Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ben’s POV

This was my chance! I could finally arrest my arch-nemesis one and for all!
According to Erica’s intel, Murray Hill was planning on showing up at the Masquerade Ball that was being hosted by the richest family in town tonight.
So of course we were going too.
The day before, we went to a tailor and got formal outfits and bought matching masquerade masks.

“Now, all the guests will be wearing masks, so I need you to sniff out Murray. You know him the best out of the two of us.” Erica instructed.
“Alright, you can count on me.” I nodded.
If there is one skill I am confident in, it’s my ability to find out what Murray’s up to.

We went to the tailor and picked up our outfits. And they were absolutely beautiful! (And expensive…)
Alexander really knows where to find good tailors! Even if he doesn’t really know anything useful…

An hour before the ball, me and Erica put on our clothes and got ready.
But there was something odd about mine.

“Erica? Did I accidentally get yours?” I asked, popping my head out my door.
“No… Why would you say that?” She raised her eyebrow.

I stepped out of my room.
My outfit still had the embroidered white and mint green suit top I initially planned.
But instead of pants, below the top was an evening gown matching my tie and embroidery.

Erica blinked. “I need to talk to Zoe.” She rushed off.

A couple minutes later, she dragged Zoe back.
“Oh my gosh! Green such a good color for you!” She gushed about my outfit.
Erica gave her an icy look.
“Oh come on! Doesn’t he look amazing in a dress?” Zoe smiled.

“I would rather be wearing pants…” I said.
“Ben’s right. You don’t want to be running after someone in a long dress.” Erica agreed.

Erica herself was wearing a classy heather grey tuxedo with a red tie.

“But doesn’t he look so pretty?” Zoe said.

“Being pretty isn’t the point. We’re going after Murray, not going to a fashion show.” Erica shot her down.

“It’s fine… It’s too late now… I can deal with it.” I insisted.

“You sure?” Erica asked.

I nodded.

She shrugged and let Zoe go back to her room.

We took a cab to the party and put on our masks.

“Remember, our number one priority is to find Murray.” She murmured.
I made a thumbs-up in confirmation.

We got our of the cab and started walking to the door

“You find him, lead him to me, and I’ll do the rest.” Erica ordered.

We opened the doors to find many of the guests had already arrived.
We turned in our invitations to the bodyguard and split up to search.

I grabbed an hor d'oeuvre off of a platter.
I popped it in my mouth and started scanning the crowd for Murray.

The manor was packed, and many people were bumping into me. But no sign of Murray.

An hour later, me and Erica leaned against a wall, sharing what we found.
Which was nothing.

“Maybe our information was wrong… Or this could all be a trap…” Erica said, frustrated.

I sighed heavily.
I really hope this wasn’t a waste of time… (And money, but it’s Alexander’s money we’re spending so I don’t really care)

“I’m gonna go grab something to drink.” I walked away.

As I went to go find something to drink, I thought about how Murray might be evading us.

Maybe he’s disguised as a staff member? Or maybe he’s posing as one of the guests?

I was lost in thought when someone came up behind me and covered my eyes.

“Guess who~?”

I'd recognize that annoying voice anywhere.

“Hello, Murray.”

Murray took his gloved hands off my eyes and turned me around.

I could barely even recognize him.

Normally, his hair is a rat’s nest, his clothes have various stains on them, and he dresses like a homeless man.

But now… Oh… Oh wow…

His black hair was neat and pulled back into a small ponytail, and his blood-red suit was smooth and stain-free.

Needless to say, I was shocked that Murray, the biggest slob I know, looked so…attractive…

“Like what you see?” Murray smirked, showing off his gold tooth.

I realized I was staring.

“What are you doing here?” I turned my head away.

“Aw…Not even a compliment? It took me hours to do my hair!” Murray whined.

“You didn’t answer my question.” I said curtly.

“Oh fine… I guess you don’t want the gift I prepared for you…”

I turned to him, both my interest and my suspicion piqued.

He chuckled.
“Now that I have your attention…”
But Murray stopped himself from going on.
“Why don’t you give me a dance first?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why?”

“Consider it a trade. A dance for a gift. What do you say? Fair price?” Murray held out his gloved hand.

I eyed his hand before begrudgingly taking it.

Before I could say anything, Murray pulled me to the dance floor.

“Let me take the lead, m’kay?”

We merged with the crowd and started to slow dance.

I put one hand on his shoulder and held his hand with the other.
Grasping my waist, he guided me through the steps.

“Oh this is nice…” He murmured.

The hand on my waist crept to the small of my back, slightly pushing me towards him.

With the slow pace of the dance, the calm music, and Murray’s soft touches, I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder.

“Sleepy?” He asked innocently.

“Yeah, I guess so…” I yawned.
Why was I so tired…?

“Here, let me get you something to drink.” He offered.

“Nice try, Murray. I’m not letting you drug me.” I said wryly.

“But I already have.”

My eyes widened and I looked up at him with alarm.

“I dosed you with a sedative when I bumped into you earlier. It takes a while to take effect, but once it does, it can take a grown man out for half a day!” He made a smug smirk.

I tried to pull away and fight back, but my movements were sluggish and my body was heavy.

“Good night~”

That was the last thing I heard before my body went limp and I fell unconscious.

…

“Hey! Wake up!”

With a groan, I opened my eyes and sat up.
“What happened…where am I…?” I mumbled.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Erica examined my body for wounds.

“Murray…? No, he just se…sedated me…” My words came out as mumbles and mutters. I was still woozy from the drug.

But Erica still looked worried.
In fact… she looked more worried than she should be…

“Did…something else happen…?” I asked.

“I managed to capture and drug him, but… He almost shot you while you were unconscious.”

My face went sheet white.

I could’ve died and I wouldn’t have even noticed.

“Oh come on! Don't be so dramatic! The mag was empty anyways…” Murray yelled from another room.

“The mag was empty?!” Erica cried.

“Yeah! So don't get your panties in a twist! Ben would’ve been fine!”

Erica turned to me with a blank expression on her face.
“I’ll be back.''

She turned and walked to the room where Murray was being held.

I could hear several punches landing and Murray crying.

Erica calmly walked back to me, knuckles covered in blood.

“He says he wants to talk to you. I bugged the room, so I’ll be listening just in case.”

I sighed and went into the room.

Murray was sitting in a chair with his hands handcuffed in front of him. Blood was running down his nose as he sniffled.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed some tissues. I wiped the blood off of his face and plugged up his nose so he would stop bleeding.

“Thank you… Erica’s so mean… You’re so much nicer, Ben…” He whined.

I sat down in the chair opposite of him.

His eyes were drawn down to my gown.
“You should wear skirts more often… It suits you.”

“Hardy har har…”

“I’m serious. God, you look so hot right now… I could just…”

With no warning, he leaned forward and draped his arms around me, the cold chain of the handcuffs on the back of my neck.

What the hell did Erica give him…?!

He settled on my lap, facing me.
His normally sharp green eyes were glassy in a drug-induced daze.
He had the biggest smile on his face, like he just won the lottery.

“I wanna kiss you so bad…! Your lips look so soft and sweet…”

Before he could lean in for a kiss, I pushed him away.

“What's gotten into you?! Why are you being so horny all of a sudden?” I cried.

“But Ben…! I've had the biggest crush on you forever! I've been flirting with you for the past year!”

“Okay, we’re done here.”

I got Murray’s arms off me and started to walk away.

“But your gift!”

I didn’t even look back as I slammed the door.

I could feel Erica staring at me.

“I need a minute…” I said before she could ask me anything.

I hope that was a trick…

Otherwise…

Things are gonna get complicated.

Chapter Text

Murray’s POV

I yawned and lounged on the couch.
“How much longer do we have to stay here?” I asked Nefarious.

“Until the blizzard stops. Unless you want to be buried in snow, we can't go out yet.” Nefarious replied, not taking his eyes off his Switch.

“But it's so boring! Why couldn’t I have gotten the cabin with Ashley? At least she has a personality!” I rolled my eyes.

“I'm right here, you know. And it's not like you're any better. All you do is eat and sleep and whine.” Nefarious retorted.

“Hey! I do not whine!” I protested.

“You whine all the time! Just an hour ago, you were complaining about how hard it is to impress your boyfriend.”

“Ben is not my boyfriend! He's my arch enemy! And it's not my fault he’s so hard to impress!” I huffed.

Then there was a thump at the door.

Me and Nefarious both turned to the door.

“You open it.”

“No you open it!”

I groaned and got up from the couch.
I slowly turned the knob and opened the door a crack.

“Holy crap, there's a dead body!” I yelled.

I dragged it inside.
Now that I had a closer look, I could see that the body was not dead.
And it was the last person I expected to see tonight.

“Nefarious! You might wanna see this!”

He sighed and put down his Switch. He shambled over next to me.

“Oh no…”

I could see that Ben was still breathing from the shallow rise and fall of his chest.
The tips of his fingers and lips were blue and his skin was cold to the touch.
Pieces of ice were frozen in his hair.

“What are you standing there staring for?! Go get some blankets or something!” I snapped.

Nefarious ran off to grab some blankets.

I took off Ben’s cold, wet clothes. I grabbed his hands and blew hot air on them.

Nefarious came back over with armfuls of blankets and made quick work of wrapping Ben with them.
We both carried him to the couch.

“What the hell happened? How did he even get out here?” Nefarious was already panicking.

“Heck if I know! It's not every day that your nemesis comes to your door on the brink of death!” I cried.

“Go get him some clothes! You can use mine!” I said.

Nefarious nodded and went to my room.

I set Ben down on the couch. I walked to the fireplace, grabbing some firewood.
I put it in and grabbed a match. Striking the match, I tossed it in and the wood and kindling caught flame.

I grabbed Ben and took him over to the fire.

Come on… Please don't be dead…

In the next ten minutes, Ben now had dry clothes and he was finally warming up. His skin and lips were back to their normal color, and the ice in his hair melted, leaving it damp.

“Mmh…Erica…?”

