Chapter 1 – Cotillion

Summary – An accidental meeting between Uma and Chad before Cotillion begins has the captain rethinking her strategy of love enchanting Ben. At least, to her. She changes her tactics, leading Chad to be introduced as Gentleman of the Court, which… actually works out? The Tourney team certainly seems supportive enough, and Mal wasn't biting off any heads so… win, win.

Notes: Of all the stories I have written, this is one that upset me the most while writing it. Probably because it has to do with long-term depression. So please like, be warned when you go in reading this.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad didn't want to go to Cotillion.

Or, more specifically, he did not want to go to Cotillion without Audrey. Which was a problem, because her limo had broken down in Sherwood Forest.

Chad had plans to go and magically save the day, as was the expectation of every dashing prince, only Audrey didn't want to wait six hours for him to show up so she'd just called a tow truck herself. It was significantly less magical, and things had only gotten worse because the sole reason Audrey had called was because she didn't want Chad to go to Cotillion without her.

Which, emotionally, was not a problem for Chad. He didn't want to go without his perfect pink princess either. But like, there were certain expectations he had to live up to.

Granted, neither Chad's father nor grandfather talked to him much, but they would occasionally have one of their many assistants forward a list of what Chad assumed was the bare minimum expectations for what he needed to do as a prince. They had dropped their standards somewhat over the years, so the list had lost items like 'get on the honor roll' (because no matter how hard Chad tried, he just couldn't, and it didn't help that the words tended to flip around on him but he had no one to explain that to so perhaps he was just dumb) and 'be class president' and traded them out for 'show up to all your classes' and 'be at Cotillion', but Audrey didn't want him at Cotillion, so there were… problems.

Chad liked keeping Audrey happy. He couldn't always do it, but occasionally he could make her laugh and give him a smile that made him feel like he might actually be capable of a happily ever after, and sure, those moments were rare, but that just made them more special.

And now he was going to significantly piss her off by attending an event she wouldn't be at that would celebrate Mal's glory, which was pretty much the epitome of bad boyfriend-ship, but his grandfather's assistant had already made it clear that it was better to be a bad boyfriend than a worse prince (he was already a bad one of those, and they all knew it).

So to Cotillion he went.

Chad lingered in the lower decks of the ship to try and kill time, knowing he needed to make a public appearance but hoping if he kept it as brief as possible Audrey wouldn't be too mad. That was what eventually had him seeking out Ben, because the king had to make a dramatic entrance anyway after everyone else had showed up, which meant he was going to be chilling in his own private room, probably thinking very regal thoughts. Or brooding. Ben did that sometimes.

Chad wasn't stopped by any guards because he was Chad Charming, and also pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things, which would have hurt were Chad not a realist. As it was, he was glad he'd get a chance to hang out with Ben, because the king had been so very busy lately doing king-stuff, and Chad was busy um… trying not to be a failure.

So. Different priorities.

"Ben," Chad greeted, not really bothering to knock because it wasn't like Ben would be doing anything risqué anyway. "What's up? I'm gonna hide down here with you because Audrey is stuck in…"

Chad trailed off when he realized Ben was not, in fact, alone.

In fact, he was staring attentively (and almost dreamily) at some teenager Chad had never seen before, dressed in an eclectic ballgown that could very well be one of Evie's creations. The dress matched her hair, which was done in like, a hundred aqua braids, which immediately ranked this human as super cool and thereby out of Ben's league. Like, Mal was out of Ben's league, the dude was a nerd.

Why was he staring at this random stranger?

"He…llo?" Chad offered with a small wave. "Sorry, I didn't know you had company."

"Hey, Chad," Ben said, not pulling his gaze off of the new girl who eyed Chad with a wariness that was entirely unwarranted. "Have you met Uma? This is Uma."

"Hey, Uma," Chad greeted, trying out his most charming smile and getting a glare for his efforts.

