A/N: I figured being quarantined was the best time to start posting a few of my work in progress pieces. Thankfully, the new stories already have at least four chapters completed so I'll roll them out every couple of days. There WILL be references to abuse and neglect throughout this story. If that makes you uncomfortable, don't pass go or collect the $200 at the end of the chapter. I will add content warnings as needed. Cross-posted on AO3.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
Mal held a lollipop up over her head, earning a bunch of laughter from her crew. There was a beat of silence then the majority of them took off running, leaving Jay, Evie, and Carlos standing in front of her.
She didn't need to look to know what, or who in this case, the problem was. The slightly panicked look in Carlos's eyes was enough to guess her mother was to blame. The three ahead of her shuffled closer together.
"Breathe," Jay spoke in a harsh whisper and briefly brushed his fingers against the back of Carlos' hand. The barely noticeable sign of affection was enough to cause Carlos to release the breath he was holding. Jay cast him a sideways glance then took a step away from him, standing up straight with his attention on a spot over Maleficent's shoulder. He, Evie, and Carlos went out of their way to avoid making eye contact with her.
"Mother," Mal turned on her heel and forced a grin, face to face with Maleficent and a few of her henchmen. Maleficent sneered at the four teens then took the lollipop from her daughter.
"Candy?" She scowled and dropped the sweet to the ground, crushing it beneath her boot.
"It was from a baby?" Mal offered with a nervous smile, the look faltering when her mother didn't seem impressed.
"Disappointing," Maleficent shook her head. "When I was your age, I was cursing entire kingdoms." She didn't seem to notice (or opted to ignore) the four teens that were mouthing her speech as she spoke.
Jay, Carlos, and Evie inched closer together while Mal and her mother talked, not exactly sure what to do since they hadn't been acknowledged but didn't want to leave Mal until she properly waved them off.
"Should we..?" Evie tilted her head toward the road behind them. Jay turned a little, ready to go but a loud exclamation from Maleficent caused him and the others to jump.
"Wait!" Maleficent called out. Carlos whimpered and remained still. Evie and Jay exchanged a wary glance then looked at her. They all understood the expectation that they weren't allowed to speak unless she directly spoke to them. There had been a point where she would check in with their parents if they mouthed off.
"I have news. I buried the lead," She gave a nod of her head and a few of her henchmen formed a wall behind where Evie, Jay, and Carlos stood. Mal could tell something was off. She took a few steps back toward her group.
"The four of you," She narrowed her eyes and took a moment to look each of them over with an unamused expression. "Have been chosen to attend a new school."
Maleficent allowed the looks of confusion to settle on the teens' faces before continuing. "In Auradon no less."
There was a beat of silence then Jay and Carlos went to run off, disgruntled shouts of 'no' and some curses heard from them and Evie when their paths were blocked. Evie punched the man closest to her and Jay elbowed the guy that had his arms around him, ready to tackle the one that had lifted Carlos up.
A whimper escaped from Carlos' lips. He was trembling once set back down and the others couldn't do anything about it past standing in their usual formation of Mal in the front with her arms protectively held in front of her, Carlos in the middle, and Jay and Evie on either side of him.
"I'm not going to some uppity boarding school." Mal was the first to speak. Her words were accompanied by Carlos shaking his head, Jay muttering about not wearing uniforms, and Evie excitedly gasping about princes.
"Mom's not gonna let me go," Carlos peered around Mal so he could look Maleficent in the eye. "I read there are d-dogs in Auradon. She says they eat kids if they misbehave."
Maleficent raised an eyebrow at him and Carlos gulped then ducked back behind Mal. It was the most he had ever said to her.
"You'll fit right in with them, mutt," She rolled her eyes, a chuckle escaping when Jay growled at her use of the word.
"His name is Carlos. We would prefer that you address him by his name." Mal narrowed her eyes at her mother then crossed her arms over her chest. "We aren't going."