My face lit up at the sound of his voice.
Yes! He’s not dead!

His eyes fluttered open.

“Wait…where…what?”

It took a minute, but Ben’s eyes widened and he dashed away from me.

“Murray?! Where am I?! What did you do?!” He backed away.

“Hey, calm down! Listen, you came to our door half-frozen. Me and Nefarious have been warming you up.” I explained.

Ben looked to my left and saw Nefarious, who waved at him.

Ben awkwardly waved back and turned to me.

“Come here. I'm not gonna hurt you, I just wanna finish warming you up.” I held my arms out.

He eyed my arms warily, then crawled over.

I wrapped him in a blanket again and held him.

“See? Is this so bad? Now you stay here, I'll get us some hot cocoa.” I set Ben down and walked to the kitchen.

I poured three mugs of hot chocolate. I gave one to Nefarious and one to Ben.
I also grabbed some chocolate chip cookies and sat back down next to Ben.

“Why are you helping me…? Don't you want me dead?” Ben looked up at me.

“Well… I uh…”
My mind went blank.
Why am I helping him?

I looked at Ben. He stared at me with his big brown eyes.
His beautiful chocolate brown eyes…
I felt my heart melt a little.
I cupped his face in my hands and stroked his freckled cheeks.

“If I let you die, there’ll be nobody I can hang out with.” I laughed it off.

“Okay…” He mumbled and laid his head down on my lap.

I stroked his soft red hair.

Then I heard a small sound.

“Was…was that a sneeze?” I looked down at Ben.

“Wha-”

Before he could answer, Ben made a small sneeze.

My face split into a huge smile.
“That’s so precious! You sneeze like a lil baby kitten!”

“No I do not!” Ben protested indignantly.

He went into a sneezing fit. It was like a litter of kittens were sneezing on my lap!

“Do you have any tissues…?” He sniffed.

I grabbed a box off of the coffee table and handed it to him.

He grabbed a tissue and blew his nose.

God he’s so cute.
Maybe I can put aside our rivalry just this once.

He sipped his hot cocoa.
When he turned to look at me, I could see whipped cream on his face.

I snickered. “Hold still.”
I wiped off the cream on his cheek.

Ben blushed in embarrassment. “I’m not a little kid…”

“Then why are you so tiny?” I teased.

“I am not! You’re just tall!” Ben huffed.

“I'm older than you…!”

“Only by a couple months!”

Ben made an attempt at a scowl.
But his round face made it hard to look mean.

“D’aw! You look like an angry kitten!” I started snuggling him.

“Stop it!” He batted my arms away.

His mouth opened for a yawn.
“What time is it…?”

“Time for you to go to sleep!” I took the mug out of his hands.

With some difficulty, I lifted him up and took him to my room.
I laid him on my bed and pulled the blankets over him.

“Don’t worry, your friends will be here to pick you up in the morning!” I booped his little button nose.

“Good night!”

“…good night Murray…”

I felt a smile creep up my face as I turned off the light and closed the door.

When I turned back to the living room, Nefarious was staring at me with his eyebrow raised.
“You have a crush on him, don’t you?”

I laughed off the accusation. “What? No! That’s ridiculous! What gave you that impression?” I lied.

“You literally just tucked him into bed. After cuddling and giving him hot chocolate.”

I went silent.

“Okay, I might have a tiny crush on him…”

Chapter Text

Ben’s POV

“It’ll be fun, he said… What could go wrong, he said…”
I impatiently tapped my foot.

Mike set me up for a blind date today.

My date was supposed to meet me here almost half an hour ago!
I got all dressed up and everything!
Besides, for all I know, they could be a 50-year-old man!

I made a barely audible groan and toyed with my fork.
Mike owes me big-time.

Everyone was already starting to give me those looks of pity.

I put down my fork and sighed.
“This was a waste of time… I probably just got stood up…”

But as I got up from my seat, someone came in through the door.

Murray Hill.

His eyes were on his phone as he wandered over to my table.

“Table…five! Now who is my-”
His face went slack at the sight of me.

Not knowing what to do, I just stood there and stared.
And so did he.

I guess neither of us were prepared for this.

“I’m leaving.” I said.
Right when I approached the door, Murray grabbed my arm.

His blank expression was replaced with a suave smile.
“Oh come on, there’s no sense in wasting a date…”

I scoffed and brushed his hand off.

“Hey! Ben!” He grabbed my arm tighter this time.

I turned to him for a dirty look, but I just couldn’t bring myself to.
He looked like a lost puppy. He tugged on my shirt and looked down at me with pitiful eyes.

Don’t give in…Don’t give in…

I gave in.

I sighed and went back to the table, Murray’s face lighting up like Christmas
lights.

We picked up our menus and looked over them.

“You wanna get a bread bowl first?” He asked.

“Sure, I could go for some.” I shrugged.

Soon, a basket of warm bread rolls was brought to our table.
Murray was quick to snatch one up. He devoured it in quick bites.

“These are so good! Here!” He grabbed another and handed it to me.

I took a bite of the warm roll.
These are good! It’s like they’re freshly baked! (Even though chances are they weren’t.)

“Blue’s a cute color for you. You should wear it more often.” Murray rested his chin on his hand.

I rolled my eyes and finished my roll.

“So what do you want? Money? Blackmail?” I asked.

Murray looked almost hurt at this question.
“Is having a normal date so much to ask?” He whined.

“Considering it’s you, yes.”

Murray huffed, offended.
“Fine, be that way!”
He sat there, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

Can you believe this guy?
I can’t believe I ever considered him a threat.

He finished off the remaining bread rolls and we started deciding what we wanted for dinner.

The waitress went over to our table to take our orders.

“Hi! Can I have a Penne Alfredo pasta with no shrimp?” I smiled.

“I’ll just have the bolognese. And the sweetest wine you have.” Murray said.

“Wha- We’re fifteen! We can’t have-”

Murray slipped the waitress a hundred dollar bill, and she grinned from ear to ear.
“Right away, sir!”
She rushed off to the kitchen.

“It's amazing what money can get you in this world.” He smirked.

“I’m not drinking any.” I crossed my arms.

“You just haven’t tried it! It’s not like Erica’s looking over your shoulder every minute of the day!” He insisted.

“I don’t need Erica to tell me that I shouldn’t be drinking.” I said.

Murray huffed. “You’re such a goody two shoes…”

The waitress came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
She poured some in the glasses and rushed back to the kitchen.

Murray picked up his glass and swirled his drink.
He took a sip and visibly relaxed.
“They have really good wine here! Come on, just a sip won’t kill you…!”

I glanced at my glass.
“Okay fine. Just one. Then I’m done.”

I gulped and slowly took a sip from the glass.

I was pleasantly surprised at how rich it was.
It was sweet, with many fruit notes. The wine was smooth on my tongue.

I could feel a fog settle in my head as I swallowed the alcohol.

Murray looked very pleased with himself. “Good, right? Feel free to have as much as you want. I’m paying.”

I couldn’t help but take a few more sips.

As more of the enticing drink entered my system, I felt more and more dizzy.

“Don’t drink it all at once…” Murray reached over and set down my glass.

A couple minutes later, our food was here.
Murray took a few sips from his glass and dug into his pasta.

I took slow bites of my own meal, fumbling with my fork.

The wine really messed with my head…
Remind me to never drink it again. Especially not with Murray.

After a while, our plates were practically cleaned off, and we ordered dessert.
Murray got a strawberry sponge cake for us to share.

At this point, I was too dazed to even think straight. (Apparently in more ways than one…)

By now, my glass was empty, and my cheeks were flushed. My eyes were half-lidded and droopy.

Even in my drunken state, I could tell Murray really enjoyed that sight.

He fed me bites of the cake and gave me the strawberries.

“How is everything?” He asked innocently.

“So good… The cake is so s…sweet…” I mumbled, my words slurred.

He chuckled. “Maybe letting you have that much wine was a bad idea…”

I tried to say something, but it came out as incomprehensible mumbles. I laid my head on the table.

“I'm sleepy…” Was all I managed to say.

“Alright, I think you’d better get home…”

Murray waved over our waitress.

I fumbled for my wallet. But before I could take it out, Murray stopped me.
“No need. I’ll pay. It’s the least I can do after getting you drunk…”

He pulled out some cash from his own wallet and left it on the table along with a tip.

He stood up and lifted me from my chair. He draped one of my arms around him and helped me out of the restaurant.

“Let’s get you back to my place and sober up. I think I had one too many sips of wine too…” He laughed.

He guided me through the streets until we arrived at his apartment.
He grabbed his keys and unlocked the door, letting me in.

Murray set me down on his couch and went to his kitchen for some water.

He brought back two bright cups of water and set one down on the coffee table.

“Hold still…”

He tipped my head back and poured in some water.

“I can do it myself…” I said, grabbing my cup.
I ended up just spilling it all over myself.

He responded with a small laugh and gave me more water.

Eventually, I blacked out and collapsed on Murray’s couch.

The next morning, I was in my own room with a headache.

“Ow… I feel like crap…”

I reached over for my water and gulped it down.

I laid my head back down on my pillow.
I should never have drank.

Is this what a hangover feels like…? I hate it…

With a lot of struggle and pain, I stood up from my bed.

“Hey Ben, are you- Woah dude, you look like a zombie…” Mike came into my room.
“Was the date really that bad…?”

“Long story… But for right now, can you get me a trash can? I feel like I’m gonna throw up…”

Mike grabbed a nearby trash can and handed it to me. It took me five minutes to finish puking my guts up.

“You okay man? Do you need medication or anything?” Mike asked.

I shook my head.

“Okay. Now tell me all about your date!” Mike hopped up and sat on my bed.

Not seeing any way out of it, I told Mike everything.

He looked very concerned by the end of it.

“Erica’s gonna beat your ass when she finds out…” He said.

“Can she at least wait until this hangover passes? I feel like death.” I groaned.

“No need. It looks like you already learned your lesson.”
Erica was leaning against the doorway.

