The Rules of Punishment

by Rebel Paisley

When Chad gets abandoned on the Isle by his grandfather in an ill-fated assassination attempt, he makes the most of things. He had planned to keep to himself, but then a certain blond pirate catches his eye and he knew he was doomed. (Poly fic)

18. Deleted Scenes

Chapter 1 – Deleted Scenes

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Chapter 3 – Setting up the Lodge

Notes: I originally had an entire sequence in mind where Chad made a proper base of the Lodge, going more in-depth with the greenhouses and traps, but I inevitably was distracted by more angsty plotlines and never finished the scene. Below would have been Chad slowly educating the others on what they could have, one day. It also features information found in the excess of google searches I made before writing this story. I tried to stick with plants that could grow in the shadows and quickly abandoned it for medicinal herbs, deciding Chad's dwarven runes would take care of the rest :)

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"This section will be clove," Chad explained, seeding the ground with the extra herbs he had gathered from his own garden. "It's an antiseptic – which means we can use it to disinfect wounds, it can also be used for pain relief and to reduce swelling. Now this-" He motioned to the next patch. "Will be garlic, which is also an antiseptic. Morinda is for headaches, wintergreen for pain relief, ginger is for digestive problems, plantains can be made into a poultice for wounds, and black elderberries boost the immune system." He sat back and marveled at his work while LeFou put their hobbled together signs in the appropriate places. "That will get us started."

Planting a medical garden at LeFou's house was probably one of the better ideas Chad had, if only because of the near location of the chicken coups. With chicken excrement acting as a constant source of fertilizer, they wouldn't have to worry as much about the plants' sustainability. It was actually sort of genius.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Carlos – who had been lingering nearby working on his schematic for the egg incubator – asked.

Chad shrugged. "Books."

Which wasn't a lie, but the reason he had committed this information to memory was because of his mother's own love of gardening. It was one of the few chores thrust upon her by her stepfamily that she actually enjoyed. Even after she was made queen, she still tended to her own private garden, and Chad was sure to educate himself in all the herbal remedies she had once sworn by.

"You find the best stuff," Carlos murmured, not necessarily bitter, though likely frustrated. Carlos had a constant thirst for knowledge that he wasn't able to feed due to lack of available resources. It made Chad want to offer him every bit of knowledge he knew, if only to spark some of that genius energy.

Chad made a note to keep an eye out for suitable novels the next time he went 'scavenging'.

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Chapter 4 – More Recruit Tidbits – Riley

Notes: So I had a scattering of extra scenes that related to Chad and Mal's initial recruitment surge that covered them adapting to having to take care of children on a regular basis. The scene below features Riley, an overeager recruit Chad and Mal have to enforce healthy limitations on. While I liked the scene, I ended it cutting it for the sake of pacing, though I did find it cute to have Chad and Mal basically acting as parents while they were still figuring each other out.

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Chad made his usual headcount over the gaggle of children gathered in the dining hall and sighed when he came up one short. Well-practiced with this routine by now, he set off for the deep recesses of Bargain Castle, finding his quarry passed out on the floor of the third room he checked.

With a sigh, he scooped Riley up and snagged her wash bucket and rag, carrying both of them back towards the dormitory.

Mal found him halfway there. "Again?"

"You've got to let her know she doesn't have to clean the entire castle."

"You think I haven't tried?" Mal asked, exasperated. "I think she considers it a challenge."

"I'll talk to her."

"We'll talk to her," Mal corrected, because she was just as protective of their underlings as Chad was.

As if on cue, Riley stirred awake in Chad's arms, blinking at their surroundings. "Volker?" She realized her predicament and was immediately horrified. "Volker."

With another sigh, Chad set her down on a nearby bench, he and Mal staring their wayward youth down like two disappointed parents.

"Riley," Chad began, trying to keep his voice nonthreatening. "We've told you before that you only have to clean the common areas of the castle, not the entire thing."

"But I finish those too quickly." Riley tugged at her braid nervously. "I want to earn my keep, so I thought I'd clean the other stuff."

"If we need you to clean the other stuff, we'll ask you to," Mal drawled, making Riley shrink in on herself.

Chad shot Mal an unappreciative look, then tried again. "Riley, as long as you follow the rules and do your assigned duties, you're earning your keep. There's no need to work yourself into exhaustion."

"But…" Riley frowned. "…what do I do when I run out of chores?"

"Then you have free time," Chad settled on. "You know, time to do whatever you want in."

Riley blinked at him in a look of incomprehension that he'd seen far too much these past few weeks.

Thankfully, Mal took over. "Then you can come help me paint," she said. "Or you can go watch Volker's weapon training. Or you can go to the Lodge and see if Le- if Dr. Proulx needs help. Or you can go to the library or- you know, whatever you want to do."

"As long as you follow the rules," Chad added. "And are safe."

"Because we're no good to you dead," Riley dutifully echoed.

"Exactly." If Chad had realized that was going to become his army's slogan, he would have made a better one. "We're giving you the rest of the day off, okay? We don't want to see you passed out in any far corners of the castle anymore."

"No missing meals," Mal added. "It doesn't look good if our underlings are wasting away."

"Got it?" Chad pressed.

Riley nodded. "Oh- okay. Thanks, Volker! Thanks, Mal!"

"You're welcome," Chad said, though Mal merely rolled her eyes. She still didn't like manners.

"Go get breakfast, kid," Mal muttered, motioning her on. "Before it's all gone."

"Okay!" With that, Riley ran back down the hallway, her long braid swinging behind her.

"Kids," Mal huffed. "They're dumb."

"They're eager," Chad corrected. "And loyal. Both good qualities for us."

"You are so practical it makes me sick sometimes."

"Thank you," Chad chirped, just to annoy her.

The scathing look he got for it was payment enough.

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Chapter 4 – Garden Tidbit

Notes: What follows is an entirely indulgent tidbit where Chad introduces the baby recruits to the gardens. I ran out of inspiration to properly finish the scene, hence it's exclusion, but I still think the concept is a pretty cute one.

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"It's green," one of the younger girls – Darla, maybe – whispered, staring at the garden with reverence. "Look, it's not dead."

That was the goal, though Chad didn't tell them as much, letting them have their moment. For a lot of them, this was the first time they had seen something flourish, and to make it even better, it had been done by their own hand.

Chad hoped he could give them this and more, because it was such a small thing, and but the first of many. At least, if he had something to say about it.

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Chapter 4 – Talking to Mal about Evie

Notes: This was another scene that was sacrificed in the name of pacing. It features Chad somewhat teasing Mal over her inherent attraction to Evie, and Mal denying it all the while because emotions are DUMB ;D

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"You know," Chad began conversationally, sharpening his axe. "One would think you're attracted to Evie, considering how much you tease her."

"Fucking-" Mal hissed, but her cheeks flushed a little red. "She's objectively pretty. Of course I find her attractive."

"She might come to like you too," Chad continued. "If you weren't such an asshole to her all the time."

"I don't need her to like me," Mal spat, defensive the same way any Isle kid got when referring to positive relationships. "If anything, she should be chasing after me."

"Power's great for alliances, Mal." Chad finished his sharpening and tucked his whetstone away, sliding his axe back into his belt. "But relationships are purely recreational, and thus require different things to motivate them."

"Sweet evil, were you raised by a dictionary?" Mal snapped. "Talking about all this relationship bullshit – we're on the Isle. We don't have romance, we have fistfights."

"We run a part of the Isle," Chad began quietly. "Why can't we decide the rules for that part?"

"Because they're stupid." Mal folded her arms across her chest, a sure sign that she was done with the conversation.

Chad sighed. "Just make sure this thing of yours doesn't interfere with our business relationship."

"It's not a thing!" Mal stalked off with a glare, as though the speed of her power walk would hide the fact that it was, indeed, a thing.

Whatever, as long as she stopped poking fun at Evie, Chad didn't care.

Much.

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Chapter 4 – Daisy's Recruitment

Notes: What follows is a series of scenes cut for the sake of pacing that rounded out some of Chad's policies and the background characters. While it was touching, and a bit disheartening, ultimately it pulled too much focus from the main story to be included. Still, this is what establishes the character of Biggs, if you were wondering where he came from out of the blue in the later chapters.

WARNING for original character death.

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Chad did a cursory look over the recruits as they made their way back into the base for a post-school snack. He was really only there by chance to check in with Mal before he went back out into the forest to get cuts of his existing garden to take to LeFou's, though he was glad for this, because he noticed a distinct difference he wouldn't have otherwise.

He paused. "There are more of you."

Darla – the unofficial spokesperson of the recruits – stepped up. "We got three more that want to join," she explained, a mixture of pride and excitement in her tone. "Only… Daisy don't look so good."

Daisy – the lone girl of the three strangers, seemed to be swaying on her feet, skin clammy but flushed, likely indicating some kind of sickness.

"Hermie!" Chad called, waiting for the recruit manager to pop out of the dining hall. "We've got two more recruits for you to initiate. Everyone else, business as usual."

"But what about Daisy?" Darla asked, frowning now. "If she agrees to the terms-"

"Don't worry about Daisy." Chad was already picking the small girl up. She weighed next to nothing and was shaking in his hold – possibly afflicted with a flu that had progressed into something nastier due to a lack of nutrients and exposure to the elements. "Hermie – let Mal know I'm going to the Lodge."

"Yes, Volker," the manager replied, offering him a quick salute as she motioned the other recruits into the dining hall.

Chad wasted no time after that, striding out through the front gate as fast as he could. He almost missed the skinny teenager lingering in a nearby alley – a pirate, by the look of it – his expression twisting into one of concern at the sight of them.

"What are you going to do to her?" the pirate asked, keeping up with Chad's brisk pace. "She agreed to your terms-"

"And part of those terms includes healthcare," Chad shot back. "That's why you sent your little sister to me in the first place, isn't it?"

It was mostly supposition on Chad's part, but the pirate didn't deny it, getting a guilty look on his face. "I earn my keep with Harriet's crew, but I'm not high up enough to get Daisy what she needs, and she's too small to join. I just thought-"

"It's fine," Chad decided. "She agreed to the terms so she's ours now, and as her brother I'll allow you the courtesy of visiting her." It was fortunate that the Lodge wasn't located too far away from Bargain Castle, he could already see it over the hill. "But that's it. Any funny business-"

"And my head's on a spike," the pirate finished with a solemn nod, fear clouding his eyes. "I know."

Chad led them in through the front gate, motioning the pirate in behind him. "Dr. Proulx!" he called, deciding to use LeFou's professional title. "It's time for a crash course on how to treat the flu."

The older gentleman flew out of his office, taking one look at the girl before motioning them towards the first designated treatment room. "When did she start showing symptoms?"

"About a week ago?" the pirate said. "I thought maybe with rest it would go away, but it's just been getting worse. Her breathing's all weird. She doesn't want to eat, and when I can get her to eat she won't keep anything down, and she's all shaky."

"She's running a fever," Chad deduced. "How are her coughs? Are they dry or is she coughing up mucus?"

"The second one," the pirate watched them transfer her to a bed with sad eyes. "It's um- all green and brown."

"Do you think it's the flu?" LeFou asked, pouring water from the stone jug into a bowl and setting a washcloth to soak.

"More like pneumonia," Chad said. "Her name's Daisy, by the way." He turned to the pirate. "And yours?"

"What?" the pirate had to pull his focus away from Daisy. "I'm Biggs."

"You can stay with her while she's being treated, Biggs." Each room was equipped with a spare pallet for just such instances. "But you can't watch us prepare the medications."

"I don't care what you do, just- help her, please."

"We will," Chad said, hoping they could. Hoping it'd be enough. "We will."

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A few weeks later.

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Chad brought two of his new recruits down to the Lodge, running them through the rough outline of what they'd have to do for maintenance. He was sort of surprised LeFou had kept up with it for this long, considering what he had to do.

"Be careful when you collect the eggs from the chickens," he explained, handing each of them a basket. "They'll peck you if they feel intimidated. Now, when you're done collecting all the eggs you'll need to go into the shed – make sure it's completely dark – and shine a flashlight under each of the eggs. If you can see through them they're likely infertile, which means we'll eat them. Those go in one basket. If it's harder to see through them, like they're kind of cloudy, that means they're fertile and they go in a different basket."

"What are you gonna do with the fertile eggs?" Arthur asked, seeming to bounce with anticipation.

"Those will be put in the incubator where, ideally, they'll become chickens."

"Really?" The two recruits shared a wide-eyed look. "So we'll get more eggs?"

"And more meat," Chad said. "Depending on how this goes. Now," he motioned them onwards. "Get to work."

He left them to it, making his way inside the back of the Lodge.

"Want me to make some sweet violet tea, Dr. Proulx?" Chad called, assuming LeFou was in with Daisy. "I brought a fresh batch from my other garden and…" He cut off when the makeshift doctor came into view, a sorrowful look on his face. "…doc?"

"Daisy, um… passed this morning," LeFou explained, rubbing at his eyes. "Biggs is in there with her. I couldn't-" His lips twisted in a pained expression. "I'm sorry."

It wasn't shocking – the loss of a life on the Isle. It was a common, everyday occurrence, and yet Chad still found part of himself getting numb, like he was disconnected from his body.

"It's okay, doc," he forced himself to say. "We did everything we could."

"I know." LeFou shuddered. "Just…"

"Take the rest of the day off." Better for Chad to give him the order now. "I'll… take care of things."

"…Okay." LeFou left him with a nod, retreating back to the room upstairs he had claimed for his own.

Chad wished it was like swimming through molasses – the walk to Daisy's treatment room – but ultimately it was just as easy as anything else, one foot moving in front of the other in fluid coordination. When he got to the door of the room he saw Biggs' form hunched over his sister's body, his face pressed into his hands as quiet sobs shook his frame.

Of course he loved her. He'd loved her enough to send her to Volker the maniac so she'd have a chance to survive. He'd loved her enough to let her go, and now she was dead.

Chad cleared his throat carefully, making his presence known.

Biggs blinked up from his mourning, lips twisting in sorrow. "She… she didn't make it."

"I'm sorry, Biggs." Chad settled down beside him, squeezing the pirate's shoulder. "We did everything we could for her."

Biggs sobbed. "You did, you know?" He wiped at his nose angrily. "I just- I don't know what to do."

"As her next of kin, you can decide what to do with her body," Chad explained quietly, watching Biggs' eyes get more and more red. "We can either drop her off the docks, let the ocean take her, or I can cremate her."

"You're… you're not going to sell her?" Biggs asked cautiously, and it took Chad a moment to realize that was a legitimate concern.

"No, Biggs." Chad managed to keep his voice level, though the very idea sickened him. "She was one of ours. We take care of ours."

"But she's-" Biggs gasped. "She's dead. You say they're no use to you dead and she's dead-"

"We all die, Biggs." Chad wished he could be more comforting, but he couldn't. Not with his reputation. "It's the only guarantee we have. Daisy was taken from us sooner than she should have been, but I'm not going to dishonor her memory by selling her body to the Slop Shop." Or letting it break down for compost, even if it would be useful. "Even if she never got a chance to serve us."

"I'll… I'll pay off her debt," Bigg declared suddenly, seeming resolute. "Everything you did for her-"

"She agreed to the terms, Biggs," Chad said. "Her debt was her own."

"No." Biggs shook his head. "No, I want to. Harriet's right, I'm no good as a pirate. I just signed on with her for protection and-" He looked at Chad, really looked at him. "And I can get that from you, if I agree to your terms, and I do. I do, if you'll have me."

Who was Chad to deny him this? This one last thing.