"Watch your tone, young lady. I would have said you had a choice if intended on giving you one," Maleficent snapped. Mal rolled her eyes and stayed quiet. "Now you four, walk with me. We have a meeting with your parents. I expect you each to sell wanting to go."
Evie, Jay, Mal, and Carlos exchanged worried looks with each other. Their silence ended with Mal mouthing, 'We don't have a choice,' and the four murmuring a "Yes ma'am," before following behind her.
No one said a word on the trip to Bargain Castle. As stubborn as Jay and Mal could be, this was something they didn't want to test boundaries on. Maleficent's temper was terrifying and no one wanted to risk unleashing her inner dragon. Especially since she had only recently warmed up to Mal having Carlos and Evie around just as much as Jay.
The teens kept their heads down when they entered the castle. Maleficent led the way inside with the four following closely behind.
"There he is," The shriek caused Mal to freeze, wincing when that made Carlos and Evie bump into her. "Didn't I tell you, he doesn't listen so he isn't going. At least not until I get him to straighten out."
Carlos froze, breathing in deeply to keep control of the feeling of panic that was spreading throughout him. A quick glance around the room showed there was nowhere to hide. He released a shaky breath and risked looking in the direction Cruella's voice came from.
"Carlos," She spoke his name in a harsh whisper. "Come." He bit down hard on the inside of his lower lip to keep from whimpering, not wanting to seem weak in front of the others. His mother only ever used his name when he was in trouble and he couldn't remember what he did to earn the tone of voice she used.
Cruella smiled once Carlos was beside her, promptly reaching her left arm up to run her hand through his hair. She tugged at his curls and he made a face.
"Now, now, Ella," Maleficent clicked her tongue. "We have yet to figure out why they chose the kids they did but your pup is an essential part of my plan."
Unfortunately for Carlos, Maleficent's words caused Cruella to pause her hand, fingers clenching around his hair and pulling hard enough to cause him to cry out.
Carlos looked down at his feet, certain that the others were looking at him. They were in the habit of sticking up for him but he didn't want them thinking he was weak. Jay was the only one that knew the extent of how poorly his mother treated him.
Evie and Mal made a face at the way Cruella was treating Carlos, effectively blocking Jay from charging forward. Mal was in the habit of stepping in if things seemed too intense but she couldn't risk anything that would set her mother or Cruella off.
The Evil Queen and Jafar had yet to make their presence known, opting for watching the teens and Maleficent from the doorway.
"They aren't taking my Carlos from me," Cruella shook her head and released her son's hair, placing an arm in front of him since Maleficent took a step closer to her. "I'd miss him too much."
"Wait, seriously mom?" There was a glimmer of hope in Carlos' eyes when he looked up at her. It was the closest she had come to admitting any sort of affection for him.
"Of course," Cruella scoffed. "I can't trust Horace and Jasper with cleaning my baby. You're the only one that knows how to properly fluff my furs."
Carlos looked crestfallen upon hearing that and timidly ducked under her arm. He gulped then took a step closer to Maleficent. His lip quivered a little but that was the only sign of how nervous he was.
"A new school doesn't sound so bad," He admitted. Maleficent chuckled and went to speak, looking offended when Cruella beat her to saying anything.
"Carlos," She crooned. "There are dogs in Auradon." His eyes widened and he was back, cowering at his mother's side and rapidly shaking his head back and forth.
"I'm n-n-not going," He stammered. Cruella swiftly boxed his ear, muttering "useless runt," under her breath when he stumbled forward from the blow.
Carlos blinked back tears and joined his friends. He clenched his teeth together and shook his head when Jay and Evie looked at him.
"And they aren't taking Jay," Jafar announced then stepped into the room. "I need someone to keep my shelves stocked."
"That's not the only thing I'm good for, Pop," Jay muttered. Granted, he had come back with a decent score but that certainly wasn't his only redeeming quality.
"You aren't helping my case," Jafar shook his head. Maleficent rolled her eyes and beckoned the Evil Queen in.
"Queen, you already agreed on Evie going and I'm holding you to it," She muttered, earning a nod from Grimhilde. "Carlos and Jay will be going."
