A/N: Yeah... I'm trash... I gave in and decided to try a thing because - let's face it - as amazing as it is, descendants could have been so much more...  

Ben had expected a lot of things from the island, but finding love hadn't been one of them.

When Harry had grabbed him from behind, a lot of things had happened all at once. He'd gasped, tripped, felt a hand around his mouth, heard laughter, and, most strangely, sensed that his heart had skipped a beat.

"What in the bloody hell?" Harry had muttered, almost letting go of him but just managing to keep his composure.

Ben had been frozen, unable to think past the pounding inside his soul and the questions whirling in his brain like a hurricane, so he'd unknowingly allowed himself to be pulled through the shadows and cracks back to Uma's ship.

He hadn't really paid attention to the petite captain's gloating, and he'd been in a state of almost constant confusion, which was probably why he'd been so pliant when being dragged around and tied up.

"Are you even listening to me?" Uma had barked.

He'd been too caught up in his mind full of new possibilities to even hear her. Instead, he'd wondered why he'd never felt this way before, and why it took a villain kid to spark his heart.

His parents had always told him that villain kids were unloving and unlovable, full of malice and rotten to the core. But, whilst sitting on the damp planks of a pirate's ship, he had questioned his blind faith and unquestioning discipline. He'd questioned the unspoken laws and wondered if they were unspoken, not because they were obvious, but because they were waiting to be proved wrong.

The crew had left him alone, a few of them landing an insult or a nudge of hatred here and there, and he couldn't have been more oblivious to the thundering skies and relentless rain.

He'd always tried to avoid the Isle, having been told that it was a place of danger and deceit, but after seeing the lost look in their eyes, he couldn't help but think that he'd been wrong to try and ignore the villain kids.

By the time he'd blinked himself into being somewhat alert and realised that he wasn't with Evie, Jay, and Carlos, the sun had sunk and night had darkened the sky. With a sigh, he'd realised that he couldn't move, that he was propped up against the edge of a ship, and that he was at the mercy of Uma and her crew.

He'd also recognised the fear dimly poking at his heart.

Naturally, he'd ignored it. Everything he'd ever learned was telling him to find a way of helping the villain kids, and find himself an escape route so he could get back to Auradon and put the aforementioned plan into action.

As the rain had soaked his clothes and dripped from his hair, he'd shivered and simply hoped for the best, refusing to give up his optimism. As the pirate crew had laughed into the night, trading cards and taunts, he'd held his breath and shut his eyes. As he'd heard the plans they had for him and the ideas they'd wanted to try on a prince, he'd bitten his lip and tried to sink into slumber.

He'd been hopelessly hopeful.

Thanks for reading! Until next time <3