It was the middle of the night when the four kids from the Isle of the Lost finally returned to their dorms after their failed attempt to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand. All four of them were completely exhausted, because it was late, and they'd had a pretty long day. The second that the boys returned to their room, Jay collapsed onto his bed. Carlos suspected that Jay would fall asleep rather quickly.
Carlos, on the other hand, knew that he probably wasn't going to be getting to sleep any time soon.
It wasn't that he wasn't tired, he was just as exhausted as the rest of them and would love nothing more than to let sleep overtake him. But he knew it wasn't going to happen. He was too busy trying to figure out how they were possibly going to manage to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand. They hadn't even gotten close that night, the wand was too well protected. So how were they ever going to succeed?
An even better question was, what were their parent's going to do to them if they failed?
Carlos shuddered at the thought. Just thinking about the cruel and unusual punishments that their parents, who were some of the most evil people in the world, would come up with if they failed was enough to keep him awake all night.
He knew he would just freak himself out by thinking about the possibility of being punished, but he couldn't help it. After their failure that night, Carlos was beginning to think that getting the magic wand was going to be an impossible task, that failure was inevitable. He wondered if any of the others thought the same way.
"Jay, do you think we'll actually be able to pull this scheme off?" Carlos asked out loud.
"Carlos, we've only tried once." Jay answered tiredly. Carlos nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his roommate's voice. He had thought that Jay had been asleep. Carlos hadn't actually been expecting an answer.
"I-I know, but it seems pretty thoroughly guarded." Carlos stuttered slightly.
Jay propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at Carlos. "You're not chickening out on us, are you?"
"Of course not." Carlos said. "I was just-"
"You were just doubting that we'd be able to do this." Jay smirked.
"I was not!" Carlos defended, though he kinda had been. "I'm just acknowledging that we may have our work cut out for us. This isn't going to be easy."
"Nobody ever said it would be." Jay snorted. "And nobody ever said that we had to do it the first try either."
"Yeah, but I'd still at least like to have a plan." Carlos said.
"I leave all that plotting stuff to Mal." Jay yawned and lay back down.
"If you're leaving all the plotting to Mal, what exactly are you going to be doing while we're here?" Carlos asked curiously.
"Anything I want." Jay said with a smile.
"But we're supposed to be getting the wand, not relaxing." Carlos said accusingly.
"And we will get the wand, but that doesn't mean that has to be the only thing we're allowed to do while we're here." Jay pointed out.
"But our parents-" Carlos began, but Jay cut him off.
"No, see, that's the beauty of it." Jay said. "Our parent's aren't here. They're not around to constantly tell us how we're doing things wrong. Sure, we still have a job to do for them, but we get to do it our way, and my way includes having some fun."
Carlos lay in silence for a few minutes, thinking about Jay's words. Once again, he had a point. Their parent's weren't there to tell them what to do. It was a little alarming, being in Auradon without their parents around. But in a way, it was also kind of exciting. Carlos wondered how the others felt about being there.
"Jay, are you glad that we were brought here to Auradon?" Carlos asked, even though it looked like Jay was asleep again, or was at least trying to fall asleep.
"I'd be more glad if I could actually get some sleep around here." Jay groaned irritably.
"Sorry, I was just wondering." Carlos held up his hands defensively. He had forgotten how easily Jay was angered when he was tired.
"Can't you wonder about things in the morning, when I'm awake?" Jay snapped. "Or, even better, keep your wonderings to yourself?"
"It was just a question, no need to bite my head off." Carlos rolled his eyes, though he kept quiet after that. He knew that Jay was tired, and he felt maybe kinda bad for keeping him awake. He had just wanted someone to talk to. Though, it was really late, wasn't it? Maybe it was time for him to get some sleep.
So, Carlos followed Jay's example of trying to get some sleep. He was so exhausted, and the bed was so soft, much better than what he was used to, that Carlos thought he'd fall asleep quickly and easily. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Fifteen minutes later and he was still wide awake.
Carlos tossed and turned, completely changing positions every minute or so. The sheets on his bed rustled slightly with every movement he made. The sound wasn't that loud, but apparently it was enough for Jay to hear from across the room, and he wasn't happy.
