Chapter 3 – Gaining Allies

GENERAL WARNING – More dubious consent in the first scene because of Gil. Dude is not the best at conversations.

-:-:-

The next time Chad awoke, he felt comfortable.

It had been a while since he'd slept with any kind of ease, so it should have automatically been worrying. As it was, Chad was too desperate for some kind of normalcy, a return to the easy comfort he had been generously given and greedily hoarded that he didn't second guess it. He savored the feeling of a warm body beneath him, his head resting on someone's chest, a steady heartbeat grounding Chad with an ease he couldn't express. He was being held, being treasured, and based on the stature it was Jay doing both, except-

Jay was mad at him, and they hadn't made up because they couldn't make up. Chad had fixed it so Jay would never have to be heartbroken. He'd done what he could to mitigate the damage.

So who was holding him?

Chad forced his eyes open and slowly but surely came to recognize Gil's sleeping visage, the pirate's broad cheeks bathed in the gentle light of an Auradon morning-

Morning.

Chad flinched, struggling through the deluge of memories that emerged from yesterday's escapades, then struggled more to get out of Gil's relentless hold. The clock on the nightstand said ten, meaning if Chad left now he could just make his post-lunch meeting with the Duke, assuming he didn't immediately get ratted out by the servants for having stayed out all night.

"Lance?" Gil grumbled, rubbing at his eyes with an adorable yawn. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go," Chad said, successfully extricating himself from Gil's grip only so he could fall off the bed. He was back on his feet in an instant though, feeling rejuvenated by the full-night's rest, even if his eyes itched from his stupid tears and his body ached with miscellaneous bruises.

"What?" Gil sat up as Chad crossed to the dresser, pocketing all the stuff Gil had apparently removed from Harry's borrowed clothes – including the car key hidden in an old leather pouch and his low-quality wallet.

"I have to go," Chad repeated. "My curfew-"

"You don't have shoes," Gil said, and he was on his feet now, looking Chad over with a worried expression. "If you wait, I can get you some."

"You've already done more than enough," Chad said, trying to offer a genuine smile because he was thankful for Gil's contributions, but he had to go back to his real life now.

"Then I'll walk you back," Gil said. "To make sure no one else shoves you into a sewer. You said you lived close, right?"

"I'll be okay." Chad wished the pirate wasn't standing between him and the door. "I know yesterday didn't prove that much, but I really am quite capable. I've taken care of myself for a long time."

"That doesn't mean you can't let your friends help you."

"Gil," Chad sighed. "After today, we will probably never see each other again, so please-"

"What?" Gil startled. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you're amazing," Chad said, feeling panicked. "But I have to go."

"What are you scared of?" Gil asked. "What has you so scared that you're rushing?"

Chad made a frustrated noise. "If we're friends-"

"We'll take care of each other." Gil's expression determined, and then his hands were reaching forward.

Chad expected him to grab for his shoulders, but instead Gil aimed upward, tangling his fingers into Chad's hair. It left the prince horribly confused for all of a second before Gil started digging his fingers into Chad's scalp, dragging them in teasing patterns that went straight to Chad's core.

"Gil," Chad whined, his legs threatening to go weak at the pirate's relentless barrage. "P-Please, I gotta go."

"And you will, when you're calm." Gil herded Chad slowly backwards, step by step until he bumped into the bed. A nudge, and Chad went sprawling, though Gil never ceased his efforts, kept cradling and massaging his fingers in steady motions that drove Chad wild.

Carlos used to do stuff like this – Carlos and Jane who could be sneaky, who would tag team Chad when they thought he was working too hard and reduce him to absolute goo between them.

"Uma will help you," Gil continued as he splayed out on the bed beside Chad, dropping one of his hands so he could casually palm the growing hardness between Chad's legs. "If someone's hurting you-"

"They're not," Chad groaned. "I just have work."

"And we will get you there." Gil pressed a kiss to Chad's neck, just above the collar of his shirt. "With shoes, and calmness."

There didn't seem to be much Chad could do. Now that he was rested, sure, he could fight Gil – he just didn't want to. Chad liked Gil, and the pirate seemed to think he was doing a legitimately nice thing, and at the end of the day, Chad was greedy. He had a desperate need to soak up what positive attention he could before he was alone again, so he allowed Gil his attentions, the prince clinging to the other blond as he eased a hand into Chad's underwear, allowing Gil to pump him properly.

"Gil," Chad gasped, shaking as Gil clumsily sucked a mark just under his jaw. "Gil."

