Requested by deadrhee

Warnings: Major fluff, Soft!Ben, On Set Shenanigans, catcalling, attempted assault (ugh, men!), Angst, little bit of steam😏, me throwing shade on season two.

~Ben Barnes~

•••

"Honey, I'm home!" Ben's dark eyes surveyed the lavish hotel room in search of his better half.

She wasn't on the large queen-sized bed covered in the finest cotton sheets and silk blankets like he had expected her to be. That was a particularly gruelling day of filming.

Devin hated filming in the rain. In addition to that, the other co-workers told Ben that she had a very bad day.

First, Devin came to realize that morning that she had her period. Secondly, one of the interns accidentally bumped into her and spilt boiling hot coffee onto her thin blouse. Honestly, it wasn't the poor boy's fault, he was nervous around these big actors and actresses walking about. Third, some wanker catcalled her and Amber from across the road while they were on their way to the hotel. The beast was slightly aggressive, which both of them on edge as they continued to walk forward, ignoring him as he followed them. Thankfully, he only left them alone as soon as they entered the lobby.

Ben was particularly pissed about that last bit and wanted to find the bastard to have a little chat about respecting women.

But lastly, the nail in the coffin. The one thing that really dampened his wife's mood. Marvel's The Punisher was coming to an end. For some reason, the producers decided to pull the plug and end the show on only the second season. Fans haven't been informed yet, but Ben was willing to bet they'll be disheartened as the cast. Especially, his sweet wife. Who loved her character and hoped to develop it as time went on.

"Devin?" he called out again, worried that she might not be in here.

But a wave of relief washed over him when he heard her fragile voice answer him in the bathroom, "In here!"

He followed it and found her submerged inside a bubble bath. Her eyes cast down on her fingers playing with the foam resting on the surface of the water. The frown on her face was evident. As well as the bags under her eyes. She didn't bother to put her hair up either.

"Dev..." He walked towards her and sat on the edge of the bath. She didn't look at him. He cautiously brought his hand to cup her face. "Hey..."

She didn't respond. Her dejected gaze disheartened him most painfully. Today was one of those days when the world did its absolute best to stamp out the sparkle in her eyes. And, unfortunately, it succeeded.

It wasn't fair. Ben hopelessly wished he could have been there with her on this awful day. To hold her as he promised on their wedding day. To face the hardships with her and be her strength when she needed it. It was his job and he failed spectacularly.

"It wounds me deeply to see you like this, my love." he sighed, caressing his thumb on her soft cheek. "I do wish I could've spent the day with you."

She hummed, helplessly leaning into his hand. She held his hand with her own, careful not to get his shirt wet and pressed a tired kiss on his palm. An expression of her deep exhaustion. "But you are here now, ma lune et mes étoiles."

His heart warmed at her thickened accent. Her moon and stars. That is how she sees him. She would often say that he is the dark midnight sky and every little good thing about him is a star that shines so brightly, it burns a trail of light on her with each kiss she receives from his lips.

Such a charmer she is. Her sweet words were a siren's melody, deeply enchanting and ever so alluring. God, he loves her so, so enormously, it hurts. He just wishes that he could scream it on top of buildings. It was hard enough having to pretend that they were just friends, it was another thing to not support her as a loving husband when she needs it whenever he could.

"I'll get us something to eat, OK?" She nodded and sighed in relief when he leaned in to place a warm kiss on her forehead. Then another on her lips. When he pulled away, she reached out and grabbed the back of his head, feeling the short hairs of prickle her skin, and pulled him in for another one. She felt his grin as he eagerly returned her sweet kiss.

There was something he just loved when she demanded kisses from him. The feeling that came with knowing that he was just as loved, that he was someone's everything. All the feeling she puts into their kisses, he accepts it with such joy. Ben will never so getting enough of her and the delight that comes with being with her.