Mike jumped and scooted away from her.

“Yeah… I’m never drinking again…” I sighed.

“Good. And Mike, no more blind dates.” Erica shot Mike a look before she left.

“It’s probably for the best…” Mike shrugged.

Yes it is, Mike. Yes it is.

Chapter Text

Murray’s POV

“The Valent Kingdom… Known for its rich agriculture and wealth…”

I was reading a small book, gathering knowledge about my new location.

“The current Royal family are the reigning Queen and King, Jack and Alexandra Valent, and their only son, Benjamin Valent.”

That was who I was after.

If I could marry that boy, I would be ruling over the richest kingdom in the country!

I was hoping I could marry a princess, but it’s whatever.
Besides, once I’m rich enough, I can just leave!

I tried my best to find any kingdoms with princesses set to inherit the throne, but there were some…complications…
Either the kingdoms were too poor, the princess was too old, too young, or nonexistent.

So this is the best I can do.
It’s not like I have to actually love him anyway.

“Hey, we’re here.” The coachman rasped.

“Thanks! Here!”

I took out a handful of coins and put them in his hand.

“No problem. I was going this way anyways. Take care.”

I hopped off and the carriage sped away.

I took a deep breath and walked in through the gates.

The kingdom looked pretty much how I expected it to look.
Nicely crafted houses, busy farmer’s market, and kids running around without a care.
If I wasn’t about to rob it, this would be a nice place to live.

I smoothed out my noble’s clothing, hoping I could pass for an upperclassman.
What am I saying? Of course I can!

Head held high and chest out, I walked to Castle Valent.

Everyone was staring and whispering at me.
I guess I did a good job looking the part.

I approached the double doors where two guards were standing.
As I walked up, they blocked the way with their swords.

“State your name and purpose.” One of them demanded.

“I’m Murray Hill, I’m here to see His Royal Highness, Prince Benjamin Valent.” I said, as I rehearsed.

The guard narrowed his eyes at me.
“For what?”

“I wish to attempt to court him.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the guards stepped aside and opened the doors.

“Thank you kindly.” I nodded and walked inside.

Wow, they must be desperate…

I strolled through the gardens around the castle.
After a quick look around, I made my way into the castle.

It was as grand as it looked from the outside. With white marble columns and well-kept flowers lining the walls.

I walked up to the guards standing in front of the throne room.

“I’m here to see His Royal Highness, Prince Benjamin Valent.” I said.

One of them nodded and swiftly went into the throne room.

After a few minutes of waiting, the guard came out.
“You may enter.”

I smiled and stepped inside.

The King and Queen were already sitting in their thrones.

“Your Majesties…”
I bowed deeply.
“I am here to wed your son, Prince Benjamin.”

“You are welcome to try.” The King rumbled.

Wait what?

“Sorry your majesty, come again?” I asked awkwardly.

“You may only wed our son if he deems you worthy of courtship.” The King explained.

“Benjamin, come here, dear. There’s someone here for you…!” The Queen beckoned her son to the throne room.

Running down the steps to the throne room was a boy no older than me.

“I’m coming mothe-”
Before he could finish, he tripped down the steps and fell flat on his face.

“Oh my! Benjamin, are you alright?” The Queen rushed over and helped him up.

“Sorry, mother… I’m fine…”

“You need to be careful, this is the third time that’s happened…” She brushed the dust off his shirt and fixed his hair.

“Anyways, our guest wishes to try and wed you. Go ahead and introduce yourself…”

The prince nervously walked up to me.
“Hi…I’m…Benjamin Valent… It’s nice to meet you…” He looked up at me.

Beautiful was the only word I could use to describe him…

His skin was fair, with freckles dotting his face like stars, and soft red hair going down to his shoulders in a small ponytail.

I replaced my enamored stare with a charming smile.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Your Highness…”
I took his hand and planted a small kiss.

His hand was so small compared to mine…
And soft too…

Benjamin’s cheeks were touched with red as he pulled his hand away.

I could tell he wasn’t used to this kind of attention.

“Why don’t you two go and get to know each other? Feel free to ask our servants if you need anything.” The King said.

“Thank you, Your Majesty…” I bowed.

“Thank you, Father…” Benjamin said.

We both walked out of the throne room.

“So, where do you want to go? There’s the garden, the ballroom, or I could show you to my room if you’d like…” Benjamin twiddled his thumbs.

“I want to visit your favorite place in the castle. You know, to get to know you!” I said.

“Oh…alright…! Let’s go!” He clasped my hand and ran off with me.

He’s surprisingly fast…!
I had to run to keep up with him!

We eventually arrived at a small patch of garden.

There were various flowers planted around. From wildflowers, to roses, to hydrangeas…

I sat down on a wooden bench as Benjamin grabbed a watering can.

“Sorry, my flowers need to be watered…” He apologized and poured some water on his garden.

“Wait, these are yours?” I asked in disbelief.

“Mhm! I grew them from seeds! Do you like them…?”

“Uh- Yeah! They’re beautiful!” I smiled.

Benjamin made a smile as bright as the sun shining down on us.
“I’m so glad! I worked really hard on them!”

He put down his watering can and sat down next to me.

“So, what’s your name?” He asked.

“I’m Murray Hill. A noble’s son from-”

“There’s no need to lie.”

I looked down at him in surprise.
Was I really that transparent?

“My family does not value preservation of royal blood as much as other families. So, I’m free to choose whoever I marry, royal or not.” He explained.

“Also that noble's garb you’re wearing is very outdated… And it’s too simple, real nobles typically adorn themselves with much more jewelry and accessories.”

I blinked.
Well, I guess if you’ve spent that much time with certain people, you start to notice their patterns.

“Besides…nobles are assholes anyway…”

I nearly choked on my spit.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! That just slipped out of my mouth! I didn’t mean to use such foul language!” Benjamin covered his mouth in embarrassment.

“No, it’s alright… I just didn’t expect such an innocent, dutiful prince to use such bad language…” I teased, grabbing his chin and pulling him closer.

He blushed.
“Oh…I erm…”

I let go of him and he pulled back.

Maybe marrying him wouldn’t be so bad…

“It’s just… nobles are so stuck up! And their children are even worse! Acting like they can just swoop in and have my hand in marriage without any work being done!” He huffed.
“And they only bother with me to get their family better status, riches, you get the idea…”

Unexpectedly, I felt a twinge of guilt.
Because that’s exactly what I’m planning to do.

“That’s all anyone ever wants from me…”

He sniffled, starting to cry.

“I just wish that for once, someone would care about me without trying to take advantage of me! I thought this time would be different, but I guess not!” He crossed his arms.

“What are you-”

“Just stop it! I’ve seen your type a million times before! A tall, handsome, smooth-talking twat who thinks he can get away with everything!”

By now, Benjamin’s eyes were clouded with tears and anger.

“Why’d I even bother entertaining this… I should’ve had you leave the moment you opened your mouth!”

He stood up from the bench and stormed off, leaving the garden.

I just sat there in shock and embarrassment.
He saw right through me! He saw through all of it!

Guilt washed over my embarrassment.

In all my thoughts about this plan… I never thought about how this might hurt him…
In fact, I never think about how I hurt anyone…

I just wave it all away with the excuse, “It’s just business”…

Maybe it’s about time I break that habit…

I stood up, trying to think of a place where Benjamin would go.

He said that this was his favorite place in the castle…So what makes this his favorite?
Well, it seems like he has a fondness for gardens and flowers…
So maybe he went somewhere else in the Royal Garden!

I wandered around the castle, trying to find the garden.

Once I found it, I searched for a hiding place or a hidden spot.

I moved aside some vines and found Benjamin.

He was sitting in the grass, surrounded by various birds and small animals.

“What am I doing wrong? Am I just that hard to love…?”
He softly spoke to a bird perched on his finger.

A rabbit climbed into his lap and nuzzled him comfortingly.
He pet it with his open hand.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…!
All these different animals surrounding and comforting one person…
It was a sight straight from a fairytale.

In my enamored state, I tripped over a vine and fell into the secret opening.

Benjamin jumped in surprise, and some of the animals jumped with him.

As soon he saw who I was, he huffed.
“What do you want? I thought you would’ve left already.” He turned away.

The birds perched on his body angrily tweeted at me.

“Look, I’m…sorry… It was…wrong to try to take advantage of you like that…” I choked out.

When he turned to me, he made a small, tittering laugh.
“You’ve never apologized before, have you?”

“No. Not once in my life.” I admitted.

“I can tell…!” He tried to cover up his smile with his hand.

“Before I go, I just wanted to do this real quick…”

I moved his hand aside and pressed my lips to his.

I could feel Benjamin jump in surprise, but he leaned into it.

After a minute, I pulled away from the kiss.

Benjamin looked absolutely adorable. His soft brown eyes wide and full of wonder, and his lips just slightly parted.

“I just took your first kiss, didn’t I?”

He nodded absently.

“Well, this is awkward…” I laughed.

“Can’t you stay just a little bit longer…?” He grabbed my sleeve.
He looked up at me with pleading eyes.

“Well uh…”

How can anyone say no to that?

“Oh fine… I guess I can stay a little longer if you want…” I gave in.

He smiled. He scooted over, making space for me to sit.
I walked up to him and sat in the empty spot.

The birds were staring judgingly at me.

He picked up the rabbit on his lap.
“Wanna pet him?”

I hesitated, then I petted the rabbit’s soft brown fur.

“If I’m being honest, you’re the only one who ever stayed this long…” Benjamin murmured.

“It must be lonely. To be a prince, I mean. Even more considering you’re an only child…” I said.

“Yeah… It would be nice to have someone here my age to talk to…” He twiddled his thumbs nervously.

I thought over my options carefully.
On one hand, I may not be able to marry him, but I can still live a luxurious life here…
But on the other hand, I won’t be ruling over any kingdoms anytime soon.

No. I think the correct option is obvious.

“I can stay for as long as you’d like… I mean, if you’ll have me…” I said.

