Chapter 11 – Incorporating Jane

-:-:-

Ben already knew from Chad's reports that the three of them weren't really all that intimate. They cuddled a lot and made a good show in public for Chad's sake – holding hands, kissing each other's cheeks, arms wrapped around the waist – all expected stuff, but at home it was more platonic than anything else. Doug, who Ben knew enjoyed kissing Chad, seemed to be holding himself back out of respect to Jane, both he and Chad not wanting her to feel like the spare wheel, so things had just sort of stagnated on that front.

And now things were changing, all because of the deal Ben had managed to stumble into quite by chance.

"I've already had this conversation with Chad and Doug," Ben explained after dinner, when Jane's permission had finally settled in his head. "But I'd like to know what you're comfortable with. Not just with me, but for all of us. The important thing, for me, is that you don't feel obligated to do something you don't want to do, or that our deal affects you negatively in any way. So if you would prefer us to keep stuff behind closed doors we can do that, or if you want to watch or be aware of or participate in stuff, you can do that too and switch it up depending on how you feel, but we just need some basic guidelines for how you would like to proceed."

Jane's flush steadily darkened as he made his way through this explanation, Doug and Chad fidgeting beside him, because they really wanted Jane to be happy as well.

"You um- don't have to hide anything from me," Jane said. "And if you want to do stuff on your own, that's fine, but if it's all three of you, I'd like to know about it. Chad could send me a coded text or something."

"That works," Chad said, giving her an encouraging smile.

"And you don't have to feel obligated to be with me, Ben," Jane said, ducking her head bashfully. "None of you do."

"You're a gift, Jane," Ben said, suddenly realizing that Jane's hesitance didn't have anything to do with how she felt about Chad and Doug, but rather low self-esteem. "We'd be honored to be with you."

"For real," Chad piled on. "You're my fairy godperson. You're smart and pretty and talented-"

"I make awful desserts," Jane said, seeming embarrassed by this.

"And organize Isle reforms and public events effortlessly," Doug finished. "All while managing a full college course load."

"You're great," Ben said. "And if you gave us a chance, we'd like to show you how great we think you are. But we need to know what you're comfortable with doing first."

Doug cleared his throat. "Would you mind telling us how far you'd gotten with Carlos?"

Ben avoided using her ex-boyfriend's name in an effort not to bring Jane down, but she seemed more bashful than wounded when Doug asked his question.

"Um- not far," she admitted. "We only did full penetration a few times."

"Is that something you'd like to do with us?" Ben asked. "Or would you prefer not to?"

"Could we work our way up to that?" Jane asked, flushing so dark Ben felt warm just looking at her. "I mean- we don't have to if that's presumptuous-"

"You might not know this, but you're super great and also super pretty," Chad said so Ben wouldn't have to. "So you don't really need to presume, we'd be happy to do that."

Doug offered her a bashful thumbs up, which earned a shy giggle from Jane.

In a way, this must be some kind of fantasy for her. They weren't Carlos, but they were three substantially good-looking guys that were all willing to cherish her the way she should be, however she so desired.

"Why don't we start with a list of things you don't want to do and go from there?" Ben said, and then they got through the nitty-gritty of direct communication.

Jane shied away from reasonable things – she wasn't really interested in bondage or anything too kinky. She might be ready for roleplaying eventually but she'd like to stick with basics first. They outlined a color system and safe words and eventually determined that she was happy to start trading casual affections before they worked their way up to the bedroom, which was entirely fine for Ben.

That meant he got to retreat to their house at night and kiss all of them hello, squeezing all of them close and nuzzling against their shoulders. Jane gasped the first time he did it so maybe Ben had nosed her for a second kiss, and then a third, until they maybe sort of made out a little bit, Jane clinging to him all the while.

Ben may have never thought of being intimate with Jane, but he could admit she was so strikingly good. There was the added bonus that she was looking after Chad and Doug, which immediately rocketed her up the list of Ben's favorite people.

"Hey, me too," Chad said, pressing in for his own additional kisses, which was how the three of them sort of just traded easy affections in between giggles.

It was dumb, but also very nice.

They would eat dinner and then cuddle on the couch to watch tv and Ben could hold Doug in his lap again, could stroke the musician's side and nuzzle under his jaw while he flushed a pretty shade of red, Chad cuddling Jane right next to him. According to Chad, this new development was helping the three of them be affectionate with each other when Ben wasn't there, like they were actually dating, so overall, Ben took it as a win.