Even after he left her in the bathroom, her lips tingled. Instantly, her spirits were lifted, if only slightly. Ben, her guiding light, her one true love, was her everything. If only they didn't have to keep their relationship a secret, things would be so much easier.

Devin sunk deeper into the bath, letting the warm waters soothe her troubles away.

•••

"Vous êtes tous les deux idiots." Devin rolled her eyes at Jon and Ben after they had both fought for the last doughnut on set. The bigger men of the two had obviously taken advantage of his size and won, grinning triumphantly with a full mouth.

Jon narrowed his eyes on her and spoke, despite the pastry stuck between his cheeks and teeth, "I may not speak french, little lady, but I know when I'm being insulted."

"Je n'ai aucune idée de ce que tu veux dire, Jonathan. Jénonce simplement des faits." She grinned widely and sipped her smoothie through a straw, taking such pleasure when her coworker's face scrunched up as he couldn't understand a single word other than his own name.

He swallowed thickly and turned to look at Ben, who was trying his best not to laugh at his perplexed expression. "What did she just say?"

Ben crossed his arms at the rather large man and mocked a scowl. "Don't expect me to play translator when you ate my last doughnut."

Jon groaned, throwing his hands in defeat as he walked away. "I swear to God they do this every damn time!"

This caught the attention of Amber and Floriana, who were already making their way towards them. They shared a knowing look, smirking. Floriana was the first to speak, "Were you too speaking French and making fun of Jon again?"

Ben placed an arm over Devin's shoulder and playfully pulled her -his, really- black beanie on her head lower to cover her eyes. "Technically, it was Devin who did all the talking."

She muttered whilst subtly leaning into his embrace, "And you refused to clarify for poor Jonny."

Devin momentarily felt the reality sink in. This was all going to be over soon. The end was near and sooner or later, she will have to accept that she will never see Ben and Jon fighting over the last pastry again. She will never spend time gossiping with Amber and Floriana again. All their on-set shenanigans will be no more.

Amber and Flo cackled, shaking their heads, bringing her back to the present. The latter said, "You two deserve each other. You're so evil."

And there it was. One of those moments in time when it was painfully clear to the world that they were a married couple. Whilst no one knew that small detail, it was made obvious by their silly antics.

Devin gasped and feigned sweet innocence. "Me? Evil? Never."

Her better half could not resist the urge to roll his obsidian eyes. Oh, if only they knew the mischief swimming through her veins when it was just the two of them. This woman was a she-devil dressed as a wonderful angel. Though, at times she bordered the line between both.

Devin caught his eye roll and turned on him, shifting whilst keeping his arm on her shoulders. He took in the thrill of seeing her wearing his infamous green sweater. "Excusez-moi, monsieur. Do you have something to say to me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Oh, he's risking it. He shifted so he could fully face her, knowing that he had the height advantage in that situation. He gazed down at her and gave her his infamous smoulder, all amusement wiped from his face. "I think you're the most despicable human being to ever walk this earth."

He was using his actor skills. Oh, he wants to play that card. Fine, then.

Usually, the best way to crack his play is by playing innocent. Which is exactly what Devin did. She brought the straw back to her lips and sipped, humming. "And why would you say that? I have not wronged you in any way."

"Oh, you most certainly have, little miss perfect." he spoke through clenched teeth and pointed an accusing finger in her face. "You purposefully drenched my favourite pair of socks in slime just last week."

Still on that? Devin did not realize how valuable those socks were. He was still very much livid, huh? So he's no longer acting. She got under his skin real fast. Devin resisted smirking. Works every time. "Did I? Hmm, I don't seem to recall-"

"Yes, you did!" he snapped.

"Fine, maybe I did." she confessed. "But that is only because you put Mentos in my can of Sprite the week before."

"It was all a bit of fun, love."

"No, it was not. You ruined my favourite pair of socks, espèce de petite merde."

Ben gasped dramatically and pointed an accusing finger in her face. "You take that back!"