"Isn't she pretty?" Ben sighed which- what? That wasn't a thing Ben did. He was all about complimenting a person's drive and intellect over their looks. Which was unfortunate, because Chad was very pretty, and Ben hadn't mentioned it in forever. "I love her so much."

The comment, casually offered, brought Chad's confusion to a shuddering halt.

Because he finally knew what was up.

"Aw, Ben – did you get love potioned again?" Chad asked, sighing. He only knew Ben had gotten potioned the first time because on occasion, Chad could be a sneaky sneak and also perhaps he had bugged Ben's coronation carriage. He turned to the new girl. "Did you love potion him? Ben is super susceptible to those."

"Why would you say that?" Uma asked, her tone that of a defensive human who had love potioned the king.

"Because Ben's totally in love with Mal?" Chad said.

Which had always seemed a bit weird in Chad's book, because Mal had started that relationship off by spelling Ben, but that had gotten Chad Audrey so he made a point not to comment on it.

"No, Chad," Ben urged, his eyes wearing the half-lidded stare of someone who was definitely enchanted. "I met Uma last night on the Isle, and I fell in love with her strong spirit-"

"No, you didn't," Chad sighed, thinking of what he was supposed to do now. He should probably call someone. Perhaps Fairy Godmother? She was always kind of weird around Chad, but like, perhaps now was the time for that particular fairytale to be recreated. "You got spelled, dingus. Did she ask for anything from you?"

"Mmm-hmmm," Ben hummed, going back to gazing at Uma with open adoration. "I'm gonna drop the barrier for her."

"Oh, wow- that's a terrible idea," Chad said, making a face. He turned back to Uma. "Like, I get wanting to get the kids off the Isle, because they should be off the Isle-" Chad might be dumb but he'd eventually realized the truth to that point. "-but dropping the barrier will set all the villains out. Like, you know, Jafar and the Horned King and a bunch of evil ass wizards and stuff. We can't let them out." Chad turned back to Ben. "But you should totally let the rest of the kids out, man. Why haven't you done that yet?"

"Because he's a piece of shit," Uma snapped, and this outburst further supported how deep Ben was under, because he didn't so much as flinch as Uma began to angrily pace the room. Eventually she paused, turning to face Chad with a mighty scowl. "So no one's going to believe this?"

"Is anyone going to believe Ben fell in love with a stranger he met yesterday? No," Chad confirmed, wondering why she had even thought it was a possibility. "Like, love at first sight is a thing, but Ben wasted that on Mal, so…"

"So…" Her brows furrowed in thought. "What if he fell in love with someone he already knew?"

"Like Mal?" Chad asked, hopeful. Perhaps if he got Uma to break Ben's enchantment Chad would earn like, bro points. And then perhaps he and Ben could hang out on his birthday, like they used to sometimes.

Those were the best days.

"No, dipshit." Uma rolled her eyes. "Like you."

"I don't know how that would help the situation," Chad replied honestly. He also sort of wondered why he hadn't run for the door yet. That probably would have been the first thing a smart person like Doug would have done, but no, Chad had to go be all curious and distractible.

"You don't need the big picture," Uma said, cradling one of her necklaces between her hands. It was a shell, and it seemed to be glowing, casting off a generous light that slowly filled the room. "You just need to do what I say."

Which was what, exactly?

But Chad would not get the answer to this question, because after that everything went dark, which was not the greatest beginning to Cotillion

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad struggled to awareness slowly – a reluctant thing, because he felt so very comfortable. It took him a few moments to register why though, because he wasn't on a mattress or anything. He seemed to be… held, he guessed? Yeah, he was being held by someone, cradled against their chest and that should- that should be weird because Chad hadn't done it in so long, had only dreamed of it, and now it was here and he didn't want it to ever go away.

So he wanted to stay asleep.

Only there was a hand brushing against his cheek which was also something that never happened to Chad, and that prompted enough curiosity for him to cautiously open his eyes.

