#deardescendants

[redcl8ver]

A little late, but here it is.

MISTLETOE.

[bunny-lou]

DearDescendants’ 12 Days of Christmas - Mistletoe

I’m tired as hell and work a 12 hour shift tomorrow, so y’all are gonna deal with an un-edited rough draft.

---

Evie clutches a bundle of leaves in her hand as she stops in front of Mal’s locker. She holds them high over her head and steps closer to Mal. “Pucker up, M.”

Mal immediately does so because, weird situation or not, she’s never going to not kiss Evie. “What’re you doing?” She asks after she kisses Evie’s pretty red lips.

“It’s mistletoe.” Evie explains as she brings her hand back down. “If you’re caught underneath it with someone, you have to kiss them.”

“Really?” Carlos asks from the other side of Mal’s locker, where he is leaning against the wall. “Says who?”

Jay is right behind him. “Says Auradon. It’s tradition or whatever.” He looks at everyone’s curious expressions. “What? Chad told me about it.”

Evie grins and skips over to the boys, holding the mistletoe high between them.

“I’ve never heard of that.” Carlos says. “But if you say it’s tradition...” He laughs and leans his head back to give Jay a peck on the lips.

---

“Hey pup.” Jay steps into their dorm room with his fist clenched tightly around some green leaves. They’re definitely not mistletoe, but Jay’s pretty sure Carlos won’t know the difference, especially with Jay’s height and Carlos’...lack of height.

“Hi Jay.” Carlos says back, not even looking up from his latest invention.

Jay clears his throat as he leans on the desk and Carlos looks up at him.

“More mistletoe?” Carlos teases as he eyes the leaves in Jay’s hand. “Okay, fine.” He rises from his seat, gives another chaste kiss and goes to sit back down.

But Jay follows him down, keeping their lips locked the whole time. “Ah, ah, ah.” Jay mumbles against Carlos’ lips. “You gotta make out the second time.”

Carlos, only escaping Jay’s lips when he puts his hands on Jay’s shoulder to keep him at bay, blinks up at him. “What?”

“The second time you’re caught under mistletoe with someone,” Jay explains as he removes Carlos’ hands from his shoulders, “you gotta make out with them. Not just a kiss.”

“Really?” Carlos tilts his head, but doesn’t pull away from Jay’s lips. “No one mentioned that earlier.”

“Cause that was just our first time.” Jay kneels down on the floor next to Carlos’ chair. “The second time, you gotta make out. It’s Auradon tradition.”

Carlos rolls his eyes, but smiles. “Well, if it’s tradition...”

---

“You’re a damn vampire!” Carlos hisses as Jay’s teeth scrape over his Adam’s apple. “Or a...a...a leach!” His words soften as Jay melts against him. “Or a...” Carlos sighs as Jay’s tongue soothes his skin, “a...octopus?”

“It’s not my fault, C.” Jay grunts as he nips at Carlos’ skin, digs his teeth in a little harder. “It’s tradition.”

The not-mistletoe-but-Carlos-doesn’t-know-that lays crumpled at their feet. Jay’s boots have smashed it into the carpet, but that’s a small sacrifice to make to have Carlos pinned against the wall.

“What is?”

“Third time you’re under the mistletoe, you gotta give the other person a hickey.” Jay explains easily, like it’s obvious.

“How do you know so much about tradition?” Carlos’ voice is lower, deeper, and Jay knows Carlos will become putty in his hands if that sweet spot under his ear is attacked.

“Everyone in Auradon knows about them.” Jay says as he makes his way up Carlos’ throat. “Stay still.”

Jay’s lips meet the skin beneath Carlos’ ear and Carlos’ voice isn’t used for anymore words.

---

Carlos shivers. Their room isn’t cold, not really, but it’s December outside. It’s not nearly as bad as it would get on the Isle, but it’s enough to give him goosebumps.

It doesn’t matter though because Jay is pressed against him immediately, bare chest touching Carlos’.

“The fourth time is just a shirtless make out?” Carlos mumbles as he winds his arms around Jay’s neck, selfishly taking as much warmth as he can.

“Chest action.” Jay says simply as he kisses Carlos’ jaw.

“Yeah, but I think that’s for a boy and girl.” Carlos drags his blunt nails down Jay’s spine and grins at how Jay shivers and arches into him.

Their mistletoe isn’t on the ground this time - Carlos had properly scolded Jay when he had to bust out the vaccuum to get the little leaflets out of the carpet - but is discarded onto the desk somewhere. Now that Jay’s hands are free, he’s all over Carlos’ sides and back and even his ass.

“If you think your lack of tits is gonna keep me from having my fun,” Jay ducks down to kiss at Carlos’ chest, over scars and freckles alike, “you don’t know how hot you are.”

---

As soon as the water shuts off, there’s a series of harsh banging on the door.

