"I don't understand why we have to keep it a secret. It doesn't feel right," Ben argued.

Jay rolled his eyes. "You think your hoity toity crowd would be chill with you dating four people? Two of which are guys?"

Ben looked like he might take offense. "My crowd isn't homophobic and if they are—"

"It isn't just about you," Jay snapped.

They'd been dating for two months. Things with Jay went fast, probably because neither of them needed wooing from the other. Things were different with Carlos and Evie. Mal had told him to expect as much. Not all the relationships were the same and Evie took romancing—she enjoyed it and she deserved it. Carlos, on the other hand, could be skittish. Ben hadn't quite gotten the details why and tried not to think about it on his own. Mal had told him to take it slow and he did.

But he didn't have to romance Jay, and though he loved doing it for the others, there was a certain charm to this too.

"We have a good thing going here," Jay continued. "We're five now. No one is going to guess we're all together. They might suspect couples but together we can cover for any missteps."

"Missteps like if I get caught making out with you, when everyone thinks I'm dating Mal exclusively?" Ben snapped. He hated the idea of anyone thinking he would cheat on Mal, let alone the scar to his own reputation.

"We'll deal with it if it comes up," Jay countered with a shrug.

Ben shot him a glare. They were alone on the field after practice, far from earshot of anyone else but not out of sight. "If we were open, I could kiss you right now."

Jay smiled slowly. "If you came out and told everyone you were dating the four villain kids, they would send us back to the Isle and destroy the bridge."

Ben frowned at the idea. He didn't want to think so little of his own friends and family. But there was a chance they would think he'd been spelled. To be fair, he had been spelled a couple times now…

"Just forget it," Jay groaned, starting to walk away toward the gym on the other side of the field. He walked just slow enough to suggest he expected Ben to follow.

"But—"

Jay stopped and turned around so fast that Ben almost ran into him. "Ben," he said, almost pleading. "You might get away with it fine, everyone either loves you or fears you. And I could shield Carlos from whatever shit might get thrown his way. But what do you think people would call Evie if they knew she was dating three guys?"

Ben felt heat rise to his neck, anger gathering in his chest.

"Forget it," Jay said again, gently this time. "Just because you could handle it, just because I could or Mal could, doesn't mean they all can. You know how hard we've all tried to fit in."

Ben sighed, suddenly feeling like an ass. Yes, he knew. They'd worked so hard to be good and to make friends and build lives here. "Okay, for now," he conceded. The relationships were still new, and though he felt like they would last forever—he couldn't risk hurting any of their lives for his own honor.

Jay nodded and started for the gym. "Come on, I'll let you watch me shower," he said, tossing back a cocky grin.

Ben scoffed like he wasn't interested, but they both knew they'd be sneaking peaks in the locker room.

Ben had a lunch date with Evie, finalizing her list of villain kids to be invited over from the Isle.

She was all business after they ate, leading him over to his own desk and talking a mile a minute. Jay had once said that he usually tuned her out when she got going like that, but Ben thought it was pretty impressive. She had a lot of thoughts and seemed to remember absolutely everything and everyone.

He smiled when she stopped talking, took a breath, and then tipped her chin up—proud of herself, hands on her hips and waiting for his approval or argument.

"Perfect," Ben agreed. "I'll draw up the official invitations today and have them sent out with the guards tomorrow. They'll start next term, after winter break."

Evie blinked at him, leaning in a little. "Winter?"

"Yeah. We have a break for three weeks now, after finals."

Evie glanced out the windows, at the summery fields of Auradon. "But… It's not winter."

Ben laughed. "Not here but in other places… Speaking of that, I had another idea I wanted to run by you before talking to the others."

She straightened at the mention of Mal, Jay and Carlos, focusing on him. "Oh?"

There was a note of worry to her voice that he ignored. Someday it wouldn't be there and she'd just trust that he wasn't hedging a breakup. "I usually go to one of the winter resorts for the break. It's in the mountains and private and there's snow."

Her eyes were growing and so was his smile. He could practically see her trying to contain her excitement. Thank goodness, he was hoping she'd like the idea.

"I was thinking we could all go together, get some time away from everyone else. Do you think the others would go for it?"

Her contained excitement finally broke and she bounced, smile growing and hands locking on to one of his. "Yes! Oh my gosh! It's going to be great! I'll need to make us coats…"

He laughed, nodding. "And hats."

