Chapter 2 – The Game's Afoot
-:-:-:-:-:-
Their meeting was canceled in Wei-Ling, not that Chad and Audrey were surprised. Most people were wary about interacting with the 'Queen of Mean', reformed or not, which meant that Chad would have to show up to the event early to organize all the last-minute details himself while Audrey took care of organizing the social relief efforts later that night.
It left them sort of at loose ends for that morning though, so when they came back to the ship it was to see Jay and Gil in the upper lounge dressed in athletic clothing, Gil sort of stumbling his way through stretching while Jay consulted a map of some kind.
"Going for a jog?" Chad asked, tucking his sunglasses away as he moved to stare at the map over Jay's shoulder.
"Yep!" Gil chirped, straightening up with a grin.
Jay seemed a little uneasy with how close Chad was, but he didn't say anything. "I thought you guys had a meeting."
"It was canceled," Audrey said, giving Gil a reassuring smile that made the blond light up like a firework.
"You should come with us!" Gil declared. "Jay found a jogging trail for us through bamboo."
"I mean," Jay said, shifting his weight from foot-to-foot. "If you want to. But it's going to be a pretty long trail."
"Eh, that sounds like fun," Chad drawled. "Give us a sec to get changed."
"Cool!" Gil cheered, though Jay seemed substantially less excited to have his jogging date crashed.
It didn't take long for Chad and Audrey to arm themselves with the proper clothing – water bottles, sunscreen, small emergency pack, concealed weapons, all the necessities. As always, Audrey looked cute in her pink shirt and blue running shorts, her loose curls pulled back in a high pony that was both practical and stylish. Chad, of course, opted for a blue that would bring out his eyes, adding just enough gel to his curls to keep them attractively disheveled rather than a hot mess. Then they were good to go.
Jay hadn't been kidding about going for a run. The trail he'd picked was about fifteen miles long through the rural forest paths of Wei-Ling. He pushed them at a hard pace, likely expecting Chad and Audrey to flounder, but both of them had learned the importance of maintaining their stamina a long time ago – Chad especially.
They hit around the eight-mile mark when Jay pulled them aside for a break, Gil collapsing on a small boulder with a satisfied grin. "Wow," he said, squirting some of his water on his head before bothering to drink some. "You guys are like, completely unbothered."
Audrey grinned. "Cardio's important."
"Yeah, but…" Jay just looked confused, watching Chad with conflicted eyes. "You always complained about running laps in Tourney."
"Yeah, it's Tourney," Chad said. "I don't want to run around the track, I want to throw balls and tackle people. That's like, an objection on principle."
"I just…" Jay shrugged. "I didn't expect this from you."
"Why?" Audrey asked, even though they damn well knew why. "Chad's a marathon runner."
That got yet another startled look from Jay.
"Cross country," Chad explained with a shrug. "Didn't have time to join the team in school though."
It was the closest way of explaining his extreme survival training, to wave off his frequent treks through the backwoods with assassins running after his blood. It hadn't taken Chad long to learn that if he wanted to stay alive, he had to stay ahead.
He'd been running ever since.
"That explains why you're in such good shape!" Gil cheered, always one to bring the levity. "Hey, do you think I could do Cross Country in college?"
"Gilster," Chad began with a smirk. "I think you could do whatever sport you wanted and people would be fighting for you."
"Really?" That seemed to make Gil's life, a pleased blush spreading across the bridge of his nose. "Awesome."
"We should get back to running," Jay declared suddenly, setting off without waiting to see if they would follow.
They scrambled after him, Gil confused because he didn't understand why Jay would want to break up a bonding moment, so it was sort of poetic justice for Jay to trip on a rock about ten minutes later, going head over heels down a hill until he collapsed in a puddle of human despair.
"Jay!" Chad called, appearing appropriately concerned as he scrambled down after the Agraben teen (Audrey and Gil were behind him – bonding because Jay hadn't thought of that when he pushed off into the underbrush). "Jay, are you alright?"