Carlos scrambles out of the shower, reaching for a towel to wrap haphazardly around his waist because he doesn’t need Evie or Mal seeing anything they shouldn’t.

But it’s not the girls on the other side, it’s Jay. He’s leaning against the door frame with a grin.

“Need something?” Carlos asks dryly even if he is not.

Jay looks up and Carlos follows his gaze.

Mistletoe is taped to the top of the door, hanging above their heads.

Carlos’ skin flushes, and not from his warm water. “What happens the fifth time?”

Jay eyes Carlos’ up and down. He takes a step into the bathroom, where it’s warm and steam still clouds the mirror. “Take off that towel,” Jay says as he backs Carlos into the counter. “And I’ll show you.”

---

For the record, Carlos knows the tradition of mistletoe. He knows how to utilize the library and the internet and the people who have actually lived in Auradon their whole lives.

Maybe he only got suspicious after the fourth time, but he’s not going to tell admit to anyone that he fell for it for so long.

He doesn’t need a reason to make out with Jay or leave marks or get oral or lay in his bed while Jay makes him see stars (because they’ve been caught under the mistletoe nine times now and the last time had Carlos so blissed out, he couldn’t leave the bed for the rest of the day), but he admits it’s all fun.

And if he tells Evie the whole story and she gets her own inspiration to use with Mal, then hey - Christmas joy all around!

---

I’m going to bed and not re-reading this because I’m so tired I could die.

[unapologeticallyjaylos]

descendants 12 days of holidays: holiday parties

title: this right here (with you)

pairing: jay x carlos 

warnings: a few curse words

this was for yesterday’s prompt and i apologize for posting this a date late :) 

---

“I don’t go to parties.”

“I am the goddamn party.”

Jay and Carlos spoke at the same time, staring at Evie who was holding out two invitations. She raised an eyebrow, her gaze flicking back and forth between the two.

“Glad you’re on the same page,” she said wryly, handing Jay one of letters and Carlos the other. “It’s not being thrown by me - trust me, it would be a lot better if it was - but everyone is talking about it.”

“Oh, yeah!” Jay glanced over his invitation with a nod. “The guys on the team have been talking about it all week! Apparently it’s a pretty big rager.”

“Rager?” Carlos wrinkled up his nose. “Gross. No.”

“It’s alright,” Evie smiled at him. “You don’t have to go. I thought I’d just pass along the message.”

“Come on, Pup.” Jay ruffled his hair. “Just come for a little bit? Please? It’ll be way more fun with you there - I promise!”

Carlos wanted to say no. Carlos should say no. But Carlos had an unbelievable, indisputable, completely pathetic soft spot for Jay. So instead of shaking his head and promising to help him get ready, Carlos nodded.

“Alright, fine.”

Shit.

---

The bass was shaking the ground at least thirty feet in front of the actual party venue. Evie looked perfectly festive in black leather boots and red dress; Jay had cleaned up nicely, and even Mal looked more presentable than usual.

Carlos pulled at his white sweater, furrowing his brows. God, why did he let Jay pressure him into coming? He’d so much rather be back in his room with Dude working or reading or… doing anything other than this.

“Come on,” Jay grinned. “I can smell the booze from here.”

Evie raised an eyebrow. “Make good choices.”

“When has he ever made a decent choice?” Mal shot back, earning herself a jab from Jay.

They walked towards Chad Charming’s house - an off campus living space purchased for him by none other than Cinderella and Kit of Charmington. Privately, Carlos thought it was ridiculous for their son to have a space all to himself; it only invited trouble. For a moment, he wondered how the boy managed to keep it all clean, but once he walked in, he realized that Chad just… didn’t.

Beer bottles, half strung lights, bags of chips, and boxes of pizza littered every surface. The walls and the floor and the furniture vibrated with the force of the music volume and there were people everywhere.

“Holy shit,” Carlos muttered under his breath, his feet stalling in the doorway just long enough for the party behind them to bump into him.

“Keep moving!” one of them barked, shoving past Carlos to make a beeline for the alcohol.

Carlos inched towards the corner. He’d always thought holiday parties consisted of hot chocolate and eggnog and soft music and presents, but apparently, those were too calm. The entire school preferred this… rager.

“The island parties are still better,” Mal shouted at him over the music. “But this is at least passable.”

Carlos only shrugged, inching closer to the corner where - hopefully - no one could step on him or bump him or run him over.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an orange cat slink along the wall and up the stairs. Finally. Something worth coming to the party. Carlos followed the cat, looking around to see if anyone would yell at him for venturing upstairs. Luckily, everyone else seemed to be pretty wasted.

“Hi, there,” Carlos said gently when he reached the top, noticing the cat standing at the end of the hallway. “What’s your name?”

He stepped closer - slowly, so he wouldn’t frighten it. The cat seemed wary, but not terrified, and after a few moments, it allowed Carlos to sit nearby.

