pecan pie [descendants]

step eighteen

While Jo fled for the safety of her room, Ben was left gaping at the doorway she had just disappeared through.

His shoulders sagged as he took a seat at the table between Evie and Imogen. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Evie assured him. "Just give Jo some time. She's still unlearning the ways of the Isle." That just made him feel worse.

Jo had been avoiding Ben ever since that day in his office. He'd told Imogen and Evie he didn't know why, but he knew. It was because Ben had pushed too far. He'd crossed a line. He just couldn't help himself. She was sitting so close and he'd looked at her lips and she saw him and now she hated him. She had every right to. They were good friends, that's it, and she didn't want to be more.

Why would she? He was a clueless king running a country that hated her because of something her dad did. He could never love her in the way she deserved, could never give himself to her fully. There would always be a piece of him held by Auradon and Auradon alone, and she deserved better than half-a-lover. After everything she'd been through, after all the pain her pathetic excuse for a father had forced her to endure, she needed someone whose heart would be hers and hers alone. Someone who would never run out on her for work, who would never have to prioritize anything over her.

"This whole yearning thing is getting old," Imogen complained, rolling her eyes. "You need to stop being a coward and just ask her out."

"She's being unnecessarily harsh, but she's right," Evie said with a little wave of her pen.

He tried to play dumb. "Why would I ask her out?"

The girls exchanged looks. Imogen raised her eyebrows at him. "I don't know, Bennyboo, maybe because you've been pining over her for weeks now?" 

Ben scowled. Imogen had a satisfied glimmer in her eyes. She loved getting a rise out of him. She said she liked seeing past the carefully crafted image that was King Ben. Her words, not his. Lately, she'd discovered calling him Bennyboo was the most efficient way to get under his skin.

If he was being perfectly honest, it was his favorite thing about her. She never treated him like royalty or bothered with fake niceties. She was brutally honest, scarily smart, and incredibly ambitious, really only giving a damn about his king status when she could use it to her advantage. She wasn't afraid to call him out on his bullshit. In fact, she took every opportunity to do just that. She was the first person who realized Ben had a crush on Jo — yes, even before Ben himself — so there was no point in beating around the bush.

"She wouldn't say yes," Ben sighed. He was slumped down slightly in his seat, which was unusual for him. Normally, his posture was nothing short of picture-perfect, but he really didn't feel like holding his head high at the moment.

"And how do you know that?" Evie asked, tilting her head curiously. "Because I think she'd say yes."

The idea that Jo might say yes — that she could possibly like him back — made his heart literally skip a beat. He'd never once dared to think she might return his feelings. Not for any longer than a few seconds, anyway. It was a dangerous daydream, a fantasy not worth the trouble it would surely bring.

"She shouldn't say yes," Ben amended after a moment's hesitation. "She deserves better than all of the pressure and attention that comes with being my girlfriend. She's judged unfairly enough as it is. I couldn't do that to her."

He remembered how awful and prying the media had been to Mal. They'd dug into every aspect of her life, and scrutinized everything she did and said. They treated her like she was some lab experiment they were examining under their microscope. They'd watched closely, waiting to see if she'd screw up, and eager to tear her apart if she did. He couldn't put Jo through that. The media vultures would chew her up and spit her back out without a moment's hesitation.

Imogen shook her head as if disappointed with him. "She's a big girl, Ben. She doesn't need you to protect her."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you," Evie laughed.

"What does that mean?" Imogen snapped, slamming her pencil down on the table. The papers in front of her were as blank as they'd been when Ben first sat down. It seemed she and Evie had finally given up the pretense of getting any work done while having this conversation.

"You've been doing everything you can to protect Jo ever since the two of you became friends," Evie pointed out. Imogen opened her mouth to argue, but Evie raised her hand and, effectively cutting her off, added, "And don't say that was only on the Isle. You've been doing it here too. I know you've been threatening and stink-bombing people who talk shit about her."

Imogen looked thoroughly annoyed. "That's different. Jo is my best friend."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Evie said. "It's instinct to protect the people you care about. There's nothing wrong with it. I just don't think you should be wagging your finger at Ben for caring about Jo as much as you do."

"Nobody could ever care about Jo as much as I do," Imogen replied sharply, a matter-of-factness to her words that made Ben smile.

He admired her and Jo's friendship more than he could ever put into words. He wished he had someone who knew him like that — inside and out, all of his hopes and dreams, all of his fears and worries, what made him tick. He used to have something like that with Audrey and, to a lesser extent, Lonnie and Chad, but that was ancient history now. Even if he was actively working on rebuilding his relationships with them, they'd never be as close as they used to be, and they'd certainly never be as close as Imogen and Jo.

Imogen pursed her lips. "Though, I guess Ben could come...pretty close." She turned to him and looked him over. "And it could be nice having another member of the Jo protection squad."

Ben's brow furrowed. It was near impossible to tell if she was joking. "Is that...is that an actual thing?"

"Officially, it's really just a group chat, but I have thought about making us leather jackets," Evie answered. She was smiling the way she always did when discussing fashion — big and wide, pearly white teeth framed by her classic red lipstick. "I'm thinking red because it's Jo's signature color, with maybe like a white heart on the back."

"I would never wear that," Imogen said. Evie's excited smile collapsed into a deep pout. Imogen made eye contact with Ben, and he had to fight the urge to look away. "Will you think about it, at least? Asking Jo out?"

"I've been thinking about it every day for the past few months," Ben admitted.

Evie's hand fluttered to rest over her heart. "Oh, that's so sweet!"

"I guess," Imogen said, crinkling her nose. "Also kind of gross. Anyway, now that that's settled, can we get back to work?"

Evie's eyes lit up. "That reminds me!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of papers. She held them out to Ben. "I need you to sign these."

Ben sighed but took the papers. At least they'd make for a good distraction.

*

shorter chapter but i just realized this has been sitting in my drafts for OVER A YEAR so i'm posting it anyway!!! sorry if the characterization for any of them is off. i'm trying my best here folks. i kinda hate how this turned out but i kinda hate everything i write so that might not mean anything

imogen the founder of the jo protection squad vs jo the founder of the imogen defense squad