"Do you feel good?" Gil hummed, speeding up his hand.

"V-Very," Chad murmured. "Do you?"

"Yes," Gil chirped. "Seeing you like this makes me real warm." He turned, just enough so he could start rutting into Chad's thigh, the telling hardness making Chad moan.

Oh, that was- Gil was-

"Well, well, well," a voice drawled from the doorway, which was how Chad came to remember that Gil didn't actually live alone. That he kept company with Uma and Harry Hook, the latter of which was standing in the doorway, looking Chad over with a predatory flirtation that just barely covered his rage. "What do we have here?"

"Harry," Gil whined. "This is Lance, and you can't have him."

Harry tensed, aiming his angry glare at the second mate. "I think you're forgetting who outranks ye, Gilly. What's yours is mine."

Gil shifted uneasily, his hand still down Chad's pants. "But we're in Auradon now," he pressed. "I don't have to share. And If I did, he'd like you more."

"Gil," Chad gasped. "I already told you-"

"But Harry's so charming!" Gil gushed, nuzzling Chad's shoulder. "All the girls loved him on the Isle, even though he only flirted to steal from them because he loves Uma so much."

Harry puffed up in afront, crossing to the bed in angry strides before he sat down on Chad's free side, boxing the prince in. "Don't go starting rumors now," he hissed. "Is that why ye left us alone yesterday? Were ye trying to get us on another date?"

Gil flushed. "Maybe."

"Gil." Harry rolled his eyes. "Stop with this fucking nonsense. And stop getting attached to people who show ye the smallest kindness. He's probably just using ye."

"Actually, he was trying really hard to leave," Gil said. "But I think he lives with someone who hurts him."

"I'm fine," Chad gasped, the pirate still teasing him. "Please, Gil, I have to go."

"He got shoved into the sewer yesterday," Gil continued. "I found him by the lookout."

"Ye said ye were with the crew," Harry snapped.

Gil paused, looking bashful. "Um… so-"

"Ye fucking lied and then got yerself tangled with this shithead," Harry groused.

"Lance is not a shithead," Gil pressed, and then Chad found himself dragged into the pirate's lap, both of them facing Harry while Gil continued to tease him. "He's really nice and really shy-"

"And ye gave him my clothes," Harry hissed. "Was that his idea?"

"No!" Gil huffed. "But his were ruined-"

"Conveniently," Harry sniffed.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

And that was how Uma came onto the scene, coming to watch her two crewmates argue with each other while Chad sat there, mostly useless, heart pounding in his throat and positioned in a way that was least conducive to a positive first impression.

On the bright side (maybe, Chad didn't know by this point), it did get Gil's hand out of his pants, got the pirate's grip on Chad to slacken ever so slightly. It was enough to allow Chad to scramble off the bed, to let him try and fail to catch his breath.

Uma's gaze seemed to bore into him. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm sorry," Chad said, seeming incapable of having one graceful moment. "I- I'm sorry."

And then, like the pro he was, Chad forced himself through the door that led out to the balcony, which likely wouldn't be that great an exit strategy for anyone else, but Chad had trained in parkour and wasn't afraid to use it, so he deftly hopped down to the next balcony before he started scurrying down the outside of the building like a dumb monkey.

He continued this trend until he was safely on the ground, and then he kept moving, charging into a winding path that would hopefully lose any tails before he finally made it back to his car.

He switched to a different glamour as soon as he got inside and started driving, painfully aware of his lack of shoes. He wasn't hard anymore – just hungry and embarrassed, with a generous helping of problems he would slowly but surely have to work his way through. So.

That was his morning.

-:-:-

Thankfully, Chad was capable of learning from his mistakes.

This time he was successful in his efforts to appear like he'd come from Audrey's. His grandfather hadn't bought it last time, but this time Chad played it right, and the darkening bruise just under his jaw and his generally disheveled appearance seemed to help sell the lie. His grandfather still wasn't happy with Chad wasting so much time, but maintaining a healthy relationship to the heir of some of their biggest trade partners was always a vital task, so he didn't grumble too much.

When Chad was finally back in his room – a room that was now charmed to be sound proof and secure, that would allow him the privacy he needed – Chad began to review the situation. Step one – make the list of proposals he would need to recreate. Step two – begin gathering evidence against his grandfather. Step three – forget the entire mess with the pirates. Chad felt bad for stealing some of their clothes, but Auradon Prep school wear was easily accessible anywhere in Auradon City. He'd replace it, or even just return it as Lance, but he learned from his mistakes last time.