"Okay," Chad said. "We can settle that later." Maybe he'd make Biggs the manager for the Lodge, let him keep track of the helpers so LeFou wouldn't have to. "For now, what would you like to do with Daisy?"

"Um…" Biggs blinked rapidly, trying to clear his gaze. "…what was that second thing?"

"Cremation?" Chad asked, watching Biggs nod. "I'll burn her body down to ashes, and you can either scatter those, or keep them."

"I…" Biggs swallowed. "I think I like that better than the sharks eating her."

"That's fair." He gripped Biggs' shoulder, pulling him away from his sister. "Come on, we've got work to do."

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Chad sent Arthur back to Bargain Castle clutching an empty coffee can and a note to Mal with instructions to paint daisies all over it – yes, it was an emergency and no, Chad wasn't joking. He let Biggs go off with him to give the teen something to do before he took Daisy's body to the Smithy. He jerry-rigged a crematorium as best he could, enhancement runes blasting hot enough that he was dripping sweat by the time he was done.

He took the towels and sheets that had been used in Daisy's treatment and washed them with steaming water and disinfectant until he could hang them up to dry, and by that point Arthur, Biggs, and Mal had returned to the Lodge.

"Why was this an emergency?" Mal asked, holding up the artfully redecorated coffee can – rusted outsides replaced with whimsical daisy patterns on a light blue background.

"We lost a recruit today," Chad explained simply, taking the can from her. "I'll be right back."

He gathered Daisy's remains into the can as best he could, coming back out into the muggy sunshine of the Isle to press the can in Biggs' hands.

"This- this is her?" he asked, sniffling.

"Yeah," Chad sighed. "Come on, let's get your sorted."

Mal watched with an obvious air of discomfort while Biggs cried, clutching onto the canister. Chad would have sent her into the backyard with Arthur to get her out of the way if she hadn't seemed so stubborn, glaring at Chad whenever he dared approach her.

"You'll work here," Chad explained. "Managing the house. Keeping it clean for Dr. Proulx. You'll have two recruits working under you to help manage things."

"Can…" Biggs swallowed. "Could I help him with treatment stuff?" he asked. "I don't… I don't want to see another kid die."

"You can be his apprentice, then," Chad decided. He'd tell LeFou the news later; they had enough to worry about. Mostly dinner, and the next round of collections that needed to be made. It was always something.

"And you do know the cost of taking this knowledge anywhere else, right?" Mal added, being properly looming when Chad just- couldn't.

"Yeah, I know." Biggs nodded. "You don't have to worry about me, okay? I'm loyal."

"We'll see," Mal hummed, and with that, they left him.

On to the next thing.

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Chapter 7 – Training Clay's Crew

Notes: This task was ultimately taken over offscreen, so to speak, by Helvig. I enjoyed writing it, but it went against Chad's base value of delegating tasks, so ultimately it got cut.

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With the addition of Clay and his gang, Chad created an additional combat class specifically focused on enforcing his and Mal's law over the Isle.

"I'm starting you off with quarter staffs," he explained, making sure each of the dozen or so teens Clay had accidentally recruited was sufficiently outfitted. "Now you might be asking yourself, why quarter staffs? The weapon of choice on the Isle is a sword. Which is a fair question with a simple answer" He motioned to Jay, who perked out of the disinterested slouch he had against the courtyard wall to finger the hilt of his scimitar. "Come out me, Jay."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Jay murmured with a cocky shake of his head, which was made all the more depressing when Chad swiftly disarmed him in two easy movements.

"Quarter staves give you a better reach," Chad explained while Jay scrambled to pick up his sword. "You can disarm them before they even get close to you. And then, when you've got them on the ground-" For the sake of demonstrating, Chad nudged Jay's ankle with just the right amount of force to send him to his knees, though not enough to jar him. "-you use your knife to slit their throat. Or stab it into their eye. It's your choice. A knife is faster to draw than a sword anyway – which is another thing we'll be practicing."

"…we're gonna practice drawing knives?" One of the unnamed guys asked.

"Quickly," Chad said. "We're going to practice drawing knives quickly, because that can be the difference between life and death. We're going to practice basic quarter staff forms, disarming tactics, knife throwing and close quarters combat, and, of course, the quick draw."

He made a slow circle around his new recruits just for dramatic effect, and sort of reveled in the way a few of them swallowed in concern. Another few seemed excited though, not bloodthirsty, more like they were eager to get the proper means to defend themselves, and Chad hoped then and there that this wouldn't come to bite him later.

"After you master all that, we might move on to swords," Chad allowed when he drew back to the front again. "Until then, let's get started on basic forms, shall we?"

"Sir, yes sir," Clay drawled, but he still held his staff at the ready, mimicking Chad's pose while the rest of his posse scrambled to copy the stance, a fresh wave of determination in their eyes.

It was a promising start.

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Chapter 9 – Jay Gets More Rewards

Notes: Initially, the scene were Chad accidentally poisons himself was going to be the start of this story's sexual adventures, leading Chad to start things off with Jay before branching off with the others. That plan didn't pan out beyond a few scenes, but below is the follow up where Jay asks for a reward and Chad, feeling kind, gives it to him.

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Jay gave his report last, falling into the succinct formula Chad had finally been able to establish amongst his patrol leaders, passing along important information in the shortest amount of time.

"Um." He didn't leave after he was finished, fingers toying restlessly with his belt loops. "So uh- did I do good?"

Chad considered this, really considered it – because while Jay had done well, he wasn't sure if he'd done enough to warrant Chad's involvement, but…

It had been a rough few weeks, and Jay was more than earning his keep, despite being a flirtatious sack of shit.

Chad nodded. "You did well," he settled on. "Take a walk with me?"

It wasn't really a question.

Jay was eager to follow him, obviously trying to maintain some sort of façade of collection despite the fact that it didn't work, the thief too excited to manage his usual level of detached cool. For lack of better options, Chad took him back to the attic, making sure to lock the trapdoor behind them as he ushered Jay into its depths.

"Um." Jay seemed to hesitate when they walked near the window seat. "Do you want to- like last time?"

"I was actually thinking you deserved something different," Chad hummed, as though the pieces hadn't fallen together the moment Jay had hesitated after his report. He urged the thief deeper into the recesses of the attic, until the only light provided emanated from the lantern he'd nicked from the attic's entrance. Jay's steps seemed sure as he followed behind him, though Chad could sense unease emanating from the other teen.

"Here," he said, passing Jay the lantern. "Let me set things up."

It was fortunate that Chad's paranoia and curiosity had him thoroughly inspect the attic and its contents. This was what helped him locate a familiar musty pallet, unfurling it in front of a mostly intact full-length mirror – a luxury he had decided to keep secret, if only to prevent the problems that could arise. He'd gotten used to not looking at his reflection every day, both because of unavailability and the fact that he was mostly covered. He didn't necessarily like the person that stared back at him in the safety of the mirror, but he understood it was a product of circumstance, and that was nothing to be ashamed of.

"Okay." He settled down on the pallet and spread his legs wide, motioning between them. "Sit down."

"Um." Jay set the lantern down. "Facing you-?"

"Facing the mirror." Chad didn't roll his eyes because Jay wasn't a mind reader. "Come on."

Slowly, Jay followed his instructions, sitting down until his back rested against Chad's chest. Without asking, Chad removed Jay's beanie and set it to the side, hooking his chin over the other teen's shoulder to stare at him in the mirror.

"Hello, precious." The reaction was instantaneous, a full body shudder raking through Jay's body. "You did well today," Chad continued, curling a possessive hand against Jay's hips, letting his voice purr into Jay's shoulder. "Do you know what I see?"

"N-No." Jay was shaking in his hold ever so minutely, breath catching in his throat when Chad reached down and urged his legs wider, letting his hand rest on Jay's inner thighs.

"My pretty boy," Chad soothed, shifting his hand so it grazed over Jay's pelvis, hooking his fingers under the hem of that tattered shirt so he could stroke that firm abdomen. "Working so hard. Fighting so hard." He let the implications ring where they lay. "So stubborn." He tucked his lips against Jay's neck; felt his pulse begin to race through the fabric of his mask. "Would you like to touch yourself, precious?"

"Um-" Jay shifted uneasily. "But um- you're not getting anything out of-"

"This isn't about me," Chad interrupted smoothly. "This is about you. Working so hard. Don't you want me to see you? Don't you want to see what I see?"

"I-" Jay didn't seem sure, but he cupped a hand between his legs anyway, a small whine pulled from his throat when he ground against his palm.

"Don't close your eyes," Chad ordered, making Jay's blush darken, the thief's lips falling open with small pants. "I want you to watch yourself. See how pretty you are. Fuck, you're so feisty when you're fighting and slipping through the night. And then you get here and you're gorgeous, falling apart for me."

"V-Volker." Maybe it was an objection, Jay shaking his head, even as his hand kept going.

"You're so wet for it," Chad continued. "Wet for me. Driving everyone else crazy from it."

"I, I don't-"

"No," Chad agreed. "You have more restraint than that. But a guy can dream."

This made a hard shudder go through Jay's back, his head falling to rest on Chad's shoulder, even as he kept his eyes fixed to the mirror.

"Come," Chad urged, squeezing his hips. "Show me how wet you are-"

"I-" Jay flushed. "But the mirror-"

"Exactly," Chad soothed. "You should see yourself in action. See how pretty you are."

Words were abandoned for an embarrassed sound of refusal, but still, Jay opened his pants, pulling himself from the confines of his clothing with shaky fingers.

"There you go," Chad murmured. "Just like that. You're doing great. You're doing such a great job, precious."

"Volker," Jay moaned. "Volker, I um-"

"So soon?" Chad asked, watching the way Jay flushed miserably, but his hand kept going, didn't dare stop. "So eager for me. It's okay. Do what feels good, alright? I want you to feel good. I like it when you feel good."

Jay moaned, pressing his face into Chad's neck, seeming unable to help it. It was weird to see him so vulnerable, but Chad – the part of him from Auradon – felt humbled by the experience, that Jay trusted him this much. Or maybe Jay expected Chad to use it against him and looked forward to that too. They'd have words over it, regardless.

"Volker," Jay crooned, eyes going wide when Chad replaced his hand with his own, covering Jay with a familiar handkerchief since the end was near. "Oh, I'm gonna-"

He didn't finish the sentence before he fell over the edge, hips rutting eagerly into Chad's palm.

Chad guided him through his release as best he could, pressing cloth-covered kisses against his hair and massaging his stomach, working with Jay until he was finally spent.

"There you go, Jay," he soothed, cleaning the thief carefully before tucking him back into his clothes. "You did a good job, precious. Such a good job. I'm proud of you."

"Fuck," Jay murmured, falling back against him, boneless. "Shit, man."

"Did you like your reward?" Chad asked, shifting him so that they could both rest on the pallet, Jay cuddled in his arms.

"Yeah, yes I-" Jay was flushing, likely not expecting the prolonged contact but obviously reveling in it. "Um, it was good."

"Excellent," Chad said, carding his fingers through tangled hair. "You deserve good."

It got him one last shudder, Jay whining into his chest. Chad was kind enough to say nothing, merely reaching for a blanket he had stashed nearby before tugging it over them, letting Jay fall into unconsciousness.

It was one of his better rests on the Isle.

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Chapter 9 – Mal Wants Rewards

Notes: So before Mal was comfortable enough to demand cuddles on her own, I had her realizing the discrepancy in Chad's behavior towards Jay versus his behavior towards her and, in true Mal fashion, had her demand this problem be rectified. It ultimately ended in cuddles, which was what led to this scene being re-written and included earlier in the story to allow Chad and Mal more time to bond.

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"Whatever you do with Jay," Mal began with her typical air of feigned confidence – not that Chad doubted her bold attitude, only her end goal, since she wasn't exactly sure what she was asking for. "I want it too."

"You have no idea what that is," Chad pointed out, stepping deeper into her room. He'd never been there before, but in hindsight the art-covered walls were classic Mal, floor to ceiling mosaics and all the purple draperies you could want a signature to her style. "But you did well today, so I'm willing to give it to you."

"I do well every day, thanks," she sniffed, but made no sign of moving. Again, because she didn't know what Chad and Jay did.

Chad sighed, then moved to lock the door behind him. "For the record, this stays between us."

"Obviously," Mal scoffed, because weird blackmail stuff would hurt her reputation as much as it hurt his. "So, what do you do?"

"We cuddle," Chad replied simply, waiting for her response.

The blank expression did not fail to please him. "What?"

"Cuddle," Chad repeated. "I usually hold him in bed and tell him what a good job he did."

Mal just… stood there. He kept waiting for her to say something like 'That's it?', but instead her cheeks got all flushed. Seemed like the two had similar tastes after all. "Okay, how do we do that?"

"You've got two options," Chad said. "Either we're both on our sides with me tucked against your back, or I'm on my back and you use me as your pillow. Either works for me."

Mal considered this. "I want the second one."

"That's fine," Chad said. "If you don't like it, we can always switch."

Her eyebrow twitched, mostly because she wasn't used to people being considerate.

Chad sighed again. "This is a reward, Mal. It wouldn't be a good one if you didn't like it."

"Right," Mal huffed. "I knew that."

Without further ado, Chad slipped off his boots, setting them down beside Mal's bed before sliding onto the creaky mattress. It was old, but obviously of better quality than most of the other beds Chad'd seen, further supporting Mal's position as a feared queen of evil.

Mal was slower climbing into bed, obviously unused to sharing, but she got into the idea of it easy enough. He guided her into resting her head on his shoulder, wrapping his arms around her back until she finally relaxed into him, their breaths matched in quiet synchronicity.

"…this is good," Mal said finally, tilting her head so she could hear Chad's heart better.

"Good." Chad started rubbing small circles on her back. "You deserve it, Bruiser. You were furious and brave today, daring to behold." Chad chuckled. "I pity anyone who has to fight you, my sweet."

She shivered, but he didn't call her on it. "…say I'm pretty."

"It goes without saying, Bruiser," he murmured into her hair. "But you are pretty, exotic and beguiling. And your eyes-" He could feel her smirk. "One day, magic will flow through them, and I can't wait to see their radiance."

"Do you really think so?" Mal asked, voice uncharacteristically quiet. Did you really think I'll get off the Isle, she didn't ask, because that was the only place magic ran free.

"Yeah, Mal, I do," Chad said. "I'll make it happen, one way or another."

"Lots of people say that, but you know…" Mal paused. "From you, I believe it."

Which was more than enough for Chad.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 9 – Harry Noticing Chad's Lack of Arousal

Notes: This was a tidbit cut for the sake of pacing where Harry realized Chad doesn't seem to revel much in carnal relations. It makes him feel bad, and as such, Chad tries a different approach on him. It's a short tidbit, but still somewhat sweet :)

-:-:-:-:-:-

"…Ye don't get much out of this, do you?" Harry asked out of the blue one day, when they were in the awkward transition between normal aggression and punishment aggression, Harry consciously avoiding his gaze.

Chad finished locking up the lounge behind them before considering this question with the due diligence it deserved. "What makes you say that?"

Harry shrugged. "You're not interested," he explained, motioning to Chad's groin. "Ye don't ever seem… affected."

"I have outstanding restraint." As a necessity, and Chad exercised it on the regular, if only because years of surviving under his grandfather had taught him the value of absolute control.

Harry made a noncommittal sound.

Interesting.

"Harry," Chad began quietly, slowly closing the distance between them. "If you think it doesn't take my utmost control to keep from ravishing you completely, you are wrong." He let his hands settle on the first mate's hips, dragging them close together. "You are exquisite," he said as he tilted their heads together. "These sessions aren't about me, they're about you."