"Carlos, is there a reason you enjoy keeping me awake all night?" Jay snapped irritably.
"It's not my fault my fault I can't sleep." Carlos defended. "The bed's way too...uh, I mean, I'm not used to it." Jay's harsh glare softened slightly.
"Yeah, I bet it's nothing like that lumpy old mattress in your mother's closet that you used to sleep on." Jay said. Carlos' jaw dropped and he looked at Jay in shock.
"How did you-" Carlos trailed off. He actually had a pretty good idea on how Jay knew. "Evie told you." It wasn't a question. He knew that it was true. Even though they were the children of villains, he still felt slightly betrayed that Evie had told Jay and Mal about his unpleasant sleeping situation. He hadn't wanted them, or anybody, to know about it. Evie wasn't supposed to have found out.
"Yeah, Evie told us." Jay confirmed. Carlos groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Dude, calm down. So what if you can't sleep because you're not used to such a soft bed? Big deal. To be honest, that's why I'm still awake too."
Carlos uncovered his eyes and looked over at Jay. "It is?" He asked, his voice small.
"Yeah, I mean, my 'bed' was just an old carpet at the back of my dad's shop." Jay said. "Having an actual bed is nice and all, but it'll take some time to get used to it."
"We have school tomorrow. We don't have the time to get used to it tonight." Carlos said.
"Maybe we won't have to." Jay said slyly. Carlos knew that tone of voice well. It meant that Jay had a plan, and Jay's plans didn't usually go over very well. Carlos began to wonder, and perhaps worry a bit, about what he was planning. Jay didn't say anything. He just rolled off his bed and grabbed his pillow and blanket. Carlos had no idea what Jay could possibly be thinking of doing with those.
Carlos tilted his head curiously when Jay simply lay his blanket on the ground and tossed his pillow on top of it. Jay smirked mischievously at Carlos, who grew nervous. He did not like that look, because it was Jay's 'I'm about to snatch something from right under your nose,' look. It was never a good thing when that look was directed at him.
"Jay, what are you doing?" Carlos asked cautiously.
"I'm making it possible for us to sleep tonight." Jay answered simply. Before Carlos could protest, Jay grabbed ahold of his blanket and swiftly snatched it away, or, at least, he would have, if Carlos wasn't holding onto it so tightly.
"Jay, let go! This is mine!" Carlos pulled on the blanket in an attempt to reclaim it. Jay, surprisingly, listened to him. He completely let go of the blanket. Now though, he had his eyes on something else.
"No!" Carlos shouted when he saw what Jay was eyeing. His pillow. Trying to take his blanket was one thing, but his pillow? No way was he letting that happen. Carlos let go of the blanket to protect his pillow, but Jay was too quick for him. He snatched away the pillow quickly, as well as the now unprotected blanket. Jay smiled triumphantly and threw Carlos' things on the floor next to his own.
"I'm guessing it's not going to do me any good to ask you to give me my stuff back." Carlos crossed his arms.
"No good at all." Jay agreed. Then, without warning, he grabbed Carlos and effortlessly picked him up. He was holding Carlos the same why he had earlier that morning when the younger boy had jumped into his arms in fright. Of course, this time, Carlos wasn't as compliant as before.
"Jay, put me down!" Carlos yelped. He struggled to get down, but his attempts were fruitless. Jay had just too firm a hold on him. Carlos continued his struggling, though all it did was amuse Jay.
"You do realize that's not getting you anywhere, right?" Jay pointed out. Carlos was about to respond bitterly when, from somewhere outside, the two boys heard the barking of a dog. It was barely noticeable, and not very menacing sounding. Still, Carlos became terrified out of his wits.
Carlos immediately stopped his struggling. He held tightly to Jay, as if his life depended on it, because, in his eyes, it did. Jay's joking manner changed completely when he saw how scared Carlos was.
As tough as Jay acted, he did have a soft spot when it came to his friends, especially Carlos. Sure, he enjoyed messing around with them, but if any of them were upset, scared, or in trouble, Jay was there for them. He had their backs, and he knew they had his as well.
