"You... what?" Dahlia's breath caught in her throat, swearing it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Ben was incapable of ever letting that word cross his lips. He never seemed like the guy to tie himself to one person. She saw it at the parties, the way he'd walk around with three women holding onto each of his arms, and heard the stories he'd tell Marcus and Alphonso the next morning as they all battled hangovers. Out of all the women in the world, why did he love her?

The music faded into a distant hum, the debris in the sky cracking apart blending into the ominous silence. Ben took another step towards her, his gaze unwavering. "I love you, Dahlia. I've loved you for a long time, way before the accident. And after that day..." Ben paused, struggling to choke back the extent of his suppressed feelings. "It was unbearable, seeing you hurt. Knowing that nothing in this world could ever fully take away the pain. Every time I saw you, I was reminded of my failure, and how much of a danger I was to the Sparrows as Number One. I knew you hated me, that you'd prefer to turn me into an ice sculpture. So, that's why I stayed away,"

Dahlia stared at him, speechless. The revelation was so unexpected, so contrary to everything she believed about their relationship, that she couldn't process it. "That's why you avoided me?" She finally managed to ask. " Ben nodded, more shame and guilt etched onto his face. "It was selfish, I know. But I thought that was what you wanted. For me to stay far away, so I couldn't ruin your life any more than I did," Dahlia scoffed at that reasoning. All she wanted was for him to take accountability for once, but getting him to do anything was like pulling teeth. She remembered the day she woke up all too clearly. Sloane and Marcus were hugging her tightly with tears of joy, Alphonso and Fei patted her on the back, and Jayme emotionlessly welcomed her back. But Ben was nowhere to be found.

"I know I'm a terrible person. That I channeled all the guilt and self-loathing into rivalry. I thought if I could just be better than you and everyone else, if I could just prove myself to Dad to make me Number One again, then maybe I could forgive myself," Ben sighed. "So, what? You're telling me that you hated me because you loved me?" Dahlia squinted. Ben let out a small chuckle before regaining his composure. "It sounds ridiculous when you say it like that," He admitted, a tiny smile playing on his lips. "But yeah, I guess that's it," 

The icy blonde searched his eyes, trying to discern the truth from the alcohol-fueled confession. And she saw it, not just the guilt and the shame, but also the genuine affection that had been hidden beneath layers of rivalry and self-loathing. "Ben," she began, her voice softer now. "I... I don't know what to say," "You don't have to say anything," he interrupted. "I just needed you to know. I don't expect you to feel the same way, I don't deserve it,"

He reached for Dahlia's hand, but rather than her pulling it away, she watched as it brought to his lips, placing a drunken kiss on her knuckles. "Go-goodnight, Dahlia," he whispered. She slightly nodded, wishing him a good rest of the night. But as he turned to leave, Dahlia's disbelief faded into realization. He may not be perfect, he may have made mistakes in his past, but at the end of the day, none of the Hargreeves were angels. And Dahlia certainly wasn't one, having plotted out Ben's death numerous times, but never able to go through with them. Maybe this was the reason why. Maybe they needed one another to fight the other's demons.

She may not have known what tomorrow would bring if it would even arrive at all. But for this one night, she could finally let go of six years of resentment. "Ben, wait!" She chased after him, reaching out to catch his arm. He stopped and turned around, his eyes questioning. Her hand went to his shaven cheek, looking into those normally piercing brown eyes that had softened with the alcohol. Without much thought, she leaned in close until her lips brushed against his. Ben stiffened at her touch, but not long after, he kissed her back, his hand resting on the back of her neck, each kiss becoming more addicting than the other.

"I love you too," Dahlia whispered as they slowly pulled apart before colliding once more. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

As the end of the reception drew near, the wedding party gathered back outside, the couples holding onto one another as they stared up at the sky. Allison had disappeared not long after Reginald finished his speech, leaving one less Debbie Downer to worry about. Dahlia and Ben had been sitting outside, ever since his inconceivable confession, but he excused himself to grab something to drink. From the windows, Dahlia could see him dancing with Klaus, and they both took swigs from a champagne bottle. She would never admit it out loud, but she liked this drunk Ben, with his dark but funny sense of humor and alcohol-laced sweet talk. He's not gonna be able to get out of bed with the hangover he's bound to get. she chuckled to herself.

The sounds of footsteps came walking towards them, and as the siblings all looked up, they started protesting as Klaus brought Ben over, both drunk out of their minds. "Klaus, why are you bringing Ben here?" Dusk crowed. "Look, hear me out. The brother that you all knew as Ben is gone. And I don't mean our Ben, the nice Ben. I mean, Ben the asshole, he's gone now," Klaus explained. 

"Klaus, what are you talking about?" Luther shook his head, trying to decode his explanation. "The man that stands in front of you is the new new Ben. He's one of us, he's a member of the team. And he's part of the family!" the drunk continued, Ben chiming in at the last sentence. "As a welcome gift, I suggest we throw him off the roof!" Dusk smirked. Hey, that's my man you're talking about, Dragon Lady! Ben and Klaus chuckled at the raven's reply, and looked over to Luther, hoping he'd understand.

"Alright, you know what? He can stay," Luther sighed, patting a spot on the dark concrete for the Squid boy to sit. Ben walked over to the spot and sat next to Diego and Lila, while Klaus wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, beginning to softly kiss her neck, making her giggle. As they continued to watch the sky, weird sounds once again caught their attention, and Five quickly got up, a hand clutching his stomach. "Whoa dude, are you okay?" Viktor asked him.

Five groaned a reply as he felt both sick and hungry at the same time, and his drunken mind couldn't decide which one it was. "See ya, guys. I'm gonna hit the buffet," Five said as he stumbled back to the banquet hall entrance with Victoria, who felt a little hungry as well. The others soon started getting up, deciding it was time to head to bed. "You want to get out of here, Dusky?" Klaus questioned with a small mischievous smirk at the edge of his lips. "Come on, let's go," she replied, a smirk of her own developing.

"Don't forget to wrap it before you tap it!" Dahlia called out to them, but Klaus just waved in acknowledgment before they headed inside. The ones left besides the icy blonde and Squid Boy, were Luther and Sloane, who pressed a quick peck on each other's lips. "I'm guessing you guys are heading up soon?" Luther questioned. "In a little bit, I'm in no rush," Dahlia answered. But Ben, on the other hand, seemed more interested in peppering Dahlia's neck with hickeys. "But I guess he's in a rush," Dahlia chuckled.

Sloane winked at her sister, while also silently thanking her for playing nice with him. She certainly wasn't expecting them to be all over each other, but it was way better than the alternative. "You wanna head upstairs, Lia?" Ben whispered, before planting another hickey just behind her ear. "Alright, let's go," She smirked, helping Ben to his feet as they drunkenly stumbled towards the elevator. "Goodnight, guys!" Dahlia called back to Luther and Sloane, who returned her words with a small wave.

The moment the elevator doors shut, Ben's lips pressed against Dahlia's, one of his hands reaching through the slit of her pale blue dress, grabbing at her thigh. Instead of meeting her soft creamy skin, he was met with the itchy material of her nude tights. "Someone's eager," Dahlia smirked. "I don't know why you women wear tights under these. It's not like anyone can see your legs with your dress so long," He softly groaned into the kiss, bringing her thigh to rest on his hip. Dahlia's back pressed against the wall, kissing him back with the same roughness, her fingers tugging at his hair until his head was far back enough for them to make eye contact.

"How about you take a break? Let me be Number One for tonight,"