Tag: ben

Only Fools Rush In, part 7/12 (2015-08-05)

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Later, when Ben reconsiders what he said to Chad, he admits to himself and his empty single dorm room, that his words may have been… hasty. True, but hasty.

He’s not so committed to the crown that he would doom himself to a life without happiness. And it’s not as if there aren’t literally a dozen other princes and princesses who would be more than happy to have the throne. If he did abdicate.

But he was raised as crown prince, to the idea that his privileged lifestyle was only due to his responsibilities to the kingdom. What kind of king could he possibly be if he were willing to abandon his country? He doesn’t even know if Carlos likes him back!

At that, he smashes a pillow to his face to muffle his groan. He kissed Carlos. He just… kissed Carlos. All of his plans to court Carlos properly, or at the very least ask Carlos verbally if he would even consider going out with Ben, just… gone. All because of a preemptive kiss.

There are bound to be repercussions, but he has no idea what they are because Ben hasn’t seen Carlos since that kiss.

He lets out another muffled yell into his pillow, before pulling it away to breathe.

There’s a knock at his door.

He stares at it, uncertain. It was a fairly soft knock, if there even was one, he could just be imagining things. And, anyway, it’s after curfew, who could possibly–

This time the knock is much louder and far more persistent. So much so that Ben nearly falls while scrambling to the other side of the room to open the door just so that it will stop. And he nearly ends up with a fist in his eye for his troubles.

“Carlos!” He says, then winces at his own volume. He sticks his head out to check in either direction if anyone else heard. The hallway lights are dimmed to night time levels, but the moon is full and the windows let in enough of the glow to see clearly. No one. No one except Carlos, that is. “What are you doing here? It’s after curfew.”

“Aren’t you going to let me in?” Carlos asks, small sideways smirk curling his lips.

Suddenly Ben can’t help but wonder what that would feel like against his own mouth. If laughter filled kisses are better than regular ones.

“Ben?” Carlos asks, hesitantly this time, hands beginning to curl into the fabric of his pajamas.

“Yes, yes, of course. Sorry, right. Yes.” Ben blurts, shaking away his own distracted thoughts, and moving out of the way so Carlos can slip into his room. Ben tries to close the door as quietly as he can, but the click of the latch still seems unbearably loud.

They stand and stare at each other for a while, neither of them sure who should make the first move or even what the first move should be. Ben’s heartbeat thuds heavily in his ears, and the sense memory causes his arms to feel unacceptably empty, makes the distance between him and Carlos seem impossibly far.

He steps closer. And closer. And closer still, until they are in arms length from each other. Ben could easily curl a hand around the back of Carlos’ neck, wouldn’t have to lean too far to press foreheads together. But he doesn’t, because Carlos is staring up at him–not afraid, but tense–and they are only in this situation because Ben acted without asking. So he waits.

He’s not disappointed.

Carlos reaches out, and so Ben reaches back.

In the quiet, moonlit night, holding hands is far more intimate than all of Ben’s attempts at seduction. 

~

A/N: I meant for this part to be Ben thinking all philosophically about his ~feelings~. But then he ended up being this dorky teenage boy and then Carlos butted in and demanded more screen time and I was just like… well… okay then, fictional characters, you do whatever you want.

Aaaand I suppose it’s a weird spot to end, but the next part will pick up immediately from where this leaves off. So… enjoy?

Let’s pretend it’s still before midnight.

Only Fools Rush In, part 6/12 (2015-08-04) [2]

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Whatever expression is on his face is enough to silence Chad until Ben can herd him to somewhere with more privacy. At which point Chad uses up what little good will he had by saying, “Cruella’s kid? Kind of a downgrade.”

Ben’s not a violent person, so he doesn’t lash out, but he does feel rage bubbling up. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Because Chad really doesn’t.

“Don’t I? You’re king at sixteen; not even our parents had to rule an entire kingdom at our age. So you want to rebel a little, go for the bad girl. Maleficent’s kid, I get, she’s practically a villain already what with the magic. But Cruella’s kid? Really?” He says, and he’s so wrong, something in Ben just snaps.

“Shut up,” he growls, yet still he has enough self-control not to punch Chad in the face, so he adds, “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“No,” Chad agrees, “You don’t have to, but you think anyone else would give you a chance to explain? If anyone else knew–”

“Knew what?” Ben interrupts, provoking, because if he has to be angry, Chad should at least be irritated.

“You think that witch will let you cheat on her without doing something to you?” Chad shouts, the question echoes in the empty locker room, sound distorting as it bounces against metal and tile.

