Not So Happily Ever After

Bitter Brother Ben

The school day Monday goes by with little issue. The biggest issue comes in the form of Ben bitterly giving Jay the cold shoulder any time he tries to talk. He still isn't happy about the interruption that morning and the only thing he is willing to talk to him about is switching rooms. After tourney practice, Ben and Carlos go down to his dorm, while Jay and Gil head to Carlos's dorm to start moving things between them. It doesn't take long to move Ben's stuff, but it does take a while for all of Jay's stuff to make its way over to Gil's dorm. Just as Ben is taking the last thing from his former dorm Gil stops him. "Jay, can I talk to Ben alone for a second?" Gil asks nicely and Jay nods stepping out of the room but flashing Ben a warning look. He walks closer to Ben who takes a step back, making the half-brother sigh. "Why do you hate me, Ben?" Gil asks him looking him in the eyes. "What did I do to you that made you hate me so much?" His emotions plain in his voice, he is hurt. Ben smirks for a second ready to dish out some witty and mean answer but stops when he locks eyes with him. Gil isn't joking he genuinely believes Ben hates him and something squirms inside Ben's gut.

"I don't hate you, Gil... You didn't really ever do anything wrong. It was never about you." Ben lets out a sigh looking out the window, the look of pain on Gil's face making the feeling in his stomach worse. He lingers starring at the beautiful Auradon view just outside the window and something bitter coats his tongue like bile. It's not just his tongue it's his whole throat. He swallows down his pride before looking back at him with renewed bitterness and honesty in equal measure. Gil stands waiting patiently for an answer and it almost physically pains Ben how nice he is. "When I look at you Gil, all I see is everything that should have been mine. I shouldn't have ever been dumped on that isle to be raised by a literal beast." Ben's emotions are flowing thick and strong through his blood, there's no stopping the deluge of pain that comes or the tears that prickle the corners of his eyes so fiercely. "Our mother... yes, OUR mother abandoned me. She abandoned me, Gil. She left me as a fucking baby on the Isle when I had done absolutely nothing wrong. She couldn't stand the sight of her own god damn mistake and I paid the price." Ben well and fully crying now but completely ignoring it as his pain, anger, and bitterness push him forward to continue. "Sixteen years Gil. Sixteen godforsaken fucking years I was beaten, maimed, manipulated, screamed at, and so much more. It was so bad I get episodes of terror remembering the worst of the worst times that I actively try to block out. You got to live in Auradon Gil. You got a mother and a father who love you so much and I didn't get shit." Ben frustratedly wipes his face of his tears, his pride wounded at the brief look of himself in the mirror. He looks a full mess, his eyes are red, his jaw is set and frankly, he looks pathetic. He can't help but curse himself inside for letting this get to him. For letting his emotions show to someone he desperately wants to hide them from. "I don't hate you, Gil." Ben restarts, still avoiding looking at Gil who he assumes is soaking all of his rampage in. "I just hate everything that you remind me of. How unfair all of this has been fo me. Call it selfish if you want, I don't give a damn. I'm not from this place of goodness and perfection. I'm from an Isle of selfish, evil, good for nothing villains. I'm selfish and All I wanted was what you have." Ben loses steam feeling fresh hot tears weep down his cheeks. Finally, he hazards a look at Gil who is just a mess as he is. Gil is crying and he looks pained too. The moment is raw and all Ben can feel right now is guilt. He didn't mean to go off on him but he opened the pandora's box of mother issues that he has been trying to peek inside of since Ben arrived.

"I'm so sorry Ben." Gil sniffles looking him in the eyes despite not really being able to see him beyond a royal blue blob as tears cloud his vision. "I'm sorry mom never kept you. I'm sorry that she abandoned you on the isle to live with the beast. I'm so sorry that you had to endure all of that. I never would have wanted you to go through any of it. I know I can't change what happened but I'm here now and I want to be your brother. Not just your half-brother, your brother. Mom might not have been there for you but I can be now. It isn't much and I know part of you doesn't like me because of my dad but I do want to be here for you Ben." Gil opened his arms wide and swallowed Ben up in his massive hug. Ben initially tensed before letting himself relax into the embrace. He wasn't ready to have a brother yet. There was so much raw pain and bitterness there that he knew it was too soon. He didn't want to turn Gil away because deep inside, the part of him that loved Carlos also wanted Gil to be his brother. The goodness in Ben wanted to let this happen but the bad in him told him this was a weakness. He eventually broke from the hug looking at Gil with a hard look.

"Maybe someday we can be brothers... but I'm not the brother type. I'm sorry." Ben admitted and Gil nodded seeming to understand. A silence settled between them and Ben took that as his cue to leave. He headed back to his new dorm where Jay and Carlos were casually talking, sitting on the edge on the different beds. Both of them looked to Ben and their faces said everything. Ben still looked a mess. The isle boy in him reminds him how weak he is for what just happened at Ben winces. He doesn't want to listen to that right now but it hounds him, filling his head. Jay leaves the room quickly to check on Gil while Carlos rushes to Ben pulling him to look at him.

"What happened Ben?" Carlos asked, already suspecting he knew. Ben shrugged a bit avoiding his gaze again until Carlos cupped his face with both hands looking at him sincerely.

"Gil thought I hated him but I don't. I just... I'm jealous that he got everything that I should have had but... just forget it." Ben's face goes hard, the isle voice mocking his moment of weakness. Carlos seems to read this in his eyes and pulls him in for a gentle kiss, nothing passionate or heated, just a small kiss to soothe him.

"It's okay to feel that way, Ben. Anyone would feel that way if they went through what you did. It isn't weak to feel things either." Carlos says knowingly and Ben melts a bit at the sweet rich chocolate pools that are his eyes. "Just don't hold it against Gil. He really is a good guy if you give him a chance." Ben knows he is right, but he isn't ready to let Gil in yet, not all the way. Carlos pulls him over to his bed after closing the door and grabs some of the chocolate they bought at the mall that hasn't been devoured yet. Ben can't help but smile and the two curl up in bed, letting the pain and bitterness subside and replace it with love and bliss. They share chocolate between them, feeding each other their favorites celebrating their new shared room together. No more interruptions and more privacy is just what they need, but not tonight. Tonight they simply turn on a movie on Carlos's laptop, share chocolates, and try to enjoy their night.