"Hats!" she rejoiced, throwing her arms around him and hugging him.

Ben's heart thudded happily, arm curling around her back.

Carlos knocked twice before opening the door and slipping into Mal and Evie's room. He flung his jacket on the nearest chair.

Mal looked up from her desk, grinning at his obvious good mood. "How'd finals go?"

"Great! I don't know what these hero kids are complaining about… School's easy," he gloated.

"Well some of us still have tests left to take," she reminded.

He waved in her direction. "Yeah, yeah, study away. I'm just grabbing the books Evie was supposed to return to the library…" he said on his way to the other girl's desk. Mal watched him frown at the stacks of fabric samples and sketches before he started carefully looking under them for the library books. Evie never made things easy when she asked for a "small favor". It was one of her charms they all knew too well.

"Need help?" Mal asked.

"Nope," Carlos said, looking under the desk.

Mal laughed and got up, coming over to start ruthlessly pushing things off Evie's desk and onto the floor until she uncovered the missing books. "There!"

"Now she's going to think I did that!" Carlos complained.

Mal grinned. "Yeah. That's why it was fun."

He turned to shoot her a frown and then seemed to realize how close she was standing. He began to take a step back but she caught his arm. "You know you don't have to knock…"

"What?" he blinked, his skin hot under her hand.

Mal smiled wider, turning with her hand still holding his arm until the back of his thighs touched the desk and she had him pinned there. "You're still knocking on our door when you come by, but I told you you didn't have to do that."

"Oh. Yeah…"

"Carlos?"

He swallowed, her other hand was on his chest now, fingers over his heart the way she did when she was playing human lie detector with him. Oh, this was bad. He'd been avoiding her for weeks—months really. Ever since they got back from the Isle and she and Ben decided they wanted to be try dating the rest of them. Carlos hadn't said anything against the idea, just nodding along like an idiot. He really did hate how he just went with things sometimes. It wasn't a good idea. They were going to change their minds and where would he and Jay and Evie be then?

"Carlos?" she asked again, voice low, making him warm.

"Yeah?" he swallowed again. He couldn't move or his hips would bump into hers. This was stupid. He was stronger than her. He could just pick her up and move her. The idea sent warm chills up his spine.

She smiled like she knew. "You've been avoiding me,"

"Nope. I came here, didn't I?"

Her smile faded and the playfulness of her stance changed, shoulders sagging. She let go of his arm, but her other hand remained on his chest over his heart. "You didn't want to get back together, did you?" she said it quietly, not taunting or playful or wicked.

He stared at her, shocked. "What?"

"If you don't want to be with me, that's okay. We'll still be friends."

"No. I mean, I do want to. I just…"

She leaned in and he held his breath. "Is it Ben? You don't like Ben?"

He whined, actually whined, because who cares what anyone here thinks of him—it's Mal and she knows everything about him. Well, everything but his feelings about this, it seemed. "No! I like him fine. And I know he says he wants to date us and that he's cool with this but…"

Mal laughed, one her relieved almost crazy laughs. She threw her arms around his shoulders comfortably. "You chicken! You're worried he'll change his mind!"

He frowned at her, raising one eyebrow. "You're being a jerk. Of course he's going to change his mind. He's probably happy to date a couple more people until he realizes that means you're dating them too."

Mal got her wicked smirk and Carlos felt warm again, realizing she had her arms around the back of his neck. She leaned against him and he inhaled sharply. He'd missed her and her intense, pushy energy. He'd always liked the way she bossed him around and teased him. Evie was sweet and snuggly, Jay was competitive and fun, and Mal was pushy and a little wicked. Her fingers curled in the back of his hair and her mouth pressed to his—not a soft kiss but a demanding one. She tugged his hair and kissed him deeper and he gave in, his hands on her hips and her tongue in his mouth.

They kissed until he forgot why he'd ever avoided her and when she jumped up, he caught her thighs and turned, setting her on the desk and knocking over whatever was left on the surface that she hadn't already dumped onto the floor.

Her hands crept up his waist, under his t-shirt to touch his naked sides.

It was then that the door opened.

Carlos jerked back from her so fast that he lost his balance, one of her legs still hooked behind his thigh. He twisted, trying to catch himself but still hitting the side of his head on the edge of her desk.