Ben is confused for a beat, for two reasons, “You think Mal doesn’t know?” he asks incredulously, then, “Are you worried about me?” with even more skepticism.

Chad, face flushed in irritated, embarrassed, splotches, only splutters back.

“Mal knows,” Ben says, “Of course she knows, I told her. She’s my girlfriend.”

“That’s a strange definition you’re working with," Chad snarks, which Ben can’t help but snipe back with,

"As opposed to the one you used with Evie?”

“She’s just a–”

“You really don’t want to finish that sentence,” Ben warns. He and Evie may not be the closest, but he does consider her a friend.

“We used to be friends before they came along,” Chad says, which is even more confusing to Ben than the idea of Mal not knowing about his feelings for Carlos.

“No, we weren’t.” Ben says slowly, brow furrowed with disbelief.

“We hung out all the time before,” Chad contradicts.

Which isn’t untrue, but, “If I hadn’t been crown prince, would we have?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Chad says, which very noticeably is not an answer to Ben’s question. But the way he’s unable to meet Ben’s eyes all of a sudden is answer enough.

“Yeah, what could that possibly have to do with anything we’re talking about right now,” Ben says pointedly. “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he repeats.

He thinks that’s that, Chad glaring silently back, but as Ben turns to leave, he hears,

“What about your parents?”

So Ben turns back, his own glare aimed at Chad.

“It’s one thing, for a king to have a rehabilitated witch as some kind of trophy girlfriend,” Chad says, voice soft and smooth like venom, “It’s something else entirely for a king to have a tawdry boy toy.”

There’s something in Ben’s mind that clicks. That turns on and lets him step back and realize that nothing Chad says should make him angry because nothing Chad says actually matters. He is a prince only in name, putting people down in hopes of clawing his way up in the world. And he is nothing to Ben.

A wave of calm washes over Ben, “I would think, so long as I’m happy, my parents would be happy for me. No matter who I love. And if they’re really so concerned over the king’s image, well,” and somehow, it’s easy to say with full confidence,

“I can always abdicate.”

~

A/N: FML, FML, FML. Okay, okay. Agh! So… this really did not go in the direction that I was expecting it to go in? There were certain points that I wanted to hit which I did get to, but not in the ways I thought I would AT ALL. I was struggling so hard to make Chad a sympathetic character but literally all we know about him from the movie is that he’s just this asshole who makes Evie do his homework, immediately agrees to go out with Audrey as soon as she asks, steals Evie’s magic mirror, is physically aggressive/hostile with the Lost kids, calls Evie a gold digger, etc. etc. So I just… blagh. He’s just going to be a jerk. His presence was so poisonous that I just couldn’t.

Why did other people and weird semi-plot have to enter this series? Why couldn’t it have just been a series of drabbles in which Ben is helplessly enamored by Carlos? Why? Urgh, too much dialogue and talking in circles and NOT ENOUGH CARLOS AND BOYS BEING IN LOVE.

But, hopefully, now that I have escaped that weird corner of confrontation that I had written myself into, I can return to the wonderful world of Ben being helplessly enamored by Carlos. Yes. PLeaaase, brain, work with me on this.

Aaand I guess this installment is dedicated to jalencolbert (sorry it’s not a nicer one) whom without your words of encouragement I probably would have kept postponing this part (and possibly the entire series) out of sheer frustration. So, thanks and I’m glad you enjoy this series (even if this particular post is my least favorite).

Only Fools Rush In, part 5/12 (2015-08-03)

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If asked for which moment Ben fell in love with Carlos, he wouldn’t be able to say. There was no single moment, but a collection of moments, and the gradual learning of who Carlos was as a person.

It might have begun that very first day, a wide-eyed boy with chocolate smeared all over his face and hands. Lost and scared in a strange new world, not hesitating to reach out for comfort when startled.

Or maybe it was the following day, when, instead of giving up in the face of Coach’s discouragement, he stayed. Even if he didn’t have Jay’s natural talent, he still wanted to try, would have extra practices to improve.

It definitely included that first extra practice, if something interrupted in the first five minutes could be considered such. Despite the fear of dogs so ingrained into him, he had made himself vulnerable at Ben’s reassurance. Had reached out a fearful, trembling hand to touch a creature from his nightmares because he trusted Ben. Trusted him enough to share what life was like back on the Isle.

There are many more moments after that, more than Ben could differentiate between and say “There, then, that’s when I fell in love.” Small moments, fleeting moments, smiles and laughs and wide eyes and tentative, shaking hands; more than Ben even remembers.