First things first, he had to get Carlos to calm down. Jay went to the pile of sleeping supplies. Somehow, he was able to pry Carlos away from him. Jay gently set Carlos on the ground and knelt next to him. He was alarmed to see that Carlos was shaking, quite a bit.
"Carlos, dude, calm down." Jay said quietly. "No dog is gonna get you in here. It's not like they can open doors or anything."
"I-I know." Carlos stammered. "I just...don't like dogs."
"That's a bit of an understatement." Jay said. He paused before continuing. "Why are you so afraid of dogs anyways?"
Carlos froze at the question, as Jay suspected he would. It was a sensitive subject for him. But Jay wanted to know. Just what happened to make Carlos so deathly afraid of dogs?
"My-my mom told me-" Carlos began, but Jay wasn't having any of it.
"I know what your mom told you, but I don't believe it." Jay said. "You're a smart kid, Carlos, way too smart to be this afraid of dogs just because of a couple of lies your mom told you."
"They're not lies." Carlos protested angrily. "My mom lies about a lot of things, but not this." Carlos looked at the ground. "I know she's right about dogs." He said quietly.
"How do you know?" Jay asked, pushing a little further. Carlos was a man of science. He only knew something for sure if it was proven to him, if he saw it with his own eyes. He wouldn't just take someone's word for it. Not even his moms. There had to be something more.
"Come on, man, talk to me." Jay put his hand on Carlos' shoulder. Carlos stiffened at the touch, but, to Jay's relief, didn't pull away. He just continued to stare blankly at the floor. "I swear, anything you say stays between us. I won't breathe a word of this to anybody. I promise."
Carlos took a deep, shuddering breath. "My mom really did tell me those things." Carlos said shakily. "But…"
"But there's more to it than just that." Jay finished. Carlos nodded.
"You know, I wasn't always afraid of dogs." Carlos said quietly. "When I was just a little kid, I thought that dogs weren't so bad. I wasn't exactly a dog person, but I liked them well enough that I wondered just why my mom would want to make fur coats out of adorable dogs. And one day I...I actually asked my mom why she would do that to innocent creatures. I questioned her."
Jay gaped at him. He could tell that this story wasn't going to end well. "I bet she wasn't too happy about that."
Carlos shook his head and sighed. "She was absolutely furious. That's when she first told me what dogs really were. Rabid, vicious animals. Of course, at first I didn't believe her, which just made her more angry. In a fury, she locked me in the closet, and told me that if I made one wrong move, I would know exactly what the bite of a dog feels like."
Jay was stunned. Cruella De Vil's supply closet was the reason that Jay had never even thought about stealing one of her fur coats. That closet was a death trap. It was filled with steel fur traps, which could snap off someone's leg with just one wrong move. The fur traps were set to protect Cruella's fur coat collection, and they certainly worked. Nobody dared go anywhere near her collection. No coat was so nice it was worth the risk of getting torn to pieces.
"She locked you in her closet?" Jay asked. He knew that Cruella was evil, and that Carlos was scared of her, but Jay never thought she would do something like that.
"I don't know how long I was in there, of how many traps I set off," Carlos shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "But I do remember being in the most pain I had ever been in my life. I got hurt, so badly. And whenever I remember that pain, I remember what my mom said, about me feeling what the bite of a dog feels like. I know I got hurt from fur traps, but if a dog's bite hurts half as much as the traps did, I don't want anything to do with them. Ever!"
Carlos buried his head in his hands. Whether because of embarrassment, fear, anxiety, or something else, Jay had no idea. Carlos just...broke down, and Jay had no idea what to do about it. He wanted to help Carlos, he just didn't know how. So he just sat there, waiting.
"Jay," Carlos said a few minutes later, the poor kid's voice sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "What is your dad like when he's mad?"
"...What?" Jay didn't exactly understand what Carlos was asking. And what was with all the questions anyways?
"I mean, what's he like when you disappoint him?" Carlos asked. It wasn't a question of if. Their parents were always disappointed in them.
"I don't know." Jay shrugged. "If it's really bad, he yells. Usually, he's just, you know, disappointed."
"Does he ever, I don't know...hurt you?" Carlos asked hesitantly.