And then there were the days when Jane came home even later than Ben did – the Light Fae getting trapped at the college for a group project and coming in the door with a mixture of exhaustion and annoyance.

"Ugh," she moaned as she flopped onto the couch, her cute flats and book bag abandoned on the floor. "Please remind me that not all people are stupid."

"Not all people are stupid, Jane," Ben said, abandoning his own work to run a hand through her hair. "Is there anything I can do to help? Cuddles, massage?"

"If you could rub my feet, I would love you until the end of time," Jane gushed, her cheeks heating when she realized what she said – perhaps an exchange she'd had with Carlos – but Ben ran with it with a wink, deciding to take the playful route.

"You've got it," Ben chirped, because this was something he'd mastered a long time ago. Audrey didn't really like being touched, but foot and shoulder rubs had been one of the few points of contact she'd graciously welcomed. Mal was much the same way, in that this was a form of affection Ben could offer her that didn't make her feel entirely out of control, so he defaulted to this more often than not as a way to show his appreciation.

"Oh," Jane gasped when he got to work, using some of the lotion he kept in his pocket just in case. "Oh, Ben. Fuck."

"I'll take that to mean you like it?" Ben asked innocently as he continued to rub away her tension.

"'Liking' it is an understatement," Jane groaned. "This is orgasmic."

"Is it?" Ben hummed, feeling mischievous. "You want Doug to help you with that?"

Jane froze, her gaze going wide before she darkened with a flush. "I um- I don't think he'd- you know."

"You should probably let him decide that himself," Ben said before nodding towards the doorway to the study, Doug lounging against the wooden frame, watching the exchange with a light blush of his own.

"Doug," Jane said, seeming surprised.

"I'd be happy to help you, Jane," Doug said, and then with a confidence that made Ben proud, the musician strolled over to her, didn't even shyly hunch in on himself before he urged Jane into the sitting position, and then into his lap.

Ben rocked back on his heels, watching with a grin while Doug teased a hand up Jane's skirt, making her lips part in a gasp when he started teasing the sensitive territory between her legs.

"Oh," Jane said, her head falling back with a flutter of her lashes while Doug got to work. "I…"

"Do you want me to stay, Jane?" Ben asked, giving her ankle a light caress. "Do you want me to watch?"

The responding shudder was enough of an answer for Ben.

He cleaned off his hands, shooting Chad a quick text before he settled in to watch Doug gather Jane's skirt up towards her waist, Ben helping the musician pull her panties off until she was gloriously exposed.

Light Fae, much like Dark Fae, had a tendency to produce excessive slick when aroused – at least in comparison to a human female. By the time Doug exposed Jane, her panties were soaked through, her folds flushed and dripping, eager to spread open.

"Lovely, Jane," Doug said before he got to work teasing her to completion.

"Oh wow," Chad said without irony when he walked in on the scene, happy to wrap around Ben's back while the two of them watched Doug pleasure Jane. "Thanks for the heads up."

"My pleasure," Ben said, tilting his head so it rested comfortably against Chad's.

"Guys," Jane whimpered, cutting off with a gasp when Doug hit the right spot, making her fall apart not long after.

"Awesome job, Jane," Ben murmured, eyes half-lidded as he allowed himself to get a bit lost in the scent of their combined arousal. "Could I help you next?"

"H-How so?" Jane asked, still catching her breath.

"By eating you out," Ben said, crawling onto the couch so he could kiss up her thighs. He wanted to get his hands on Doug and Chad but he had to play this right, he had to be patient but aside from that, it wasn't like this was a trial. Jane was, without question, great, and Ben could reassure Chad later that he was the most favorite of all, Ben just didn't want to lose this.

"Oh," Jane gasped, but she nodded when he got higher, letting out a dangerous whine when Ben started licking into her heat, the Light Fae responding with the same wonderful sensitivity Doug had. "Ah, Ben-"

She was probably overwhelmed by the king-thing, but Ben decided to run with it, happy to make her feel good, to get Doug and Chad worked up in turn and- oh, he wanted-

"Ben?" Doug asked, his voice sounding. "Could I um- suck Chad off, please?"

"Of course," Ben soothed, offering the musician a supportive grin. "Chad's yours, the only one you have to ask for permission is him."

"Oh," Doug said, his pupils seeming to dilate before he gently slid out from under Jane, propping her up on pillows before he turned his gaze to Chad. "I… Chad?"

