Forgotten

Bad Dream

Carlos was gone. Mal, Evie, and Jay all gone. Ben cowered beneath the looming shadows of the Isles' worst villains. Ben lost his nerve completely, the once proud king of Auradon now a blubbering mess. He knew this was his fault, he had let the issue go unchecked for far too long and Uma broke down the barrier at the sacrifice of her own life. Her death was a rally cry to the now free villains of the isles and Auradon fell. Even with the aid of the VK's and all the kingdoms, Auradon fell to darkness and it was his fault. They held the Vk's hostage and in exchange for their freedom Ben offered his crown. He gave up everything to save Carlos in the end even his life.

Ben sat up sharply at the searing and sharp pain in his throat. He gasped harshly for air and his body trembled. Carlos sat up right quickly looking at Ben a little panicked. "What's wrong? Ben?" His voice both calming and worried as Ben just sat clutching at his neck where the burn and sharp pain originated from. He got up without word and quickly went to the bathroom drinking water from the faucet. The water made him cough and up came blood. The pain was gone but Ben felt a little dizzy, he stumbled back to the bed and clung to Carlos who was sitting bewildered in the middle of his king sized bed.

"Bad dream... really bad dream." Ben's voice was hoarse with sleep and from coughing. Carlos nodded with understanding and pulled Ben back into laying down with him, Carlos rested his head on Ben's chest in silence for what felt like agonizing minutes before he couldn't help himself.

"What was your dream about? Maybe talking about it will make you feel better?" Carlos asked not wanting to pry but also very worried about the abrupt wake up.

"Sorry, I woke you up Carlos... Remember Uma? Well during Cotillion she escaped the barrier. When she failed to spell me into bringing the barrier down, she worked up a spell that used all of her life force to bring the barrier down. Her death set free all the villains and motivated them to overthrow Auradon... I lost everything, I nearly lost you..." Ben couldn't fight the tears that filled his eyes as the emotions from the dream still coursed through his veins. "I gave up everything to save you and the VK's, including my life Carlos. I know it's way to early to say I love you but in my dreams, I loved you so much that I couldn't let anything happen to you." Ben wiped at his tears trying to will them away tired of seeming so weak and shy in front of Carlos. Carlos couldn't help the small smile that formed, it was sad but genuine.

"I knew you were a really good guy Ben, but I never imagined that you would be so selfless. On the isle we always looked at Auradon as selfish for what they did to us, but I guess that it isn't that simple... I know you how you feel about me Ben. I feel something very strongly for you too, and I hope someday I can say that I love you enough to be that selfless." Carlos placed a sweet kiss over Ben's heart before nestling his head back against his chest holding him comfortingly. While it didn't make the pain or emotions go away it did give Ben hope that this wasn't going to turn out like it did in his dreams. So much was already different than in his dreams and he took solace in that because he knew even now, he would be that selfless for Carlos. He loved Carlos even with how fresh and new all of this was, he felt it in his heart and there was no denying that feeling. So he just accepted it. He accepted that he was in love with Carlos and he may not love him back but that was okay. He didn't need Carlos to love him back right now, he just needed him to be there and be safe.

On the isle Ben knew Carlos would not be safe, from one of is recent dreams the two had talked about Cruella and how she treated him. She used him and abused him like a tool rather than a human being and it sickened him. He knew that at the very least Carlos deserved better here in Auradon compared to what he got back on the isle, his feeling put aside it remained true. He knew that of all the VK's. Mal's overbearing mother forcing her to do her bidding and be a carbon copy of her. Evie's mother's constant insults and belittling of the beauty she naturally had. Jay's father who saw him as a supplier rather than a son. They all deserved better and that's why Ben made that proclamation. In his dreams he only did it because he pitied those on the isle. This time, in real life he did it not out of pity but out of desire to do the right thing. They didn't deserve the punishment they had been given and so he wanted to change that.

Ben had been so lost in though that he didn't even realize that Carlos had fallen back to sleep on his chest. He could stop the smile forming on his lips, but he didn't. He took solace in this small thing, this small affection that Carlos gave. Despite barely knowing Ben, he was willing to be affectionate and take a leap of faith toward a relationship with Ben. So far, the two were like salt and sugar. Different but complementary. As much as he would like to think of it as love at first sight, Ben knew it wasn't that simple. While fairytales are real this wasn't a fairytale romance, even in his dreams it was never a fairytale but the connection between the two was so magical it didn't need to be. Ben smiled and ran his fingers through Carlos' hair. He looked down at the boy his heart thumped against his rib cage for and whispered "I love you Carlos De Vil." He laid his head back against his pillow and just stayed like this, not able to sleep again tonight.