bootlegexcalibur | ❝ the oldest movie i ever saw was the one we wrote together ❞

Oh wow.

You're a genius!!!

Thanks! I have to be. 😸
You should hurry up with the strawberries, though. More cookies will take longer!

Right! Um sorry. I got distracted. Again.
Bunnies are just so cute!!

I'll be back in thirty minutes! Timing myself...

"A curse? I do know the Evil Queen. She's my best friend's mother. Her name is Evie. I don't know the Evil Queen well... but I know of her at least." He wasn't sure how he'd tell Evie that her mother was completely different here, but he'd have time to explain that eventually. He might be stuck here forever which he really wouldn't mind even though he wouldn't see Mal or anyone else ever again. Here, he wouldn't be King Ben anymore. He'd be just Ben and maybe he could have a normal life. If he was allowed to stay for a while and figure things out.

"Are you upset that he crossed the town line? I don't know why he'd leave you behind. My dad really loves mom back home. So, I don't know why he'd leave you here. That doesn't sit right with me. Not sure what I'd do if I ever met him." He would protect Belle she was like his mother so he'd do anything he could to protect her at least. "I'm sorry he hurt you like that." He bit his lip nervously and looked out the window. He wanted to know more about this place he was dropped in. "Rumplestiltskin? I've heard that name before but never used for my father." He was going to have to learn a lot about this place. It was a bit confusing.

"Could you show me around? I want to do some exploring." He was also tired, but he wasn't sure if he was going to stay with Belle. Most likely he would be staying.

"I —" Something stopped Belle's words as though something wascaught in her throat, and she forced a smile, busying herself with organizing the remaining fruits on the tray. Swished the dregs of her tea inside her cup. Anything to keep her busy, to focus her mind away from Rumplestiltskin. "'Upset' might not be the right word," she finally continued, but she blinked several times to blot the sting from her eyes, finally settling with, "It's complicated."

He wanted a tour. Her head canted, a small bit of confusion as his words landed, but he wanted a tour, and Belle was more than open to the distraction that came along with that.

"Of course," she said, gratefully moving the plates about again, as if the table wasn't organized. And she stood up, roughly pushing in her chair, and gestured to the library as a whole. "You've probably guessed that this is the library," she said, a grin showing itself as the distraction settled in. "Storybrooke's a small town — but I'll show you what I can before it gets too late."

Ben took a couple of more sips from his tea. Tea always calmed him down no matter what kind of stress he was under. He also took a few more pieces of fruit and slowly ate them.

“Complicated relationships are never fun. My last one was always complicated.” He didn’t like hearing that this form of his mother was dealing with that though. He also wasn’t going to offer his help as he didn’t want to screw anything else up.

“Yeah, I’ll have to do more exploring here at some point. Libraries are always my favorite place to go especially if I want peace and quiet.” He noticed how many books she had here and nodded a bit. “Small towns aren’t horrible. At least that I know of.”

"It could be worse." Belle folded her hands and offers a genuine smile. As much as Storybrooke and its inhabitants seemed to value her research, it was nice to actually receive some validation to that end. Even if he wasn't her son (not right now, and not in this reality, at least), it showed that something was consistent across the realms.

"I — um — there's a room above the library," she admitted. "I sometimes use it when time gets away from me here, but it might be easier if we can get you a room at Granny's." Regardless of how large the place looked, Belle had her doubts that he'd want to spend his first night in an unknown place on a cramped cot. Comfortable living quarters it was not. "Here. Let's figure out what you need, and we'll work from there."

Belle seemed to move in periods of rushing and stillness, and she hurried over to the counter, grabbing the library's keys and tossing them around her finger. She nodded to the door, ready to lead him down the main drag.

"Technically I could've been sent somewhere horrible. That's what she wanted for me at least since I wouldn't give her the life she wanted back. I just didn't love her anymore." He loved Mal and he knew not everyone agreed but it was who he wanted to be with. He was at least happy that he was here with someone familiar even if it wasn't his mother, it was still a Belle.

"If you think me staying at a place called Granny's is better then that's fine with me." He didn't want Belle to feel uncomfortable especially since they didn't really know each other. "That works for me. I only came here with these clothes so..." He was going to his best friend's birthday party but at least he looked respectable. Or tried to at least.

He walked outside of the library and waited for Belle outside. He looked around it was a quaint little town. That's what the Charming's told him at least. "So, the Evil Queen sent all of you here. Why did she send you to this place in particular?"

( prev. )

Wait. Are you saying they're going to eat it all before you get to it?

Obviously, don't take a bite mid-delivery. It's my reputation on the line, too!
But there's plenty of stuff here to make more.

( prev. )

My stand mixer was up there. You said something about the sticker on it? Idk, it's shiny. A lot of people like it.
You could have just asked for a copy or something.

oh god..i'm so sorry
i cant even tell if that was me or
either way, i'll pay for it okay?

Oh, it was definitely you. Someone took video. My advice: check your socials. Do some clean up, maybe.
Or not. Maybe you're a viral legend now.
And I'm certainly not letting you pay for an entire new cabinet. If you're handy, though, I wouldn't say no to repair help. :)

No, no, I can get a slice for myself! They're just ravenously hungry but

I have a friend or two who will definitely make sure I eat something.
No sneaking a bite mid-commute, I promise!!!

Good. I can't imagine getting a half-eaten pizza. 😮‍💨
Finn, you never told me your favorite pizza topping.

It's butternut squash!

My friend Yuri says he's glad it's not garlic and he laughed. Not sure what that means... 🤔

What? Squash doesn't go on pizza. That's just a flatbread.

my what? i dont have any of that kinda stuff. viral??? no no it cant be that big....
i'm a little handy i guess, i'd be more than happy to help you out, after all i did

Good! Bring some tools and we can get this handled before my bosses get back home from their trip. I'll even DM some people and ask nicely if they'll take the videos down, if you want.

oh god are you gonna get in trouble cause of us? i'm so sorry
i'll bring the stuff yeah! and uh i dunno anything about that, if you think i should worry about it?

It can! You kinda roast it and put it with some ricotta and other cheese.
I'm not describing it well but it's a thing!

I do love an interesting flavor combination...
I'll see what I can do. :)

I won't get in trouble as long as we get it fixed. I can probably finagle an invisibility charm for it, too. It'll work out!
And look, it's up to you if you want a reputation for using antique cabinetry as a jungle gym. There could be benefits. There could also not be.

Maybe you'll be your own convert...!

not sure what that means but okay. 
benefits??? i still dont get any of that..but if you think it'd be better to not, then okay?

Wait.
How did you get invited here to begin with if you don't know about magic or social media?

❝ the oldest movie i ever saw was the one we wrote together ❞

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@closeness

@graveresemblance

;0

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