Benjamin looked hesitant.
“Well, alright… But I need some more time to consider your proposal for marriage…”

“Fine by me!” I smiled.

“Okay…g-great! Come on, I wanna show you my room!”

He stood up, setting down the rabbit he was holding.

“Thank you…!” He whispered to the animals.

They made various noises that sounded like “You’re welcome” and promptly left for the forest.

“Let’s go!”

He flashed me a bright smile and took me to his room.

This isn’t so bad! I could get used to this!

…
Oh god, I’m in love with him.

Chapter Text

Murray’s POV

I could only sense three things.
A scream, a gunshot, and regret.

Those three sensations come to me every single night in my dreams.
Ever since me and Ben got together.

Every night, I wake up with my cheeks wet with tears.
I could never remember what exactly the dream was, but it still hurts.
Tonight was no different.

I jerked awake frantically, tears rolling down my face.

I sniffled and walked over to where I go every night.
Ben’s room.

I tested the doorknob, locked of course, and knocked.

After two minutes of waiting and knocking, my boyfriend came to the door, hair all over the place and a blanket wrapped around himself.

His tired face softened when he looked up at me.
“Again…?”

I nodded silently.

Ben grabbed my hand and led me to his bed.
I sat down. I let out the tears I’ve been holding.

He scooted closer to me and shifted me onto his lap.
I instinctively buried my face into the crook of his neck.

“It’s alright, I’m here for you…”

I could feel his warm breath brush by my ear.
His fingers twirled and combed through my hair.

I gripped him tight in my arms.
“Please don’t go…” I choked out.

“I won’t. I’m right here, sweetheart.” His hand softly stroked my spine.

Ben pulled away and laid down on his bed. He pulled the covers aside and patted the spot next to him.
I immediately went into that spot and pulled the covers back on.

Ben’s arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him.
He rested his head on my shoulder. He kissed my exposed neck.

As I let him spoon me, I took a moment to settle down and ground myself.
I cast my nightmare out of my mind. Instead, I focused on the warmth of my boyfriend, the soft weight of the comforter, and the sweet smell of his hair.

After a moment, I finally calmed down.

“Feeling better?” Ben murmured.

“Mhm…” I nodded.

“Good…”

We both settled down in the bed, getting comfortable.

“You should probably stay in my room from now on… Maybe that’ll help…” Ben suggested.

“Yeah, that would be nice…” I agreed.

With that agreement made, he let go of staying awake and drifted off to sleep.
I let Ben’s soft snores lull me to sleep.
Before I fell asleep, I turned around and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
I wrapped my arms around him.

Then before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

At least my nightmares give me an excuse to cuddle with my boyfriend…!

Chapter Text

Ben’s POV

I sat up in the motel bed, rubbing the sleepiness out of my eyes.
I tried to stretch out in a yawn, but someone held me tight.

Then I looked to my side and Murray was snoring away, arms and legs tangled around me.

I sighed and laid back down.

He’s so warm… So comfy…
But I have to get back to the Academy before someone realizes something’s up.

“Murray, wake up…” I gently shook his shoulder.
“Huh…what…?” He sleepily mumbled.

“We need to go. Or else we’ll blow our cover.” I said.

“Can’t we sleep in for once…? You always go rushing off early in the morning without even saying goodbye…” He whined and gripped me tighter.

“Murray...! We need to go! Otherwise Erica will have both of our heads!” I urged.

Murray just groaned in response.
“Can’t I just have you to myself for a little longer…?”

I was about to protest and refuse, but Murray looked at me with a soft gaze of longing.

“What did I say about using the puppy eyes…!” I tried to look away, but I just couldn’t bring myself to.

The more he stared at me, the weaker I felt.
I eventually gave in.

“Fine…15 minutes…that’s it.” I said.

“Good enough for me…”

Murray buried his face into my shoulder.

With no other choice, I snuggled up to Murray.

“How’d I even get myself into this?”

It all started two months ago.
Operation Silverfish. My first solo mission.

My mission was to keep tabs on a mafia boss’ son.
But he found out and almost killed me.

But, in a twist that I would never have seen coming, Murray saved me.
Because of him, the mission was a success and I was still alive.

My plane wasn’t going to arrive for another 10 hours, so I stayed over at Murray’s hotel room.

But there was only one bed.
So guess what I ended up doing.

And that night, I had a bad nightmare.
I woke up, silently crying.

I don’t know if he realized I was awake, but I felt Murray wrap his arms around me. Shielding me, comforting me.
“It’s okay…You’re safe now…”

After being still for a solid five minutes, I drifted off to sleep again.

The next morning, Murray confessed that he actually kind of liked sleeping together.

So, that’s how the tradition was born.

After every successful mission, we arrange a meet, have some dinner, and cuddle together in the hotel room bed.

For a while, I never really thought much of it. I thought it was just Murray being clingy and weird.

But after hearing what he says to me when he thinks I’m asleep, I’m beginning to doubt that.

Slowly, Murray stopped committing crimes.
Eventually, he fell off the CIA’s grid. He was officially no longer a threat.

But even though he’s free to roam, Murray chose to stay with me and keep up our ritual.

I started to think; “Maybe he’s not so bad after all…”

And that brings us to this morning.
Murray’s being extra clingy today…

That’s the one thing that annoys me.
I give him an inch, he asks for a mile.

One day, we ended up cuddling and napping for half the day!
Needless to say, Erica wasn’t happy…

“Hey Murray, your 15 minutes is almost up…” I murmured.

He mumbled what sounded like an okay and kept snuggling.

Murray’s got a long way to go if he wants me to forgive him for what he’s done to me.
But I can’t stay mad at him. Especially not nowadays.

I’ll forgive him one day, but for now, I’ll give him another chance. I’ll give him another chance to be my friend.
Who knows? We might even become something more…

No, that’s ridiculous…! Murray is one of the straightest people I know…! He couldn’t possibly be into me! Right? Maybe?

“Alright, it’s time to go, lazybones.” I got up and detached his arms and legs.

“Fine…can we at least grab a mug of coffee together?” He whined.

I rolled my eyes. “Alright…but then I gotta leave.”

With our backs to each other, we changed out of our pajamas and into our clothes.
However, I couldn’t help but notice Murray sneaking glances at me while I changed.

I make a pot of coffee and pour two mugs of it.

For mine, I added a lot of milk and a splash of creamer. For Murray’s I also put a lot of milk, and poured much more creamer.

“Here’s your 10% coffee.” I passed him the mug.

“Thank you!”

He gulped down his coffee and finished with a satisfied sigh. “That’s the stuff…”

I quickly finished my own mug.
I went over to the door and grabbed my coat and shoes.

“Well… It was nice seeing you! Feel free to call me!” Murray stood by the door and waved goodbye.

I smiled and waved back, walking out the door.

From there, I jogged my way back to the Academy of Espionage.
Hopefully Erica doesn’t see me…

Chapter Text

No One’s POV

Ben tossed and murmured as he slept in his bed.
His arms held tight on a pillow he was holding.

Then his sleep was disturbed by a carefree whistle and the smell of breakfast.

“Oh Ben~ Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey~!”

A tray with waffles, scrambled eggs, and an absurd amount of bacon was placed on Ben’s nightstand along with a mug of hot coffee.

“Not now Dad… I’m tired…” Ben mumbled.

When his pillow was snatched away from him, Ben whined and sat up.

He rubbed his eyes and immediately he was met with a familiar face smiling down at him.

Murray Hill.

He yelled and fell out of his bed.

“Murray?! What are you doing in my house?!” He cried.

“Yeah, my house burned down. And your parents were gracious enough to lend me a roof over my head! So now we’re roomies!” Murray explained.

Ben stood up and grabbed a suitcase.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I’m moving out.”

Murray looked hurt.

“Ben! After all we’ve been through? Come on, I can’t be that bad of a roommate!” He said indignantly.

“You tried to kill me! On multiple occasions! And you snore like a chainsaw!” Ben protested.

“But it’s different now! I was a bad guy, you were a good guy… We had a natural rivalry…” Murray wrapped his arm around Ben.
“But now that you got kicked out of spy school, we can be friends!”

Ben huffed and shoved Murray away.

“Come on! At least eat first!”

Ben walked away before Murray could finish.

“Oh, Ben! I see you’ve met our new guest! Look, he’s already made breakfast for us!” Ben’s mom waved at Murray, who flashed a winning smile.

“Mom, you can’t be serious…” Ben’s face fell.

“Benjamin… He needs a place to stay!” His mom said.

Ben turned to Murray, who was wearing an innocent look on his face.

“Okay… But please tell me he’s not staying in my room…” Ben sighed in defeat.

“No, he’ll be using our guest room!” His mom said.

Ben gave up trying to fight it.

He just walked back to bed and covered himself in blankets.
“Maybe if I go back to sleep, this’ll all turn out to be a bad dream…”

Murray stood over his bed.
“I promise I’ll be the best roommate you’ve ever had!”

“Then let me sleep…” Ben groaned.

“You know, you look really good in that! You should wear it more often!” He said.

“I’m wearing an oversized T-shirt and tennis shorts…”

“I know!”

Ben stuffed his face into his pillow and groaned.
“You wanna be a good roommate? Quit being a pervert.”

Murray chuckled and opened Ben’s closet.

“Murray, what are you doing in my closet?” Ben sat up again.

“I’m homeless, remember? All my clothes are gone! You don’t mind if I use yours, do you?”

He plucked out a few shirts.

“You seriously wear sweater vests? We gotta take you clothes shopping today…” He muttered.

“Hey! Quit looking through my clothes!” Ben got up and snatched back his shirts.

“Hey! I like this one!” Murray smiled, picking out a red and blue tie-dye shirt.

"I'll be waiting for you on the couch with your folks!"

He waved goodbye and left Ben in his room to change.

Ben sighed heavily and picked out an outfit.

He put on his white button up and pulled his pink sweater over it. He popped out the collar.

After slipping on a pair of cat socks and brushing his hair, he left his room.

