Ben Florian, soon to be king- if you’d have asked him what came of it all when he brought the VK’s over, he never would’ve expected this. Would’ve expected Mal to become such a big part of his life, such a good part.

Even if she wasn’t quite used to the contact yet, that was fine. She’d been touch starved all her fucking life after all, but she was adjusting, even if it was only to him. He was thankful for that.

But he also knew how stressing and freaky it must be, having to adjust to a whole new world and trying to fit in- especially with Cotillion coming up, so he was fully prepared for the break at some point, even though she was trying her best to hide that as much.

As messed up as it was, some part of her missed the Isle. Not having to act like something she wasn’t, as much as she loved Auradon. She missed having people leave her alone, not having to deal with being in the public eye- Somehow, people being scared of her felt easier.

And while she’d never say it, Ben could tell. He knew how weird it must’ve felt, given how she grew up.

But finding her near the bridge to the other end of the barrier? That- that was not what he’d expected. He could tell she was debating, though he didn’t intend to let it happen. “Mal?” He greeted quietly, clearly catching her off guard. “Hey, breathe. You wanna talk about it?” He reassured, moving to sit beside her carefully.