Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When they woke up, they were back at the beach house.

Which Chad was sort of glad about.  He hadn’t been looking forward to traveling through the ocean in the air bubble again – it reminded him too much of the closets his grandfather used to lock him in when Chad had gotten too annoying, too in the way.  Granted, he’d had company at least, so that had been better, but the darkness that closed in around them on all sides made him too nervous to enjoy Jay’s cuddles, which was awful, because Chad enjoyed cuddling Jay a lot. 

They woke up in the living room, strewn across the floor and various pieces of furniture.  Embarrassingly enough, Chad was still wearing his Wonderland outfit, but it seemed like the others were as well.  Evie, Harry, and Audrey also had their own appropriately-colored dresses in various states of disarray (Harry was literally popping out of his too small panties, not that he seemed to care all that much), and Doug, Ben, Carlos, and Gil seemed to escape with the clothes they had worn in.

Mal was naked, which was always distracting because she was super pretty, even if she had scars (in fact, Chad sort of liked her scars, because it made her a warrior, made her strong whereas he was just really weak), and Uma was still in her strappy aqua leather thing that didn’t have a crotch so that was um- something he tried not to look at, despite witnessing a lot more sex than he’d anticipated that day.

Mostly it was his, but still, he hadn’t been expecting it, so…

Also, Jay was naked, and he was cuddling Chad again, which was both great and terrible.  Even before they started dating, Jay made Chad feel all hot and awkward inside, and it had only gotten worse now that Jay willingly held his hand and kissed him and wanted to hear about his day.

“So what is this thing?” Mal asked, staring at the new symbol glowing against her skin low on her abdomen, just above her pubic hair.  It was purple and as pretty as she was, which was distracting.

“I think it’s a tally list,” Uma said, bending low to squint at Mal’s symbol.  Chad didn’t need to check to guess that they all had them now, because he’d already seen the one imprinted on Jay’s stomach, the Agraben sending him a flirtatious wink before he’d dragged Chad into his lap, his fingers immediately ducking under Chad’s skirt to toy with his ruffled panties. 

“Like of um- people we need to fuck?” Mal asked, all of them staring and also trying not to stare at the two sorceresses.

“I think so,” Uma hummed. “See here?” She pointed to one of the symbols on Mal’s skin that wasn’t glowing – a pirate’s skull surrounded by octopus tentacles colored in a matte aqua.  Jay had one just like it, but his was still glowing. “I think that’s supposed to represent me.”

“I already had sex with you,” Mal surmised. “So that combination has been completed, I guess.” She turned to look at Jay. “You got a pink one that’s dulled out?”

“Um…” Jay shifted Chad enough so he could stare at his stomach, lighting up with a grin as he pointed to the spot where a matte pink rose had faded against his skin. “Yep.”

“So that’s Audrey,” Mal deduced. “They’re counting the people we’ve been with in Wonderland during the trials.”

“Which means we have to finish the circle in what, two and a half days?” Uma asked, tracing her finger around Mal’s abdomen. 

The symbols, all eleven of them, were small – arranged in a neat circle.  There was a symbol in the middle not unlike a compass rose that exploded into a series of sharp points, and each of their symbols rested on one of those, making it look like a decorative tattoo.    

Ben sighed. “That’s what it looks like.”

They had ventured to Wonderland on a three-day weekend, leaving for the beach house immediately after school on Friday and traveling to Wonderland Friday night.  The common consensus was that time worked differently in Wonderland.  They weren’t sure if it would take more or less time than anticipated, so they tried to give themselves as much wiggle room as possible.

They’d been returned late Friday night, definitely less time than they’d spent in the dungeon, so Chad supposed that worked out for them, seeing as they now had to um- sex each other. 

“There’s no reason this has to be a big deal,” Mal said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Most of us have already seen each other have sex.” Chad hadn’t, because he’d been asleep, and then when it had gotten to his turn, their room had filled up with so much greenery that no one else could see inside, which Chad was unquestionably grateful for. “Just communicate, be respectful, and- I dunno, don’t be an asshole.”

“Why don’t we start this up tomorrow?” Ben offered, his voice gentle. “It’s been a long day.  We can get cleaned up, sleep on it, and start fresh.”

“Fine by me,” Mal said, stretching out her back in a way that made her chest stick out. “I could do with some cuddles as it is.”

“A shower would be nice,” Audrey sniffed, her legs shifting awkwardly together. 

While Chad hadn’t seen it, apparently she’d um- had to ride Jay a lot of times, and while most of them couldn’t see it because of her dress, there had been a lot of liquids that divulged from that coupling. 

“Alright, everyone scatter,” Uma said with a lazy wave of her hand.  “We’ll figure out some dinner and sleep on this business.”

“And maybe we can look at our pretty tattoos!” Gil chirped as he bounced to his feet, which-

At least he was looking on the bright side.

-:-:-

It was easy for them to break apart.

Everyone was tired.  Everyone was sore and exhausted from the ordeal they had just braved – emotionally and physically – each worked up in their own way.  Chad wasn’t surprised when Mal immediately crossed to Evie, wrapping her in a hug before dragging her out into the hall. 

Jay pressed a kiss to Chad’s cheek before sliding the prince out of his lap and crossing to Ben, who seemed really worked up about having sex with someone he wasn’t dating.  He herded the flighty prince out of the room, grabbing their bags on the way out to claim one of the many bedrooms. 

It left Chad with Carlos, and by unspoken agreement, they didn’t go together.  Carlos was one of the few that needed alone time, so he set off on his own, grabbing his bag before peeling off to explore while Chad tried not to feel horribly awkward.  Chad had sixteen years of alone time under his belt, he didn’t really want more, but he also didn’t want to interrupt Jay and Mal’s respective cuddle sessions.  He couldn’t be selfish. 

That had been one of his grandfather’s greatest complaints, about how Chad was a selfish, greedy thing.  He always wanted too much.  Chad tried to do better, so he could be by himself for tonight.  He’d done it plenty of times before. 

“You okay?” he heard Uma murmuring to Harry. “That was intense.”

“I’m fine,” the pirate spat, moving in embarrassed, angry movements.

The captain rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re not fine.  Get over here, Hook.”

He growled, but didn’t fight her when she curled a finger into his collar, dragging him into the depths of the house. 

Audrey and Doug had spared them a look before seeming to gravitate towards each other, holding hands as they gave Gil a quick once over.

“Are you good, sweetheart?” Audrey asked.

“I’m great!” Gil chirped, finishing his stretches. “You guys go ahead.”

“You sure?” Doug asked, his brows furrowed.

“Yep.” Gil offered them a wide grin. “They just need some alone time.  It’s all good.”

“You could come with us-” Audrey began to offer, but Gil waved her off.

“I don’t think the showers are that big,” he chuckled. “It’s really okay, Mr. Prince and Princess.  We’ll cuddle after dinner.”

“Okay, Gil,” Doug said, both of them giving the blond one last smile before they left the room.

Chad tried not to feel awkward, thinking about how all of his partners had left without looking over their shoulders, but he couldn’t be selfish.  He had to share.  He was supposed to be nice, like his mom.  It just figured that even now, he couldn’t help but be annoying.  It was like, in his bones. 

“You okay?” Gil asked, because suddenly he was there, right next to Chad. “You look a little sad.”

“I’m um- tired,” Chad rushed to say, flustered.

“Yeah,” Gil laughed. “That was pretty intense.  Are you sore?”

Chad felt himself blushing, thinking back on the trial he and Gil had gone through, a tea party that had both been exhilarating and terrible. 

“Yeah,” Chad whispered, too embarrassed to raise his voice.

“Oh.” Gil blinked. “Well, come on.” He grabbed Chad’s hand like it was nothing, deftly relieving him of his bag before he grabbed up his own beaten satchel and dragged Chad off in search of a room. “I can help you,” he explained, glancing at Chad periodically. “Uma made some stuff for it- well, for um- when Harry and Audrey get sore, ‘cuz they like doing that the most.”

“Oh.” Chad hadn’t known that, but apparently Harry and Ben had um- been quite enthusiastic while Chad had been sleeping.  Not that it was a bad thing.  Not that Ben was Chad’s. 

If anything, he was Mal’s, and Chad was also Mal’s, so-

Yeah.

“Yep,” Gil chirped, unperturbed by his weak response.  He tugged Chad up a staircase and urged him down a hall, squinting at closed doors until he came to an open one at the very end of the hallway. “Perfect!”

He herded Chad inside, closing the door behind them before he dumped their bags.

“Are you okay?” Gil asked again – again, in case he’d missed something the first time. “‘Cuz that was super crazy.”

“Yeah.” Chad felt his blush darken, felt the phantom stirs of arousal, even though he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to manage anything right now if he tried. “I’m- it was-”

“You do look super pretty,” Gil hummed, reiterating the words from their private doorknob, the one that had instructed them through the tea party.  “You should wear panties more often.”

“I- really?” Chad asked, flushed as Gil herded him into the bathroom, the pirate turning on the shower in efficient movements.

“Oh, yeah,” Gil chirped, pausing to look Chad over.  Chad, in his dumb dress and stockings, in his baby blue heels and petticoat and puffy sleeves.  “It was nice of Wonderland to let you keep this.  I’d be happy to play tea party with you any time.”

“Gil.” Chad pressed a hand to his face. “You can’t say that, we’re not dating.”

“But you’re so cute,” Gil sighed. “Maybe we can ask Mal and Uma for permission?  They seem to like playing too.  At least, that was what Harry told me.”

Yeah, Chad didn’t like thinking about that, about how his girlfriend really wanted to get it on with another girl, had been pleasured and dominated by her while Chad was asleep on the ground like an idiot. 

“Maybe,” Chad allowed, trying to move on. 

He did like Gil.  Out of all the people he wasn’t dating, Gil seemed the most easygoing.  He was sweet and enthusiastic and um- good looking, but everyone seemed good looking.  It seemed to be like, a default for getting in the house almost. 

“Could I help you get undressed?” Gil asked as he stripped off his pirate shirt, revealing his own glowing tattoo on his abdomen.  There was one spot of matte light blue, and Chad’s heart fell when he realized it was in the form of a slipper instead of the familiar sword and shield of Sardinia. 

His mother’s slipper, like a taunt. 

“Chad?” Gil repeated, startling the prince out of his reverie. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Chad rushed to insist, because he didn’t want to be a baby, didn’t want to get left behind when Gil seemed to like him. “And um- yes, you can… you can help.”

Gil broke out into a wide grin. “Awesome.”

He wasted no time dragging Chad forward, making the prince gasp because Gil was down to his underwear and um- manhandled Chad with an ease that made his heart flutter.  His big hands curled easily around Chad’s waist, and he gave a cheerful smile before he reached around Chad to undo the tie on his apron.  He pulled it off, then slowly unzipped the dress, working it off Chad’s body in gradual movements.

“Oh,” Gil said, looking at the silk bralet that had materialized with the rest of the clothes. “That’s- you look very pretty, Chad.”

“Th-Thank you.” Chad blushed, felt terribly shy when Gil got him down to the lingerie.  It was ludicrous, since Gil had already fucked Chad, had held him close and rutted into his heat and felt so good while he pumped Chad dry, trying to distribute his cream among all the teacups.  It had… taken a long time. 

Chad couldn’t even say he regretted it, when Gil had been so sweet and complimentary. 

Chad let out a small gasp when Gil picked him up like he weighed nothing, the pirate setting him on the counter so he could work off Chad’s heels.  He did them one at a time, then drew his hands up Chad’s legs, tracing his inner thighs before he settled on the tops of the stockings.  He pulled those off slowly too, brushing Chad’s legs all the while, until Chad was whimpering.

“That’s it,” Gil said, pulling Chad back off the counter. “That’s my pretty girl.”

“Gil.” Chad shivered, something that worsened when Gil pressed his hands against his chest, giving him a light squeeze like he was one of the girls, like he was Mal, whose chest was so very pretty.

“That’s my name,” Gil hummed as he reached around Chad, undoing the bralet clasp on his first try.  “And look at you,” he urged when Chad was down to the panties, which was stupid, Chad had been shirtless before, but-

But Gil looked at him like he was something, like Jay and Mal looked at him sometimes, and that made Chad shiver. 

“Is this okay?” Gil asked, his hands curling around the edge of his panties. “May I see your pretty flower?”

“Gil,” Chad groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

Immediately Gil let go of him, reaching up to tug Chad’s wrist away from his face. “No, it really is pretty,” Gil insisted, looking so earnest. “I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“It’s not a flower,” Chad said, feeling dumb all over again.  He’d always liked things that were considered more girly growing up.  He hadn’t meant to, he’d just- he’d seen pictures of his mother and wanted to be just like her – have a gown and magic shoes and be the bell of the ball.  He wanted to be her more than he’d wanted to be his father, who was distant and weird and never talked to Chad. 

“Sure, it is,” Gil chirped. “It’s the prettiest flower.  And I’d like to see it.”

Chad bit his lip, but this was- it didn’t matter in the long run.  It was nothing.  He was making a big deal for nothing.

“Okay,” he said. “You can um- do it.”

“Thank you,” Gil said, his voice tinged thick with sincerity as he pulled Chad’s underwear down. 

He smiled as he did so, grazing the back of Chad’s thighs until Chad was free, standing naked in front of Gil, who was just- very, very nice.

“I’m not as pretty as you,” Gil continued, abandoning his own clothes before he offered Chad a hand.  After a beat, Chad accepted. “But that’s okay.  We don’t both need to be pretty.”

“Gil,” Chad whined when he was pulled under the warm spray. “You’re um- handsome, and rugged and stuff.  That’s just as good as being pretty.”

“You think so?” Gil asked, seeming pleased by this. “Wow, that makes me feel better.”

“Good,” Chad said, a relieved smile pulling at his lips.  At least he did something right.

Gil had a natural tendency to make things easy.  It should be weird sharing a shower with him, but it wasn’t.  It should be weird being this close, this vulnerable, but it was fun.  Chad found comfort in it, even if he was a little startled by the way Gil immediately started cleaning him, like it was a habit, and Chad, unwilling to slack, tried to reciprocate. 

It was nice.  Gil curled his fingers through Chad’s hair and babbled on about Uma and Harry, about Audrey and Doug and the new foods he tried.  He didn’t brush on the subject of Wonderland, which was a relief in itself, and soon it was easy for Chad to melt into him, to cuddle and help Gil wash his hair even though they weren’t dating.

They did kind of feel like friends though, which was nice.  Chad didn’t have any of those yet.  He thought Gil would be a brilliant start.      

“And maybe I’m a little worried about the tattoo thing,” Gil said as they were getting out of the shower, handing Chad one of the big, fluffy towels. “Like, I haven’t even really done stuff with Audrey yet, and I’m dating her.  So- you know, I’m worried about adding more people to that.”

“Me too,” Chad admitted, drying off quickly the way he’d been taught to, because he only had so much time before the servants dragged him back to his room, and they’d take him whether he was dressed or not. “I- I’m the same.  I’ve um- only done stuff with Mal and Jay.”

“Really?” Gil seemed surprised by this as he tugged Chad back into the bedroom, the two of them rooting through their bags until they found their pjs. “But Ben seems to like you so much.”

Chad felt himself blushing.  He never really knew how to act around Ben.  His grandfather said he wasn’t supposed to bother him, and yeah, he was nice and smiled and held Chad’s hand sometimes the way Evie did, but like, that was because he was nice.  He didn’t actually want to do it.

At least, Chad was pretty sure.

“Ben likes everyone,” Chad said as he slipped into his clothes.  After a moment of hesitation, he slid on Jay’s hoody too.  The Agraben had offered it as a token of comfort for the nights they spent apart, and Chad had allowed himself the indulgence of holding onto it to prove that he wasn’t alone.  He wasn’t dumb, just- sometimes he needed solid evidence to prove that things were real, that he wasn’t just dreaming this.  That he wouldn’t wake up and Jay and Mal wouldn’t know who he was.

“Yeah,” Gil agreed, running a brush through his wet hair. “But he really likes you.”  He paused when he was finished, portioning out a section of hair that ran over his left ear, where his braids had been. “Aw man, I wish I could remember how to do these things.”

“Are you redoing your braids?” Chad asked, and then, at Gil’s nod- “I um- I could help you with that.”

Chad remembered what they looked like.  He’s spent a portion of his childhood practicing different braids in the manes of the castle’s horses.  He wasn’t allowed to play dress up, but he could do that, at least, and he found the process comforting. 

“You could?” Gil asked, perking up. “Wow, you’re a lifesaver.  Here-” He passed his hair beads over to Chad – the ones that matched all his partners.  The ones that publicly showed he was theirs. 

Chad wasn’t jealous (well, maybe a little), but it hurt some to see such a nice thing in action, even if it was for Gil, who definitely deserved it.

Chad really was the worst sometimes.  

They settled on the foot of the bed to do it, Gil sprawled out cheerfully while Chad sat with his legs folded under himself, brows furrowed in concentration as he placed the beads in the proper places.  There was one for each of them – four lovely beads. 

Chad had been dating Mal and Jay for months and all he’d gotten was a sweater.

It was the best sweater, though, and Chad loved it to pieces.  A distant part of him hoped Jay never asked for it back. 

Halfway through the process, there was a knock on the door, and Chad looked up to see Doug lingering in the doorway, looking on them with a quiet sort of fondness.

Gil followed the path of Chad’s gaze and lit up. “Hey, Doug!” he chirped, wiggling his fingers in greeting. “Is Audrey okay?”

“She’s better,” Doug allowed, a light blush dusting the bridge of his nose when he caught sight of Chad’s hands in Gil’s hair.  Maybe he was doing a terrible job or something. “Things will improve tonight, after she and Harry, um-”

“Have it out,” Gil finished with a hum. “Yeah, that will be wild.  Want to cuddle with me while they angry snarl?”

“That would be nice, Gil,” Doug said, seeming to genuinely mean it.

Of course he did, Gil was his boyfriend.

“What about you, Chad?” Gil asked. “Do you want to cuddle here tonight?”

Chad paused.  He wasn’t sure where tonight would lead him.  If the others would want to keep reassuring each other after dinner on their own, or if they’d all come together.  He was pretty sure Carlos wouldn’t want to spend time with him-

“He’s probably gonna be with his own partners, Gil,” Doug said, his voice gentle. “But it’s a sweet offer.”

“Yeah,” Chad said, ducking his head while he finished Gil’s braids. “Thank you.  I um- I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” Gil grinned. “And if you change your mind, my bed’s always open to you.”

Chad knew he didn’t mean it like that, knew it wasn’t how it sounded, but-

But he couldn’t help but feel hopeful.  Feel tempted to take him up on it, especially after the tea party. 

“Thanks, Gil,” Chad repeated, his smile small but true.

“I um- actually came to get you guys for dinner,” Doug said. “Ben ordered pizza, so-”

“Hooray, pizza!” Gil cheered, leaping to his feet in an excited movement. 

Once he was up, he just kept going, moving forward to sweep Doug into his arms before he was bouncing down the hall, Doug’s laughter trailing after them.

It was lovely, without question.  For a moment, Chad wondered what it would be like to be loved by Gil.  To be treasured that much.

And then he realized he already had more than he could hope for, and tried to get moving.

He had to stop being greedy.  He had to stop being wicked.

-:-:-

The next morning was slightly better, all of them getting a chance to rest and cuddle and recharge.  Chad spent the night with Ben curled against his back, which was weird, but still kind of nice.  The other four had gravitated together, though Mal made a pointed effort to kiss and dote on both Chad and Ben before they parted ways, Jay doing the same with the additional measure of a grope and a wink.

“That guy,” Ben had said, shaking his head before he tugged Chad under the covers, nuzzling him close.

Just as he had every other time he’d gotten close to Ben, Chad tried not to tense. “Yeah, he’s pretty great.”

“He is indeed,” Ben said, and they drifted off to sleep.

It didn’t last for long, of course.  The room was too dark, and even with Ben’s reassuring warmth, Chad only managed a few hours of sleep before he huddled there, listening to Ben’s heartbeat, waiting for the acceptable hour of six am. 