"You know, I take it back about the sweater vest. You make it look good!" Murray complimented.

Ben ignored him.

"We're going to take a trip to the mall! You guys have fun here!" Ben's dad said.

"Thanks! Have fun, Dad!" Ben smiled.

His mom and dad grabbed their things and left.

Murray turned to Ben.
"We get the house all to ourselves! What do you wanna do? Watch a movie? Arts and crafts?"

"I'm gonna take a shower..." Ben walked off to the bathroom.

He grabbed a towel and locked the bathroom door.

After he took off his clothes, he started the water.

Ben was in the middle of getting shampoo, when he heard the door click open.

He partially opened the curtain.

"Murray?! What the hell are you doing?! I thought I locked the door!" Ben flushed red.

"Oh, I needed to brush my teeth, so I lock-picked the door." Murray put toothpaste on the toothbrush.

Murray looked Ben up and down.
"Damn, you got curves!"

Murray started brushing his teeth.

"Is that my toothbrush?"

Murray looked from side to side.

"...maybe..."

Ben growled and threw water on him. He closed the curtain and continued to shower.

Ben got dressed after he finished his shower. He brushed his hair and left his room.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Murray asked from the couch.

Ben rolled his eyes.
"Fine. But I'm choosing."

Murray shrugged. "Fine by me!"

Ben looked through the movies on Netflix. He put on a movie that he'd always loved.

"You watch My Babysitter's a Vampire too?" Murray asked.

"Yeah, I love that series...!"

"Me too! I watched it all the time when I was younger!" Murray smiled gleefully.

Ben had played the movie, and Murray had grabbed a blanket and snacks. Lots of snacks.

They were wrapped up in blankets, munching on popcorn and watching the movie intently.

Ben yawned and rested his head on Murray's shoulder, who didn't seem to notice.

After the movie was over, Murray turned it off.

"Oh man! Talk about a trip through Memory Lane! I almost feel nostalgic! Ben, wasn't that-"

Before Murray could finish, he saw Ben softly snoring on his shoulder.

He blushed.

Murray made a soft smile and slowly got up.
He pulled the blanket over Ben and put a pillow under his head.

"Hey boys, we're home! Did you guys have fun?" Ben's parents arrived home.

Murray made a shushing motion and pointed to Ben's sleeping figure.

"Aw...! He always falls asleep during movies!" Ben's mom came over, gently ruffling Ben's hair.

Then she caught Murray staring lovingly at Ben while he slept.

"You know, Ben likes boys too if you're interested..." She whispered.

Murray flushed.

Ben's mom made a lighthearted laugh. "I'm joking!"
"But I'm just saying..."

Murray laughed. "Thanks! I wish I had a mom like you sometimes..."

That piqued her interest.
"Do you not feel the same for your own mother"

Murray made a sardonic laugh. "She kicked me to the curb when I was 11."

"Oh, that's awful! Shame on her!" She huffed.

"It's whatever. It's not like I actually cared about the old hag anyways." Murray rolled his eyes.

Ben's mom wrapped her arms around Murray in a hug.
"You will always have a home here..."

Murray blinked in shock, then he leaned into the hug.

"Thank you. Ben really is his mother's son, isn't he?"

Chapter Text

Murray’s POV

I was practically bouncing in my car seat.
Ben was finally captured!

All I needed to do was buy him off of the scumbag that got him and he’s finally mine!

“We’re here.” My driver rumbled.

I excitedly got out of the car.
I took a deep breath.

“Okay, be cool… Don't look desperate… Get in, get Ben, get out…”

I fixed my tie and walked into the house.
“Hello! I heard you captured Ben! I’m here to buy him off!”

The man stood over the chair where Ben was bound and gagged.

He looked me up and down.
“No.”

I froze.

“Wait what?”
“Come on! I have thousands of dollars in my briefcase! I can afford it!”

“It’s not about what you can afford.”

The man started to speak.

“You see, I realized something. As long as this boy is alive…”
He put his hands on Ben’s shoulders.

“He can meddle with all of our plans. So, I had a different idea.”

He pulled out a pistol.

“That’s why I invited you here.”
“I figured you would want to see your worst enemy’s execution.”

I felt all the color drain from my face.

He was gonna kill him.

I put on a sly smile and tried to look confident.
“Come on, wouldn’t it be more profitable to have him work for us?”

“And look at how well that turned out for SPYDER.”

I stepped forward.

“Are you really gonna kill a kid?! This guy is like- 14 years old! Without the CIA’s help, he’s nothing but a helpless child!” I protested.

“A kid that made an entire criminal empire go bankrupt. No. This needs to be done. And if you’re going to fight it, I’ll kill you too.” He growled.

I stepped back.

The man made a barely visible smirk and put the gun to Ben’s temple.
With a click, he cocked the gun.

Even under his tight binds, I could see Ben trembling.
He’s terrified.

Ben looked at me.
His eyes were wet with tears he was trying to not let fall.

His eyes begged for me not to let this happen. Not to let him die like this.

He screwed his eyes shut, and tears rolled down his cheeks in a silent weep.

My sight hyper-focused on the man’s finger tightening on the trigger.

No! I can’t let this happen!

Barely thinking, I threw myself at the man.

The gun went off, but not on Ben’s head.
The bullet ricocheted off the roof and embedded itself in the wall next to us.

While the man was dazed, I punched his jaw as hard as I could.

All my pent-up feelings, my fear, my longing, my love, they were all fighting to keep Ben alive.

Every hit I landed, was a hit I meant.

Tears fell down my face and blurred my vision.
But that’s okay.
All I needed to see was the man who tried to kill the one I love.

I felt something warm and wet on my knuckles.
Blood.

Soon, the man stopped moving. He went still.

I let the remainder of my tears drip out as I looked at what I had done.

The man was now unconscious, with a bloody, broken nose, a black eye, and a tooth on the ground next to his mouth.

Ben looked at me with fear laced with relief.

I rushed over to him and gripped him in a hug.
I didn’t wanna let go. Not again.

I eventually undid the ropes binding him and took his gag off.

After a few moments of silence, he broke down into sobs.
He wrapped his arms around me tightly.

I felt tears wet my shirt, but I didn’t care.

Ben was okay. He’s not dead.

Tears welled up in my eyes again as I realized something.

“This is all my fault.”

I betrayed him, nearly killed him multiple times, and made him public enemy number one!

Oh god, he nearly got executed because of me…!

What have I been doing with my life?!

I spent all that time whining about how Ben doesn’t love me back, but I finally know now.

I am an awful person!

I don’t deserve him, I never deserved him!

So why do I still love him?

Even as I realized how awful I’ve been, I feel my love for Ben grow stronger still.

No, I can’t give up…!

It’s not enough that I realize how bad of a person I am, if I want Ben, or anyone to love me, I have to do something about it!

I want to change.

If I want Ben to reciprocate my feelings, I need to become someone worth loving!

Someone who doesn’t let someone they love nearly die.

“Ben…”

“Yeah…?” Ben sniffed.

“I’m done…”

Ben looked up at me with confusion.

“I’m done with all this spy stuff…! Because of me, you nearly died!” I held his shoulders tightly.

“And if becoming a better person means going to prison, then I’m going!”
“Anything to make sure this never happens again!”

Ben was silent.

“Maybe I can work something out with the CIA…”

I smiled.

“Thank you…!”

I took him back to the Academy of Espionage and turned myself in.

As promised, Ben worked out a bargain for me.

The CIA agreed to put me in prison for nine months, with a boatload of community service in that time.

But it was all worth it.

In prison, I had gotten therapy and gone to a support group.

It helped a lot!

All the knowledge I learned from them is invaluable.

Because of them, I was finally starting to feel good about myself.

I can’t exactly call myself a saint just yet, but I was confident.

I was ready to see Ben again.

On my last day, I said goodbye to the therapist and the support that helped me so much.

I picked up my clothes, put them on, and walked with the guards to the exit of the prison.

As soon as I got outside, someone ran up and embraced me.
Ben.

“Hey Ben…good to see you…” I murmured to him.

“Nice to see you did all your time in prison this time.”

“What? And waste all your hard work? I can imagine how difficult it was to get away with only nine months…!”

“Oh, you have no idea…”

Ben grabbed my hand and pulled me.
“Come on! We’re having a party at the diner!”

I smiled and let him pull me to the diner.

“Welcome back!”

Sitting at the table was Zoe, Mike, and Nefarious.

On the table was a colorful banner that read: “Welcome Back from Prison!”

That earned them a ton of weird looks.

I sat down next to Ben.

“So nice to see some familiar faces!” I smiled.

“So, are you…good now…?” Mike asked.

I nodded. “Practically an Angel!”

Ben elbowed me playfully.

“Fine, I’m working on it…!”

Zoe giggled.
“That’s nice to hear!”

“So did you stay in prison this time?” Nefarious raised an eyebrow.

I playfully scoffed. “How dare you! Of course I did!”

“That’s a first…” Mike muttered.

“Ben, your friends are bullying me!” I turned to him.

He just shrugged. “You deserve it.”

Everyone cackled with laughter.
I found myself laughing along.

“So, what’s for lunch?” I looked at the menu.

“Your favorite!”

Served to our table were plates of pancakes and bacon, with extra being put on my plate.

I grinned and started to stuff a pancake on my mouth.

Ben smirked and raised his eyebrow at me.

I swallowed my pancake.

“What? After nine months of healthy slop and exercise, I think I deserve a treat!” I protested.

Ben made a small giggle and went back to his plate.

God he’s so cute!

I resumed eating my food at rapid speed and by the time everyone else was done, my plate was practically cleaned off.

“Best lunch ever…” I sighed blissfully.

After lunch was done and paid for, we started walking to the airport.

“Wait, isn’t the Academy here?” I asked.
I turned to Ben.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you! We all quit the CIA!”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“We practically carried the Academy, but do we get anything for it? No! Not even an A!” Zoe huffed.

I shook my head.

“So, we all agreed to quit, and we got a house for us to share!”