“Don’t like the party much either?” Carlos asked, reaching out to stroke the cat gently - making sure to avoid the negative spaces where cats didn’t like to be touched. “That’s alright. Me neither. It’s way too loud, right? Too many people?”

In response, the cat purred a bit. Deciding that Carlos’ touch was acceptable, it moved closer, running up against his knee. Carlos smiled for the first time all evening. His cat Beezlebub used to do the same thing.

“You know,” he laughed softly. “I had a cat once. I loved her. Her name was Bee, and I miss her every single day. She wasn’t orange, like you, but she was pretty.”

He let himself remember Bee for a moment; she had been his one source of comfort on the island… sort of like how this cat was his one source of comfort at this party.

“I wouldn’t even be at this party if it weren’t for him,” Carlos told the cat with a grimace. “Honestly, feelings are so overrated. They make you do stupid things like agree to go to stupid parties.”

The cat meowed, as if in understanding.

“Yeah, exactly.” Carlos nodded. “He’s gonna be shitfaced by the end of the night and probably take off with some other girl. It’s gonna be an absolute blast. I don’t advise you to ever develop a crush.”

“You have a crush?”

Carlos whipped around, staring at Jay who had just come up the stairs. “Where the fuck did you come from?”

“Uh -” Jay blinked, pointing down the stairs. “From… down there. I was looking for you and someone said that they saw you go upstairs, and -” His gaze fell on the cat and understanding dawned in his eyes. “Oh, you found a friend.”

“The only good part of this party.” Carlos could feel his cheeks getting hotter by the second. “Uh - how much did you hear?”

“Just that your crush is here.” Jay was still grinning as he sat down next to him. On the whole, he didn’t look as drunk as Carlos would’ve expected. “Is that why you agreed to come?”

The irony wasn’t lost on Carlos, and if he weren’t too busy wishing the earth would swallow him whole, he might’ve laughed. “Uh - I don’t -”

“Come on,” Jay laughed. “I won’t tell anyone. Not even Mal. What’s he like?”

Carlos made a face. “Do we have to talk about this? Wouldn’t you rather go drink downstairs with everyone else?”

“No way!” Jay shook his head. “I can do that anytime. But I may never have the opportunity to sus out who your crush is.”

Carlos mimed zipping his lips. He hated that a tiny little part of him wanted to tell Jay who it was.

He’s up here. With you. Not at the party, his brain whispered unhelpfully. That means he at least cares about you.

“Look, ‘Los,” Jay said. “I get that parties aren’t your thing. You must really like the guy if you agreed to go.”

“Yeah, well,” Carlos mumbled, picking at a spot on the carpet. “He looks cute when he says please.”

Jay’s eyebrows rose and an evil grin spread across his face. “Hey, there’s one hint. Even though it’s pretty fucking useless since every Auradon prick’s first word was ‘please.’”

Taking a deep breath, Carlos gathered up his courage. “Who -” he cleared his throat, “Who ever said he was from Auradon?”

He watched as the information sank in. Jay’s face morphed from confused to understanding to stunning in a matter of seconds.

“Say something,” Carlos begged after a few seconds, wincing. “Look, we can pretend this never happened, alright? Or - or I’ll switch rooms! Or I’ll -”

“You could go out with me.”

Now it was Carlos’ turn to be stunned. He coughed for a few seconds, choking on his own air. “I - I don’t understand.”

“Go out with me,” Jay repeated steadily, staring right at him. “This Friday.”

“Why?”

“Because, you idiot,” Jay grinned. “Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe your feelings aren’t one-sided or whatever? I mean… I’m up here. Not at a party. With you. How much more obvious could I get?”

The butterflies in Carlos’ stomach started flapping madly, circling around each other and bumping right into his ribcage.

Jay likes me.

“Uh -” Carlos blushed, laughing a little. “Do we have to wait for Friday?”

And downstairs, no one seemed to notice when Jay and Carlos slipped out the back door.

[kingben]

The Perfect Gift (Benry Ficlet)

Written for Day 10 of DearDescendants 12 Days of Holidays: Gifts

Harry Hook did not trust King Ben in the least, especially not when he showed up at Harry’s dorm room on Christmas Eve with a gift for him.

He eyed the packaging warily. It was a box wrapped in blue paper with gold crowns on it, with a giant gold bow on top. He knew it couldn’t be a trap. Ben wasn’t the kind of person to pull pranks. It was either something ghastly that Ben (wrongly) thought he would like, or it was something generic that he was giving to all of the villain kids. Something that meant nothing.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Ben asked. The king seemed nervous, shifting on his feet and fidgeting with the rings on his fingers.

Harry raised an eyebrow and pulled the bow off the box, tossing it to the floor. He smirked as he caught Ben’s wince. If he’d been allowed to keep his hook, he would have torn the wrappings to shreds, but alas Fairy Godmother had confiscated that at the beginning of the school year. Too dangerous, she said.

