Ben and Ruby had gone to Ben's room for some privacy to talk and, sitting on his bed, Ruby had no clue where to start. Ben wasn't going to push her in any direction, he just wanted Ruby to talk to him, vent to him about what was bothering her. But Ruby was not used to this and she had no clue where to start or what she even wanted to say. She'd agreed to talk, and she still stood by that decision because some gut feeling told her she needed to, but this was way out of her wheelhouse.
Luckily for her, Ben had somehow learned to figure her out well enough to know she needed some words of encouragement. He pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek.
"Hey, you can tell me anything, okay? I'm not going anywhere." The pad of his thumb brushed her cheek as she looked up and met his eyes, "Even if it's something I don't like hearing."
Ruby breathed a chuckle and shook her head, "How do you do that?" She muttered, more to herself than to Ben. Ben smiled cluelessly,
"Do what?"
Ruby looked back up and met eyes and she was surprised to find that he was genuinely clueless about what she meant. Ruby figured Ben would know this about himself, but apparently, she was wrong. She searched his face, but he truly didn't seem to know what he was doing.
"This," She put her hand over his, where it was still cupping her cheek, "Be so kind and accepting no matter how messed up you find out I am. How are you this amazing?" It was Ben's turn to look down, but Ruby caught the shy smile and small blush that coated his cheeks. Ruby didn't want him to look away at such a compliment and reached her hand to lift his chin. "You are. You know that right?"
Ben smile widened a little, "Thank you." He was still a bit bashful and it was a side of him that Ruby wasn't quite used to. She always considered Ben to be a secure person, but as it turned out, everyone needed to hear such a compliment sometimes. Ruby was quite proud of herself for realizing this, since she knew for a fact that she would not have picked up on this a few months ago. She had Ben to thank for her new perceptiveness, she knew. She realized Ben had unknowingly taught her a lot in such a short time, and she didn't think it was a bad thing.
She blew out a soft breath and tore her eyes away from those compassionate hazel green eyes that she admittedly loved getting lost in. She knew she'd drifted off-topic with her comment and Ben was both too kind and currently too bashful to force her back on it. She knew it was up to her to breach this topic, and she had decided back of the practice field that it was something she had to do. And the Ruby Princess never backed away from a challenge, even if this wasn't the kind she usually faced.
Ben noticed her shift in attitude and his smile faded away, a look that reassured Ruby it was okay took its place.
"I'm not sure what to say. I'm not even sure what it was that made me so-so... upset, I guess. It's pretty stupid, really."
Ben wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm as Ruby rested her head on his shoulder. "Your feelings aren't stupid."
"They kinda are, though. I don't like feeling this way."
Ben couldn't help but smile and kissed the top of her head, "No one likes feeling upset, but you're justified to be upset and that's not stupid."
"You sound like a shrink," Ruby deadpanned. Ben laughed softly.
"Sorry," He apologized, "But I'm serious. It's not stupid that seeing your mother upset you. She's hurt you, and you don't have to be okay with that."
Ruby stayed silent for a moment as she thought over Ben's words. No one had ever told her that feeling this way was okay. Mostly, because she never really talked about it to anyone. She'd never had someone validate how she was feeling, and it was almost as if a weight had been lifted off her chest to hear someone say that she was justified in feeling the way she did.
"I guess... In that case, I'm not okay with this. Not at all." Ruby decided. Saying those words aloud made her frown. She truly was not okay with how her mother made her feel and how she treated her, but she had no clue what to do about it. So she wasn't okay with this, now what?
In a soft voice, Ben prompted, "What are you not okay with?" Ruby thought it was a stupid question because she figured it'd be obvious. Ben knew it was, but he wanted her to say it, out loud. She needed to say it. And Ruby answered, regardless of how naïve she thought the question was.
"I'm not okay with how she treats me. I'm not okay with how she threatens me or orders me around like some sort of servant. I'm not okay with her treating me like I'm some sort of burden or failure." Ruby wasn't really thinking anymore as the words that she'd been choking down for years finally left her lips. It was like a dam had broken and there was no stopping them anymore.
"I am not okay with how irrational she is and how she expects me to be perfect all the damn time. I'm not okay with her harsh punishments or her ridiculous chores. I'm not okay with how she made me hate myself for not being the perfect princess. I—" Ruby choked on her words as she tried to hold back a sob.
