Chapter 15 – Free at Last
-:-:-
It was strange, going from a week of seclusion back into reality, but as always, Ben made do. He offered his apologies to Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth and Lumiere, he reached out to councilmen and subcommittees and his poor, overworked secretaries and rescheduled his missed appointments. He set up public appearances – something benign to address his absence, and finally texted Ruby back and assured her he was fine, that their conversation and his absence weren't connected in any way, it was just an unfortunate coincidence – you know how being king is.
Except she didn't so she couldn't argue it, and thus Ben was free.
He was going through the backlog in his office, vaguely wondering if he could contact Aziz to check up on Chad and the others when Cogsworth approached him with news of an emergency Core Council meeting.
For a moment Ben was thrown, because it had literally been maybe five hours since he'd handed over the records to Queen Rapunzel. She couldn't have gotten through them that fast. Maybe this was unrelated, which could be good, but that meant there was a different new emergency going on which – well, that was life, wasn't it?
Ben allowed himself to sigh before he girded himself, pulling his shoulders back as he switched his office's privacy settings to a secure lockdown before logging on to join the council session. It was a small consolation to see that Sultana Jasmine was, at the very least, just as confused as he was, though the others were mostly concerned.
"Queen Rapunzel," Ben greeted, because she'd called the meeting. "What matter would you like to bring to the Core Council's attention at this time?"
He kept his tone and disposition as neutral as he always did when they instigated these conversations, which earned him a confused, worried glance from the blonde queen. She was standing beside Audrey's parents because apparently she had never left Auroria, and Ben could only hope that she'd kept the records to herself, as per his request at the previous meeting.
"These records," Queen Rapunzel said, holding up one of the books. "I've only been reading them for a couple of hours, but if all of them are even a fraction as terrible as what I've read so far, I think it is our civic obligation to nominate a new reigning monarch for the United States of Auradon."
Ben froze, because as much as he'd been halfway expecting that, he hadn't thought it would come so fast. She was supposed to sympathize with him. "What?"
"Ben," the queen said, her gaze heavy. "If these records are true – and according Princess Audrey, they are – you've undergone some very serious trauma that you've never been treated for. And that's just what I've skimmed, I haven't even gotten through everything." She turned her attention to the rest of the council. "The tests, the study sessions, the conditioning – can Ben lead Auradon? Yes, absolutely – he's more than prepared to do so. Should he lead Auradon at this time? Absolutely not. Adam purposefully lowered the coronation age so that Ben would be the best possible candidate – but in addition to that, it was because Ben would supposedly be at his most malleable."
"But I wasn't," Ben said, keeping his calm.
Giving into his fury now would only support her proposal to replace him.
"And that came at a great personal cost," Queen Rapunzel said, her gaze pitying. "He made your life hell until the bitter end in his attempts to get you back under his control, and you not only survived it, but you continued to watch after Auradon in spite of it." She shook her head like she was disgusted, or maybe exhausted by his father's cruelty. "The means you went through just to operate around him… you shouldn't have had to do that, and all of us missed it, missed you getting hurt. It isn't acceptable."
"I trust Queen Rapunzel's judgement," Sultana Jasmine said. "If it's your recommendation that we shift the crown of the United States of Auradon to someone else, then I second that."
"This doesn't mean you're incapable, Ben," Queen Rapunzel soothed. "But you deserve a chance to heal. You shouldn't have to deal with the greatest responsibility in the united kingdoms while you do that. A lot of us had objections to coronating someone so young, but at the time, your father made some rather compelling arguments. With these records pretty much invalidating any supposed goodwill he may have had, I think it's best to renege that decision."
"Who will lead, then?" Ben asked, shoving all of his emotional responses to a distant corner of his mind to be processed later, when he was in private.
"If I may?" his mother spoke up from where she was between Queen Snow and King Christopher, in the office she kept down the hall. "I would like to put my own name forward for consideration for the United Auradon crown."
Ben paused, shock likely reading on his face because that had probably been the last thing he expected. His mother was wonderful, and a great queen to Central Auradon, but politics weren't in her blood. She was a humanitarian and a bookworm and a champion for the weak, but she wasn't really a politician at her core.