"But what if I want you?" Harry asked, ever one to challenge the status quo.

"Then you'll have to settle for less, darlin'," Chad drawled, watching the way Harry's cheeks lit in a furious blush. "When it comes to these types of things, I have my priorities in order. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

He watched Harry's throat bob in a swallow. "Y-Yes."

"Good." Chad leaned forward, pressing a mask-covered kiss against Harry's lips, reveling in the way the first mate seemed to gasp against him. "How about a little less disciplining today and a little more pampering? Does that sound good to you?"

"Um." Harry flushed. "Show me?"

"Gladly," Chad said. And that was that.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Anthony's betrayal

Notes: This doesn't really have a timestamp as Anthony was ultimately cut from the main story. Not that I dislike him, he was just one too many characters for me to juggle. In the interest of actually getting the story finished, I cut him from the final product, but in the original draft I had him making an assassination attempt against Chad, which led to the following scene.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Mother fucker," Chad snarled, storming into the Merchants' Guild meeting with Carlos hot on his heels. "Did you try to poison me with my own poison?" He leveled a finger at Rick Ratcliffe who froze, eyes blinking wide with confusion, obviously scrambling for a reply.

Chad spared him the effort.

"-Is what I would say," he continued before redirecting his attention to Anthony – who had strategically placed himself near the small side door. "-if I didn't know our dear Anthony was trying to frame you." Chad let his hand fall to the handle of his axe, consciously aware of the critical stares of what was considered the Isle's new economic masters. "Two birds with one stone, right? Mal takes over – a proper villain – while you stealthily take control of Rick's market operations. Very clever. It might have worked if you hadn't made your hate so obvious." And if Chad wasn't immune to the poisons he used.

"…so what then?" Anthony asked, clearly realizing there was no way out of this, all the color draining from his face. "You going to kill me?"

"I should," Chad said, just to ease some of the tension in his shoulders. "It would look bad if I didn't, but…" But Anthony was technically his cousin and his mother had spent years campaigning for the removal of her stepfamily from the Isle, only to be shut down by Chad's grandfather at every turn. "That would let you off easy, wouldn't it? Rick." Chad redirected his focus. "Congratulations, you now have control of all of Anthony's shares of the market. Carlos." He made a quick gesture with his hand and Carlos was by his side in an instant. "Anthony's now your assistant. Cruella taught you everything you needed to know to run a house, right?" In the most insane and painful way possible. "You can pass that knowledge on to Anthony. Make him the facilities manager of Hell Hall. Come to think of it." He made a show of considering this, narrowing his eyes. "Anthony, you can be Mal's assistant too, since you like her so much."

Let him clean the common areas of Bargain Castle, keep him working so hard he won't even be able to think of revolution. Sort of sweet irony, in a way. Chad making his cousin clean things.

By the time he was finished, Anthony's hands were shaking, his hands in tight fists and glare frustrated but the stupid fool was alive, though now powerless.

"Listen clearly, because I will only say this once," Chad murmured, letting his voice fall into a threatening growl. "I have no quarrel with the people doomed to this wretched island by the mistakes of others, but I will not tolerate treachery. There are far worse things than dying, Anthony, and this is but a taste of it. From now on, you are the lowest of low, the bottom of every scheme, and while one day you may be able to work your way back up through the ranks, it will not be soon." He turned his attention to the others. "And so it shall be for any who consider treason, unless I just feel like killing them first."

Chad sighed. "It is far less effort, after all." He stroked the top of his axe. "Everyone understand?" They nodded, though he didn't move on until Anthony nodded as well. "Excellent. Carlos, get him out of my sight." The young De Ville nodded, grabbing onto Anthony's elbow before dragging him out of the room, the taller teen following reluctantly behind him.

Chad knew before the day was out that word of Anthony's sentencing would pass to the rest of his forces, and that they would be respected without question.

"I apologize for the interruption," Chad said, keeping his voice calm and smooth. He held Jay's gaze for a moment longer than the others, secretly proud of the other teen's restraint, before moving back towards the door. "As you were."

With that, Chad went to find Evie. They needed better controls over their gardens to prevent something like this from happening again.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Jay's Response to Anthony's Sentencing

Notes: As you can imagine, Jay was quite effected by badass Volker ordering Anthony around, and in the scene below he requests a reward to deal with the hot blood Chad stirred up on accident.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Fuck, you were so sexy in there," Jay whined, falling to his knees when he found Chad in the attic later. "Could I suck you off, please?"

"Is that what you want?" Chad had to force his tone to remain neutral, because that was not an offering he'd expected. "I could touch you instead. This is, after all, your reward."

"You would-" Jay flushed. "You'd do that?"

"Sure," Chad replied, feeling some of the tension ease from his shoulders. "We could even go back in front of the mirror."

That had a beautiful flush dusting Jay's cheeks, had him shifting uneasily as he looked anywhere but Chad.

"Do you like that?" Chad asked. "Or does it embarrass you? How lovely you are."

"Is this what you guys do up here?"

Chad didn't jolt at the sound of Carlos' intrusion though Jay did, the tall thief scrambling to his feet as though it would will his blush away. He must have forgotten to lock the door behind him, which was something Chad would punish him for later, after this was taken care of.

Chad held up a hand. "Lock the door behind you."

Carlos paused, considered the order before doing it, Jay shifting uneasily on his feet all the while.

"This is a safe space," Chad explained once Carlos had made his way over to them. "What happens in here has no reflection out there, do you understand that?"

He could practically feel Jay's tension.

Eventually, Carlos nodded. "Okay, that's fair."

"Great." Chad shifted to his feet, beckoning Jay to follow him. "This way."

"But-" Jay cut off his protest as he dutifully followed, likely eager for his fix. "Carlos-"

"If you wanted this to remain private, you should have locked the door," Chad said evenly. Yes, that was a fair enough punishment. "Carlos did well today too. Perhaps he deserves a treat."

"Do I get to watch?" Carlos asked, always the fastest at connecting the dots.

"Yes," Chad said, watching the way Jay's blush spread down his neck. "Come on."

They settled into position the same way they had before, Jay nestled between Chad's legs as they faced the mirror. This time, Carlos settled on a crate next to them, watching the proceedings with open interest.

"You showed tremendous restraint today, precious," Chad murmured into Jay's ear, navigating a hand between his legs so he could cup the already-present interest there. "I kept expecting you to take out Anthony yourself, but you behaved instead, don't think I missed that." He ground down hard and coaxed a whimper from Jay's throat, saw the way Carlos tensed in his peripherals. "You do look so lovely fighting, but that was brilliant too, watching you simmer with anger, holding onto your rage- you are capable of so much, precious." Slowly, ever so slowly, he undid Jay's pants, fondling the warmth inside before he pulled him completely out of his clothes. "I can't wait for you to see it. See that you're just as deadly standing still as you are in a fight."

He started pumping Jay carefully, conscious of Carlos' gaze on the efforts. "So pretty, precious, love the way you get worked up for me." At that, Jay moaned, his head falling back against Chad's shoulders as his hips thrust into his firm hand. "You like being watched, don't you?" He angled his lips closer to Jay's ear. "Do you like it when Carlos watches you too?"

Jay shuddered. "Y-Yes," he whispered.

"Carlos," Chad called out, the first time he'd addressed the teen since he started with Jay. "Do you think Jay looks pretty?"

Carlos blinked out of his reverie, clearly caught off guard by the question. "Y-Yes. Yes, I do."

"Do you like the way he ruts into my hand?" Chad asked, offering Jay a particularly hard grind.

"Yes," Carlos croaked as though he was the one Chad was touching. "He looks very um- pretty when you touch him."

"Hear that, Jay?" Chad asked, grinning at the broken moan that spilled from Jay's mouth. "Are you close?"

"Yes," Jay hissed, hips moving in weak stutters.

"Would you like to come for me?" Chad pressed, moving his hand faster. "Would you like to come for Carlos?"

Both of them shuddered at that. Interesting.

"Yes, please," Jay said, so very eager.

"Carlos," Chad said, pulling the young De Ville's focus once more. "Can Jay come now?"

Jay whimpered into Chad's neck, but he kept his hand going, his gaze focused on Carlos.

Who flushed. "W-What?"

"Can Jay come now?" Chad asked. "He'd like to come for you, but only if you want it." Chad continued his relentless tease. "We'll keep waiting until you do."

"Fuck," Jay groaned. "V-Volker-"

"Carlos," Chad said. "It's Carlos you should be calling for."

"Carlos," Jay moaned, and the other teen froze, face dusted in a furious blush. "Carlos, please, I wanna-"

"He's pretty when he begs, too," Chad said. "Don't you think?"

"Carlos," Jay whined.

"L-Let him," Carlos said. "Let him come. He can- I wanna see-"

And so he shall.

Chad coaxed Jay over the edge until he was a trembling, crooning mess, aiming the remnants of his ecstasy away from them so Carlos could have a full view. He didn't stop until Jay was whining into his neck, thighs twitching from overstimulation.

"There you go," Chad urged, pressing a kiss to that messy hair. "You did such a good job, precious. We're both very proud of you."

"W-Wow," Carlos muttered. He had a hand pressed between his legs but he seemed mostly listless, had likely also fallen apart from the view alone.

"Want to put him away?" Chad asked, cradling Jay carefully as he whimpered.

Carlos flushed. "Um- if I-" He crawled forward carefully, eyeing Jay's flushed features before he helped Chad tuck him back into his pants, fingers trembling all the while.

It was easy laying Jay down against the pallet, though coaxing Carlos to follow him was harder, since he was a nervous, sputtering mess.

"Hold on," Chad said, pulling out a handkerchief and deftly reaching into Carlos' clothes to clean him, the other teen caught between whining and reveling in the attention.

When it was over, he allowed the two of them to share him as a pillow.

"Remember, this is a safe space," he urged them, petting a hand down their back. "This stays here."

"Right," Carlos mumbled, seeming mostly asleep already.

Jay merely grunted, but since Carlos was the one Chad was worried about, he didn't really say anything.

"Good job, baby," he whispered, reveling in the way Carlos shuddered against him, and decided that despite the assassination attempt, it had been a good day.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Anthony Gets a Promotion

Notes: Originally, I had plans for more Dizzy/Chad bonding, but as you can see by the deleted scenes, I was never able to get my inspiration to accommodate this desire. Below is a tidbit of Dizzy asking for something and Chad accommodating it while giving Anthony a promotion.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"So, can we go?" Dizzy looked at him with huge puppy eyes that Chad was never going to be able to say no to in the first place.

He sighed. "Fine." Dizzy whooped, grabbing onto Darla to spin in a quick circle. "But-" Chad continued, much to their groans. "You'll take one of the crews with you for protection. And-" He looked around, caught Anthony pushing a broom down the hallway. "Anthony!"

His cousin didn't flinch – Anthony was too restrained for that – but he did offer a suspicious look. A look that only compounded when Chad motioned him over.

"Congratulations," Chad drawled, relieving him of his broom. "You've just been promoted to a desk job. I need you to organize rotations for everyone to go out and celebrate the midsummer festival down on the beach." Anthony blinked at him, flexing his empty hands, but Chad kept going. "Dizzy will let you know the group that's going. Try to organize it so that we still have people manning each of our main facilities. Oh, and make sure you allot yourself time to celebrate as well." Yeah, that would work. "Office down the hall from mine is empty, you can use that. Dizzy." He turned to the girl. "Get moving."

"Woo!" His younger cousin pumped her fist in the air. "We can celebrate and Anthony got a promotion? This is the best day ever!"

"That's the spirit." Chad squeezed her arm and giving the other two shoulder pats, Anthony still seeming at a loss at the sudden turn of events.

Chad paid him no mind, choosing to update Carlos on his change in assistants. Looked like Arthur was getting a promotion too.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 9 – Alternate Ending to Jay Catching Chad Rewarding Harry

Notes: This was ultimately cut because I couldn't come up with a follow up scene, leading me to pursue other avenues. Still, it's a nice dosage of bratty Jay, which is always fun ;)

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad was maybe halfway to driving Harry into the arms of total ecstasy when what had become their usual appointment of 'disciplining' was interrupted. He had the first mate trapped against one of the couches, splayed out on his back with both arms pinned above his head, beautifully naked and moaning. Chad was using his free hand to coax the pirate's hips into a familiar rhythm, murmuring lowly in his ear to make him more and more wild, until the pirate seemed entirely incapable of coherent speech, relying on angry snarls to convey his appreciation.

"That's it, darling'," he soothed, nuzzling against Harry's neck as he worked the pirate into a frenzy. "Just like that. Are you close?"

"Y-Yes, Volker," Harry moaned, hips stuttering into his hand. "I'm close. I'm gonna-"

He cut off at the ominous shift of the door, Chad immediately moving to block Harry from sight, gaze narrowing at the entrance that had definitely been locked. If it was opening now, it was either of someone with a key (Mal) or someone capable of picking locks.

When a shocked looking Jay slid into view, Chad had his answer, and his frustration.

"Jay," he said lowly, dragging the thief's attention to him. "I had the door locked for a reason."

"I know, I just-" Jay flushed. "I thought somebody was hurt."

A plausible cover story, though a false one. Jay's curiosity had been peaked so he'd picked the lock, interested to see what secrets lurked behind it. Stupid little horndog.

"How benevolent of you," Chad drawled, feeling Harry tense beneath him. "Get in here and lock the door."

One of Harry's hands curled tight against his bicep, but Chad ignored it, giving Harry's hip a careful squeeze to let him know Chad had things covered.

Jay rushed to do what he was told.

"Now," Chad picked up when the task was done. "Get in the corner."

Jay frowned. "But-"

"You're the one who chose to intrude where you were not wanted," Chad growled. "A punishment's in order, but I don't have time for you right now." He felt Harry shiver. "Go, Jay."

"F-Fine," the thief grumbled, moving to obey with petulant steps. Fortunately, he picked one of the far corners of the room, leaving Chad and Harry hidden by the back of the couch.

"Hey," Chad dropped his voice nice and quiet, running a soothing hand down Harry's side. "I'll make this up to you, okay? Do you want to finish later?"

"I want Jay to fuck off," Harry growled, flexing against Chad's hold. He was still notably excited, though he seemed upset by this.

"You can come up with his punishment," Chad said, knowing what a bounty he was offering. "It's only fair."

At last, Harry got a wicked grin.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 12 – Alternate Ending to Carlos finding Chad in the Secret Passage

Notes: Ultimately, I felt that the version of this scene I ended up using provided more angst and forward momentum. This was my original take that ended in cuddles, which is very lovely, but not great for pacing :)

-:-:-:-:-:-

The princess, of course, was over by the couch Chad had carefully repaired for her, working on what seemed to be some embroidery for one of Mal's coats.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, gaze focused on her needlework, and when she looked up she paused at the sight of Chad carrying a wide-eyed Carlos, his hand still shoved against the smaller teen's mouth.

It made Chad realize what a dumb picture they must make, so he hastily set Carlos down, swiftly turning around so he could shut and re-latch the hidden entrance.

"Ah," Evie hummed, emanating an easy sort of amused satisfaction. "So you've found our esteemed leader."

"What were you doing?" Carlos asked again, and it was a testament to how comfortable he was in Chad's presence, how much he trusted him, that he didn't mind asking Chad the question. "Were you spying on Mal?"

"Oh?" Evie perked up, her perfect grin widening into something infinitesimally more wicked. "Mal who's supposed to be with Gil and Harry tonight?"

"Were you-?" Carlos cut himself off with a flush, both hands pressed against his mouth as though he dare not contemplate the implications of such a statement. "Were you watching them have sex?"

