Chapter 11 – One Month Ago – Part 2

-:-:-:-:-:-

-:-:-:-:-:-

1 Month Ago

-:-:-:-:-:-

"What?" Chad asked, not meaning to misunderstand or be a nuisance, but needing clarification because he was still reeling from the relatively close proximity he'd had with Ben, and even more than a year later his mind was telling him that it was wrong-wrong-wrong.

Audrey stopped to look at him, really look at him, even though the people of the Isle and the people of Auradon were all celebrating around them – and Chad was grateful they'd managed to get their legislature plan approved by the council before Mal had dropped the barrier or else they'd have some legitimate criminals running around without supervision.

"Enough, Chad!" Audrey shouted, as though they'd been having an argument for a long time rather than Audrey making some comment under her breath that Chad hadn't quite been able to catch, mostly because he'd been trying so hard not to stare at Ben that he was totally staring at Ben. "That's it! We-" She gestured between them, gaining attention from some of their classmates because Audrey had mostly stuck to the royal side of the celebrations and Chad had stuck with her out of loyalty. "-are through. I'm not dating you anymore, it's too much!"

It probably wasn't great that Chad's immediate response was to ask when they had started dating, because he hadn't known – he would have done better if he'd known-

"We're a terrible fit, Chad," she continued, running a hand through her blonde hair. "And frankly, I deserve better than you."

That was all she said before she deftly turned away, disappearing into the hoard of people and leaving Chad standing lost in the middle of a crowd that was staring at him like he was broken, like he was a monster, like he was weak and dumb and stupid.

Before he knew what was happening, Chad took off in the other direction, keeping his pace to a respectable speed walk as he tried to escape the crowds. He'd put in a good showing for Sardinia, he'd danced (close to Ben), he'd laughed and congratulated and celebrated with everyone else. He'd done his job; his grandfather couldn't get mad at him for that. He just needed some air.

He'd never thought he was good enough for Audrey, and he wasn't mad at her for realizing that much, it was just hard, when the girl he had been working for years to win over finally realized how unworthy he was.

But that was life.

He shouldn't be moping, he should be happy about the Isle reforms and the legislative victory and happy he'd been able to contribute, however minimally. He should be happy.

But of course he wasn't.

Greedy fool. Greedy, greedy fool.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Present Day

-:-:-:-:-:-

Through the haze of terror, Chad's mind struggled to hold onto that light melody Queen Rapunzel had hummed for him, the one that hadn't stopped when he'd been locked inside the bright but enclosed closet. Had he the capacity to hum it to himself, he would have, but he couldn't stop crooning, mouth parted in desperate mewls that caused saliva to spill and wet his fur. He curled into as small a ball as he could manage, squeezing his eyes shut as though he could pretend he wasn't in the box, but Fairy Godmother wasn't coming from him and he couldn't fix himself even though the duchess had said she'd loved him – but that wasn't true, that wasn't true, who would love this pathetic wretch when Audrey wouldn't and Uma wouldn't and Jay and Ben and Mal only pitied him and Gil hadn't even loved him as a cat-

Or he had and Chad just couldn't accept that, but he couldn't accept it because it wasn't true, right? That was the problem. That no matter how dumb Chad was – or wasn't, he guessed, he couldn't make himself believe that he was capable of being loved. Maybe it was because of that secret intellect, maybe that allowed him to read between the lines to see what he really was. Maybe that was why he'd allowed himself to get pushed around by his grandfather for so long. Because if he was really dumb, like Gil, it would be easy to believe he was loved.

But he wasn't. What he'd thought were tests was just abuse, what he'd thought were opportunities to prove himself were hopes that he would provide a great enough excuse to be replaced. And now his grandfather didn't even have to feign the effort, he could just let Chad suffocate in this box until he died, small and pathetic, the same way he'd lived.

Chad was so lost to his fear that he didn't register the presence of anyone outside his box until the lid swung open, and even then he was sure that he was hallucinating, though he wasn't sure why his mind had conjured the image of his father instead of someone more inspiring, like maybe Queen Rapunzel.