From his crumpled pile of misfortune, Jay groaned, rolling onto his back. "Um… yeah, I'm fine." He moved to sit up, likely trying to recover as quickly as possible, and hissed as soon as he tried to put weight on his right ankle.
"Stop," Chad ordered, crouching next to him with a stern look as he shrugged off his sleek runner's backpack. "You probably strained it, stupid."
"What happened?" Audrey asked, keeping a hand on Gil's shoulder to ground the concerned-looking pirate.
"He tripped on a rock," Chad said as he started digging for a cold compress.
Jay sputtered. "I didn't- I lost my balance."
"On a rock that you tripped on," Chad countered, successfully locating the compress and pushing the hem of Jay's pants up his leg so Chad could have clear access to his ankle. "Now hold still. I'm gonna tape this in place and then we're going to walk back to the ship."
"I could carry him," Gil offered, though the potential for this suggestion was somewhat mitigated by his panting. It seemed of the four of them, Gil actually had the worst stamina, which was a fair enough tradeoff for his immense strength.
"I'll help him back," Chad countered. "You can lead the way with Audrey."
"Oh." Gil blinked, seeming satisfied at being given an alternate job, then flushed when he realized said job was with Audrey. "Okay, if you're sure."
"Guys," Jay groaned as Chad activated the chemical reaction that cooled the compress. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much-"
"Don't be stupid," Chad ordered, and then he finished taping the compress in place in silence.
It was with the greatest reluctance that Jay wrapped an arm around Chad's shoulders, leaning his weight on him as they cut a much slower path down the running trail. Audrey and Gil were a cute picture in front of them, Audrey so comparatively slight next to Gil, who seemed almost bashful in that sincere way of his, flushing when Audrey took his arm, like a real high society couple.
"Knock it off," Chad murmured when he felt Jay tense. "Gil's allowed to be friends with other people."
"That person is Audrey," Jay hissed, then tensed some more when he realized who he was talking to. "I mean-"
"I know what you mean," Chad didn't snap, even though he wanted to. "Did you ever- I dunno, do something back on the Isle that you now regret?"
Jay froze, not expecting the question, his brows furrowing in thought. "Yes, but that was different. We did what we had to in order to survive. Audrey didn't have to take Maleficent's scepter."
They both knew there was more to it than that, that Maleficent's scepter was designed to call to the lost, designed to poison and control those that would dare to wield it – it was likely what had ruined Maleficent herself in the first place.
But Dumb Chad didn't know any better, so he had to use a different argument.
"Which means she feels even worse about it," Chad countered. "Because she made a bad call for no other reason than because she felt like she'd been backed into a corner, and while that doesn't make it right, thinking she's incapable for making up for what she's done would be like saying you guys are irredeemable, and we both know that isn't the case."
"That's not the same," Jay said stubbornly, his expression grave. "Audrey's always been a brat."
"How would you know?" Chad said, keeping his voice low through immense self-discipline. "You barely interacted with her at Auradon Prep, and she spent the year before Mal's engagement back in Auroria."
For 'adjustments' – which was really just Queen Leah's wording for additional training to make Audrey even more appealing as a candidate for queen, as though there had been anything wrong with her in the first place.
"You assholes enchanted her boyfriend away from her, and then Ben never extended the effort to apologize," Chad continued. "It doesn't justify what she did, but you can't look at the situation and say that her anger wasn't warranted."
"Why the fuck do you stick up for her?" Jay asked, seeming genuinely lost. "She doesn't even like you."
Chad ignored the second part of his statement because it was stupid. "Audrey's been my best friend for a long time," he said. "We've been through a lot together, sort of like how you and Mal have been through a lot together." He allowed a moment for that to sink in while he studiously kept his gaze forward. "I would hope if someone attacked her you would stand by her side no matter what."
Clearly, Jay had never bothered to look into Chad and Audrey's relationship beyond the appearances they maintained, because he was silent for a moment, really thinking over Chad's words.
"She isn't going to hurt him," Chad said after a few minutes. "Audrey likes Gil because he doesn't judge her for what she's done. She isn't going to sabotage that."
"Not deliberately," Jay grumbled.