Harry glanced at Ben again, noticing he was still looking at the discarded bow on the ground. Harry ripped into the paper, tossing the crumpled pieces onto the floor.

That got the king’s attention. Ben looked like he might cry. He gave Harry something like a smile, but it was forced, polite.

Harry was enjoying this. Perhaps a little too much. He almost didn’t want to open the present, preferring to see Ben squirm in anticipation.

“Are you sure it’s not a trick?” Harry asked, pausing.

“No trick. It’s a gift.”

“Is it edible?”

“No.”

“Aye, that’s good. Likely not poisoned.”

“Would you just open it already?” Ben’s face went bright red. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be impatient. It’s fine. Take your time.” His wide blue eyes told a different story.

Harry wriggled his finger into the slit in the bottom of the box. Slowly he pulled his finger across the tape. He grinned. “If you wanted me to open it so badly, perhaps you shoulda just given it to me without the box.”

Ben swallowed. “Gifts are meant to be wrapped, though.”

“Are they now? I ne’er wrapped any gifts for Uma or Gil. Maybe that’s an Auradon thing.” He shrugged, taking off the next piece of tape at an excruciatingly slow speed. He glanced up to see Ben biting his lip, his hands completely still.

Harry peeled off the last piece of tape and dropped the box.

Ben leapt for it, but Harry had already caught it. He smirked. “Dinna fash yerself,” Harry said, knowing full well Ben wouldn’t know what that meant.

Averting his eyes, Ben rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, instinct. It’s not even fragile.”

“Oh, it’s not. Then I dinnae want it.” He handed it back to Ben.

Ben pushed it back into his hands. “I went through all the trouble of having this made for you. You’d better take it.”

Harry laughed, amused. He liked this side of Ben. It was simply too much fun to push his buttons, but Harry’s curiosity had peaked. Custom made, eh?

He pulled off the lid and unfolded the tissue paper. His jaw went slack, and he almost dropped the box again.

In the box sat a pair of red leather fingerless gloves with silver hooks emblazoned on the top of them. Wordlessly he picked one up and slid it onto his right hand. He held it up, admiring it in the light.

Ben was struggling to contain a smile. “The left glove is special,” he said. “Pick it up.”

Harry picked up the remaining glove and was surprised to find it was a little heavy. He felt inside of it, but there was nothing hiding in there. He gave Ben a puzzled look.

“It’s weighted. I know you haven’t been allowed to carry your hook around school because it’s a weapon. And Coach Jenkins has said you have potential for R.O.A.R. but you’re struggling with your balance. I had weights sewn into this glove to match the exact weight of your hook. It should help correct your balance.”

Harry could barely breathe. It felt like he was holding the world’s greatest treasure. Carefully he slid it onto his hand. He closed his eyes and imagined that his hook was there, and when he moved his hands, it really felt like it was.

He opened his eyes, shaking his head at Ben in wonder. “How? Why? You don’t even like me,” he sputtered.

Ben closed the distance between them. “Well, that’s not true.” He kissed Harry’s glove. “I like you very much.”

[impossibleclair]

Thank you, Descendants

I did it. I watched Descendants 3.

Yknow, I came to the Descendants fandom very late. Like, four months ago. But the movies, the characters, they captured my heart in a way only something really special can. I can't put into words how much Descendants means to me.

And controversial as you may think me, Mal is a very large part of that love. I love Mal, and I always will. Sometimes you stumble upon a character who just feels like... a piece of you. You meet them and go 'Oh. Where have you been all this time?' And they slot into your heart so perfectly, you know they were always meant to be with you. Mal makes me feel at home with myself. For that I will always be grateful, and I will never apologise.

D3 was amazing. Was it everything I wished and dreamed and hoped? Of course not. But nothing ever will be. I'm very, very happy with what we got, and very sad that it's over. The songs were bangin, the magic was fantastic, and the ending was wonderful.

I cried a lot. I'm sure we all did. Cameron's tribute was beautiful, short but sweet, and the message of the movie felt well aligned to his memory. It feels oddly like closure, in a way. I'll always be sad we lost him, but he's left behind an incredible legacy, within Descendants and in the outside world as well.

This is my official thank you to Descendants. It is not a goodbye; the end of the films does not mean the end of Descendants, and never the end of my love for it. Descendants, and my beloved Mal, have sparked something brilliantly new in my life. The last four months have been incredible, and if I live the rest of my days in this purple-hair phase, then I welcome it with open arms.

And idk about the rest of you, but I'm going to be embracing the message Descendants has been sending us since the beginning. We're stronger together, we change the world face to face, not behind barriers of fear.

We're rotten to the core. Together.