"This is him, your majesty," the guard said, drifting into view next to Chad's father with an expression of uncertainty. "The Duke and Duchess of Auradon seemed really adamant that this was your son."

"And Fairy Godmother?" Chad's father asked, his obvious concern managing to cut the edge off Chad's distress until it was slightly easier to breathe.

"Her too," the guard confirmed. "Your um… father said it wasn't the prince, though, but he ordered us to lock him in, and didn't give orders for um… when to remove him."

"Chad?" his father spoke up, seeming so very hopeful. It was strange, to see such a look aimed his way when his father had ignored him for years, but the king seemed genuinely distressed, his eyes shining in the low light of the basement. "Chad, my dear boy, is that you?"

Still tucked into his corner, Chad crooned, a sound warbled with threads of fear. He needed to nod, needed to do something useful, but he couldn't do much besides shake, dumb cat tears spilling from his eyes, leaking into his fur.

"He doesn't like small spaces, your majesty," the guard explained. "My friend on the nightshift said his highness accidentally got locked in one of the storage closets on the third floor – poor lad was out of his mind with fear by the time the maids found him. That's… that's why I thought I should find you. That, and his eyes."

"Right…" the king trailed off, staring at Chad's face. Chad hadn't looked at his cat body in the mirror too often, it was too weird, but he knew what the guard meant. Despite the transformation, his eyes were still as startlingly blue as before. "Kit, my darling, let's get you out of there."

It seemed too good to be true. Felt too good to be true when his dad picked him up out of the box, cradling him against his broad, uniformed chest in a show of comfort he hadn't offered in years.

"I'm so sorry," his dad was whispering. "I'm so sorry, Kit. I didn't know. I didn't know. All these years and I lost track of- I'm sorry."

"Your majesty?" the guard whispered, pulling them away from that awful box. "We should probably get going. We need to contact the Captain – remove you two from the castle as soon as possible."

"No." The king shook his head, pulling Chad closer. Chad, who was free, who wasn't going to die in the box. "My father-"

"Runs the castle," the guard said, tugging the king back up the stairs. "And most of the kingdom, too. No one would dare go against him, but this is… this is worth risking my job for, but we need to go."

"How much have I missed?" the king asked as they moved upwards and away, and it was so good that Chad could hardly believe it. Maybe he had passed out. Maybe this was a fever dream invented by his mind due to a lack of oxygen. "In my grief-"

"A lot," the guard said. "A lot. I'll be honest, when his highness went missing most of us thought it was the duke's work, but then he was searching just as frantically as everyone else-"

"Chad," his father groaned, pulling Chad higher, until he was up under his chin. "Chad, my boy, I'm sorry it took so long to find you. I'm sorry it happened like this."

"To be fair," the guard said as they made their way up through the dungeon. "Most of us wouldn't have expected him to be a cat."

"Stifled thinking on our part," Chad's father sniffed, sounding more pointedly coherent than the prince had ever heard him in recent memory.

"Okay," the guard said as they drew close to the door that would take them back to proper hallways. "This is where things are going to get tricky. We'll have to use the secret passageways to get to the captain's office, and after that we'll have to use them to get back down to the garage-"

"This is preposterous," Chad's father said, straightening his shoulders. "I'm the king. I will not cower in my own castle."

"It's not cowering so much as being strategic, your-" the guard cut off when Chad's father swept into the hallway like he owned the joint, the guard skittering at his heels as he rushed to keep up. "Your majesty. You don't understand-"

"I understand that the best way to get anywhere is to act like you belong," the king sniffed, and that was how they came to confidently stroll through the hallways, the king's head proudly held high, shoulders squared as his mess of a cat-son was cradled in his arms, only just coming down from his panic attack, blinking against the harsh, bright lights after having been trapped in the dark for so long.