Chad pulled them to a rough halt, making the other teen look at him in surprise. "Fucking- yes, lots of things could happen accidentally, you dolt. Could you stop fucking nitpicking? You don't see us being assholes to you."
Jay had the audacity to sputter. "You- you're tagging along on our run right now."
"Gil invited us!" Chad hissed. "If you didn't want us to come, you could have said something. Contrary to popular belief, Audrey and I are capable of listening."
"Are you?" Jay challenged. "Because I'm pretty sure you spoiled assholes don't know the meaning of the word 'no'. You've had everything you ever wanted handed to you on a silver platter-"
"You don't know shit, Jay," Chad spat, allowing some of his genuine anger to seep into his tone. A distant part of him recognized part of Jay's frustration was his lingering attraction to Chad, but this would not stand. "Ben makes being a royal look easy, but every kingdom is different. Every kingdom has its own set of demands that its heirs are forced to rise to, and you have no idea-"
"Oh, boo fucking hoo," Jay hissed. "So you work really hard to run a fashion empire or whatever. Evie already does that."
"Evie makes two dresses a week," Chad growled. "I'm in charge of the output for an entire kingdom."
"Not that anyone would know it," Jay shot back. "Since you never talk about it. And how much of your own brand do you even work on?"
"All of it," Chad hissed. "It's my brand!"
"So you can own up to that, but not making clothes?" Jay countered. "Why? Are you afraid someone will think you're a pansy? Is that why you're so desperate to chase after Audrey, because you don't want people to think you're gay?"
"Projecting much?" Chad spat. "Dipshit, I'm pansexual – I've owned that since freshman year of high school. And I'm not 'going after' Audrey – she's my friend. So why don't we loop back to the part where you think being gay is such a big, horrible thing, because I find that very interesting."
"I don't," Jay insisted with a frantic shake of his head. His body was tense, desperate to get away from Chad, who was unfortunately the only thing keeping him up. "I don't think that – don't put words into my mouth. And-" He looked confused. "…you're pansexual?"
"Yes?" Chad asked, pretending not to understand how this could be important. "I could honestly care less about what equipment someone's packing so long as they're not, you know, a total douche."
Unlike how Jay was being right now.
"Um." Of course, Jay didn't seem to know what to do with this information. "But you never flirted with guys back in school."
"Didn't want to give them the wrong idea," Chad said with a shrug. "Most of the young royals are raised on stories of finding their true loves while they're young. I knew that wasn't for me. I wanted to enjoy school before I worried about finding my future partner."
Chad could literally see Jay reliving all their past interactions in a new light.
"And… now?" Jay asked, seeming to lean closer to Chad. "Are you looking?"
"Of course." Chad grinned, letting his previous anger drop because he was supposedly too dumb to hold a grudge. "Fun and game time is over. Now I'll worry about the future."
Jay didn't say anything for a long moment, and then he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he offered quietly. "What I said – just – I was … frustrated."
"I get it," Chad hummed, trying not to be petty. "We didn't know we were crashing a date, so sorry about that."
"It wasn't-" Jay flushed, staring stubbornly at the ground. "It wasn't um- a date. I mean, I like Gil, and he's um… really good looking-"
"Fuck yeah, he is," Chad agreed, just thinking about that lovely smile.
"But um- it wasn't a date," Jay said. "Just… so you know."
"Okay," Chad said, letting his shoulder slump in something that could be interpreted as relief. "That makes me feel better. But like, it wouldn't be a problem if it had been a date, okay? Audrey and I don't judge."
"Good to know," Jay said, his flush darkening. "But it wasn't a date."
"Neato." Chad grinned. "We should probably get moving before Audrey doubles back for us."
Jay gave Chad a surprised look, as though he hadn't expected that basic decency from the princess.
It made Chad genuinely roll his eyes. "I told you, man, we're best friends. And besides, Gilly wouldn't want us to get left behind either."
"Yeah," Jay said with a small grin, sliding back into his usual disposition. "I guess you're right."
