much. I don't need to be picking up any good habits."

He grins, "Oh, no! We wouldn't want that now, would we?"

Mal grins back, but then she notices the line and points ahead of them, "I think we've fallen behind."

"Yeah. We should fix that," Ben comments, before they move forward a few feet.

"Soo." Mal waits for him to turn back to her, "Do you bring all of your girlfriends here, or do they have to be accused of a crime first?"

Ben purses his lips before gesturing in hesitance, "I've only had one girlfriend before you, and I did not bring her here... So, you would be the first."

"That special, huh?" Mal asks.

"More like I order the same thing every time I come here," Ben explains, "and I wasn't comfortable enough with Audrey to let her see me eat it." His tense smile slowly forms into a frown. "I thought she might find it disgusting."

"But you're comfortable with eating it in front of me?"

He slightly smiles again, "Somehow I think you will hold less judgement on the dish I have planned for us tonight."

"Us?" Mal grins in surprise.

Ben steps forward to the podium, "I had a reservation set for six thirty."

The host nods, "Of course, King Ben. Right this way."

As they follow the waiter, Ben makes sure to answer Mal's previous question, "Trust me. I'm sure you're going to like it. And if for some reason you don't, then you can just give it to me and we can order you something else."

When the host escorts them through the wooden room divider Mal looks at Ben and uneasily says, "This is too kind of you."

He shrugs, "Not really. This is my normal seating area. I prefer the privacy."

When they sit down Mal looks over the diamond cutouts on the room divider, "Private enough to not be seen, but still see-through enough to not be paranoid."

"Precisely," Ben replies.

The host informs, "A waitress will be with you shortly." before he leaves between the two pillars of the wall opening.

Mal turns to Ben, "You said this was your normal seating area. That means that you have been here before— multiple times."

"Yes." Ben folds his hands together, "Funny thing, really… My father used to bring me here a lot." He sees Mal's interest. "Um. Well, you see." He shuts his eyes as he laughs, "I don't know why this is so hard to say."

"To say what?" Mal questions.

He hears her concern, "It's nothing, really. It's just that since my mom always insists on health and meat being overly cooked, my dad would bring me here… and the funny thing is—" He smiles uneasily. "We never really told her."

Mal laughs, "What? Are you eating the meat raw?"

"Not raaaw." Ben grins with unease, "Just rare, I guess?"

She slightly shakes her head, "Now, Ben. Don't you know that eating the blood of an animal is a sin?"

"I do," Ben uncomfortably answers. "Which I why I could never take Audrey here… Her family is very…"

"They believe in the invisible man that lives in the sky," Mal answers for him.

Ben nods, but he no longer smiles, "As do a lot of people here." He glances down at the red table cloth. "While my father was under the curse, the Roman Catholic Church became the predominate lawmaking authority of the land and influenced a lot of people, even today." He sees her frown, "They may have nearly burned my mother at the stake, thinking she was an enchantress herself, and they may have accused my father on several occasions of never having been human at all; however… not all Catholics are like that, and the religion, along with any which have branched forth from it, are to be respected." Mal stays quiet. "It's important that you're not blatant about your beliefs in public. There are still people who believe that if you don't believe in God, then you have no morality at all."

Mal nods down towards the table, "I understand." as she moves her eyes up at him.

"Oh, God," Ben shakes his head. "Sorry. I didn't mean for the conversation to get this, well, serious."

"It's fine," Mal manages. "I'm used to serious conversations… although, I'd much rather ask why your father doesn't take you here anymore."

"What?" he softly asks.

"Before," Mal explains. "You said your father would take you here, but you made it seem like he doesn't do that anymore."

Ben eyes the table for a second, "No. He doesn't."

It's quiet for a moment, before Mal replies, "How do you feel about that?"

"Honestly?" He looks up at her, "I'm perfectly fine with it." He takes a deep breath, "My father wasn't ever the easiest man to talk to in the first place, and now that I've become king…"

"What?" Mal prods on.

Ben shakes his head, "He just hasn't exactly been pleased with the changes I've made."

Mal opens her mouth to ask why, but before she can the dark haired waitress comes in, "Good evening, King Ben. Would you like the usual?"