"I missed this," his mom continued, her eyes shining with moisture. "I missed all of it. And it is my duty to take up this responsibility once more – not only for Auradon, but for my son." She offered Ben a watery smile. "I have always thought that it was grossly unfair to make you king at such a young age, but I relented to your father because you seemed so prepared. But Rapunzel is right – you deserve a chance to live your life the same as the rest of our children. You deserve to not bear this weight. That duty is mine, and if the Core Council will allow it, I'd be honored to take it."
"I think that's a wise course of action," Queen Aurora said, earning nods all around.
"While we can keep the extent of his abuse under wraps," Queen Snow spoke up. "With Adam's true nature and questionable policies coming to light, no one should comment on Ben stepping down from power for now." She turned her full attention on him. "They will not think this happened because you're unfit."
Ben paused. "You're going public with this?" he asked, the concept of it too inconceivable for him to dwell on.
All of them shifted into worried expressions. "Of course," Sultana Jasmine spoke up. "Your father may have done some good – but the multiple and egregious violations of the basic laws of Auradon and Central Auradon have made it clear that he does not deserve to go down in history as a hero. Your father was an abusive, manipulative person, and that is the legacy that should follow him from here on out."
"But Auradon-"
"Is strong," Queen Aurora said. "He might have created it for the wrong reasons, but together we made it work, and you made it thrive." She offered him a smile. "Now it's our turn to look after you." She cleared her throat. "I second Queen Belle's self-nomination for the United Auradon crown."
"May I make a suggestion?" King Phillip spoke up. "As you three have proven to be a great team thus far – perhaps the United Auradon crown can be shared equally by Queen Snow, Queen Belle, and King Christopher."
"Hear, hear," Sultana Jasmine said, wearing a small grin. "I'll gladly second that."
Ben was still reeling from the idea of them potentially exposing his father as the monster he was. He couldn't argue that it would be useful for his mother to have help, but he was still formulating an argument as to why it would be better to just let people live with the perceived reality of Auradon rather than letting his father's stupid image undermine that when Queen Rapunzel broke in.
"I'll third it," Queen Rapunzel declared. "Perhaps we can get one good thing out of this? It would be nice to hear some royal wedding bells, is all I'm saying."
What.
It was strange to see his mother flush, to see Queen Snow and King Christopher do the same, because what?
"One thing at a time," his mom declared, wearing a familiar stubborn expression. "First, we look after Auradon."
"Right," Ben said, and he would call Audrey because he was feeling so lost, only they had parted on pretty terrible terms (for them) so he probably shouldn't do that, so…
"It will be okay, Ben," Sultana Jasmine soothed. "You have nothing to worry about."
Right. Right. Cool.
"If that's settled," Ben began, holding onto proper procedure when all else failed. "If the Core Council officially dismisses me of duty, then I have no reason to stay in on this meeting." He offered them a polite bow. "Your majesties, as always, I am grateful for your service."
"And we, yours," Queen Rapunzel said, and then the subject changed to how they would break this to the public and planning the new coronation and press packages and Ben just… left.
Because it was over, apparently.
-:-:-
Ben shouldn't call Audrey, but he was lost so he called her anyway, pacing around his office because he wasn't the world's most creative person.
"They're going to un-coronate me," he said as soon as she answered. "I'm being un-kinged. My mom and her new boyfriend and girlfriend are going to take over Auradon."
There was a pause where Audrey didn't say anything, maybe because she was still mad at him.
She had every right to be so didn't begrudge her that, but that didn't change the fact that he really didn't know what to do.
"Also," he said. "My mom has a new girlfriend and boyfriend."
"We already figured as much," Audrey pointed out, reminding Ben of that particular planning meeting that seemed oh-so long ago.
"Right," Ben said, running a distracted hand through his hair. "Are there any last-minute proposals I need to approve before I get demoted? Would any of them even count legally after the Core Council passed its vote?"
"I don't know," Audrey said, because she was only human. "What are you going to do?"
He didn't know. He'd spent his entire life being groomed to take care of Auradon, and now – despite what the Core Council had said – he was going to be publicly and insistently declared unfit for his duties to the world at large. It wouldn't matter if they released a bunch of sob stories at the same time, if his mom got remarried in a grand celebration. There would still be the fact that Ben was king for a grand total of three years before the Core Council deemed him unfit, and when the time finally came for a new candidate to be selected it probably wouldn't be him because he'd already fucked it up once.
So the question now was – how did he feel about that?
He froze for a moment, because as much as he truly hated his job, he'd never considered the possibility of being freed of his duties short of being assassinated. And here he was, back to being just the prince of Central Auradon, very much alive.