"I have my moments," Chad declared, pushing them forward with his most triumphant, dapper look. He didn't miss the way the other teen would occasionally stare at him, likely catching all the small touches Chad had added just for him to appreciate, and for the first time since this venture had started, Chad allowed himself a measure of hope that it might succeed.
Looked like Jadir was Chad-sexual after all.
-:-:-:-:-:-
"So? What's the verdict?" Audrey flopped down next to Chad on his bed after a long day of managing phone calls – Chad to his respective parties to set up the charity cultural arts gala to raise money for Ben's Isle Refugee Reforms, and Audrey to help with her food security efforts for the rural farmers of Wei-Ling. She'd already organized the implementation of superior irrigation systems to be installed, and tomorrow she would lead a group of volunteers in pasture development to help with future crops.
Chad gave her a satisfied grin. "I never should have doubted you, my dear."
"Damn straight, you shouldn't have," Audrey muttered, but that was overwhelmed by her justified preening, the princess reveling in her achievements. "Now that you've flagged him down, start teasing what could be."
"Meaning?"
"You could eat a lot of vanilla ice cream near him," Audrey offered with a pleased cackle. "Really get it all over your mouth."
Chad felt his face heat with a blush. "Audrey."
"Just be your adorable self," she advised with a roll of her eyes. "Invite him and Gil to the gala tomorrow. Show him why you're called Chad Charming, and when the time is right, hop on that damn disco stick."
"So crass," Chad said, because he was a hopeless romantic at heart. He might have lied to Jay just a little. Chad had come out as pansexual, and he didn't really care about what anyone was packing, it was just that there was a greater chance that his own attractions leaned towards demisexuality instead.
But whatever, Chad would do whatever it took to get to Doug, who was goofy and clever and too cute for words.
"Stop thinking about him," Audrey ordered, knowing what the lovesick look on Chad's face indicated. "You wanna get there, you have to start here. Don't get cocky."
"I won't," Chad pledged. He had a second shot at Doug, he wasn't going to waste it. Not now, not ever.
-:-:-:-:-:-
"You organized all of that?" Gil asked when they piled back into the yacht, looking rather smart in the suit Audrey had specially tailored for him.
"Yep." Chad grinned, brushing shoulders with Jay (who stubbornly wore his Evie originals, though he had mentioned something about picking up some of Chad's clothes the next time they were in the city). "Event planning is but one of my specialties. When you're royal, you get really good at planning stuff."
"Sort of a necessity of the profession," Audrey said, looking radiant in the custom gown Chad had made for her. "Legislature, charity events, public relations – you have to master most of it as a young age."
"Doesn't leave a whole lot of room for geometry," Chad said, making a face. "But hey, you can't win them all."
Jay just sort of kept staring at Chad as though he was seeing the prince for the first time, mesmerized but trying hard not to be. "It's just… sort of hard to believe."
"You should see my notebook," Chad giggled, deciding to take Jay's disbelief as a compliment. "Or my phone log. I was talking to so many people up until that shindig got started, and I had the easy job. Schmoozing rich people is like, what we're trained to do from birth, but Audrey was the one that had to oversee her contractors all week."
"Rural medical centers won't build themselves," Audrey hummed. "And if there isn't some kind of client there to oversee them, contractors are known to cut corners, whether it's for charity or not."
"It's all about the bottom line," Chad said sadly.
"Well, after having to redo the floorboards the third time, they finally made them level," Audrey huffed. "Bitches trying to argue with me over how many electrical outlets a room should have. I didn't pay for eight not to get them. It's like they don't even care if lifesaving equipment gets the power it needs."
"Wow," Gil said, obviously doting on the wonder that was Audrey. "You're so smart."
Despite her cynical little heart, Audrey managed to blush. "I um… try to be. If I'm here, I'd like to do things right, at the very least."
"I think those people who are going to use those medical centers will appreciate it," Jay offered as a rare olive branch. "You're really going all out for this, aren't you?"
Audrey's expression tensed. "This isn't just for my image Jay. I… I have to do this. I have to make up for what I did, and even if I can't, I have to at least try."