He wets his lips before answering, "Yes, please— but without the sides— and she will have the same."

She writes it down, "Anything else I can do for you this evening?"

"Ahh, yeah," he remembers. "Instead of the Cola, may we get a bottle of red wine instead, please?"

She smiles, "Of course."

"Thank you."

Mal stares at him for a minute as the waitress leaves, before she tenses a smile, "Wine?"

"To celebrate," he finishes.

She slightly shakes her head, "What are we celebrating?"

"Valentine's Day. A quiet night together," he offers.

"Right," Mal slowly replies.

He frowns at the sight of her nervousness, "You did say that you drank before, right?"

Mal remembers the night his parents interrogated her, and she nearly laughs through a grin before nodding, "Yes. I did."

Ben smiles, "Good. I wouldn't want to force you to do something you didn't want to do."

Mal tenses to keep the smile, "No. Of course, not." and she keeps looking at him, wondering whether she should tell him or not; however, then she frowns. We just started dating, and I have enough baggage for him to deal with the way it is. He can't know about this too. "I'm just going to use the bathroom for a minute."

"Okay," he responds before pointing. "There should be one out there towards the left."

She nods, "Thank you." before she heads off to the bathroom.

When she goes inside she immediately takes out her phone and calls Jay. There's a ring, and then two, and then there's a third. "Mal?"

She lets out a breath of relief, "I'm so glad you picked up."

"What's going on?"

Mal can hear his concern, "I'm at dinner with Ben, and he's just ordered us a bottle of wine. What do I do?"

Jay sighs, "I'm guessing that just being honest with him isn't on the top of your to-do-list right now."

"Have you not been paying attention to everything that's been going on lately? He's a royal," Mal fiercely whispers. "And as his parents keep pointing out, I'm just a hybrid. And not only that, but I'm one trial away from being a criminal." She laughs in stress, "I feel like if I give him one more reason to leave me, then he will finally come to his senses and break up with me."

There's a pause, "Ben is a good guy, and he's way too understanding for his own good. I'm sure he wouldn't do that to you."

"Maybe, but that's not a risk I'm willing to take." There's silence for a minute. "Jay?"

"How in control do you feel right now?" he questions.

"Pretty in control, I guess," Mal answers. "I mean, it's not like I'd want him to see me drinking like that."

There's another pause, "I might have an idea, but I only want you to do it if you know you have control. If you have any fear of slipping up at all, then I don't want you to do it."

"I will be fine," Mal promises. "Just tell me what it is."

When Mal gets back to her seat she finds the meal has already been served, and she smiles at it, "This is a big steak."

"Only the biggest and juiciest this kingdom has to offer," Ben smiles back, but then it falters and he hesitates to continue. "You know, you were in the bathroom for a little while. Are you okay?"

"Oh," Mal nearly laughs. "Yeah. I just had to call Jay. He seemed worried."

"Worried?" Ben questions.

"Well, you know… with everything that's been going on lately and everything—"

"Ah. Right," Ben interrupts. "Of course, he would be worried. He is your friend after all… Right?"

Mal's frown slowly turns into a grin, "You're not jealous, are you?"

"Well, jealous, that is such a—"

"Because," Mal comments, "unless you'd like to be my brother instead, I recommend you to stop."

"Brother?" Ben's jaw drops in disbelief.

"We grew up together," Mal explains. "He sees me as a little sister… and low key, we're pretty sure our parents have been messing around for at least a few years now. So, even though we're not blood related, it doesn't make your jealousy any less weird."

"Jealousy?" Ben insecurely questions. "Who said anything about being jealous? Because, I am completely not jealous."

Mal cringes, "Forget about being a royal dork. I'm starting to think you're just being a dork in general."

"It is pretty awkward right now, isn't it?" he acknowledges.

"Yeah," Mal strains a smile. "It totally is."

"Well, in that case," Ben continues on from the subject. "Let's make a toast." Mal frowns briefly, as she picks up the wine glass. Ben smiles, "Here's a toast to Valentine's Day, your concerned brother, and my incredible dorkiness." He gestures, "I swear, I'm not always like this. I promise."

