Chapter 1 – Settling In

SUMMARY - Chad hadn't been prepared for the trials of Wonderland, and he certainly wasn't ready for the trials that awaited them at the beach house. Being encouraged to have sex with everyone would have been daunting without the involvement of magic, but now Chad had to overcome his shyness or else he'd be cursed forever. It would be a lot easier if he was even kind of charismatic. But he wasn't, he was just Chad, with his baggage and his fears and his inability to be normal, and he was beginning to wonder when Mal would realize that wasn't enough for her.

He could get through this. He had to get through this, he just wished that maybe it was easier.

Also known as: That time the others realized the extent of Chad's issues because of yet another spell, which maybe led to cuddling and makeovers and lines getting blurred all around. It works out in the end, though.

GENERAL WARNING – Dubious Consent due to magic – No magical greenery this time, but there's still magic shenanigans coercing people together. This causes a lot of stress on Chad, who is a shy bean, but the acts themselves leave no lasting damage – it's mostly the anticipation and instigation of them that makes Chad nervous.

-:-:-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ben sighed. "That's what it looks like."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At least he was looking on the bright side.

-:-:-

It was easy for them to break apart.

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm fine," the pirate spat, moving in embarrassed, angry movements.

The captain rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're not fine. Get over here, Hook."

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

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

"Are you good, sweetheart?" Audrey asked.

"I'm great!" Gil chirped, finishing his stretches. "You guys go ahead."

"You sure?" Doug asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yep." Gil offered them a wide grin. "They just need some alone time. It's all good."

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm um- tired," Chad rushed to say, flustered.

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

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

"Yeah," Chad whispered, too embarrassed to raise his voice.

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

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

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

Yeah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Gil." Chad pressed a hand to his face. "You can't say that, we're not dating."

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

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

"Maybe," Chad allowed, trying to move on.

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

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

His mother's slipper, like a taunt.

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

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

Gil broke out into a wide grin. "Awesome."

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

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

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

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

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

"That's it," Gil said, pulling Chad back off the counter. "That's my pretty girl."

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

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

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

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

"Gil," Chad groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

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

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

"Sure, it is," Gil chirped. "It's the prettiest flower. And I'd like to see it."

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

"Okay," he said. "You can um- do it."

"Thank you," Gil said, his voice tinged thick with sincerity as he pulled Chad's underwear down.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At least, Chad was pretty sure.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chad really was the worst sometimes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Of course he did, Gil was his boyfriend.

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

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

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

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

"You're welcome." Gil grinned. "And if you change your mind, my bed's always open to you."

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

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

"Thanks, Gil," Chad repeated, his smile small but true.

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

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

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

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

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

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

-:-:-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Mal, I guess," Harry grumbled, his shoulders hunched defensively.

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

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

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

"I- right," Doug said, nodding. "I'd be honored."

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

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

"So… Evie began diplomatically. "I suppose it's you and me then, Gil."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chad swallowed. "I'm sure." He mustered a grin for them. "Have fun."

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

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

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

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

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

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

-:-:-

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

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

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

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

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

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

-:-:-

Endnotes:

And finally, we have the dramatic conclusion of the Wonderland series. Obviously, I had to bring things home with my very favorite narrator – Chad. This one starts off more angsty rather than sexy, but things will improve about halfway through the fic.

This story will consist of 6 chapters of story content. I update once a week, generally on Sundays, but because things have been so crazy lately, I decided to make an effort to update twice a week. So there will be one update on Sunday and one update on Wednesday/Thursday for now :D

Story notes:

I took the top result from google image search when it came to Uma's symbol.

I decided that the sword and shield that shows up on most of Chad's clothes in Descendants is the symbol for Sardinia. I thought it might be for Auradon, but Ben wears what is obviously an Auradon Prep letter jacket and the symbol on that is an 'A', so Sardinia gets the Sword and Shield. Chad has it on like, four of his coats, so I promise I'm not making it up.

Admittedly, Mal and Jay should be doing a better job looking after Chad since they know how very shy his is, but for the sake of angst their pigeon brains are going to be distracted by the prospect of orgies and getting to be with people they may or may not have been fantasizing about. They'll make up for it in the end, but for now, they are dumb.

Dr. Sweet is from the movie 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' and I highly recommend watching it if you haven't.

Until next time :)