It was a relief to finally slide out of bed, to prep for the day before he made is way downstairs.  He hadn’t seen a lot in the beach house that needed to be cleaned, but Chad always kept an eye out for messes as a default.  That was one of the things he was best at – cleaning. 

With the others still out, Chad took his time going through what little homework he had before doing some recreational reading he couldn’t focus on.  He was supposed to call in to Dr. Sweet for a mental health check in, but it seemed too early for that kind of thing.  The doctor had already told Chad it was fine, that he could call any time of day, but Chad hated bothering him. 

Around nine he started on breakfast, making waffle strips and fruit salad in pre-portioned cups that the others could just grab and move on.  He had a feeling they would be doing a lot of grazing that day, if um- they really had to spend the weekend sexing it up, so he tried to make stuff that was easy to eat.  He even made pigs in a blanket, the closest thing to mini kolaches, that would hold up well over time.  At least, he hoped. 

“Ah, food,” Mal groaned when she stumbled into the kitchen, wearing one of Ben’s shirts and making a beeline for the coffee maker.  She detoured to cuddle Chad close, pulling him into a deep kiss and groping his butt before she was off again. “You are so sweet.”

Chad, just as he did every time he was subjected to the intensity of Hurricane Mal, just sort of flushed helplessly, overwhelmed by a swell of endearment. “Thanks, Mal.”

“Thank you,” Mal hissed as she curled herself around the coffee maker, watching it slowly percolate.

The others ambled in at their own pace in various states of composed.  Audrey was, of course, perfect as always, as was Evie, but none of the others seemed to echo the sentiment, all of them still dressed in their lounge clothes.

“Food,” Jay had moaned, wrapping himself around Chad’s back and pressing a series of kisses against his neck until Mal batted him away with a roll of her eyes.

“Nuisance,” she grumbled, and then they all fell around the table to eat.

“So,” Uma began when they were mostly winding down. “This is a straightforward process.  We have until Monday afternoon to have sex with every person here.  I mean, technically we could do some of this back at Auradon Prep, but it will be a lot easier here, where we have more freedom.”

“Exactly,” Mal agreed, more coherent now that she’d had her coffee. “And it’s just like I said yesterday.  This isn’t a big deal.  Just communicate and take care of each other.  This doesn’t have to be hard.”

“But some parts of it should be,” Jay said with a playful wink.

Carlos didn’t even look up from his last piece of waffle, smacking Jay’s arm with a grumpy sort of familiarity that made them all laugh.

“Whatever,” Audrey said, putting her dishes in the sink before she grabbed Ben’s shoulder. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Ben tensed. “Um, okay-” But he was already being dragged off, into the depths of the house. 

“Harry,” Uma said. “You want to start with Mal or Jay?”

“Neither,” Harry hissed, his cheeks lighting in a furious blush.

Uma gave him a look that was truly unimpressed, and Harry relented.

“Mal, I guess,” Harry grumbled, his shoulders hunched defensively.

“So long as you ‘guess’,” Mal huffed with a roll of her eyes, but then she was taking Harry’s hand and dragging him out of the room too.

“Carlos?” Jay asked, quirking a brow at the young De Ville.

“Um… Doug?” Carlos tried, making the dwarf kin blush.

“I- right,” Doug said, nodding. “I’d be honored.”

“Just make sure you take your time stretching him,” Uma advised, making both of their blushes darken. “Jay, you’re with me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jay said, perking up with a grin.  He dutifully followed Uma out of the room, leaving the rest of them awkwardly behind.

“So… Evie began diplomatically. “I suppose it’s you and me then, Gil.”

“But what about Chad?” Gil asked, his brows furrowed.

Evie’s expression froze – maybe surprised, Chad didn’t know, he also didn’t want to further investigate it, to be perfectly honest.

“You and I already um- completed the thing,” Chad said. “So you need to be with Evie now.”

Gil considered this for a few painful seconds, Chad terrified that he would point out the fact that Chad hadn’t been with Evie yet either, because Chad knew they needed to get together but doing anything with an audience, even if that audience was Gil-

It was too similar to Wonderland.  And Gil had been nice about it, but Chad was afraid the others wouldn’t be. 

“I’ll just catch up with one of the others later,” Chad offered, which seemed to comfort Gil. “It’s okay, you guys have fun.”

“Are you sure?” Evie asked, her voice so very gentle.

Chad swallowed. “I’m sure.” He mustered a grin for them. “Have fun.”

“We will!” Gil chirped, rising to his feet with a bounce. “Evie, may I carry you to our room?”

Evie blinked, not seeming to expect the suggestion, and then broke into a lovely smile. “I would like that very much, Gil.”

“Cool, because I would also like that,” Gil chirped, and then she was in his arms, laughing, the blond pirate cheerfully carrying her out into the hall, off towards a bed.

Chad stood there, trapped in silence save for the own frantic beating of his heart, and dealt with the fact that he was alone again.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar occurrence.  He should really learn to not be a baby about it.

With a sigh, Chad turned towards the array of dirty dishes that had been left behind and got to work, taking comfort in the familiar patterns of cleaning.  

-:-:-

When the dishes were finished, Chad portioned off the remnants of breakfast and started on a light lunch spread that would be easy to eat. He made sandwiches and a pasta salad and considered making cookies but was afraid of the time commitment.  What if one of the others finished up while he was mid-process?  How long did it take to have sex anyway? 

And then he was struck with the thought of how it would look for him to just be lingering in the kitchen where they’d left him – how pathetic that would be – which made him relocate to the library.  He tried to get more work done, tried to read, but his mind wouldn’t stay focused, knowing what the others were doing.  They’d probably return to the kitchen after they were finished, or maybe they’d cuddle?  Shower?  He didn’t know.  His only experiences were with Mal and Jay, and they both seemed like unique outliers. 

This wasn’t a big deal, Mal had said it wasn’t a big deal, but Chad couldn’t help but panic.  How was he supposed to ask for sex anyway?  He didn’t talk all that much as a matter of conditioning, and even that could be annoying if his scavenger hunt partner, Fritz, was any indication.   What if he stammered all over himself?

It was the kind of thing he would talk to Dr. Sweet about, but Chad was pretty sure this entire expedition was supposed to be a secret, even from his therapist.  In a way, maybe this could be good for him.  Dr. Sweet was always going on about how Chad needed to put himself out there, and um- that was pretty much what this entire weekend was about, right?  He just needed to put himself out there like- sexually. 

It was very stressful.  Chad tried to counteract that stress by curling up in the sunny window seat at the far side of the library.  Settling there almost felt like his old attic room back in Sardinia, only the cushions were much softer and the view less terrifying.  It was easy for Chad to rest against the sun-warmed window, staring out at the rhythmic shift of the ocean, taking comfort in the far cry of birds and wind and sea. 

He didn’t even realize he was drifting off until his eyelids became too heavy to hold open, and between one breath and the next he was out, safely contained in a soft ray of sunshine.

Chapter Text

Chad woke up later with a crick in his neck, his body feeling pleasantly warm and more rested than before.  He shifted upright with a groan, rubbing tiredly at his eyes as he slowly came back to himself – where he was, what he was doing-

The sex.

That made him sit up with a startle, had him shoving to his feet while he tried to straighten himself out.  He was supposed to be trying to complete their reward or trial or whatever like Mal said, and he’d passed out in the library while he was hiding away from the world, just like usual.  When Chad was as presentable as he could be, he braved the hallways of the beach house, wandering back towards the kitchen with an air of trepidation. 

When he got there, it was to see Harry and Audrey more or less passed out against each other, the princess half asleep and nibbling on a waffle stick, Harry curled around her, seeming determined to act like some kind of blanket. 

Both of them were half-dressed, Harry missing his shirt and Audrey her pants, and neither one of them seemed too upset by the numerous bite marks that littered their throats.

“Did ye make the food?” Harry slurred, holding up one of the sandwiches.

Chad nodded.

“Thanks,” Audrey grumbled around her waffle, and then they went back to cuddling together, trading bites of food.

Chad wasn’t an expert, but he was pretty sure both of them were too exhausted to consider having sex with him.  He moved on like the polite person he was, keeping his eyes peeled as he wandered the beach house.  He paused when he got to the wide windows that looked out onto the patio deck, because that was- yeah, that was definitely Uma pinning Evie to a sun lounger, both of them very naked, Uma’s hand settled between Evie’s legs while the princess crooned and shook beneath her.

Oh, wow- yeah-

Chad kept walking before either of them could catch him being a creeper, though the image was very pretty. 

Things didn’t much improve.  He seemed to keep stumbling upon people actively having sex or clearly exhausted post-sex, and Chad felt so awkward lingering nearby that he made himself keep moving.  He knew he just needed to wait, needed to be patient, but he wasn’t entirely sure what to do.  He felt lost.

Before, he’d had the mushroom connecting him to Mal so she and Jay had to be with him.  And then when they’d gotten rid of the mushrooms, Mal seemed to enjoy spending time with him still. 

But now there were so many other people who were entirely more impressive than Chad – Chad, who couldn’t just sit back and be cool for five minutes.  No, instead he had to wander around the beach house, steadily avoiding all the bedrooms while he wondered how he was supposed to insert himself somewhere he probably wasn’t wanted.  Which wasn’t an unfamiliar challenge in his life, it was just one he had hoped had been left behind him.

Apparently that was not the case.    

-:-:-

While Chad did not find any available partners (or confidence), he did find a large attic storage space that immediately felt like home.  It was well kept – with slanted, hardwood ceilings and polished wood floors.  It was clearly a space intended to hold seasonal decorations and alternate furniture, but it had a large window seat just like back home – had a thin layer of dust and a solid woody smell that Chad found comforting.  There were even a few extra mattresses hidden in its depths.  Chad managed to distract himself by making a nest with spare blankets on one of them, locating a few lamps and pillows and feeling a bit better about having a place to retreat to that was out of the way.  It wasn’t the most glamorous thing, but it was familiar, and Chad liked it a lot. 

When he could kill no more time in the attic, Chad wandered back downstairs, past the sound of enthusiastic copulation and back into the kitchen which was thankfully empty.  Chad gathered the few dirty dishes he found and washed them and then, for lack of anything else to do, started on dinner.  Hand pies seemed like an easy, filling choice, and they were a nice distraction since he had to make the dough and peel the potatoes and brown the meat anyway. 

Look at him, being productive.  He was a productive, helpful person.  He wasn’t noisy or obnoxious or demanding, he was good. 

Maybe if they saw how good he was, they’d um- want to have sex with him.  That could be cool. 

-:-:-

Chad was in the process of actually filling and crimping the pies when a bedraggled Jay waltzed into the room, a sleepy Carlos on his heels.

“Ugh,” Jay said, flopping against Chad’s back and curling his arms around his waist. “I am so tired.  You are a god.  A god of making food for undeserving peons.”

He started kissing up Chad’s neck, own hand moving to untuck Chad’s shirt like a sort of promise.  Usually when he did that, he snuck a hand up to caress Chad’s stomach, and they’d make out for a bit before the hand dipped lower, and the very prospect of it filled Chad with a sudden warmth. 

Okay, see, that hadn’t been hard at all.  Chad just had to be available and Jay had come, eager and willing and cuddly enough that Chad didn’t feel so adrift anymore.

“Hey, no,” Mal growled when she wandering into the room, shooting Jay a tired glare. “No distractions.  He’s making food.”

“But I want to reward him,” Jay moaned, licking at Chad’s neck.  “You don’t mind, do you, blondie?”

“I mind,” Mal said before Chad could respond, flopping down onto a chair and promptly dragging Carlos into her lap. “If you want to be useful, you can magic finger me and Carlos back into shape so we can go another round.”

“Mal,” Carlos whined, cheeks blushing hot. “Not in the kitchen.”

“Fine,” she sighed, rising to her feet with Carlos cradled in her arms, which never failed to make Chad awed, because apparently she could use her magic to enhance her strength or something. 

With that, she carried her pouting Carlos into the living room, the young De Ville whining all the while.

“I’ll reward you later,” Jay promised, nipping at Chad’s jaw. “Promise.”

And with that, he slipped away, and a few moments later the sound of Carlos’ moans carried through the kitchen.

So.  That was fun.

-:-:-

Chad got the meat pies out of the oven but didn’t feel up for another group meeting.  He grabbed a sandwich and headed up towards the attic, trying to forget how happy Mal had sounded doing whatever she’d done with Carlos. 

Chad wasn’t supposed to be greedy.  It was annoying.  No one liked annoying princes. 

He just wished someone wanted to touch him.  Was he doing something wrong?  The hiding probably didn’t help, but that was second nature at this point.  He was pretty sure he was reasonably good looking, Mal and Jay certainly seemed to think so.

He just didn’t know.

-:-:-

He wavered with indecision for a little while before he eventually braved the comfort of Gil’s room.  Luckily, the other blond was already there, humming to himself as he flipped through one of the cookbooks that had been in the kitchen.

When he caught Chad lingering in the doorway, he immediately lit up. “Hey, Chad!” he greeted, setting the cookbook aside. “You made all the food today, right?  I was looking through the recipes so I could see how to make them.”

“Oh.” Chad blinked, because that was an entirely sweet thing to do, which made sense because it was Gil. “I um- made most of them from memory,” he said, managing enough courage to walk into the room, settling at the foot of the bed.

“Really?” Gil seemed amazed by this. “That’s awesome.  You did a really good job, everything tasted great!”

There was nothing special about fruit salad or sandwiches or waffles, but Chad appreciated the compliment nonetheless. 

“Thank you,” he said, a smile pulling at his lips.  It didn’t even feel forced.

“So, how’d you do?” Gil asked, getting to the heart of the matter.  “I got to be with Evie and Carlos and Uma, and I’m taking a break before I go find Doug.”

“Um…” Whatever good feeling Chad had managed to capture evaporated, immediately replaced with panic and mild shame. “I um- didn’t get with anyone today.”

“You haven’t?” Gil seemed terribly confused by this. “But you’re so cute.”

Chad felt himself blush. “They were um- all busy.” Which at least was true.  “How… how did you get them to, you know-”

“Have sex?” Gil asked, Chad feeling horribly embarrassed by his blunt delivery. “I dunno, I mostly just asked.”

He asked.  Gil had just asked.

It was Gil, though.  Gil who was sweet, Gil who was kind.  No one would want to turn him away.  Chad certainly wouldn’t.

“Okay,” Chad said, mulling that over. “Um- thank you, Gil.”

“You’re welcome!” Gil chirped. “And don’t worry about it.  We still have one and a half days.  I’m sure you’ll have plenty of people fighting over you tomorrow.”

Chad sincerely doubted it, but he always appreciated Gil’s optimism.

“Thank you,” he said, tugging at his sleeve. “I’ll um- just get out of your hair.  Please give Doug my best.”

“I will!” Gil cheered.

Chad wasn’t sure if he felt any better leaving the other blond, but he thought he might be close?  He didn’t know. 

At least he had the beginnings of a plan now, maybe. 

-:-:-

Chad found Jay sprawled across his bed sometime later, the Agraben looking bitten up, a motley of dark bruises littering his throat.

“Sorry,” he murmured once he caught sight of Chad. “I know I um- promised rewards, but Ben found me and…” He motioned to his neck. “Man, am I tired.”

Chad didn’t blame him.  He was pretty sure if he got bitten up by Ben, he’d feel exhausted too.

“Cuddle me?” Jay asked, holding an arm out to him, looking hopeful. 

Seeing as Chad’s favorite thing to do with Jay was cuddle, it was an unnecessary hope.  Chad was always happy to cozy up to him, so that was what he did, kicking off his loafers for the first time that day so he could nuzzle into Jay’s side, taking comfort in the heat of his body.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Jay hummed, his lips brushing the top of Chad’s head. “That’s perfect.” 

Chad shivered, immensely grateful to have done something right that day. 

-:-:-

“Okay, gang,” Ben said the next morning when Chad was pulling the breakfast quiches and blueberry muffins out of the oven. “I have some news.”

“Is it about your use of the word ‘gang’?” Mal asked, her nose scrunched in confusion. “Because that was a choice, and it wasn’t a good choice.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Evie soothed just as Ben got all red and shy. “What happened, Ben?”

With Evie’s encouragement, it seemed easy for Ben to get back on track. “Right.  Well, there was some kind of gas leak back at the school, and while the administration is pretty sure they’ll have it taken care of in a few days, they decided to go ahead and cancel school for the rest of the week just to be safe.  Which means-”

“The rest of our time here won’t have to be quite so sex-marathon-ish?” Mal offered, grinning. “Sounds fucking good to me.  I mean, I like sex, but that-”

“Yeah,” Ben laughed, scratching the back of his head in a sort of bashful way. “We can slow down now.  Take our time.  Maybe have an actual vacation.”

“What I’m hearing is beach day,” Uma said, steepling her fingers together with a wicked smirk. “You guys up for a lazy Sunday?”

“Yes,” Mal sighed, grinning. “Never thought I’d say this, but a sex-free day sounds pretty good right now.”

“Or at least a sex-free afternoon,” Jay chirped. “If we do one a day from here on out, we should be fine, right?”

“Probably,” Doug agreed, and then they all started discussing possible beach plans, Ben talking about some of the stuff they had in storage they could use, Gil asking Chad if they could pack a picnic, and-

Well… they’d have to have sex with Chad eventually, right? 

Right.

-:-:-

Chad didn’t have a swimsuit. 

His grandfather never saw need for him to have one, seeing as Chad was kept strictly away from water at all times.  It was one of his father’s decrees, another thing that had made the air bubble travel so hectic, but the bottom line came down to Chad not really having any beach-appropriate clothing

It didn’t matter, though.  There were loungers and umbrellas and towels, a magically-constructed volleyball net and surfboards and kites.  There was plenty to do, and Chad mostly focused his efforts on getting their food ready.

“Such a sweetheart, taking care of us,” Mal had murmured, wrapping an arm around his waist and nuzzling his shoulder before she was off again, her attention demanded elsewhere. 

Chad held back when everyone first stormed down to the beach in their swimsuit covers under the guise of finishing lunch, and when he thought they were settled, he followed with the picnic basket, a book tucked under his arm. 

He had shed his loafers and rolled up his slacks so he wouldn’t get too sandy.  It was easy to claim one of the chairs positioned under an umbrella, fun to watch the others splash around in the waves, Uma already in her mer-form, cradling Mal and Doug in her tentacles, moving them through the water in careful motions.  It was a nice sight, seeing everyone in their swimsuits – the girls um- very pretty, and the boys dashing, so-

Yeah, very nice. 

Chad made it through a couple chapters before Jay jogged his way over to him, hair wet and plastered to his head as he threw himself down on the towel next to Chad.

“Hey, you’re still dressed up,” he said, aiming a lazy smile at Chad as he reclined in a particularly dashing pose.  “Didn’t feel like swimming?”

Chad shrugged. “I don’t have swim trunks.”

“You didn’t bring any?” Jay asked, cocking his head to the side.

Chad felt himself blush. “I um- don’t own any.”

That seemed to make Jay pause, which was reasonable, because Chad was an Auradon kid.  There was no reason for him not to have a swimsuit.

“That’s a bummer,” Jay settled on, chewing on his lip. “I was hoping I could see you run around shirtless.” He paused for a moment, then shrugged, shifting up onto his knees. “Well, that’s fine, we can occupy ourselves in other ways.”

Chad paused, unsure of his intent, but then Jay was crawling between his legs, urging them wide with a sly look.

“Jay?” Chad murmured as the other teen started undoing his belt. “What um- what are you-?”

“Getting your key in my lock,” Jay said with a wink, pressing Chad’s fly open and ducking forward so he could start mouthing at the blond’s underwear. “I’ve been thinking about this all night.”

“Um.” Normally Chad was all for Jay’s attentions, all for submitting himself to Jay’s whirlwind engagements, but that was usually in private, or if it wasn’t, the only other person there was Mal, who thought Chad was a cutie patootie and whispered nice things about seeing ‘her boys’ in action.  “They um- they might see.”