She smiles, "It's fine. People always find a way to make themselves look bad when they lack some kind of knowledge."

Ben nods, "True." before bringing his glass further up. "To our nice, quiet night together." Mal brings her glass up as well, and when the glasses clink she watches Ben wait the sound out. "It's bad luck to drink while it's chiming."

Mal nods, but it's not a moment later that she watches Ben bring the glass to his lips. She looks down at her own drink, before she wraps her lips tightly onto the glass and lifts it up. Immediately, she can smell the alcohol, and she shuts her eyes in an attempt not to think about it; however, it's then that the other smell catches her attention. Is that strawberries? She opens her eyes, but it feels like forever until Ben sets the glass back down. Eventually, though, he does, and she's able to do the same, making sure to take the napkin to her lips and wipe the red liquid off afterwards.

"So. What do you think?"

Mal's lips part as she eyes the glass, "It was amazing." but then she forces her attention away to the steak. She picks up the fork and knife, and as she cuts a piece off she watches the blood ooze out of the meat. "This is rare?"

"Well, it's not raw," he defends, as she smiles at him. "We can get you something else if you'd like."

Mal brings the slice into her mouth and chews it, "Mmm." before swallowing it. "Don't you dare. This has to be the best thing I've ever had."

Ben sighs, "I am so relieved to hear you say that." but then he sees Mal frown. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," she quietly answers. "It's just that my mom, she would actually eat meat raw sometimes." Her eyes move up to the left. "In fact, as you probably already know, she ate people." Mal looks back at him, "I don't want to become like her."

He looks between Mal and the steak, "What you're eating is just a cow. It's not a person. You should be able to enjoy it, whether it's juicy or not." She doesn't speak. "How much meat do you normally eat?"

Mal shrugs, "A normal amount… On the Isle, it might have even been less than that."

Ben frowns, "It's not enough, though, is it? You want more."

She places her head in her hand, as she feels the back of her eyes burn, "It's just greed. That's all it is."

"No," Ben sternly disagrees. "It's not." She looks up at him, and he reaches to wipe away the few fallen tears. "When your body tells you that you need something, you need to listen to it. Okay? You can't let people— or your mother— keep you from being healthy."

Mal shakes her head, "I am healthy. My weight is up, and I get my period and everything. My body works just fine."

"Then why are you always hungry?" he debates. "If you were really getting all of the nutrients that you need, then your stomach wouldn't be growling all the time."

"It's always done that," she denies.

It takes Ben a minute to reach for her hand and calmly comment, "I have a theory that if you eat this steak, then you won't be hungry." She gives him a look. "Just humor me, please."

Mal lets out an irritable breath, "Okay. Fine. I'll humor you." before she goes to pick up the knife and fork again. As she cuts a piece, she complains, "Sometimes I think you're better at persuasion than my mother." Ben laughs, and she smiles back before placing the meat square into her mouth.

He continues to look at her, "You're beautiful when you're irritated."

"And you're cute when you're insecure," Mal retorts, "but let's not aim for that." She points her fork at his plate. "If I'm eating, then you have to eat too."

"Yes. Of course," Ben answers before eyeing his own steak and picking up the utensils.

Mal takes a minute to cut the entire steak into pieces, but it's only after a few seconds that she breaks the silence, "About your father."

"Let's not talk about him," Ben interrupts, and he shuts his eyes as he takes a calming breath. "Or either of our parents." He looks back up at her, "I think we've talked about them enough for one night."

"Okay," Mal slowly lets out. "Then what would you like to talk about?"

He's quiet for a second, before he gestures, "You and your brother—"

"You're still not used to the concept yet, are you?" Mal recognizes. "You know, you can just call him Jay. It's okay."

Ben nods, "So… you and Jay, then. If you really grew up together, then you must have some interesting stories. I think I'd like to hear a couple."

Mal seethes, "I do have a few good ones, but I'm afraid if I tell you, then he may want to kill me. Figuratively speaking."

"Come on," he insists. "There has to be at least one you can tell me."