"Not if I have a say in it," Jafar and Cruella said at the same time. They both glared at their sons. Jay protectively placed a hand on Carlos' shoulder and squeezed, eyes narrowing at his father.
"Don't we get a say in this?" He asked and clenched his jaw. The look of defiance was one that his father would have slapped from his face if they were back at the shop. Being surrounded by his friends and their parents left the two staring each other down since Jafar didn't believe in raising a hand on his son in public.
"That depends on which side you are taking," Maleficent gave an indignant look, fully curious about what Jay wanted to say.
"Count me in," The teen shrugged. "I can use a change of scenery. See if those princes are really something to write home about."
"I'm going too," Carlos nodded. He didn't acknowledge his mother when she screamed his name.
"So it's settled," Maleficent smirked then sat on her throne. A purple plush armchair that was in decent condition served as the seat she often perched on. "They are all going. No more discussion of the matter. Now let me tell you the plan."
Jafar and Cruella muttered under their breath but didn't argue. They joined Evil Queen at the table and narrowed their eyes when the teens moved closer to where Maleficent sat.
"You four are the pawns of my little plan," Maleficent whispered and beckoned them to move closer to her.
Mal was the first to step forward. Jay and Evie were right behind her. It took a raised eyebrow from Mal to get Carlos to join them.
"You will go to Auradon and you will meet Fairy Godmother," She filed her nails as she spoke, intent on making things seem as mundane as she possibly could. "I expect you to steal her wand and bring it back here. Our revenge on Auradon will begin with my destroying the barrier. Then we villains will be free to raid and plunder. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," Evie nodded and gave a curtsy in reply.
"Got it," Jay mumbled, already wondering if there would be a way to get the wand and bring it back to his father instead.
"Yes ma'am," Carlos spoke slightly louder than necessary. He earned an elbow to the ribs from Mal and pointed his middle finger to the ear his mother boxed. It was still ringing. Thankfully the crude gesture went unnoticed by the adults.
"Mal?" Maleficent narrowed her eyes at her daughter. Mal gave her a bored look in return and studied her nails for a moment.
"What do we gain from doing this?" She raised a brow and met her mother's gaze.
"Me at my rightful seat with my scepter and you at my side. Hers and hers crowns. The goblins back at our beck and call," Maleficent shrugged.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure she meant us," Jay pointed at his friends and wrinkled his nose. "As my father would say - you're going to need to give a better pitch than that if you expect me to consider the offer."
"He's got a point," Jafar chuckled, proud that the few lessons he taught seemed to have stuck.
"Your freedom, our freedom, and a chance to avenge your parents," Maleficent shrugged. "That should have been obvious enough. Just think — revenge on the genie, the puppies that got away, and Snow White. It would make us parents proud."
The use of pride was what earned a nod from each teen. Years of their lives were spent longing for acknowledgment from their parents. Earning a simple 'I love you' or 'I'm proud of you' was something they all wanted. None of their parents had ever outright said either statement.
"I'm in," Jay nodded. "Me too," Evie whispered. She and Jay turned to Carlos. He was being awfully quiet, silently questioning just how much damage would be done if he agreed to go.
"I'll do it," He gulped and covered his mouth with one of his hands, trembling since he was already imagining what his mother was going to do to him for going against her wishes.
"Mal?" Maleficent growled at her daughter. "You'll be grounded for eternity if you don't get it done."
Mal narrowed her eyes at her mother. Flecks of green appeared and Maleficent glared right back. The two stared at each other until Mal broke, groaning and shaking her head.
"Fine, whatever," She rolled her eyes then gave Jay, Evie, and Carlos a calculated look. "We'll do it."
"Good choice," Maleficent crooned. "We would have been so disappointed if you disagreed."
"I still don't understand why you need my son," Jafar shook his head and beckoned Jay closer to him, a hand resting on his son's shoulder once he was at his side.