Gil, with all the sweetness of someone far too good for this world, gently reached his hand out to hold Audrey's, the gesture innocent and pure. "You're trying very hard, miss princess," he said solemnly. "I think that counts for a lot."
Audrey blushed. "Thanks, Gil."
Jay didn't say anything, but his fingers twitched, almost like he wanted to reach out and snag Chad's hand, which was resting mere inches from him.
It was, without question, progress.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Chad waited until they were safely in the middle of the ocean – perfectly isolated – before he implemented plan tease.
As always, he timed it out perfectly, had himself stretched out on the handy dandy sun loungers Ben had placed around the upper deck in case people felt like enjoying the breeze.
Or, alternatively, if they felt like sunbathing.
It wasn't one of Chad's more favorite pastimes because it required him to be entirely too vulnerable for his liking – but he'd already checked and rechecked their perimeter, had already scanned for unfriendlies, and had activated the technological and magical security settings that allowed him to comfortably spread out on his stomach.
So he was appropriately positioned by the time Jay strolled out on the deck for his afternoon breath of fresh air, only for the Agraben to do a double take at the state of Chad.
He also flushed horrifically, which was a plus.
"Chad," he hissed, seemingly scandalized and clutching his figurative pearls. "What are you doing?"
"Tanning," Chad hummed, resting his head comfortably in the pillow of his arms. "What are you doing?"
"You're naked," Jay burst, like he couldn't hold it in anymore.
Chad was grateful for the sunglasses that blocked his gaze, which allowed him to follow Jay's line of sight to his very bare and toned ass. "That's how you get an even tan," Chad explained in a bored drawl. "Otherwise you get lines."
"You're naked," Jay repeated. "What if someone sees you?"
"Who would see me?" Chad asked innocently. "Do you see any other ships nearby?" He motioned around them vaguely, doing his best to angle his legs to make his ass look particularly more spectacular.
Jay's flush darkened. "No, but-"
"Then it's not a problem," Chad hummed, settling back into position. "Unless you need me to do some ship stuff. Do you need me to do ship stuff?"
"No," Jay urged, and then he was deftly turning on his heel, storming back towards the ship's lounge.
"Don't worry, I have a towel for when I do the front!" Chad called after him, and it was sort of satisfying to watch him trip over nothing.
-:-:-:-:-:-
"He walked by like, ten times after you rolled onto your back," Audrey giggled, showing Chad the security footage on her phone.
"Then this has been totally worth it," Chad declared. It wasn't the greatest feeling, lying naked on his back with nothing but a small towel covering his junk, leaving his hips and the area that would have his pubic hair bared on the windy top of a ship, but it was an acceptable sacrifice if it helped lure in the horndog that was Jay.
Acceptable sacrifices needed to be made in the line of duty sometimes.
"You should sunbathe more often," Audrey chuckled, and Chad had a feeling he would be doing that very thing.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Gil squinted at the dessert in his hand. "And these are…?"
"Ice cream bars," Chad explained, day two into their 'late-night blond bonding session' where they snuck snacks and giggled about the rest of their crewmates. For Gil, it involved a lot of saying how cool and pretty Audrey was. Chad recorded it sometimes, it always made Audrey smile. "So there's chocolate on the outside, right? And underneath that is vanilla ice cream. It's a dessert for when you're on the go."
"Wow," Gil said, staring at the chocolate popsicle in his hand. "Auradon really has everything."
"Yep," Chad grinned, taking a careful bite out of the top of his treat.
He slowly guided Gil through the wonders of savoring the chocolate, letting it melt in your mouth before licking up the soft vanilla ice cream. As predicted, it was a bit of a mess, which was fortunate when Jay stumbled upon them.
"What are you guys doing?" the Agraben asked, looking adorable in his pajamas and sleep-mused hair.
"Oh no," Gil gasped, pressing a hand to the side of his face. "Late night blond bonding has been, um-"
"Compromised!" Chad burst. "Quick, Gil, savor our snacks!"
"You guys are eating ice cream?" Jay asked with a chuckle, grinning at their enthusiasm.