“How did you afford a house?!” I cried.

“They bribed us to keep us quiet. I managed to wrangle a lot of money from them.” Mike said.

“What are we waiting for, slowpokes? Let’s go before boarding starts!”

With that said, everyone started for the airport.

This was the happiest day of my life!

I just got out of prison, I had an awesome breakfast, and I was going to live with the love of my life and his best friends!

Any hardship I went through in prison, and in life, was all worth it.
Because it led up to this day.

And I was willing to go through more if it meant staying with Ben for the rest of my life!

Chapter Text

No One’s POV

Murray sat, poised in front of a typewriter.
His fingers lingered on the keys as he thought up a story worthy of it.

Ideas forming in his head, he started typing.

“Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy”

He was well aware that Gallagher Girls had already claimed that title, and he did not care.

Inspired from an incident last week, Murray let his ideas flow onto paper.

——

“I let my raven hair flutter in the wind as I stood on the rooftop, waiting on a phone call from my beloved Ven.

He was a math genius, and super cute. I’ve had a crush on him forever, but he’d never realized! He only had eyes for Perica, his honestly not that hot friend.

I let a sigh escape from my lips. When will he call? Did something happen to him?

He was ten minutes late…
Oh well, I guess he just stood me up…

Then, all of a sudden, my super genius IQ brain gave me an idea!

My beloved Ven was kidnapped!

Unfortunately, I didn’t know where, so I had to look around!

My name is Turray, I am a super genius spy turned enemy agent. I’m a tall, handsome, raven haired boy, with impeccable intelligence .

Did I mention I'm a genius?

I know what you’re thinking. A man as attractive as me could have anyone I want! Why would I go for the plain, but very cute math nerd?

We are soulmates! Bonded together since the dawn of time!

He’s the only one almost as smart as me!

I jumped down from the building, landing on my feet unscathed.

I’m also very athletic!

I leapt to my motorcycle and started to drive.

This is a very small city, so I knew the exact place where Ven would be held!
The only abandoned warehouse in the city!

I let my silky raven hair whip in the wind. I didn’t need a helmet, because I was unkillable!

I got off of my motorcycle.

I karate kicked the door clean off its hinges.

“Where is Ven, you fiends?!” I cried.

Ven was tied up in a chair beside the boss. “Oh Turray, help!”

“How dare you hurt an innocent, adorable boy such as him? Now you will die!”

I pulled out my 5 foot long sword given to me by Zeus himself!

My raven hair crackled with electricity.

I cried out in rage and killed everyone but Ven instantly with a slice of my godly sword.

“Oh Turray! You saved me!”

Ven ran into my arms, staring passionately into my eyes.
“You’re my hero!”

“Oh, it was nothing…” I said humbly. Did I mention I’m also humble?

“Oh Turray, I’m yours forever! Marry me!” He swooned.

“Forget Perica, forget Roe, let’s run away together, my love!”

He put his lips to mine and passionately made out, our tongues battling for dominance.

Then we locked arms and rode on my motorcycle into the sunset.”

——

No One’s POV

“The…end!”
Murray finished his story!

Just in time, Ben walked in.

“Oh, hey Murray! What are you doing?”

He glanced at the newly finished story.

“Wait, was this based on what happened last week?”

Ben snatched up the paper and read it, sitting on the couch.

Every minute, his expressions grew more confused and horrified each minute.

“This is not what happened.” He finally said.

Murray made a nervous laugh. “Whaaaat? Of course that’s what happened!”

“Murray, you were the one who got kidnapped.”

“Well-”

“I did all the fighting and all the work. You just cried and clung to my leg the whole time.”

Murray was silent.
“I might have…taken some creative liberties… just a little.”

“Your hair isn’t even raven! It’s just really dark brown!”

Chapter Text

Ben’s POV

I walked out from the kitchen, steaming pie in hand.
Mike and my parents always seem to love my apple pie...So I guess I’ll bring it to the potluck tonight...

We had finished our mission, and we were going back to school the next day, so me and my friends decided to have a little Thanksgiving party before we go back to school.

Since the girls and the boys had separate living arrangements, me and the guys had to walk to the girls’ house.

Mike brought his classic mac and cheese, always a favorite of my family, Chip brought...chips... and Jawa brought some ham.

“I can’t wait to see what everyone made!” Jawa said.

“I can’t wait to eat what everyone made!” Chip replied.

“I can’t wait to taste that pie again...” Mike sighed happily.

“Is my apple pie really that good?” I asked.

“Sure smells like it!” Chip said.

Eventually, we arrived at the girls’ house.

Mike knocked on the door, and Zoe immediately answered.
“About time! Come in! We got everything set up!”

Me and guys came in and set down our food on the dining table.

Along with our contributions, on the table was a big bowl of mashed potatoes.

“Is...that all you guys made?” Chip asked.

Zoe sucked in through her teeth. “Yeah... Erica and Trixie are really bad at cooking... So we decided to just make a big bowl of something that they won’t burn...”
“What did you guys make?”

“Well, I brought some of the famous Brezinski Mac and Cheese©, Jawa brought some ham, Chip brought chips, and Ben brought his mouth-watering apple pie!”
Mike reached for the tin, but I pushed it away.

“Wait until after dinner, Mike.” I scolded.

He scoffed. “Alright mom...”

“That does smell really good though!” Zoe said.

“Thanks...!” I smiled.

“Enough chit-chat! Let’s eat! I’m hungry!”

We grabbed a paper plate and utensils. We went around the table, grabbing food. (And making sure to grab extra mashed potatoes...)

Everyone was seated around the TV, on the couch or the floor.
Erica opted to sit at the table.

“Oh wow, you weren’t kidding about that Mac and Cheese! It’s really good, Mikey!”
Trixie gave Mike a quick peck on the cheek, to which he blushed.

“Oh, it’s nothing I couldn’t handle, sweetiepie...” He shrugged, trying to hide his blush.

“Ugh, gag me...” Chip muttered to Jawa.

I fought a laugh.

Zoe took a bite of the mashed potatoes. Although it wasn’t easy, I noticed her cringe.
She then proceeded to eat everything else but the mashed potatoes.

She leaned over and whispered to me. “Let’s give these mashed potatoes to someone else...”

I nodded, trusting her judgment. If Zoe didn’t like it, it must’ve been bad.

“Hey! How about, since we have everyone here together like this, we each say what we’re thankful for!”

Everyone groaned at Jawa’s suggestion.

“We’re not little kids, Jawa!” Chip said.

“Come on, guys! It’s tradition!” Trixie nagged.

“Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people!”

“Come on Mike, it’s not that bad. Besides, it’s Thanksgiving...!” I said.

“Oh fine...but only because you all forced me to!”

Everyone finished their plates (and scraped the mashed potatoes back into the bowl) and sat in a rough circle around the coffee table.

“Who wants to go first?” Jawa asked.

Trixie raised her hand.
“I’m thankful that I’m finally included in the family business!”
She glanced at Erica.

“I’m thankful that we’re all safe...!” Jawa said.

Zoe went next.
“I’m thankful that we’re all together like this! Sharing food, talking and laughing... And there are no bad guys out to get us-”

Before she could finish, there was a loud yell, and the sound of something breaking.
Then someone crashed from the ceiling onto the carpet, right in the middle of the circle.

Murray Hill. Of course.

Once he saw us, he made an anxious smile.
“Hey Ben...! And others...! What a coincidence! That I was in your ceiling...! When you all were here...”

We sat in silence for a moment.

“Get him!”

Murray screamed and scrambled away into a corner. “Wait-WAIT! I’m not here to hurt you!”

He whimpered and put his hands up in surrender.

“Then why are you here?!”

“I just wanna celebrate Thanksgiving with you guys!” He whined.

“Don’t you have friends?” Zoe demanded.

“No! All my friends stabbed me in the back!”

“I wonder why...” Mike murmured to me.

“I promise! That’s the only reason I’m here!” He said.

Everyone looked at each other, pondering the decision.

“Please...! Just this once! I promise I won’t eat everything!” He begged.

“Alright, alright! Just stop begging!” Chip relented.

Murray’s eyes lit up. “Oh thank you!”

“But this is a one time thing, got it? And if you step an inch out of line, I’ll whoop your ass all the way to next Thanksgiving.” Chip scowled.

Murray swiftly nodded. “Yep! Got it!”

He grabbed a plate and put some food on it. He sat down in the circle and went to town.
“Ooh, I haven’t eaten for the whole day...!” He said.

“Why not? Usually you’re shoving food in your mouth every minute of the day.” Zoe rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry! I was busy running for my life today!” Murray huffed.
“Someone apparently put a hit on me!”

I choked on my own spit. “What?!”

“Yeah! For only $1,000! Can you believe that? I’m worth much more than that!”
“Like, ten thousand at least!”

“So you just came here for protection?!” Chip yelled.

“No- Well- Yes-! But-! The hit has been taken down, but some people might still have it out for me!”

Chip rolled his eyes.
“Can we just kick him out already?”

“Come on, guys... If his bounty was only a thousand dollars, the people going after him are probably small-timers... We can handle these guys. He can’t... If we leave him, we’re no better than he is...!”

I was surprised at myself.
I actually defended him.
Murray Hill.

Everyone begrudgingly agreed and sat back down.

Murray scooted closer to me.

I scooted away.

He scooted even closer.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Can I...stay by you...? I don’t trust these guys to have my best interest at heart...”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, alright. Just don’t bother me.”

Murray scooted even closer and continued to eat.

“Who’s ready for pie?”

Mike got up and brought over my pie. Using a knife, he cut it into slices and put them on plates.

As soon as he took a bite, he moaned with happiness.
“So good...”

Everyone else took a bite of their slice.
They all finished within two minutes.

“Oh my god! Ben, how the hell do you do this?” Chip asked.

“Yeah! What’s your secret? This is so good!” Zoe cried.

I put my finger to my lips. “It’s a trade secret...” I joked.