She smirked, tilting her head up with a steady flow of mischief in her gaze. Fully knowing that her two friends were watching them with intrigue as they tried not to laugh. Fully knowing that what she will say next might possibly break his resolve.

"Make me."

His glare faltered. The scars painted on his face -for Billy's character, how tragic it was- shifting as his expression nearly settled into something darker than his eyes. She could see it. The lust brewing in his endless pools of melted onyx as he struggled to focus, to come up with something to counter her remark.

He didn't get the chance to, though. They were all called for the next scene. Amber and Flo had already went to their designated areas, leaving the couple by themselves. Devin brushed past him, purposefully glazing her cold fingers under his sweater to trace the bare skin right above his belt buckle and he visibly flinched. They locked eyes for a brief second as she walked away and she could see him clenching his jaw so tightly.

It made her heart race, knowing that anyone could've seen that. Knowing that anyone could've found out because of the risky move she just took. The scandal would blow up in their faces because of that risky move. She loved it. The danger. Not the part bout people finding out. But rather the knowledge that came with how easy it is to rile him up.

She made sure to let him see her grin before placing a tiny peck on his cheek then she turned her head and walked away with a sway in her hips.

She was a cheeky little shit and she knew it.

•••

Amber pretty much ambushed her after they were done filming that day. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Devin's heart picked up a few paced. She laughed to cover up her internal panic. Amber was not best pleased about that, but Devin kept her denial firm and asked, "Do we give off that impression?"

"Obviously." Jon grunts behind them while munching on a pizza slice.

"He's always in your hotel room. The two of your always whisper to each other like you're planning a heist and I don't think I've seen a day go by without you wearing his jackets or sweaters or him kissing you on the cheek and forehead and you do the same." Amber explained all of this and the more she speaks, the more terrifying it was to see how nothing gets past this woman.

"Friends kiss each other on the cheek and forehead." Devin weakly tried to defend herself. "You and Flo wear my hats all the time and I kiss both of you and Jason on the cheeks all the time."

She wasn't wrong. Devin was naturally an affectionate person, she liked sharing love and spreading happiness which ranged in different ways. Growing up with a loving family means she learned to show affection through the language of touch. Which means hugs and kisses galore with all of her close friends. Which also meant it was easy to justify the way she and Ben acted around people.

Oh, but Amber wasn't quite done. She was practically flushed as she tried to find every little fault in the mirage that had been built strategically by her two friends. "And he looks at you like- like-"

Devin's eyes widened a fraction. The way she and Ben looked at each other was a dead giveaway. If Amber went down that road, she might not be able to deflect.

"You know what?" Devin stood up, completely cutting her off. "I'm not having this conversation with either one of you today."

She heard Amber groan behind her while Jon chuckled. Amber asked one last question, "We're still going to the mall, right?"

"Oui." she confirmed. "Just need to grab some things from my dressing room."

•••

She was looking for her blue scarf, the one Floriana gave her for her birthday, when she heard her door open. "You just love pushing my buttons, don't you, Mrs. Barnes."

Mrs. Barnes?

She glanced behind her and saw it. Her heartbeat kicked into high gear when she recognized the feral look in her husband's eyes. He closed the door. Her skin tingled when she noticed his fingers still on the handle of the door and hear the familiar click.

Oh, shit. He locked the damn door. Ohshitohshit-

He approached her. Slowly. Devin swallowed thickly at the predatory gait.

"B-Ben-" She up a finger at him whilst backing away, trying to placate. "M-mon amour, think about this." He pushed the chair away from his path, slowly marching toward her with an eery command that was so like the character he plays. "Ben..."

"You are a menace." he hissed lowly, his hand snapping forward to yank her to him. His feet never lost rhythm as he walked back, trapping her between his sold frame and the wall. "Tu me rends fou."

"Ben..." Lust bled through her whimper when he used her own language against her as strong fingers angle her head up and then she felt the heat of his mouth on her. And she could not bring her mind to think of the consequences of someone else walking into her dressing room and catching them like this.