They made it about two-thirds of the way to Captain Anozie's office before they were greeted with inevitable company – the duke flanked by four guards, with another two blocking off the hallway behind them.

"Guards," the duke drawled, expression bored. "Please detain Sargent Peters for dereliction of duty."

"Do no such thing," Chad's father ordered, expression hard. "How could you do this, father?"

"Do what, my boy?" the duke sighed. "Lock up a cat? Quite easily, it's a cat."

"You know full well he isn't," the king hissed dragged Chad closer to him.

"And are these the lies Sargent Peters has been feeding you?" the duke asked, turning his glare on the guard that had been helping them. "How dare you take advantage of my son's weak mental state-"

"Sargent Peters has proven to be the only loyal guard among you," Chad's father snapped, stepping in front of the guard. "You tried to keep my son from me-"

"You think your son is a cat?" the duke's tone twisted to one of pity. "Christopher, you aren't well…"

"You know it's him!" the king pressed. "Chad." He turned his attention down to Chad, who'd managed to calm down, at least until he'd caught sight of his grandfather. "It's you, isn't it? Nod for me, will you?"

Chad could manage that, even though it was shaky, the other guards beginning to shift their weight uneasily as they shared looks with each other.

"Preposterous!" the duke snapped, stamping his foot. "So it's been taught some parlor tricks. Don't be fooled, Christopher-"

Further berating was interrupted by a loud rumble that seemed to shake the castle foundation, something that seemed to take all of them by surprise as they looked around to determine the source.

Their questions were answered a few seconds later, when a new guard skittered around the corner. "Attack from Corona!" he shouted. "We're being invaded by Corona soldiers!"

"Get the king to the panic room!" the duke yelled, motioning his guards forward. "And get me that damn cat!"

"No!" Chad's father shouted before taking off, grabbing Sargent Peters as they darted back the way they'd come, shouldering past the two guards that were trying not to injure the king.

Chad could hear his grandfather cursing behind them. "Don't let them get away! He could hurt himself!"

"Should have taken that early retirement," Sargent Peters huffed as he dragged his father down a sharp turn, both of them almost losing their footing when the ground was claimed with another rumble. "Cripes, I thought Corona liked us. They spent the whole summer hosting the prince- oh." He blinked as though something had just occurred to him. "Never mind, I think we actually might be safer with them."

"Chad spent the- you spent the summer in Corona?" the king asked, staring down at Chad, who nodded as best he could while clinging to his father. "How did I miss that?"

"With all due respect sir, now's not the time-" the Sargent cut himself off when he threw himself to the side, barreling into the king until he was knocked clean off his feet.

So many things happened at once, and Chad barely registered the arrow whooshing overhead before he and his father hit the ground, the king managing to lose his grip and Chad tumbling a few feet away, landing with a total lack of grace.

"What are you doing?" he heard shouted from the far end of the hall. "That's the king!"

"Got orders to shoot the cat on sight!" a different guard shouted. "I wouldn't have hit his majesty!"

"Fuck," Peters hissed under his breath, pushing to his elbows. "Your highness, crawl back to-"

"I'll get him this time!" the distant guard said, and that was all Chad registered before his father filled his line of vision, curling over him in a protective huddle while his eyes looked so worried-

And then they went wide, Chad's ears seeming to fill with white noise when his father jerked to the side, moving in a startled jolt before he slowly fell to the ground. It wasn't until he'd turned that Chad saw the arrow sticking out of him, saw blood begin to seep into his crisp, white uniform-

No. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't- he'd gotten shot, he'd been shot, he was shot because Chad was a cat. Chad couldn't just be a person and prove he wasn't crazy and that Peters was telling the truth – no, he had to go and be useless because his stupid brain refused to accept the fact that someone could love him.

"What are you idiots doing?!" Peters hollered. "Corona's invading! Holster that damn crossbow and get a medic!"

