Chapter 5 – Getting the Hook

GENERAL WARNING – Mildly dubious consent in the first scene. For once, not due to Gil.

-:-:-

The private room was a familiar one – the same they had utilized for future high society events that were held in Auradon Castle. Generally, it was the shyer members of their group that made use of it – Doug, Jane, and Carlos (when he'd been having nightmares and felt skittish about crowds). Ben and Mal ducked in as a matter of necessity, otherwise they'd never be allowed a moment to actually breathe, and Chad had used it when he was still fumbling through the transition from Chad Charming to Chad James, Jay's lover.

It was a relief to be out of the eyes of the public despite the fact that they were the entire reason they had come to the ball in the first place. The downside was that the privacy offered to them in the break room was the same privacy that allowed the VKs to confront them on a more personal level, though Uma made a point to position Chad between Gil and Harry again, like he could be saved from his shortcomings if provided a barrier of muscles.

Uma sat on Harry's free side, grounding him somewhat after they'd each collected plates of the treats Mrs. Potts had created specifically for Ben and the others, each of them armed with full glasses of water that Uma pointedly urged them to drink.

"Are you sure that's enough?" Gil whispered to Chad when he looked at the blond's plate, except it was Gil, so the question easily carried through the room, not that the second mate noticed, his focus entirely on Chad's plate.

"It's rich," Chad explained, trying to keep his voice actually low, which would have been successful were there any other noise in the room to mask their conversation. "I won't be able to keep it down if I get too much."

He'd already learned that lesson the hard way. This evening was strained enough as it was, he didn't want to worsen things by spending it throwing up in Evie's bathroom again.

"Oh." Gil blinked. "Yeah, that's fair. We had that problem when we first came over too."

All of the VKs did, though most of them had been allowed time to work through those hang-ups because they were given access to various soup kitchens and meal plans provided for them. Chad – as Lance – should have built up his tolerance by this point. The only reason he wouldn't have was if someone or something had deliberately kept him from the meal opportunities provided to the Isle kids.

This information did not seem to slip past Carlos, who had accompanied them to the break room, or Mal, who had been relieved of her Ben-accompanying duties by Evie so she could get a better feel for Uma's crew, Chad suspected. He didn't know for sure, but it seemed pointed for her to be there with them when she hadn't taken a break until the very end of the ball last time, and even then she had retreated to Evie's room, to one of her partners.

"Nice of you to come to the ball," Carlos said neutrally, the young De Ville focusing on his plate of food. "Didn't really think it was your thing."

Uma saw no point in lying, choosing to respond with a shrug. "It wasn't," she said. "But if you shitheads can enjoy this, there's no reason we can't."

Carlos let out a hum like he didn't entirely believe her. "And this has nothing to do with Lance?"

"Fuck, De Ville," Harry snarled, seeming unable to hold his tongue any longer. "If ye want an interrogation, why don't ye just get to the fucking point already? Or has Auradon made ye obsessed with these stupid, conversational niceties?"

"Harry doesn't like Carlos," Gil didn't whisper to Chad. "Because he almost blew me up a couple times in the past. Like, I get it, 'cuz the Isle's all about doing what you can to survive, but he's still mad about it."

"You're my crewmate," Harry snapped. "Of course I was mad about it. We would have been down a fighter if ye'd died."

Uma released an unimpressed sound. "We decided we were going to leave past grudges behind us," she reminded them, likely a conversation they'd had before. "You don't see princess here snarling about the gouge you left in Jay's thigh with your hook."

Harry stilled, a manic smile tugging at his lips, though even with their limited interactions, Chad knew the expression was a mask. "More the fool her."

Uma rolled her eyes, then smacked Harry in the back of the head. "We're good guys now. I know that terrifies you because you think you're incapable of it, but you're not, and you need to fucking deal with that."

"Captain," Harry hissed, likely displeased to be having this conversation in front of an audience.