Jay – whose fingers had been teasing at the waist of Chad’s underwear, likely intent to pull them down – froze, looking up at Chad with wide eyes. “Does it matter?” he asked, genuinely confused. “I mean, we’ve already watched most of each other have sex.”

Right.  Jay had, but Chad hadn’t, because he’d been asleep.  He’d woken up to a quick explanation and then gotten shoved into a private tea party that still left him shaking, and by the time he’d gotten out, the only sex stuff he’d seen was with Evie. 

Jay seemed to realize this about the time Chad tensed, his expression going immediately apologetic. “Fuck, I’m sorry.  I wasn’t thinking.  It’s just- everyone else, we sort of got desensitized, I forgot…”

That Chad was a baby.  That Chad was awkward and stupid and could only talk in stuttering sentences. 

“Chad,” Jay whined, realizing that he wasn’t helping the situation.  Or Chad wasn’t helping the situation, or something.

“I’m um- I think I’m gonna go inside,” Chad said, his face heated as he tried to put his clothes back in order, conscious of the phantom feel of Jay’s mouth against him.

“I’ll come with you,” Jay urged. “I can do this properly, like a not-shitty boyfriend.”  

“No, just- stay,” Chad said, redoing his belt. “The others- they- you should stay here.”

They would want Jay with them, playing and teasing and checking them out.  They wouldn’t miss Chad, and Chad couldn’t be selfish.

“I’m sorry,” Jay said, looking sad.

“It’s um- it’s okay,” Chad soothed, running an awkward hand through his hair. “I just- I- I don’t need this much sun anyway.”

And then, like the very courageous person he was, Chad beat a hasty retreat, book clutched tight to his chest and sand between his toes and Jay’s sad expression behind him. 

So maybe that hadn’t gone as well as it could have.

But such was life.

-:-:-

Chad spent the rest of the afternoon in the library. 

When it looked like the others were coming back inside, he retreated to the attic, reading a few more chapters until he was sure everyone would be busy getting clean from the day’s festivities.

Then he went downstairs, deciding to cook Maldonian that evening and started on the base for a nice, hearty pasta sauce.  Maybe he just wanted an excuse to make garlic bread, the champion of comfort foods.  Maybe he should make a chocolate cake. 

Carlos loved chocolate.  At the very least, maybe that would finally win the young De Ville over to him.

“Heard Jay was stupid,” was how Mal greeted him when dinner was mostly done.  Her pretty swimsuit was traded out for her oversized lounge clothes, and Chad loved them a lot, because they seemed determined to swallow her whole.

Chad ducked his head and went back to buttering the garlic bread. “He was trying to do something nice.  It was nice.”

Chad was just stupid.

Mal made a face. “If it wasn’t what you wanted, it wasn’t nice.” She leaned into his side, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Good on you for shutting him down.”

The majority of Chad’s motivation for doing that had been fear, which didn’t really seem worthy of commemoration.  Chad was a coward that had been on edge to bare himself despite the fact that none of the others would have likely cared.  It was just- they were so pretty, and what if he fell short in comparison?  What if he was plain and just… weak?

“Are you okay with all this?” Mal asked, staring at Chad carefully. “I know casual sex doesn’t always come easy for you.”

Because Chad hadn’t done it yet with Carlos or Ben, he hadn’t with Evie, but that was because he thought she didn’t like him like that.  Now he avoided her because of nerves. 

Mal was his girlfriend.  She had claimed him in front of the school when she didn’t have to, she held his hand when he was uneasy, she cuddled him when he felt low, but Mal was also a super important person.  She was in charge of her crew, was loved by Ben, the most important person in all of Auradon.  Therefor, Chad could not be a giant baby and take up more of her time than necessary.  She was already being very generous with him; he couldn’t demand more.

“I’m okay,” Chad whispered, wishing the lie felt even slightly true.

Mal narrowed her eyes, but relented, nodding her head. “You let me know if that changes.”

It had already changed, but Chad would keep that to himself.  It was the best plan.  

-:-:-

He didn’t cuddle with Jay that night.  He still felt awkward, but without Jay, his options were limited.  He was down to Mal, and she was always in high demand.  That night she seemed to be cuddling with Uma, Evie, and Audrey – a girl slumber party or something, and Chad definitely couldn’t invade that, so-

He looked into Gil’s room, but the pirate was with Harry and Doug.

Chad slept up in the attic.

It was kind of like home.

-:-:-

New day, new start.  Chad was determined to get things right this time, to shake out of his shell and be more productive.  It helped that he’d gotten a full night’s rest in the attic, had been able to sleep with the help of the lamps and his nest and the familiar atmosphere.  It was probably sad, how Chad felt more comfortable resting on a mattress on the floor than he did in an actual bed with any of his partners, but life was hard enough as it was without judging his coping mechanisms, so he decided to take the full rest for what it was – a positive note.

He was still up before the others, but he didn’t have quite as much time to kill.  He made breakfast – burritos accompanied by mini pancake cups – and had the coffee going by the time the first of the others wandered in. 

It just so happened that the first one was Harry, his dark locks rumpled, sticking up in a wild disarray save for the small braid that rested against his shoulder.

“Fucking hell,” he yawned, looking over Chad’s work before he migrated over to the coffee pot. “You’re a fucking wizard in the kitchen, aren’t ye?”

“Yeah?” Chad tried, focusing on filling the pancake cups with fruit so he wouldn’t have to look at Harry. “I um…”

Was forced to, because no one would cook for him in the castle.  He’d been allowed to use the kitchen, but he had to clean it when he was done, clean everything, make it look like he had never been never there or he’d get in trouble and wouldn’t be allowed to use it again for a few weeks, forcing him to live off breakfast bars and room temperature canned soup. 

“I like it,” Chad said, because that wasn’t entirely a lie.  He liked eating warm food, and he liked preparing good food for the people he cared about.  There was a sort of nice feeling to it.  Something satisfying. 

“Gilly likes it too,” Harry grumbled, slumping against the counter as he watched the coffee percolate. “Maybe ye could work together sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Chad enjoyed the prospect of sharing a kitchen with Gil.  Of sharing anything with Gil.  He was so bright and cheerful, he made Chad feel more at ease just by being nearby. 

Harry made a grunt of something like approval and they fell into an uneasy silence.  Or, it was uneasy for Chad, because it was Chad, but Harry probably didn’t register anything.

New day, new Chad.  New day, new Chad.  He could do this.

“Um- do you want to have sex?” Chad asked before he could lose his nerve.

Gil said all he had done was ask, maybe that was what Chad had been missing.

Harry paused, turning to stare at him with a slow kind of swivel, his brows furrowed. “…what?”

“Sex,” Chad repeated, feeling his face heat up. “Um- after breakfast, would you…” He made a vague motion with his hand, because of course he couldn’t actually say it. 

That would be convenient. That would make Mal look good. 

There was another beat, and then Harry’s cheeks blushed a dark shade of red. “I um- I have to see to the captain first,” he said, the words all coming in a sort of rush.

“Oh.” Chad paused, realizing that somehow Uma hadn’t had sex with Harry yet, despite them being like, the most in love humans Chad knew. “Okay.  That- yeah.  Sorry.”

Harry’s flush darkened. “It’s not like I won’t get around to ye,” he grumbled, glaring at the coffee pot.

Right, because he had to.  Because if he didn’t, he would devolve into a sex maniac for the rest of his life.

Maybe Chad shouldn’t be worried at all.  Maybe he was fretting for nothing.  Eventually they would have to come to him; they wouldn’t have a choice.

And maybe that was the part that was kind of awful.

-:-:-

Chad didn’t try again until after breakfast, using the time cleaning the dishes to quell his humiliation into something more manageable. 

Eventually, he stumbled upon Carlos by himself, the young De Ville tapping away at his laptop, likely working on one of his many coding projects.

Chad cleared his throat, tried to look enticing. “Hey, Carlos.”

The other teen blinked up from his laptop, seeming surprised to see Chad there, and never really transitioned away from an expression of wary interest. “Hey, Chad.”

“Um…” This was easy, it wasn’t a big deal. “Would um- you like to have sex?”

Carlos froze like Harry had, seeming not to expect the question in any capacity, and immediately got shifty. “Actually, I promised to um- check in with Evie,” he said, his tone so weird Chad actually wasn’t sure if he was lying or not. “Thanks for reminding me, though.  Maybe later.”

With that, he tucked his laptop under his arm and beat a tactful retreat, leaving Chad awkwardly standing on his own, wondering what he’d done wrong.

Maybe approaching Carlos was where it’d gone screwy.  Maybe he shouldn’t have talked at all.

He didn’t know.

-:-:-

While Chad’s confidence was admittedly shaken, he tried not to give up.  He wanted to be cool, wanted to make Mal proud, and he couldn’t do that by being an awkward defeatist. 

So he kept his eyes open for someone by themselves, anyone by themselves, and by chance managed to stumble onto Uma. 

Which was weird, because he was pretty sure Harry was supposed to be having sex with her, but maybe he was done?  It had been a bit.  Maybe Harry was like- a fast sexer, or something. 

“Um- hi, Uma,” Chad offered as he edged out onto the sundeck where the captain was stretched out on one of the loungers, soaking up the sun’s rays. “How… are you doing?”

“I’m good,” Uma chirped, glancing up at Chad over the rim of her aqua sunglasses. “And you?”

“Also good,” Chad settled on, tugging nervously at his sleeve. “Um… so-”

“You want to have sex,” Uma deduced, sitting up with a stretch while Chad just sort of stood there blushing.

“If you don’t mind,” Chad said, sort of surprised he’d made it this far. “I- it um, probably won’t be good.”

“Relax, slick,” Uma said, twisting so her legs were over the side of the lounger before she patted the spot next to her.  She wanted him to- oh.  Okay, he could do that. “It will be fine.  Awkward sex is what teenagers do.”

That actually made Chad feel a lot better, which made it easier for him to sit down next to her, ducking his head. “Would you like to go inside?”

“Why?” Uma asked, pulling her legs up under her, shifting onto her knees as she turned to face Chad. “It’s private property.”

Chad flushed. “Someone might see.”

“Kiddo,” Uma drawled. “They’ve got the same parts as you.  Trust me, it doesn’t matter.” She set a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her. “What, you got something to be ashamed of?”

‘You’re just like her, you know,’ his grandfather’s voice snarled in his ear. ‘A desperate whore trying to reach beyond her means.  You are an embarrassment, Chadwick, a shame upon our family.  Do us a favor and hide away, while we can still pretend to be respectable’. 

Somehow, Chad found himself on his feet, Uma staring up at him with a strange expression.

“I um- I need to go,” Chad murmured, stumbling for the door. “Sorry, captain.”

“Chad-” She spoke up, turning to follow him, but he’d already closed the door, already forced himself down the hall because he was such a disappointment. 

And there was only one place for disappointments.

Chapter Text

He started biting his hands again.

He couldn’t help it.  He’d been bad, and bad things deserved punishments, and he didn’t have anyone here to give one to him so he had to give one to himself. 

There was a reason Fairy Godmother had given him that healing cream in the first place, the one that didn’t work on the mushrooms.  It was her one magic indulgence, to help Chad cover up the bite marks he couldn’t help but cover his skin with, a sort of compulsion he couldn’t fight, even though Dr. Sweet seemed so sure that he could. 

He hid in a far corner of the attic, biting his hands into a mess until it seemed easier to breathe again. 

When the immediate panic subsided, he started tugging at his hair the way his grandfather used to, when Chad had lost his privileges to be in the main spaces of the castle and needed to be locked up in his attic where he couldn’t be seen.  If Chad wasn’t stupid, wasn’t useless, maybe he could be loved.  If he wasn’t such a disappointment, maybe his father would have liked him.  There was just no way of knowing.

By the time Chad had settled, it was late in the afternoon.  He’d missed making lunch and felt terrible about it until he realized there was nothing he could do, so he tried to use some of the breathing exercises Dr. Sweet taught him to get somewhere close to normal.

When he was steady, he crawled over to the bag that he’d brought up yesterday, rummaging through it for Fairy Godmother’s cream so he could apply it to the bitemarks, waiting for the magic to heal him.  She wouldn’t be happy to know that half the tube was gone already, but Chad really had been doing better.  After Mal had claimed him, he hadn’t felt as compelled to hurt himself so much.  It was just- this was hard, and it wasn’t even supposed to be.

Which meant Chad was making it hard. 

-:-:-

“Hey,” Uma said when Chad was taking the mini chicken pot pies out of the oven.  “Are you okay?”

Chad didn’t jolt because he was exhausted, but he wasn’t so tired that he could look at her and maintain his composure, so he offered a distracted shrug. “Yeah, I am.  Thanks for asking.”

“Are you sure?” Uma pressed. “Because you didn’t look okay earlier.”

Chad frowned, not sure what to say to her.  Should he apologize?  It didn’t really work with his grandfather, but everyone here seemed more reasonable than him.

“I’m sorry,” Chad settled on. “I um- didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“And I didn’t mean to freak you out,” Uma said, her gaze seeming to bore into the side of Chad’s head.  “What happened?”

“I don’t-” Chad swallowed, hunching his shoulders. “I um- like privacy.”

“That’s not what Gil said,” Uma hummed, making Chad falter, the prince just barely managing to get his tray onto the hot pads before he stared at her with wide eyes. “He didn’t go into details,” she assured him. “But he mentioned that you liked to put on a show.”

‘You’re a whore’ his grandfather spat. ‘Don’t dabble in sexual proclivities, Chadwick.  You’ll become an addict, desperate for your next fix, and debase Sardinia with that slut’s blood buzzing through your veins.  Do try to stay out of the way.´

“I…” Chad felt his composure breaking, and was glad the food was out of the oven because he felt faint. “I um-”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Uma said. “Blondie, there’s nothing wrong with-”

“I need to go,” Chad said, throwing off his oven mitts and making a beeline for the door.  Uma intercepted him as he rounded the counter, caught his shoulder until he was forced to turn, to look at her. 

“Hey,” she said, her voice firm. “Whoever made you feel bad for what you like-”

“I don’t like that,” Chad rushed to say, humiliation swamping him as he thought back on that first visit to Wonderland.  The dress, Ben-but-not-Ben’s arm wrapped around him, showing Chad off to any and everyone, the other prince nuzzling his hair. 

Real Ben cuddled Chad sometimes, but he never held him like that.  Never looked at him with such open lust, like he had to have Chad or break apart from desire.

Uma sighed. “Blondie-”

“What’s going on?” And that was Ben, perfect Ben, who was always so composed and calm and nice and everything Chad was supposed to be and could never manage. “Is everything okay?”

“No,” Uma huffed. “Blondie here-”

“I need to go,” Chad repeated, a terrible heat building behind his eyes.  He wanted to bite his hands again.  Needed to tug at his hair, needed someone to hit him or starve him because he was bad.  Maybe he should go lock himself in a closet.  It didn’t seem suitable, but it would have to do in a pinch.

“Chad?” Ben sounded all worried, which he shouldn’t, because he was on vacation and he was dashing and he was perfect and Chad was just a fuckup waste of space. “What’s wrong?”

“I think he’s having a panic attack,” Uma muttered, eying the way Chad was trembling because he was doing that now too. “Just breathe, sweetheart, it will be okay.  Everyone here loves you.”

The words seemed to shatter something within Chad, because for all the weeks they’d been dating, not one of his partners had said that they loved him.

‘You don’t deserve love, Chadwick,’ his grandfather sneered. ‘Such things are for princes.  You are but a blight, a wretch, and you will be treated accordingly’. 

At this point, Chad was almost certain that nobody loved him.

Chad bolted, shaking out of Uma’s hold and charging up the stairs as fast as he could.  He managed to make it to the attic by the time he started crying, managed to make it into his nest when the tears poured down his cheeks, his chest tight with a sort of pain that couldn’t be soothed with bandages. 

He curled into as tight a ball as he could and tried to let his tears out, biting at his hands and pulling at his hair, wondering if it would ever be over.  Wondering when it would be over, because he’d messed it up so well.

That was what he did, though. 

He was a blight.  Blight’s ruined things.

-:-:-

He stayed there most of the night, trying to calm himself down.  When he got close, his hands were a bloody mess and his scalp hurt and his eyes felt itchy and dry, but at least it was over.  He needed… something.  He needed to do something but he didn’t know what.  He couldn’t sleep like this.  He didn’t deserve his nest.  Didn’t deserve this easy comfort.  He should- he needed to clean.  That was his job, cleaning.  He was good at it.  Like he’d never been there at all. 

Chad didn’t heal up his hands.  He didn’t deserve it, but mostly, he didn’t need it.  His watch said it was late, late enough that they should all be sleeping by now.  He descended from the attic slowly, tugging at his rumpled sweater until he found himself back in the kitchen.  There were dishes stacked in the sink.  A few cups littering the table.  He needed- he should clean it. 

He found rubber gloves under the sink and got to work, washing and stacking all the dishes before wiping down the counters.  He set the oven to clean just to be thorough and started sweeping.  Should he mop or polish the cabinets first?  He always did the floor last, but a desperate part of him wanted to scrub at the grout.  Maybe he could scrub, polish, then mop?  It wouldn’t hurt to be thorough.  It was always better to be thorough.  It wasn’t good if he was lazy. 

He was maybe halfway through scrubbing the kitchen tile, down on his hands and knees with a scrub brush and the determination of someone who would not fail, when he heard movement near the entrance of the kitchen.  He didn’t look up because he was busy, because he was probably hearing things.  He did that, sometimes, when he was feeling desperately lonely.  He imagined sounds to pretend he wasn’t alone, because he wasn’t good enough to not be alone.

“Chad?”

The prince jolted at the sound of Audrey’s voice and looked up to see the princess peering down at him, dressed in a pretty pink nightgown with Doug’s cardigan thrown over the top.

For a few seconds they just sort of stared at each other.

Eventually, Audrey cleared he throat. “What are you doing?”

“…the floor,” Chad said somewhat lamely. “I um- it was dirty.”

Audrey’s fine brows furrowed together. “Not that dirty.”

No, not anymore, because Chad had cleaned it.  He was helpful. 

He saw her take her bottom lip between her teeth, saw her chew on it in a moment of indecision before she spoke up.  “Have you slept?”

“Yeah?” Not recently, but he’d- he’d done it.  That wasn’t a lie.  He wasn’t so far gone that he wasn’t sleeping.

Eventually he’d have to pass out – that was just the way it worked.  Eventually his body would give up on him.

Audrey sighed, and then she settled on the ground, her legs neatly folded up underneath her. “This has been very stressful for you, hasn’t it?”

Chad didn’t dare relax, but he didn’t flinch either, likely too worked up to manage his usual defensive reactions.  It felt like a trap, but Audrey was nice now, so he was pretty sure it wasn’t one.  She and Mal were friends and stuff, and they liked to make fun of Jay together.  Maybe she was taking pity on him?

Chad decided to go with the truth for now, hoping it wouldn’t get back to Mal. “Yeah,” he admitted. “It’s… hard.”

“I get it,” Audrey hummed, even though she was the one that had kicked off their ‘sexcapades’ on the first day, who had dragged Ben from the room, determined to get things over with.  “You’re trying to hold onto things you can control.  It’s why you’ve been cooking everything, right?”

Chad was cooking because he wanted to be useful, because he had the time, because he couldn’t seem to interact with anyone for longer than a few minutes. 

But he liked Audrey’s suggestion better. “Yeah.”

Audrey nodded, pleased that her theory had been confirmed. “We appreciate it,” she said, which was sort of nice. “But you’re not obligated to do it, Chad.  Just like you’re not obligated to face your inner demons, despite whatever Uma says.” Chad tensed at the captain’s name, but Audrey didn’t seem upset. “I think she’s just in fixing mode, since that’s what all this mushroom nonsense has encouraged, but like- you take things at your own pace, okay?  And just know that we’re all here for you to talk to us whenever you’re ready.”