"Come here, big boy," Chad said, helpfully sitting down in the armchair and spreading his legs wide, and it was an intoxicating scene to watch Doug stumble to him, the musician nuzzling his groin with a desperate want, making Chad's lips part in a gasp.

It made Ben rumble against Jane's pelvis, because Chad was being taken care of and Doug was so happy just to help, and Jane was so responsive and only got more so when she watched the other two begin to go at it.

"Ben," Jane croaked as he started fucking her with his tongue with purpose. "Ben, I…"

"Do you need me to slow down?" Ben asked when he pulled back, making a show of licking off his lips because fuck, her juices tasted so sweet. Though that might just be the beast in him.

"No," Jane said, her gaze half-lidded and thoroughly rocked. "No, I- um- I just can't believe this is happening, to be honest."

"You shouldn't be surprised," Ben purred against her inner thigh, mouthing at pale skin. "You're worthy of being a queen, and if you gave us the chance, we'd like to show you."

"Oh," Jane breathed, her fingers tentatively tangling in Ben's hair as he ducked back in to ravish her, and it was satisfying, the way she urged him closer, rutting into him as she let out increasingly more broken sounds until she finally fell apart once more, though when she did, Ben was happy to lap that up too, to get every last trace of her until there was nothing left.

He knew behind him that Doug would be doing the same thing to Chad, so really – fair was fair.

"Good?" Ben asked when Jane was finished, the king slowly easing her skirt down, knowing her panties were a lost cause.

"Great," Jane said, breathless but happy. "Do you need help?"

Ben glanced between his legs with a startled look, because in truth, sometimes he forgot about his own pleasure when they were doing these things. "You can if you want. But honestly, I get a lot out of just pleasuring you guys. That makes me and my um- beast very happy."

"Oh," Jane said, like maybe Ben could get any sweeter, and then- "I'd like to help you, if I can."

And real talk, Jane might be slightly inexperienced when it came to giving handjobs to people who weren't Carlos, but for Ben she was perfect, nuzzling just under his ear and angling him so they could both watch Chad fall apart into Doug's mouth, Ben echoing the sentiments not long after.

"D-Douglass," Ben panted as Jane teased him through the last of his release. "It seems l-like you've got a bit of a predicament there. Can we help you out?"

"Of course, Ben," Chad answered for Doug, knowing the musician was likely shy about showing himself in front of Jane, which would just really not damn do.

That was how they came to cradle Doug between the three of them, all of them pulling Doug out of his pants while Ben and Chad showed the musician off to Jane, who cooed appreciatively until Doug was shuddering nonstop.

"Guys," he gushed, letting out new beads of slick that smeared over their fingers.

"He's a big boy, right?" Ben hummed against Doug's shoulder. "Such a cute dwarf for us."

"Very cute," Jane gushed, her eyes sparkling bright. "Do you feel good, Doug?"

"S-So good," Doug moaned, something that only worsened when they increased their speed.

Long story short, the exercise was a good demonstration on what they could accomplish when working together, which was enough to make Doug melt.

"Wow," Chad said when it was all over, all of them sated and happy. "That was awesome."

"Let's do it again forever," Jane said, and since she was the holdout, Ben immediately jumped onboard.

"Done," he declared before they moved to clean up, all of them dressing down for an easy dinner before breaking apart for last-minute preparations.

Technically, Ben was supposed to be with Chad that night, but Doug and Jane were found lingering in the doorway as they were preparing to turn in for the evening.

"Well?" Ben said, quirking a brow at them. "Get in here."

"Thank you," Doug said, looking relieved, Jane just looking happy, and Ben – he wasn't even annoyed, because he loved Chad but he cared about Doug and Jane too, and they cared about Chad so that was enough for Ben.

And Chad – he was always happy to get more people to cuddle with, so Ben wasn't going to hamper that. Chad would get his happy permanent cuddle pile and Ben wasn't going to come between it – not now, not ever. He would simply enjoy joining it while he could and savor the feel of more people he trusted at his back, even if it wasn't entirely fair to them.

After all, they didn't know what an ass he truly was, but…

Well, you couldn't win them all, so he may as well enjoy this.

-:-:-

As much as she might miss Carlos, Jane seemed to thrive on being able to share her affection with more than one person.

"I get it." Ben heard Doug admit to the Light Fae late one night – the two of them washing the dishes together while Chad and Ben took a chance to get reacquainted. Ben had ducked back down to the living room to grab his laptop so he could share the latest chapter of his dumb book and paused in the shadows when he realized what Doug and Jane were talking about. "It feels more instinctual. More natural."