"He's an integral part of the plan," Maleficent shrugged. "Better skills at taking things than Mal has ever had."
"And my Carlos?" Cruella narrowed her eyes at her son. Carlos winced and walked over to where she sat, kneeling down so she could run her fingers through his hair. His gaze was focused on the floor.
"Your runt is quite gifted, Ella. He appears to be the most tech-savvy of the bunch and has been masterminding my daughter and Jay's plots for the last couple of months," She shrugged.
Cruella roughly pulled Carlos's hair and forced his head back so he was looking at her. "Is that so?" She growled out.
"Yes, momma," Carlos winced, teeth digging into his lower lip when she pulled his head back further.
"Easy," Maleficent snapped. "We need him one piece if we want the plan to work out." Cruella yanked her son's hair once more then pushed him away from her.
Carlos stuck both hands out to brace his fall, crawling back over to where Evie and Mal stood before getting back on his feet. He shrugged his shoulders when Evie mouthed, 'are you okay?' and wrapped his arms around his middle.
"Mother?" Mal's question caused all four adults to stare at her. She took a breath then continued. "When do we leave?"
"Excellent question," Maleficent laughed. "We have a week before you go. I expect you all here so I can keep an eye on things and make sure you are truly ready to go."
"I need Jay at my shop," Jafar hissed out, his grip on Jay's shoulder tightening slightly. "Sales will go down if he isn't allowed to get items for me."
"And I need my Carlos," Cruella's statement caused her son's gaze to meet hers. He shuddered and shook his head. "My baby is going to need one more wash before he leaves."
"And Evie needs to get rid of that unibrow," Grimhilde announced, earning a shocked cry from her daughter. Evie's fingers immediately went to the spot between her eyebrows. "She won't be going anywhere until it's gone."
"We have enough space for all of you here," Maleficent spoke through gritted teeth. "I'll give you an hour and a half to gather your things and will personally come to get you if you take any longer than that. I expect the children to be fully packed to go to Auradon. I intend to make sure they have properly learned from their upbringing. We cannot afford any of them embarrassing where they come from."
The adults nodded at that. Jafar took Jay by the arm and led him back to the shop. Grimhilde, Evie, Carlos, and Cruella walked back to where their houses were. The mothers walked behind their kids. Evie's mother was consoling Carlos' since Cruella seemed distraught thinking about how her son wouldn't be home.
Evie and Carlos quietly whispered to one another, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that they were talking since Cruella didn't seem to like that Evie was close to her son.
"Are you sure you will be okay?" Evie asked, concern briefly washing over her expression before she masked it.
"Yeah," Carlos shrugged. "She can't do major damage if Maleficent was being truthful in saying she expects me to leave in one piece."
"I wish there was something I could do," She sighed. "Mom's going to end up plucking my eyebrows then helping me pack. Do you want me to ask if we can walk back together?"
Carlos' eyebrows furrowed together, the moment of hesitation made clear when he dug his teeth into his lower lip.
"It wouldn't hurt if you did," His voice trembled. "She likes keeping the appearance of trying to care about me in public." He paused, remembering the boxed ear and his hair being tugged. It was nothing in comparison to what she usually did though. "At least I thought she had."
"I'll be sure to ask then," Evie nodded. She wished she could have offered Carlos a squeeze of the hand or a hug but they couldn't afford reassuring one another in front of their parents. If there was one thing all of their parents agreed on, affection, friendship, and love being weaknesses were at the top of the list.
"Carlos," Cruella barked once they neared Hell Hall. Evie gave Carlos an encouraging smile.
"I'll see you later, okay?" She asked. He gave a shaky nod then approached his mother, biting back a wince when her arm ended up around his shoulders, nails digging into his right arm.
The two disappeared into Hell Hall. There was a beat of silence where Cruella let go of him so she could lock the door behind her. Carlos was tempted to run and hide but that would only make things worse.
"What were you thinking?" Cruella hissed out and grabbed her son by the chin, forcing him to look up at her. Carlos clenched his jaw to keep from saying anything, earning his mother's fingers digging into his skin.