In a way, it almost felt too good to be true.
Unbidden, Ben let out a small laugh – just a huff of a thing which led to a few giggles, because hey, at least everyone and their mom wouldn't be trying to woo him into their beds now. Why would they? He wasn't the king of Auradon anymore. He was just a boring old prince.
The thought made him laugh louder, a combination of relief and hysteria bubbling in his chest.
He was- he was free.
He'd been freed.
"Ben?" Audrey spoke up, sounding worried.
"They're not going to make me king again," Ben informed her in a whisper, running a hand through his hair at his good fortune. "Audrey, they're not going to- why would they when they have so many perfectly untarnished heirs to choose from?" He giggled. "And I already did all the hard stuff! I revamped the entire penal system, I fixed the income inequality between classes – I standardized education and trade schools and put better controls in place to prevent corruption and all the shit my dad did, I-" He let out another burst of laughter, moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes. "I did the shit I wanted to do, and now it's over."
The bus could drive itself now, it wouldn't matter. He'd done the hard stuff, and others might miss the power but Ben sure as shit wouldn't – because that meant paperwork and committees and PR events and everyone stealing parts of him until he had almost nothing for himself.
"It's over," he repeated. "Audrey, it's over, it's done. I only have to care about Central Auradon now – fuck everything else. Fuck it all. That's no longer my problem. I can- I could go to college." He could be a regular prince loser who got to do things like have free time and not go to as many events and have people wanting to talk to him all the fucking time. "I can date whoever I want, I could- Audrey," he said, falling to his knees even though she couldn't see him because this was an immense thing and it deserved immense actions. "Would you marry me, please? In two years, can I give you the most over-the-top, stupidly dramatic proposal and slide the perfect ring on your finger and never ever have sex with you as long as we both shall live?"
There was a pause, and then Audrey was laughing, giggles that were distinctly tinged with moisture. "You still want to marry me?"
"Audrey," Ben said, realizing somewhere along the line that there had been a massive failure in communication. "I love you. I do not love you because you are useful to me, I love you because you are hardworking, dedicated, loyal, brilliant, and frankly, entirely out of my league. I could give less shits about your asexuality. I'll figure out a way for us to have magic babies or something, it won't be a problem, I just want you. And if by chance you don't want me I would very much understand this, because at heart I'm sort of a giant asshole-"
"Benjamin Florian," Audrey interrupted, her voice firm. "Do not talk about my fiancé that way."
"If you insist," Ben said, tears building in his eyes.
"Also," Audrey said. "I'll only accept if you include the others as well."
And, well, if Ben wasn't going to be the king of Auradon anymore, who was to say that he couldn't marry Chad and Jane and Doug?
"You're really twisting my arm here," Ben giggled. "But fuck it, I guess I'll just have to give in."
"About fucking time," Audrey huffed. "Now cancel those meetings and get back to the villa, you shithead."
"Yes, Audrey," Ben said, smiling wide because this was it, this was his happy ending, fixing everything and escaping his shackles and loving the people he wanted to love because fuck everything else.
He really wasn't the greatest person. He wasn't a hero by any means but he'd gotten shit done, and he was pretty sure if Audrey watched after him, she wouldn't let him burn the world down.
So that was a plus.
-:-:-
After that, retreating to the villa felt like a sort of victory lap.
He managed to make a distracted phone call to his secretaries to get them to cancel all the meetings he'd literally just scheduled (he really needed to give them bonuses or something – at the very least an obnoxious amount of luxury gift baskets to make up for the unforeseeable future – he'd get Cogsworth on it) before he packed a haphazard bag and teleported to the villa, fueled by two cups of coffee and the elation that his life was now his own. It was later in the day – maybe post school time? Ben didn't know, he should have probably checked his watch at some point, but the fact was that only Jane was at the villa when he got there, pacing a nervous path up and down the kitchen, the window open and a burning scent in the air, likely from the tray of charred cookies she had steaming in the sink.
Oh, that was right, Jane baked when she was stressed, which was adorable and sort of tragic because it really wasn't one of her talents. There was a reason Evie made all her birthday cakes, was Ben's point.
"Jane!" Ben cheered, dumping his bag to the side and crossing to the kitchen, managing to hold himself back when he realized she might be justifiably upset with him. "Guess who isn't going to be king anymore!"
Jane just stared at him like he'd grown a second head, terribly confused until she managed to process what he said. "What?"