"Sometimes I feel bad," Jane admitted, her voice quiet like this was a deadly secret. "About how much more comfortable I feel. Not just with polyamory but um- dating you guys."

There was a pause where Doug contemplated this, giving Jane the credit she was due because he was thoughtful like that. "Those four have a bond we could never really fathom," Doug said. "But the four of us… we can't compare to royalty, but we have a better understanding of what Chad and Ben have to deal with. And you and I…"

"Outsiders in a human's world," Jane surmised, like it was a conversation they'd had many times.

"Exactly," Doug said. "I think Ben is too, sometimes, with his beast enhancements, and Chad's life isn't exactly normal." Not by a long shot. "At the end of the day, we're comfortable with each other because we understand each other."

"We do," Jane hummed, sounding thoughtful. "Just… I like this a lot, Doug."

"Good," Doug said, his tone pleased. "I'm glad, because I do too."

"Oh."

Another pause, and when Ben risked a glance at them the two were kissing, halting their work so they could hold onto each other – and on one hand that was good, that meant they were bonding, but on the other…

Ben would always worry about Chad. Inquiries must be made, and in addition to that, there was the way Doug had referred to the four of them, but…

That had a slightly more obvious fix. Ben would just start having some of his video chats with Audrey here so they could remember how important she was to Ben. That should subtly reinforce boundaries.

-:-:-

"Oh, you don't have to be worried," Chad said when Ben had returned to the blond's room, eagerly curling around Chad while the blond looked over his last chapter. "I have plenty of one-on-one sexy time with Jane – and not just when Doug's busy with you. I have worked what charm I have, and I think she's bought it, so…" He shrugged. "I guess every lady can be wooed by a prince after all."

"You have plenty of charm," Ben rumbled, choosing to focus on the important part of that statement before he set the laptop aside, making Chad huff for all of a moment before Ben got to the very important business of stripping Chad from his clothes.

A few minutes later, Doug and Jane stumbled in and joined them, all three of them eager to dote on their sweet prince.

"Guys," Chad whined, a beautiful flush spilling down his chest while they cradled him between them. "You d-don't have to focus on me."

"But we want to," Jane hummed, her eyes shining with magic, and it was like she was trying to woo Ben with sweet talk like that, or at the very least secure her position as one of his favorite people, as though that was ever in doubt.

The end result had Chad easing into Jane's heat while Doug took him from behind, Ben satisfied with watching from beside them, pressing kisses and teasing himself all the while, because even though the beast often hungered, it seemed that this alone could satisfy it well enough.

"Fuck," Jane gasped when it was over, looking wonderfully flushed. "That was pretty great."

"Oh good," Chad slurred, sharing Ben's torso with the Light Fae while Doug curled up behind him. "'Cuz I sort of lost the thread of things there."

"You did great," Doug promised, pressing a kiss to Chad's shoulder, leaving Ben to let out a protesting rumble until he earned a kiss of his own.

Maybe he wasn't the most subtle human in the world, but Jane and Doug seemed to figure out early on that doting on Chad was the equivalent of doting on Ben, which left the king endlessly pleased with them. One night Doug had made and effort to pick up takeout from one of Chad's favorite restaurants just because their prince had a rough day, making Chad tear up with happiness upon discovery of this, and naturally Ben had to give him a blowjob right there in the kitchen by way of thanks.

"Woof," Jane said when it was over, Ben milking Doug through two orgasms because dwarven stamina was amazing. "I feel like we all got a reward for that one."

"I can make that happen," Ben hummed, licking his lips clean and- well, it was only polite, wasn't it, for him to give Jane and Chad the same attention, letting out pleased rumbles all the while.

"I take it back," Chad murmured while they cuddled on the couch, abandoning the breakfast table so they could eat their dinner straight out of the takeout containers while watching mindless tv. "This was actually the best day ever."

"Love you," Jane murmured, nuzzling his shoulder, and-

Yes, it was- this was good. This was actually the best.

-:-:-

"You don't need to do this," Audrey informed Ben when he started up a video chat with her at the villa, for once managing to get there before the others because he'd made the dedicated effort to do so.

"Sure I do," Ben said. "Now, tell me what's up."