Here is one such moment:

Many people forget, for all that Ben is a king among princes, he has a fairly humble heritage. Yes, his father was royalty, and his father before him. But his mother? She was not. And her father? He was considered the village lunatic.

People remember his father’s physical metamorphosis; when prompted they can also remember his behavioral change. But more and more often his mother’s willingness to think differently, to be different, has been brushed aside. And his grandfather is hardly ever mentioned at all. So it’s a surprise when someone actually talks to Ben about his grandfather; especially when it’s without the context of being his grandfather.

Ben is waiting out on the tourney field for Carlos, fidgeting with impatience. He’s not annoyed, he’s eager. He always looks forward to their private training, though this is before he realizes why.

Ben is considering leaving–to search for Carlos, because maybe he’s gotten lost, the Lost kids are still fairly new to campus–when he hears Carlos’ voice call out. He’s running out of the locker rooms, practice uniform only partially on and completely askew. Ben can’t help the smile that curls onto his face at the sight.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Carlos yelps, voice muffled through his shirt, still curled up over his head.

“Let me help you with that,” Ben murmurs, reaching over to help tug clothes into their proper places, until Carlos’ flushed face peeks out.

“Thanks,” Carlos says, smiling, and Ben has to say something, anything, or else he’ll end up just staring.

“What happened? You didn’t get lost, did you?”

“No, well, sort of–earlier I did,” he stammers, “I found this shed full of stuff, but then I got caught–I mean, then I met this old man, Moe. He’s an inventor…”

“Moe?” Ben interjects, wondering.

“Well, he said to call him Moe. Anyway, he showed me some of his machines, and I guess I got caught up,” Carlos explains.

“Oh,” and because he couldn’t help himself, Ben asks, “What do you think of Moe?”

He’s preparing himself for something unflattering, like what he usually encounters, so he isn’t surprised when he hears–

“He’s a little weird…”

–but then when Carlos concludes–

“… and absolutely brilliant.”

Carlos has no idea who Moe, Maurice, really is, or who he is to Ben, and so his oblivious admiration is all the more honest. Ben can’t help but be charmed.

~

A/N: Uhh…. um. First off, let’s pretend it’s before midnight still. And, second, let’s also pretend like part four wasn’t a cliff-hanger involving Chad and instead have this rambling interlude about Crazy Old Maurice for part five.

I don’t know?! I wrote myself into a corner with part four and I was like… what do I even know about Chad? NOTHING. Then I was like, what do I even want him to be like? AAAAGH. So I just… pushed that Ben – Chad confrontation to later 😛

Mrghle. Just… feel free to ignore this installment.

Only Fools Rush In, part 4/12 (2015-08-02)

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All of Ben’s careful, well-intentioned plans crumble into dust after the Auradon Knights win against the Corona Suns. Or, rather, when Carlos wins against the Corona Suns.

Both teams defenses’ were working double time during the game, and neither side had managed to score against the other. They had already dragged the game into overtime but with still no goals made, they were facing another ten minutes of grueling overtime. And maybe that was why the Suns had focussed on Jay and Ben, the Knights’ top scorers, and completely forgot about Carlos. Small, fast, cunning Carlos who scored the game winning goal.

It was such a surprise that, for a beat, there was stunned silence. But then a roar of cheers erupted from the Knights’ side, the band and cheerleaders at the front of the celebration. The team, tired but exhilarated, crowded together, jostling Carlos in congratulations. After Carlos and Jay finish their familiar, triumphant, roughhousing, Ben sees Carlos bounding towards him.

It’s nothing at all to catch the smaller boy mid-leap with arms around his waist. It seems right to have a matching embrace around his neck. And maybe that associative seduction worked too well; or maybe Ben conditioned himself instead. Because it just feels natural to lean in, to press his lips against Carlos’, to taste, to touch, to kiss.

For all that Ben wishes it had been an eternity, it’s brief. A fleeting moment in time that ends all too soon because he pulls away. Has to pull away. When his brain comes back online, he realizes he didn’t ask. Didn’t feel a matching, reciprocating pressure from Carlos. So Ben has to pull away, has to look and see what he’s done.

Carlos’ mouth is open, an involuntary temptation; Ben would like to imagine that his lips are a little redder, but then again, he’d like to imagine a lot of things that aren’t actually true. Shaking those thoughts away, Ben sees that Carlos is frozen, eyes wide and staring back in shock. The arms around Ben’s neck have loosened their hold, hands resting lightly on his shoulders.