Oh. Shit, he was leaning against Ben's chest. No – he was like, splayed out on top of the king as they rested on the couch in his private cabin, and that should be mortifying but Ben was staring at him with this look that was all sweet that made Chad's stomach feel fluttery, made his heart feel like it was going to leap into his throat.

"Hey, Chad," Ben greeted, stroking the blond's cheek carefully. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Chad could feel himself blushing, wanted to lean into the contact but knew that wasn't his place. The thought made him sad for some reason, but that had literally never been Chad's place so he didn't know what that was about. "Um… what happened?"

"You guys had a big confession of love and shit," a new voice said, and then Chad sort of flailed against Ben when he realized they weren't alone, another teen dressed in like, pirate gear or some shit sitting on the chair by Ben's desk. "It was disgusting, by the way. You made out and then passed out and now we're here."

They had love confessions? The very thought of it made Chad flush down to his toes, because that meant he'd- he'd told Ben he'd loved him and Chad wasn't supposed to do that but if they had made out did that mean Ben loved him too?

Fuck, did Ben love him?

It didn't help that Ben laughed this melodious, tantalizing sound that made Chad shiver. "Chad, this is Captain Uma. I assume since you're here…"

"Yeah," she cut him off with a roll of her eyes. "I decided to take you up on your offer to make things better. But we aren't pussy-footing around with this, okay? We're gonna get shit done."

Ben's smile went wide and sort of brilliant, and Chad wanted to spend eternity basking under its might. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Cool," Uma drawled, her finger tapping against the knee of her weathered pants. "So, you really gonna do it?"

"Do what?" Chad did not squeak, but um, he definitely blushed, then blushed harder because Ben was tracing his cheek again and looking at Chad like he was special and that was a difficult thing to deal with.

"His gift to you," Uma said dismissively, though there was a definite smirk pulling at her lips. "Since you're gonna be his Gentleman of the Court or whatever."

"Oh, right!" Ben said, dropping his hand away from Chad's face and that was a shame, but then he was taking Chad's hand in his own and holy shit that was Ben's signet ring. Chad had Ben's signet ring on his finger. When had that even happened? "Shit, I don't have a gift for you. I spent all that time making the stained-glass window for Mal-" Chad whined at that, couldn't help it, but Ben rushed to continue, tilting Chad's head back before he could hide it against the king's chest. "I wanted it for you, Chad. I didn't know how to say it, but I wanted it for you, so please don't- please don't be sad."

He leaned forward and then they were- yeah, that was Ben kissing Chad, and it was not at all like Audrey's kisses, which were demanding and sometimes painful. This was soft and sweet and left Chad feeling breathless, left him wanting more when Ben pulled away with a smile.

"I love you," the king murmured, saying the words Chad hadn't realized he needed to hear until that moment. "I've always loved you, and I'm sorry it took me this long to realize that."

"Ben…" Chad didn't know what to say, could only reach up tentatively and feel elated when Ben didn't bat his hand away like Audrey had so often. "I love you too, and I can't offer you much-"

"Just be you," Ben said, cupping Chad's face between his hands before kissing him again. When he pulled back, he was flushed and smiling. "That's all I need. I just need you."

"But I'm-"

"Perfect," Ben said, and then he was going in for another kiss-

Uma chucked a wad of stationary at Ben's head. "You guys already did this," she groaned, slumping back against her seat like she was the most put-upon human in the entire world. "We get it, you love each other, great. Now answer my question."

"The one about Chad's gift?" Ben asked, nuzzling Chad closer since he wasn't allowed to kiss him, and Chad was very okay with this. "…what did I say I was going to do again?"

"Ugh." Uma let her head fall back with a groan. "You said you were gonna bring over the next batch of kids from the Isle, including his cousin, Dizzy."

"I have a cousin?" Chad asked, perking up.

He didn't know he had cousins. Well, he hadn't known he'd had aunts until he'd gone to Auradon Prep and Aziz had told him, because Chad didn't know much about his mom's side of the family. His grandfather didn't like talking about it.