"Chad…" his father whispered, voice seeming to carry above the fray even though Chad was shaking and the world was chaos. "Chad, sweetheart, I'm so sorry…"

Why though? Why now? He hadn't been sorry before when he'd never spoken to Chad – was he supposed to forgive him? Chad wanted to. Chad needed to, because he seemed so genuine and adamant – seemed like a dad again, like the man who would let Chad stay in council meetings on a technicality so he could draw pictures at his feet because he was afraid of some rain, even though his grandfather had said to let Chad 'toughen up', that he wasn't going to get strong hiding from his problems.

For years, Chad had been fighting to get that man back, and it seemed like he finally had him, and now he was dying.

"I did… so many things wrong," the king murmured, reaching forward with a shaky hand while he cupped the side of Chad's face, stroking his cheek carefully. "I lost so much time not being your dad."

"Quiet, your majesty," Peters muttered, pressing down around the arrow to try and keep pressure on the wound. "Save your strength-"

"I got so lost, in my head," his dad continued, seeming not to hear Peters. "I thought I couldn't do it… not without her. I thought… almost anyone else would… would be better." He let out a shaky breath, his eyes scrunching in pain. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry, for that. Sorry I missed out on who you've become and- whatever left you like this, just… no matter who you are - cat or human, you're my son. And… I love you."

Chad sobbed, feeling shaken apart by the words he hadn't heard in so long. His father loved him. He loved him. He'd taken an arrow for Chad – as a cat, and he didn't seem to regret it, hadn't even hesitated, because- because even though he'd been in mourning all this time, he still loved Chad.

And Chad was… he was worthy of that love.

His father's face seemed to light in a sudden glow, and it took Chad a moment to realize that the glow was coming from himself, that his entire body was filling with light and he was growing – turning back.

There were no words to describe the sudden transformation. He was colder, though thankfully clothed, clad in loose cotton pants and a long sleeve shirt that were both black. His collar had grown with him, and Chad wouldn't believe he was himself again were Sargent Peters not staring at him with such wide eyes, the commotion down the hall seeming to still as his father let out an openly relieved laugh.

"Chad," he chuckled, eyes wide with hope. "You're home."

"Holy shit," one of the guards down the hall gasped. "Did anyone else know the prince was a cat?!"

"We had some theories, near the end," a familiar voice said, and that was all the warning Chad got before King Eugene and Queen Rapunzel jogged down the hallway, the queen deftly knocking out both of the guards with what seemed to be a frying pan.

So the stories had not been joking about that.

"Hey, Chris," King Eugene greeted, offering the king of Sardinia a smile as he wrapped an arm around Chad's shoulder. "Can't help but notice you've got some bad eggs in your pantry. Thought we'd come and help sort them out, if you don't mind."

"More the merrier," Chad's father managed with a grin, breath hitching when Queen Rapunzel traded placed with the Sargent, pressing both her hands against his back.

"Hold still," she ordered, wrapping a hand around the arrow shaft. "I'm going to pull this out."

"And then heal you," King Eugene added. "Before you bleed out all over your very nice floor."

"K-Kind of you to notice," Chad's father grinned, and Chad was beginning to realize why he had been called prince charming, because he was actually pretty charismatic when he wasn't in a depressed stupor.

"Boys," Queen Rapunzel tutted, and that was all the warning they got before she ripped the arrow out, immediately replacing it with a thick strand of her hair while she hummed a familiar song.

It was about that time Captain Anozie jogged around the corner, Jay on his heels, both bearing swords at the ready.

"Your majesty," the captain said, his face falling with relief. "Reinforcements from Auradon have arrived."

"Chad!" was Jay's more enthusiastic response, and apparently the VK was so relieved that he all but shoved King Eugene out of the way so he could wrap his arms around Chad, pulling him close. "Fuck. We found your message on Duke Adam's computer."

Which computer was the question, and also Chad couldn't remember what he typed and he was pretty sure his magic transformation hadn't given him underwear so he was pressed along the lines of Jay's very muscular body with just a thin layer of cotton between them and Chad was still getting flooded with a heap of sensations he hadn't received as a cat.