She gives him a look, "Don't you still take Dude for walks sometimes? Why don't you just ask him yourself the next time you visit?"

"And have him tell me the same thing you told me?" He questions. "No way. I'm not falling for that. You might as well just tell me now."

Mal smiles, "Okay." but after a moment of trying to think of one her smile fades. "There is this one from when we were younger… I don't know if he even remembers it."

"What is it?"

Mal takes in a deep breath, before she slowly releases it, "It was when we were little. My mom and I visited his father's shop, and we hung out with them in the upstairs apartment." She looks down for a second, "His father baked some cookies, said they were specifically for Jay." Ben frowns at the sight of her eyes glistening, before she slowly continues. "I wanted to have some fun, I guess, or make Jay mad or something, because I thought it was funny. So… I went and took the cookies from him, and I ran around eating them." She sadly laughs as she smiles back up at Ben, "The cookies were poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Ben questions.

"With rat poison," Mal confirms. "I don't know if his father was actually trying to kill him or if he just got mad and wanted to make him pay, make him sick or whatever, but if I hadn't taken them…" She glances down at the table, "I don't know where we would be today."

Ben's quiet for a second, "What about you? What happened to you?"

Mal laughs, "Well, luckily for me my body is apparently very good at expelling poisons." before she continues more seriously. "It's kind of disgusting, actually, but basically I molted."

"Molted?" Ben repeats. "You mean, like a snake?"

"Exactly like a snake," Mal compares before shaking her head. "For all I know, if Jay had eaten those cookies instead, then he could have died."

Ben places a hand to his head, "How could his father do that to him? Try to kill him?"

"Like I said before," Mal reminds him, "I don't know if he was actually trying to kill him or not… But if he was, then there's always the fact that apparently he left his wife because she kept wanting him to see Mr. Hyde."

"Mr. Hyde?"

"Yeah." Mal explains, "After he cured his own ailment, he was able to develop a whole line of potions that can help people with emotional issues. I guess, she thought that Jay's father wasn't doing the things he was doing on purpose."

"I've heard of bipolar disorder," Ben contemplates, "but I never thought it got that bad, that that was just some myth or a stereotype."

Mal frowns, "Jay always thought that he was a trigger, that the things he did or said made his father even worse." Ben doesn't say anything. "It's actually part of the reason why we got that clubhouse. It was supposed to be a place for any of us to go to if we had… problems. If we couldn't find each other at our houses, then we knew exactly where to go. Well…" Ben eyes her quietness. "That is except for Evie." She shakes her head at the table, "There were times when we couldn't find her for weeks, and when we tried to visit her her mother would just say that they're busy." before she looks back up at Ben and swallows back the tears. "Jay and I tried to break her out of her room a couple times, but she was never there."

"What happened to her?" he asks.

Mal shrugs, "I don't know." and when the tears fall she immediately wipes them away. "We never asked… It's just better to keep some things private, you know?"

Ben frowns as he glances down at the table, "Yeah. I know." before he looks back up and gestures to her glass. "Your wine. You've barely touched it."

Mal eyes it for a second, "I don't feel like having any alcohol right now."

"I don't think anyone feels like having alcohol," Ben starts. "It's a special occasion. We're trying to have a nice night together. You should be able to enjoy yourself."

Mal shuts her eyes before rolling them, "It's never just a special occasion." before she attempts to smile and grabs his hand. "So long as you're here with me, I don't need some stupid drink to enjoy myself. I'm happy enough just being here with you. Okay?"

Ben frowns as he slightly nods, "I understand."

- So, the chapter title just came to me, and then I realized I was thinking of the phrase 'right as rain' when I came up with it. In that context it doesn't really make any sense, but hopefully it makes at least enough sense for the chapter itself.

- So, Guest2.0, I'm thinking that it's not a name and that you really are a guest, but regardless I saw your review for chapter 31 (you know who you are) and I am so glad you liked the part where Belle tells Adam that you can't just ask why someone's natural hair color is a certain color. With the parallels I've been trying to make to real-world issues, I was so hoping that someone would comment on that... I don't know if you will make it this far, but if/when you do, just know that I am so grateful for your review.