Uma shot him a look similar to how Audrey viewed him, like he was the stupidest person on the entire planet. "Yes, you have a cousin. How did you not know you have a cousin?"

"It doesn't matter," Ben said, stroking Chad's hair. "What matters is that I can't think of a better present for my thoughtful little Kitten."

"Ben," Chad groaned, not realizing the king had remembered his attempted childhood nickname, because his dad had been Kit so Chad had tried to add on to that before his grandfather's assistant had let him know it was stupid. "I'm not- I'm not thoughtful-"

"Sure, you are," Ben chirped, cuddling Chad close. "You just don't like people to know it. You're the one that arranged for that anonymous donation of material to help with Evie's startup."

"I did not." Chad flushed, because Ben wasn't supposed to know about it. Granted, Chad wasn't the best at paperwork, but Aziz had promised to help cover for Chad because the blond had felt really bad about trying to make Evie do his homework (he just wanted like, one A so he could show his dad and they could perhaps have a conversation, only he'd never made it past his literal army of secretaries and no one cared anyway).

"Yes, you did." Ben nuzzled his hair, one of his hands stroking Chad's hip. "Aziz told me." He lifted his hand to finger the edge of Chad's cloak. "You even commissioned a piece from her to help spark interest."

"Um…" Chad ducked his head shyly. "Do you um… like it?"

Chad hadn't known it, but he realized now that he'd commissioned the fancy cloak mostly, if not entirely, to catch Ben's eye. Chad had wanted to be pretty for him, because Audrey didn't care so long as Chad wasn't pulling focus from her, but if Chad could catch Ben's eye, perhaps they could…

Well, he hadn't expected this.

"I…" Ben began slowly, tilting his forehead against Chad's in a level of casual intimacy that made the blond's breath catch. "-like it a lot. In fact…" He ducked his head so he could breathe directly into Chad's ear, making him shudder. "I would like to see you in nothing but that cloak."

"Ben," Chad gasped, scandalized, but Ben only kissed him, dragging Chad forward until he was in Ben's lap, that was the king's lap and Ben wanted him there-

"Guys," Uma groaned, making them pull apart with a sigh. "I feel like I need a spray bottle for you two dopes."

"Sorry," Ben offered. "I can't help it. I hadn't… I hadn't realized all this time I was struggling with Mal that I just really wanted Chad."

"And um…" Chad flushed, because that was music to his ears he didn't even know he needed. "Same thing with me and Audrey, I mean."

"Yeah," Ben laughed. "They keep telling us we need princesses but you-" He cupped Chad's cheek again. "You're everything I need."

"Oh shit." Chad was hit by a certain panic. "I can't give you babies, Ben. Your dad's totally going to kill me and my grandfather's going to kill me and-"

Ben silenced him with a kiss. "We'll get Fairy Godmother to help us," he decided when he pulled away again. "She made Jane from magic, she could um… probably make us kids. And…" He turned back to Uma. "Before I get distracted again, um- how do you feel about Gil and Harry coming over with the next batch of kids? Or perhaps we could do your whole crew? Technically you'd be 'coming over' with them-"

"As an extension of friendship," Uma hummed, seeming like she was parroting the words from someone else. "I get it. And yeah, let's bring my whole crew over. Along with Dizzy and um… Squeaky and Squirmy – those are Mr. Smee's boys. Real shy, and definitely don't deserve to be on the Isle."

"None of them do," Ben said, grinning. "And we're going to fix that."

He looked at Chad when he said it, like he thought Chad was actually capable of important things. It made Chad feel a little less uneasy, a little more grounded in the fact that this was happening. Ben loved him, Ben loved him, and Chad was going to be his Gentleman of the Court and they were going to get married one day and have magic babies that Chad really hoped had Ben's eyes.

"Yeah…" Chad said, kind of dazed. "We're gonna fix that."

"First thing's first," Uma drawled, standing up with a sigh. "You've gotta go to your fancy pants party."