"Shit!" Mal jumped down form Evie's desk.

Ben had rushed over to look for Mal, to tell her the idea he'd had for winter break. He hadn't knocked. Hadn't even thought to. When he opened the door, it felt like time froze for a second.

Carlos and Mal were making out. A dozen thoughts streamed across his mind from the initial "what the fuck" reaction, followed immediately by the reminder that this was something they were doing now, followed by fascination and a the desire to burn the memory into his mind so that he'd never forget how she seemed to be devouring the other guy. It was hot. And not at all how she was with him, which wasn't a complaint, but mind-blowing. And Carlos was so different than he was used to seeing him—not nervous energy or quietly observing—but right there, steady and bending to her will.

And then the second ended and Carlos jerked back from her, tripping and hitting the other desk.

Mal swore and jumped down.

Ben kicked the door shut, hurrying across the room to help him up. Carlos was fast, even when disoriented, pushing himself to his feet.

"Carlos?" Ben reached for him, his head was bleeding.

Carlos flinched back into the corner, arms up to guard his face, and Ben froze.

Mal was at his side, giving Ben's arm a reassuring squeeze. "Carlos, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he answered but didn't look at either of them, eyes on the floor, the cut on his head bleeding over his temple and down his cheek.

Mal swore. "I'm going to go grab Evie. She'll know if you need stitches…"

"I don't," Carlos said hurriedly, looking up at her suddenly. His gaze flickered over to Ben and the king saw all that raw panic and fear in them.

"Go get Evie," Ben agreed. Normally he would insist on taking him to the infirmary but suddenly he wanted to be alone with Carlos. He needed to talk to him and he was almost sure Mal realized it and nodded.

"Wait! No. I'm fine," Carlos tried but she was already gone, the door closing. His back was still in the corner, arms hovering in the air close to his head as though shielding him from the other guy.

"Carlos, do you want to sit down?" Ben asked as evenly as he could, his heart racing. Why was he afraid of him?

"No. I should go…"

"We have to wait for Evie."

Carlos cringed but waited, like he was about to take a beating.

Shit. Ben's heart ached. He thought he was going to beat him up? Ben reached up slowly, putting his hands over the other boy's raised fists and slowly pushing them down. Carlos winced but didn't fight, letting them be lowered until he was defenseless. He still wasn't looking at Ben, eyes fixed on the floor.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Ben said.

Carlos still didn't look at him, standing very still.

Ben sighed. "Why would I hurt you?" he asked out loud and then remembered what he'd walked in on. Mal had said that Carlos was avoiding her—that she wasn't sure what was going on with him. Suddenly Ben was pretty sure he knew. "I don't own Mal, or anyone. We all make our own choices and we all agreed to date each other. I'm not going to be jealous or mad at you."

Carlos let out a tight breath, blood dripping off his jaw and onto his shirt.

Ben gently touched his chin, turning his head to get him to look up at him, needing to see that he heard this. "And if I was mad at you—if I am ever mad at you in the future—I still won't ever hit you."

Carlos stared back at him for a long time, until Ben felt like he was searching his eyes for some fleck of a lie, so he waited and let the shorter boy search because it wasn't there.

"You might change your mind, about dating us. It's different than what you're used to."

Ben nodded slowly. "You're right. I can't know for certain that this will work forever, but we can try. I want this. I want you. But if things change someday—if you change your mind or I change mine—things will still be okay between us. You have to trust me, Carlos."

Carlos stared at him for another second before nodding. "Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I need to sit down," he said, barely getting it out before his knees gave out.

"Oh," Ben hooked his arm around the other guy's waist, keeping him from falling again. "Okay," he picked him up and moved him to the nearest chair, sitting him down and crouching beside him to keep him upright.

Evie and Mal burst through the door. Evie was already making a string of half-soothing and half-panicking sounds. She asked him all sorts of questions about what happened and about what year it was and made him count backwards and forwards while she cleaned up the wound. Ben smiled, realizing she'd done this before—played doctor to their crew. She decided he didn't need stitches, taping the cut on his head up but promising him a bad headache and an ugly bruise.

Thank you so much for the follows and reviews! If you have any requests for this fic, or others, let me know! I can't promise anything, but if I can make it happen I will!