There really wasn't any way to salvage the situation, and yet, Chad tried out of obligation to his reputation, pulling his shoulders back and feeling exceedingly grateful for the mask that hid his face. "For the record, I don't have to explain myself to you."

Evie cackled. Actually cackled. She must have gotten it from Mal. "You were," she laughed while Carlos flushed darker. It was moments like these that made Chad glad that Jay had decided to stay on the Lost Revenge with Uma that night. "You were totally watching them get it on."

"Why, though?" Carlos squeaked, seemingly confused. "They'd let you watch if you just asked."

"Are you-?" Evie perked up, setting her embroidery aside so she could face Chad head on. "Are you too shy to ask?"

"No," Chad said, a little too quickly and a little too defensively, and then Carlos and Evie were sharing a look mixed with wonder and celebration.

Chad really needed to nip this in the bud. "They'd act differently if I was there, anyway," he tried to explain. He didn't know why he tried, because there was no explanation that didn't sound stupid, and yet, he persevered. "And I'd have to be…"

"Volker," Evie finished, something like recognition in her eyes. "You couldn't just watch, you'd have to play the part."

Slowly, as though searching for a trap, Chad nodded.

Evie's smile softened again, still devastatingly pretty, but with a little less edge to it. "Come here," she said, getting up from her couch and settling onto the edge of her bed. Chad followed after a moment's hesitation, not entirely sure what she could want, feeling a little awkward sitting so close to the princess.

"Shoes off," she ordered, motioning for Carlos to join them.

Chad stared at her for a hard beat.

She sighed. "I'm assuming you would like to keep this… development between the three of us, yes?" Obviously, yes, but Chad was grateful she at least framed it like a question. He nodded. "Then Carlos and I will keep your secret," she declared, the young De Ville settling down on Chad's other side. "Assuming you let us have a secret of our own."

"What do you want?" Chad asked, his heart starting to beat a little bit harder.

"Nothing more than you can give," she assured. "Now, boots."

For lack of anything better to do, Chad followed the order.

"Carlos?" Evie prompted, and then the two of them were helping Chad out of his multitude of belts, setting his weapons and pouches aside on the nightstand while Evie eased him out of his coat.

It was as bare as Chad ever got around them, and he found himself fighting not to fidget in place.

"Now," Evie began, shifting so that she was splayed across the length of her mattress. She opened up her arms. "Come here." Chad tensed, but she seemed resolute, staring him down. "I won't bite."

"I'm still not having sex with you," Chad said, feeling clumsier than usual, but Evie only smiled, holding her arms open patiently until Chad moved to enter her hold, resting his head against her chest. It was- um- a pretty chest. Not that Chad looked, exactly, Chad tried hard not to do that even though back in Auradon he'd ended up doing just that with Jane like a real creeper, especially when Jane, like Evie, had so many other wonderful qualities that should be appropriately appreciated-

"Relax," Evie urged, rubbing a hand against the back of his head. "Carlos, guard his back."

Chad felt the mattress dip behind him, and then Carlos was spooning in close, curling behind Chad's back with a quiet nuzzle that made the tension ease from his shoulders completely.

This was- oh. Yeah. He wanted this. He shared a bed with Mal a couple times a week, with Harry too, but they always needed him to be Volker and truthfully, he should probably be Volker here, too, but Evie kept petting his head, humming a light tune that made everything feel easier.

"You're doing such a marvelous job," Evie murmured. "Taking care of us, all of us. You're so strong and brave, and we care about you very much."

Chad shuddered, couldn't fight it if he tried, and felt Carlos tighten his hold instead of pulling away in shock.

"You're great, Volker," the young De Ville whispered. "And if you need time to cuddle, we're happy to help you."

"This doesn't leave this room," Evie added, and that was what made Chad surrender to their attentions entirely. And maybe it was stupid, because they were both so very smart and Chad only had an advantage based on what he'd learned in Auradon, but he was only human. He could only manage so much and he needed- wanted, these quiet little moments.

Evie pressed a finger under his chin, tilting his head back so that she could press a kiss against his mask, and even though the contact was stifled it made his heart flutter, a curious thrill that only intensified when Carlos propped himself up so he could do the same. Evie kissed the top of his head and Carlos kissed his shoulders. They both kissed his hands and cuddled him close and said nice things that made him shiver.

"Our knight," Evie cooed, soft and gentle. "Our knight in shining armor."

"Stay with us," Carlos asked. And Chad, unable to deny them, did.

It was easily one of the best sleeps he'd ever had.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 12 – Evie's Birthday

Notes: Originally, I had the following series of scenes planned after Chad started dancing with Evie as a demonstration of his affection and appreciation for her. Unfortunately, it bogged the pacing down too much for me to use it, especially when so much time had already been devoted to Evie, so ultimately it got cut.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Your birthday's coming soon," Chad noted conversationally when he leaned into Evie's office, knowing better than to take the hard-working princess for granted again.

It was a small thing to bring it up himself, but it had obviously been on her mind because the smile she gifted him with was truly radiant – pleased and touched all in one.

"It is," she hummed, setting her pen aside so she could focus on him.

"Do you have an idea of what you want?" Chad asked, closing the door behind him carefully. After a moment, he decided to cross to her, kneeling down next to her chair in an obvious sign of respect.

Her smile spread wider, and after a moment's hesitation, she reached forward to caress his mask-covered cheek, the same way Mal was prone to doing sometimes. "I have a few ideas."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Despite the fact that his… more-than-department-heads (his friends? – the people he was attached to) were definitely allowed to ask each other for special birthday requests, Evie, much like Carlos, had turned to Chad to make her wish come true.

It was, as always, humbling to aid with such a thing, and Chad did his best to help her through the request, even if he felt distinctly stupid doing it.

Still, for Evie he would try.

He guided the princess through the secret passages – Evie sporting a new dress that fluttered around her thighs, making her look especially ethereal and royal, her hair done up in elaborate twists. He led her out into what was slowly becoming their private ballroom, trying not to shiver at the brush of cool air against his bare arms. It was unfortunate that Jay had a very particular aesthetic that forever required him to show off his muscles. Chad had borrowed some of his clothes to make this work, though Evie had made him a new mask and bandana more in the style of Agrabah to help set the scene. The material was less durable than Chad was used to, and with the sleeveless tunic, he couldn't wear his under armor, but Evie seemed delighted and that was what mattered.

"Princess," Chad drawled with a lazy bow he'd seen Jay give roughly a hundred times before. "Shall we dance?"

"I'd love to, my prince," she said, accepting his hand with a squeeze of her fingers, and Chad did his best to imitate Jay's bashfulness when he was offered something he didn't think he deserved, trying to play it off with a flirtatious chuckle.

"Of course you would," he allowed, and then she was giggling as they set off across the room, dancing to a music no one else could hear.

"Do you know Agraben dancing?" Evie asked as he spun her close to his chest.

Chad imitated Jay's unimpressed scoff. "Of course I do. What kind of prince would I be, if I didn't?"

"Then might we indulge?" Evie asked, her eyes sparkling. "I so rarely have a partner familiar with that style of dance."

It was understandable, because Agraben dancing was mostly comprised of two partners moving around each other in specific, dedicated movements. Meaning one couldn't just blindly lead, both had to be perfectly in sync, move with precision and care through movements that rarely repeated.

Chad had learned it as a test of stamina and agility, and it seemed Evie was familiar too, if only because her mother had forced the need into her. Still, it was nice to see Evie reclaim the knowledge for something frivolous and fun, her giggles floating through the air like a balm on his heart.

"You're driving me crazy, princess," Chad said, wrapping himself around the princess's back as soon as the dance ended in a territorial move Jay committed to often in private. "You're smart, organized, hardworking-"

"Jay wouldn't say that," she giggled as she snuggled back into his arms.

Chad dipped his lips so that they brushed against her shoulder. "Not to your face, because he's dumb, but he- I go on about you all the time when you're not around to anyone that will listen. Though that's mostly Mal and Carlos, who a hundred percent agree with me."

"…he does?" The pale flush in Evie's cheeks darkened into a lovely blush. "He doesn't just think I'm pretty?"

"Jay's dumb, but he's not that dumb," Chad said, squeezing her close. "You could ask him yourself but he'd probably get all tongue-tied around you. Just know that when he gets all flirtatious, it's because he's too afraid to do anything else but he wants you to feel good."

"Duly noted," Evie hummed, aiming a brilliant smile at him.

"Huh." Evie and Chad froze at the new voice, both turning to see Uma lingering near the door to the ballroom. "I didn't even know this place existed, but Carlos said I could find Jay here."

It was enough to make whatever anxiety Chad held melt away. "Carlos is a regular riot," he deadpanned, reveling in the shark-like grin it earned him.

"I think he's in Mal's room, if you're looking for him," Evie added, the fingers twitching against Chad's forearms the only tell that she was nervous.

"And this is… what, that birthday stuff Mal was talking about?" Uma asked, taking a steady once over of their outfits, her gaze seeming to linger on Chad's arms.

Seriously, they were not that special.

"Yes." Chad released his hold on Evie so he could step beside her, taking her hand and splitting the load of Uma's attention. Her brows raised when she realized he was dressed in Jay's clothes. "And if you'll excuse us, Captain, we still have a little more to work through."

"We do?" Evie asked, so carefully hopeful.

Chad squeezed her hand, nodding. "We do."

"Then don't let me keep you," Uma grinned, offering both of them a wink. "You guys have fun, though…" She gave Chad one last look over. "I wanna talk to you about Harry's birthday later. In say- a few hours?"

"That should be fine."

Uma left without further delay, bidding goodbye with a lazy wiggle of her fingers. Chad waited a few moments before he guided Evie back to the secret passageway, leading her back into the safety of her bedroom.

He left her standing, taking both of her hands in his and giving them a careful squeeze before he stepped away. He could feel his pulse begin to speed despite his best efforts, but Chad ignored it, doing his best to keep his breaths even as he reached towards the high collar of Jay's vest.

Evie's gaze lit up with realization just before Chad started unzipping it, her lips parting ever so slightly when his torso was revealed to her. He didn't take the vest completely off, wanting to hide the mess of scar tissue lingering on his back, but knowing that this alone would be enough. Evie certainly understood the immensity of what he was offering.

"Volker…" she whispered, drifting forward before she seemed able to help herself. "You… you're…"

"You can touch me," he offered, heart seeming to leap to his throat despite his careful rehearsals. "If you'd like."

"Yes," she hissed, similar to Mal's territorial claims, and just like that she descended on Chad, letting her pale fingers graze against his sides before marveling at the dips and swells of his muscles, fingering the delicate curve just under his pectorals in wonder.

It was strange, having someone feel him up like this after going without for so long, to feel direct contact when Chad was so used to wearing his under armor. Before the bad thing, Chad had rarely worked up the courage to explore himself in such a way, and the few times he had he'd imagined Jane or Ben's hands in place of his own, wondered if Jane would be bashful and nervous and Ben kind- as though either of them would want to touch Chad.

But here, Chad was Volker, was a wonder and a mystery and Evie seemed to revel in touching him, stepping closer and closer until they were sharing the same space.

"May I…?" Evie asked, leaning forward and hovering so that her painted lips were mere inches from his bare shoulder.

Chad considered this, then nodded. "Go for it."

She took her time. It was strange, to be doted on in such a way, but Evie was nothing if not patient. She made sure no skin was left unaddressed, covering his entire shoulder with kisses before moving to his collarbones, to the other shoulder. She shifted downward with a flush, parting her lips in a large 'o' so she could begin to suck and lick at his pale skin, making him tremble. She planted her hands on his pectorals, rubbing and grazing against his nipples every so often, though it seemed entirely unintentional.

It was different, and Chad couldn't deny a certain warmth beginning to stir in him at her dedicated attention.

"Couch," she ordered, eyes half-lidded and breath coming in pants, and Chad didn't deny her, sitting with his back against the arm of the couch while she crawled between the V of his legs, working her way downwards as she kissed and sucked and licked at this chest. Were Chad less broken, he would probably be aroused by now, but as it was he was only semi-interested, though distinctly warm and hot.

He didn't know if Evie was disappointed by that by the time she got to the skin just above the waist of Jay's pants, but Chad would never know.

"Would you…?" Chad's voice felt thick and clumsy, but he pushed past it, hoping she was too worked up to notice. "If you sit in my lap… I can't touch you but that doesn't mean you can't um… touch yourself."

It took a second for the words to process, and then Evie was gasping, settling herself appropriately so that her back was against Chad's chest, her hands wrapping his arms around his waist before she spread her legs wide, sliding her hands under the flowing fabric of her skirt.

"That's it," Char murmured, tilting his forehead against her navy locks. "Are you all nice and wet for me?"

Evie shivered when her skirt was eased higher, and even though Chad couldn't really see anything from his position, he knew without a doubt that Evie was feeling at her panties, her breath coming in a wistful sigh.

"Yes," she gasped. "I'm so wet for you."

"I'm glad," Chad said, trying to be honest when he was all out of suave. "I like it when you feel good."

"You do?" Evie breathed, hips rocking carefully into her fingers.

"Of course." Chad nuzzled her shoulder, pressing mask-covered kisses close to her neck. "I… I care for you a lot, Evie." More than he had words to say. "You are hardworking and smart and talented, but more than that, you're kind and… I wish I could give you the moon. I wish I could give you the sun, but I only have this to offer." He squeezed her close. "You are so very brilliant, Evie, and I'm glad I met you."

"Volker," she gasped, her hands moving faster. She turned her head so she could nuzzle against him, staring at him with a wanton expression. "I- I'm glad I know you too, glad…" She moaned, and Chad held her closer, let her knew it was okay, that this was for her. "You- you already gave me the moon-"

"I can do better-" Chad attempted to protest.

"Shut up and hold me," she growled, and he did, held her and hugged her and lov- cared for her until she was falling apart, his name moaned on her pretty red lips.

It was enough to make him ache in a distant way, but he pushed himself past it, knowing now was not the time.

For a few moments, Chad just held her, let her savor the aftershocks as her breath came more and more easily.

"…would you like me to give you a bath?" he asked eventually, grateful that she was facing away from him and couldn't see his blush.

She let out a tired laugh. "You'll spoil me."

"You deserve to be spoiled," he said, and that was that.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Uma found them later, when Chad was carefully washing Evie's hair, massaging her scalp and trying desperately not to look at her naked body, because he was only human and she was very pretty.

"Hey, princess," Uma said, settling down next to the tub and leaning against the side, her head propped up on the folds of her arms. "You have a good birthday?"

"The best," Evie hummed, giving a contented sigh.

"May I help?" Uma hummed, and that was how Chad got to know that watching a pretty girl help sponge bathe another very pretty girl was something that made him hopelessly embarrassed for reasons he could not articulate. It was good to know he was not entirely broken, just broken enough for it to be inconvenient. Story of his life.

Chad was in the process of very carefully washing out Evie's hair, trying not to get distracted by the soft kisses Uma and Evie would occasionally trade, when Evie finally spoke up.

"Harry's birthday is soon, right?" she asked almost sleepily, eye-half lidded with the bliss of relaxation.

Uma hummed. "It is, but I don't want to cut into your special time, princess."

"I've already had it pretty great," Evie said, smiling. "And our darlin' deserves something special."

"Do you have an idea of what he wants?" Chad asked, taking Evie's cue to proceed.

A sly smirk spread across Uma's lips. "I do, but he'll never be able to ask you for it."

"Oooh, do share," Evie said, seeming to perk up.

The smirk widened into a vicious grin, and then Uma did just that.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Alternate discovery – What's Under the Mask.