"Oh wow," Chad said, reluctant to stand up but finding the process easier with Ben's hand in his. "I hope Mal takes this okay."

"She already broke up with me," Ben said with a shrug, squeezing Chad's fingers. "Perhaps it wasn't great of me to hide my feelings for you from her, but she has no right to comment on our relationship, even if this seems…"

"Sudden?" Chad offered.

"Perhaps," Uma scoffed. "Or perhaps you just needed help seeing what you really wanted. Don't let them make you feel bad for that."

"Never," Ben pledged, tugging Chad until they were next to each other. "You gonna be okay in here for a few hours?"

"I'll be fine," Uma dismissed, walking over to the couch and flopping down on it. "Just don't forget about me during your honeymoon phase."

"We're not even married yet," Chad sputtered, earning a laugh from Ben and an eye roll from Uma, who seemed to be thoroughly done with them.

"The key word is 'yet'," Ben murmured hotly into Chad's ear, and it seemed far too good to be true to find this at seventeen, but-

But Chad had always known, deep down, that he was Ben's. He just hadn't had the words to articulate it.

And now, he didn't have to.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"You don't need to freak out," Ben assured him as they waited at the top of the stairs. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Easy for you to say," Chad murmured, tempted to hunch in on himself and sprint back into the depths of the ship. "Everyone likes you. Barely anyone likes me-"

"I like you," Ben reminded him, and then he dipped down to kiss Chad again, even though Lumiere was right there and the ship workers could see them.

Still, Chad felt a lot better when the king pulled away, and Ben was smiling too, like it wasn't a mistake.

He cleared his throat. "If… if things start to go bad… I mean, you don't have to date me if the backlash is-"

Between one moment and the next, Chad found himself pressed against the wall, Ben doing his best to mold their bodies together as he stared at Chad with an unwavering intensity.

"You are mine," he pledged, the words making Chad shiver. "And if there's any negative backlash, they are in the wrong, not you. You aren't negotiable, you're… you're what I need," he settled on, his hand cupping Chad's cheek again. It was becoming a familiar action, and Chad was growing to love it quite a lot. "You're mine," he repeated. "And I don't- I don't want to separate from you again. I don't want to pretend to just be friends when I want more. I don't want to watch you date people who don't appreciate you and act supportive when I just want to wrap you in my arms and kiss you senseless. I can't do it, Chad, and I won't."

"You…" Chad trailed off, his throat feeling tight. "…all this time?"

"Always," Ben murmured, his teeth grazing the shell of Chad's ear. "And I had to watch you struggle while you put up a strong front, but I know you're not taken care of the way you should be and I'm not allowing it anymore. You're mine. You're mine and even if you weren't, I am going to love and take care of you until the day I die."

"B-Ben…" Chad had to fight to swallow down tears, his hands trembling against the neat cut of Ben's coat. "I… I missed you. I'm sorry, I-"

"You don't have to apologize to me," Ben hummed, nuzzling their heads together. "Just trust me. Trust that no matter what happens, we're going to stand strong."

"I trust you," Chad whispered, the words coming in a rush. "I'll always trust you, Ben."

The smile this earned him was overwhelming in its radiance, making Chad wonder how truly unworthy he was to receive such a thing.

"That's all I need," Ben said, and then he stepped away, taking Chad's hand in his and nodding to Lumiere.

It was time.

-:-:-:-:-:-

When Ben and Chad were younger, they had hung out a lot.

At first it was because Chad's mom was dead and this was a sad thing even though he didn't remember her. He did know that things changed after that, because his family cuddle time became nonexistent, and then family time became nonexistent, until Chad's new status quo became a game of hot potato between a series of nannies, tutors, and servants of Sardinia castle where Chad was the potato. But like, a non-delicious, unwanted potato.

It made him wonder what he'd done wrong, because he was pretty sure something had to be wrong for him to go from having a family to not having a family, but no one would ever explain it to him, and eventually he gave up asking.

And then came the Florians.