"Hey," Mal said. "We've all been there. We spent the weeks up to coronation freaking out because we were supposed to bring in a new reign of terror, only then we realized none of us wanted to do that."

"No," Harry snarled, turning his ire on her. "Ye just wanted to enjoy the privileges of Auradon while putting in the least amount of work. Ye fucking swore to be good guys and then left the rest of us on the Isle to rot!"

Mal flinched, and even Carlos looked regretful at the pirate's outburst.

"Ye weren't even going to hold up Uma's deal when we were working against that fucking princess!" Harry pressed. "Some good ye were-"

"Harry," Uma snapped, her tone firm. "She came through in the end. The barrier's down – now drop it."

"I don't know why you're even entertaining this," Harry growled. "Ye think they actually want us? They just want more pet VKs in their corner so the rest of the Isle kids fall in line. Think ye can spill some sweet words and we'll be in your corner-"

"We're all on the same side, Harry," Uma pressed, her voice low and serious.

"Are we?" Harry muttered. "'Cuz it seems like you're the one doing all the work, captain. Princess here only deigned to drop the barrier after ye made her feel guilty, after we fought-"

"I fucked up, okay?!" Mal snapped, unable to keep her silence. "Fuck, Harry – I'm just as fallible as you are. We didn't know the other VKs would want to be good like us. Our whole lives we were taught to be vicious and cruel in order to survive – we were worried how everyone else would adapt. After I took that pledge, I started falling apart, trying to commit myself to Ben alone when I needed the others, trying to be a princess when I'm not, so just- I'm sorry. I'm sorry we left you guys hanging for so long. That doesn't mean we don't like you. That doesn't mean we don't care for you, that we haven't cared for you back when we didn't know we were capable of such things."

"Shut it," Harry snarled, his cheeks flushing underneath the edge of his mask. "Stop spinning lies just because ye want to get into Uma's pants. Just because you're not satisfied-"

"It isn't a matter of being satisfied," Carlos interrupted, his voice firm, gaze pinning Harry in place. "We're happy with what we have, but we know the difference between friendship and family and love at this point-"

"Don't say that," Harry spat. "Ye fucking-"

He cut off with a surprised exhale, because between one moment and the next Carlos had forced his way into Harry's lap, was straddling his legs, facing Harry down with a relentless kind of interest.

Harry flailed back. "Get the fuck off me."

"No," Carlos said, cupping Harry's face between his hands. "This is stupid, Harry. Fight us all you want, but your bullshit's hurting Uma and Gil, and I'm tired of watching you refuse to love them, of you thinking you don't deserve it." He tilted their foreheads together, Harry fighting him all the while. "Harry Hook – you are passionate, loyal, fierce, and above all else, terrified. Terrified of getting close to someone, of allowing them to hurt you. Terrified of being labeled as weak and having the people you care about get hurt because of your love for them."

Harry stared up at him with wide eyes, shock seeming ingrained in his features that Carlos had managed to come to this conclusion on his own.

"Jay used to have the same problem," Carlos said, tone no nonsense as he stroked Harry's cheek. "I get it. I get that it's easier to hide behind old rivalries and Isle habits than it is to accept that Uma and Gil like you, that multiple people like you, but you're going to have to learn to fucking deal with it and stop shoving everyone else up on pedestals, pretending you're too far down below them to even consider a relationship."

Harry snarled out of his stupor. "I don't fucking think that."

"Great," Carlos chirped. "Then that makes this easier."

And then he was kissing Harry.

Despite the impassioned speech, Chad hadn't been expecting it. Hadn't because Carlos had given no indication that he'd desired this in the past timeline. But here he was, Harry's face captured between his hands as he doted the pirate with deep kisses that Harry struggled to keep up with, Mal and Uma watching on like they'd just won the lottery.

Eventually, Harry turned his head out of the hold, prompting Carlos to drop lower, the young De Ville sucking a mark just under his ear. "Carlos…"

"Harry," Carlos hummed, a hand sneaking between Harry's legs to palm pointedly against his groin.