‘Everyone’ included the people not dating Chad, and Chad could barely talk to the people he was dating.  He didn’t want to burden them, didn’t want to show them how weak he was.  Maybe then they wouldn’t like him as much.  Maybe then they wouldn’t want him anymore. 

It was horrific to think about.

“Thanks, Audrey,” Chad whispered, trying to be polite. “I um- appreciate it.”

Audrey stared at him for a hard moment, as though she was peering into his soul, and eventually nodded. “Okay,” she said, seeming satisfied. “Maybe you can leave the floors for now?  The kitchen’s already clean, and you deserve to rest.”

Chad, did not, in fact, deserve that, but Audrey always said stuff with such confidence that he was willing to believe her even though there was a chance it wasn’t entirely true. 

“Okay,” Chad whispered, feeling pained to dump his water bucket, to wash out his brush.  His hands hurt and his eyes hurt and everything felt wrong.  He couldn’t leave a job half-finished but Audrey wanted him to, and it left him twisted up inside.

“You’re not going to stay up much longer, right?” Audrey asked, a glass of water in her hands.  She must have- right, that must have been why she came down in the first place.

“I won’t,” Chad promised, keeping his gaze down. 

Eventually Audrey left, and while Chad yearned to return to the floors, he had a feeling she would come back for him if he didn’t leave, so he forced himself back upstairs, back into the safety of the attic.    

-:-:-

He wasn’t able to get much sleep. 

The kitchen floors taunted him, making it difficult to get any rest.  By the time the sun started filtering into the attic, Chad’s body ached, his eyes dry and itchy and hands scabbed over and he felt distinctly gross and awful. 

He healed up his hands in awkward, fumbling movements.  Took a change of clothes and managed to find an abandoned bedroom so he could get cleaned up.  He felt better after showering, like he could wash the trials of the night away.  He almost looked like his regular self when he caught his reflection in the mirror.  He seemed respectable and maybe even cute, which was all Mal needed.  Yeah, he was pretty sure she’d be happy with him, and he rode that minor comfort all the way down to the kitchen.

Well, almost to the kitchen. 

He froze outside of it, halting when he caught Harry standing very close to Ben.  Harry um- looming, sort of, his hands settled on Ben’s hips and boxing the prince into the counter, and Ben-

He seemed okay with the transaction.  His cheeks were flushed, but he wasn’t discouraging Harry, didn’t do anything but stare with that sultry, half-lidded look of his, like Harry was a meal he was desperate to eat.

Ben had never looked at Chad that way, which was something the blond ruminated over before the two started to kiss right there in the kitchen, likely thinking they were safe in the early hours of the morning. 

“Who’s my beast?” Harry drawled, his voice a low tease as he angled a thigh between Ben’s legs.  “Who needs me?”

“I do,” Ben whispered, strangled and conflicted, but his gaze fluttered shut when Harry started dragging him forward, allowing the tall prince to grind against his thigh. 

But they had- they’d already-

They’d had sex in Wonderland.  The others were making the most of it, but this didn’t need to happen.  Should it be happening at all?

Chad didn’t know, and he hated it.  He found himself retreating to the sound of Ben’s whimpers, making a beeline for the library at the far side of the house, hoping that would be safe at least.    

-:-:-

The problem was that Chad wasn’t sure if he should tell Mal.

It seemed like a no-brainer, Ben was Mal’s boyfriend, Mal should probably know, but what if this retreat was like, a free pass?  What if they could kiss and make out with anyone they weren’t dating because of the reward and things would turn back to normal once they got back to the school?  Maybe that was an unspoken thing Chad hadn’t picked up on.

And if it was, he couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that none of them had sought him out yet.  None of them had wanted to kiss or cuddle or make out with him, probably because he was so high maintenance.  He was too touchy.  He was finicky and weird and no amount of cuteness could make up for it. 

Which wasn’t a revelation he particularly needed, but it was the one he was stuck with.  So that was his life.   

And the morning had seemed so promising.

-:-:-

Chad was late getting to the kitchen because he was terrified of running into Harry and Ben, so by the time he actually got there Gil was already making breakfast, flipping pancakes while humming a jaunty tune under his breath.  Chad immediately put himself to work cooking up some bacon and scrambled eggs, trying to have a slightly more balanced breakfast while he distracted himself from having to meet the others’ eyes.

“I have a surprise today,” Ben said, looking calm and collected and not at all like he’d been ravished by a pirate. “There’s this interactive museum about half an hour from here, and I thought maybe we could all go and check it out as a fun outing?  Maybe get some lunch?”

“And give Chad a break from cooking?” Mal asked with a laugh, seemingly oblivious to the weird look Audrey shot her. “Yeah, that sounds good to me.  I’m down with doing nerd shit.”

Ben flushed. “It’s um- not just nerdy stuff.  It’s fun!”

“Relax, Ben,” Jay said, his smile easy and fond. “We highly encourage our crewmates’ eternal thirst for knowledge.  We’re onboard.”

“And we get lunch,” Gil chirped, which seemed to make everybody laugh. 

Chad wished he could manage to inspire such joy as easily as Gil did, but he had a distinct understanding of his limitations.

For now, he’d stick to cooking and try not to stretch beyond his means.

-:-:-

They prepared to leave right after breakfast.  There was the usual chaos of people walking back and forth, half of them returning to their rooms to get properly dressed while the other half worked on daily duties like homework and phone calls and route planning and stuff. 

Chad distracted himself by cleaning up the kitchen since he was already dressed, and when it got closer to their leaving time, he looked over each of the others, scanning them as a nervous sort of habit. 

“Okay, everyone, limo’s out front!” Mal called, herding them all out the door with a lazy wave of her hand. “Let’s do this.”

“Alright, we’re coming,” Carlos grumbled, and Chad caught that he had a familiar satchel looped over his shoulder.  It was the one he usually carried his tablet in, only Chad knew for a fact that was in the library.  He’d seen it that morning, when he was hiding.

It must have fallen out of the satchel.  Carlos would probably want it to for taking pictures or coding or videos.  He was attached to the thing – something of his own partial creation, and Chad knew he’d be annoyed if he accidentally left it behind. 

It made it a no brainer for Chad to duck back into the library, searching the cushions of the couch Carlos liked to bunker down on before he rediscovered the thing poking out between the pillows, just like Chad had seen it before.  It was nice to know he wasn’t going crazy. 

By the time he got back to the front room, the place was empty, everyone managing to clear out in a more or less orderly fashion.  Chad paused long enough to straighten some of the rugs that had been knocked aside in their exit, plumped a few pillows on the couch just to feel like everything was more orderly before he made his way outside, towards the limo.

Only… there was no limo. 

Chad paused.  He was pretty sure this was the door Mal had been motioning them out of.  It was the only door that led to the drive, which didn’t extend around any other parts of the house.  It was just the one road that led off into the forest surrounding the property, no roundabouts or circular drives or anything. 

He stood there for a moment, overwhelmed with the utter silence of it all – the lack of small talk and casual conversations cascading over each other leaving Chad with the sounds of nature – with seagulls and ocean and wind blowing through trees, but that was… that was it. 

They had left him. 

They had- they’d gotten in the car and they’d left him. 

He stood there dumbfounded, waiting to see if the car doubled back, if it had been a mistake.  They’d come rushing back and they’d apologize because even though Chad was weird, he was still one of them, and they hadn’t meant to leave him behind, but…

Ten minutes of waiting, and the limo didn’t come back. 

Chad clutched Carlos’ tablet to his chest, feeling a terrible heat build behind his eyes.  He pushed his way back into the house, abandoning the tablet on the end table by the door and just started walking, kept walking until he was back in the library, eyes hot and chest tight and feeling terribly foolish. 

Should he call them?  And if he called them, what would he say?  ‘Hey, you um- forgot me, your boyfriend, could you please turn around?’

And what if it wasn’t an accident?  What if it had been on purpose?  What if Chad had been too annoying and too needy so they’d left him behind?  Maybe they were glad to be rid of him.  His dad and grandfather always were. 

Chad ached at the thought of it.  Didn’t know what to do with himself.  Found himself biting his hands on reflex.  He bit down hard, trying to make himself bleed, aching and whimpering around his fingers but he deserved it for being such a fuck up.  He should have just let Jay give him a blowjob.  He should have just had sex outside with Uma.  He never should have talked to Harry or Carlos and he should have done better for Mal even though he didn’t know how or what he could have done. 

He curled up on the window seat, biting until his hands were a mess again, words feeling trapped in his throat.  He knew he was supposed to talk to Dr. Sweet when it got this bad, but Chad didn’t feel capable of speaking.  Damn, he’d gone non-verbal and he hadn’t even realized it.  That hadn’t happened in years.  Usually he could force himself to speak a little bit, but now he was terrified.  Terrified of what his grandfather would do if he bothered him, and somehow Chad would manage it, even though his grandfather had been taken away and Chad didn’t have to talk to him and his father seemed so very sad. 

He felt trapped in himself and was struggling with that when he distantly heard the door slam open. 

He jolted, eyes wide and hand still in his mouth, blinking away the tears he’d apparently been crying as he sat up straight. Had- did they come back for him?  It really was an accident? 

Chad sobbed with relief, fumbled for his handkerchief as he wobbled upright.  His distress could probably be excused, all things considered.  He just- he needed to clean up some and things would be fine.  He didn’t have time to get his hand cream but he could probably grab some gloves from the coat closet and play it off as being a germaphobe for the day.  Things would be fine. 

He darted into the bathroom, quickly splashing some water on his face to clear away the worst of his tears before he patted himself dry.  He rushed back through the halls, wondering why they weren’t calling his name – maybe they’d heard him?  Or they were waiting for him to come to them at his own pace, because they probably knew he was upset and needed time to recover.  It was thoughtful of them, to give him such time.  They knew he was a private person.

The entryway was empty by the time he got to it.  He paused long enough to grab a pair of gloves from the closet before he moved forward, inspecting the area the way he was taught…

Carlos’ tablet was gone. 

Chad noticed because it was red, a bright thing that stood out against the wood.  It was gone, and-

He pushed his way outside in time to see the limo driving away, maybe fifty yards down the road.  He stood there, frozen, watching it drive, and felt something shatter inside himself as hopeless tears poured down his cheeks.

They’d come back for the tablet but not for Chad.  They’d left Chad. 

Because he was such a stupid baby.  They probably didn’t want to date him anymore, either.  They certainly didn’t want to have sex with him, would only do so because they had to, because there was no choice. 

The thought had him sobbing, had him curling up right on the steps so he could cry into his knees, one hand shoved into his mouth so he could start biting it again.  His grandfather was right.  He was stupid.  He was worthless and he couldn’t even be a whore right.  He was a shame, a blight, a wretch, and Chad wanted him to be wrong, was desperate for it, but he couldn’t make it stop.  Couldn’t seem to fix himself no matter how hard he tried. 

Distantly, over the sound of his broken cries, he heard feet pounding against the gravel road.

“Chad?!” it was Jay, the other teen running towards him, voice panicked. “Chad!  Fuck.”

Chad didn’t move as he approached, couldn’t stop crying when he felt Jay collapse next to him, the Agraben looping an arm around his shoulders.

“Chad, Chad,” his voice seemed urgent. “I’m so fucking sorry, we thought you were up front with the driver, we thought you needed space-”

Chad sobbed, because the last thing he wanted was space.

“-you just seem so uncomfortable- Chad.” Jay dragged him close, trying to get the blond to look at him. “Please.  Please stop biting yourself, sweetheart.”

“Chad.” That was Mal, the other teen having come up behind Jay, having run from the limo that was pulled to a stop down the road.  “Fuck, I’m so sorry-”

Chad just shook, because they’d come back, but what had they come back to?  A mess?  He was a mess.  They wouldn’t want him anymore.

“Please,” Jay urged, nuzzling Chad’s hair. “Please don’t- don’t hurt yourself, please.  You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No, we did,” Mal said, falling to her knees before Chad, wrapping her dainty hands around his wrists. “We fucked up so badly, and you’ve been so good and so sweet and we took you for granted- I just thought you needed space.  I know this is a lot of people for you, I know you’re still struggling with Ben and Carlos and Evie, but please-”

Chad sobbed, letting go of his hands so he could cry brokenly into Jay’s side. 

“Talk to us, please,” Jay murmured, holding Chad close. “Please.  We need to know what’s going on.  We want to know what’s going on.”

Chad sobbed harder, because he couldn’t talk that day, he couldn’t manage the words even though they were asking him, they were doing that thing he’d wanted for so long but he was too messed up to appreciate it like to stupid schlub he was. 

“Is he okay?” That was Ben’s voice, and Chad managed to crack his eyes open enough to see that the limo had returned, that the others were gathered around it, watching him breakdown like an absolute loser.

It made Chad croak, had him burry his face in Jay’s chest while he shook helplessly.

“I fucking knew something was wrong,” Uma snapped, and then she was there crowding next to Mal, turning Chad’s head so she could wipe away his tears. “Blondie, you cry as much as you need to, okay?  There’s nothing wrong with it.  It doesn’t make you weak.  You cry, and we’ll be here for you, I promise.”

Chad just sobbed, because no one stayed forever.  Eventually, they abandoned Chad in the woods so he would have to wander by himself. 

“He’s not talking,” Jay said, sounding worried.

Doug drew close to their huddle. “He um- got like this in school, once.” Way to bring up that nightmare. “He wasn’t able to talk then either.  I think… I think um- maybe he was conditioned for silence.”

Chad felt Jay tense, saw Mal and Uma freeze and worried about when they’d finally pin him with the weight of their expectations.  He managed a nod, just enough so they’d know Doug was right, and heard Uma inhale sharply. 

“Fucking hell,” she murmured, brushing away more of his tears. “It’s okay, sweetheart.  We want to hear you, and if you can’t do that right now, that’s fine, just know that we’re willing to wait.”

Chad sincerely doubted that, but he clung to Jay regardless, held him close so that when he slipped away again, Chad would have a better memory to hold onto. 

Chapter Text

Eventually, they relocated to the living room. 

Jay didn’t hesitate to drag Chad into his lap, to cuddle him close and whisper apologies to him while Chad cried himself out.  Mal and Uma parked themselves on either side of Jay, determined to cuddle him as well, while the others scattered around the room.

Audrey, for whatever reason, was settled at their feet, and even if Chad could talk, he wouldn’t have managed the courage to ask her why, her look of stubbornness was so strong.

It didn’t take long for Chad’s tears to die down.  He’d been crying when they first left him, crying that night, and he was exhausted.  He hadn’t slept since yesterday, was back to feeling low and small and stupid, and couldn’t manage the effort to feel pathetic about the way he looked, even if it was likely an awful sight.

“Hey,” Audrey said, her voice soft when he’d been settled for a few minutes. “Can you shake and nod your head for me?”

Chad blinked wearily, but managed a short nod.  Then, after a pause, shook his head.

He wasn’t completely useless.

“Okay,” Audrey said, shifting up onto her knees.  She took his hands in hers despite the fact that they were covered in bite marks, despite the blood and spit that likely sullied them. “I’m gonna ask you some questions.  Can you do your best to answer them?”

Chad nodded, not knowing what else to do.

“If I ask one you don’t want to answer, you can ignore it,” she said, her gaze locked on his.  “Just duck your head into Jay’s chest, okay?  It won’t be a problem.  We won’t be disappointed or mad at you.” 

If they were going to be disappointed, it was by the mess Chad made of himself.  He was pretty sure he couldn’t fall any lower than this.

But he nodded anyway, just to show he was listening. 

Audrey offered him a soft smile. “Did your grandfather keep you locked away?”

The others tensed, but Audrey was cool, resolute.  Uma watched her, the captain’s expression unreadable, but it was a quiet sort of inspection.

Chad nodded, and Audrey didn’t flinch, merely taking the information in easy stride. “He’s the one that kept you secluded, right?  That demanded you get a dorm room to yourself?”

Chad nodded again. 

“So…” Audrey trailed off, giving his fingers a light squeeze. “Did he train you to stay out of the way?  Did he say you were a nuisance?”

Chad nodded twice, just to make sure she knew the answer was yes to both questions.

She chewed on her bottom lip. “Have you been trying to stay out of our way?”

Chad thought about it for a moment, realizing his default was to hide, to get out of sight, to not be a burden. 

He nodded.

Beside him, Mal snarled, the half-Fae leaning closer to his back. “Motherfucker-”

“Mal,” Audrey interrupted, her expression stern. “I’m doing the talking now.”

Mal swallowed a whine. “But-”

“No,” Audrey said, her tone firm.  And then she was turning back to Chad. “Did- did your grandfather say you were a shame to your family?”

Chad froze, squeezing his eyes tight as he tried to swallow a pained sound, tried to keep the tears at bay because he had to be useful at some point. 

He nodded.

Mal buried her face against his shoulder, holding him close while she let out a low string of curses.

Audrey ignored her. “Do you think we don’t want you?”

She looked at him, her expression carefully neutral, a complete lack of judgement in her eyes, and it hurt.  Because she was so strong and perfect, perfectly dressed and composed with her pretty braid in her hair, because she was wanted. 

Chad nodded, feeling new tears trail down his cheeks. 

“That’s not true,” Jay burst in, seeming unable to hold his silence anymore. “It’s not true, Chad, we love you so much.  We just- we’re stupid, and with everything that’s going on we forgot that we were your firsts and we’re so fucking sorry-”

“Chad,” Audrey interrupted like she hadn’t heard Jay, her gaze completely on Chad. “Could I see your tattoo?”

Chad croaked, turning to bury his face in Jay’s chest and shaking, pulling one of his hands free so he could shove it against his stomach, trying to protect it from her sight, because it was so very pathetic.

“Chad, Chad,” Audrey said, her voice firm. “It’s okay.  It’s okay to be shy.  It’s okay to not be comfortable with this.” Her voice seemed to be getting closer, and then she was climbing onto the couch too, half pushing into Jay’s lap so she could wrap herself around Chad. “A lot of us are loud, blunt, demanding assholes.  We don’t really think twice about taking what we want.  And we don’t think of you as someone with low self-esteem, someone who couldn’t know they were wanted because you’re so sweet and smart and funny.  We didn’t realize you were conditioned not to understand your worth, and I’m so sorry.” She snagged his hands again, dragging them up to her lips so she could kiss them, despite the blood that spattered them. “Because I struggled with an abusive grandparent too.  Most of us had abusive relatives, and we didn’t think of the ways you could be hurting.”

“I mean, fuck-” And that was Harry kneeling by their huddle, looking up at Chad with earnest eyes. “Ye ask me – all polite and sweet and stuff – to have sex when I look like a damn wreck, first thing in the morning and my brain’s not even working – and I fucking panicked at the thought of hurting Mal’s cute, little prince.  I was caught off guard, and then I was an asshole to cover it up.”

“Same,” Carlos said, drawing closer, all of them drawing closer. “When you asked me.  Just- Mal and Jay had sex with you first, you were the first Auradon kid they’d shown an interest in, the first person they wanted to be committed to, and I- I was intimidated.  So I turned you down, which was stupid.”

“We all want to do right by you, Blondie,” Uma said, her voice gentle. “You, Evie, Doug, Gil, Carlos – Ben, depending on his mood – you’re all people meant to be handled with care.  So it was easier to get with each other, to have something quick and rough and dirty and pretend it didn’t mean anything, because we knew when we got to you, it had to be special.  We had to do it right.” She chewed at her bottom lip. “It was why I wanted to make sure you got what you wanted, but when you seemed scared by it, I-”

“Went all overprotective mama bear,” Audrey finished. “As is her way.”

“It’s a good way,” Gil chirped. “A great way.”

“It is,” Audrey hummed. “It’s also very intimidating.” She turned her gaze back to Chad. “We all care for you very much, Chad.  I know we’ve done a shitty job of showing it, but that doesn’t make it less true.”