She could only feel the urgency in his hands as they roamed all over her body, touching and gripping her skin, refusing to let go. He knew how much she liked it when he spoke French. She felt his heart pounding, beating as wildly as hers in her chest and she knew. She knew he was afraid that someone would find them, even if he'd locked the door. All she wanted was to let him have her, let him touch her like he'd been apart from his drug for too long, kiss her like it was his last day on earth.

He kissed her with a passion so fierce, it scared her. She was weak at the knees, trying to return his kisses but she was frail in her response only because he overpowered her. He gave her one punishing kiss after another, bruising her lips then trailed down her jaw and she could only do nothing but hold onto him as he pinned her to the wall and drain her will to resist.

Her hands went to his head, expecting to find a full head of hair, but then she remembered that he had to cut it for Billy Russo's storyline. She was disheartened when he shaved his gorgeous head of hair for multiple reasons. But that did not mean he was any less handsome.

In fact, the buzz cut gave him more of an edgy look. Dangerous and openly risky. She liked it more than she thought she would. He lifts her up with ease and placed her on her dresser. Devin struggled to breathe as she felt his hands trailing up her bare thighs underneath her skirt. She squirmed and moaned as he squeezed harshly, and she was sure his intention was to leave bruises.

"Be quiet." he murmured into her mouth.

"You're not being fair." Devin whined right back. He pulled away to glare at her.

"Oh, and you were?" he countered darkly before sinking his teeth into her bottom lip. His lips moved down her jaw once again. "Remember, you started this silly little game."

He bit her again, this time, to inflict pain. She let out a loud squeak. And much to both their horror, someone knocked on the door. "Devin? You alright in there?"

Ben halted his assault and they glanced at each other with widened eyes.

Amber.

Devin's shaky voice replied, "I'm fine!"

She didn't like the way Ben smirked at her. She whispered a warning, "Don't you dare."

"Are you sure?" Amber calls out. "I thought I heard a weird noise."

"I-" She gasped when he grazed the hollow of her throat with his hot tongue. She gripped his hair tightly and bit her lip as his sharp hiss and sharper glare. He was only annoyed that she wouldn't let him mark her skin. "I was trying to squash a big spider."

Ben grinned and bit her chin. She stifled a giggle and continued, "A really big spider!"

There was a pause. The couple glanced at each other nervously. Amber asked after a brief moment, "You need any help?"

Devin stifled a squeal when he tucked his head under her chin and lightly bit the skin on her neck. She shivered and playfully slapped his shoulder when she felt his grin, his beard tickling her. She whispered, "Quit it."

He lifted his head and smirked at her. "Make me."

Her shocked expression only served to widen his infuriating smirk. She knew it all too well. This is a classic Billy Russo's signature smirk when he is up to no good whatsoever.

Oh, that sly dog-

"Devin?" Amber calls out again. The door handle jingled. "Why is the door locked?"

"I'm alright! I'm just getting changed!" she tried her best to sound reassuring, despite having her husband's hands all over her. "I'll be right out and then we can go!"

"OK, then." Ben and Devin heard her say and waited a few moments until they were sure she left.

When the coast was clear, they burst into hushed giggles with sweaty palms and racing hearts.

°°°

As much as it was fun making out with Ben in her dressing room, the cast was given the rest of the day off while the production team prepared the next location for filming. So, naturally, Devin, Ben, Amber, Jon and Floriana went to the mall to get something to eat. Each one of them wearing a hoodie, a hat, scarf or sunglasses or almost all four in Jon's case because he's so easily recognisable with the younger fans of Marvel.

After sitting down to eat a few large pizzas, the girls decided to stick around the mall for a bit of retail therapy. Of course, Jon and Ben were not so into the idea because they wanted to go back to the hotel and get some sleep, but they stayed anyway. Though, at the back of her mind, Devin knew that he husband secretly wanted to be seen with her in public, even if they had three other people with them.