He'd clung to his Lance persona, intent on redeeming himself, and got dragged into Jay's affairs. Chad wasn't doing it again. If he returned, Gil would find a way to make him stay, and then Chad wouldn't want to retire Lance, even though he needed to. The persona was a terrible habit. He had to stop indulging.

So he threw himself into his work, making his coded lists and deciding to blow off the Masquerade entirely in favor of working. Most government officials would be enjoying the holidays, which meant Chad himself could take advantage of their absence to gather necessary evidence. Of course, he needed to start looking after his father too, perhaps sneak him into Hanover for his safety? No, Corona would be better, and Queen Rapunzel was generally sympathetic to his father's struggles with depression. It was a better plan.

It was also a plan Chad wasn't allowed to fully explore because two hours into his new quest a glowing portal emerged in the middle of his room, not far from the desk he was working at, and a moment later out strolled Uma, Gil, and Harry.

"Huh," Uma said, looking Chad over in the Auradon Prep lounging clothes he hadn't changed out of. "This was not what I was expecting."

"Lance!" Gil chirped, then froze, looking around in uncertainty. "Wait, you're that prince guy."

"The one who was crying for his mommy," Harry giggled. "Who was afraid of a little closet."

Chad didn't like thinking about that closet. He still had issues with darkness and tight spaces, which was what had made his time in the sewers so wonderfully horrible.

"Yep, that's me, Chadwick James," Chad said, trying to slide into his old public mask and failing miserably because he hadn't done it in so long. He was used to being himself now, but that was- he'd adjust, just like always. "Not to be rude, but could you please leave?"

"You used magic?" Uma deduced, ignoring the question so she could push into Chad's space, cradling his head between her hands and thumbing at the space that had once hosted his fake birthmark. "How? And if you had magic, why didn't you get away from Audrey?"

"Because I don't have magic."

"Wait, the prince is Lance?" Gil asked, squinting at Chad. "Yeah, I can see that."

"All you did was change your coloring," Uma murmured. "Throw in a birth mark – what, did you want to see how the other half lived? Wanted to get dirt on the Isle kids? Wanted to stop being a prince for a day, like people wouldn't kill for that kind of power?"

She said it as though Chad did not understand what lengths people would go to for a crown, like he wasn't painfully aware of the truth of her statement.

"Wanted to be a commoner and got shoved into the sewer for his troubles," Harry giggled. "What a schmuck."

"Stop being mean, guys," Gil said, drawing the other two to a halt. "If you're a prince, why do you have all those scars all over your back?"

That made Uma freeze, made Chad come up short, made him painfully aware of the thing he hadn't glamored away, even though that was why he had taught himself the illusion spell in the first place.

Immediately, Uma released his face, hands dipping low, likely aiming for the hem of Chad's shirt, but he sidestepped her, retreating a few steps to get out of her range.

"Please leave," Chad said, his breaths beginning to come faster. "Before I call security."

"Someone hurting you here, your highness?" Uma asked, her tone soft, careful. She didn't even sound like she was mocking him.

"If they are, they have every right to do so," Chad said, which didn't seem to ease any of their concerns. "Get out of here. I promise I won't bother you again."

"Lance," Gil spoke up, looking all conflicted. "But… why were you so scared of Jay?"

Chad froze again, felt so very close to getting shattered all over, though he knew at some point he would have to approach the subject of Jay as Chad. "I'm not," he lied, and all of them knew it. "How did you three even get here?"

Uma scoffed, tossing her braids in annoyance. "These two idiots still get lost wandering the city. I put tracking enchantments on all of their clothes so I could find them when they inevitably couldn't get home. I waited for you to stay in one spot long enough to be sure you were settled, and then I transported us here."

Clever. And stupid. Chad was going to have to go back in time all over again just to undo this mess and not get shoved into a damn sewer. It would take a few weeks to get all the spell components, assuming he could manage that difficult task all over again.

At least it would be easier now. He wouldn't have to jump as far.

"Alright, so obviously we misjudged you," Uma declared like it was a matter of practicality. "I know you don't have any reason to trust us – or at least, to trust me and Harry, because we were assholes to you, but I have a thing about kids getting abused, and that applies to fucking everyone, not just Isle kids."

"You'll find most people feel the same way," Chad said, feeling exhausted.

"Except the guy hitting you," Uma countered, not pulling any punches.