Notes: So I very briefly played around with the idea of Chad running up another mask to go under his cloth mask after Harry drunkenly stumbled upon him, a sort of back up just in case he ever last his mask. He'd use his runes to create the illusion of scars over the bottom half of his face to keep his identity concealed. Of course, eventually the others discover these scars, prompting a heart-to-heart, but I ultimately decided to cut these scenes in favor of the crew getting a look at his actual, emotional scars rather than fake ones.

WARNING – The first paragraph of the second part of the scene might be triggering – it involves Chad having a nightmare. It's just the first paragraph though, the next has him waking up.

-:-:-:-:-:-

After Harry's close encounter with Chad as a 'spirit', Chad decided to take some extra precautions. He carved small illusion runes into an ear cuff – spending hours tinkering on the final composition until finally he had a respectable illusion of a scarred-up jaw – everything below his nose seemingly marred with cuts and burns. It was enough to be off-putting while still providing no obvious vocal handicaps, which would explain why his speech hadn't been impaired.

Not that Chad expected to be caught without his mask again, but if he did, he would properly scarred, thus explaining his adamancy about staying covered.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad struggled through the darkness like a sinking ship, like his lungs were filling up with water and there was a hint of light in the distance but he couldn't struggle for it no matter how hard he tried. All he knew was that he was falling, getting pulled deeper and deeper just like his mother and this was it- his grandfather had won. He was going to die and he was never going to see Ben again, he was never going to save Sardinia or get the others off of the Isle and he couldn't breathe- he just wanted to breathe-

Chad burst through the darkness with a cry, twisting up into the sitting position while his hands clutched at his face. There was something there, something- he needed it gone, some rough fabric that he tore away without thought, tossing it to the far end of the- the bed?

It was a bed, he realized belatedly, everything coming back to him in slow shifts as he gasped for air. Fuck this was- he was in his room. Not his room but the Bargain Castle room, and-

"Volker?" That was Mal, blinking out of her sleep with a concerned look on her face. "Volker, what-?"

She cut off, and far too late did Chad realize that he wasn't wearing his mask.

"Is everything okay?" Gil asked, so very exhausted. It was adorable, but Chad couldn't waste time on it, was too busy pressing a hand against his mouth so he could go find the stupid mask he had literally just thrown like a dumb piece of shit.

"It's fine," Chad muttered, beginning to pull himself from the blankets. "Go back to bed."

"Volker." Mal had a hand on his wrist because she'd seen- the fake scars that he'd given himself, the- it didn't matter. "Volker, it's okay."

"I know it's okay." Chad wanted to jerk out of her grip but he also didn't want to disrupt Gil, who seemed to be ignoring his order and was waking up slowly, sitting up to join them. "Mal, go to sleep."

"So you've got scars," Mal said, forever tactless. "We all have scars, Volker. Yours don't make you less."

"Did something happen?" Gil asked. "Why are we talking about scars?"

"Gil." Chad forced himself to stay calm. "My mask's on the floor over there, could you grab it for me?"

"Don't do that Gil," Mal ordered, leaving the second mate in an awkward lurch. "You don't get to help us all the time and then refuse to let us return the favor."

"Sure I can," Chad snapped. "I'm-"

"We're partners." Mal leaned into his space with a snarl. "You help me and I help you, now lower your damn hand, you asshole."

Fucking- Chad was already making too big a deal out of this. He knew that. They weren't even real scars, but Mal was looking at him with this unreadable expression that made Chad feel like he was going to shake apart.

Slowly, he put his hand down, unable to block out Gil's surprised gasp.

"Volker," he whispered, fingers straying towards one of the fake scars.

Chad tilted away from the touch. "It's fine. You're right, I overreacted."

"You don't need to be reasonable right now," Mal said, letting her fingers graze the bottom of his jaw. "In fact," her voice began to sound a little bit watery. "I encourage you to be unreasonable."

"Mal." He reached forward, letting his hand rest against her shoulder. "Don't- please don't cry. It's not that bad. It doesn't even hurt."

"Oh, sweet evil – don't comfort me, you doof," she laughed. "For once could you focus on yourself?"

"I focus on myself all the time," Chad answered honestly. "It's why I'm not dead yet."

"Fuck," she hissed. "I mean, I know we all have shitty parents-"

Chad flinched, couldn't help it. "This isn't-"

He shook his head. Aside from neglect, his father was far from the one to blame. And his mother's only crime was dying too soon, which was less a crime and more an unfortunate fact.

"What?" Mal pressed. "Was it a shitty grandparent?"

Chad flinched again, this time into Gil's arms, who hugged him from behind.

"Who?" Mal asked. "Who was it? Are they dead?"

"They're… not a problem here," Gil settled on, because that was as close to the truth as he could get.

"But they did this," Mal's fingers grazed some of the fake scars. "They did this to you."

"He made me stronger," Chad murmured. "I hate him, but I wouldn't be able to survive like this if it hadn't been for him."

"He can still fucking die as far as I'm concerned," Mal snapped. "We'll kill him one day, I promise."

It was such a little thing. Not even a conversationally appropriate one, back in Auradon, but.

But Chad had been fighting his grandfather alone for a very long time, and while he always hoped to rid that toxic influence from his life completely, it was something completely different to have someone pledge to help him. To want to help him and not just think he was crazy, or overreacting, or young, or stupid.

That was likely why the tears started welling down Chad's cheeks unbidden, such an open relief that he couldn't help but cry.

"Fuck," Mal whispered again, moving forward until she was hugging Chad too, wiping tears from his cheeks. "It's okay. It's okay, this is a safe space-"

That coaxed out a laugh that was halfway to a sob. "Please don't- the others-"

"They deserve to know." Mal wouldn't back down on this. "We work together. That's what you taught us, Volker."

"It's why we've lived this long," Gil offered, voice soft. "You gotta let us take care of you too."

"So cry," Mal said. "And let us hug you, and let us hold you for once, and one day, we'll kill your grandfather."

"You say the sweetest things," Chad whispered.

"Lies," Mal hissed. "Vicious lies, I'm perfectly evil."

"You're perfect," Chad said. "That much, I'll give you."

"Damn you." Mal quivered against him. "Saying such nice bullshit things like that."

"I like them," Gil said quietly.

"Yeah," Mal sighed. "Me too."

"So," Chad swallowed. "We should probably nail down what we're going to tell-"

"Sweet evil, just cry," Mal ordered. "Plan later, cry and cuddle now, gorgeous."

"Don't-" Even back in Auradon, Chad hated being known for his looks. Mostly, because that was all he supposedly had to offer.

"You're gorgeous to us," Gil whispered quietly. "And you're smart and nice and kind."

Unable to help himself, Chad shivered.

"Okay," Mal said. "I see what you like. Our little genius."

"Our strong leader."

"Guys," Chad croaked.

"That's right, let the tears out," Mal said, shifting them so they cuddled against the bed once more. "And then we'll talk."

It was a relief and a worry all in one, but Chad knew it was over, and there was nothing to be done. So he moved on.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Alternate Ending – Volker Gets an Invite

Notes: In the version of Auradon that regularly gets up to date information from the Isle, I had a version of this story where Ben extended an invitation to Volker as well as the others to attend Auradon Prep. I ultimately nixed this because it had the crew split up for too long, but what follows below is a series of scenes where Chad reveals his identity to the others in the limo ride over, and the chaos that falls after.

It should be noted that in this alternate world, Chad hadn't suffered his sexual trauma, making him much more open to those kind of interactions.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The others kept their eyes fixed to the wondrous scenery flying outside the limousine window, Jay and Carlos alternating between eating the provided snacks and taking in the view while Evie and Mal tried not to gawk at the swirling magic around them. Chad let them have this moment, taking his long-neglected phone out of his pocket and powering it to life.

"Hey." Carlos frowned at him. "What's that?"

"Cell phone," Chad explained. "I'm going to have to give a lot of information to you very quickly but bottom line is that for the sake of survival I lied to you about a lot of things." He held up a hand when Carlos moved to ask what, flicking through his contacts until he found Ben's name. Hopefully, the prince hadn't changed his number yet. He imitated the call. "I'll explain in a moment but I need to take care of something."

Ben picked up after two rings.

"Don't say who it is," Chad ordered, trying to keep his tone somewhere between Volker and the old Chad Charming and getting lost in between. "I need you to do me a favor."

"But-" Ben sounded breathless and lost.

"Ben," Chad stressed. "You need to stay composed. I assume my grandfather spread news of my death?"

"…yes."

"He was misinformed," Chad explained quietly, deciding to set aside prospects of treason so he could take care of his grandfather himself. "I need you to pretend this phone call is an update from the driver you sent to the Isle of the Lost. Due to mechanical issues, you have to redirect him to the Auradon Castle Private Garages, okay? As soon as this phone call is over you need to contact the driver and get him to go to the castle, not the school. It's important."

"Of course," Ben said solemnly, sounding more composed than before. If Chad wasn't trying so hard to stay in control of the situation, he might have cried for how good it was to hear the other prince. "I'll call off the reception. Everyone can go back to their classes."

"Thank you, Ben." It was good to be trusted, good to still be listened to after his absence. "I promise I'll get you some answers soon, but you need to keep the party that meets us small. Don't allow for any gaps in security."

Which was the greatest hint Chad could give for possible assassins, but Ben didn't need it explained to him, because he actually could be clever on occasion.

"I won't," Ben promised. "I'll see you soon, at the- later."

"Later," Chad echoed, cutting off the call before he could waste battery holding out for another taste of Ben's voice.

He shut the phone off as soon as he could, disassembling it and removing the battery to keep it from being traced, all the while painfully aware of the others' focus on him.

"Ben?" Mal echoed. "Was that Prince Ben?"

"Yep." There was no point in denying it. "Old friend of mine. Long story short, I'm not from the Isle."

"You're from Auradon," it was Carlos who said it, a picture that was unfairly adorable with his clever eyes and chocolate smeared all over his lips. "That's how you know so much stuff. Gardening, hunting, survival, delegation-"

"I'm Prince Chadwick James of Sardinia," Chad cut to the point. "My grandfather dumped me on the Isle in a poor assassination attempt."

"What the fuck?" Jay muttered, cheeks lighting in a flush. "You're a prince?"

"Yes." He would have to get used to that soon. "And you four are the dashing heroes who rescued me, who helped me survive that treacherous place until Prince Ben made his edict. You will be hailed as heroes of Sardinia, and then we will use our combined knowledge to start making an effort to get the rest of our forces off of the Isle. With me backing as a character witness, they'll have no real reason to deny us, especially considering the fact that they have no real grounds to hold you or any of the villains' descendants on the Isle in the first place."

"Wait." Evie held up a hand. "So we're- we're really getting everyone off the Isle?"

"Everyone who hasn't committed a crime in Auradon," Chad replied, because at this point he himself had committed very many Isle-based crimes. "And all the petty criminals who shouldn't have been banished in the first place. I'll take all of them into Sardinia if I have to, though the council will likely want to redistribute refugees since they don't really know what happened while I was there."

"They might be afraid you built up an army," Carlos summarized. "And you did just that."

"Gotta do what's necessary to survive," Chad said with a shrug. "We all know that."

"And… us," Mal snapped. "What about us? Our association or whatever the fuck you call it with Gil?"

"Well…" Chad maintained his composure, even as he noticed the limo pull off the main road and redirect to Auradon Castle, just where he needed it to be. "I know I'm not what I said I was, but I'm invested, if you'd still be willing to have me. I frankly don't give a shit about Auradon expectations anymore." They were bogus anyway. "Figured we could pave the way for polygamous relationships, though the council will probably only let me marry two of you. I was thinking Evie and Gil, if you felt inclined, but we'd all still be together." He paused, grateful that he hadn't decided to remove his mask yet, for all that he was laying it out logically, he knew he was putting his heart on the table. "But only if you guys want."

"You could have anyone," Mal said. "You're a prince. You're Cinderella's son-"

"Just Ella, please," Chad murmured. "The 'cinder' part was an abusive nickname."

"…is that why you spared Anthony?" Carlos asked. "Since you're cousins? And why you dote on Dizzy?"

"She's going to be a princess if I have anything to say about it." And Chad would, because his grandfather was going to be dead soon, and Chad was known for doing the 'nice' thing anyway. "Anthony can be a prince, but I swear if he tries to kill me again he will be permanently dealt with."

"Fuck." Jay rubbed a hand across his face. "You're a bloodthirsty, super sexy Auradon prince. Fuck. Of course you were. We all had running bets because you came out of nowhere-"

"I probably would have avoided the whole Isle revolution altogether if I hadn't spotted Gil getting mugged," Chad admitted. "But even from a distance, I liked that guy."

"We know," Mal groaned. "Jay only complains about it all the time."

"Me?" Jay flushed. "It's not just me-"

"To refocus," Chad said, because they were getting short on time. "Do you four accept my proposition?"

"To be in a hot, steamy relationship with a prince?" Mal asked. "Yeah, sure. Count me in."

"Will we get to see your face now?" Evie asked. "Since I'm going to, you know, marry you."

She said this last part with a flush, and Chad knew then and there that he was going to plan the most elaborate wedding proposal of all time just for her, so she could see that she was worth it.

"Yeah, of course." Chad removed his hood slowly, pushing down his mask and pulling off his bandana to reveal his slightly wilted curls. "It's not much to look at-"

"Fuck," Jay simply repeated. "Of course you're hot. I knew you'd be hot."

"I'm gonna kiss that," Mal giggled to herself. "Without the stupid mask too."

"I hate that thing so much now," Carlos admitted. "For hiding you from us."

"It was a necessity." Chad flushed. "No one's going to fear this face – I'm far too handsome."

"Sure you're not one of Gaston's?" Mal asked, but she was grinning, still staring, pleased with her choice. "We are going to have a good time tonight."

That was- okay. Yes. Chad should stop blushing now. "Just remember the story. Four brave heroes, a multitude of other heroes back on the Isle, all fighting to do what's right – we leave out the excessive murder to assert our authority bit. Auradon people get squeamish about that kind of shit."

"Ugh, so sexy," Jay groaned, and Chad decided to let the guy chill in his misery for a bit.

"Does everyone else get the story?"

"Yeah, yeah," Carlos said, popping another candy into his mouth. "So if you're a prince, does that mean you have a library?"

"My dear, you are going to get all the books you could possibly want and then some." Chad grinned. "You are all going to get the life you deserve."

"And I will be princess," Evie said.

"And, one day, queen."

"Queen," she murmured with a certain reverence, all the dreams that had seemed unreachable suddenly within her grasp. "I like the sound of that."

"Thought you would," Chad said, and then they were pulling into the garage.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad got out of the car first, because if any of his grandfather's men had managed to keep up with the relocation, he wanted to keep the others out of the line of fire. The garages seemed secure though, Ben cleverly redirecting them to one of the smaller areas that could only be accessed by the royal family. The prince was waiting for them when Chad got out of the car, King Adam and Queen Belle hovering behind him with Cogsworth and their captain of the guard.

"Chad." Ben was on him in a moment, pulling him into a tight hug despite the fact that Chad probably didn't smell all that great. "Chad- fuck, you're here. You're not dead. Chad."

"Ben." Chad returned the hold because he liked this dumb human, cared for him even to his own detriment, and Ben was just a lost puppy anyway, unaware of the world's cruelties. "Sorry for the trouble-"

"No trouble at all if you're not dead." Ben shot back, murmuring into Chad's gross hair. He needed to not do that, but he didn't seem to care. "What happened to you? You've been gone a year."