They'd already covered the secret/coded subjects earlier in the safety of Ben's suite. Chad had enough protective enchantments around the villa that it was relatively safe as well, but Ben didn't like taking any more chances than necessary. They had a routine and it was a good routine, so this current call was entirely recreational for the purposes of keeping Audrey in the social loop. For example…

"Who are you talking to?" Doug asked when he got back, gently setting his bookbag aside and walking towards the breakfast bar.

"Audrey," Ben said with an easy smile. "Hey, do you wanna catch up? I was actually going to start dinner."

Ben didn't really do a lot of cooking as delegation was a vital thing for his position and learning an additional skillset that wouldn't help him with ruling Auradon had never been a priority, but since his visits to the villa became semi-regular, the others had been slowly teaching him a few things. It was kind of fun. His mom had tried to teach him some stuff when he was little – Mrs. Potts letting him shadow her efforts while she made cookies or something, but his father had put an end to that, deeming them as 'indulgent distractions'.

In a way, this felt like he was reclaiming those happy memories that his father had stolen from him, and while he was by no means great, Ben was getting better, and he liked providing for the others in this capacity. He liked watching Chad eat the food Ben had made him.

Perhaps it was too indulgent, but the evenings were Ben's now, and he would do with them as he pleased.

"Hey Doug," Audrey greeted before the musician could reply. "Ben mentioned you'd completed a new piece?"

Audrey was more or less a master of social interactions, and when all else failed, using one of Doug's favorite subjects as a hook could only end in success.

"Yeah, actually," Doug said, settling into the seat Ben had vacated. "I was testing out the benefits of different instrument arrangements-"

The two of them maintained a pleasant conversation about music theory until Chad and Jane came in, Doug completely lost to the throes of his craft.

"Who's he talking to?" Chad asked, shooting Ben a smile when he realized the king hadn't burned their burger patties for once.

Ben could do that, he learned.

"Audrey," Ben said, trying not to be too proud because Audrey and Doug had been talking for a good half an hour now, and Doug hadn't seemed off balance or worried once.

"Audrey!" Chad cheered, grabbing Jane's hand and tugging her over to where Doug was sitting. "Hey, Audrey – you should hear about the awesome proposal Jane filed today."

"It wasn't that great," Jane murmured, heating with a shy flush.

But then Doug was perking up. "No, please, share with us," he urged. "I wanna hear about this."

Jane was reserved at first but slowly got into things, Audrey moving the conversation along with questions and comments at the proper times, Chad positively beaming all the while. Ben managed to finish dinner by himself in the time they spoke together, Jane and Doug both seeming entirely at ease.

"You know you guys can call me at any time, right?" Audrey pressed when they were wrapping up. "The offer's not just for Ben and Chad. Please, call and save me from the boredom of house arrest."

"If you insist," Doug said, his gaze shining with a bashful sort of excitement, because he hadn't considered Audrey his friend but she was going to be now if Ben had anything to say about it.

Audrey deserved good things too, and she might not enjoy being intimate with people, but that didn't mean she was against platonic, emotional intimacy. She deserved support and friendship too, for people to treat her like the treasure she was and not the queen of mean, and Ben was going to get that for her.

He tried to repay his debts. He didn't always succeed, but he tried.

That had to count for something.

-:-:-

After that, video calls to Audrey became a regular thing around the villa. Ben would come in late from a night of too many meetings to find Jane video-chatting with Audrey on the couch, reconnecting like they were old friends (and they were, Audrey had protected Jane as much as she was able to in high school upon Chad's request, but they hadn't been allowed to be exactly friendly, and now they could). He would walk past Doug's practice room and find the half-dwarf playing some of his pieces for Audrey live, or pop in on Chad and see him chatting away with Audrey happily in French.

It was like they hadn't realized how isolating Audrey's predicament was, and now that they did, and now that there weren't any VKs around to warn them off it, they were happy to have yet another intellectual person to talk to and bounce ideas off of.

"Are you happy?" Ben asked after a few weeks of this, January fading away into February.

"Don't be smug," Audrey chided which was her way of saying yes, a small grin pulling at the corner of her lips enough of a smile that she may as well be shouting from the rooftops, and Ben lost a moment to his happiness, glad that for once he was finally able to give Audrey some kind of substantial reward for all the hard work she did.

"I'm glad," Ben said, earning the rest of that smile, leaving Ben with the certainty that things were going well for once.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

With so many good things happening I can't help but wonder when the bad stuff will strike ;)

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I appreciate your support as we get through the fluffier part of the story. Of course, things will be heating up soon ;D

Until next time :)