[harryuma]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Descendants (Disney Movies) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Harry Hook/Uma, Evie/Jay (Disney) Characters: Harry Hook, Uma (Disney), Jay (Disney), Evie (Disney) Summary:

harry, on multiple attempts, has tried to get a kiss from uma under the mistletoe. let's say he fails miserably at some but one day he succeeds.

12 days of descendants day 1: mistletoe.

[nicolasnelson]

Benlos fic - Let the Sparks Fly

Title: Let the Sparks Fly Relationship: Ben/Carlos De Vil, side of Mal/Evie, Harry/Uma, and Gil/Jane Additional Tags: Hogwarts AU, Christmas party, Getting back together, Fluff and angst Chapters: 1/3 Words: 3,687

Ben Florian comes from a long line of pureblood wizards, so he must keep his relationship with Carlos De Vil, a muggleborn wizard, a secret. When Ben's relationship with Carlos is threatened, he decides to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays and host a Christmas party. With luck, he can win Carlos back.

Written for DearDescendants’ 12 Days of Holidays, Day 7 - Holidays in Hogwarts

[AO3 LINK]

Carlos De Vil walked back and forth past the spot on the wall three times with one thought on his mind. Give me a place where I can make out with my secret boyfriend.

The door appeared as it always did, and he eagerly turned the doorknob and slipped inside. It was quiet inside the Room of Requirement. A couch, a cozy fireplace, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies welcomed him. Christmas decorations were draped over the mantelpiece and strung across the walls, and a Christmas tree stood in the corner, decked with glittering ornaments.

Carlos sat down before the roaring fire and nibbled on the cookies while he waited for his boyfriend to arrive. They always staggered their arrival times. They couldn’t come at the same time for fear of being caught. If anyone saw them go into the room together, they’d know what they were to each other.

The door creaked. Carlos tensed, looking over his shoulder. He didn’t know why he was always so worried that someone else would follow him in. The room was good about keeping out unwanted guests. It was the paranoia that came with dating someone in secret.

“Carlos, sorry I’m late. Practice ran a little long.”

“It’s okay. You are a Quidditch legend.”

Ben chuckled. “That’s no excuse.”

Carlos walked over to his boyfriend and kissed his cheek. “Really, it’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here now.”

“Thanks, but that’s less time we have to spend together before I leave for Christmas break.” Ben wrapped his arms around Carlos’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Carlos’s heart fluttered. He ran his fingers through Ben’s hair, tugging at those silky locks, desperate to be closer to him. His breath was hot against his cheek as Ben’s lips ghosted over his skin. Ben whispered into his ear. “I’m really going to miss you. I wish you could come with me.”

“I could,” Carlos said. He’d thought about this a lot, and he had a whole speech prepared. “We’ve been dating for six months now. I know we wanted to keep it a secret in the beginning, to see if it was going anywhere, but I’m ready to tell people now. If you are.”

Ben wasn’t smiling like Carlos had hoped. His expression was frozen, cold. He took a step back. “You know I care about you a lot, and I want to continue dating you, but it feels like it’s too soon.”

“Just last month you said you wanted to tell people.”

“I know, but things change.”

“You don’t like me anymore?”

Ben stepped closer and ran his fingers along Carlos’s arm. “Hey, I definitely still like you.”

“Then why don’t you want to tell people anymore? It’s not like you’re in the closet or anything. You told everyone when you were dating Aziz, and you guys weren’t even together half a year. Why am I any different?”

Ben winced. He took Carlos’s hand into his own. “You know why. I would love to spend Christmas with you. Truly, Carlos. I want nothing more than that, but my parents would never allow it. We could be friends publicly, but anything more than that...”

Carlos felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. “I thought you didn’t care about blood purity. You’re friends with halfbloods and muggleborns alike. All this time you’ve said you were okay with waiting to tell people about us for my sake, but you never wanted anyone to know ever.”

“It’s not like that, Carlos. I would love to tell people. But you know how my parents are. They would never accept someone muggleborn into the family.”

“So you’re just going to listen to them then? Follow their stupid belief that purebloods and muggleborns can’t mix.”

“I wish things were different.” Ben gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “If you weren’t muggleborn, I’d tell everyone about you, I swear.”

Carlos smiled, but there was no happiness behind it. He felt a coldness in his chest. He’d expected this kind of behavior from his ex. Chad had actually called him that ugly word on the daily. “My precious mudblood,” like it was supposed to be a compliment. Chad was a pureblood Slytherin, and his family was obsessed with blood purity. He’d been upfront that their relationship had to remain secret.

But Ben had lied to him. He’d made him think this time would be different, and that made it all the worse. It didn’t matter that Carlos had proven himself time and again. He was top of his class and had earned more house points for Ravenclaw than any other member of his house, including his best friend Evie. But he was still muggleborn, and that would always follow him.

“I can’t do this,” Carlos said, feeling that everything inside the room was wrong.