So cut to Devin standing alone in a clothing store, flipping through hangers for some blouses that she might like. It was a huge building and the racks were as tall as trees, which made it easy to get separated from the group. There was a teenage girl standing a few dozen paces away making a TikTok video or something, Devin wasn't paying much attention to her. She wanted to buy stuff to make herself feel better about the inevitability of her best work going to waste because producers made bad decisions.

"Pardon me, sweetheart." Devin didn't dare to look at the man who said that. She didn't want to assume he meant her. And she didn't want to talk to him. At least not she was alone.

Unfortunately, she had to face him because he tapped her shoulder, calling her out again, "Hey."

When Devin saw him, she immediately froze. Her skin formed goosebumps.

Oh, no.

It's the catcaller from last week.

Devin suddenly remembered that she left her pepper spray in Amber's car.

"Don't I see you walking to Starbucks with your friend? I'm Paul." He offered his hand. She glanced at it and did not respond. The idiot didn't take a hint. "Listen, how bout you let me take out for a drink tonight and I'll show you a good time?"

She took a step back when he moved into her comfort zone, flinching away from the hand that wanted to trace the hair away from her face. Naturally, she felt sick to her stomach. It was not the first time a man thought it was ok for him to completely ignore the signs of a woman being uncomfortable due to his presence and sadly, it will not be the last.

Devin platered a fake smile as she said, "Je ne parle pas anglais, monsieur."

"A French babe?" His eyes sparkled with surprise and for a second Devin thought he might give up his advance when she had imposed a language barrier. She was disappointed by his dark smirk. "That's so hot."

Clenching her jaw, she chose to walk away. That was the best way to diffuse this kind of situation because there will be fewer consequences to deal with. However, this man, this Paul, followed her. "Aww, don't be like that. It's not nice to walk away from a conversation."

She glanced around, hoping to find Ben somewhere amongst the high clothing racks. Or even Jon or Amber. Someone, anyone to make this asshole falter when he knows that she is not alone. Her heart leapt into her throat when she felt his hand clamp on her arm and roughly jerk her back to him and heard his gruff tone saying, "Hey, I'm talking to you."

"Let me go." She hissed, tugging her arm but he tightened his grip.

"Oh, so you suddenly speak English now, huh? How convenient, you lying bitch. I heard you and your British friend talking the other day. I followed the two of you to Starbucks." It was scary to think that this madman troubled himself to go out of his way and follow them.

"So in that case, I will say this in a language you will understand," She scowled sharply. "I said let go."

"What if I don't?" She whimpered when he pulled her closer to him and she caught a whiff of his unpleasant scent. He was most definitely a habitual drunkard. "How about a kiss for that little white lie you told, sweetheart?"

She was about to respond to tell him that she does not owe him anything, but he was already attempting to kiss her. She pushed his shoulders, desperately trying to keep him back, tears already forming in her eyes. "No, stop it-"

And instinctively, deep down, something told her to scream. And she thought of the one person she felt safe with. "Ben!"

In an instant, her prayers had been answered. The man was ripped away from her within split seconds and she found herself in the arms of someone else.

She caught furious dark eyes glaring the flames of hell towards Paul as Jonathan shoved him and yelled, "The fuck is wrong with you? Can't you tell when a woman says no, asshole?! Who the fuck do you think you are to think you got the right to do that?!"

Amber and Floriana were right by his side, each one of them holding out their phones, recording the whole thing in case they need evidence to defend Jonathan. The man, Paul, looked around him, seeing all eyes on him.

"Ey, I didn't want any trouble." He looked over to Devin, who was safely encased in Ben's arms. "We were just talking, weren't we, sweetheart—"

"Back off, asshole." Jon snarled, shoving him a few steps back. "Take another step towards her and I'm gonna break your neck."

Ben pulled Devin's shaky from him and held her shoulders. For now, all the attention was on Jon and the assailant. They didn't notice the worry on Ben's face, the desperation in his heart.