It didn't matter though, Chad was done. Probably.

"Please go," Chad said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You've done your civic duty. I'm not some struggling Isle kid, I'm a prince. I'm fine."

"You acted like you've never had a hand pie before," Gil said. "You cried."

Chad felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment. "I'm on a tight diet."

"How tight?" Uma said. "Like, they're just-not-starving-you tight, or you-don't-get-junk-food tight?"

It was the first option, but Chad wasn't doing this again. He wasn't having another fucking heart-to-heart with someone just so he could ruin them later.

"Chad," Uma sighed. "We want to help you. And I get that no one's made that offer before, but I'm making it now."

"I don't need your help," Chad muttered. "I know what I have to do and I'm going to do it."

"Great," Uma clipped. "We'll help you."

Fucking-

"Yeah, she's real stubborn." Gil offered a sympathetic smile. "But she's also the best, and if she says you deserve help, then you deserve help."

"Whatever." Chad threw his hands up in surrender. "If we do this, though, we're doing it myway, and it's going to be a secret."

"So long as your way doesn't involve you getting anymore beatings," Uma said. "Or whatever the fuck else your dad does to you."

"Grandpa," Chad corrected. "My dad's too depressed to manage that much. He can barely lead as it is."

And things would only get worse without his grandfather's constant manipulations, but that was a problem for a future date.

"Okay," Uma said. "Evil grandpa. That's a new one."

"Audrey's got an evil grandma, so not really," Chad said, shrugging.

"Can I hug you now?" Gil asked. "And maybe finish what I started earlier?"

At that, Chad flushed all the way down to his toes. "I'm going to be entirely honest with you – you can do substantially better than me. I promise. I'm a mess. I am a messy garbage person and you deserve an actual prince charming."

"Yeah, I don't want prince charming, I want you," Gil said, and then he was marching up to Chad, scooping him into his arms and carrying him over towards his large and empty bed.

Chad sighed. "Gil."

"Unless you can put up some actual objections, about how say- you don't like Gil," Uma interrupted. "This is going to happen. And we're gonna watch." At that, Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm going to watch," Uma corrected. "Harry can be a conflicted piece of shit by the door."

"Thanks, captain," Harry snarled, and then he marched off to do just that.

"Don't mind Harry," Gil said. "He'll figure it out eventually… I hope."

Uma sighed. "Don't we all."

-:-:-

Uma actually did watch Gil pleasure Chad.

The prince wasn't unused to having an audience, it was a natural progression in a polyamorous relationship, but having Uma watching him felt different. He'd only interacted with her in a professional regard before this point, Chad bringing her program outlines and legislature for her consultation. They rarely discussed personal issues, weren't friends by any means, and now she was watching her second mate work his hand into Chad's underwear, watching Gil press kisses against Chad's throat while the prince shivered in his grasp.

"Please," Chad murmured maybe halfway through it, unable to remain silent. "I'll break you. I don't want to break you-"

"You won't," Gil hummed. "No matter what your grandpa told you, you won't."

Chad could offer no rebuttal, squeezing his eyes shut as he shuddered through his tears.

"My dad said I was nothing too," Gil continued, cradling Chad close. "And he was wrong, so-"

He kissed Chad, and it probably could have been better, because Chad was still kind of blubbering and Gil didn't really know what he was doing but they got through it, Uma murmuring words of encouragement until Gil saw Chad through his release, the prince panting terribly all the way through it.

"Now um- you," Chad said when he was struggling to catch his breath.

Gil just sort of blinked at him, as though he was definitely not still sporting a prominent interest between his legs. "Me?"

"Yeah." Chad pushed him onto his back, a furious blush spreading across the bridge of Gil's nose. "I wanna make you feel good too."

"But you're a prince," Gil said, like this was taboo.

Belatedly, Chad realized that their past two interactions had been Gil pleasuring Chad, Gil focusing on the prince while making little to no effort to satisfy his own needs.

"Yes." Chad felt a small curl of frustration burn through his chest. "And I want you to feel good. You deserve to feel good, and you are worthy of my touch."

"Fucking shit," Harry grumbled from his spot over by the door.

Chad ignored him, focusing his efforts on undoing Gil's belt, catching the way the pirate's gaze widened, his flush darkening when Chad eased a hand into his underwear.

He deserved this. They deserved good things and Chad was going to undo this, he was going to fix this. He didn't have to worry about creating an attachment because he'd just wipe this clean too. Otherwise this – all of this – would be a horrible idea. Trading one set of VKs for another.