“Can’t do what?” Ben’s eyes filled with concern.

Carlos hated what he was about to do, but he couldn’t stand to be with someone who had lied to him, someone who would never be open about their relationship. He couldn’t live his life in the shadows. “I can’t be with you anymore. You don’t understand what it’s like for me, to have to always date in secret. To have every person I’ve ever been with be too ashamed to introduce me to anyone. All because I have ‘dirty blood.’ You’re supposed to be kind and loyal. Isn’t that what Hufflepuffs are all about? I thought things would be different with you, but they’re not. It’s all the same as it’s ever been.”

“Hey, hey.” Ben pulled him into a hug. “I’m not ashamed of you. I told you, I don’t care about all that blood supremacy crap the Slytherins are so keen on. Chad Charming, Audrey Rose, and Anthony Tremaine can preach it all they want, but I’m not like them. I promise.”

Carlos pushed Ben away. “Then why do we have to stay a secret?”

“Because…” Ben looked hesitant, like he was afraid to tell him the real reason.

“Please, Ben, don’t lie to me. You’ve done enough of that already.”

Ben straightened his shoulders, nodding. “Okay, I’ll tell you the truth, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

Ben smiled. “I know. You’re tough. I really like that about you. Listen, Carlos, the truth is, I already told my parents about you. Not you specifically, but that I was dating a boy who was muggleborn. They were both happy I found someone I really care about, but my father asked me to keep our relationship a secret. He wants to be the new Minister for Magic, you see. If people find out his son is dating someone muggleborn, he’ll lose the support of most of the purebloods. This is his dream, Carlos. I can’t risk ruining that for him.”

“Hogwash,” Carlos said, disgusted. “You hate your father. Ever since you got sorted into Hufflepuff instead of following your family legacy of Gryffindors, he’s treated you like crap. So the only reason I can see you supporting him is if you’re hoping to gain something once he’s the Minister for Magic.”

Ben bit his lip. “It’s for the good of the wizarding community. I want to make things equal between all classes. No more blood supremacy. No more house elves enslaved to wizards. If he becomes the Minister, I’ll have a chance of getting a high-ranking position at the Ministry once I graduate. I can make a real difference, make everyone’s lives better, and then one day it won’t matter to anyone else that you’re muggleborn. We can be open about everything then.”

“It’s a beautiful dream, Ben, but it’ll never happen,” Carlos said. “Two wizarding wars and everything is still the same. Chad and Anthony still bully me. Audrey still hexes me any chance she gets. Professor Honeymaren still tells me I’m doing well for a muggleborn, and she’s one of the nicer teachers. I actually think it’s gotten worse for muggleborns since the Second Wizarding War.”

Ben opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then closed it. He nodded, rubbing his hands together. “I can see this relationship would never have worked anyways. I need to be with someone who believes in me.”

“I didn’t say—”

“You’ve said enough, Carlos. I’m sorry I wasted your time.” Shoulders hunched, Ben turned around and walked out of the room.

The Christmas decorations disappeared into thin air, all the cheer gone with his departure. Carlos sank bad into the armchair, hugging his legs to his chest. He leaned his head on his knees and let himself cry.

His gaze shifted to the table where the cookies had been. Now it held a tissue box and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. He huffed. “Seriously, you stupid room. It just had to be Ben’s favorite brand.”

The ice cream disappeared as if the room had heard him. This was going to be a miserable Christmas.

…

Ben knelt down in front of his suitcase in his dormitory. He folded his black-and-yellow knitted scarf and placed it gingerly beside his Wizard Card collection. Many of the cards had been gifts from Carlos. He had a particular talent for finding and trading cards with fellow wizards. Even Ben who was incredibly social could never navigate the world of Wizard Trading Cards at Hogwarts so well as Carlos.

He put his Alchemy textbook on top of the card collection, determined to get Carlos off his mind. They had broken up. It had been mutual. This would be better for both of them. They wouldn’t have to be paranoid about sneaking around all the time. He’d be able to focus on Quidditch more. Maybe his team could even win the Quidditch Cup this year.

“You look sad.”

Ben looked up, startled.

Gil sat on the bed across from him. He was knitting another scarf in Hufflepuff colors. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine, man. It’s just, you’re getting to go home for the holidays when a lot of us aren’t. My parents are muggles, and they hate that I’m a wizard. They only take me back in the summer because they have to. And my brothers bully me the whole time.”

“It’s hard to imagine anyone bullying you,” Ben admitted. Gil was so strong, the best beater the Hufflepuff Quidditch team had ever seen.

“They’re bigger and stronger than me. I’ve always been the runt of the family.” Gil looked sheepish.

Ben was afraid to see what the rest of Gil’s family looked like. Maybe something like the giants he’d seen in his textbooks. “I’m sorry about your family.”