"Dev, are you hurt? Did he hurt you?" His wide eyes scanned her for any signs of bruises or blood. He almost didn't recognise the panicky tone of his voice. His thoughts were solely on her well-being, if it had been compromised.

"I'm fine." she murmured softly, trying to reign in the tears.

She pressed her face into his jacket and held onto Ben as tightly as she could. Most because she was trembling and partly because she didn't have to tilt her head up to see the livid expression on her husband's face when the sleezebag claimed that she threw herself at him.

"Let's go." Ben murmured into the crown of her hair, still keeping his dark gaze fixed on the idiot who dared try to touch his wife. Even as Jon was grilling him ever so ruthlessly, letting out the Frank Castle within, Ben wanted to wring the man's neck himself.

He did not give a single damn about those who watched as he led her all the way to the car.

°°°

The occurrence went viral online within an hour. It had been caught on camera. Incidentally, the girl Devin had blissfully ignored earlier was the one who recorded it. The girl, Lara, admits that she was creepily stalking her idol from afar but that camera sure did come in handy to point out what really happened. Hurray for modern-day technology and obsessive teenagers with their constant need to film everything.

Ben held her to him in bed after that night after the incident. He held her as she silently cried in his arms, wishing he could've done more. He switched on the tv and lowered the volume so he wouldn't disturb her sweet slumber.

Hours later into the night, he felt her shift. "Ben?"

"Yes, love..." he answered, kissing her forehead. His gentle hands stroked her hair. "I'm right here."

She was quiet for a moment and he felt the worry grow in his chest. He kept quiet, not wanting to disrupt her train of thought. Finally, she spoke, "Do you think we should just..."

Ben knew what was coming. He knew what she was asking because he too had been thinking about it for a long time. When they had gotten together and started dating, they feared that the media would influence their relationship in a bad way. It had happened to so many celebrities and it will happen to countless more.

The world watched the rich and famous under a microscope with such scrutiny, commenting and judging their every move. Nothing is ever good enough, nothing will ever be good enough for them. Devin and Ben didn't want to have to meet the world's expectations and chose to keep their love a secret, but it was tiring.

It wasn't easy keeping their marriage under wraps. It wasn't easy lying to their friends, their coworkers, their fans. It wasn't easy watching people hitting on either one of them, flirting and expecting them to reciprocate because there was 'no one special' in their lives.

"Should we-"

"Come out of the closet?" he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

She laughed and playfully shoved his shoulder. "I'm serious."

"And people say I'm Sirius Black."

"Benjamin." she calls him out, smiling.

He sighs deeply. For a moment, she thought he might refuse until he said, "Yes." He pressed another kiss to her forehead, adding, "Yes, I think it's time."

•••

Ben was jittery after that night. That was a week ago. They had just wrapped up filming and he could not be happier, nor sadder. He will miss the cast dearly, but he was glad to be done with this. Now he sat on a couch, next to his wife with Jimmy Kimmel hosting his show.

Of course, the incident was brought up, only briefly. Devin was grateful for that and made a joke out of it like it wasn't a big deal. Like some random guy didn't try to force a kiss on her in public.

Jimmy threw question after question, trying to give the audience a glimpse of what season two of The Punisher has to offer. Which wasn't much, to be honest, because the producers butchered the whole show.

"Devin and Ben, you two are the internet's sensation after what happened in season one." The crowd clapped wildly when a picture of Billy and Devin's character, Arabella, kissing on screen. They grinned widely, knowing how easy it was to film that particular scene. Their chemistry was so natural, so easy, it was wonderful revealing it to the world without actually revealing it.

Jimmy turned to them. "Now a lot of the fans loved you both and they just wanna know what's gonna happen for our two lovebirds in season two?"

"Oh, good God." Ben muttered to himself and everyone laughed. "There's a lot I can't say without spoiling the whole season."