Didn't Chad know it. "I don't know," he lied. "I fell unconscious on my fifteenth birthday and woke up on the Isle of the Lost. The only reason I'm not dead is because Mal and the others helped me." In his peripherals he saw the others slowly get out of the car, eying the scene with restrained looks of suspicion. "Ben, it's awful over there – we have to do something to help them- the kids-" Chad let some genuine tears pool in his eyes, because Ben was weak to a certain kind of person, and that was one with a heart big enough for the whole world. "-the kids, Ben. There's barely enough food for them to survive. They- we-" He motioned to the others. "Had to work together to stay alive amongst the- villains. We have to-"

"Chad." Ben was cradling his face now, one arm curled around Chad's back like he was afraid he would disappear otherwise. "Chad, we're going to help them, okay? And we're going to figure out who did this to you."

"This is a very serious crime," King Adam solemnly announced. "Very few would have access to the equipment necessary to transport you to the Isle."

"Can you… look through your records?" Chad asked, wide eyed and innocent, despite knowing that whoever had done it wouldn't have left any evidence behind. "Maybe see if anything was unaccounted for on my birthday?"

"We'll do it," Ben pledged, rubbing small circles on Chad's cheek. "It was a good thing you had me redirect you here." With what seemed to be reluctance, Ben turned to address the others. "You all will be safe here, okay? We're going to get to the bottom of this mess and then we're going to finalize your Auradon citizenships-"

King Adam startled. "Ben-"

"They saved Chad," Ben pressed, holding Chad close. Wow, Chad really hadn't thought they were this good of friends. It was kind of a nice surprise. "That's more than proved their worth. Besides, they haven't committed any actual crimes in Auradon, they deserve a fair shot."

Mal blinked, seeming surprised, but recovered wonderfully. "Thank you, your um- princeliness."

Chad was going to make fun of her for it later. It was just too fucking cute.

As was Ben's awkward laugh. "You're welcome. Um, Cogsworth," He motioned to the Head of Household behind him, all the while still holding Chad. "Could you show them to the royal guest quarters?"

"Of course, your highness." Cogsworth dipped in a quick bow, though it was obvious that he hadn't been expecting for the VKs to get more than the regular guest rooms. The royal guest quarters were for visiting royalty, and as such, were close to Ben's room.

"I should help them settle in-" Chad began to say, but got cut off with another hug.

"We need to get your statement first," Ben murmured, tucking Chad close against his chest. It was something he could really grow to like, but also shouldn't, because Ben was just being the stupidly nice person he was. "Then you can help them?"

After a quick look to Mal, Chad nodded, wishing Ben's shirt didn't feel so soft against his cheek. "Okay."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Apparently it took being proclaimed dead for a year for Ben to instigate all the physical contact pre-teen Chad had only ever dreamed of. He held Chad's hand all the way to King Adam's private office, navigating through secret passageways to keep Chad out of view.

"Your grandfather named a new heir to the Sardinian throne while you were gone," Ben explained as he tugged Chad into the office. "A great nephew or something. He's prepping to take over soon. Your father…" He frowned, distinctly unhappy. "He didn't handle your loss well."

Considering how little he'd interacted with Chad before he'd gone missing, Chad supposed that was somewhat of a consolation prize.

"I'll contact him as soon as I can," Queen Belle said. "After you give your statement."

"No." Chad allowed some of his panic to slip into his tone. "We can't call anyone until we figure out who in Sardinia is behind this."

"Are you so sure it's a Sardinian threat?" King Adam asked, motioning them into his office. He'd already called for this chief inspector, a man by the name of Basil, who was waiting for them when they got there.

"I've had a lot of time to think it over," Chad explained slowly. "It's what makes the most sense. Someone wanted me to perish but couldn't actually get their hands dirty. That must mean they're high up in the Sardinian government. Anyone else could have just hired someone to take me out here." But this was personal – his grandfather had wanted Chad to suffer, so he'd stranded him instead. "It might-" He made a show of biting his lip, a deeply unhappy frown settled on his lips, prompting Ben to wrap an arm around his shoulders. "I- I hate to even think it, but-" He exhaled hard. "My grandfather… he always wanted me to do better, and I tried but it just never seemed to be enough for him."

"You think he did this?" Ben asked, seeming honestly horrified.

Good, it was a horrifying notion.

Chad ducked his head, as though overcome by an immense shame. "He's the only one I can think that might have a personal motive."

"I'll have Inspector Basil look into it," King Adam decided, the inspector nodding beside him. "Along with any other Sardinian officials that could have possibly gotten access to the Isle remotes. We won't announce your return until we can guarantee your safety."

"Thank you, your majesty." Chad bobbed his head in a quick bow. "And the others?"

"We'll keep them here, too," the king decided. "In case they're targets for helping you, though I must ask…" A slight frown tugged at the king's lips. "As much as I hate to second-guess anyone's motives, are you positive these Isle children helped you out of the goodness of their hearts?"

"They must have," Chad explained carefully. "I didn't tell them who I was until we got into the limo. Before that, I was just Volker. Just some guy."

"Not just any guy," Ben said. "My reports had you listed as one of the leaders of the Isle."

Chad allowed himself to blush. "Your reports were overstated. I didn't do that much just- I knew how to garden, and hunt, and basic medical treatments, it-" He let his expression shift into something pained. "They don't have access to basic survival knowledge, Ben. Stuff they need to know because they don't have access to the same luxuries we do. I taught them how to compost and how to make rope, how to sterilize and use medical supplies- they just don't have anything."

"We'll fix that," Ben said, so close and so very earnest. It was an earnestness he turned on his parents. "They didn't help Chad because he was a prince; they helped him because he was one of them, just struggling to get by. Are you going to second guess that?"

"No," the king shook his head. "Of course not, but it was a question that needed to be asked."

"It's not unfair," Chad said, allowing himself to sniffle. "With only villains as an active influence, of course you'd expect them to be bad, but-" He turned back to Ben. "You know Gaston has a son?" Chad chose to ignore Trois and Junior's existence. "His name's Gil. He's really sweet and always smiles despite the fact that he's got next to nothing. And Gaston's the worst, but LeFou-" He turned to Queen Belle. "His only crime was getting caught up in the heat of the moment, same as the other villagers, but he's stuck on the Isle despite being kind and they're not." He rubbed at his eyes. "He'd sneak me eggs sometimes, even though Gaston would um- do unpleasant things to him if he found out."

But now Gaston was dead, so Chad guessed he got his due.

"I'm not saying you don't need the Isle, your majesties," Chad said slowly. "But maybe you should separate people by the severity of the crime? And don't let their kids suffer."

"…you've given me a lot to think about," King Adam said eventually, as close to admitting a wrong as possible, but it wasn't him Chad was trying to win over.

It was Ben, and Ben couldn't hold him tighter if he tried.

"Please do," Chad sniffed. "We need to get the kids off. Did you know that I have cousins?"

"I might have seen that in the reports," Ben said quietly, a small measure of guilt on his face. He likely hadn't expected Chad to care. Chad hadn't expected to care. And yet, here he was.

"I wanna get the off. They need to come home."

"One thing at a time," the king said, indicating the conversation was over. "First we'll look into your assassination attempt, then we'll move forward."

"That's all I ask," Chad sniffed, and inside, he preened with victory.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Instead of being taken to where the others were staying, Ben dragged Chad right to his own bedroom, using the secret passages until they were released into Ben's private study.

"I've got some of your old things," he explained. "All the stuff that was in your dorm room when you were- were kidnapped. I was going to ship it back to Sardinia but with everything that happened, I just-" He tugged Chad towards his lavish bathroom, turning to hug him one more time. "Fuck, Chad. It was awful. It was awful. You were dead but no one knew anything. Just- we had plans to get in some extra Tourney practice and then you were dead."

"Not dead," Chad murmured against the firm plane of Ben's chest. "Gone, but still thinking of you. It's okay, Ben."

"It's not okay," Ben snapped, and when he pulled back Chad could see tears in his eyes, could feel the prince's hands tremble on his shoulder. "You were gone for a year, Chad. Someone stole you and left you for dead for a year and I had no idea that my best friend was struggling to survive on the prison island my family created in the first place! I mean." He pulled away only to throw up his arms in frustration. "None of that is okay! You could have died!"

"But I didn't." Chad didn't really know what to do, now, hadn't realized he was Ben's best friend. "Ben, I'm here right now."

"I know." And Ben was hugging him again, ducking his head so he could nuzzle Chad's curls. "I'm so terrified that you'll disappear again if I let you out of my sight. And here I am yelling at you when you're probably exhausted. It must have been horrible."

Slowly, Chad let himself relax into the hold. "It wasn't all terrible," he muttered. "There was some good stuff. Mal and the others are pretty funny. And um- my cousin, Dizzy? She's like a little ray of sunshine. I'm gonna fund her first fashion line when she gets out here and she's gonna take over the world. Same for Evie, I mean-" He pulled back, grinning. "Did you see what she made with just rags? Think of what she could do with actual fabric. And Mal's an artist. She can make art with anything – half-empty cans of paint, broken chalk, the stubs on pencils, she's so brilliant, Ben. And Carlos is an inventor – you give him a pile of garbage and he can jerry rig it into a generator. He's amazing. And Jay- he tries to be cool but he's actually a loser but he's super acrobatic and fears literally nothing- and Gil! Gil is like- if a golden retriever was a person, that's Gil. And then there's Uma – she's Ursula's daughter – fiercest pirate captain in the world but she just wants to take care of her crew, take care of all the kids. And there's Harry who like, worships the ground Uma walks on, it's adorable, but he's all feisty and will sputter about it, but he could sail any boat you gave him, and he's got a weird Scottish accent for some reason and that's pretty cool."

"…you really like them," Ben said, a simple deduction that seemed to make him pleased to no end. "I'm glad you were able to find them, out there. Glad they could help you when I couldn't."

"Do you think we can get them off?" Chad asked. "They can all come to Sardinia, if no other kingdoms are interested; I've had time to make up appropriate relief plans-"

"Of course you have," Ben laughed, but it was a fond thing. "We'll figure it out, Chad. I promise. I'm just-" He grinned. "I'm so happy you're alive."

"Yeah, me too," Chad chirped, reveling in the inelegant guffaw it earned him.

There was a weird moment of silence after the laughter died down, and then Ben squeezed his shoulders once more. "I'll um- let you get cleaned up, okay? I'll set out some of your old clothes for you."

"Thanks, Ben," Chad said, and likely imagined the small flush that dusted those cheeks, because all he'd said was thank you, and even Ben wasn't that big of a sap.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Predictably, Chad's old clothes were a little big on his shoulders, and it felt weird to not have his face covered in any way after going a good year incognito. Ben tried to tempt him into having dinner in his room, but Chad really needed to check on the others. As a compromise, Ben sent him off with one of his stupidly soft cardigans (because Chad 'looked cold', the doof) after indulging in one last hug (that was just their new thing now, Chad guessed) before escorting him down to the guest rooms like a protective sentry and it was really just – too cute.

"Text if you need anything," he said when they got to the door. "Or if you don't. Or-" He smacked his head. "Right, your grandfather could trace that. I'll get you a new phone – all of you phones." It was kind of cute, how eager he was. "Come back to my room later?"

In the wake of such eagerness, how could Chad refuse?

"Okay." He offered Ben a genuine smile. "I'll see you later, slick. Promise not to disappear in the meantime."

"Please," Ben urged, and then he stayed, waiting for Chad to be safely ensconced inside before considering leaving.

This guy.

Chad was almost terrified at the prospect of him and Gil being in the same room. Chad would die of adorableness overload.

It seemed that the others had also made use of the showers while he'd been away – all of them congregated in what he assumed was Mal and Evie's room. The door to the bathroom was open, and he could see Evie lavishing in a bubble bath, Jay stretched out on some kind of chaise lounge beside her, trying to brush out his damp hair. Chad moved to look for the others when Mal made her presence known to him, descending in a fine fury.

"Why didn't you tell us the prince was in love with you?" Mal snapped, pressing a hand against Chad's chest. Carlos was behind her, perched at the desk, sorting through an assortment of electronics Jay had likely stolen for him.

It was a very cute sight, but then Chad had to process what Mal said. "What?"

"Prince Ben," Mal said his name like an insult, rolling her eyes. "That guy was all over you."

"Yeah, that's just Ben," Chad tried to explain, though he was interrupted by Evie.

"Is he back?" the princess called. "Argue in here if you're going to lay into him."

"Fine," Mal muttered, grabbing Chad's wrist and dragging him into the bathroom, Carlos following a beat behind them. On closer inspection, it seemed that Jay was wearing a blue silk robe and nothing else, which would have been suitably distracting if Mal hadn't started up again. "You don't think that was information we needed to know?"

"Information that Ben's a hugger?" Chad asked. "Look, I honestly didn't think we were that good of friends. I was pretty happy that he'd rerouted the car for us, that was the most I had expected him to do for me."

"Are you kidding me?" Mal turned to share a look with the others that Chad didn't really get. "He's serious. You're serious."

"…yes?" Chad tried not to think about it too hard, because he had an old crush on Ben that flared up from time to time (because the asshole was so damn charming) and he really didn't want to stray into that territory right now. "I'm sorry, Mal. I tried to give you the information I'd considered most vital-"

"He doesn't know," Jay said, a hint of wonder in his tone.

Chad sighed. "I don't know what?"

"That Ben's in love with you?" Carlos offered from his perch beside the tub. "Kind of hard to miss, dude."

"Thought the good 'ole king was gonna strangle you," Mal murmured, making a show of inspecting her nails. "He wasn't too happy about your return."

Okay, what?

"Ben's not- that's just Ben." Chad had no idea how else to put this. "He's nice to literally everyone. He only reacted that way because he thought I was dead for the past year. Trust me, enough time will pass-"

"And then he'll propose?" Mal finished, raising one challenging brow. "'Cuz he looked like he wanted to do that outside the car. Kind of surprised he didn't make out with you then and there."

"Okay, you're wrong," Chad declared, because sometimes he needed to do that so they could move on. "Trust me."

"I think you should trust us," Evie said quietly, a picture of composure that did little to hide the quiet threat. "He wants you. I believe that you don't realize that, but he wants you."

"Maybe," Chad allowed, because he respected them enough to believe their opinions. "But once he gets to know me again, he won't. If he's in love with anything, it's an idea of me."

"Well, I think we should use this to our advantage," Mal declared. "You were already doing a good job of it, getting all puppy eyed on him."

"Aw, man," Jay groaned, one hand sliding down his chest to fondle himself.

Chad felt his pulse spike.

"Not now," Mal snapped, motioning for Carlos to smack him on the back of the head, who did so reluctantly. "Later. We need to focus."

"If he asks you to marry him, you should say yes," Evie said quietly, making an effort to not really look at any of them.

"No way." Chad had already as good as promised Evie his hand in marriage, and he wasn't taking that back for anything. "If he wants to marry me, he's going to have to take both of us." Evie flushed, likely having not considered the possibility. "And only if that's good with you, I mean-" Chad sighed. "I'm not giving you up, so he'll have to be okay with that."

"Seriously, Mal?" Jay whined, likely objecting to the idea that he couldn't touch himself yet.

"Seriously, Jay," Mal huffed, rolling her eyes. "We get it, we all get hot when Volker's charming, but keep your hands to yourself for like five seconds."

Before Chad could think of a way to reply to that, Evie spoke up, "I'm… I'm okay with that. With being queen for both of you, I mean."

"You're already a queen," Chad reminded her. "Or, you will be. You don't need us to get by."

"Damn straight, you don't," Mal muttered, crossing her arms with a smirk.