"We're bonding," Chad clarified, sucking melted ice cream off his fingers. He made a show of taking them deep into his mouth, cleaning them determinately with his tongue before turning back to his dessert.
"With ice cream," Gil continued with a hum.
It was adorable, and Chad would savor it, but he was too busy making a show of shoving as much of his bar into his mouth as possible, lavishing it and working it in and out of his mouth so he could lap up the vanilla ice cream that smeared against his lips.
By the time he was finished, he had Jay's completely undivided attention, a dark flush spreading across the bridge of his nose, eyes half-lidded in a minor daze.
Perfect.
"Are you okay, Jay?" Gil asked, chocolate smeared across his mouth. "You look a little hot."
"Um," Jay startled, interpreting the words in a completely different way. "I'm- I'm great, guys, I'll just-" He stumbled away, back in the direction of his bedroom.
"Maybe we should give him some ice cream," Gil mused.
Chad stifled a laugh into his dessert. "It's not a bad idea."
-:-:-:-:-:-
Chad was doing a good job teasing Jay, and Gil organically bonded with just about everyone, now they just needed to introduce a way for Jay and Audrey to get past the state of 'dubious acquaintances' into something more substantial.
Like every other plan, the key to coercing desired responses into existence greatly rested in having proper bait, and since Jay just happened to be in a state of his existence where he wanted to charm not one pretty blond, but two, it wasn't all that hard to set up a frivolous bonding activity for the four of them to do that maybe Jay was a little afraid of.
At least, according to the text message conversations Chad's tech guy had directed to his laptop. Horseback riding had been one of Jay's mild concerns when they started this trip, but since Gil seemed to very much enjoy having his feet planted on the ground, they hadn't planned any such outings, thus assuaging the Agraben's fears.
Of course, things changed when the two explorers accidentally bonded with Chad and Audrey, which meant Chad could plant the seed of how awesome horseback riding was to Gil so that the blond pirate was all for trying it out when they got to DunBroch.
They scheduled it on their second day there, leaving a free morning for Audrey where Chad and Gil already had plans that would be suspicious to anyone who wasn't Jay, and the night before they docked, Audrey approached Chad with a pleased smile.
"Guess who just got asked to give secret horseback riding lessons to our favorite Agraben?" Audrey hummed. "I will give you a hint, it's not you."
"Aw," Chad laughed, a minor string of fondness humming in his chest. "He's that worried?"
"Cross between that and him finally trusting your judgement," Audrey said with a shrug. "I'm not looking too hard into it either way."
"Good plan," Chad said. "Get in there and enchant the hell out of him with your natural snark and surprising string of uplifting support. Be sure to have at least like, half an hour where you guys share a horse. Keep him behind you so he can get a feel for things."
"Like I didn't already have that planned," Audrey said with a roll of her eyes, blowing him a cheerful kiss before she launched herself into preparations for the following day.
Those lessons must have gone well because Jay seemed entirely comfortable when the four of them went on their ride two days later, though Chad was sure to accidentally 'twist' his ankle so he had to ride back to the stables behind Jay, letting his chin rest comfortably against the other teen's shoulders while Audrey chatted Gil up behind them, leading Chad's horse on with an easy smile.
Jay spent a lot of time brushing down his horse when he got it back into his stall, but Audrey assured Chad it was not for entirely altruistic purposes.
"He was packing a semi, Chadwick," Audrey hummed, a flash of wickendness in her gaze. "He wants your sweet, sweet loins."
"And one day, he will get them," Chad giggled, knowing that he may as well take some satisfaction in the plan they were implementing. It might be weird being so affectionate about a dude that wasn't Doug, but he was really coming to like Jay. And the Agraben's attention was flattering, which was always a nice ego boost for Chad, who despite having the appearance of a narcissist, could use that sort of appreciation every now and then.
-:-:-:-:-:-
The knock on Chad's door was late, but not unexpected. Gil had been suffering from nightmares on and off since they'd started this trip. The only reason Jay didn't know about it was because they'd enchanted Gil's room to be soundproof like the true assholes they were. It wasn't that they wanted Gil to suffer, they just needed a very specific action to be prompted into existence, and Jay being the noble good guy that he was would definitely hinder that.