He knows that there’s still noise and movement around them, but as far as Ben’s concerned none of that matters. They are a tableau of two, motionless and accompanied only by the sound of Ben’s pounding, nervous heartbeat.

Then Carlos’ hands twitch, and maybe it’s just a reflex, but maybe he’s trying to push Ben away. And Ben doesn’t want to presume, doesn’t want to trap him, so he lets go, sets Carlos back on the ground quickly, but gently, and he pulls his arms away. Carlos fingers are still curled in Ben’s jersey, and his expression is still open and shocked and vulnerable. And Ben resists the urge to lean back in, to press more kisses against his face, to see if Carlos actually tastes like chocolate or if that was just more of Ben’s imagination at work.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, considering how close Ben was to giving in to the impulse, Jay appears and manhandles Carlos away. He steers them back into the crush of enthusiastic teenagers riding the high of victory, leaving Ben to stand at the fringes and stare after them. When he turns away, trying to get himself under control, he catches the knowing gaze on Chad’s face.

~

A/N: I cannot express how difficult this was to write. And not in the usual way where I want to write but have no idea what to, this time it was I know exactly what to write but my soul keeps curling up in embarrassment every other word.

I am not very good at romance, so… you know, anything that isn’t vague hinting or sly implication is way too much for me. But! I persevered, and I hope you enjoyed it.

Also, a title for this series! Hooray! Not very witty reference from the lyrics of Can’t Help Falling In Love, but it was either that or a reference to Fall Out Boy’s Young Volcanoes. And “Free From The Coliseum” doesn’t quite make sense without the context.

Also, also, hello new followers that are presumably here because of this series. Uh… I’m glad you enjoy this series, and hope you find other drabbles you enjoy amongst my writing.

So, just to make clear, this drabble is part four in a series.

It is quite possible that I will die if you don’t continue those drabbles. I don’t have a title suggestion though :/

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Like I said before, I’m running on less than three hours of sleep and too much emotion from a silly Disney Channel movie. But I am now also being fueled by everyone’s enjoyment of this series.

I’m really glad you like them. 😀 But, uh, please don’t die? I’m seriously at the whims of my plot bunnies/muses. Luckily this one seems to be particularly generous.

And I totally understand about the lack of title suggestion. I obviously cannot come up with one myself 8(

Only Fools Rush In, part 3/12 (2015-08-01) [3]

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“Am I being too subtle?” he asks, leaning casually against the lockers next to Mal’s, the perfect picture of a devoted boyfriend. Except for the conversation topic.

A laugh bubbles out of her, honestly surprised and brightly entertained. Ben is always pleased when he can do that, anything to make her happy.

“You announced to the entire school that you were in love with me before we were even dating, and on our first date you took off your clothes,” Mal reminds him, smile edging sideways with mostly benign teasing.

He scratches his cheek sheepishly, acknowledging her point, but defending himself with, “But that was when I was under the love potion.”

Her nose crinkles, now more ashamed at the memory of having to resort to a love potion than having been caught using said potion.

“But it didn’t change who you were, or how you acted while in love. It just focused those emotions on a specific target,” she responds thoughtfully, fingers tap tap tapping against the spine of her spell book, “Just because the target of your affections is one that you’ve chosen, doesn’t mean your behavior would be considerably different.”

Her voice drops out of the lofty theorizing, and darkens into something hard and flinty, “I understand that you’d want to be a little more discrete since it’s Carlos…”

And Ben is still working his parents over on the matter of my-girlfriend-is-Maleficent’s-daughter, much less the I’m-actually-in-love-with-Cruella’s-son.

“…but he’s not going to end up your dirty little secret,” she states, advice and warning combined.

He shakes his head, because of course not. He wouldn’t–doesn’t–view Carlos that way whatsoever. The reason why he doesn’t sing his feelings at the top of his lungs to the entire school is because Carlos and Mal are different. “With you, I knew you’d reject me if you didn’t want me, even in front of the entire school. But with him… I don’t want him to feel pressured into saying yes.”

“There you go,” she says, satisfied, “Now, walk me to my math class so we can pass by Carlos in the hallway on his way to computer science.”

Ben’s next class, history, is in a completely different building on the other side of campus. But he thinks the daily tardies are a worthy exchange for daily smiles and waves.

Mal hip checks him when he stops moving to watch Carlos walk away, nearly completely turned around to do so. Luckily for Ben, the crowd flowing around them are all students almost late for class, too busy to notice.

“Not subtle at all,” she chides half-heartedly.