"I'll consider it more of a perk." Evie grinned at him, a truly radiant thing. "When will you see him next?"

"Ben?" Right, who else would they be talking about. "He asked me to come back to his room after dinner."

"And you thought he didn't like you." Mal rolled her eyes again. "You can be so thick sometimes."

"Excuse you?"

"It took him forever to figure out Harry wanted him," Carlos muttered, mostly to himself. "Despite the fact that the guy was like, throwing himself at him."

"Harry is Uma's-"

"And Uma likes you," Evie said. "Which just proves how charming you are."

"Even mostly hidden and vicious as fuck," Mal purred. "Our bloodthirsty leader. Brutal yet thoughtful."

"Oh man," Carlos sighed. "That dumb mask must have covered up every time you blushed. We've been missing out."

Chad ducked his head, as though this could hide the way he was affected. "Quiet, you fools."

"Never," Mal declared. "Now that we've got that settled, go ahead and ravish Jay. We all know you want to."

"Me?" Jay asked, eyes going wide as Chad crawled over to him, eagerly reaching for the silk ties of his robe.

"As though you weren't waiting for him," Evie huffed. "Splayed on that lounge wrapped up all pretty."

Jay flushed; it was a very lovely thing. "You um- don't have to watch-" He stammered as Chad pushed his robe open, revealing a firm interest that Chad was definitely going to spend time pleasuring.

"No, but we get to," Mal murmured, settling in next to Carlos. "Volker?"

"Hello, precious," Chad urged, then kisses his way down Jay's chest, determined to pay him back for all the blowjobs Jay had so eagerly given him.

"Huh, thoughtful and generous," Mal drawled, and then they all fell silent to listen to the sound of Jay's moans, the thief's legs twitching wide as he fell into incoherence.

Definitely not the worst debriefing he'd had.

-:-:-:-:-:-

By the time dinner rolled around Jay was thoroughly spent, Carlos was a boneless mess in Mal's lap, and Chad had made out with all of them, reveling in their different levels of expertise and enthusiasm. It took a bit of magic from Mal to make Chad look any kind of presentable when he returned to Ben's room, feeling more relaxed than he had in months – happy, sated, and full.

"Hey, Chad." Ben grinned up from where he had been working at his desk, seeming to brighten at Chad's appearance. "Are they doing okay?"

"They're definitely appreciating their accommodations, make no joke about that," Chad said, cutting off halfway with a yawn. "Sorry." He flushed. "It's been a while since I've gotten to eat that much, or feel this clean."

And safe and happy.

Ben's expression dimmed ever so slightly. "Don't apologize, it's completely understandable. I was thinking of calling it an early night anyway." He tucked away a few papers and shut down his laptop, motioning Chad over towards his bed. "I was thinking you could join me? If you want," he rushed to add. "I just- I'm glad you're here."

If Mal hadn't pointed it out, Chad would have likely missed the slight hint of want in Ben's eyes, even as it was he found himself fighting to believe her because Chad had spent so long thinking that Ben and anything Ben-related was impossible.

"Yeah." Chad nodded slowly, hoping the shadows hid the blush spreading across his cheeks. "I'd like that."

"Just like old times," Ben joked, as though those old times hadn't been put to a stop because of their parents, worrying that they were getting too close to be considered princely.

He used a remote on his nightstand to switch off most of the lights, urging Chad into the center of the bed before following after him. With that, he clicked the last lamp out, leaving them bathed in only the light of the moon.

"I-" Ben seemed to struggle with himself, then sighed. "I'm glad you're back, Chad."

"I'm glad I'm back too," Chad murmured. "I'm glad I got to see you again."

For all his confidence, he'd never really thought he would. He'd never had a whole lot of hope for getting off the Isle, as much as he'd bluffed otherwise.

"Me too, Chad," Ben whispered. "Me too."

And the fool even meant it.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad woke to find himself curled into Ben's chest, the other's long arm wrapped around his waist and their legs tangled together, as though they'd searched each other out in the middle of the night. Chad flushed at the predicament, hating his subconscious need for comfort, and tried to carefully pull away, though even in his sleep Ben stubbornly held on.

After a few unsuccessful attempts, Chad resigned himself to waiting on Ben and tried to settle back into sleep, at the very least faking it so the other prince could try to untangle himself when he woke up. It was maybe thirty minutes before he felt the crown prince shift away, his arm curling against Chad's lower back as he resettled.

"Oh, good," Ben whispered, seeming mostly out of it. He'd always been a heavy sleeper. "Not a dream." He rubbed careful circles on Chad's back, ducking his head down to press a kiss against his hair. "Love you."

Well, that answered that question, then.

Chad didn't dare move, didn't dare breathe until Ben seemed slightly more coherent, and then he began to process of organically 'waking up'.

"Wow," Chad grumbled, rubbing at his eyes as he pulled away with an easy stretch. "Haven't slept that good since- yeah." Chad had thought transitioning from the squeaky mattress at Bargain Castle back to a bed fit for royalty would have been harder on him, but his body had taken to it like a duck to water, or maybe that was just Ben's close presence and the awareness that he wouldn't have to worry about his survival or reputation every moment of every day.

"Happy to help," Ben said, giving him a goofy smile that bordered on adoring if Chad was being generous. "Are you sore?"

"A little." Chad rolled his shoulders carefully, though the constant aches and pains of running the Isle were something he had long become accustomed to. "But that'll settle in a few days."

"Want some help?" Ben asked. "I'm pretty good at shoulder rubs."

"Don't you um- have school to go to?" Chad asked as Ben repositioned himself, settling behind Chad.

"Fairy Godmother excused me for state business," Ben replied, laying his hand on Chad's shoulders. They were still in bed. "And then it's the weekend. We want to try and clear up as much of the political red tape for you as quickly as possible."

"Thought you had people for that," Chad offered conversationally, forcing himself to remain calm when Ben began to knead little circles into the tense muscles of his shoulders. Fuck, he actually hadn't been lying about being good.

"We do for the bulk of it, but there's going to be some emergency council meetings – a lot of them, and with coronation soon-"

"Right." Chad nodded, tried not to shudder when Ben worked against a particularly sore spot. "It makes sense for you to be there."

"I also wanted to spend more time with you," Ben offered out casually, because he was an earnest fool. "Just- how did you survive, Chad? And why 'Volker'?"

"Um-" Chad flushed when Ben's fingers grazed against his neck. "It means-"

"'People's guard'," Ben finished, sounding almost- reverent. "It's Hanoven."

"Aunt Snow was fond of the name," Chad murmured. "It seemed appropriate."

"Yeah," Ben agreed with a sigh. "Protecting the people of the Isle when we couldn't."

"Ben-"

"We failed them," Ben said it with a certainty that wouldn't be denied. "But you – despite being trapped there, you did well for them. Taught them how to survive. Which – of course, you would-"

"Don't say that." Chad flushed, because Ben was really giving Chad more credit than he was due. "We both know I almost failed survival training in scouts-"

"Yeah, because you were so determined to pick up every last bit of knowledge you could get your hands on that you wouldn't complete the basic outlines." He hadn't realized Ben had picked up on it, but by his fond tone the other prince had not only realized this, but admired Chad for it. "You're the one who spent extra weeks training with the Huntsmen." Who were ludicrously hardcore and Chad had never been more terrified (before the Isle) while simultaneously complete. "Bet whoever stranded you on the Isle didn't bank on that."

No, his grandfather hadn't, because Chad had disguised that training trip as a political excursion, leaving the impression he was sweet talking Queen Snow so she could potentially leave the Hanover crown – which was right next to Sardinia – to Chad.

This was an effort both of them knew was futile, which was why his grandfather hadn't cared, and in the meantime Chad brushed up on his dwarvish and learned dual-axe combat and bow proficiency.

"Probably not," Chad agreed, then shuddered because Ben was scratching at his scalp, tracing small patterns that left Chad boneless. "Ben."

"Glad to see you still like that." There was a smirk in Ben's voice as he continued his assault, until Chad was almost slumped against him, whining and very aware of a certain interest growing between his legs.

"Cheater," Chad made himself mutter, bringing his leg up to hide his affliction. "I should return the favor."

"You could," Ben agreed, so lightly that Chad's frozen heart threatened to burst, because what the hell.

The strange tension that settled over them was thankfully ended by an ominous rumble of Chad's stomach, and then he blushed for an entirely different reason.

"Maybe after we have breakfast, though," Ben laughed. "Would you like the shower first?"

"Yes, please." Chad forced himself to slide off the bed, running a hand through his hair as though to settle his wayward curls when really he wanted those taunting tingles to leave him alone.

"Go for it," Ben said, getting off the bed with similar reluctance. "Could I join you and the others for breakfast?"

"I um- think we'd all be honored," Chad managed to reply, and then he beat a hasty retreated because the entirety of that exchange was just unfair. What even.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Breakfast with Ben and the others was eventful.

Mostly because it started with Chad trying to explain the intricacies of oatmeal – the order in which the milk, berries, and sugar were added (to Mal's mostly amused looks, Carlos skipping the middle man and just eating the brown sugar straight from the bowel) before taking a demonstrative bite and immediately spitting it out.

"Okay, don't eat that," he said, swishing his mouth out with water before spitting that out too. "That's poisoned."

"What?" Ben reacted with the level of chill Chad expected from him, which was none, staring at his oatmeal in horror.

"Figures," Mal grumbled, pushing away her bowl.

Carlos eyed his toppings and then continued eating his sugar, which- fair.

"Wormroot," Chad explained, wiping his tongue off with his napkin. "Auradon local – mostly flavorless."

"Mostly- were you poisoned?" Ben was already on his feet, phone in hand. "I'll call a doctor."

"Forget that, focus on the inspector. What was it- Basil?" This just figured. "We need to narrow down which servants knew we were here and who had access to the food."

"You just had poison," Ben shot back, not handling this nearly as well as Chad.

"Yeah, but he's immune to those," Carlos explained. He, at least, was practical, snacking on his berries once he finished the sugar. "To most of those?"

"Huntsmen training," Chad explained. "I'm fine, Ben, but someone tried to poison us. We need to figure out who."

"Okay." Ben nodded, his gaze getting a little more settled. "Hold on, I'll be right back."

"…aw, he's so cute," Mal drawled, picking at her own bowl of berries. "Little soft, but still cute."

"Don't hold it too much against the guy; he has parents who love him." Which was great for Ben, but less great for becoming unflappable. "They must not have known he was joining us or they would have waited."

"Someone was trying to strike fast," Mal decided. "The question is do they know about you, or are they just after villain kids specifically?"

"It's probably the first option," Evie said. "Unfortunately. Maybe with the added bonus of killing us too."

"Yay, Auradon," Jay drawled, pushing his bowl of oatmeal away with a frown. "Is the rest of this stuff poisoned too?"

"Think it's just the oatmeal," Chad said. "Wormroot works best in large concentrations, so they were banking on us finishing the bowls." He grabbed up a piece of toast and nibbled on it. "Toast is clear."

"Fine." Mal rolled her eyes. "Toast it is."

"'Least it's not moldy," Carlos offered, ignoring the unimpressed look Mal shot him in response.

When Ben returned it was with the Inspector and some kind of forensic assistant, who immediately started collecting the oatmeal and remaining food items as evidence.

"I'm so sorry, guys." It helped that Ben seemed legitimately heartbroken about the entire affair. "I know this sets a horrible first impression, but I promise security here is going to be doubled-"

"You also promised we'd be safe," Mal pointed out, raising one fine brow. "Almost being poisoned doesn't constitute as 'safe'."

"I know." And Ben looked anguished by this. "Look, we'll let it be known that I'm going to spend all my meals with you for now on, and that they'll only be served family style. That way if anyone wants to get to you-"

"They have a shot at poisoning the crown prince of Auradon," Chad completed. "Ben, that's ludicrous. Just get us like, prepackaged food or something. I was probably the intended target anyway."

"No." Ben shook his head, forever stubborn. "You guys deserve better, and one way or another I'm going to give that to you." He finished this statement by staring hard at Chad, as though it was intended for him specifically, and maybe it was. "Come on, why don't we all hang out in my room?"

"Okay," Mal allowed, the others seeming somewhat baffled, and they relocated while the investigators got to work reviewing assassination attempt number one.

-:-:-:-:-:-

As Chad predicted, Evie and Carlos caught one look at Ben's private library and immediately fell in love, each claiming a small stack of books before curling next to each other on a couch and forgetting the rest of the world. Ben motioned Mal over to a selection of art materials he'd had delivered that morning (Chad had literally spoken to him about that yesterday) and despite a mighty side-eye, Mal deigned to break them in, setting up shop on Ben's window seat and sketching a view of the gardens. For Jay's entertainment, Ben introduced him to Tourney, putting a game on the television and explaining the rules as it went on. When he caught sight of Jay's fidgeting, he handed the thief a small puzzle box that immediately appealed to Jay's competitive spirit, his brows furrowed in concentration as he pledged to complete it while simultaneously keeping track of the game.

It was nice, seeing them get to relax, to not have to worry about gardening or training or gathering supplies – to see them get a chance to just be for a bit, the life they should have, and Chad adored it a lot.

He spent his afternoon working with Ben at his desk, reviewing reports and pulling up appropriate legal texts to support the upcoming Isle proposals. Cogsworth personally delivered their second shot at breakfast, prepackaged sandwiches from a local establishment, and Chad took a bite of each of them before clearing them for proper consumption, all while Ben anxiously looked on.

"Sorry," he murmured, taking the chance to hold Chad's hand anytime their fingers touched. "I'm so sorry, Chad. Even here-"

"Not your fault, Ben," Chad would always assure him, squeezing that firm shoulder and trying to ignore Mal's knowing looks. "Just goes to show that bad people can come from anywhere."

"But I almost lost you again." And that seemed to pain Ben to his very core, because he was so very nice and maybe he did love Chad, but that didn't mean he was in love with Chad. He would have made some kind of move by now, right? "If you hadn't recognized the poison-"

"Fortunately, I'm very talented." And had suffered through many attempted poisonings in his lifetime. Honestly, it was like his grandfather was getting sloppy. Maybe he'd hired out an assassin, hadn't bothered to fully debrief him on all of Chad's strengths. "And trust me, Ben, you'll get sick of me soon enough."

"Don't think I will." And from Ben, it was a sort of pledge.

A pledge Chad wanted to believe, though he'd raised himself to know better.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Alternate Ending – Ben Breaks up with Audrey

Notes: Still a part of the alternate ending above, though this scene takes place sometime after the first assassination attempt, maybe later that day.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad only caught the conversation by chance.

He'd been strolling through the secret passage ways of the castle, getting updates from Inspector Basil's personal computer when he'd heard Ben's voice carrying through the study. Instead of his usual projection of calm deliberation, he seemed uncertain, maybe, or less sure at least, which was what made Chad peek in on him in the first place. He wasn't surprised to see Ben on the phone, but after a few seconds of listening, he was surprised who he was talking to.

"I know, Audrey," Ben sighed, looking legitimately apologetic. "I know this isn't fair to you, that I should be doing this in person, but things have been hectic here and my parents need-" A pause. "No, this isn't about the transfer students, this is about us." Another pause, as though Audrey – confident, cutthroat Audrey – was responding. "I can't be with you, anymore. I can't say why-"

Ben had- Ben and Audrey? Granted, Chad was not entirely surprised. Audrey had known Ben as long as Chad had, and was a person who knew what she wanted in life. If she wanted to be queen of Auradon, she could sweet talk her way into a relationship with Ben, and Ben would be kind enough to humor her, and likely not strong enough to break it off – except now he apparently was.