"Hey." Harry's flush was brilliant, spilling down his neck as Carlos' clever hand continued to tease him. "Fucking-"

"We've all seen you get worked up by Gil, Harry," Uma murmured. "You're allowed to be attracted to guys."

"If it's any consolation, you get Jay hot and bothered all the time," Mal drawled, making Chad freeze. "I was hoping you would eventually take advantage of this knowledge and tease him without mercy."

"As would be his due," Carlos giggled against Harry's throat.

Jay was- he liked Harry, was attracted to Harry – then why had he dated Chad? Had Chad just been a placeholder?

It left him feeling lost, though it was not an unfamiliar occurrence.

Harry's eyes went wide when his interest became more prominent, Carlos' hand dipping lower to undo his belt. "D-Don't-"

"Stop fighting yourself, Harry," Carlos huffed, popping the button on Harry's pants and easing down his fly. "If you want to enjoy this-"

He stopped when Chad's hand curled around his wrist, because at some point Chad had moved despite feeling terribly off balance and stupid. "He said no," Chad murmured, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. "Please stop."

He knew that it was likely an objection on principle, that Harry likely wanted this, but he also knew that assumptions were bad, that words had power, and that Harry deserved to have however much time he needed to process what was happening.

Carlos stared at him, gaze wide before shifting into something neutral, but then he was straightening up, shifting onto his knees so that there was distance between himself and Harry.

The first mate's attention was entirely focused on Chad, who released Carlos' wrist as soon as he moved, who tried to pull back so he wouldn't look like such a spaz.

"Lance?" Harry whispered, his expression melting into open worry.

"It's um- okay to take breaks," Chad offered somewhat lamely. "If you want to go slow, then go slow. There's nothing wrong with that."

"And…" Harry began, his heated gaze pinned to Chad. "If I want ye?"

Chad didn't know why. To this point, he'd shown off few redeeming qualities to the first mate other than his appealing aesthetics. He'd been a mess, stolen Uma and Gil's attention, and now, for whatever reason, Harry wanted him, despite being entirely against any kind of sincere relationship. Was he using Chad as a distraction? He didn't seem to be putting up a front. The question had been vulnerable, hopeful. He meant it.

So Chad thought. This was a turning point, he knew, between the pirates and Mal's crew. They were falling together the way they hadn't the first time, but if Chad kissed Harry, he would inevitably get dragged into that relationship whether he wanted it or not.

He could always undo it, though. This was temporary. At most, this was an opportunity to throw caution to the wind, taking comfort in the knowledge that it would ultimately come to nothing.

So Chad leaned forward, shifting a tentative hand to Harry's jaw. It was different than instigating things with the others, with Gil even, because everything felt so fragile, but if this was what Harry wanted…

He tried to close the distance between them, then froze when Harry suddenly jerked his head away, leaving Chad awkwardly hunched.

"Fucking hell," Harry muttered, his cheeks still flushed with color. "Ye can't do this shit."

"But." Chad blinked, knew he was also blushing furiously, the prince feeling terribly unbalanced. "You wanted-"

Harry turned on him with a snarl. "Ye don't have to fucking kiss us just because we're the only people who've been nice to ye," he snapped. "We're not your obligations, or some shit."

Chad froze, struggling to think of an appropriate response. So Harry hadn't seen anything in him, it had just been a stupid test, another excuse, and Chad had failed it because he was a whore-

Belatedly, he realized his eyes were flooding with a familiar warmth and he forced himself to pull back, putting at much distance between himself and Harry as the couch would allow while he tried to stifle the flow of his humiliated tears.

"Harry," Uma snapped. "You fucking asshole."

"He doesn't actually like me!" Harry insisted, seeming to have totally forgotten about Carlos still perched in his lap as he turned to address Uma head on.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I've been an asshole to him?" Harry prompted. "Even now I made him fucking cry."