Hence the magic soundproofing, which successfully earned Chad a late-night visit from one Gilbert LeGume.
He was a bit of a sorry sight on the other side of the door, fingers twisting in the sleeves of his overlarge sleepshirt, the stuffed elephant Audrey had gotten for him in Deep Jungle tucked safely against his chest.
"I'm sorry," Gil whispered, eyes wet with moisture. "I just- I keep having bad dreams, and I was hoping… Could I um- stay with you?"
"It's okay," Chad said, making a show of wiping the sleep from his eyes despite the fact that he had definitely been awake on his guard rotation. "We get bad dreams too sometimes, that's why Audrey bunks with me." He guided Gil towards the bed, larger now due to Chad and Audrey's stealthy installations.
Gil was hesitant, and gasped when he caught the 'sleeping' form of Audrey curled on the far side of the bed. "Audrey's here?"
"We don't like being alone," Chad explained simply, pulling back the covers and herding Gil inside. When the pirate hesitated, Chad took a more proactive approach and started pointedly nudging him into its depths. "So we stay together. You can stay with us too if you want, Gil. We've found that cuddling helps with bad dreams."
"And you wouldn't mind?" Gil asked, sounding so very hopeful.
"Nope." Chad grinned. "More people means more cuddling – this can only be positive for us."
"Then I'd um- like to stay, please," Gil whispered as Chad successfully guided him into the middle of the bed, helping him settle down. They already had a nightlight that projected a soothing constellation onto the ceiling, bathing them in a soft glow that kept the room from becoming claustrophobic.
"You can stay," Chad said, letting Gil get settled before he slid in, resting his head on the pirate's chest. "For the rest of the trip, if you want. The more the merrier."
"Whoa," Gil breathed, and after a moment, he wrapped an arm around Chad's waist, letting his stuffed elephant cuddle next to the prince.
Things seemed to get easier after that, and maybe fifteen minutes later, 'sleeping' Audrey rolled to organically cuddle next to Gil, thus cementing their new sleeping arrangement for the future.
Chad really loved it when a plan came together.
-:-:-:-:-:-
It took Jay a few days to realize the change in sleeping arrangements, though honestly, Chad wasn't sure how it could have possibly taken him that long when Gil all but bounced from his bathroom post-shower into Chad's bedroom, burrowing himself cozily under the covers while Chad and Audrey finished their nightly routines.
"What are you guys doing?" Jay asked as Chad reviewed the map of where their explorers were going the next day to an attentive Gil.
"Getting ready for bed!" Gil chirped, offering Jay an enthusiastic wave. "Chad and Audrey are letting me stay with them so we can cuddle. It turns out they don't like being alone either!"
"Want to join us?" Chad asked before Jay could find a problem with that.
The Agraben paused, seeming startled by the suggestion.
"That's an awesome idea!" Gil chirped. "You could cuddle behind Chad and then it would be a blond sandwich!"
Jay did his best to look over Chad in a casual sort of way.
He failed, horribly.
"Well, who am I to get in the way of a blond sandwich?" he drawled somewhat flirtatiously. "I'll um- be right back."
"And be prepared to cuddle!" Gil called after him, setting the bait better than Chad ever could.
That night, Jay definitely wrapped himself around Chad's back, resting his forehead on the back of Chad's head and seeming comfortable spooning a guy who he was not dating.
Things were going well.
Now Chad just had to keep them that way.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Endnotes:
Wei-Ling is a kingdom from the animated show Sophia the First. Since Wei-Ling is based off of China, I referred to a group called WE Charity for the social work they did in rural China.
I Googled how many outlets you need in a medical room, but they called them receptacles and also it was an electrical contractor magazine so I'm not really sure how much of that I got right. Eight felt like a good number, let's all pretend it works ;)
Deep Jungle is Tarzan's territory, to clarify, hence the stuffed elephant. C'mon, you can't deny that Gil would look adorable with a stuffed animal ;D
Until next time :)