Author's Note: I wrote this a few months ago for a Benlos Valentine's challenge on Tumblr. I forgot to post it here. Enjoy!
For Valentine's Day this year, Auradon Prep is having a Secret Admirer event that allows a student to send flowers or chocolates to their loved ones anonymously. Audrey and Lonnie are organizing the event.
The day before Valentine's Day, King Ben walks nervously up to the two girls. He has decided to send gifts to his secret crush.
"Hello, girls," Ben says. "So, how does this work exactly?"
Audrey smiles. "You just fill out this paper and choose your gift. We will be delivering the gifts at breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
"Do you want to fill out a paper?" Lonnie asks.
"Yes, I do. Are you sure it's anonymous?" The young king is worried that his crush will find out who he is before he's ready to tell him.
"Yes, it's completely anonymous," Lonnie says.
Audrey hands him a paper, and the king reads it intensely. He sees that there are different flowers to choose from and different kinds of chocolates too. He quickly chooses a pink rose, a red rose, and a box of mixed chocolates.
"Can you deliver the pink rose at breakfast, the red rose at lunch, and the chocolates at dinner?" he asks the two girls.
"Of course, we can. Do you want to include any notes with your gifts?" Audrey asks.
Ben nods as he thinks about what he can write. Lonnie hands him three small pieces of paper. He writes three simple yet heartfelt notes. Then, he hands over the papers and the money.
"Thanks for organizing this event. I think everybody will like it," the brunette boy says as he walks away.
The girls wait until he turns around before they read his paper. They squeal loudly as they see who the recipient of his gifts is.
"Oh my god! They are going to be so cute together!"
Ben blushes as he hears their excited exclamation, but he also hopes they are right.
Valentine's Day dawns bright and early in Auradon. Ben wakes up and dresses carefully. He wants to look good for his crush. He walks hurriedly to the cafeteria. He hopes he hasn't missed seeing him receive his first gift.
Inside the cafeteria, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos are sitting at a small, round table. Jay is looking around the room. He sent flowers to a number of girls. Carlos is poking at his eggs. He knows he won't be receiving any secret admirer gifts. Nobody likes him, especially not the person he's been crushing on for months. He's grown accustomed to pining and admiring from a distance. He feels lucky that he is at least friends with his crush.
Audrey and Lonnie walk up to the four friends. They hand roses to each of them. Carlos looks gobsmacked. He carefully accepts the beautiful pink rose. With shaking hands, he unties the note attached.
You make me smile.
The white-haired boy blushes hotly. Who would send him a rose? There's no name but the handwriting looks familiar. He looks at his friends; they are staring at him curiously.
"Who sent you the rose, Carlos?" Evie asks.
"I don't know. They didn't sign the note."
"Looks like you got a secret admirer, C." Jay says.
Trying to distract attention from himself, Carlos asks, "Who's your secret admirer?"
Jay looks at the three flowers in his hands and smirks. "Three beautiful ladies."
Evie and Mal smile. "We sent each other a flower," the blue-haired girl says.
Mal smirks at her girlfriend. "Thanks for the purple rose, babe."
"You're welcome. Thanks for blue rose, M."
Carlos smiles at his friends. He's glad Evie and Mal finally realized they were perfect for each other. They've been together for several months now and are very happy.
He looks around the room, trying to see if anybody is watching him. He has no clue who his secret admirer could be. He catches Ben looking at him, but the king quickly looks away. The white-haired boy shakes his head. There's no way it could be him. Carlos is not that lucky.
Ben quickly looks away after Carlos looks at him. He can't believe he got caught staring at him. He just wanted to see the white-haired boy's reaction to the pink rose and note. He wasn't disappointed as he saw a dark blush stain those freckled cheeks. He smiles as he thinks about the next two gifts. So far, so good.
At lunch, Ben is already waiting at one of the tables. He doesn't want to miss a second of seeing Carlos. The four friends walk into the cafeteria a few minutes later. Mal sees the king sitting by himself, so she leads her friends over to sit with him.
"Hey, Ben! Do you mind if we sit here?" The purple-haired girl asks.