"You weren't," She snapped. "And now I hear you've been aiding Mal and Jay? If it weren't for Maleficent, I would have you locked in the basement for the next month. Choosing those two over your own mother?"
"I'm sorry," Carlos whispered. "I d-didn't—" His words were cut off by Cruella slapping him across the face, the blow pushing him back against the wall behind him.
"They'll send you back, you know that?" She scowled. "Auradon won't want anything to do with a villain that can't speak correctly. You're a disappointment."
Carlos nodded instead of saying anything, eyes meeting his mother's despite the overwhelming fear that left him wanting to flee to his closet.
"I give it a week until you are back in my clutches," Cruella continued. "And then you will get what you deserve for having betrayed me in front of Maleficent. Go get your things."
"Yes, momma," Carlos gasped out. He didn't give a second glance when she let him go. It had been too easy but her threat was still in the back of his mind. What if they didn't want him because of his stammering? She always knew exactly which thoughts to plant in his mind to get his anxiety going. He could barely focus on packing.
Carlos didn't have many things to call his own as it was, able to fit his belongings into a plastic bag that had seen better days. It would get the job done though so that was all he cared about. Carlos stuck his best outfit at the top of the bag. His most prized possession was a leather jacket Evie painted for him. That and a pair of black and white shorts she had stitched together.
"Carlos," Cruella's call made him freeze, shuddering at how sickly sweet her voice sounded. He steeled himself and blinked back tears. It took him a moment to feel ready to answer, flinching when Cruella yelled his name since he didn't immediately answer.
"Coming," He shouted and hugged the bag to his chest, needing a deep breath before he practically dove down the stairs, coming to a stop in front of his mother.
"My baby," She cried and shoved a bucket of soapy water into his arms. "She needs to be perfect or you will not be going anywhere." Carlos carefully adjusted his grip around the bucket, managing to take it in one hand so he could place his clothes on the stairs.
"You will restart if I see any streaks. Is that understood?" Cruella narrowed her eyes at him.
"Yes ma'am," Carlos whispered then turned to go to the kitchen, needing a few rags so he could properly clean the car. It usually took up to three hours to do depending on how his mother's mood was. She seemed to have a sick pleasure in making him restart even though things were neatly done. He didn't want to know what would happen if it turned into Maleficent needing to get them.
Carlos got started on cleaning the front of the car, cautiously scrubbing small circles to get rid of the little bits of dirt he could see. Having washed the car at the start of the week meant things should be easy to clean. His mother hadn't taken it anywhere but she would still rip into him if he didn't appear to make a thorough job out of the task.
He wasn't sure how much time passed by the time he reached the rear. His arms were sore from scrubbing and he was in dire need of a glass of water since the little bit of sun that shined through the barrier left him sweating.
"Good boy," Cruella's appearance caused him to drop the bucket, grateful the majority of the water had been put to use since very little spilled out. Carlos hadn't heard her approach. "It almost looks good as new. I suppose you can go in now."
Carlos gave each taillight one last scrub then nodded and placed the rags back in the bucket.
"Do you need anything else done?" He asked in a whisper, surprised when Cruella shook her head.
"Not anything that can be done in the time that is left," She scoffed and took a step closer to him, hand reaching up to run her thumb over his cheek. "It's a shame I never was able to get rid of those spots on you."
Those words earned a shudder from Carlos. He had a patch of discoloration on his arm from when she made Jasper try to bleach off some of his freckles. The punishment that came from that not working had been terrible even though he hadn't asked to be born with them.
"Sorry momma," Carlos bit his lower lip, gaze dropping to his feet while he held his breath. She hadn't removed her hand, opting to let her fingers travel up along the side of his face and into his hair.
"What am I going to do without you?" She cried out. Carlos nearly gave a sarcastic 'clean the house yourself,' but thought better of it. His mother was being unexpectedly calm. He didn't want to risk setting one of her more undesirable moods off.