"Harry," Chad murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and taking slow, deep breaths in an effort to keep the tears at bay. "You spent most of the afternoon holding me while I had a breakdown. You're grouchy and you're gruff but that can't hide how much you c-care for your crew, for Uma and Gil." He scrubbed at his cheeks, wishing he was less stupid. "You're perfectly likeable."

But Chad wasn't. He was just pathetic and sad and dumb, more trouble than he was worth, and spent most of his time crying.

"Hell," Harry grumbled, and then there was movement, the sound of fabric shifting until Harry was nudging close to his side. "Lance…"

"No," Chad said, turning away. In his peripherals, he could see Carlos slide off Harry's lap, see him settling down next to Mal again. "No, it's fine. Just- kiss Carlos."

Or Jay, since apparently they liked each other so much. Chad could just picture his ex-boyfriend spinning Harry in graceful circles in the ballroom.

"It's not fine," Harry growled, putting a hand on Chad's shoulder.

It made the prince angry, which was good, certainly a useful tool when trying to combat useless sorrow, so he latched onto it, swallowing his tears. "I'm not going to be your obligation either," he snapped, trying to shake out of Harry's hold. "So don't-"

Apparently Harry's chosen method for bringing their argument to a close was to kiss Chad silent, which was sort of awkward but very, very determined, the pirate cupping his cheeks with an excess of care that left Chad whining.

"Sorry," Harry breathed when he pulled back, nuzzling the side of Chad's face. "Seems like I can't help but be an asshole."

"You don't like me," Chad sniffed. "You don't have to-"

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to," Harry hissed. And then he ducked his head, that pale flush growing. "And I do like ye, which was why I um… pretended not to for so long."

It was so perfectly contrary that it could only make beautiful sense, which almost had Chad laughing at the predictable stupidity of it all.

"Yeah, Harry's dumb," Gil chuckled under his breath. "But also really great. So um- can we kiss now, Harry, or are you still fighting it?"

"I'll fucking show ye fighting," Harry growled, grabbing the front of Gil's shirt and leaning over Chad so he could pull the second mate into a heated kiss.

"Finally!" Uma declared, throwing her hands up. "Fucking shit, Harry," she growled, crawling over until she could nudge the first mate into Gil's lap, choosing to wrap herself around Chad's back while Harry let out a surprised sound against Gil's lips at the sudden change. "I love the shit out of you, but damn if you weren't testing my patience."

"Sorry, captain," Harry said, smart enough to be abashed as Gil curled him in his lap, the first mate blushing furiously. "I just-"

"We know." Uma grabbed the front of Harry's shirt and dragged him into a kiss he absolutely melted into. "Just don't do it anymore," she informed him when they pulled apart, both of them panting. "Gil, go ahead and finish what Carlos started, I think we deserve a show."

"Uma," Harry whined when Gil eased a hand into his pants, palming the soft material of his underwear as Gil happily pushed to get him worked up once more.

"Don't 'Uma' me," the captain huffed, wrapping her arms around Chad's waist and nuzzling his shoulder. "Making Lance cry. Making us cry." Her gaze slid over to Mal and Carlos. "Guess we owe you a couple hundred thanks."

"It was our pleasure," Mal said, grinning brightly. "Seriously. Having your crew all on the same page – that's a gift I will happily give anyone else."

"We've been fighting for it," Uma said as Gil eased Harry out of his pants, the second mate making pleased sounds that had Harry flushing.

"Wow, you're pretty," Gil said, giving Harry a deliberate pump. "I'm glad I finally get to touch you and make you feel good."

"Gilly," Harry whined as Gil's hand moved in a gradual tease. "Please."

"I've got lube," Carlos offered, passing a tube over to Uma. "Though for the record, I hadn't thought we'd use it for you guys."

"We get it, you've got enough partners of your own to look after." Uma waved him off, squirting a generous slather of lubricant onto Harry's length and helping Gil tease it in a delicious slide that had Harry moaning brokenly. "You wanna get in here, Lance?"

"If um- that's okay," Chad said, his face warm.

Uma's only response was to take his hand and curl it around Harry until all three of them were working together to get him worked up in a wonderful way.