He smiles at his ex-girlfriend. "Of course not, please sit down. How's your Valentine's Day been so far?"
Jay smiles. "I can't complain. I have my choice of lovely ladies to make my valentine."
Mal and Evie smile at each other. "It's been good," Evie says.
Ben looks at the white-haired boy. "How about you, Carlos?"
Carlos blushes and Jay laughs. "Our boy here has a secret admirer."
Before the king can ask how he feels about having a secret admirer, Audrey walks over holding a red rose.
"Carlos, this is for you." She hands him the rose and winks at Ben before she walks away.
The white-haired boy unties the note and reads, 'To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world.' Carlos, you are my world.
Carlos smiles as he touches the soft petals of the rose. He doesn't know who is sending him the flowers, but he wants to meet them. They seem like they really like him.
Evie interrupts his thoughts. "Do you have any idea who your secret admirer is?"
"No, I don't. Do you guys know?" the white-haired boy asks his friends. They tend to be more observant than he is.
"We have a few guesses," Mal says. "But let's wait. Hopefully, he or she will reveal themselves soon."
The purple-haired girl glances at Ben as she says this. He flushes guiltily. He knows that she knows it's him.
Carlos nods. "Yeah, I don't want to ruin the surprise."
The five teenagers finish their lunch and head back to their classes. The hours pass quickly and it is time for dinner.
Carlos isn't surprised when he sees Lonnie heading his way. He was expecting another gift. He thanks Lonnie as she hands him a heart-shaped box of chocolates. He smiles as he reads the note.
Your eyes look like the finest dark chocolates. Please meet me at 8 p.m. at the tourney field.
He eagerly opens the box and puts a chocolate into his mouth. He moans happily in appreciation.
Jay laughs. "They certainly know you well enough."
Ben looks away as he blushes at the sounds of Carlos' moans. Maybe the chocolate wasn't a good idea, he thinks. He didn't think about how much the white-haired boy would enjoy his sweet treats.
After dinner, Carlos heads back to his room. He tries to concentrate on his homework, but he's too excited. He wants to know who his secret admirer is. He wants it to be Ben, but he doesn't want to get his hopes up. He's had a crush on the young king for a long time.
Finally, its 7:45 p.m. Carlos puts on his black and white leather jacket and whistles for Dude. He'll take the dog for a walk and head for the tourney field. He's so nervous; it feels like he has a thousand butterflies fluttering in his stomach.
At the tourney field, Ben is anxiously pacing back and forth. He wants to confess his feelings toward his friend, but he's apprehensive. What if the white-haired boy doesn't feel the same way? Can they still be friends or will Carlos feel too weird around him? He doesn't want to lose Carlos' friendship, but he wants to be more than friends. He wants to be so much more. Looking up as he hears a dog barking, he sees Carlos standing at the edge of the field.
As he walked closer to the tourney field, Carlos sees Ben pacing across the grass. He stops at the edge in shock. He can't believe that Ben is his secret admirer. It's like all of his dreams are coming true. He smiles as he sees the brunette boy crouch down and pet Dude. He starts walking towards them.
Ben stands up as he sees the white-haired boy coming towards him. He rubs the back of his neck and ducks his head shyly. "Hi, Carlos. Thanks for meeting me."
"So, it is you? You're my secret admirer?"
"Yes, I am. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I was nervous. I really like you," the young king rambles.
The white-haired boy gently takes Ben's hand and squeezes it reassuringly. "It's ok, Ben. This way was perfect. I loved the roses, chocolates, and notes."
He looks at the other boy hopefully. "Really?"
Carlos smiles brightly. "Really, I like you too. I've had a crush on you for months."
"Me too. Carlos, will you be my valentine?"
"Yes, Ben, I'll gladly be your valentine. Will you be mine?"
Ben yells joyfully, "Yes!"
He pulls Carlos closer to him by tugging on their clasped hands. He puts a hand behind the white-haired boy's neck and gently tips his head up. Green eyes lock on dark brown eyes, asking permission to kiss those soft, pink lips. Carlos nods and their lips meet for the first time. They both feel fireworks. It's perfect.
The two boys share their first kiss in the moonlight as they seal their Valentine's Day promise.