Queen Belle Florian had been friends with Chad's mother, and King Adam Florian was friends with Chad's father, so by extension Chadwick James was to be friends with Benjamin Florian, even though his name had far too many syllables for a person to ever need.

They started small.

Well like, comparatively small.

They invited Chad over for the summer when he was eight, mostly out of pity Chad thought, because Chad was homeschooled and didn't get to hang out with other kids his age after that one time he'd almost drowned in a river on the dare of a schoolkid from the city. Chad had gotten restricted to the castle after that, which sucked, because the castle was filled with a bunch of old people and locked doors. It was the worst.

But then Chad got to stay the summer with Ben, and Chad did not know Ben, but he was also a prince so that was cool. He also lived in a castle but he was allowed to leave it (with a chaperone), and his parents talked to him and all the servants liked him and didn't lock him into rooms when he was being annoying so this Ben-guy pretty much seemed to have it made.

Chad liked him. And Ben liked Chad.

And thus, a wonderful friendship was born.

Ben liked to read, and Chad wasn't good at reading but he was good at being patient for his new friend because he wanted to keep his new friend, so they spent a lot of time in the library where Ben would read and Chad would try to read and end up scribbling sketches on loose stationary he found. Eventually Queen Belle got him a sketchbook and Chad used that instead, and sometimes he'd draw pictures of the stuff Ben was reading and sometimes he'd draw pictures of them having adventures and for whatever reason the Queen would request to look at all of them and tell Chad how well he was doing, even if he wasn't.

Chad didn't like to read, but he did like it when Queen Belle read to them at night (Ben and Chad got to share a room and it was so cool, Chad had never done that before). She would use different voices for different characters and pet their hair and give them both a kiss on the head before she left them for the night, and it was so different Chad wondered if that was what being loved was like.

Aside from that, they had adventures. When Chad couldn't keep still any longer, Ben would take pity on him and lead him outside, and they'd explore the gardens and the forests and sometimes go on picnics. Or they'd take a horse from the stable (Chad didn't know how to ride yet, so he'd sit behind Ben and wrap his arms around his waist and it was almost like a reverse hug and he loved it) and go down to the beach, or on the trails.

Chad would follow Ben to his 'princely obligations', and Chad would learn about the other kingdoms in Auradon, and sometimes he met other old royals who were just as nice and smiling as Ben. Chad wondered if they thought he was nice too.

They did it again the next summer, and the next.

Chad stayed over at Auradon Castle until the year he turned thirteen, and things seemed to change.

He just wasn't sure what went wrong.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Introducing his royal majesty, King Benjamin Florian!" Lumiere announced to a polite scattering of applause. "And his Gentleman of the Court, his royal highness, Prince Chadwick James of Sardinia!"

At best, Chad had expected an awkward silence to follow the declaration, the oddity of it softened by a few well-mannered golf claps offered out of obligation more than anything else. He knew this had sort of come from nowhere, that last everyone heard, Chad was dating Audrey, and yet-

And yet, they were cheering. Noisy, enthusiastic things that mostly seemed to emanate from the Tourney team that spread to the rest of the school. At first Chad thought they were just being supportive of Ben, because when you were a royal you did not snub the king (even if he made weird, last-minute choices), but there were plenty of people offering Chad a thumbs up or cheerful wave and Chad did not know what was happening.

It was almost enough to make Chad want to run again, but Ben's grip was firm as he tugged Chad down the staircase, his grin perfectly regal.

"Ben," Lady Belle greeted, her lips pulled up in a smile, though the corners of her eyes seemingly pinched with concern. "This is a surprise."

"Not really," Ben said, so very sure of himself. "After Mal broke up with me I realized…" He looked to Chad, smiling. "I realized I was tired of losing what I loved, and if I wanted it, I should fight for it." He turned back to his parents. "I tried to fight for Mal, but it didn't work out, and I think that was for the best. I've got Chad now, and he loves me…"

"If um- that's okay, your ladyship," Chad said, feeling his cheeks heat with embarrassment.