"Fuck," Jay repeated, seeming not to notice his dilemma. "You were the cat. Of course you were the cat. We're all stupid."

Like… not really, so Chad did his best to comfort the VK by patting him on the back, because his father wasn't going to die and his grandfather wasn't going to kill him and all the guys that were actively committing treason against Sardinia were getting weeded out so that was fun.

"We can have big fun story time later," King Eugene chirped, moving to help Chad's father stand with the support of his wife. "For now, let's get you guys to safety while we finish weeding out all the sneaky traitors."

"Start with my father," Chad's dad hissed. "He tried to kill my son."

"Don't worry," Queen Rapunzel hummed. "He's first on the list."

Which – well, at least they had a list.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad had to re-learn walking again on the fly – except it was mostly running, Jay herding him through the hallways while King Eugene dragged Chad's father out of the castle and out towards the Auradon Guard Patrols that were already taking away Sardinia traitors and loading them into prisoner transport. They ranged from guards to councilmembers to castle staff, and Chad was bewildered to see some of his private tutors as well, all of them scowling and protesting their rough treatment, claiming their utmost loyalty to the crown.

They ended up in a van that took them to the Sardinian Harbor, where a slew of Corona and Auradon ships were bobbing in the ocean. Chad supposed that was how they had managed to sneak in, likely using the cover of Uma's ocean-based magic.

King Eugene didn't let them stop until they were safely in one of the larger boats, and low and behold there were Ben's parents and Fairy Godmother, exhausted but seemingly no worse for the wear.

"Chad!" Duchess Belle gushed the moment she saw him, a brilliant smile stretching across her face as she cut across to him, Fairy Godmother a half step behind her. "Oh, sweetheart, we're so glad that you're okay."

"Sorry," Chad said, fidgeting awkwardly in place. It was weird to talk after all this time, to not create those strangled mewls or weak purrs.

"Honey, you've got nothing to apologize for," she soothed, dragging him into a hug, which Chad had sort of come to expect as Shadow but didn't- that wasn't a thing he got as Chad and he melted into it, even though she probably thought he was gross because he'd peed on her in his cat form. "You were doing your best."

King Eugene slid back into view. "Now that the hard part's over, could I ask you guys some questions?" he pressed. "Regarding the last few weeks. Tonight, specifically."

"Anything we can do to help," the Duchess said sagely, giving Chad one last squeeze before stepping back, and then Fairy Godmother was stepping in to replace her, her eyes shining in the fine light of the cabin.

"Your grandfather gave us quite a scare, Chadwick," Fairy Godmother sniffed. "But I'm so very glad you're okay, and I love you very much."

Chad felt his cheeks heat in a furious blush – and that was one thing he would miss from being a cat, how relatively easy it was to hide his emotions. "You don't have to say that."

"Chadwick," she began, tone stern like it was when there were students talking out of turn. She pulled back to cup his face between her hands. "I never say anything I don't precisely mean. Now, I've been uninvolved in your life because I was respecting what I thought were your father's wishes-"

"What?" Chad's dad perked up behind them. "I didn't-"

"I know that dear," Fairy Godmother soothed, her thumb rubbing small circles on Chad's cheek. "Now, at least. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out, but now there is very little that is going to keep me out of your life." She squared her shoulders with a watery smile. "I am your Great Godmother, Chad, so believe me when I say I love you, and I'm very proud of you. And-" she added with a sort of sing-song tone. "I'm in the process of correcting all your grades, dear. Had to weed out some bad personnel, but you're now in the top ten percent of your class!"

Chad felt flabbergasted. Totally taken off-guard. He'd known the others had discovered his grandfather's tampering, but he hadn't thought-

Happy tears began to spill from the corners of his eyes, and Fairy Godmother was careful to wipe them away, letting them share this moment together.

"Things are going to get better for you now, Chadwick," she whispered, breaking her hold so she could hug him again. "I promise."