Gil shrugged. “It is what it is. You’re incredibly lucky, Ben. I’d be happy if I had a loving family to go back to, that’s all I’m saying.” He smiled shyly and looked down at his knitting.

“You’re right,” Ben said, suddenly feeling like Hogwarts’s biggest idiot. Gil had a remarkable talent for seeing the heart of the matter while Ben got caught up in the details. “Why am I going home for Christmas, when I could do so much good here?”

He’d been so caught up on getting into politics that he’d forgotten he could help the people around him. So many kids didn’t have happy homes to go back to, Carlos included. Okay, so maybe a part of him wanted to do this to win Carlos back, but mostly he wanted to practice what he preached. He would be welcoming and warm to all the students at Hogwarts, regardless of their blood status.

“Oh, I wasn’t trying to guilt you into staying. I was just trying to cheer you up.”

Ben laughed, closing his suitcase. He would unpack everything later. Right now he had plans to make. “You did that too. Don’t worry, Gil. I want to stay. I’m going to make this the best Christmas ever for all the sixth-years staying over the holidays.”

Gil dropped his knitting, beaming from ear-to-ear. “Really?”

“Absolutely. I’ll show you what a wizard Christmas is like. It’ll be, well, magical.”

Gil giggled, absolutely delighted.

Ben knew it would take a lot of work putting together everything, and he didn’t have a lot of time, but he knew just who to ask for help.

He found her in the common room helping a fourth-year, Artie Pendragon, decorate a Christmas card. They were seated at one of the round tables, art supplies piled up high on top of it.

“Hey, Jane.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “When you’re free, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh, we’re almost done.” She set the glue stick aside and handed the card to Artie. “Just write your message on the inside. Make it special. I’m sure your mother will love it.” She stood up, beaming. “What is it, Ben?”

“Let’s go for a walk.”

Jane laughed. “I’d better bundle up then. I am not used to all this snow.”

Ben chuckled, pulling his gloves from his jacket pocket. “Me neither.”

Outside the air was nippy, but Ben found it to be refreshing. It felt like he was looking at Hogwarts in the snow for the first time. Usually he was in such a rush to get home for the holidays. He barely paid any attention to the snow-capped castle. It was truly breath-taking.

“Are you heading home soon?” Jane asked.

“No, I’m actually staying for Christmas this year.”

Jane perked up, her blue eyes wide. Her whole face brightened. “Oh, Ben, that’s wonderful. I’m staying too. I was going to go see my uncle again, but he cancelled at the last minute. Being the head of the Department of Magical Education keeps him busy. You know how that is.”

Ben did. His father was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He had started as an auror and risen through the ranks. Some years he was barely home for the holidays, but thankfully his mother was always there to keep him company.

“I want to host a Christmas party for all the sixth-years staying for the holidays,” Ben announced.

“Oh, really? That’s amazing, Ben, but what gave you that idea? It’s not like you to give up your holidays like that.”

“Yes, that’s exactly the problem. It should be like me. I care about all the students at Hogwarts, and during the holidays a lot of them don’t have families who accept them. Gil was telling me about his awful family. I can’t believe I’ve been so selfish all these years. I have to do something for these kids, Jane.”

Jane jumped up and down, grabbing onto Ben’s arm. “That’s perfect. I wonder why I never thought of that either. And here I was planning how I would manage to sneak all the best foods out of the kitchens so I could have a Christmas feast in my room. Talk about selfish.”

Ben laughed. “Carlos would say that is such a Hufflepuff thing to say.”

“Carlos?” Jane eyed him curiously. “I didn’t realize you guys were friends.”

Ben took a deep breath, wondering if this was the right thing to do. Carlos had wanted everyone to know about them, so telling Jane would be okay, right? “We’re not. But I’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately.” 

“You like him?” Jane guessed, smiling.

“I do. I really, really do. And I told my parents, but they don’t want me to tell anyone else.”

“Because he’s a boy? Weren’t you and Aziz a thing for a little while?”

Ben nodded. “My parents loved Aziz because he’s a pureblood and a Gryffindor. They actually tried to convince me not to break up with him when I got tired of him being so ‘on’ all the time, you know?”

“Oh, and Carlos is muggleborn. I forgot about that. But Gil’s muggleborn too, and your parents don’t care that you’re friends with him.”

“But they would care if I was dating him. My dad wants to be the Minister for Magic. He needs the support of the purebloods to get elected.”

Jane sighed, shaking her head. “Blood politics are ridiculous, you know that? You shouldn’t care about how your dating life will affect your father. It’s your life. Live it. If you like Carlos, then you should go for him. He’s staying for the holidays, right? I’m sure we could arrange a romantic moment alone for the two of you so you could confess your feelings for him. Awww, Ben, you could get together on Christmas.”

“Don’t get carried away. I would love to date him, but I’d have to keep it a secret.”

“That is literally the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and I’m dating Gil.” She cracked a smile.

