"...Mother?" (A Descendants × Hadeficent story)

Ch. 14 - Dinner

"Mal! Mal, hey."

Surprised to find Doug when she turned, Mal could see that Evie's lips pursed a little. "Hey." She greeted in return, although she did note that most of Doug's attention was on Evie, and while the dwarf's son stared at Evie, he nodded to Mal's greeting, "Ben has something to say to you later, he's booked the art room, I think he needs your help with some piece of art." "He needs my help with art? But he doesn't even take the art class that he threw me into." Mal raised her eyebrows suspiciously, but Doug only shrugged, "Maybe he needs you to make him a commission or something."

"Funny." Mal glanced at Evie, who was now slightly more relaxed, "Why didn't he just tell me straight away, then?" "Surprises can't be told in person, I would say. But then, what would I know?" Doug winked, "Evie, shall we discuss our chemistry homework?" "Oh, of course." Evie batted her eyelashes first at Doug, then at Mal, "Enjoy your time with Ben!" "You too." Mal mumbled, watching as Evie dragged Doug off into the distance.

This better not be a surprise date, I swear...

...

"Hey, Ben."

Mal opened the door to the art room, and thankfully, Ben was truly staring at an empty canvas on an easel, and his shoulders relaxed when he saw her enter, "Mal, dieu merci." "French, much?" Mal could hear the relief in his voice, despite the foreign exclamation, "I'm guessing something along the lines of, 'thank you, my grand saviour'?" "Thank goodness, to be exact." Ben laughed, "Although I will consider that the next time I ask for your help."

"What is it?" She set her bag down, glancing over his shoulder at the canvas, and she paused, before she gave a slight cough, "Ben, please do not tell me that you were intending to give that to your mother." "I was." Ben blinked, "Why, is this bad?" "Beyond words." Honest eyes met his, "Ben, that gown is simply horrendous. And I'm not even Evie." "Something you wouldn't give to my mother as a meeting gift?" He questioned, gesturing weakly at the sketch, and Mal kept her eyes on it as she crossed her arms, "Didn't you say you couldn't bring me to Castle Beast?"

"Well, if I said I could, on one condition?" Ben didn't like the vibes that began to radiate from Mal somewhere between being pissed and being explosive, "Mal?" "It depends." Her voice was too tight to be natural, and Mal was refraining herself from an outburst into flames, "If the condition is having to help you complete that painting in your style and present it as mine, we can officially call all our dates off."

She flashed him a smile that sent chills sprinting down his spine, and then raised her eyebrows in a way that (he hoped) was assuring him that she was only joking.

"The condition is that you'll have to be my girlfriend. And I know I'm hopeless at art. Maybe we'll prepare another first meeting gift." The words flowed like a current freed from a dam, and Mal stared at him like he was speaking in alien tones, "What?" "Be my girlfriend." Ben repeated himself, feeling more stupefied than ever as he wondered if he was speaking it as a statement or a question, "Be my girlfriend, Mal."

Oh, how he loved and hated those green eyes of hers.

She scanned him, as though she had thought he had gotten ill, or sick, and was trying to examine him to see if he had, perhaps, hit his head. And then when she saw the genuine hope in his eyes, Mal's grin suddenly spread wider than he had ever seen, and she gave a soft squeal in reply.

"Yes! Of course I would say yes!"

He had missed out on the relief in her voice.

Dear gods, he finally got to asking me to be his girlfriend.

Mal sighed inwardly in relief as Ben pulled her over and started asking her about how he should do the painting instead, and even while she picked up the paintbrush, Mal could only imagine the amount of screaming Evie would do into her ears upon hearing the news.