Fairy Godmother had never lied to him before, so Chad felt inclined to believe her, at least this once.

That made two. Two people that loved him. Three, if he counted Duchess Belle, and he was beginning to think he could. That was- that was a whole heck of a lot.

"We'll have a party to celebrate, later," Chad's father declared with a smile. "Actually- we're going to be having a lot of parties, I imagine. There's a lot to make up for."

"You don't-" Chad flushed, suddenly uncomfortable with the amount of attention he was receiving, even though it had been everything he'd ever wanted. "Dad-"

"You're worth it," his father insisted, still smiling. It was a nice look on him. Chad hoped it stayed. "You deserve it."

"Well, I think it's a brilliant idea," King Eugene chirped. "And I hope I'm invited, because I also love you."

Chad thought he was going to dieof embarrassment.

"And before you say that I 'don't have to'," the king continued. "Know that this is something I get to do, because you are very hardworking and brave and kind."

"And those are very loveable things," Duchess Belle hummed.

Four. That was four people. Wow.

Duke Adam cleared his throat. "Why don't we give Chad a chance to recover?"

"Right," King Eugene grinned. "And we can all catch up. Jay, can you-?"

"I've got him," Jay said before the king had even finished his sentence, wrapping an arm around Chad's shoulders and dragging him close. "I'll um- take him to the others, if that's okay."

"It is," Duchess Belle said, and as they were leaving, Chad was pretty sure he heard his father ask who exactly 'the others' were.

"Do you need anything?" Jay asked as they walked down the hall of the ship. "Did you get injured?"

"No, I'm fine," Chad murmured, still trying to get a handle on the volume of his voice. "Um… I could use some more clothes, though."

Or thicker clothes. These were very much um- nothing.

Despite the fact that Jay had asked the question, Chad hadn't expected the VK to really help him, but as soon as Chad finished speaking Jay paused, shrugging off his own jacket and draping it across Chad's shoulders before he could protest, following it quickly with his signature knit hat.

"I didn't mean-" Chad flushed, wondering how long Jay would let him hold onto these and mildly hoping it was forever because even though four people had said they loved Chad, he could still manage to be greedy.

His protest was cut off by a hug, and Jay was crushing him close again, burying his face in the curve of Chad's neck and wrapping an arm around his waist sort of like when they were 'dating' and that had- that had actually been really nice.

"…I'm sorry," Jay said after a moment, sending Chad into a hopeless spiral of confusion. Still, he seemed so serious when he pulled back, allowing just enough space between them so Chad could see his expression. "Chad… back when I was 'fake' dating you I… I really just wanted to actually date you, but I didn't think you'd say yes if I asked so…" He trailed off with a swallow, looking off to the side. "So I made that stuff up, about wanting to get other girls to like me, because I hoped if I like- rocked your world, you might actually want to date me instead of Audrey, but I didn't realize that the only reason youwanted Audrey was because she was the only person who had ever expressed an explicit interest in you. So when I got mad that you decided to take her out instead of staying with me, I didn't realize how unfair that was, because you didn't even know I wanted you in the first place. So." Jay tilted their foreheads together, easy as could be, as though he hadn't just shaken Chad's entire world down to its core. "Will you go out with me? For real?" After a moment, he added, "Please?"

Truth be told, Chad didn't know how to feel about Jay's explanation. A large part of him thought it was too good to be true, and when he delved into thinking why that was, he realized that he'd um- actually really enjoyed fake dating Jay. He'd enjoyed how he felt around the VK, how Jay would listen to him like what he said mattered and cuddle him and make sure he was taken care of – instead of like, always asking him for stuff and criticizing him or pushing him around like Audrey had.

But Chad had also always been told he needed to date a princess, or at least a lady – but his grandfather had been the one to tell him that. His grandfather had said if he didn't get a princess he couldn't be king, but his grandfather was a traitor and- and really mean, and he'd wanted to kill Chad, so maybe Chad shouldn't take his orders into consideration anymore.