"I got booted!" Ben continued, pushing a few steps into the kitchen. "Could I hold you? Also, I'm sorry for being a giant piece of shit."
"You're not a giant piece of shit," Jane said on reflex, because she was stupidly nice. "And of course you can hold me."
"Cool." Ben swept her into his arms, earning a startled sound from the Light Fae because she'd probably been expecting a hug but fuck it, Ben would carry her everywhere if she let him. Look at him being helpful and doting and not an asshole.
To Jane. At this moment.
Further conversation was interrupted by Doug and Chad coming through the back door, both of them looking a combination of worried and exhausted that was just sort of horrible.
"Guys!" Ben greeted, making them both startle. "I'm sorry I'm the worst."
"You're not the worst," Chad automatically declared, recovering before Doug and pressing forward to wrap himself around Ben's back. "You needed to go through your dad's records – that requires a lot of focus. I don't blame you for not taking our calls, they were probably awful."
"Oh, they were," Ben agreed, offering Chad a wide smile, and as great as it was to have him and Jane close, it was slightly less great that Doug was keeping a wary but respectable distance. "Could we cuddle on the couch while I get you caught up?"
"Please," Chad murmured, always sweet, always the best, and Ben couldn't help the smile that pulled wide on his lips, because he was so damn happy he could barely express himself.
They settled on the couch together, Jane still in Ben's lap, but Doug didn't keep his distance. He settled in on Ben's free side, still cautious, likely worried about Ben's state of mind.
"What happened?" the musician asked, always one to get straight to the point.
Since they were being honest now – or, Ben felt like he was in a position where he could be honest to them because he respected them and didn't have to protect them from everything, because they were intelligent individuals whose judgement could be respected – Ben didn't hold back. He covered everything – though he didn't go into full detail about the incident Ruby mentioned that had set him off searching for his father's records because that was a trial for another day. He talked about the past week, he talked about the council meeting, he talked about his removal as king and his mom's ascension and his proposal to Audrey.
"Also," he continued. "I want to date you guys publicly, but I don't want to do that until you have a full understanding of who I actually am-"
He was interrupted by Doug kissing him long and deep, and Ben was a greedy beast so it wasn't like he was exactly averse to it, eagerly reciprocating Doug's affections.
"Finally," Doug huffed, running a hand through Ben's hair. "I have beads for all of you – Audrey included-"
"Doug," Ben tried not to moan and only partially succeeded. "I'm not actually nice. That's mostly just a mask to cover up the fact that I'm a cynical, bitter asshole who willingly manipulated people to get what I wanted. I mean-" He turned his attention to Jane. "I never should have asked you to break up with Carlos, but-"
"You wanted to take care of Chad," Jane finished. "Just like you always want to take care of Chad."
"You think we didn't notice?" Doug asked. "We're not dumb, Ben. Yes, we thought you really loved Mal, but even after you broke up with Audrey you did the best you could to ensure Chad was looked after by keeping him in relationships that would offer him political protection." He sat back with a speculative look. "Admittedly, I thought that was just how best friends treated each other, but after I um- started playing with you guys, it was easy to see how much you love each other, and how much you felt like you couldn't act on that love, and I don't want to stand between that anymore."
"Playing?" Jane asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"I think we need to explain some things," Ben said, and that was how he came to review the deal he and Mal had setup with Evie, Doug, and Chad, then further explained the roleplaying sessions he and Chad had, how they had moved to include Doug.
"You… cross-dressed?" Jane asked, a furious blush growing on her cheeks.
"In hindsight," Ben began, feeling speculative. "I think I was just trying to work through my trauma by reclaiming something that had been used to hurt me – twisting it for my own pleasure."
At Doug and Jane's confused looks, Ben realized that pushing off that particular explanation wasn't an option, so – with Chad's permission – he gave them the sordid recap of what had happened to him Freshman year that set him down the path of bitter paranoia.
Like, he had already mostly been there, but that was what had shoved him firmly into the deep end.
Even now he was amused at Freshman him's naïve hope that he could have nice things like Ruby and her family and – you know – protection.
His dad was right about one thing, he really had been a fool.
"Yeah, it was mostly awful," Ben said when he wrapped up that story, trying not to read too hard into Jane and Doug's stunned expressions. Maybe they'd think he was dirty now. Well, he'd wanted them to be informed. They deserved that much. "But I learned a lot from it – and that was how I met Chad, so…" He aimed middle finger at the floor. "Fuck you, dad, I took the exact wrong lesson from that."