Well, this time he would be honest about his deficiencies. He didn't have to flirt or try to play nice. He'd just be himself – his actual self – that wasn't close to charming, and they wouldn't want to keep him around long term for that alone.

It had been a while since Chad had done this. He was pretty sure his last rendezvous where he'd been in charge was with Doug before everything went to shit. They'd been 'breaking in' their dorm room, Chad successfully pinning the dwarf-kin to his bed so he could treasure him, watch him get all flushed and embarrassed, like he wasn't a rockstar incarnate with his stupidly nice hair.

And Gil was, objectively, good looking in his own way. He was broad and cheerful and his hair was long too, splaying across the pillow beneath him. His jaw was square and he was very broad and muscular – but above all that, he was sweet, letting out the kindest noises as Chad worked him over.

"Lance, Chad- um- sorry," Gil gasped. "It's- it feels really-"

"It's okay," Chad murmured against his collar, opening up Gil's pants and nudging his underwear out of the way when it felt like Gil was almost done. "You can call me either."

Gil shuddered at the permission, then gasped when Chad eased his length out of his clothes.

"Fucking hell, Uma," Harry snapped as Chad worked his way down Gil's body. "Ye can't fucking let him-"

"He's not going to hurt him, Harry," Uma said, tone dry.

"He literally just said that he'd ruin him!" Harry snapped. "How the hell can ye be so calm?"

"Why are you so worked up?" Uma countered. "Unless you want to make a claim yourself?"

Chad felt Gil tense beneath him, couldn't miss the way the second mate's gaze ever so hopefully drifted over to Harry, his eyes full of want. Harry didn't seem to register this, too busy staring at Uma like she'd just suggested he cut off his own dick before he stormed away, back towards his distant spot by the door.

The captain sighed. "He'll come around, Gilly."

"For you, maybe," Gil said, whining when Chad gave him a slow pump. "But I don't think-"

"He'll come around for you too," Chad interrupted, nuzzling Gil's groin. "Please don't doubt that."

"Chad doesn't doubt that," Uma offered. "Because you're nice. And he can see that, because he's nice."

Chad didn't roll his eyes because he had some restraint. Instead, he decided to change the subject by taking Gil into his mouth, swallowing around his full length until he could give a few forceful sucks.

Gil was immediately incoherent, throbbing in Chad's mouth while a stream of nonsense fell from his lips.

"Chad, Lance- It- wow, it's so hot, it feels so good, I'm gonna- Lance!"

Chad was ready for him when he fell apart, and took satisfaction in the way he was able to drink Gil down. At least he could still do this. He couldn't do it to Jay, but he could utilize his hard-earned skills elsewhere, which was a minor consolation in itself, even if it wasn't a huge one.

Well, he'd made Gil feel good. He supposed that was slightly more substantial than a minor consolation.

"Shit," Uma breathed when Chad finally pulled off, the prince tucking Gil back into his clothes in deft movements. "Fuck, that was hot."

"I saw stars," Gil hummed, a dopey grin on his lips.

Flatterers.

"I'm going to get cleaned up, now," Chad said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "And then we're going to plan."

"Fine by me." Uma fanned herself with one hand. "Harry, do you need to use the bathroom?"

"Fuck off," was the first mate's snarled response, the pirate pointedly keeping his back to them.

With Harry around, Chad almost felt like he wasn't the most broken person in the room. It was kind of nice, by comparison.

Maybe not kind, but definitely nice.

-:-:-

It was good getting the chance to freshen up. Chad hadn't done that before, determined to put the pirate debacle firmly behind him by throwing himself into his work. A quick shower and a change of clothes later and he was back in business, feeling more collected and like his old self.

When he returned, the others seemed to be looking around his room – Uma having managed to locate one of the secret compartments in his dresser that held some of his sentimental doodads while Gil and Harry lingered at a distance, likely to give them some privacy to talk.

"He make you hide this shit too?" Uma asked, holding up a handful of pictures Chad didn't dare keep digital copies of. Extras from the yearbook committee that didn't make the cut, things Chad was able to bribe into his possession of Jane dancing in the mascot costume or Doug leading the marching band. Too many of Ben, before Chad realized how much he cared about the big lug.

"He likes to burn things as a form of punishment," Chad said, relieving her of the photos and resealing the secret compartment. "We should start planning."

"Fair enough." Uma took the change of topic in stride. "First things first – we need to talk about Lance."