That, out of everything, seemed to make the lady's smile a bit more relaxed. "Of course it's okay, Chadwick."

Lord Adam cleared his throat. "I suppose in light of everything, this isn't nearly as shocking as we think it is."

"Nope," Ben grinned, squeezing Chad's hand again. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to take my gentleman on a spin around the dancefloor."

"Ben," Chad groaned, but the king was relentless, merely tugging Chad into an easy waltz as they twirled around the floor.

It was difficult, because so many people were looking at them, but every time Chad felt uneasy Ben would lean forward, either to nuzzle him or bump their noses together or be a dumb goof in a different way, and by the time the dance was finally over Chad was laughing, because this was… this was really happening. It wasn't a fluke.

Eventually, they had to end the first dance with a bow, and with that they moved off to mingle.

They got about two feet before they were confronted by a cheerful Aziz, the prince of Agrabah seeming ready to burst from his enthusiasm. "I can't believe it!" he cheered, earning a round of laughter from the few Tourney team members that had followed him over. "I mean, it's the ending we all hoped for but had given up on getting!"

"Good for you guys," Malvin – the son of Queen Merida – drawled. "Took ye damn long enough, though."

"Good things take time," Hero offered sagely, the prince of Apheliotia looking especially dapper in his new suit.

"Wait." Chad blinked, melting into Ben's side. "You guys saw this coming?"

"Everyone saw it coming," Aziz gushed. "Do you not remember Ben bodily tackling Malvin to the ground for like- almost insulting you?"

"And then when ye finally got a girlfriend," Malvin picked up. "The man was insufferable, insisting that he was 'so very happy for you' but also 'what if she wasn't treating ye right'?"

"Ugh," Aziz groaned, slumping against James, the prince of Deep Jungle. "That was an awful few years."

"Wanted to wring his damn neck."

"Well, now you don't have to," Ben said with a laugh, a pretty flush spilling across his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Since I have um- stopped fighting my feelings."

"You dummy," Chad giggled, burying his face against Ben's shoulder.

He knew the other prince had said 'always', had likely even meant it, but it was different knowing that everyone else seemed to think that too. What a day.

"Your dummy," Ben corrected, and then he pulled Chad into another kiss that had the rest of the team hooting and letting out catcalls that made Chad both elated and helplessly embarrassed.

By the time they pulled apart, their teammates had stepped aside to make room for Mal.

For a second, Chad was overwhelmed with anxiety compounded by terror, but then he realized Mal was smiling, smiling at both of them, and it wasn't even one of her fake smiles from when she was trying to convince everyone she was fine but really having a mental breakdown.

"Boys," she greeted, offering Ben a wink. "Can't say I'm mad. I think this is the ending we've all been waiting for."

"Mal…" Ben began – apologetic, perhaps, but his arm was still firm around Chad's waist.

The purple-haired teen waved him off. "You're good, Ben. I broke up with you, remember? We were both trying for something that wasn't working. Speaking of." She turned to face Chad. "Where's Audrey?"

"Sherwood Forest," Chad said, his shoulders slumping in sympathy. "She got a flat tire. I was originally going to drive out to her, but-"

"Good thing you didn't," Ben hummed, and then he was kissing Chad again.

That was definitely going to take some getting used to.

"I um-" Wow, Chad was going to have to work on maintaining his composure because Ben just made him feel flushed all the time. "I came to um- make an appearance and then Ben…"

Chad didn't even know what happened, it all seemed like a blur, now.

"So," Mal interrupted his meandering story, making a show of studying her nails. "You broke up with Audrey, then?"

Um.

"Shit," Chad hissed, pressing a hand to his head. "No. It all happened so fast-"

"Chad," Mal groaned. "You have the worst track record with this stuff, you airhead." She turned her attention to Ben. "You better keep a close eye on him, or he'll forget to dump you too."

"He's not going to dump me," Ben growled, and then he may or may not have made a dedicated effort to open up the collar of Chad's shirt so he could start marking up his neck.