~

A/N: THIS IS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF DRABBLES I HAVE WRITTEN IN ONE DAY. I AM RUNNING ON LESS THAN THREE HOURS OF SLEEP. WHY ARE MY FEELINGS FOR THIS CAMPY MOVIE INCREASING OVER TIME?

Continuation of today’s earlier posts.

Also, any suggestions for a title for this series?

EDIT: NOW WITH TITLE– “ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN”

Only Fools Rush In, part 2/12 (2015-08-01) [2]

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There seems to be a disconnect between his conscious and subconscious mind; because while he still finds it extremely difficult to verbally ask Carlos out, his subconscious seems to be completely on board with the seduction.

“Good boy,” Ben murmurs into Carlos’ ear after he’s finally made a goal during one of their tourney practices. One of Ben’s hands is curled possessively around the back of Carlos’ neck, the other strokes down his stomach, pulling away just before it hits waistband. Belly rubs indeed.

Carlos, distracted by the joy and pride of his first successful shot, only smiles at Ben gratefully. The same as he always does during their personal training times.

Outside of those, Ben’s opportunities to ask Carlos out (continue seducing him) drops to zero. Because for some reason, even though all of them know he’s trying to date Carlos, the three other Lost kids do not leave him alone.

“Associating yourself with endorphins and exhilaration? It’s a good start,” Evie says with a wink–how does she know these things–at lunch one day. Thankfully, Carlos is not in earshot of their lunch table, opting to spend the rest of his free time playing fetch with Dude, but still. He’s right there.

“Carlos loves chocolate,” Mal mentions pointedly, both helpful and despicable, as Ben’s mind goes full throttle down a particular road. Blood rushes elsewhere in addition to his face.

“Still don’t need to hear this,” Jay grumbles, and steadfastly ignores everyone else at the table.

“Hear what?” Carlos asks as he rejoins them, Dude loyally following at his heels. He plops down into the space next to Ben; and Ben has apparently lost all control, automatically leaning towards him.

“Nothing,” the girls say, giggling to one another. Jay continues to ignore everyone.

“Ookay?” Carlos responds, and if Ben is maybe thrilled by the slightly breathless way he speaks, panting with exertion, well. No one else needs to know. Certainly not Jay.

—

One would think that, after years of looking after Dude, it would have earned Ben some loyalty; or at the very least some kind of leeway. But when it comes to the dog’s favorite human, apparently even past generosity means nothing.

“I fed you steak,” Ben hisses, feeling betrayed, when Dude growls at what he apparently deems an inappropriate proximity to Carlos.

It’s a Friday night, and Ben and Carlos are finally alone–thanks to Evie and Mal literally dragging Jay out of the boys’ dorm room–and they’ve spent the last two hours playing video games.

Not that he hasn’t enjoyed spending time alone with Carlos without the pretext of tourney training. Or, nearly alone with Carlos. But he was kind of hoping to elevate their relationship to the next level. Or at least bring up that possibility.

Instead, Dude has been acting as chaperone for this not-date (would be a date, if Ben could actually ask), bodily going in between the two of them whenever Ben tries to do anything.

He has never been more aware or more frustrated by the presence of a bed in his entire life.

So what if Dude dooms this particular night to a strictly platonic hang out? It’s not exactly a hardship to interact with the boy he likes.

“Again?” Carlos pleads, even though Ben has lost every single round thus far and he’s kind of getting bored of the game. But Carlos asks, hardly even needs to pout or widen his eyes or tilt his head beseechingly, and of course Ben is going to say yes. Though all of that certainly doesn’t hurt his case.

And, well, so what if Ben loses yet again? Carlos’ delighted grin is an excellent consolation prize.

~

A/N: WTF! Are you kidding me? I literally could not fall asleep because I was thinking about this. Whhyyyyyy? I did not sign up for such a disproportionate amount of feels.

And I’m hinting at puppy play between two next generation Disney characters. Oh my lord, I might as well fling myself into the sun, I’m probably going to some level of hell.

Direct sequel to this.

Also, maybe I should come up with a title for this if it’s going to be a series…

EDIT: IT’S CONTINUED HERE. WHY AM I BEING COMPELLED TO WRITE THIS?

EDIT2: NOW WITH A TITLE! CHECK OUT MY “ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN” TAG FOR MORE INSTALLMENTS.

Only Fools Rush In, part 1/12 (2015-08-01) [1]

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“Of course I don’t mind,” Mal says, soft smile gracing those perfect pink lips he’s never kissed. And never will.