“There’s no point in asking. I’ve been his best friend since kindergarten, he’s never told me no matter how many times I asked.” Mike said.

I looked to Murray, who had been surprisingly silent throughout the whole conversation.

He was staring at his now empty plate.

“How many pies can you make at one time?” He asked.

“Uh- Around two or three...? Why?” I asked.

He grabbed my shoulders tightly.
“Can you make me some? Please please please!” He shook me.

“Woah! All the ingredients are at my house!” I cried.

“Then let’s go! Pretty please!”

“Nice try. We’re not letting Ben out of our sight.”

Erica finally spoke up.
She narrowed her ice blue eyes at Murray.

Murray stopped shaking me and dropped the act.

“You’re no fun.”

I stared at him. “What were you trying to do?”

“Oh relax! I wasn’t gonna hurt you!”

I crossed my arms.

“Okay, kidnapping is technically not harmful!”

“You were gonna kidnap me!?”

“And I wasn’t lying! I really did want that pie!”

I growled. “I can’t believe you! You came here for help and instead you were going to kidnap me!”

“Come on! I would never hurt you! It would’ve been a quick dose of chloroform, and we would be on our way!”

I wanted to hit myself.
I can’t believe I was about to let him betray me again!
Stupid, stupid!

“Ben, are you-”

Before anything else could come out of Murray’s mouth, I slapped him across the face.
I heard everyone collectively gasp. Even Erica.

His fingertips grazed his now reddened cheek.

Then his eyes widened in understanding.

“You...really hate me that much…?”

He walked a few steps forward.

“No! Stay away!”

He was undeterred, coming closer.

“Get away from me!”

He reached his hands out...

“Don’t fucking touch me!”

By now panic has set in.
I just wanted him to go away.
To get out of my life.

But he didn’t hurt me.

Instead, he had me in a tight hug.
“I’m sorry I made you hate me.”

Shock settled throughout my body.
I didn’t know what to do.
My most hated enemy...was hugging me...? Apologizing to me?
And it felt good...?

I just broke down in tears.
I was just so confused.
I was shaking and crying as I tried to process everything.

Murray gripped me tighter and rubbed my back.

“Do you wanna lay down?”

I nodded.

He took us both to the couch.
He laid my head down on his lap. His fingers combed through my hair.

“You deserved better than what you got from me.” He said.

He hugged me close, putting my head on his shoulder.
“I never meant to make you feel this bad. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“How can I make it up to you...?”

With tear-filled eyes, I looked up at Murray’s face.

There was no smug satisfaction, no smirking...
His eyes were soft and he looked at me with pure compassion.

“Can…you answer something for me first…?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Everything that happened… Everything you did to me… What did you think all that was?”

He pursed his lips.

“A game.”

He continued.

“I thought…it was all just a fun game… Some stupid, cheesy spy flick…”
“But I’ll be honest. After seeing you right now, and knowing how much everything affected you…”

He was speechless for a moment.

“This was never a game to you, was it?”

I shook my head, along with everyone else.

His eyes widened and he lost all remaining color in his face.

“Oh god.”
“I actually tried to kill you. You nearly died because of me.”
“You could’ve been dead and you would have never come back.”

He held his head in his hands.
“What is wrong with me…?”

Someone put their hand on his shoulder.
Surprisingly, it was Erica.

“You’re not the only one. I can’t even tell you how many people exactly like you turned to the dark side, looking for that spy adventure they wouldn’t get at the CIA.”
“Honestly, I blame Hollywood…”

She turned to face Murray.

“But you gotta realize. Espionage, real espionage, is dangerous. People die. People kill.”
“It’s not glamorous in the slightest. Every real spy I know is still in therapy. And if enemy agents don’t kill you, the trauma will.”

I thought I saw her glance down at me.
She looked Murray dead in the eye.

“So. That being out in the open, what do you wanna do now?”
“You gonna stay on the enemy side, or do you wanna join us? Or would you rather live life as a civilian?”

Murray bit his lip and thought. He looked down at me, and his face hardened.
He looked back at Erica.

“You know what? I’m done. I don’t wanna be a part of this anymore.”

Erica nodded.
“I’ll see if I can work something out.”

“Thanks.”

Erica pulled out a phone and called a blocked number. She took the call to another room.

“Well, this is it. Whether I get a clean slate or not, this’ll be the last time I see you guys.”

“Good riddance…” Chip grumbled.
Jawa elbowed him in the gut.

Murray looked down at me one last time, his sharp green eyes meeting mine.

He hesitated.

“I know you’ll probably stay, fight for right and all that, but if by chance you wanna dip, you can stay with me… If-If you want, I mean…”

I sighed and leaned into his embrace.
“Yeah, that sounds good… I don’t think I can do this for much longer…”

Apparently, a couple minutes later I fell asleep.

An hour later, I woke up cold on the couch, Erica talking to Murray.

“…and one more thing, you need to sign this contract. By signing this, you know that if you turn to espionage again, the CIA has every right to detain you.”

Murray nodded and signed the paper with unwavering determination.

“And it’s done. Your record has been officially wiped clean. Don’t waste this.”
Erica folded the paper and put it away.

“I won’t. I promise.”

She nodded and left.

I got up and sat in the chair where Erica once was.

“So, this is it… This is where I say goodbye…” Murray mumbled.
“After today, I won't ever be able to see you again.”

Oh right, we can’t interact with the CIA after we’ve turned civilian.

He wrapped his arms around me in a hug.

But before he pulled away, he whispered something in my ear.

“228 Ripple Valley Avenue in Minnesota. If you ever wanna pop by.”

He pulled away, and gave one last smile.
A genuine, friendly smile.
Not the smile of my nemesis, but the smile of my first friend at spy school.

“I’ll never forget you.” I said.

“You’d better not…!” He teased.

He waved goodbye, and he walked out the door of the house.

228 Ripple Valley Avenue… Something tells me I’ll need that address in the future…

Chapter Text

Murray’s POV

After grabbing a Diet Coke from the mini fridge, I sat down on the couch with my laptop.

Was it risky to drink soda near a very valuable laptop? Yes.
Did I care? Nope!

Besides, I needed sugar if I was gonna finish this paper for my online class.

In true “me” fashion, I put it off until the night it was due, tonight.

I sighed and started to type, occasionally taking sips from my soda can.

Man, school is hard...!
At least when I was in spy school, I didn’t have to actually try...

But at least I get to work in the comfort of my own home!
Instead of that WWII bunker the government called a school.
That’s one thing I will never miss.
And those goddamned cots...! And people wonder why my posture is so bad.

I stopped for a minute to think about my next paragraph.
“Wait, what was my next point again...?”

I pulled up my shabbily-done outline for the paper.

“Ah there it is, “Why Second Chances are or are not Necessary”...”

I chuckled to myself.
Well isn’t that ironic?

I kept typing until there was a loud knock at the door.

“I’m coming!”

I put my laptop down on the coffee table and grabbed my Diet Coke.

The person kept knocking.

“Calm down, geez! I’m coming, I’m coming...”

I took a swig of my can as I opened the door.
And then immediately spit it out at who was at the door.

Ben Ripley, my former nemesis.

He was hunched over, clutching his left arm, with blood and bruises all over him.
With a weak, tired voice, he asked;
“M-May I come in...?”

I silently nodded and let him in.

“Come here, lay down, lay down...”

I helped Ben to the couch and laid him down, him groaning in pain.

On his arm was a sizable gash, probably from a knife, and on his stomach was the burn of a stun gun. On his skin were bruises varying in size. His ankle was twisted as well.

What the hell happened to him?

I quickly put a pillow under his head and grabbed a first aid kit.

Using whatever knowledge I somehow managed to retain, I patched up his arm and his burn.

On his bruises, I put cold packs I stashed in the freezer.

As soon as I was done, I put Ben’s head on my lap and stroked his cheek.

He started mumbling something, but I shushed him.
“No... Rest first, then explain.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it and just nodded.

“Want some pain killers?”

“Yeah...”

I grabbed the pill bottle from the first aid kid, taking out two pills.

I handed them to Ben, who swiftly popped them into his mouth and swallowed.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” I asked.

He nodded.
“Can I have some water and whatever you have to eat...?”

I got up and grabbed him a glass of cold water.

After I gave it to him, I grabbed some leftover mac and cheese and heated it up.

Once I was sure it was hot enough, I gave Ben the bowl and a fork.

“Thank you...”
He slowly ate his mac and cheese, taking big gulps of his water.

Soon, he finished his mac and cheese.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yeah...”

I sighed in relief. “Good...”

“Now what the fuck happened to you?!”

“I was framed...”

With heavy breaths, Ben explained.

“There was a huge leak two weeks ago. And I was one of the people pertinent to the information leaked. So, once every other suspect was “cleared”, they declared me a traitor and tried to detain me.”
“I think everyone had way too much fun going after me...”

“Even Erica...?”

Ben looked me in the eye.
“Especially Erica.”

“Once it was announced, she practically pounced on me right away. I heard her call me all sorts of shit...”

Ben started to sniffle.

“I can’t believe she just turned on me like that...! That everyone turned on me! After all I’ve done for them! Stupid Mike, stupid Zoe, stupid Erica!”

He pounded his fists into the couch and started to sob.

“Am I really that replaceable to them?”

He buried his face into my chest.

Then, after a couple of minutes, he let out a wry laugh.

“It’s funny, isn’t it...?”
“The only one I can trust is the same person that tried to kill me for a year straight...”

Ouch...

That is kinda sad...

“I should have never joined the CIA...”

After that, he continued to sob.

I hugged him close, not letting go for a second.

Wow, I knew his friends were shitty, but damn.
Well, I guess that’s how it goes in the spy biz... You can’t trust anyone... Not even the ones you love.
I’ve never been more glad that I quit.

We kept cuddling for an hour or two until there was a harsh knock at the door.
And I know who it was.

“Murray, let me in...! It’s not what you think!”

Mike.

I stayed silent.

“Hey! I know Ben isn’t a traitor! Please, let me in!”