The trip to the Junk Shop was silent between Jay and Jafar. Jafar held the door open for his son and Jay promptly emptied his pockets out on the counter, needing to reach down into his shirt to grab a teapot. His father silently looked over what he brought.
"Adequate," Jafar shrugged. He never said anything past that since he didn't want his son to have a chip on his shoulder. The teapot was fairly impressive though since Jay succeeded in hiding it without his clothes looking suspicious.
"I managed to get back that piece you sold to Gaston," Jay murmured. He merely earned a scoff from his father.
"I didn't ask you to do that," Jafar shook his head. Jay continued to press him though.
"Yeah, but it wasn't an easy task. I had to—" His thought was cut off by Jafar's fist colliding with his right eye. Had he been expecting it, Jay would have been able to dodge. As it was, Jafar got a direct hit and knocked the wind out of his son in the process.
"Fuck, Pa," Jay gasped and brought a hand up to his eye, wincing since the spot was already smarting. He was silent for a moment then brought his gaze up to Jafar's. "What the hell was that for?"
"Quit running your mouth," His father scowled down at him. "And watch your language. I know I raised you better than that."
"My apologies, sir," Jay exhaled and chanced a glance at his father. He needed to wink since it hurt to keep his eye open. "May I go pack or did you have another lesson in mind?"
"You know I prefer not having to place my hands on you," Jafar shook his head. "But you've been testing my patience since the first time you said you were going to that school."
"Think about it Pop," Jay spoke rather calmly. His voice shook a little since he didn't want to risk being hit again. "Grabbing the wand from under Mal's nose and bringing it to you instead."
"You should have started the conversation off with that," Jafar grimaced, feeling a slight pang of regret for having thrown his fist.
"Yeah well you didn't exactly give me a chance to get a lot of words in," Jay grumbled and shrugged his shoulders. "Can I go pack now?"
"Hold on," Jafar put a hand up to stop Jay from leaving. His son flinched back but quickly recovered when he realized his father just wanted to get by. Jafar went behind the counter and rummaged around in one of the cupboards. Jay tilted his head in an attempt to get a glimpse of what he was looking for but there was nothing to see.
Another moment then Jafar returned with a gold and purple carpetbag. It was a little faded but the amount of time spent searching for it left Jay assuming it was supposed to remain hidden.
"Use this," Jafar offered it to Jay. It was one of the few things he had from Agrabah and would serve as a peace offering of sorts.
"Is this what I think it is?" Jay hesitated in taking it, looking surprised when his father handed it to him.
"Yes, Jay," His father nodded. "Now go pack. I don't think either of us wants Maleficent showing up here."
Jay gave a nod then walked over to the shelf that served as his bed, grabbing the rather beat up pillow Evie made him and gingerly placed it in the bag. It wasn't anything impressive but he had a feeling he would want something from home. It had the same musty scent his father's shop had.
Grabbing the rest of his clothes was rather easy. The Isle rarely got shipments of clothing so he had been left with the same outfits for a few years now. Evie saved a few of the group's clothes by stitching them back together and adding patches when needed. The alliance with her had been a lifesaver since it kept him from running around in rags.
"All set," Jay returned after a few minutes. He slipped his favorite beanie on over his hair and wore the vest Evie made him.
"I'll take the bag," Jafar offered. Jay looked incredibly confused upon hearing that.
"Are you serious?" Jay quirked a brow at his father and didn't immediately offer the bag to him.
"Yes, now hand it over before I change my mind," A low chuckle was heard when Jay confusedly gave him the bag.
"Thanks, I think?" Jay murmured, still thrown off at the small act of kindness.
"It's nothing," Jafar rolled his eyes, his own bag over his shoulder. "Don't go expecting me to carry it when you go to leave."
"Admit it," Jay chuckled. "You're going to miss having me around."
"I never said that," His father shook his head. "Means I'll have to find someone else to get goods for me. A shame, truly."
Jay lightly nudged his father and gave a soft laugh. The two were the first to return to Maleficent.