"Yeah," Chad sighed. "Despite that easily being one of the most horrifying nights of my life, it really did change it for the better."
"What the fuck?" Doug said, his pallor still a bit pale. "And your dad-"
"He arranged it," Ben confirmed, the knowledge less infuriating now that he had the comfort that his father's legacy was shortly about to be destroyed. "That was what got me digging through his office and going underground for a week. Again, sorry about that."
"You don't need to apologize," Jane said distractedly, leaning against his shoulder. "That- that is an understandably distracting thing."
"I haven't finished going through his notes yet," Ben admitted. "But now that I don't have to worry about being king… I mean, I've got time."
"You need therapy," Doug pointed out, giving Ben a tentative look, like he thought the former-king might argue this.
The definitely-not-joke was on him, Ben's father was the one that had prevented him from getting therapy until this point. Sort of. In that he'd set Ben up with a therapist plant that had been ordered to try and reinforce his father's teachings rather than actually help Ben become stable, so um…
Yeah, it wasn't really a wonder that Ben had a bounty of trust issues.
"Sure," Ben said with a lazy shrug. "I'll go if Chad goes."
"Now that my grandpa's arrested, I can actually do that," Chad spoke up. "So hey, why not. We could be therapy buddies!"
"That's one way to look at it," Jane said, wearing a fond smile.
There was a moment of comfortable silence where they just sort of enjoyed each other's company, and Ben allowed himself to hold onto it for a second before he decided to move on.
"For real, though," he said. "You two don't have to stick around out of any kind of obligation. I got you into this relationship under false pretenses, and you're not expected to stick around just because I have a sob story now-"
"Ben," Doug interrupted, his voice sharp. "You are likeable, you know? Not everything you showed us was a lie. I get that maybe it wasn't entirely the truth, but you're not just devoted to us because we're with Chad, you… you like us for us. You like brushing our hair and cuddling with us and being with us and yes, this will be an adjustment because we want to be with the real you, not the version of you that you think we want. Not the one you sold to Mal." He reached up to card his hands through Ben's hair, a familiar demonstration of affection that made Ben's chest fill with warmth. "I'd like to get to know that guy."
"Okay, well, just a heads up," Ben said, letting his hand curl around Doug's, keeping his fingers close against Ben's scalp. "But I'm, you know, mostly sarcastic, and I don't really get sad. I mostly just get angry or apathetic because that's what helps me get by best. I um- I guess I'm not great at processing my emotions since I'm constantly being watched at all times, so if you don't want me to fake that anymore, the real me is just… it'll take me a bit to get used to dropping my guard, I guess."
"Thank you for your honesty," Jane said, her voice quiet.
"His real self's also very smart," Chad added, cuddling into Ben's side. "He's thoughtful and clever and kind and funny and I love him a lot."
"I love you too, Chad," Ben said, letting go of Doug's hand so he could kiss the blond instead, which was definitely worth it. "I don't care if your dad's marrying my mom, he'd better not fucking adopt me because I'm gonna marry the shit out of you."
"Go me," Chad chirped, wearing a smile that could only be described as brilliant.
"Oh." Ben blinked. "My language is also sort of um- foul."
"We hang out with Mal, Ben," Doug pointed out, but he was wearing an amused smile. "Believe me, we can take it."
"Speaking of…" Ben began, getting two looks of intrigue. "I don't want to deprive you guys from the things you want, so if you two want to be open to romance Carlos and Evie – you're more than welcome to do so. I already know from Jay that Mal that the others would let it happen so long as everyone was aware, so- you know, have fun."
"What about Chad?" Doug asked, making Ben pause. "Could he get with Evie too?"
"Why would Evie want to do anything with me?" Chad asked, about as confused as Ben. "I'm pretty sure she only dated me as a favor to Ben."
That was how Chad had always sold it to Ben, and granted, the blond didn't always have the best awareness of how interpersonal dynamics worked, but Ben trusted his judgement in this instance as Chad was the one who had spent the most time with Evie.
And now Doug's expression was all wounded again. "Chad, Evie really liked you. Yeah, we agreed to give you a fair chance because of Ben, but we wouldn't have dated you if we hadn't thought there was potential for the long haul."
There was a pause.