“That first night…” Doug spoke up, gratefully pulling the focus off of Chad. “When um- you were braiding Gil’s hair-”

“He put Gil’s courting braid into his hair?” Audrey interrupted, her brows raised in surprise. “Gil, only your partners are supposed to do that.”

“Really?” Gil blinked. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Doug assured. “Just- it’s intimate, and seeing you together like that, it… it felt right.” He ducked his head. “That made me pull back from you, Chad, and you hadn’t even done anything wrong.  I was just scared of what that- what this means.”

“I think we have a lot to talk about as a group,” Ben said, breaking his silence with a worried look. “But I think we need to take care of Chad first.”

“We shall start with excessive amounts of cuddles,” Mal said, pressing kisses against his shoulder. “Jay, I give you permission to give your full dissertation on the reasons we love Chad.”

“It is very long,” Jay whispered to Chad, nuzzling him close. “And embarrassing.  We have one for each of you.”

“Because we love you,” Mal reminded him.

“We all do,” Evie said, making Chad startle. “Chad… you’re something that seems too good to be true.  It made it seem safer to not engage too much with you, but we never meant to hurt you.  We never meant to make you think that your grandfather was right.”

“And one day, I want to hear all about the different shit that man did to you,” Mal grumbled. “I thought- it’s fucking stupid.  The guy got arrested and taken away and I thought that was it, problem done, but of course he left damage in his wake.  You were stuck with him for years.”

“You survived him,” Evie said, reminding Chad of Dr. Sweet. “He was wrong, and you got through it, and it’s okay to still hurt from that.  Evil knows most of our parents left lasting wounds.”

“Chad,” Ben said, leaning over the back of the couch. “It’s okay if you talk to me,” he settled on. “I know your grandfather probably discouraged it, but I care for you so much, and it hurts to see you holding yourself back.  I want to be there for you, truly, and you are worth it.”

It was a lot.  All of them- they cared for him.  They actually cared for him, and they didn’t mind his tears or the fact that he was sort of broken.

Chad worked his jaw, trying hard to push past his mental blocks to be productive, and managed the effort to talk, ever so quietly. “You- you don’t mind?” he whispered, aiming the words at Mal. “Th-That I’m a baby?”

Her gaze flared green. “You’re my baby,” she hissed, dragging him close. “And anyone who wants to fucking argue that can get a taste of my damn fist.”

“You’re not pathetic,” Audrey said. “You’re not weak or whatever else he said about you.”

“Needy,” Chad murmured. “Selfish.  Wi-Wicked.”

“You’re the least-wicked person I know,” Mal urged. “And you aren’t needy for wanting to be loved.  You’re not selfish for wanting attention or for hurting when you don’t get it.  You deserve basic respect, Chad.  You deserve love and affection and you’re allowed to ask for it, you’re allowed to ask for us when we’re being scatterbrained and stupid, because when you’re scared and hurting, we want to be there for you.  We do, Chad.  I’ll put it in damn writing if that will help.”

Chad paused, felt himself flush when he realized how much that would help, and felt stupid for it.

“Hey,” Uma interrupted, her voice hard. “We all have our coping mechanisms.  I don’t think it would hurt any of us to have our commitment to each other hashed out in writing.  I don’t think there’s a single person here who would not benefit from that.”

“And maybe some braids?” Audrey asked, making Doug tense. “You like ours, don’t you?”

Chad felt his blush darken. “I… yeah,” he whispered. “It’s just- you’re claimed.”

In public, for anyone to see.

Mal let out a low growl. “Doug, I hope you don’t mind us appropriating your culture, because I want the entire fucking world to know who my people are, and if they are messed with, how I will fucking burn some bitches to the ground.”

“Um.” Doug blushed furiously. “I um- think we can work something out.”

“But first,” Evie said, her voice gentle and calm. “We cuddle.”

-:-:-

They took him up to the master bedroom.  Jay curled around him while Mal clung to his front, brushing at his tear tracks and pressing soft kisses to his lips.  Ben was determined to curl around her, reaching over her until he could get some kind of contact with Chad, and Evie and Carlos draped themselves over their legs, nuzzling into their waists and looking up with sense of unyielding comfort. 

“I am so sorry,” Mal repeated, holding onto the hands she had already healed with a pulse of her magic. “I thought you needed space.  I thought you were shy, but the last thing you wanted was to be alone, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Chad whispered, ducking his head. “I’ve been alone so long…”

“I understand,” Evie murmured, squeezing is legs. “I’ve been there.  Anything is better than isolation.”

“Just.” Chad swallowed. “Just don’t leave me behind, please.”

“We won’t,” Mal promised. “Never again, okay?  We’re not going to abandon you in the woods and we’re not going to leave you behind on trips, I promise.”

“Because we love you,” Jay murmured. “And you matter just as much as any of us.”

“You’re not an embarrassment, Chad,” Ben whispered. “Nothing you ever do will make you an embarrassment.”

“And we’ll always be here for you,” Carlos added. “Now that I um- know you’re just as intimidated by me as I am of you, I’ll um-”

“He will stop being a shithead,” Mal cut in sagely, and they all just sort of laughed, but it was an okay thing.  It was a welcome thing, because Chad was included.  He was loved.

That was what mattered.

-:-:-

He ended up falling asleep. 

It was likely inevitable with how little rest he’d been getting.  He fell asleep with Mal’s fingers in his hair, Jay’s arm around his waist.  He fell asleep to Evie’s gentle pets and Ben’s murmurs and Carlos’ shy kisses pressed against his stomach. 

When he woke up, he wasn’t alone. 

Jay had been replaced by Gil, and Ben was in Mal’s spot, nuzzling Chad’s hair and tracing his chin with a gentle finger.  Audrey was curled up on his legs, one of her hands slipped under his shirt so she could press against his tattoo like a sort of promise, making Chad shiver with relief. 

“You didn’t actually get any sleep, did you?” Audrey asked when he woke up. “You’ve been out for most of the day.”

“Which is fine,” Ben said when he saw Chad flush.  “It’s totally okay, but we’d like to know about the things that make it hard for you to sleep so we can deal with them.”

“No matter what they are,” Gil said, his lips brushing against Chad’s shoulder.

Chad swallowed. “It um- was mostly stress,” he murmured.  “Uncertainty, and um-” He had already gotten this far. “I have a hard time sleeping in the dark.”

“Because of something your grandpa did?” Audrey asked, assessing but not judgmental.

Chad nodded. “He used to lock me in closets when I got too annoying.  And it was dark, and sometimes I’d be stuck there for a few days…”

“Never again,” Ben promised, tilting their foreheads together in an expression of intimacy that made Chad shake. “I promise, Chad, that’s never going to happen.”

“And if you need a nightlight, we can totally get you one,” Gil said. “I also have trouble with the dark, ‘cuz my dad did the same thing to me! Also when I was annoying, so like- I guess that’s just a go-to bad guy move.”

“Fuck our stupid abusive family members,” Audrey muttered, her fingers caressing Chad’s stomach. “Seriously, fuck them.  And don’t you dare start feeling guilty for having a stable family, Ben.  We need you and Doug to stay as you are – anchors.”

“Right.” Ben blinked, seeming surprised.  Like he had considered guilt before Audrey nipped it in the bud.

It wasn’t that shocking; Audrey had dated Ben for a long time.  It was cool to see them fall into familiar patterns, but they weren’t dating now, they had different partners, and it brought up a point that made Chad uneasy.

“Um… Ben?” he whispered, his throat feeling tight.  When he saw he had the other prince’s attention, he continued, “I um- this morning, when you were kissing Harry…”

He didn’t know how to continue when Ben flushed a furious shade of red, though thankfully Audrey cut in. “I knew something made Harry squirrely this morning.”

“To be fair,” Gil began. “Lots of things make Harry squirrely.  He is special like that.”

“Just.” Chad swallowed. “Why did you do it?  Why- why would you kiss him, but not me?”

Ben paused, clearly caught off guard by the question before his expression hardened into a look of resolve.  “Because I was a coward,” he settled on, cupping Chad’s face between his hands. “Dumb as it is, it’s easier being with Harry when he’s all...”

“Aggressive,” Audrey finished. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“Just- I could be rough with him,” Ben said. “I didn’t have to worry about hurting him and I knew I shouldn’t do it, but…”

“You couldn’t help it,” Gil finished with a chirp. “Because it’s Harry.”

“Animal magnetism,” Audrey whispered, trading smiles with Gil.

Ben flushed.  “I wanted- Chad, you have no idea how badly I wanted to be with you, have wanted to be with you, but you seemed so skittish and I didn’t want to scare you away.  I didn’t want to overwhelm you with my beast, so…” Ben ducked his head. “So I didn’t do anything.  Even though I’ve been wanting to kiss you for ages.”

“You have?” Chad asked, which was stupid, Ben had just said as much, but the other teen was grinning at him, pleased instead of annoyed.

“Yes,” Ben hummed, shifting forward again until he and Chad were almost touching. “And if it’s okay with you, I would like to do that right now, please.  Not out of pity or guilt or obligation, but because I want to.”

“Oh,” Chad whispered, breathless.  “You can- yes, I would like that very much.”

Stupid.  Stupid, why couldn’t he be normal for two minutes?

But Ben just smiled like this was the greatest gift in the world, tilting his head forward as he slowly closed the distance between them. 

“Me too,” he murmured, and then he was kissing Chad, slow and sweet and easy.

And Chad-

He kissed back, because he could have this.  This was his.

He could keep it.

-:-:-

Things um- progressed.

It felt natural for Ben and Audrey to tug his sweater off, for them to cradle him between them while Gil watched, giving kind, supportive feedback when Chad seemed to get overwhelmed.  Ben took his time kissing down Chad’s chest, took his time doting on Chad’s glowing tattoo, Audrey brushing against Gil’s matte symbol and whispering promises about how she’d make his neglect up to him. 

He wasn’t scared when he was stripped bare, because he’d been naked with Jay and Mal too but this was different because Ben was stripping down and Audrey, who Chad had like, the biggest crush on as a kid because she was a pretty pink princess and Chad wanted to be just like her.  Like um- strong, but maybe also… treasured?

Parents’ Day had always been awful for him, back at school.  Fairy Godmother was usually nice enough to let Chad tag along with her and Jane, but aside from her, they knew Chad wasn’t going to get any other visitors.  Audrey always had, though.  Well, all the other kids did.  There weren’t any orphan royals like Chad, like the previous generation.  And he wasn’t even a real orphan, his dad just disliked him so much that Chad made him sad every time he tried to talk to him. 

But he wasn’t alone now.  Ben’s hand was on his leg, urging Chad closer so they could grind together and it felt good, felt sinful, especially when he could feel Audrey closing in from behind, her chest against his back-

It was a lot, but in a good way.

“Mal um- told me some things,” Ben said bashfully as his hand continued to roam Chad’s body, like he wanted to memorized every curve and slope. “About your first visit to Wonderland.”

Chad whined, eyes going wide at the sudden swell of embarrassment.

“No, hey- all good things,” Ben murmured, reassuring Chad with quick kisses.  “All brilliant things.  And I’d um- be happy to treasure you.  Happy to have you be my cute baby girl.” Chad’s breath caught at the expression on Ben’s face, half-lidded and bashful but eager too, like he’d been with Harry. “You’re so pretty, Chad.”

“The prettiest,” Audrey murmured, pressing hot kisses to his shoulder while her fingers trailed down, down, down, cupping the curve of his rear before a slick finger slipped between his cheeks. “We’re gonna make you feel so good, princess – okay?”

“Audrey,” Chad whimpered when he felt himself heat up, felt the rapid spread of tingles and need that emanated wherever her finger grazed.

“Thought we could use a little help,” Audrey hummed. “But we can do it the old-fashioned way, if you want.  Take our time-”

“No,” Chad moaned, rutting his hips back into her. “I want-”

“You’ll get it,” Ben promised, his hands braced on Chad’s hips possessively.  “I promise, this won’t get taken away, but we want to do it right.  You don’t just have to agree.” 

“It feels really good, Ben,” Chad murmured, cheeks flushing. “I’d um- like to keep feeling good.”

“Then we’ll make it happen,” Audrey promised, her wicked fingers getting back to work.

-:-:-

Ben took him.  He did it from behind, whispering about how good Chad’s heat felt, how responsive he was, how much of an honor it was to get this far.  Ben cradled him from behind so that Chad was posed over Audrey, the princess spread out on her back and looking up at him with a coy, fond smile as her hair splayed across the pillow.  It was different seeing her this close, seeing her naked when she was so very pretty, and it got even more intense when she wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him deep inside her.

At that point, the only girl Chad had ever been with was Mal, and he didn’t really um- penetrate her all that often, but Audrey was letting him do this now while Ben rutted into his heat-

It didn’t take long for Chad to fall to pieces, but both of them seemed to catch him, to guide him through it until they found their own releases. 

And then they shifted him back between them, reclining against a mountain of pillows because Gil demanded he get to cradle Chad in his lap, he be allowed to trade sweet kisses even though they’d already fulfilled their obligations to each other.

“Been um- wanting to do this for a couple days,” Gil murmured between kisses. “Wanted to hold you and shower with you and cradle you close.  You were so pretty at the tea party-”

“Gil,” Chad whined, trying to bury his face in Gil’s shoulder, only the pirate wouldn’t have it.

“No, you were so nice,” Gil insisted. “Doing that because I was scared.  You did it for me and you didn’t really know me, and you didn’t let any of those not-people touch me even though they touched you a lot.”

“You weren’t comfortable,” Chad whispered, ducking his head. “And obviously I um- didn’t mind.”

Because he was a whore. 

“Hey,” Audrey interrupted, her voice firm. “That place catered to our kinks in a bizarre way to work through our personal issues.  Nothing that happened there was shameful, and you’re not less for enjoying it.”

“But.” Chad swallowed. “My grandpa, he said-”

“Chad,” Audrey interrupted, gaze fixed on his. “Forget anything your grandfather ever told you.  He was a garbage person and there was a reason they arrested him, okay?”

Chad blinked, because even though Dr. Sweet had said that much, even though Fairy Godmother and Captain Anozie echoed the same sentiment, it was hard to hold onto that when the Duke had been repeating those abuses his entire life.  At this point, Chad had more or less accepted the fact he was a whore.  It was as given as his blue eyes or blond hair.

“Listen to us, please,” Ben urged, dusting his shoulders with kisses. “We think you’re sweet and thoughtful and generous, and we like you just as you are.”

“Even…” Chad swallowed. “Even with my problems?”

“No one’s perfect, Chad,” Audrey murmured. “We all have flaws.  What we have here, now- that’s us accepting each other, flaws and all.  We’re willing to work with each other through that stuff, because for the good stuff, it is entirely worth it.”

The very idea made Chad tear up, overwhelmed him with an air of gratitude he’d never be able to articulate.

“Th-Thank you,” he whispered, managing a small smile. “Thank you, I…” He pulled in a watery gasp, though this time, it was from happiness. “Do- do you remember in um- junior high, when we were making jewelry in art class?” Audrey blinked, not likely expecting the sudden change of topic. “And um- the guys had to um- weave these bracelet things and the girls got to make beaded necklaces?”

“I remember that,” Audrey said, a small grin tugging at her lips. “You kept looking at mine.”

“It was so pretty,” Chad said, blushing. “You made one that was beautiful even though you were mad, because you thought it was stupid to have um- ‘gendered crafts’ or whatever.”

“I never heard this story,” Ben said, perking up. “What happened next?”

“I accosted Chad after class,” Audrey explained, smirking. “I made him trade projects with me, because I could wear a braided bracelet just as well as any of the boys, and he’d done his in light blue and gold.”

“And I got her necklace,” Chad said. “I… that meant a lot to me,” Chad murmured. “It was the first gift I’d ever gotten from a classmate, and it was so pretty.  I held onto it for years, but um- eventually my grandpa found my hiding place for it and he- he uh, locked me in the closet again for being a sissy but not before he smashed it to pieces.”  Chad paused, blinking away tears. “It was awful, because this thing- my proof that someone had been nice to me once, the proof that I deserved it- that was gone.”

“I’m so sorry, Chad,” Audrey murmured. “I’m sorry for what he did.  I’m sorry he stifled what you liked, because there’s nothing wrong with appreciating the beauty that the world has to offer us.” She paused, seeming to consider something before she sat up, fumbling for the clasp of her necklace. 

It took Chad a second to realize what she was doing. “Audrey, no.  I can’t- I can’t take that.”

Not her pretty rose forged from gold, not the necklace with the vine-like chain that Doug had made for her specifically.

“You can and you will,” Audrey huffed, undoing the clasp and then looping the jewelry around his neck. “Because you deserve new proof.  You deserve better proof that no matter what, someone out there cares for you.”

“But what if I break it?” Chad asked, panicked and overwhelmed. “I ruin stuff-”

“You don’t,” all of them said around the same time, Audrey looking angry at the implication, Ben determined, Gil true.

“You don’t,” Audrey repeated. “But Uma already enchanted it to be durable, and even if she hadn’t, we’d just get you another necklace.  Because you’re worth it.”

She seemed so certain when she said it, didn’t seem to have any kind of regrets while they cuddled them, and Chad-

He held onto his new necklace, knowing it wouldn’t get taken away.  Knowing he could be pretty if he wanted to, that Audrey wanted him to feel lovely, and that-

It counted for a lot. 

Chapter Text

Gil carried him to the kitchen. 

Chad tried to insist he didn’t need it, that his legs were fine, but Gil asked with those wide, hopeful eyes that Chad couldn’t deny if he tried, the pirate happy to nuzzle his hair and cuddle him close as he effortlessly carried him down the stairs. 

Chad was dressed in an accumulation of their clothes – Ben’s underwear and Doug’s sweatpants and Mal’s overlarge shirt and Evie’s cardigan, topped off with a pair of fuzzy pink socks Harry had gotten Audrey as a prank but Chad loved them, never knew he could stare at his feet so much, and every once and a while Gil would reach down and squeeze his toes playfully, making Chad blush. 

Audrey looked on the exchange with an open sort of fondness, though he could see something calculating in her eyes, or maybe that was just Audrey’s default expression. 

He wouldn’t be surprised; she was really smart.

“We couldn’t find your bag,” Ben explained when they were dressing him, because they’d insisted on that too, insisted on helping and doting him with attention he couldn’t help but soak up. “And um- none of us know where you’ve been sleeping since the first night…”

“The attic,” Chad hummed, blushing when Gil kissed down his neck. “I um- made a nest up there.  It reminded me of my old room back home.”

Audrey paused her efforts sliding the socks onto his feet. “Your room was in the attic at Sardinia Castle?”

“It was where I was the most out of the way,” Chad said, repeating what his grandfather had explained to him many times. “If I messed it up, no one would mind.  Not that I do,” he rushed to add. “I keep it very clean.”

“Was it… insulated?” Ben asked, seeming to struggle to wrap his mind around it.

“No.” Chad shook his head. “So it um- got cold in the winter, and really hot in the summer, but it was okay.  I had a window and a mattress and books, and they’d let me use the kitchen to cook food as long as I cleaned up really well afterwards.”

“Fucking hell,” Audrey growled, grip tightening reflexively around Chad’s ankle before she leaned forward, nuzzling his leg as a sort of apology. “That fucker better be glad he was already arrested or he’d be having some damn problems.”

“That’s for sure,” Ben rumbled, holding Chad close with a growl that didn’t sound entirely human. 

“For the record, that’s not happening anymore,” Audrey said, looking up at him with determined eyes. “When you go back home to Sardinia for the summer – actually, fuck that, you’ll stay with one of us, but when you do go home, we’re going to make sure you get an actual damn room.”

“We should probably also investigate the servants that allowed this to happen,” Ben continued, his voice still deep. “They enabled this abuse to persist.  There had to be more that knew about it than just Duke Francis.”

“We’ll take care of that too,” Audrey pledged, and Chad had no doubt in his mind that she meant it. 