Chad made a face. "Don't worry, I'm not doing that again," he said, thinking of the secret compartment in his closet full of Lance's prototypes. "You were right, it was a stupid idea."

"It was not stupid to want to go out without the fear of judgement," Uma said. "We've been reading up on your social media while you were getting dressed. People seem to think you're a lot stupider and vapid than you are."

"That is the general feeling I leave them with, yes." Chad saw no point in hiding it.

"Because of your grandpa?" Uma pressed, cutting straight to the point.

Chad shrugged. "I can't show up my father, and I have to do what allows me to get the most work done."

"If people think you're stupid, they won't expect you to be a threat," Uma deduced. "Okay, that's fair, which is why it's also fair for you to want to be treated with some basic kindness, because I've heard Mal and the others talk about you before – heard Jay talk about you – and it is never flattering."

Chad shrugged again, even though he knew firsthand the others' current opinions on Chad Charming. He'd been there when they'd discussed him at the festival the first time.

That had been a devastating evening.

Uma rolled her eyes. "My point is – Lance isn't stupid, and I was wrong."

"Okay." Chad nodded to show his gratitude for her expressing that much. "If that's all-"

"It's not," Uma interrupted, making whatever small peace he'd managed to acquire disappear in a moment. "You can't give up Lance yet."

"Yes, I can," Chad countered. "It's easy. I just won't go back to the festival."

"No." Uma held up a hand. "That's not what I meant. You see, yesterday Gilly dressed you up in Harry's clothes and dragged you around the festival, right? At first, everyone thought you were Harry – dark hair, pale skin, right body type. No one was surprised, but after Freddy and Celia met up with y'all…"

"Gil introduced them to me," Chad said, not sure what she was getting at.

"He introduced them to Lance," Uma said. "Who was wearing Harry's clothes." When Chad didn't respond, Uma elaborated, "That's essentially a way of formally claiming someone on the Isle. Have them wear your colors, and that's a declaration of loyalty. Have them wear your clothes, and that's basically ownership."

"We're not on the Isle."

Uma quirked an unimpressed brow at him. "We haven't been off it long enough for the Isle kids to let go of our past methods of operation. You told Freddy that you were a shut in – probably someone's slave back on the Isle – and you did it wearing Harry's clothes. And it was Freddy, so of course everyone knows about it by now. Lance can't just disappear. It will look bad. Granted…" She started pacing a small circle, Gil and Harry trying not to stare from their position across the room. "I can spin it so that I made Harry give you his clothes because I was claiming you for the crew, making a statement and giving you protection instead of, you know…"

"I do not," Chad said, as though that hadn't been obvious by this point.

Uma rolled her eyes again, in case he missed it the first time. "Instead of them thinking you're Harry's boyfriend."

"Oh." Chad's gaze drifted across the room to where Harry's lips pulled back in a snarl, the first mate seeming greatly displeased by this implication.

"Right." Uma's lips kicked up in the barest hint of a smile. "So you need to make another appearance. We'll keep you around for the festival and then phase you out of the way somehow. It'll be fine, just… do what you did yesterday."

"Yesterday I was shoved into a sewer," Chad said. "And then I cried over a hand pie."

And Jay, but Chad didn't want to mention that.

"Do slightly better than yesterday," Uma sighed, then stepped back to sort of evaluate him. "I need to get you into some of my clothes."

Chad could feel himself blushing. "I'm not wearing your stuff."

"Relax," Uma drawled, waving off his concerns. "I have enough stretchy shirts to make it work. You'll wear one of those and one of Harry's jackets and Gil's pants-"

"And look like a damn monstrosity," Chad said, dragging a hand across his face.

"It's that, or being Harry's boyfriend," Uma countered. "And as Harry is still firmly in the closet-"

"No I'm fucking not!" Harry growled, unable to keep his silence any longer. "I'm fucking straight."

"So eclectic mish-mash it is," Chad sighed, looking up to the ceiling in a bid for patience.

He found none, but it was worth the effort, if only for the moment it allowed him to breathe.

"So that's tonight," Uma said. "What's the plan for this afternoon?"

"We need to take a trip," Chad said, knowing it couldn't be put off a moment longer.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Because of course Lance can't just disappear. Hooray for Isle politics ;)

Story notes:

Hanover is my name for Charmington, Queen Snow's kingdom, because Charmington will forever and always be a dumb thing to name an entire country.

Harry, once again, is so far in the closet he's discovering ancient civilizations. What a champion.

Until next time :)