"It is something you will all have to see for yourselves." Devin quipped lightly, though she silently was not recommending it. She leaned into Ben, putting her head on his shoulder, as her mind trailed in the shitshow that is now The Punisher. "Their relationship is really fun to watch on screen."

Ben knew precisely where her head was at and took her hand in his. His heart was pounding. He and Devin discussed when to do it, but there was never the right time.

"You know, it's funny because everybody on the internet kind of uh, ships you." Jimmy said, gesturing to them with the cards in his hand. "I mean, since your chemistry is so wonderful, it's easy to think that you two are dating."

"A lot of people have assumed that we are." Ben added, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He suppressed the urge to laugh.

Jimmy asked, "Well, are you?"

Devin responded with her own version of the truth. "Well, we were dating at one point."

"What?" The two glanced at each other when the crowd began to murmur to themselves. Jimmy, bewildered, had his mouth agape as Devin bit her lip to smother a grin. "Wait—wait a minute, you guys were dating and then you broke up and no one knew about it?"

"Oh, we didn't break up." Ben clarified with a smile.

It only served to confuse everyone even more because the murmurs were getting a little louder. Jimmy was completely out of his element and for the first time that night, he was rendered speechless.

Devin couldn't help but press her face against her husband's arm as she giggled, "His face right now."

"Devin, love, focus." Ben tried to sound serious, but even he couldn't contain his enthusiasm.

She looked up at him, grinning widely. "Should we tell them?"

"What?" Jimmy looked at both of them but got no real answer from either one of them.

At this point, the crowd was beginning silent as a grave. Everyone waiting for their dream to come true. Devin and Ben have been the world's one true pairing since they worked together on the films of Narnia. They kept their relationship a secret for the sake of privacy, but now it was time to reveal the truth.

"Let's tell them." Ben returned a smile to her.

"Time for what? Tell us what? What are you telling?" Jimmy, panicking, was as bemused as everyone was.

Devin was the one to confess. "We're actually married."

Someone in the audience shrieked so loudly, Ben flinched. He and Devin, as well the others, laughed at the woman at the back row, who had covered her mouth with both hands, eyes widened in shock.

Moments after that bombshell was dropped, Jimmy finally composes himself. "You're kidding."

"We're not." Devin shook her head as her husband raised her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles. "Ben and I are husband and wife."

"Oh, my God! How— Wh—when did this even happen?" Jimmy stammered, struggling to articulate and continue with the show as this new information fried his brain as it did with the audience.

"It was a year after our days on The Chronicles of Narnia." Ben stated with a warm smile. He looked down at his wife to see her already quietly reminiscing those simpler days.

Jimmy shook his head. "I don't know whether or not to believe you guys because this is—this is news!"

"It's true. This is no joke." she said. "We're not wearing our rings right now to make the surprise all the more shocking, but here they are."

Devin reached into her husband's suit pocket and revealed a gold chain. Two rings hung from it. Both were made of a rose gold metal with slight variations for each person. Ben's ring was a simple band, whilst Devin's ring was built with diamonds decorating it.

"The only people who knew are our parents and the cast of Narnia because they were there at the wedding." Ben spoke as he unclasped the chain and dropped the rings into his palm. He took the diamond-encrusted band and grinned as he slid it back onto his wife's delicate finger. "Here you go, love."

"Merci, mon amor." she chirped as she slid Ben's ring onto his finger. Exactly how they had done on their wedding day. "Right where they belong."

A monumental moment for both of them. This is the first time either one of them had sat in public with their rings on their fingers.

Ben placed a kiss on her fingers then on her lips, which she gladly returned. And finally, finally, they couldn't be bothered by who saw them and what they had to say. Now everyone knows that Devin was his and Ben was hers. Their love was not something to keep in the shadows anymore.

"Aww!" They heard the crowd say just as they parted.

"My god!" Jimmy held his head and let out a laugh of disbelief. "Well, I guess congratulations are in order to Mr and Mrs Barnes."