Eventually, Evie dropped by the room and made noises about them hogging Chad (like that was a thing they could do, like he was a hot commodity) before they reluctantly allowed Gil to carry him from the room, Ben and Audrey giving him kisses goodbye before turning to each other in what could only be a famous Ben/Audrey planning meeting.

They were planning for him.  They-

It seemed too good to be true, even though they had already frequently (and enthusiastically) reiterated their support for him.  Audrey had given him her necklace.  It was real. 

Eventually, Gil set him down in a chair at the kitchen table, demanding a few more kisses before Doug pointedly cleared his throat. 

“Uma and Harry are waiting for you in the den, Gil,” Evie murmured in that gentle way of hers.

“Then I guess I can go,” Gil sighed, giving one last kiss before he um- also kissed Evie too. 

He even kissed Carlos who was also seated at the table, the young De Ville blushing a dark shade of red as he weathered the pirate’s enthusiastic attentions, before je at last wrapped himself around Doug standing at the stove and kissed him too.

“Bye, guys!” Gil chirped, giving them a cheerful wave of his hand. “I love you!”

“We um- love you too, Gil,” Evie said, her cheeks dusted in a flush before she quickly turned her attention to setting the table. 

Doug seemed to be making something at the stove, something that smelled sweet and delicious, making Chad realize he hadn’t been eating as much as he really should be. 

“We thought you could use some food,” Doug offered when he caught Chad’s curious look. “To revitalize you.  They’re pan-fried honey cakes, one of the few dwarvish treats I know the recipe for.”

“A fine dessert,” Evie murmured, prodding a glass of water into Chad’s hand with a pointed look before she turned her sly gaze onto Doug. “Made by your own hand, isn’t it?”

For some reason, that made Doug blush. “Um- yes, but-” He paused, seeming to catch sight of Audrey’s necklace resting against Chad’s shirt.

“I told her not to give it to me,” Chad rushed to say. “I know you made it just for her-”

“No, Chad.” Doug’s blush darkened. “It’s okay, just- it looks really nice on you.”

Chad was still sort of relieved that Doug wasn’t upset. “It does?”

“Yes,” Evie soothed, leaning over to press a kiss against his curls. “It really does.  You look very pretty.”

Chad flushed, caught between a preen and embarrassment, because he’d been taught to despise that side of himself for so long, but Evie seemed to ease this away by dragging him into a kiss that left him sighing.

Oh, Evie’s kisses really were as nice as they looked.  Chad was glad he’d gotten to experience one.

Doug cleared his throat again. “Food’s ready.”

He distributed the cakes quickly, taking a seat on Chad’s left while Evie took the one on his right.  Carlos was still mostly quiet, but Chad understood him better now.  It was strange to think that someone could be intimidated by him, but if that was really the case, well… Chad would just have to give him the reassurance that Chad knew he needed. 

It was kind of nice to be given that permission.  To know he could cuddle and hug Carlos close and it would probably be wanted.

“Where are the others?” Chad asked, taking a tentative bite of his cake.  It was soaked in honey, a little crisp on the outside and so good that he might have moaned a little bit.

Doug seemed to puff up with pride, his cheeks tinged a pretty shade of pink. “Planning,” he explained. “We wanted to approach you in small groups so we could all get a chance to give you the proper attention you deserve.”

“And clarify any issues that might be lingering between us,” Evie said. “Chad, I know there was a distance between us, but that was mostly my fault.  I was afraid of disappointing you, but now that I’ve worked past that, I’d be honored to spend time with you, either platonically or intimately.”

“I’d- I’d be honored,” Chad admitted, flushing bright. “It’s just- you’re so nice and I didn’t want to ruin anything.  I knew you weren’t um- you didn’t want that stuff, so I just- I tried not to bother you because I know you’re mostly in this for the others.  I- I know- or, I thought that I was only involved because of Mal and Jay.”

“What?” Evie blinked, both her and Carlos seeming shocked by this. “Chad, no.  Obviously, that’s how it started, but Mal only claims the best.  She only claims what she’s committed to and if she chose you, Carlos and I knew you were good.  That you were worth our affection.”

“I sort of get that, now,” Chad admitted, ducking his head. “At least, Ben seemed to like me way more than I thought he did.”

“Because we’ve been watching you,” Carlos murmured. “You might be quiet, but you can’t hide your kindness, Chad.  We see how sweet and honored you seem to be with us.  It- it might have put me on edge,” Carlos admitted. “Because I thought I couldn’t measure up.  I was uneasy with how someone as great as you, as all of you, could want me.  I mean, Mal only invited me in because I demanded it.”

“Carlos.” Evie stood up abruptly, moving to wrap herself around the young De Ville’s back. “Mal would have never allowed it if she hadn’t wanted it.  She probably wanted it the whole time but didn’t feel comfortable asking for it, because maybe she thought she was reaching for too much, or she thought she was depriving someone she thought was better of you.”

Carlos tensed. “There is no one better.”

“Then talk to her about it,” Evie murmured, combing a hand through his curls. “She’ll want to know about this, and I promise she won’t be mad.”

“It will likely end in more sex,” Doug hummed, smiling fondly.

Carlos blushed. “Um- maybe, but uh- let’s focus on Chad for now.”

“Don’t think I’ll forget this,” Evie warned, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before she retreated back to her chair. 

Okay, so Evie had kept her distance due to fear and Carlos had been afraid of how good Chad apparently was, which seemed mind boggling because they were both such strong, wonderful people.

But they all had hang ups – that was what Audrey said.  And being committed to each other, that meant they were willing to work through that stuff, so he could still get Evie’s soft smiles and Carlos’ bashful looks.  And Chad?  He was definitely prepared to do that, not just because he didn’t want to be alone, but because he genuinely liked them so much. 

“Why don’t we eat?” Doug asked. “While the cakes are still hot.”

“Sounds good to me,” Carlos murmured, still seeming a bit embarrassed.

They ate in a comfortable silence, Chad savoring every bite of his meal.  It was sticky and sweet, honey seemingly soaked into the cake and flooding Chad’s senses.  He ate with a relish, honored to have been served for once because it so rarely happened.  Like, it did at school because they had to treat everyone equally, but before then-

Well, Chad had always been in charge of getting his own food, and it was weird not to do that now, but good.

“You like them?” Doug asked as Chad finished his last bite, the blond tempted to lick the plate clean it was so good.

“Yes,” Chad hummed, ducking his head when he noticed Doug’s intense stare. “Thank you, Doug.  This was really nice.”

“It was my genuine pleasure,” Doug said, his voice gentle.  And then his gaze dropped to Chad’s mouth, making the blond flush darker. “You’ve got a little…”

He leaned forward, cupping Chad’s chin as he rubbed his thumb against the corner of Chad’s mouth, his brows furrowed in concentration. 

It felt very intimate, and Chad was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one feeling a growing heat when Doug moved closer. “Did um… you get it?”

“Mostly,” Doug hummed. “But there’s still a little…”

Though Chad had been somewhat expecting it, he was still surprised when Doug closed the distance between them.  Surprised when his tongue brushed against Chad’s lips, making the prince gasp.  Doug took advantage of that to angle himself closer, urging his tongue into Chad’s mouth, and it was so very weird but tasted so very sweet that Chad whimpered, Doug boxing him back against his chair while they traded Auradon kisses.

“Fuck,” Doug said when he pulled back, both of them panting. “I have been wanting to do that for ages.”

“What?” Chad blinked, because he hadn’t expected it from Doug.

“We were almost roommates, remember?” Doug asked, pressing kisses against Chad’s neck. “I saw you and I thought I was done – you and Audrey, it was awful, because you were both so unattainable.”

“Doug,” Chad whimpered, shivering in his hold.

“And now you’re wearing my clothes,” Doug said, his hand caressing Chad’s outer thigh. “And the necklace I made, and-”

“Does it make you hungry, Doug?” Evie asked, seeming to watch this with a half-lidded interest.

“Very,” Doug growled, his voice deep.  “In fact, I think I want another snack.”

Chad was about to mention the food that was left in the fridge, but then Doug was sliding onto his knees, settling between Chad’s legs-

Oh, he meant that kind of snack.

“Perfect,” Evie murmured, leaning in to give Chad a quick kiss before she stood up in one smooth motion. “Don’t think I don’t see you, Carlos.”

“What?” the young De Ville startled, seeming to have been in the process of sneaking out of his chair. “I-”

“You’re mine right now,” she murmured, and then she was sitting down, dragging him into her lap so that he was facing her, not that Chad was able to focus much on them because then Doug was growling again, urging Chad’s pants and underwear down so he could start kissing at his length.

“So pretty,” Doug moaned, licking and cradling with his dexterous fingers and Chad just- he tried to hold on for the ride, his legs twitching open when Doug started caressing and mouthing at him.  “So pretty, baby girl, and I’m gonna make you feel so good.”

“Doug,” Chad whimpered, and then the dwarf-kin was swallowing him down, taking him with an ease that Chad had only witnessed from Jay or Fake Ben. 

It left him crying, one hand flying to his mouth to stifle himself, because it felt so very good.

“You don’t have to do that, sweetheart,” Evie said, and when he looked over, it was to see one of her hands down the back of Carlo’s shorts, the young De Ville sprawled against her shoulder while she um- stretched him. “We want to hear you.  Especially Doug.”

As though to support this, Doug gave him a furious suck that left Chad babbling.

“It feels so good,” Chad panted. “You feel so good, Doug, it’s so hot, you’re so hot, I-” He cut off with a gasp when Doug started massaging his sack, something that had always been extra sensitive ever since Mal accidentally stimulated it with her mushroom way back when. “Doug!”

“Yeah, keep doing that,” Evie ordered, and Doug did.  He kept toying with Chad and sucking him down and bobbing his head, and every once and a while he would look up at Chad, would watch him moan and whimper and seemed satisfied by the vision that greeted him. 

It didn’t take long for Chad to fall apart with Doug staring at him like that.  Didn’t take long for an explosion of arousal to surge through him while Doug drank him dry, seeming eager to swallow what Chad had to give him.  It wasn’t until Chad had nothing left to offer, soft coos spilling from his mouth at each warm flick of Doug’s tongue, that the other teen pulled back from him.  His lips were shiny and flushed and pulled in a satisfied smile as he looked on Chad’s spent visage.

“Perfect,” Doug whispered, nuzzling his knee.

There was a telling hardness between his legs, one Chad wanted to satisfy.  He wanted- he needed to touch, wanted Doug to feel good because of him, but Doug seemed to catch his stare and shook his head.

“It’s okay,” he murmured, pressing kisses to Chad’s inner thigh. “Evie will take care of me.  Right now, I think Carlos is ready for you.”

“Oh, he’s ready,” Evie said, Carlos panting against her shoulder.

Chad tensed, feeling a surge of panic. “But I- I’m not-”

“Magic fingers,” Evie said, holding up a hand that seemed to pulse a soft blue light. “If you’re interested.”

“I’m- I’m interested,” Chad said, thinking about how Carlos was waiting for him, how Evie had specially prepared him for Chad.

“Then it shall be done,” Evie hummed. “Let’s get to the living room.”

-:-:-

Doug ended up carrying Carlos because he was so worked up. 

Evie took Chad’s hand and tugged him over, murmuring sweet words to him and making him less embarrassed by the way he was hanging out of his clothes. 

In the living room, Doug got to work stripping Carlos bare while the young De Ville whined.  Evie settled Chad in position on the couch, using her ‘magic fingers’ to get Chad worked up again, like Doug hadn’t just worshiped him with his mouth.  She was the one that eased a condom onto him, that took her time lubing him up, pressing kisses to his mouth when he started to whimper at the renewed sensation of arousal.  

“Our sweet boys,” Evie murmured when Doug carried Carlos over to the couch, the young De Ville thin but muscular, covered in scars, but it wasn’t anything Chad hadn’t seen.  Well, some of it was, because they wore underwear when changing for Tourney practice, and Carlos was um-

“You’re very pretty,” Chad blurted as Carlos moved to straddle his lap, tentatively placing his hands on Chad’s shoulders while he got settled.  Carlos blushed at the comment more somehow, and Chad got distracted feeling up the sides of his body, trailing down to settle on his pale hips, staring at the length twitching against his stomach.  “Oh, wow.”

Carlos ducked his head. “You don’t have to say that.”

“I’m not just saying that,” Chad urged, trailing his fingers up Carlos’ inner thigh and watching him shiver. “You are um… really just- wow.”

“He’s speechless,” Evie murmured appreciatively.  She was positioned with her back against the far arm of the couch, Doug settled in the V of her legs so both of them could watch.  She had a hand down his pants, moving it in steady patterns that made Doug flush until his head fell back against her shoulder with a moan. 

That was- oh, that was a nice vision.

“I’m um- going to take care of you,” Chad promised, refocusing his attention on Carlos. “Because I like you, and I want you to feel good.”

“Chad,” Carlos gasped, eyes fluttering shut as Chad gently lowered him, helped him reposition so he could take Chad into his heat.  His knees bent, curling up towards his chest, but Chad kept him steady, inhaling sharply at the first feel of Carlos’ wet hole.

He took him like it was nothing, squeezing around Chad with every shift, and Carlos keened, head tilting back until Chad was completely inside of him. 

“Carlos,” Chad panted. “Carlos.”

“So good,” Carlos moaned, and Chad- he wanted to keep that satisfied look on his face.  Wanted to keep him moaning and flushed and happy. 

So he tentatively tried to recreate what Ben had done for him – what Jay and Gil had done before – and started working Carlos up and down, fucking him in careful movements while Carlos writhed.

“Fuck,” Carlos hissed when Chad began to get faster, his length bouncing against his stomach, wet and flushed and so very pretty.  “Chad-”

“So tight,” Chad murmured, because Carlos kept clutching at him in delicious grinds that shot arousal right up his torso. 

“There, Chad!” Carlos groaned, one hand sliding into Chad’s curls as he arched in Chad’s hold. “Right there, please.”

“Okay,” Chad panted, and he did his best to find that spot over and over, until Carlos was letting out nonstop moans.

“Fuck,” Evie groaned, burying her lips in the curve of Doug’s neck as her hand worked faster. “You two are dangerous together.”

“Very hot,” Doug gasped, but Chad couldn’t focus on that because Carlos was babbling, was bouncing and looked so good as that flush spilled down his heaving chest.

“Right there, so good, right there, Chad, please,” Carlos panted. “So hot, so good, I can’t believe you-”

“I want this,” Chad reminded him. “I want to be here with you, Carlos.  I like you a lot.  You’re so smart and cute and-”

“Fuck,” Carlos croaked, back arching when he fell apart, spurting hot beads of slick despite the fact that Chad hadn’t even touched him.

It was so very hot that Chad fell to pieces too, couldn’t hold on when Carlos looked like that.  He settled the De Ville hard in his lap and started pumping him, an effort that made Carlos croon as they worked through his release until both of them were covered.

“Aw, shit,” Carlos gasped, wavering until Chad tugged him forward, letting him collapse against his chest. “Fuck, Chad.  That was… that was…”

“Intense,” Evie offered, licking her hand clean.  It seemed like Doug had found his release with them, and sat there somewhat dazed as he stared at the two of them.

“So intense,” Carlos moaned.

Chad, unable to help himself, worked Carlos off of him and um- maybe brushed against his hole a bit, fingering him carefully and feeling warm when Carlos shivered against him.

“Chad,” he whined when Chad probed deep, because he was trusted, he could do this and it felt nice to um- make Carlos shake like that.

“Come on,” Evie murmured, and at some point she had slid out from under Doug because now she was standing. “I can teach you to stretch him later, if you want.”

“I want,” Chad said, didn’t hesitate as he traced his finger around that wet ring of muscle, making Carlos whimper again.

“Then it shall be done,” Evie said.  She pulled Carlos’ shaking form off of Chad carefully and nudged him into Doug’s arms – Doug, who took him gratefully.  Despite being exhausted, Carlos still managed to flush, tried to attempt some half-hearted protests before he curled into Doug’s chest, seeming not to care that he was naked, that they could see his stretched and twitching hole.

“Oh, wow,” Chad said, incapable of not being awed by the sight of it. 

“And that’s just the beginning, sweetheart,” Evie murmured, brushing a hand through Chad’s hair as she did away with his condom. “You’ve got a full night ahead of you.”

Oh, that was…

Yeah, that was certainly going to be something.

-:-:-

“You guys don’t have to do this,” Chad murmured when she tugged him through the house, out towards the sundeck.  “I know you care now-”

“No,” Evie interrupted. “We’ve all already had our own sex marathons.  It’s your turn to get the full intense experience.” She paused as they reached the full glass doors, revealing a sky tinted with pinks and oranges as the sun slowly disappeared over the horizon. “Unless you would prefer not to.  If you want to take it slow so you have time to process this, that’s perfectly okay.  We just- we wanted to makes sure you knew how much we wanted you, and none of us were particularly good with waiting.”

Chad blushed, ducking his head. “I… as long as you’re not feeling obligated-”

She dragged him forward into a deep kiss, holding him close as she seemed to ravish him before they pulled apart, panting.

“Never an obligation,” she said. “You’re a gift, Chad.  A gift we took for granted because we were caught up in our own heads.  This has been tricky, because we’ve been with people that aren’t ours, but…” she trailed off, squeezing his hand. “I think this vacation is going to blur a few boundaries for us.  Blur them for the better.”

Chad thought about Doug looking up at him with a determined glint in his eye, thought of the way he looked with his lips eagerly wrapped around Chad, what he’d said.  Thought about Audrey sprawled underneath him, giggling with happiness as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Thought of Gil, who’d said he loved them without a moment’s hesitation.

“I think you’re right,” Chad admitted.

“I hope so,” Evie murmured, and then she dragged him out onto the deck. 

Chad felt better outside, always did, because that meant he wasn’t trapped, but he struggled to understand why they were there.  Unless they were enjoying the sunset together?  That seemed nice, but-

“Hey, blondie,” Uma said, and Chad turned to see her positioned on the farthest sun lounger, one of the few that was out of view of the floor-to-ceiling windows.  “You doing better?”

Chad managed a smile as Evie guided him over towards the pirate, urging him to take a seat next to her.

“I am, yeah,” he said, fingering the pretty rose necklace Audrey had given him.  He knew he should avoid touching it, that messing with it would only ask for trouble, but he couldn’t help but reassure himself with its presence, amazed that such a pretty thing could be his. 

Uma’s gaze dropped to it, making him still. “It looks good on you,” she said, which surprised him, because it had been Audrey’s and Audrey was hers, and he’d expected her to demand its return rather than compliment it. “We’re going to dress a lot of you in jewels,” Uma murmur, leaning over to card a hand through Chad’s curls. “You, Evie, Audrey – Carlos, if he’d let us.”

“He probably wouldn’t,” Evie murmured. “But he might wear a necklace under his shirt.”

“Good enough,” Uma hummed. “And I’ll dress Harry up if I have to do it kicking and screaming.”

“Which he probably will,” Evie allowed.

It was strange, how she was casually addressing all of them, even the ones that weren’t hers.  Evie was right about the lines being blurred, but did he deserve jewels?

He certainly wanted them. 

“I’m sorry about coming on so strong earlier,” Uma said, dragging Chad from his reverie.  “I didn’t mean to freak you out, but I- Gil and Harry both struggled with what they wanted, and they were the first people I loved in the whole world.  Seeing you fight with yourself, it frustrated me, because you’re an Auradon kid.  You’re supposed to get what you want – like Doug and Ben.  And when you didn’t… I thought maybe it was like Audrey, like you’d been given these stupid rules by a person that didn’t matter, and of course I was fucking right.” She sighed. “I really didn’t want to be, though.  I didn’t know about your grandfather, but if I ever meet him, I’m gonna stab him through the eye.”

“Get in line,” Evie muttered, curling herself up on Chad’s other side, until he was cradled between them.

“The short of it is, you’re a good person,” Uma continued. “You’re Mal’s, and she wouldn’t waste her time with shitty people.  But you’re quiet and shy and that… it made it easy for you to slip through the cracks when we’re finally getting to be with people we’d given up on – which isn’t an excuse,” she said.  “It’s just a fact.  And now I, like all the others, would like to make it up to you, so…” She gave him a soft grin. “What would you like to do?”