Ben pulled her to his chest, hugging her and rubbing her back, which made Ruby feel safe enough to stop holding back as sobs started racking her body. She cried into Ben's chest, her make-up surely ruining his neat blouse, but neither of them cared. It was rare for Ruby to cry, but in less than two months, Ben had managed to make her feel safe enough to let it all out and cry her eyes out twice now. Before she came to Auradon, she had managed not to cry since the age of six, yet this boy had seen all her broken parts and understood that she needed to mourn over them before she could pick them back up and put herself back together again.
Ben hugged her tightly, wishing to protect her from the rest of the world like this. He realized that this thought crossed his mind often whenever he learned another bit about Ruby's past. He'd heard every single thing she'd said, and his heart ached at the thought of all that Ruby had had to go through as a child. This was how she was raised, and Ben knew she didn't deserve to be raised in such a way. If he were being honest, he was angry that she had to grow up with someone like her mother, who made her feel so worthless. He couldn't imagine it. But worst of all, he knew that it was his father's decision to lock all villains on the Isle that made her live through such a childhood, and he blamed himself for it. He knew it wasn't his decision, but until recently, he'd never opened his mouth to tell his Dad he was wrong. He knew this issue wasn't about him, and he knew his Dad had meant well in his decision to lock away the villains, yet he couldn't help but think that Ruby's misery could've been avoided.
Ruby's breathing slowed down eventually as she collected herself. Ben held her until she quieted completely and pulled back, wiping her eyes. Ben brushed away a stray tear with his thumb and cupped her cheek, whilst grabbing on to her folded hands in her lap with the other.
"I love you. I know that I can't just undo the damage your mother has done, no matter how much I want to, but I want you to know that I think you're absolutely brilliant. God, to think of all that you've endured, I can't even imagine. I think you're so strong. And, whether you believe me or not, you deserve so much more."
The passion is Ben's voice made her smile and she couldn't help herself but pull him closer and press her lips against his. Ben responded almost instantly. Ruby smiled into their kiss.
As they pulled back Ruby couldn't help but grin, "What did I do to deserve you?"
Ben grinned in turn, "I was thinking the exact same thing."
Ruby snorted, "How?" Ruby was pretty sure that all she'd given Ben was her personal drama and troubles. Ben had been there for her through it all, and she appreciated it, but she wasn't exactly sure what she contributed to the relationship, nor what made Ben enjoy her company.
Ben wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "By being you." He didn't elaborate, which was unlike him, but Ruby accepted his answer and leaned into his embrace. She was okay with his answer because she knew that Ben had met the real her. Especially now that there was no love potion or anything to prevent him from thinking clearly. Ben loved her for her, regardless of her flaws, and she hadn't pretended to be something she was not during their time together. Sure, she had held his hand and had kissed him, which was highly unlike her, but she didn't feel like any of it had been fake. She didn't feel like she had to pretend all that much, mostly because she'd learned to enjoy Ben's company and even appreciate it. By now, Ruby couldn't imagine faking the smile she gave Ben as he looked at her, because it appeared even at times when she didn't want it to.
"Hey, I was going home for dinner tonight. Do you wanna come with me?" Ben asked. Ruby's brows furrowed.
"But isn't it your family movie night?"
"Well, yeah," Ben shrugged. Ruby gave a small smile but shook her head.
"I don't know, Ben. It's your family night. I don't want to impose." Ruby was again reminded of how much she'd changed in the last few months. She would've never considered that she might be imposing in the first place. Frankly, she would've said no just because it wouldn't have sounded like any fun, whilst now she knew that she wouldn't have minded joining Ben if she didn't impose. She just liked spending time with Ben, it didn't really matter what they were doing.
Ben laughed at that and shook his head, "Oh, I don't think my parents will mind. In fact, my Mom's been asking when you'd come by again."
Ruby's eyes widened, "She has?"
"She has." Ben nodded. "And my Dad just wants to see you win a match against Ricky," He mused. Ruby chuckled. Adam had seemed intrigued by that, but she hadn't realized he was that interested, thinking he was mostly just being polite. The people of Auradon tended to do that even when they couldn't care less about the topic—it was confusing sometimes. "So, will you come?"
Ruby pursed her lips, suppressing a smile, "Well, if you insist..."
"Oh, please, I know you like it." Ben tickled her side, making Ruby squeal. She fell backwards on the bed and tried to get away, but Ben didn't let her go that easily and pinned her down, tickling her sides. Ruby was laughing to the point of tears, struggling to get Ben off of her. She knew she could easily throw him off if she really wanted to, but she didn't.