The crowd's cheers were so deafening, the married couple almost couldn't hear themselves saying their "thank you's" to everyone. But they were overwhelmed to have received such support from their fans.

When the audience died down, Jimmy proceeded to ask another question, "Did the cast of The Punisher know about this?"

The two glanced at each other, grinning. Ben answered, "Not really, no. We just snuck around them like teenagers, though I think Amber was beginning to suspect after she saw me hanging around Devin's hotel room a lot."

Devin laughed. "Oui, she did ask me a lot of questions about that. I think it was mostly because she was so immersed in her character as Madani. She could not help herself."

That woman had been suspicious of them from the very beginning. Like her character, Dinah Madani, she was always sniffing around for clues to catch them in the act. All Devin had done was deny, deny, deny, until now. Boy, Amber was going to kill both of them after this.

"And what did you say to her?"

"I said that we were rehearsing." she giggled behind her hands. "And that was not entirely a lie, so she just let it go."

"Were there ever moments when you two were almost caught?" Jimmy asked, practically at the edge of his seat as he tried to find out as much as he can about his two guests.

Ben laughed, his nose scrunching up as he leaned back on his seat. "Oh, yeah, plenty of times."

His wife, flushed, reminiscing on those wonderful clandestine memories. She began to reveal the most recent one. "Like not too long ago, Ben snuck into my dressing room and we just barely started to make out and then Amber knocked on the door a few seconds later. Thankfully, Ben locked the door because she did try to enter."

"Oh!" went the crowd as they listened, taking in every word. And oh was right, that was, indeed, a heart-racing moment.

Devin deliberately left out the part where she was making too much noise, which incidentally caught Amber's attention.

"Wow! What happened next?" Jimmy exclaimed, smiling. This was going to do wonders for his show ratings for the next few weeks, no doubt. He was prepared to do an interview for two actors promoting their show, not a husband and wife finally revealing their secret to the world.

She explained, "I told her that I was getting dressed and that I will be with her shortly."

"She's definitely going to kill both of us after this." Ben muttered, grimacing at the thought.

She patted his shoulder. "We'll make a run for it."

And with that, the secret was out. The internet raged with this new information within minutes. Youtubers began making videos about how they always knew that Ben and Devin were a couple based on "evidence" that had already been there over the years. Of course, with all good things, came the haters, but they were very few and were immediately shut down by the Bevin stans, which was absolutely wonderful.

Mr and Mrs Barnes had their ups and downs, but all in all, they lived happily ever after. The end...

For now...?

....................................................................................................................................

6K, DEAR GOD.

Translations:

Ma lune et mes étoiles ⇝ My moon and stars.

Vous êtes tous les deux idiots ⇝You are both idiots.

Excusez-moi, monsieur ⇝ Excuse me, mister.

Espèce de petite merde ⇝ You little shit.

Je n'ai aucune idée de ce que tu veux dire, Jonathan. Jénonce simplement des faits ⇝ I don't know what you mean, Jonathan. I'm just stating facts.

Oui ⇝ Yes.

Tu me rends fou⇝ You drive me crazy.

Je ne parle pas anglais, monsieur⇝ I don't speak English, mister.

Please let me know if Google Translate failed me😭🙏

I loved him so much in Shadow And Bone. I've been reading the books (I forced myself to stop halfway through Siege And Storm because I'm in a different city and there isn't a single bookstore that sells the books and I didn't wanna be stuck in limbo) and I just wanna say...

I JUST WANT DARKLINA TO BE CANNON, OK?????

Also, did you like this piece? Took me so long to write because this stupid pandemic is just draining my soul, but I like the way it turned out because I just poured every thing I had into it and I had more. I tried as much as I can to make Devin to your liking, but I really don't know much about the average French human being😅

JUST LOOK AT HOW SHE HIDES HER FACE INTK HIS NECK, LIKE BABYGIRL SAME😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Peace Out💓