“I…” Chad swallowed, uneasy with the question.  So far things had just sort of happened to him, and he’d been totally fine with that, because they’d all been things he wanted but hadn’t had the courage to ask for.

“Say the first thing that comes to mind,” Uma ordered. “What do you want?”

“To make Evie feel good,” Chad blurted, then blushed furiously. “I mean- she’s been so nice, and she- she hasn’t-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Uma said, running a hand through his hair. “That’s a nice plan, making sure our princess gets the attention she deserves.” She pressed a kiss to Chad’s shoulder, and then another to his cheek. “How would you like to make her feel good?”

“Um.” Chad felt his cheeks fill with warmth.  There was one thing he’d like to try, something he’d seen Jay do to Mal, that Jay had done to him once, and it had felt so good that he wanted to pass that on. “I- I wanted to um- lick her?  Use my mouth to…”

He trailed off with a blush, and after a second, Evie started blushing too.

But Uma seemed to only support this. “That sounds like a fucking great idea, blondie,” she said, kissing his cheek again.  “Princess, go ahead and stretch yourself out on that lounger.”

“Okay,” Evie said, moving to do just that with a pretty flush. “I appreciate this, Chad, but you’re not obligated-”

“Part of a relationship is trust, princess,” Uma interrupted, urging Chad to crawl between her legs. “Trust that he wants this.  Now.” She settled behind Chad. “Would you like me to guide you through this?”

“Yes, please,” Chad murmured, a swell of relief surging through his chest.

“So polite,” Uma said, kissing just under his ear. “I’m happy to help, Chad.  Start by pushing her skirt up nice and slow, really build the anticipation.”

“Uma,” Evie whined, but Chad was already set to do just that, his throat getting tight at the way her pretty legs were revealed to him, until at last her panties were exposed.

“See how wet they are?” Uma murmured into his ear. “She’s been excited for a while, and you’re finally going to give her some relief.  Now, urge her panties off, just as slow as before.”

Evie let out a soft sound as Chad moved to do that, his heart pounding in his chest.  They were wet, so much that they seemed to cling to her, peeled off her groin in slow movements, slick stretching between her and the underwear.  She was flushed, and while Chad had seen Mal’s privates before, he had barely seen Evie’s, his view mostly blocked when Ben and Mal and Jay had worked her over in Wonderland. 

“He thinks you’re real pretty, princess,” Uma said, settling behind Chad’s back.  She snuck a hand around his waist to cup between his legs, giving him a soft squeeze that left Chad shuddering, because apparently he had gotten worked up again without even knowing it. 

When he finally got the panties off, Uma tossed them carelessly to the side, making Evie gasp. 

“Trust me,” Uma said. “All of us like you better without them.”

That was- yeah, probably the case.

“Now,” Uma continued. “See that bump?”

“Her clit?” Chad asked, because he knew that much.

“You’re going to need to play with that a little,” Uma continued. “Nice and easy, not too hard, but it has a lot of nerve endings, so playing with that will make her feel good.  Other than that, just be careful.  Lick her, but read her reactions.  This is pretty hard to screw up, so don’t worry about that, just focus on getting needy little pants from her.  When she starts rutting her hips into your mouth, that’s when you know you’ve done well.”

“Okay,” Chad said feeling a little dazed. “I’m just gonna…”

She was so wet, and Chad wanted to help that, blushed when he toyed carefully with her clit and got a sharp gasp for his efforts.  He paused a moment before taking the plunge, giving her a tentative lick that made her whine.

“Chad,” she gasped, cheeks flushed, legs twitching. “Please…”

“Okay,” Chad whispered, and then he got back to work, trying to copy what Jay had done before. 

He’d been so confident, and while Chad didn’t feel the same, he could fake it for Evie.  She was counting on him, and he reveled in making her gasp with pleasure, on earning new moans from her. 

She kept gushing, and Chad lapped it up, pressing his tongue deeper and deeper until his mouth was coated with her slick. 

“It’s so good, Chad,” Evie gasped. “You’re doing so well.  It- I’m gonna-”

“Just do it, princess,” Uma ordered, her hand still massaging between Chad’s legs, working him up in a sort of lazy way so as not to distract his efforts from Evie. 

“Chad!” Evie cried, and then she was coming, and Chad teased her through it all the way, thumbing her clit and licking and sucking until she seemed completely done, until her folds quivered and shook from too much stimulation.

When he pulled back, she looked deliciously spent, her chest heaving and legs wide, groin flushed and slick with his saliva. 

Wow, he’d- he’d done that, for her, he’d rocked her world.

It was a heady feeling.

“Like that?” Uma asked as he wiped off his mouth. “You enjoy making her feel good?”

“Yes,” Chad said, shuddering as she squeezed him again. “May I um- make you feel good?”

Uma paused, blinking in surprise, then relented with a chuckle.

“Sure,” she said, sliding out of her sweatpants in an easy movement before sitting down on the other lounger.  Her panties were wet too, because she was excited.  “I warn you though, I’m a little different um- down there.”

“That’s okay,” Chad said as he slowly dragged her panties off. “I’ll figure it out.”  

-:-:-

It turned out Uma was different in the best possible way, her clit swelling up into this cute nub that allowed Chad to alternate between licking her wide and sucking the nub until it thrashed in his mouth.  He learned to please her with his fingers too, Evie talking him through it when she recovered, the princess giggling in delight when she leaned over the back of Uma’s lounger, urging her shirt up so she could expose Uma’s breasts so she could toy and fondle them, all while making the captain moan.

“Don’t think we don’t know that you like to be pampered too,” Evie said, her grin wicked. “All that stuff about taking care of Mal – like we don’t know you need to be taken care of, that you need to lay back and just enjoy it.  We’re not going to forget it, Uma, so don’t even try.”

“Cl-Clever princess,” Uma huffed, and then she broke off with a cry when Evie leaned down and started biting at her nipples, so-

It was a very satisfying evening out on the deck, even if Chad hadn’t found his own release.  Helping these two out, it had been humbling in itself.  He didn’t really need anything else, especially when Uma fell to pieces, her nub spurting all over her chest, so um- he and Evie had to lick that clean too.

It was the polite thing to do.

-:-:-

“You two are worse than Harry,” Uma huffed when things had sort of devolved into Evie and Chad doting on Uma’s naked body in the fading light of the day. “You don’t have to- guys,” she moaned as Evie urged three fingers into her, Chad cupping her breasts from behind. 

They were all on their sides so they could fit on the lounger, which resulted in Uma and Evie getting pressed together in a very pretty way that had Chad grinding against Uma’s thigh. 

“At- at least get princess naked,” Uma gasped, shivering in their hold.

“We don’t have to do that,” Evie hummed. “We’re focusing on- Chad!” She jolted as he reached over to unzip her dress.

“She did ask nicely,” Chad offered, feeling shy, and Uma-

Well, she just laughed.

-:-:-

Later, Mal would find them collapsed in a naked pile together.

Evie and Uma were a lovely picture twined together, and they’d been even prettier when they’d urged Uma’s nub into Evie’s heat.  Uma had cursed at them for being stupid, and Evie’s response had been to magic finger Uma’s nipples until they were swollen and vibrating with want.

Of course, Uma’s mature counter had been teach Chad had to stretch Evie’s entrance – a princess’s entrance, while she moaned face down on the lounger, her hips shuddering into their attention.

So, it’d been pretty good.

“You fuckers are insatiable,” Mal muttered, looking over their forms with an open sort of fondness.  Her gaze drifted over to Chad. “You up for another round?”

“Probably not,” Uma moaned, unapologetic. 

“Greedy fucks,” Mal said, but she was happy to wander over to them, pressing a kiss to each of their lips. “I guess it’s bath time for all of you.”

“Sounds good,” Evie slurred, still mostly out of it.

“Damn,” Mal muttered. “I just can’t stay mad at you.”

“Believe me,” Uma laughed. “We know.”

Chapter Text

Chad ended up bathing with Mal and Gil. 

It was a nice, comforting thing, explored with no real intent.  They were naked, yes, but they focused more on cuddling than sex, didn’t even try to work him up as they enjoyed the warm water together. 

“Wish we could do this all the time,” Gil said as he nuzzled Chad’s shoulder, the prince curled in his lap. 

Mal let out a low, thoughtful hum. “We’ll figure something out,” she promised, and Chad had a feeling she meant it.

Strangely enough, he wasn’t scared by it.

Not anymore.

-:-:-

They fought over who would sleep with him.

It was sort of embarrassing, but also a form of reassurance that Chad had desperately needed. 

Evie ended up drawing names and creating a system for who would stay with him each night for the rest of the trip, then proceeded to do the same for the rest of them until they had a big chart that they hung on the front of the fridge. 

The winners that night were Mal and Carlos, who curled up to Chad eagerly.  While Chad had been busy, Ben and Audrey had run out and bought nightlights which they set up in each of the rooms so they wouldn’t be trapped in the dark anymore.  They’d also gotten a few other odds and ends that Mal promised Chad would see later.  

“I like this,” Carlos whispered as he cuddled against Chad’s chest. “My mom made me sleep in a dark closet too.  This is way better.”

“I now declare nightlights a permanent necessity,” Mal said, and it was easy to drift off to sleep that night, easy because of the light and the company, compounded by the fact that Chad knew he deserved both.

-:-:-

The next morning was an exercise in easy comfort, Chad waking to Mal’s fingers gently trailing across his cheek, through his hair, her smile seeming genuine when he blinked into awareness. 

“My cutie patooties,” she said, making Carlos moan behind Chad, which wouldn’t do.

Chad may have dragged the young De Ville so that he was cradled between them, felt his pulse jump when Mal urged Carlos’ shirt up his chest, the teen whimpering when she leaned forward and started biting at his nipples.

“Mal,” he whined, shaking in their hold.

“You are very cute, Carlos,” Chad informed him sagely, pressing kisses to his thin shoulder. “And we like you a lot.”

“So much,” Mal said, her voice tinged in a low growl that bordered on animalistic.  “It’s a damn crime that you’re required to wear clothes, otherwise I’d have you naked all the time.”

Carlos shivered, which was more than enough to urge Chad to remove his shirt completely, for Mal to work down his sleep pants and underwear until he was bare between them. 

“Lookie there,” Mal whispered, her hand palming Carlos’ pretty length.  “Ain’t that a beauty?”

“Yeah, it really is,” Chad murmured.

Carlos whined. “It’s- small.”

Compared to the others it might be, but Mal’s gaze seemed to light up in determination, blazing a pointed shade of green. “Which makes it easier to get my mouth around,” she declared, and then she was kissing her way down Carlos’ stomach, wrapping her lips around him-

It was a lovely sight.

-:-:-

Chad was warm by the time they were finished, because he might have um- teased Carlos’ entrance the way he wanted to while Mal worked him over, might have gotten a finger inside that made Carlos keen and had the prince fill with a distinct heat that he didn’t rut against Carlos’ leg because he wanted to savor it. 

“Wowzah,” Mal said when Carlos fell apart, her lips flushed, flopping onto her back with a blissful look on her face. “Good job, pup.”

“You guys sound like you’re having fun,” an amused voice drawled, and Chad glanced over to the doorway to see Ben leaning against the frame, smiling on them with a look of open fondness.

“We did,” Mal gasped. “Also, Carlos isn’t allowed to wear clothes today, so go shove him in Audrey’s lap.  He’s been avoiding her.”

“Mal,” Carlos whined, his blush darkening when Ben crawled onto the bed, boxing him against the sheets so he could nuzzle the young De Ville’s throat before finally kissing him.

“You’re cute and she wants to show you off,” Ben murmured when he sat back, gathering Carlos into his arms with his beast strength.  Just- so many of them had advanced strength – from magic or beast stuff or dwarven heritage, and it was um, a very appealing thing. “And Audrey and I have been wanting to dote on you, so let’s get going.”

Carlos’ only response was to shiver, his nipples pointed and flushed and his groin slick with saliva and his entrance um- still gleaming under the light.  Watching him get bashfully carried away built that feeling of warmth inside Chad into a dangerous thing, something that had him shaking. 

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you,” Mal hummed, looking him over with an expression of contentment.

Chad wondered if this was it, if this was the moment they were going to finally be together, and then Jay popped into the doorway, smiling bright.

“Saw what you did to Carlos,” he chirped, more or less throwing himself on the bed and crawling between Chad’s legs. “Great view.  Just as great as this one,” he hummed, nuzzling Chad’s crotch.

“Jay,” Chad whined, even though it felt good, it felt great.

“I love you,” Jay said, making Chad freeze. “You’re so fucking sweet, Chad.  I worry about ruining you all the time, about corrupting you, and when I fucked up on the beach, I just- it was awful, because I only want to make you happy and it seemed like I was doing the opposite of that.”

“I um… don’t want to disappoint you,” Chad whispered. “I don’t want to make you look bad, because you’re so cool.  You- both of you, could have anyone, but you chose me and you didn’t- I mean, you didn’t really have a choice-”

“Chad,” Mal interrupted, her voice hard. “I did not claim you out of pity.  I saw this guy – this easy going, kind, thoughtful guy miserable and all by himself, and I was fucking furious.  Because you should be told how amazing you are every day.  You should have your hand held and your lips kissed and you should be cuddled and no one was fucking doing that, and while I, like Jay, didn’t think I was good enough for you, I knew that if I didn’t claim you, if I didn’t do that for you, I would never be able to forgive myself, because you deserve so fucking much.”

Chad froze, almost certain he would start crying, felt the beginnings of touched moisture build behind his eyes. “Mal,” he gasped. “Jay, you’re both- you’re so great, and I didn’t want to hog your attention and just- I’m honored that you picked me, that I get to be with you, because you’re so wonderful and full of life and important, and I just- I wanted to bask in the glow.”

“Asshole,” Mal muttered. “You are the glow.  You are our sun and our rock, our reference for normality when things get stupid.  You say ‘aw, man’ and ‘aw, geez’ with a complete lack of irony and I fucking love you for that.  You’re pure and good and forget every fucking thing your grandfather ever taught you, because he was fucking wrong.  You’re great and I love you.”

At that, Chad lost the battle with his tears, felt himself start crying but neither one of them seemed upset by it. 

“It’s okay,” Mal murmured, cuddling against his front while Jay wrapped around his back, Chad’s dwindling interest forgotten. “I know it’s a lot.  I marvel at how lucky we are every day.  But we love you, and you’re not a burden or a bother and you will always be wanted by all of us.  And you might not get that yet, but we’ll prove it to you over time, I promise.”

And with everything that happened – for once, Chad didn’t doubt it. 

-:-:-

Breakfast was a fun affair because Carlos was still naked and a lovely sight tucked in Gil’s arms.  Gil, who nuzzled and cuddled him and eagerly licked syrup off Carlos’ lips until he started to look dazed.  Chad found himself claimed by Ben and Doug, who took turns holding him in their laps because that was the best compromise they could come up with, much to everyone else’s delight. 

After breakfast, Audrey and Evie tugged him back up the stairs, Audrey giving him a cheeky look.

“We might have bought you some presents,” she said, herding him into one of the bedrooms. 

Chad made it about two feet in the door before he saw an explosion of shopping bags that seemed to take up the entire surface area of the bed.

Evie let out a shy laugh. “Well, maybe more than ‘some’.”

They had gotten him new clothes, among other things.

“You seem to really like our outfits,” Audrey explained as she sorted through the bags. “And we figured you probably didn’t get a whole lot of say in what you wear, so maybe we’d change that.”

There was a lot.  Cardigans and drapey tops of soft material – oversized and a far cry from the usual button ups and sweaters he got stuck with.  Not that Chad minded his sweaters, they were a pretty light blue that he liked a lot, but the collars and sharp lines got a little stifling, he guessed.

This all seemed a lot nicer.

“Oh wow,” Chad said, blushing at the soft, pink duster in his hands. “Do um- do you think I could wear this?”

“I encourage you to do just that,” Audrey hummed, her face triumphant. 

They paired it with a drapey shirt in baby blue along with these things called harem pants in a solid navy.  The end result was nothing like the prince of Sardinia usually looked, but he um- he liked it.  It was whimsical.  Cute. 

“We got you some leggings too, for you to wear with the longer shirts,” Evie said. “But that’s only if you want them.”

“Not everyone’s comfortable with skintight stuff, and that’s okay,” Audrey hummed. “Personal fashion is a lot of trial and error.  You’ll figure it out.”

“It’s nice,” Chad said, trying not to stare at himself too much in the mirror.  It was hard though, because he was so different, and he actually liked what he saw.  “You um- they won’t be embarrassed by this?”

“They will be thrilled by this,” Audrey said, her tone firm, brooking no room for argument. “They’re going to adore it.”

“Trust us, Chad,” Evie said, her voice gentle. “You look like a knockout.”

They had other things too.  New shoes, for one – baby blue boots instead of the boring loafers Chad normally got stuck with.  Audrey even got him some colorful socks to wear underneath them patterned with flowers, and Chad almost loathed to cover them up, they were so nice. 

“We have other underthings for you,” Evie said, a blush growing across her cheeks. “Just some options, if you want them.”

“Like what?” Chad asked, pulling himself away from the mirror to look into her indicated bag.

There was- there were panties. 

“Oh,” Chad said, blushing furiously. “I don’t- I don’t think I could wear those um- I mean, outside the bedroom.”

“That’s okay,” Evie soothed, putting them back into the bag. “We also got you some cute boxer briefs as well.”

“You did?” Chad perked up, happy to look through the pretty, patterned briefs in an explosion of lovely pastels, nothing like his boring navy underwear. 

He hadn’t thought he could want an upgrade from that, but apparently he could, because they were so pretty and he liked all of them.

“They’re so cute,” he whispered. “And um- you don’t think they’d make fun of me in the locker room?”

It was a valid concern.

“Seeing as you will be changing with Jay, Ben, Carlos, and Harry?” Audrey hummed, because they’d finally convinced Harry to join the Tourney team. “Yeah, I think you’ll be fine.”

“Cool,” Chad said, grinning. “Then um- I want to keep these.”

“Keep whatever you want,” Audrey urged. “I mean it, Chad.  Even if that’s everything.”

“After all, we’re not quite done with presents,” Evie chirped, pulling out another bag. 

This one was full of makeup.  There was a bounty of colorful nail polishes and a few other odds and ends that made Chad pause. 

“If you wanted to paint your nails,” Evie explained as she held up a couple different bottles.

“And this is lip gloss,” Audrey said, holding up a selection of tubes in different shades of pink. “It will add a nice shimmer to your lips if you want it.”

“We also got eyeshadow and eyeliner and stuff,” Evie continued. “But if you don’t want to mess with that, or aren’t comfortable messing with it yet, don’t worry, it will go to a good home.”

“Between the two of us, it will be used,” Audrey hummed. “Would you like to try some on?”

“Maybe a little,” Chad admitted, blushing a furious shade of pink.  Clothes were one thing, but makeup was definitely girl stuff.  It seemed impertinent to ask for such a thing, scandalous even, but Chad could admit he was interested in the stuff. 

“Then a little you will get,” Audrey chirped, digging through the makeup. 

She did his face while Evie painted his nails in baby blue, white, and navy.  She spritzed it with a her own concoction, a magic setting spray that instantly dried her efforts (that Audrey might have demanded a bottle of with a sweet application of kisses that made Chad shiver).  Meanwhile, Audrey dusted on some ‘neutral’ eyeshadow and lined his eyes with a pale brown.  She then handed over one of the lip glosses that was close to matching his natural lip color before urging him to try it on.

The end result was… pretty.

Yeah, he was- it was very pretty.

“Oh,” Chad said, fighting not to mess with his makeup.  He um- he looked very nice.

“Yep,” Audrey preened. “They are going to be fighting over you.”

“And we’re not done!” Evie chirped. “We have jewelry.”