"Evie liked me?" Chad asked, a furious blush spreading across the bridge of his nose. "Oh man, I didn't pick up on that at all. Like, I tried to be a great boyfriend for her-"
"You were," Doug said, his smile fond. "You were entirely charming."
"Fucking fuck, man," Chad said, sinking down in his seat with an embarrassed whine. "Don't say that kind of stuff."
"I'll say it if it's true," Doug said, knowing full well how anxious Chad felt about his 'Charming' nickname. "Chad, we cared about you a lot, but we knew if the thing with Mal ever became permanent that your council would not react favorably. I made the choice to part from Evie so I could be with you because I knew the others would take care of her. I think she knew that too, which is why she didn't fight it, but that didn't mean she didn't want to."
"Oh," Chad said, stunned to that quiet response, likely reviewing the entirety of his relationship with Evie.
Ben cleared his throat. "In that case, Chad is welcome to be open with Evie too."
Just- why not? Ben wanted Chad to be happy and he genuinely liked Evie. And now that Ben would get to claim Chad and Audrey in public – who gave a fucking shit what they did in private? Ben had them. He'd done it. He'd won.
"What about you?" Jane asked, looking up at Ben with wide eyes. "Are you gonna be with Jay again?"
Ben considered this, because sure, he'd had a lot of fun with Jay, and it wasn't like the guy was that good at subterfuge. He tried to be, but his sweet, little heart wasn't in it.
"Maybe," Ben allowed. "I'll be honest, I don't think Mal's going to let me get within ten feet of her partners and that's totally fair."
"If you say 'because I'm an asshole'," Doug began with a low growl. "Note that you are very, very wrong."
Ben made a face. "I'm trying to be honest right now."
"We're not listening to years of your father's abuse projected through you," Jane said, sounding firm.
"This isn't- I'm being objective," Ben said. "I manipulate and lie and am constantly planning shit. And granted, I won't have to do most of that anymore because I'm not going to be king, but old habits die hard. I'll probably still do it a little bit."
"And we'll work through it," Doug said, his voice gentle. "Honestly, Ben – I was willing to work with Evie through her issues, Jane did the same for Carlos – why would you be any exception?"
"Because…" Ben didn't actually have an answer for that. "Because that wasn't the pretense I led with when I started hanging out with you guys?"
"I will be honest," Jane said. "I like this version of you, because you actually tell us about your problems and the things you're worried about instead of constantly trying to take care of us all the time."
"Which we do appreciate, for the record," Doug chimed in. "But relationships are about equality. We need to be partners, not people you look after."
"Which means you have to let me take care of you now," Chad huffed, nuzzling Ben's bicep.
Ben blinked at him. "You do take care of me," he said, honestly confused. "You've been one of the few good things I've had in my life for the past four years, Chad. When it got really bad after the love potion, when I was so angry and frustrated with myself, it was you and Audrey that kept me going. When I wanted to stop giving a shit about Auradon, I remembered that you two were a part of it, that my mom was a part of it, so I narrowed my focus and held onto that."
"And I'm glad," Chad said, the other two listening patiently. "But I- I want to be a part of your planning meetings, now. You always go straight to Audrey first and I wanna be a part of that. I don't want to learn about things after the fact."
"Neither do we," Jane said, squeezing Ben's hand. "If we're doing this, we're doing it for real."
Which meant they, not just Audrey, were Ben's backup, his sounding board. There was no more delegating to just one person, which maybe… maybe Audrey would like that. Maybe they could do that for each other. As a group.
Ben liked the thought of it.
"Okay," Ben said, nodding slowly. "Okay, I'd like that."
"Great, me too," Doug said. "Now not to undervalue the moment, but could we please go to the master bedroom and have copious amounts of sex?"
"Only if you let me guys treat you to a fancy dinner afterwards," Ben said, smiling wide. "I'll have Cogsworth send something up to my suite and teleport it here. You guys shouldn't have to worry about cooking tonight."
"You can just say you don't want to worry about me burning down the kitchen," Jane offered with a small pout.
"The best lies are truths," Chad offered her. "Ben makes use of that a lot."
"Well, I meant the first thing too," Ben huffed, and that earned him a kiss from Jane, so he wasn't really complaining.
"We'll get there," Doug promised, and then all three of them led Ben into their bedroom because they still wanted him there, and if that wasn't the most damn amazing thing in the world, Ben didn't know what was.
-:-:-
Endnotes:
Until next time :)