"...No." Jay looked at Carlos strangely. Where did that question come from. "Look, my dad may be insane, but he's not an idiot. He counted on me to supply for his shop, and he knew that if I was injured at all, my thieving skills wouldn't be as efficient. Now...why are you asking me this?"
"N-no reason." Carlos sounded nervous now. "I was just...curious, I guess. Forget I said anything."
Jay shook his head. "Nope, can't do that. Since you asked me, it's only fair that I ask you." And, unlike Carlos, Jay was going to get straight to the point. "Did you mom ever hurt you?"
"Wh-what? N-no!" Carlos lifted his head from his arms. Carlos may have said no, but the panicked, scared look in his eyes told a different story.
"Don't lie, everybody knows." Jay said. Well, more like some people suspected it, but that was close enough.
"They do?" Carlos frowned.
"Okay, they don't." Jay said. Carlos sighed in relief. "But why didn't you tell me, or Mal or Evie?"
"Yeah, like you guys would care." Carlos said darkly. Jay blinked. What was with that tone? And why didn't he believe that they would care? Of course they would! The four of them were friends, weren't they?
"Why did you think that we wouldn't care?" Jay narrowed his eyes.
"Because we're villains, Jay! Villains don't care about anybody but themselves." Carlos said harshly. He sighed and hugged his arms around his chest tightly. "I should have realized that a long time ago." he whispered to himself.
Oh, now Jay understood what was going on.
"You're talking about your mom, aren't you?" Jay asked gently.
"I just...I guess I always kinda knew that my mom didn't really care about me, but it only just hit me this morning. My mom doesn't care about me." Carlos shut his eyes tight, and the tears that he'd been fighting to keep in finally fell.
Jay didn't say anything, there was nothing that he could say. He knew the anguish that Carlos was feeling, because he had experienced it himself just a few years before. It was a hard thing to do, to come to terms with the fact that your parent doesn't care about you. But Jay had gotten through it, and so would Carlos.
Jay didn't know if there was anything he could say to calm Carlos, but that was alright. He could still offer comfort, without saying anything. Besides, in times like this, Jay thought that actions spoke louder than words anyways.
Jay shoved down his pride and slowly, so as to not startle him, wrapped his arms around his friend. Carlos shifted, but didn't pull away. He actually leaned into the embrace, relieved to have some physical contact that was, for once, gentle.
"Sometimes, I just wish that there was somebody who actually cared about me." Carlos murmured. "Is that really so much to ask?"
"It shouldn't be." Jay agreed. "But you do know that me and the girls care about you, right?"
Carlos thought about it for a moment before nodding. Yeah, his friends cared about him. Certainly more than his mother did. "But, why?" Carlos said quietly. Jay didn't think that Carlos was aware that he had heard the question. But he had, and now Jay was left thinking.
Why did he care about Carlos so much? Honestly, Jay had no idea. He couldn't explain why, he just did.
Carlos moaned and shifted, which brought Jay out of his thoughts. He looked at Carlos, and was surprised to see that he had fallen asleep. Well, Jay figured that this was a good thing, as it was rather late, and they both needed to sleep.
Jay slowly, and without waking him, laid Carlos on the ground. Well, not directly on the ground, but on Jay's blanket, which had been laid out. This was actually why Jay had put their bedding on the floor, to sleep on. With Jay's blanket beneath them, to serve as a makeshift bed. The blanket was soft and thick enough to be more comfortable than Jay's carpet, and probably also Carlos' old mattress. But, it was as soft as the Auradon bed's, which neither boy had been able to fall asleep on.
Jay lifted Carlos' head and placed his pillow underneath. Jay then lay down next to him, and pulled Carlos' blanket over them. Jay draped an arm protectively over Carlos, and realized that he actually did have an answer as to why he cared about Carlos so much.
"Because somebody has to." Jay whispered. "And because we're friends. And that's just what friends do."
Well, lookie there, I actually finished it. The story kinda got away from me for a bit, and feels all over the place, but I like it anyways.
It's weird. This story idea has been on my mind since I read the book, weeks before I even saw the movie. And yet, it took me forever to write it out. Oh well, I managed it eventually, right?
I hope you enjoyed reading my story.