"Things change," Ben was saying. "I can't in good conscious date you anymore, Audrey, and deep down-" More anger on her part. "Audrey, you're not in love with me. We're friends, we're good friends, but that's all- yes, I'm sure."

Oh. Wow. Ben was breaking up with his girlfriend of who knew how long (at most a year, Chad guessed) because of-

Best not to extrapolate without the full story.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do this in person," Ben said. "But I'm not sorry to break up with- Audrey, please." A pause, and then he let the phone drop with a frustrated sigh, the princess of Auroria likely not taking the news nearly as well as he'd hoped. That was Audrey for him, lucky that he was getting out of a relationship with her now instead of, say, at the altar.

Chad stepped back from the opening as quickly as he'd come, knowing he needed to pass the news on to the others. At the very least, it would provide some gossip to break up the monotony of waiting for the next assassin.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Alternate Ending – Group Cuddle Times

Notes: As a natural progression of Ben's adoration, I'd planned for Ben to get Chad to sleep in his bed the entire stay at Auradon Castle. Of course, Mal only allows this for a brief period of time before the Core 4 gets in on things. What follows is their first time all cuddling together.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad and Ben got about two nights of peace before Mal lost her patience and marched into the room like she owned the joint, the others lingering on her heels with varying expressions of nervousness.

Ben, ever attentive, didn't realize they were there until Mal was crawling into bed with them; bracketing Chad's other side with a challenging look. "Learn to share," she muttered before Ben could try to form some kind of objection. "We also love Volker."

"Aw, Mal." Chad forced himself to grin, because she'd been joking, that was a joke, friends said these things. "I love you too."

"Shut up," she grumbled, burying herself under the covers and motioning for Jay to follow after her. "Feelings are dumb."

"Um." Ben looked slightly worried when Evie and Carlos slid into the other side of bed Ben, but Chad just offered his best comforting smile, because at least they were really good looking?

"We did this," Chad explained. "Um- slept together."

"Easier to watch each other's backs." Mal emphasized this by literally draping herself against Chad's spine, graciously allowing Jay to spoon her as though it wasn't exactly where she wanted him to be. "You want to keep hogging him, you're gonna have to deal with the rest of us."

"Hope you don't mind," Evie added, tone sweet as honey.

Ben blinked, readjusted. "No, of course I don't mind. You guys took care of Chad." There was a beat. "Do you have any stories about him?"

The crafty shit.

Mal immediately perked up. "You should see the way he takes Jay apart with compliments."

"Mal," Jay groaned, burying his face between her shoulders. "Shut up."

"No." She smirked. "This is a-" She paused. "Wait, this is a safe space, right? We can call it a safe space?"

"Yeah," Chad decided, terribly aware of Ben's confusion. "This is a safe space."

"Volker taught us about those," Carlos explained. "What happens here doesn't affect out there."

"Out there?" Ben echoed.

"Out on the Isle," Mal explained with a huff. "You've got to maintain a certain reputation if you don't want to be seen as a target. But, you know, not everyone can be tough all the time."

"Sometimes we need compliments," Evie chirped, causing Jay to groan all over again. "You know, nice things."

"…that's fair," Ben said after a pause. "Do you- was Chad the first one to- compliment you?"

Chad didn't imagine the sudden tension in the air, cursing Ben's stubborn plight to get to know these people.

"Of course I've gotten compliments," Mal snapped. "But those were all for being ruthless and tough and mean. Volker's were for being smart and resourceful and- kind."

"And pretty," Jay murmured, almost too quiet to be heard.

"For being clever," Evie said quietly. "For being more than what our parents wanted us to be."

"Resilient," Carlos added. "And strong."

"You guys are all those things," Chad said carefully. "I was just pointing out the obvious."

"Well…" Mal hugged him tighter. "You were the first one to do that."

Evie shifted. "And we never got to return the favor."

This startled Ben. "You didn't?"

"I was in disguise for a year, Ben," Chad sighed. "There wasn't a lot for them to see."

"And he had to keep himself at a distance," Mal said. "Since he was the leader."

Chad could feel Ben's grin. "A leader, huh?"

"Shut up, smarmy," Chad grumbled. "I just taught them stuff."

"Good stuff," Carlos said. "Like food storage and distribution."

"Healing," Evie added.

Jay shifted. "Group battle tactics."

Mal was less eloquent. "All that jazz."

"Battle tactics?" Ben echoed, taking it back a bit.

Jay tensed, but Ben wouldn't have seen it, which kept Chad calm when he explained, "The Isle acts on a sort of gang system. There's a lot of independent operators, but to survive it's best to be part of a group, and sometimes those groups would attack us."

"But Chad taught us how to fight back," Mal said. "And how to set traps to protect our bases."

"Sexy, sexy traps," Jay murmured, somewhat reverent.

Ben chuckled. "I'm glad you guys found each other."

"If anything, we should be thanking Gil," Carlos noted. "He's the one that pulled Volker from the shadows."

"Yes, we're all in blondie's debt," Mal sighed.

In the shadows, Chad saw Evie prop herself up on her elbow. "If we're off the Isle and we're in a safe space…"

"Evie," Chad groaned.

"No." She waved him off. "You should get compliments too, you're the reason we were able to survive so well."

"I like this plan," Mal cackled. "And we could talk about how handsome you are, but since we didn't find that out until recently, I'd like to start off with how fucking sexy it is when you walk into a fight and incapacitate everyone without getting a single scratch."

"Oh," Carlos perked up. "Or um- when you were teaching LeFou how to treat that long scratch that required stitches? That was cool. You were so focused."

"He always gets like that," Evie said. "Someone throws what seems like an impossible problem before us and in about ten minutes you not only have a solution, but a way to make things even better than before. You're scrappy."

"And caring," Jay said, voice quiet. "You always said you did things for your own benefit, but you never had any ill will against an Isle kid unless they tried to kill you. That was strange, at first. But nice."

"So nice," Mal pressed. "It was weird to see someone so capable also be so kind, but you always made time for us."

"You're my team," Chad groaned, hating to be the centralized focus of this group. "Of course I made time for you."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to," Evie said. "You didn't have to give us rewards and petnames."

That time, Chad felt Ben blush. "Petnames?"

"They're just for us," Mal boasted. "We each got one."

"Because we're special," Carlos added. "Though mine's stupid."

"No it isn't, Baby," Chad said, nice and gentle, and he could see Carlos shudder on the far side of the bed.

"No fair." Mal swiped at his head. "Me next."

"Patience, Bruiser," Chad grinned, smile only going wider at her annoyed huff.

"I'm Lovely," Evie bragged, sounding as endlessly thrilled as she always did. "And Jay-"

"Guys," Jay protested.

"This is a safe space," Mal reminded him with a huff.

"He's Precious," Carlos said, and just like any other time one of them used Jay's pet name, the thief shivered, swallowing down a whine.

"Oh… wow," Ben breathed, fingers trailing against Chad's arm. "If um- if I got a nickname-"

"Sunshine," Chad said without hesitation, almost embarrassed by how quickly the name came to him, but he could see Ben's smile and how could he think of anything less?

Seriously, he and Gil never needed to meet. It would be torture on Chad.

"Sunshine," Evie echoed. "Yeah, that's really nice, Volker."

"We should give you a nickname," Mal warned. "Since we're off the Isle."

"I already have one," Chad said, trying to keep himself from burrowing into Ben's chest. "My mom gave it to me. It's Kit."

"Kit," Ben echoed the word with reverence. "It's perfect."

"He's perfect," Mal corrected. "So that's no less than he deserves."

"You guys," Chad groaned.

"Yes," Mal breathed. "All the cuddles. All the embarrassment. The mighty Volker is susceptible to compliments."

"Then again," Ben mused. "Aren't we all?"

And he wasn't wrong.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Alternate Ending – Love Confessions

Notes: So at some point, I had Chad coming clean to Ben about how he really survived the Isle. The other teen's response is to stubbornly love him. Which- classic Ben ;)

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Love you," Ben said, smile dopey and wide as he pressed urgent kisses to Chad's lips, boxing him in against the bed. "Love you so much."

"Ben-" Chad gasped between breaths. "Ben, I-" He had to force himself to push on Ben's chest, to pull his head back and get some space. "Ben, I'm not the same as I was before."

"I know," Ben said, but he didn't really know, and that was the frustrating part.

"No, I-" And Chad realized he had to tell him, despite all the wicked things he'd done he couldn't live with Ben's perpetual admiration, not when it was so unjustly earned. "I did things on the Isle, Ben. Wicked things."

"You did what you had to in order to survive," Ben said, ever practical, rubbing careful circles on Chad's abdomen.

"They all did, Ben, but I-" Chad frowned, felt a long-neglected heat build behind his eyes. "I'm vicious, Ben. I'm mean and cutthroat and cruel, and I- I killed a lot of people because I was terrified if I didn't they'd come after what little I had. So I was proactive. I fought hard and painted walls with blood so no one would realize it was just some weak kid from Auradon hiding underneath it all."

"…Chad."

"So don't-" Chad flinched, because Ben's voice was so soft and understanding, and he wasn't melting away with disgust. "You shouldn't love me, Ben. I'm not- whatever you think I am. Evie is." He found himself grapping for Ben's shirt, if only to impress upon him the importance of this knowledge. "Evie's so good, Ben. So kind and generous despite growing up in that hellhole. And Dizzy too- she's just, bubbly and nice and Gil's always happy – they're the good of the Isle, Ben. They're all just victims-"

"You're a victim," Ben hissed, pressing their foreheads together. "Chad-"

"I'm a monster." Chad had always known what he was. What his grandfather must have seen. "And you're too good to get stuck with me, Ben. You deserve better."

"You were trapped on an Isle with some of the most terrifying villains Auradon has ever seen," Ben pressed. "Mal told me you would have avoided people altogether if you hadn't seen Gil getting mugged, but you saw someone in need and you helped and yeah, you couldn't do that the Auradon way-" His eyes were shining with moisture but he refused to allow Chad space, refused to let him back away from this. "But you're out here and you're not a monster. You adapted, Chad. You did what you had to. And I loved you before you were stolen because you used this mask of vanity and haughtiness to help people, to distract your grandfather into looking one way while you changed the world with the other. You don't think I noticed that?"

"B-Ben…"

"I love you," Ben urged, looking at Chad so intensely he thought he might break. "And while I do want to get to know everything that happened to you on that island, the fact that you're actively trying to talk me out of being with you kind of speaks to how little a monster you are."

"Ben," Chad sobbed, felt tears pouring down his cheeks. "Don't- don't let me fool you-"

"Can't be fooled," Ben insisted, pressing a kiss to Chad's gasping mouth. "Love you too much for that."

"Idiot," Chad hissed. "You're an idiot. I'll destroy you."

"I trust you'll protect me before you'll ever allow that to happen."

And that was it; those were the words that broke Chad completely, that left him crying into Ben's chest as he struggled to hold him tighter. He wouldn't be able to let go now. He'd tried, before, this was his last-ditch effort, but if Ben wasn't smart enough to walk away, there was no possibility of Chad being selfless enough to abandon him.

"Love you," he muttered, ignoring the way it seemed to tear his chest open. "Love you so much, you idiot."

"I love you too," Ben said, fondness in his voice, and this was it; this was how Chad would die.

This, he was okay with.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Alternate Ending – The End

Notes: I had no specifics, but eventually there would be some kind of celebration commemorating Chad's return to the land of the living. In this version of the story, Audrey was the one who orchestrated Chad's abduction – the princess keen to get him out of the way so she could have a shot at Ben. It's why her multiple assassination attempts didn't work, because she didn't understand the depth of Chad's skills the same way his grandfather did.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It wasn't long before Chad got company, and it was Aziz that settled beside him on the stairs, looking out of the celebration taking place on the back lawn with an open sort of appreciation.

"Only Audrey would trap you on the Isle of the Lost and be surprised you came back with an army," he began conversationally.

"I dunno." Chad shrugged. "Ben's probably surprised."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't have ever dared to leave you there," Aziz countered with an easy smile. "Not his precious Chadwick."

"Did everyone know about that but me?"

"Probably," Aziz laughed. "I mean, he wasn't subtle. King Adam kept trying to foist him off onto other princesses, but he was only ever interested in you." The laughter died down to a few chuckles. "Smart as you are, I thought you knew that."

"I've been told I'm not great at keeping tabs on my interpersonal relationships," Chad offered quietly. Though he was trying to get better.

Aziz smirked. "Guess you can't be good at everything." He let his gaze go back to the festivities. "You know Agrabah's behind you a hundred percent, right? Now and going forward, you'll have our support."

"Already got the first shipment of gifts from Fairuza." Chad chuckled when his fellow prince cursed, likely annoyed at his sister's perfect punctuality. "But thank you, Aziz. It means a lot."

Aziz grinned, something warm and easy. "You're welcome, Chad. Know that this is a gift of friendship, though. We're not just sucking up to the future consort."

Chad felt himself flush. "Aziz."

"Hey, we've been calling it for years." Aziz held up both hands in surrender. "Getting Princess Evelyn onboard is just a bonus. It's a good day for Auradon."

"Yeah," Chad couldn't help but agree. "It really is."

One of the young faces broke apart from the dancing mob, picking her way through the path until collapsed on the stair below Chad, panting up at him with a wide grin. "Have you had these?" Darla asked, holding up a chocolate covered strawberry. "It's fruit and chocolate and amazing. It's melty and sweet, you should have one!"

"I would love to, my dear." He relieved her of the treat and leaned forward, pitching his voice nice and low. "Of course, I would be quite annoyed if this was poisoned."

In an instant, the blatant enthusiasm dimmed to a more mischievous cheer. "I told them you hadn't gone soft."

"Course I haven't." Chad wrapped the poisoned berry in a handkerchief, pocketing it for disposal later. "But I'm not going to give out any more free passes, not while we're in Auradon."

"But Anthony tried to poison you and you made him a prince," Darla pouted, crossing her arms stubbornly. "How fair is that?"

"Anthony's my cousin." Whether Chad liked it or not. "And even he had to work his way up from the bottom. Now go." He motioned towards the dance floor where Dizzy was waiting, waving at Darla with an exuberance that couldn't be matched. "Maybe if you play your cards right you can marry into royalty."

Darla flushed. "…you think so?"

"Never know until you try," Chad assured her.

She seemed to take him at his word, nodding to herself with a stubborn sort of determination before she sprinted back into the fray, taking Dizzy's hands and spinning her with a laugh.

"…that tiny child just tried to poison you," Aziz murmured, eyes blinking with surprise. "What have you unleashed on us, my friend?"

"Something good, I think."

"You know," Aziz laughed. "I think you're right."

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Who was that guy who made you laugh earlier?" Mal asked when she finally pulled him into a dance, looking wonderfully radiant in her purple gown, Evie's work exquisite as always.

"Prince Aziz of Agrabah," Chad replied. "Next in line for Sultan, though he may defer the position to his sister."

"A prince, huh," Mal muttered, eyes narrowing slightly.

"You know," Chad began with a sigh. "I'm going to laugh at and pretend to be charmed by other people out here. That doesn't mean I like them more than you."

"Make sure to tell that to Harry," Mal ordered. She'd never really gotten the point of 'requesting'. "Since he was like, two seconds from hooking him."

"My boys," Chad sighed. "My dumb, dumb boys."

"I'll say," Mal laughed. "Pretty sure Ben was going to help him."

"I mean, that's one way to win Harry over."

"Yeah." Mal curled against his chest, letting him spin her around the dancefloor. "I suppose it is."

---

-:-:-:-:-:-

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Endnotes:

And that was all she wrote :)

Until next time