“But…” Chad blinked. “I um- I already have-”

“A necklace,” Audre hummed, her rose gold creation on easy display for all of them to see over the low, folded neck of the shirt.  “But we thought you’d like some other options.”

“Got some clip-on earrings,” Evie said, holding up a few selections of shimmering jewelry. “Some bracelets, a few rings…”

“We could always pierce your ears later, if you want,” Audrey said.

Chad flushed. “I- could I?”

That seemed like a thing he definitely should not do.  Or rather, a thing he couldn’t do.  He was a prince, soon to be king, supposedly.  Who would take a king with pierced ears seriously?  On that thought, who would take a girly king seriously?

“I don’t like that face,” Audrey said, the two of them abandoning their work to cuddle Chad between them. “What’s wrong?”

“What if um- people won’t want me to be king?” Chad gasped. “Because I- I dress like-”

“They can go fuck themselves, is what they can do,” Audrey snapped. “How you dress does not indicate how well you can perform your job.  Unless you’re bad at actually ruling – and you won’t be, because Ben and I are going to give you the training you should have always been given and you’re too smart not to soak it up – they have no grounds to demand your removal.  So fuck whatever they say, and dress however makes you happy.  I mean, have you seen Marsaili?”

The princess of Dun Broch was known for her punker style – dingy plaids and ripped denim that went starkly against most of Auradon Prep’s pastel, refined motif.

She never seemed apologetic for it though, and no one judged her for it either, not even her parents.

“People don’t care how Mal dresses either,” Evie murmured. “Or Jay, and both of them sport way more leather than anyone else.  Fashion is fashion, and you shouldn’t shove yourself in a mold that makes you unhappy just to appease some fuddy duddies who think they know better.”

“Because they don’t,” Audrey growled. “You want to be cute?  Be cute.  You’ll have all the boys tripping over themselves and they won’t be able to do a damn thing about it because you’ve already been claimed.”

He had, hadn’t he?  And Evie was here, saying it was fine- they’d purchased all this stuff to make him happy and…

And it did make him happy.  He felt nice.  He felt cute and worthy of attention.

“I… I’d like to get my ears pierced, then,” Chad admitted, feeling his blush darken.  The thought of wearing dangly earrings like Audrey did sometimes, or maybe small hoops-

He liked it.  He wanted the option. 

“Then we’ll make it happen,” Audrey declared. “But first, let’s play with the jewelry you already have.”

So they did.    

-:-:-

Chad was understandably nervous as he descended the stairs to show the others his new look.  Evie and Audrey liked it, and he loved it, and they’d already been very supporting through his doubt and low self-esteem so they’d probably be fine with this, it just- he was worried, was all.  He’d never dressed like this before; he’d never even gotten close.

It turned out to be an unwarranted concern, because the moment he walked into the living room all eyes were on him, their gazes seeming to go wide, and then-

“Oh sweet evil,” Jay said, falling to his knees. “Let me blow you.  May I blow you?  Mal.”

“No,” Mal said, but it was a distracted order, her attention fully on Chad as she looked over his ensemble. “Evie and Audrey did not spend all that time just so you could ruin Chad’s new outfit in your excitement.”

“You are killing me,” Jay whined, but then he popped onto his feet so he could rush Chad, dragging him into a hug. “You are so fucking pretty.  We are going to beat people off with sticks from how cute you are.”

“What he said,” Ben rasped, seeming too overwhelmed to form a more articulate answer.  His cheeks were flushed though, eyes half-lidded and wanting, which seemed to be a recurring theme with all of them.

Oh, they all- they liked this.  No one was upset.

“Damn, Evie,” Carlos murmured, curled in Harry’s lap. “Audrey- you guys… Chad, you look great.”

“Thank you,” Chad said, blushing with an open sort of pleasure.

“Okay, I change my mind,” Mal declared. “Carlos can wear clothes today, we’re going out.”

“Of course,” Uma said, rolling her eyes with a fond grin. “You were always one to show off.”

-:-:-

They checked in with him of course, to see if he was okay going in public dressed like this.  Mal’s thought was for them to visit the museum Ben had proposed yesterday before Chad’s breakdown, but she didn’t want to go if Chad wasn’t comfortable or if the prospect of it brought up bad feelings for him.

“I’m okay with it,” he said, looking down at himself. “I really like my new outfit.”

“Believe me,” Mal said. “We like it too.”

“So just um- to be clear,” Chad said, because communication was important. “You wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen with me like this?”

What would people say if one of Mal’s boyfriends suddenly started dressing all cute like?  Would that be bad?

Mal’s only response was to drag him into a kiss, the half-Fae humming when she smeared his lip gloss.  “I will never be embarrassed to be seen with you,” she growled, thumbing his lip when she pulled away. “And I would be honored to walk by you as you are now.  Proud to show you off and remind those other bitches they can’t have you.”

Because Chad had been claimed.  Chad was Mal’s, and she loved him, and wouldn’t leave him behind again.

“You are incorrigible,” Evie muttered as she moved to help Chad fix his lip gloss, and Mal’s only response was to puff up with pride. 

“We might need to get you a purse,” Audrey mused as he loaded his pockets with his phone, wallet, and now um- lip gloss.  “For the essentials.”

“Something blue and understated?” Evie offered. “If you want.”

“That could be nice,” Chad admitted.  He liked the idea of being able to carry snacks and first aid stuff and makeup with him wherever he went, because with this group, he’d need all of it. 

They had a fun day at the museum.  The limo didn’t leave the house until Mal and Uma had done a headcount to assure everyone was accounted for.  Chad ended up cuddled between Evie and Jay, the princess coaxing him into taking selfies to help pass the time, and when they got to the museum, Chad didn’t feel as nervous anymore.  He certainly felt less nervous when Jay deftly stole his hand, tugging Chad close as they made their way up to the ticketing station.

It was an awesome day.  They had a lot of fun interacting with the different exhibits, taking photos and laughing at each other’s antics.  Chad ended up getting passed from partner-to-partner, holding hands with Jay before Ben deftly stole him, looking at exhibits with Carlos before Evie hooked her arm through his and dragged him somewhere else.  Mal holding his hand and taking a ton of pictures with him, kissing his cheek, nuzzling his shoulder. 

A few people did seem to stop and stare at Chad’s ensemble, making him tense, but Jay or Evie or whoever was with him was quick to assure that it was out of appreciation.  One group of preteen girls even stopped and asked if they could take a picture with Chad and Jay, saying they were so fashionable and cute. 

At lunch, Audrey thrust her phone in Chad’s face, showing off a blogpost that featured Jay and Chad looking at an exhibit together, Jay’s arm wrapped around his waist.  The post went on and on about Chad’s new style, about the dichotomy of fashion they represented, and was overall very supportive.

‘Why hasn’t Chad Charming worn makeup before this???’ the post bemoaned. ‘This is a crime against humanity!  We have been deprived of a cute prince rocking nail polish!  Go you, Chad James, break the stupid gender roles the monarchy tries to shove down our throats!’

“This wasn’t one of you guys, right?” Chad asked, blushing furiously. “Carlos, did you write this?”

“Nope.” The young De Ville grinned. “But I can track down who did it, if you want.”

“No um- that’s good,” Chad said while Audrey continued to scroll Twitter, looking for people tagging his new look. 

They had lunch and the hostess complimented both his and Evie’s outfit.  Chad sat between Audrey and Ben and didn’t once feel out of place, didn’t feel stupid or small.  He felt happy, complete, and it was such a rare, lovely thing that he could have cried, but this was- he deserved this.  He was entitled to this confidence.

He was pretty sure his mom would have wanted him to have it.

“My cute boy,” Mal murmured when they walked back to the car, leaning against his side. “Did you have a good outing?”

“I had a great one,” Chad admitted, and then she pulled him into a kiss, right there in front of everyone.

So yeah, it was a great day.

 -:-:-

“Alright, I can’t fucking stand it,” Harry said when they got back to the beach house. “Can I please dote on him now?”

Uma and Mal shared a dry look while Chad blushed, because he was pretty sure Harry was talking about him.

“Sure, Harry,” Uma said eventually. “I guess you can have a go.”

“Thank ye,” he gasped, and then he was snatching Chad’s hand, tugging him off towards one of the downstairs’ bedrooms. “I’m sorry I was an idiot,” he said when he gently herded Chad into the space. “You’re just- you’re so fucking nice.  I was afraid of breaking ye.”

“Jay said um- the same thing,” Chad murmured when Harry pulled him close, the pirate just sort of staring at him as he wrapped his arms around Chad’s waist.

“It’s a reasonable fear, then,” Harry decided, ducking his head. “I didn’t realize pulling away would hurt ye more than getting over my damn self.  Could I make it up to ye, please?  I wanna redo.”

Oh, he wanted-

Well, Chad wasn’t the only one who would like an opportunity to fix his mistakes.

“Harry,” he said quietly, mesmerized by the pirate’s flush. “Would you like to have sex?”

“Very much,” Harry gushed, burying his face in the crook of Chad’s neck so he could kiss the bared flesh there. “Very much, lovely.  I’d be honored to make ye feel good.  To spread ye out on that bed and um- do whatever ye want.”

“I’d like you to touch me,” Chad said, feeling bold.  “To be soft and sweet.”

A furious blush darkened on Harry’s cheeks. “I think I can manage that,” he muttered.  “May I take ye to bed?”

“I encourage it,” Chad murmured, trying to be sultry, and delighted in the open look of wonder that crossed Harry’s face.

“Come on then,” he said, and then Chad was getting led onto the bed, was getting splayed out like he was a prize, Harry looking him over with a needy expression. “I’m gonna make ye feel real good, baby girl.”

Chad shivered, grinning wide when Harry crawled over him, nuzzling his throat before finally capturing Chad’s lips.

Yeah, that was what he’d been waiting for.  This was it.

-:-:-

And then there were two. 

It was the two Chad had started with, the two that had found him wandering the bright woods of Wonderland.  Chad had been half-terrified out of his mind that he’d never find his way back to the encampment because his compass wasn’t working and Fritz had taken the map.  He’d been afraid that he would be stranded in the wild and no one would think to look for him, and maybe that would have been better for the rest of the world.  His grandfather certainly would have been happy, and his dad…

Well, he wouldn’t have Chad around to look like the mom he couldn’t remember, so maybe he’d be happier too.

And then he’d found Jay and Mal.

Jay, who was the rising star of the Tourney team and Mal, who was above it all.  Both of them were so cool and stylish and Chad was nothing, but they’d kept him around anyway.  They’d let him tag along, and then he jerked off a magic mushroom and got doted on by a fake version of Ben in what had to be his greatest fantasy, dressed so pretty and treasured and showed off and he loved it even though he knew he shouldn’t.

And now it was his. 

That was what he dwelled on when Mal and Jay walked in on Chad and Harry spread out on the bed, both of them naked, Harry looking Chad over like he was some kind of gift.  He’d been so careful when removing Chad’s clothes and jewelry, pressing kisses to his wrists, knuckles, his shoulders, randomly gifting him light caresses until the prince was bare and staring up at him with a flushed look of want. 

He’d been sweet, just like Chad asked, the two of them making out for a bit until they started getting worked up, Harry whimpering when his length rutted against Chad’s thigh.

And, well-

Maybe Chad had pressed Harry back onto the bed.  Maybe Chad had kissed his way down Harry’s chest until he was met with his dripping member, all flushed and pretty, and Chad didn’t hesitate before he started licking it.

“Shit, sweetheart,” Harry had groaned, his legs flexing wide. “Ye don’t have to dirty yourself like that.”

His cheeks were flushed, head ducked and expression bashful, and when he talked like that-

Well, obviously Chad had to ravish him, there were no other options. 

Chad wasn’t really good at blowjobs yet, but he did his best, using his hands to caress what he couldn’t get with his mouth until Harry was a whimpering mess.  The pirate tried to warn him off when he was almost done but Chad ignored him, taking his release with maybe not as much grace as he’d hoped, but he didn’t choke, which probably counted for something. 

He was in the middle of savoring that blissed-out, gasping version of Harry when Jay and Mal pushed into the room, making the first mate tense.

“Hey, boys,” Mal greeted, wasting no time crossing to Chad, curling around his back and petting a hand against his stomach. “Did you have fun?”

“Lots,” Chad hummed, flushing when he felt her play with the release smeared against his abdomen, Chad having gotten a little enthusiastic when attending to Harry. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Jay murmured, curling around Harry’s back, much to the pirate’s embarrassment. “For the view, especially.”

“Jay,” Harry warned, a frown settling on his lips.

“Calm down, Harrison,” Mal ordered. “Uma already told us what you wanted.”

“And you’re gonna fucking get it,” Jay murmured, pressing a kiss to the curve of Harry’s neck.  Chad watched as his hand trailed from Harry’s hip behind him, likely slipping between his cheeks-

“Jay,” Harry gasped, eyes falling shut as his head fell back with a pant. “Fuck.”

“Sorry,” Jay said, his other hand shifting around Harry to toy with his length. “Couldn’t wait to do things the slow way.”

“Of course ye figured out sex magic,” Harry grumbled, but he broke off with a rough moan when his member seemed to swell to life.

“Like it?” Mal asked as Chad took in the view, savoring the wanton look of Harry flushed in Jay’s arms.

“Very much,” Chad said, feeling his own warmth beginning to build.

“Want to keep watching, or join in?” Mal asked. “We can do either.”

“I like watching,” Chad said, normally something he’d be too embarrassed to admit but grateful he did so this time because Harry let out a rough cry in response. 

“Fuck,” he repeated, Jay now steadily pumping his hand up and down.

“Yeah, you’re a fucking vision, Harry,” Mal hummed, grinning into Chad’s neck.

“You’re… yeah,” Chad managed ineffectually. “I um- I like watching you, though I…”

“You’re getting worked up,” Mal deduced, her hand sliding between Chad’s legs like it was easy, like they could have this. “I don’t blame you; I am too.”

“Fuck,” Harry groaned while Jay started biting his neck.   

“Then allow me to dote on you, my sweet,” Mal said, a complete lack of irony in her tone. “I wanna make you feel good.  I love you.”

“I love you too,” Chad whispered, his throat feeling tight. “Mal-”

“I’ve got you,” she said, and then he felt one of her delicate hands slide between his cheeks. 

She must have cheated with magic too, because in the next moment he felt hot and stretched, entrance wet and eagerly flexing wide around her fingers.  He took them like they were nothing, reveled in the stretch when she pushed in, seeking that certain spot that always drove him wild.

“I um- have an idea,” Jay said. “And it’s actually a good one.”

“Oh, it is, is it?” Mal drawled. “Okay, Jadir, lay it on me.”

“We could…” Jay seemed to be more of a demonstrator than an explainer because he shifted Harry forward, enough for Mal to take the hint and echo the action with Chad.  When they were almost pressed together, Jay reached down, wrapping his hand around both of their lengths and pumping them together.

“Oh,” Chad gasped, spasming in their hold. “That’s-”

“Good?” Mal asked, a hint of mischief in her voice.

“Very,” Chad said, savoring Harry’s flushed expression. “Um, may I…?” He reached out but didn’t touch Harry, letting his hand hover even though he wanted to comfort him somehow, wanted to touch and cherish him, sort of like he’d done before.

“Of course,” Harry urged, though he seemed surprised by the offer. 

He blushed when Chad ran a careful hand down his chest, whining when Chad toyed with his nipples before running his hand back up to Harry’s jaw. 

“Fuck,” Harry said, rocking in their hold, seeming dazed as he leaned into Chad’s hand. 

Chad could sympathize.  It was a lot, this was a lot, between Jay and Mal and then Harry on top of it, but…

It was good, and Chad reveled in it.  That this could be theirs. 

“Only if you ask nicely,” Chad managed after a beat, and then there was a pause from behind him before Mal burst into a wonderful set of cackles.

“Okay, just for that, we’re making this happen,” Mal declared, and what Mal said generally went, so…

So maybe Harry ended up riding Jay, and maybe Chad got to lazily make out with him while the pirate wrapped his legs around the prince’s waist.  Maybe Mal got Jay worked up so he could pull Chad into his lap and take him properly, and maybe it ended with Mal riding him, the half-Fae planting her hands on Chad’s chest while she worked her way through it, beautifully naked and strong and determined just like she’d always been. 

And maybe when it was finished Chad gasped, because the tattoo on his stomach seemed to flare bright before fading away into nothingness. 

The trial was complete, he’d finally escaped the last of Wonderland’s magic. 

“What’s wrong?” Mal asked when he stared at that naked batch of skin, the four of them cuddling together in a happy heap. 

“I um- I kind of liked it,” Chad admitted. “It was like I had a piece of you with me no matter what.  And you- I mean, you guys had a piece of me too, and…” He sighed. “It’s stupid, I guess.”

“No, I think you’re onto something,” Mal hummed, and Mal didn’t give credit that wasn’t due, which indicated that she actually meant it.  “I think I have an idea.”

“I think I have one too,” Jay said somewhat sleepily, and rather than discuss what it was, he settled for cuddling Harry close, the pirate protesting for half a second before he blissfully melted into it.

So maybe things would be okay.

-:-:-

“I have a proposal,” Mal said at dinner that night, looking over their accumulated group with as stern an expression she could manage while dressed in an accumulation of Jay and Harry’s clothes. “Actually, it’s more of a declaration.”

“If it’s that we’re all going to join together into one giant mega-polyamorous relationship, we figured that out while you guys were getting it on,” Uma drawled, the height of unimpressed. “Doug’s already designing your hair beads.”

“Perfect,” Mal chirped, clapping her hands together and seemingly not the least bit bothered at having her thunder stolen. “Before we move on, everyone’s okay with this, right?”

“I assume by everyone, you mean the three people who didn’t discuss it?” Jay asked. “Yeah, I’m definitely cool with this.”

“Me um- too,” Harry murmured, ducking his head.

“That is Harry-speak for ‘I am fuckin ecstatic’,” Audrey offered in a stage whisper.

And then they were looking at Chad, who promptly blushed all the way down to his toes. “Yes.  I mean, I’d be honored, if you really want-”

“We do,” Doug and Audrey said, Gil backing them up with cheerful waves while Uma smirked and Harry flushed.

“We really do,” Doug finished, smiling gently.

“Awesome,” Mal said. “Then I’m going to test something out.”  She crossed over to Chad, pushing up the hem of his overlarge shirt just enough so she could splay her hand out on his abdomen. 

“What are you doing?” Uma asked, coming up beside her.

“Chad completed the reward,” Mal explained. “So the tattoo vanished, but I was thinking…” She trailed off with a victorious grin when a rainbow sort of light started pulsing around her fingers. “Chad, roll your sleeve up, will you?”

Curious, Chad did as he was told, baring his arm and watching as Mal pressed her rainbow fingers against his pale skin.

There was a moment of heat and then a miniaturized version of the reward tattoo seemed to materialize on the inside his wrist, a pretty conglomeration of colors and symbols artfully woven together.

“There,” Mal said, grinning widely. “It doesn’t have the same enchantment attached to it, but this way, you’ll always have a part of us with you to carry around no matter where you go.”

Chad stared at it, at his lovely tattoo that was just for him, that Mal had so carefully found and transferred just so he’d have a reminder he could look at every day.

“It’s perfect,” Chad whispered, thumbing at the colored skin. “Thank you, Mal.”

“Thank you,” she said, cupping his face between her hands. “For not freaking out in Wonderland.  For putting up with me and Jay’s nonsense.  For being you.”

“I like that last part the most,” Gil chirped, and Chad-

Well, he was starting to like that last one the most too. 

“This is a good day,” Mal said, leaning forward to catch his lips in an easy kiss in front of all of them, in front of Ben, and instead of embarrassment, Chad just got catcalls and demands for their own Chad-kisses, and he realized maybe his mom had been right all along.

A dream was a wish your heart made, or so he’d been told.  He never would have thought to dream for something like this, never would have been that greedy, and yet-

His dream had come true. 

So maybe fairytales really did repeat themselves.