“Wait, you are?”

“Yeah. It’s not like we’ve been trying to hide it. I don’t care that his parents are muggles, and he doesn’t care that I come from a long, long line of purebloods. It really doesn’t have to be as complicated as you’re making it out to be.”

“I know, I know. But you’re not me. Everyone expects so much from me. I’m a Florian. Our family name means something around here. I can’t let my father down.”

Jane put her hand on his arm. “But you’re letting yourself down. Doing good things for other people is certainly nice, but you need to do things for yourself too. You can’t live your life entirely for other people. What do you want, Ben?”

He wasn’t sure if he’d ever been asked that before, but the answer was clear to him. “I want to be with Carlos.”

…

Carlos was studying with Evie, Jay, and Mal in the library. Well, Carlos and Evie were studying. Jay and Mal were goofing off as usual. The two Gryffindors had never cared much for getting good grades.

They had all finished their exams, anyways. Carlos was just studying to get his mind off Ben, and Evie rarely left a book for more than a few minutes at a time. Unless of course she was spending time alone with her girlfriend Mal. Right now Mal was leaning against her, fiddling with a new toy she’d picked up at the joke shop.

“Where are we going to celebrate Christmas this year?” Carlos asked offhandedly. “The Room of Requirement again?”

“Actually, Ben has already booked the Room of Requirement,” Jay said, tossing a sugar quill at Mal, who caught it in her teeth. She broke the quill in half and offered a portion to Evie, who took it with a gleeful smile and kissed Mal on the cheek.

“Are you serious?” Carlos asked. “But I thought he was going home for the break.”

Jay shrugged. “I guess he changed his mind. Gil said he’s planning a big party for the sixth-years.”

Evie perked up, chewing on her sugar quill. “Oh, we should go to that then. It’s a lot of work to organize our own party every year.” She gave Carlos a look. Every year the two of them ended up doing all the work.

Carlos wasn’t really sure how to feel about all this. Ben was staying for the holidays and hadn’t told him. Had he known when they met in the Room of Requirement yesterday?

“I don’t know,” Carlos said. “It’ll probably be a bunch of purebloods. Doesn’t sound like much fun.”

Evie shot him an annoyed glare. She clearly did not want to waste time with decorations this year.

“Most of the purebloods have gone home for the holidays,” Mal said, examining her nails. “I think the only purebloods there will be Ben and Jane. Maybe Ally and Jordan. All good people.”

“But we don’t know any of them very well,” Carlos argued.

Jay laughed, chewing on the end of his sugar quill. “Speak for yourself, I’ve flirted with Jane, Ally, and Jordan. Probably all the girls in our year.”

“Even Mal?” Evie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jay shrugged his shoulders. “You guys weren’t dating yet, and she shot me down so fast.”

Mal laughed, reaching for her girlfriend’s hand. “You have nothing to worry about, Evie.” They shared a quick kiss, and Evie relaxed against her, lowering her book into her lap.

“I’m wondering who I should try to kiss under the mistletoe this year,” Jay said. “Maybe Jane?”

“No, she’s dating Gil LeGume,” Mal said. “Aren’t you guys friends? Don’t want to mess with the bro code.” She chuckled darkly.

“Maybe I’ll kiss Carlos then.” He waggled his eyebrows at him.

Carlos rolled his eyes. “Not a chance.” Jay was just joking about kissing him, and even if he wasn’t, Carlos was too hung up on Ben to think about kissing anyone else.

“I guess I’ll just have to see who’s at the party. If all else fails, I can always snag a kiss from Ben Florian.”

Carlos clutched his book tightly, fighting hard not to react. It was okay if Jay kissed Ben. It wasn’t like he owned Ben or anything. But the thought of the two of them together in public, with Ben not ashamed to be seen with Jay. It brought him a special kind of hurt.

“As if Ben would kiss you,” Mal said with a laugh.

Carlos jumped. For a moment it felt like the words were directed at him, but she was smiling at Jay. Of course.

“Anyways, I think Evie and I have a much better shot with him.” Mal smiled wickedly. “The more the merrier on Christmas, right?”

Carlos picked up his books. “I just remembered I’m supposed to meet Doug to work on a project.”

“A’ight. See you later.” Jay saluted him.

No one even questioned that he was working on a project on the first day of winter break. Maybe it was because they assumed he was studious enough that he would start on it an entire month early, or maybe they just didn’t care that much about him. Either way, he could sense he was going to have a lonely Christmas this year.

[fcstation1063]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Descendants (Disney Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jay/Carlos de Vil, Evie/Mal (Disney) Characters: Jay (Disney), Carlos de Vil, Mal (Disney), Evie (Disney), Ben (Disney: Descendants) Summary:

A snowstorm knocks out the power at Auradon Prep.

Day 2 of DearDescendants' 12 days of holidays. Prompt: Snow.