I pulled out my phone and checked the camera hidden outside the door.
It was only Mike at the door.

Should I answer?
What if it’s a trap?

But what if this is the chance Ben needs?

I whispered a quick command to Ben.
“Go hide in my bedroom. Under the bed if you can.”

He nodded and quietly ran off.

Once I was sure Ben was ready, I grabbed a kitchen knife and slowly opened the door.

Just Mike.

I gestured for him to come in.
As soon as both of his feet crossed the threshold, I shut the door and locked both locks.

“Start talking.”

I kept the knife ready in my hand as I sat down with Mike.

“Listen, Ben was set up! The higher ups are just covering their asses because they missed the real problem.”

“Which was...?”

“There was malware in the program that was leaked.”
“Ben noticed it first, that’s why the higher-ups blamed him.”
“Me and Ben saw it, but it was deleted before we got a chance to show anyone else.”

I thought for a minute.

Should I believe him? Is he making this up?

No, I would know if he was lying.
In all my time around criminals, I picked up a few tricks.

“Did anyone follow you?” I asked.

“No, I came here alone.”

Narrowing my eyes, I called for Ben.

“It’s safe. For now.”

Slowly, Ben emerged from my room.

Mike’s eyes widened in concern.
“Oh god, what did they do to you...”

Ben shot him a glare and sat down close to me.

“Listen Ben, I’m sorry-”

“Save it.”

Mike flinched.
“I’m sorry I didn’t back you up... If I did, there wouldn’t be anyone else who could help...”

I cleared my throat.

“No offense, Murray...”

I shrugged.

Mike started to speak, but I stopped him.

“Wait, before we make a plan, can I finish my paper? I need it done by midnight. You guys can crash here for now. Ben can sleep in my room and Mike can take the couch.”

Ben nodded and shuffled to my room. He shut off the light and closed the door.

Mike yawned and laid down on the couch as I finished my paper.

“You really think we should do this?”

“Of course we can!”

“That’s not what I was asking.”

Mike looked at me curiously.

“The thing is...I don’t think we should...”

He raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Think about it, Ben had been beaten down and mistreated by the CIA the entire time.”
“And I heard from the grapevine that he’s starting to need medication just to sleep at night.”

“I know it’s not my place to say, but I don’t think Ben should do this anymore.”

Mike pursed his lips.

“I agree.”

“I mean, I’ve seen what this whole spy thing is doing to him. He can’t go through a day without breaking down... And to be honest... I’m thinking of quitting too. Before it’s too late for me to have a normal life.”

Typing the last word, I turned in my paper and shut the computer.

“I couldn’t agree more. G’night, Mike.”

“Hey, before you go...”

I turned to Mike.

“Take care of Ben, will you?”

I nodded.
“Always.”

Chapter Text

No One’s POV

A carefree whistle could be heard around the bar, coming from the bartender.

He absently closed his eyes and kept whistling as he effortlessly mixed a virgin cocktail.

Since the bar was supposed to be Creature Friendly, they very rarely served alcohol. Not all races that visit human towns are able to consume such drinks, so this bar is a popular spot for oddballs and unique characters.

The bartender poured the drink into a glass and passed it to a siren two seats over.
She signed a thank you.

The bartender gave her a thumbs up and kept making drinks.

The door opened, and someone else came in.

A satyr boy with leaves in hair and dirt on his face tiredly sat down in one of the bar’s stools.

He laid his head on the table.

The bartender raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh shut up, Murray.”

Murray chuckled. “What? I didn’t say a thing…”

The satyr huffed.

Murray picked out most of the leaves in his curly red hair.

“I take it that the ingredient gathering didn’t go well?”

“Nope. While I was getting the Sweetmint, a Quartz Cobra attacked me. I nearly got eaten.”
“Then again, when are things not trying to eat me?”

His deer legs swung from the stool.

“I mean, you do look rather tasty~”

“Oh my gods, shut up. You say this every damn time.”

Murray laughed.

“So, I’m assuming you want the usual?”
“Or as I call it, The “Ben’s sulking again so he needs something to take his mind off it”

Ben’s nose scrunched up in anger.

“Alright alright, I’m getting it…”

On a wooden plate, he put some dried strawberries, and in a glass, he poured some bubbly mint green liquid.

He passed it to Ben, and he immediately started eating the strawberries, laying his head back on the table, his deer-like ears drooping.

Murray ruffled his hair as he went back to making drinks.

After everyone was served, Murray took a deep breath.

Today was the day.
It’s been way too long.

Completely unknown to Ben, Murray had been smitten with him from the first days they met.

And now, he was finally gonna ask him out.
That is, if he can work up the courage.

“So…um…”

Murray steadied himself, taking a breath.

“The bar’s gonna close in a few minutes…”
“So…can I… it’s not too much trouble…”

Ben cocked his head curiously.

“Can I have dinner at your place tonight?” Murray burst out.

Ben blinked once, twice.

“Yeah, sure! I’ll show you where my house is!”

Internally, Murray congratulated himself.

“This is my chance! I’ll finally win him over with my impeccable charm!”

Ben finished his order and paid.

He waited outside the bar entrance for Murray to come out.

Locking the doors of the bar once everyone left, Murray walked out.

“Come on! My cabin is pretty deep in the forest, so we should get going!”

Ben grabbed Murray's hand and walked him into the forest.

Murray looked around anxiously as the two of them tread deeper and deeper into the wood.
He gripped Ben’s hand tight.

It was then he finally realized.

“Oh gods I’m holding his hand…!”

Murray blushed, thankful that Ben wasn’t looking.

“It’s so soft too! And so small and cute…”

Murray shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts.

“Stop it! Be cool! Be smooth… Channel your inner elf…!”

He licked his hand and smoothed his dark hair.

“So, how-”

“We’re here!”

Murray bumped into Ben when he stopped.

“Oops! I'm sorry!” Ben apologized.

“It’s fine…Just didn’t know we were here…” Murray sighed.

“Get a hold of yourself man! No more slip ups!” He scolded himself.

Ben opened the door his cabin.

“Make sure to take off your shoes!”

While Murray looked around the house in wonder, Ben slipped on some cotton covers for his hooves.

Murray shook his head and took off his shoes.

He tentatively stepped onto the wooden floor.

“It smells so nice in here... Like a warm blanket...” Murray murmured to himself.

“Thanks! My house is made of cedar, so it makes it smell really nice!”

“So that’s why Ben always smells so good...”

While Ben trotted to his bedroom, Murray explored the rest of the cabin.
It was a smaller space, having only a dining table and chairs, a small maple-leaf couch, and a kitchen.

He felt the couch and took a seat.
“Wow, it feels nice... Not as good as the one in the bar, but it’s comfy for a couch made with leaves...”

Ben walked out of his bedroom, changed out of his heavy outfit.
Instead, he had on an airy blue tunic and short pants.

Murray blinked in surprise.
He had never seen Ben’s bare legs before.
They were always covered with pants of some kind.

“They’re so fluffy...”

Small white spots were sprinkled around on the tan brown fur.

Ben noticed Murray’s staring.

“What? You’ve never seen a deer’s legs before?” He asked.

“No-no- I mean yes-! I just never saw yours...” Murray stammered, embarrassed that he was caught.

Ben blinked and shrugged it off, walking to the kitchen.

“Go ahead and make yourself at home! I’ll prepare the food!”
As Ben cooked away in the kitchen, Murray snuck into his bedroom.

Vines covered the windows like curtains, and there were several small holes in the wall.

Flowers and leaves and moss all grew freely on the walls and floor of the room.

It was like a mini forest in there.

Coming in one of the holes was a chipmunk.

“Ah, so that’s what the holes are for...” Murray said to himself.

It nibbled on one of the leaves until it saw Murray. Then it dashed out the same hole.

“Oh right, I’m a human...”

Murray’s eyes scanned the room. His eyes rested on a small set of drawers.

“Those are probably his clothes...”

Heat rushed to his face.

“I wonder if he has any underwear...”

Murray looked into each drawer. The top drawer containing shirts, the middle containing bottoms, and the bottom drawer...

His face red and his mind filled with…less than appropriate thoughts, he began to open the drawer.

“Murray, what are you doing with my snack drawer?”

Murray turned to face a confused Ben at the door.

“Snack drawer…?” Was all he managed to say.

“Yeah…It’s for when I get hungry in the middle of the night.”

Ben opened the drawer to reveal sacks full of almonds and berries.

“What’d you think was in there?”

Murray decided to keep that to himself.

“Anyways, dinner’s ready!”

Ben walked out, Murray following.

On the dining table was a big pot of soup and a platter of bread.
In the pot was broth with various vegetables and herbs.

Ben ladled the soup into two wooden bowls and gave one to Murray along with a piece of bread.

Murray enthusiastically dug in, practically inhaling the soup.

Ben was only halfway done with his own bowl when Murray asked for seconds.

“Oh wow, you were hungry! Here, have as much as you want! I know how much you like to eat…” Ben teased.

Murray rolled his eyes playfully and kept eating.

After the two were done, Ben washed the dishes and stored the rest of the soup.

By then, it was pretty late, and it was too dark for anyone to go out.
So that meant Murray had to stay the night.

When it was time for bed, Murray was walking to the couch until Ben grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going? Don’t you wanna sleep in a bed?” Ben asked.

“But, I thought you were gonna sleep in the bed…” Murray mumbled.

“We can share you know…!”

Before Murray could say anything, Ben dragged Murray to his room and into the bed.

“Is this uncomfortable…?” Ben asked.

Murray shook his head vigorously.
“No, no! This is perfect!”

“This is my chance! Aah, I can’t believe I’m sleeping in his bed!”

Ben made a small smile and laid down.

Shortly after, soft snores could be heard as his small chest rose and fell.

Murray took a deep breath and laid down as well.

Ben wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled his head into the crook of his neck.
“So warm…” He said in his sleep.

Murray made a small squeak and blushed hard.

“This is gonna be a long night…”