Ben eventually let her go, leaning over her with a hand on either side of her head. Ruby grinned and raised a daring eyebrow. Ben leant down and pecked her lips before rolling off her and lying beside her on the bed. Ruby found his hand and intertwined their fingers as they both stared at the ceiling. Ben turned his head to watch Ruby instead and grinned when he saw a smile appear on her lips despite Ruby trying to stop herself. She turned to meet his eyes.
"So, you're sure you want to come?" Ben asked, not wanting her to feel like she had to. Ruby groaned and hit his chest with her free hand.
"You are impossible sometimes, Beastie." She sat up and pulled him with her as she got off the bed.
"What? What did I do?" Ruby shot him a look, but it was half-hearted. Ben just looked too adorable when he was confused. His nose would scrunch up a little and he'd furrow his brows. Ruby's expression melted into a soft smile. She pulled him off the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, Ben automatically wrapping his around her waist.
"If I didn't want to come with you, I'd say so. In case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly filter opinions." Sure, she's become a tad less rude, but frankly, that was only around Ben and her friends. The rest of the student body at Auradon Prep knew damn well that Ruby said what was on her mind.
Ben chuckled, "Right, sorry."
Ruby pecked his lips, "That's okay. Now come on, let's find you a mascara-free shirt."
Ruby walked over to Ben's closet to try and find a clean shirt that wasn't scattered around the floor. Ben might be crowned king soon, but his messy bedroom clearly showed he was still just a teenage boy. Frankly, Ruby thought he was too young to be crowned king, wishing for him to be able to enjoy his life a little longer without all those responsibilities resting on his shoulders. Especially since she knew Ben often got stressed out at the prospect of being king so soon. During those times, Ruby tried to get him to relax and have some fun, hoping to distract him from his worries. It was the least she could do.
After Ben had changed his shirt, the young couple had left the school building and headed over to Ben's childhood home, or rather childhood castle. Despite having seen it already, Ruby was again struck by how beautiful and well-kept the building was. When they entered the foyer, Ben took Ruby's leather jacket and handed it, along with his own, to one of the servants waiting to take them. Ben grabbed her hand and led her towards the dining room. Ruby was glad she didn't have to look for it alone this time because she didn't think it unlikely that she'd get lost again.
Once Ben pushed open a door Ruby thought she recognized to lead to the dining room, they found that they'd arrived exactly on time, as the table was being set.
"Ah, Prince Ben," A servant smiled, bowing his head, "I see you've brought a guest."
"I hope that's alright, Lumiere."
"Of course. I'll set another plate." Lumiere left and was replaced by Adam and Belle who entered the room. Belle's face lit up as she saw the redheaded girl beside her son.
"Ruby, I'm so glad you came." The queen pulled the girl in for a hug, much to the young princess' surprise. She eventually hugged back.
Once Belle had pulled away, Adam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and shot a kind smile at Ruby. "Are you staying for movie night?"
"If that's alright," Ruby looked up at Ben, who had taken hold of her hand again, and back at his parents again.
"Of course it's alright, dear. We'd love you to join us."
"I hope you like action movies. It's my pick tonight."
Ruby furrowed her eyebrows, her nose scrunching up a little, making her look unsure, "Is it very gory?"
Adam hesitated, "Well, uh, yes."
Ruby's frown turned into a grin, making Adam look confused as Ben had to keep from grinning himself as he realized what Ruby was doing. "Perfect," She said happily.
Adam started laughing once he realized that Ruby had been messing with him. "Humour. I like it."
Ruby smiled.
The four of them went to sit down around the set table and began talking. Ruby felt a lot less awkward than she had the first time she'd met Ben's parents. This time, she felt more secure that they liked her and that she didn't have to try so hard to be an Auradon-like princess. She could mostly be herself around them and they seemed to approve of her, though she dialled certain things down a little, like her opinion on Auradon, her cussing, and she held back on details of the Isle.
Still, Ruby felt comfortable. She was laughing at Adam's sense of humour, liking his sarcasm especially, and she chatted away with Belle, who had a way of always finding truly interesting topics to talk about. Being around Ben was just another plus, especially when they were cuddled up on the couch later that evening, Ben's arm wrapped around her.
Ruby looked up at Ben's profile and smiled. She'd never had any of this, but she sure could get used to nights like this.
If only things were that simple.