Certainly not if he’s going to follow through on this crazy idea of his.

“But one condition,” she adds, and now her smile turns sharp and edged and dangerous, like nothing in Auradon. He thinks it’s going to be secrecy, not to cause a scandal, but instead she says, “Break his heart and I’ll end you.” The tapping of her fingertips against her ever present spell book is just a reminder of how easily she can back up her words.

He remembers why he loves her, why he wanted her to wear his ring. She’ll make a great queen.

Maybe not a good one, but he’s sick of good. Good is boring. And what he wants? Is neither.

—

He gets Mal’s permission first–because there’s no way he’s going to cheat on his girlfriend, even if that term is used more as a job title than a relationship status–but she’s not the last.

Evie blinks at his question, rolls her eyes, then dismisses him, “You think I didn’t already know? I suppose I could threaten you but, to be honest, anything I do would be faster and less painful than what Mal or Jay would do to you.”

He considers that, then nods in agreement.

She’s about to turn away, onto her next project, when she stops, head tilting as she considers the idea that has just popped into her head. Then she smirks, gaze crawling up his body from toe to head in an amused leer.

“Is the change genetic?” She asks, and he’s about to say no, his father’s curse was broken decades ago, but then she continues, “Because Carlos likes fur.”

The blush that spreads across his face is almost as red as the ruby around her neck. He cannot flee fast enough from her laughter.

—

Unsurprisingly, Jay is the hardest. And not just because he’s got biceps as big as Ben’s head with a predilection to use them whenever he wants. Jay and Carlos are brothers and, more than that, they’re roommates. It takes a lot of maneuvering to get Jay by himself, and even that still involves Carlos looking at them both with abandoned, hurt puppy eyes which nearly undoes all of Ben’s plans.

But no, he’s going to do this right.

When he first broaches the topic, Jay shows remarkable restraint when, instead of immediately decking Ben across the face, he merely punches a hole in the wall next to Ben’s head.

“Mal knows, of course she knows!” Ben blurts out, relieved when Jay finally pulls away his fist, “Evie does, too.”

“Duh,” Jay scoffs, which–what, does Evie just know everything?–but at least he’s not angry anymore.

“I promise I won’t hurt him,” Ben says, then his thoughts stray just a little so he flushes and admits, “Well, unless he wants me to–”

“Shut up, I don’t need to hear that,” Jay thankfully interrupts before their conversation delves too far in a direction neither of them want to go in. “Promises mean shit,” he redirects, still scowling, but backing away so he no longer looms menacingly over Ben.

“But you are the reason that damn mutt sleeps in our room…”

The reason Carlos isn’t frightened to death of dogs anymore, Ben translates.

“And you were willing to help him out with tourney training even before…” Jay trails off and waves a hand vaguely which Ben doesn’t know if that means before he started dating Mal or before he started having feelings for someone not his girlfriend. And not a girl, for that matter.

“You better not screw this up,” Jay says, before punching Ben on the shoulder–both a warning and a gesture of approval. He ends the conversation completely by simply walking away.

Ben resists the urge to rub away the pain until Jay is completely out of his line of sight. That really hurt.

Now comes the actual difficult part: asking Carlos if he wants to go out with Ben.

~

A/N: Oh god, what am I doing? Doing what I do best, apparently, writing about a ship without actually having the characters of the ship interact.

Not necessarily related to my other Untitled Descendants drabble here, but they’re not inconsistent with each other, so enjoy?

Basically, after reconsidering the movie and sifting through all the awkward heteronormative stuff, I gleaned a few excellent headcanons about everyone’s orientation/relationships/personalities which I now greatly enjoy.

Mal: either demi or aro ace. She and Ben are still together, and probably will get married, but she’s not going to deny him happiness. Especially not if it’ll make one of her brothers/best friends happy.

Ben: there’s no way that boy is completely straight. no way.

Evie: once she drops the air-head routine, she accepts her potential for omniscience. she doesn’t even need her mirror for it.

Jay: older brother. SUCH an older brother. and plus, they all grew up on the Isle together. Even if Jay and Carlos aren’t genetic brothers (and, again, I can easily headcanon that all of them are at least half-siblings) I have weird, specific feelings about the Westermarck effect.

Carlos: what an adorable little charmer. did you see how easily he got the security company to turn off the siren? that boy’s hella cute.

EDIT: continued here.

EDIT2: NOW WITH A TITLE. THIS SERIES IS CALLED “ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN,” SO FOLLOW THAT TAG FOR MORE INSTALLMENTS.