Which just left Chad guided by the light of his own desires.

And. Well.

He really liked Jay.

Before Chad had a chance to respond, a new voice cut into the conversation, sounding distinctly unimpressed.

"The fuck he will," Uma drawled, Chad and Jay turning to see her prowl out of a nearby room. "If he's dating anybody, it's going to be us."

And then Chad would have spent some time considering who was included in 'us', but then Uma strolled forward and hooked a finger through his collar, tugging Chad forward ever so gently before she leaned forward and kissed him.

Oh wow, oh geez- wow. Uma was kissing him, and her lips were pretty soft and she smelled just as nice as he remembered and Chad sort of wished he could purr because he was so very happy and so very confused. He'd never had two people fight over him. Were they going to fight over him?

Wait, didn't Uma hate him?

"Sorry," she said when she pulled back, cupping his face with one hand and stroking small circles on his cheek. "Back in Corona. I thought you were too good to be true, so when I thought I found your 'secret asshole-ness' I leapt to attack you, 'cuz I… I wanted to protect myself from how much I liked you."

What? Uma, the brave captain sea witch, liked Chad? As in- but she knew how much he sucked. She'd seen it firsthand.

"That wasn't fair," she continued, watching his gaze carefully. "I'm not used to getting a whole lot of good in my life, and you were pretty high up there – you and his royal dumbness and the blondies." And Lord Frederic and Lady Arianna and even King Edmund and Nigel and Lance – she liked them too, even if she'd never say it. "It freaked me out," she admitted. "So I pushed you away. Didn't realize that was a regular occurrence for you."

Chad was shaking in their hold by the time she was finished with her explanation, feeling entirely overwhelmed with the confession. He'd spent all these weeks thinking they were worried about his disappearance because of what it could do to the VKs, but the thought that they'd actually been missing him was staggering, and so much more than he could have hoped for, because they were both so brave and lovely and kind.

"So," Uma began, leaning against Jay's side so that they were all clumped together. "Will you date us?" she asked, motioning between her and Jay.

Jay, who didn't so much as consider a protest, who watched Chad with an open earnestness because he… he wanted this too.

"But-" Chad felt so lost. "What about Harry and Gil and- and Mal? And Ben?"

The two of them shared a look, and then Jay squeezed his waist. "We've sort of been working towards a um… group thing. You were invited to stay for the summer so we could…" he trailed off with a furious blush, which was very distracting this close.

"He wanted to involve you too," Uma explained with a roll of her eyes. "And before I knew everything that was actually going on, I probably would have said no, but my dumb head's been set straight now, so long story short, we'd all like to date you."

All-

All of them?

"I think we broke him," Jay murmured after Chad had a tiny breakdown over Ben and Mal and two pirates he'd never officially met wanting to date the loser prince who'd been stuck as a cat for like, a month.

"I've heard kisses are good for fixing things," Uma offered, and then they took turns doing just that, trading kisses with Chad and explaining all the things they liked about him until he was pretty sure he was going to turn into a pile of mush.

And then, of course, they both told him they loved him.

"Don't get a big head over it," Uma reminded him, but then she kissed him again, making Chad sigh.

"Or do," Jay chirped, running a hand through Chad's curls. "Since we're pretty awesome people."

And Chad honestly couldn't disagree.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Endnotes:

Thanks for the reviews, guys! We're almost at the end, now too. Next update will have the final chapter, epilogue, and deleted scenes all posted at once, along with the first chapter of my next story 'A Curious Cat' (I know, two cat-themed stories in a row, I promise it wasn't intentional).

Story notes:

Because Disney has decided not to name the Captain of the Guards in Cinderella despite him being a prominent character in the live action movie, I decided to name him after the actor that portrayed him, thus making him Captain Anozie, after Nonso Anozie

Peters is entirely made up for the purposes of this story, and you can see how much he matters based on how much effort I put into naming him ;D

Until next time :)