"Ben," Chad groaned, except he definitely leaned into the contact because it was Ben, and Chad had wanted Ben forever.

"Bitches," Mal drawled. "I will throw water on you."

"I'll finish this later," Ben murmured against Chad's skin, pressing one last kiss to the curve of the blond's neck before standing back up. "And you can call Audrey after Cotillion."

"She's going to be so mad," Chad whimpered. "She didn't even want me to come without her."

"And then you dumped her for your epic gay romance," Mal deadpanned. "So yeah, she's gonna be mad."

"You gonna do something to soften the blow?" Ben asked for some reason, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, as though he was referring to a secret.

Mal's look of amused disinterest fell into a scowl. "Why the fuck should I?" she snapped, and then she was storming away, the other transfer students following after her.

"Um…" Chad said, watching her go.

"It's okay," Ben soothed, pulling Chad closer. "They've got her. And we've got to mingle."

"Should I, um…?" Chad motioned to his open collar, then shivered when Ben's gaze shifted into one of open hunger.

"Probably for the best," Ben whispered. "Or else I might ravish you right here."

Chad did up the buttons, but like, with the most reluctance ever.

The rest of the night sort of went by in a blur. Everyone offered their congratulations; everyone wanted to shake their hands or get a picture. Dozens of princesses gushed to Chad about how cute he and Ben were, about how they'd always known they'd get together (Chad wished he had half their confidence). He got more numbers then in case he needed 'an ear to listen' than he ever had in his attempts at dating, and Ben seemed just as flushed and happy, his chest puffed up with pride with every commiserating slap on the back and hand shake.

Fairy Godmother had even pulled both of them into a hug, though she was sure to also give Chad a hug of his own, saying how she was so very happy for him, and how his mother would be so proud, and they both may have teared up at that because Chad didn't remember his mother but he had always heard the best things about her.

They danced the night away. Ben didn't want to be with anyone but Chad, even though proper decorum demanded he dance with some of their classmates, at least on the group dances. His possessiveness and the way his gaze followed Chad when they were apart filled the blond with comfort and a muted sort of joy, because this wasn't a phase. This was Ben, his Ben, only now Chad could be open about it.

It was, in short, amazing.

"Finally," Uma drawled when they stumbled into Ben's cabin later, trading messy kisses and collapsing onto the bed. "Hey, no – knock that off."

"I have food waiting for you in the other room," Ben gasped between kisses, pulling Chad's collar open again. "You can eat and finalize your plans while I make good on some of my ideas from earlier."

"Ben," Chad moaned, tugging at the king's hair.

"Just you," Ben murmured against his skin. "In that cape. On this bed."

"Weirdos," Uma huffed, but she left them to it, allowing Ben to completely surrender to the hunger that had been following him the whole night.

Suffice it to say, it was a very eventful Cotillion.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Endnotes:

So this little gem was inspired by me toying around with starting points for a story. 'Cuz like, I've got about ten stories that start in Descendants 1 and a few after Descendants 3, but nothing really for Descendants 2. This was my take on things if Chad had actually gone to Cotillion. I am not sorry for the madness that follows.

This story will consist of 9 chapters of story content and one chapter of deleted scenes. The deleted scenes will be posted along with chapter nine.

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:

Sardinia is my name for Chad's kingdom, which canonically is known as 'Cinderellasburg'. I changed the name into something that sounded a bit more like an actual kingdom to me, and I have no regrets.

Chad's last name, James, is from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical 'Cinderella', the opening number (of the non-revival version) has a song that features the prince's many names, the last one being James.

I found 'Apheliotia' on a fan map of Auradon. I essentially equate it to Greece, making Hero the son of Hercules and Meg. Malvin, Hero, and James are all OCs invented for the purposes of this story. You're free to use them if you like, I know how annoying it can be to invent new characters for stories, just give me a shoutout in the end notes ;)

Until next time :)