So… yeah, that was certainly something.

-:-:-

Eventually, Harry fell apart, the first mate arching into Gil's chest, spurting hot beads of slick into the handkerchief Mal had passed over, something that was definitely Ben's, a fact that Harry somehow realized that made his voice raise to a desperate pitch that made Chad feel entirely warm.

Mal gave them a few moments to collect themselves, Uma making a show of pocketing the soiled handkerchief, before the queen-to-be invited them to a guest room to properly freshen up.

Strangely enough, Chad recognized the room she led them to. Recognized it as the space that the others had always dismissed during his detailed tour when he'd actually moved in with them. It was just an extra bedroom that happened to be near their hall, one that never got used becauseof its location and his partners' desire for privacy. There was nothing special about it, or so Chad thought, at least until they were led inside what appeared to be an entire guest suite.

There was no question that the space had been designed with the pirates in mind. It had Jane and Evie's handiwork written all over it. The furniture was eclectic but high end – designed for comfort and color instead of polish. There were three bedrooms leading off the main suite, each of them marked with emblems that belonged to Harry, Gil, and Uma, and what Chad could see of the rooms beyond them were spaces decorated in their colors.

Uma took all of this in with a raised brow, though Mal and Carlos refused to look the slightest bit abashed or apologetic for the reveal.

"Subtle, Poser," Uma said, looking the main room over. "And you just happened to have this on standby?"

"Subtle wasn't working," Mal hummed. "We wanted to make a statement, but a private one." She turned her attention to Chad. "This was before we knew about you, though. But don't worry, I've been studying my spells so I can magically add another room-"

"We'll worry about that later," Uma dismissed, likely sensing Chad's rising anxiety. "For now, we'll share." She turned her attention to Gil. "Why don't you and Harry go explore my bathroom?"

"Okay!" Gil chirped, scooping Harry into his arms, who allowed the action with a roll of his eyes, as though he hadn't been swaying on his feet.

The four of them watched as Gil all but skipped from the room, Harry safely nestled in his arms.

"We'll arrange for you guys to get some food too," Carlos said. "Since we sort of fucked that up."

"Yeah, you're not going to get any complaints from me," Uma said. "Not when Harry finally managed to pull his head out of his ass."

"That was mostly your work," Carlos pointed out. "Don't give us too much credit."

"I'll give you exactly as much as I want," Uma said, and then she was curling a hand through Carlos' hair, allowing the young genius exactly one moment to be startled before she was dragging him in for a kiss.

"Oh, me next!" Mal cheered, making grabby hands at Uma when the captain finally released Carlos, the young genius looking dazed.

"So demanding," Uma drawled, but then she dragged Mal forward too, wrapping an arm around her waist so they could properly make out, Mal gladly reciprocating because that was apparently a thing she had always wanted to do.

At some point, Chad was going to have to stop feeling betrayed by this, he just wasn't sure when it would actually happen.

"We'll give you guys some privacy," Mal said when she and Carlos were properly flushed, the two of them seeming seconds away from bursting into uncontrollable, happy giggles.

Uma rolled her eyes again. "See you soon," she said, waving them out the door, and they watched as Mal and Carlos clutched onto each other, sharing conspiratorial whispers that likely alluded to a job well done. "So," she continued after they shut the door. "You freaking out now?"

"I can't date them," Chad said. "That's just- that's a fact, but you guys can-"

"We'll touch back on that later," Uma decided, likely choosing to focus on the massive wins she'd already accomplished that evening. "Want to go watch the boys clean up in the home Mal apparently built for us?"

Chad decided to ignore the last half of that statement. "I should probably get home," he said. "I still have a curfew to abide by."

"You haven't eaten."

Chad waved off her concern. "I have food in the car."

Uma looked at him long and hard. "We'll wait until they deliver something, and then we'll pack you up something to go so I know that you have food, and then I'll teleport you to your car. Will that work?"

She was letting him go, letting him have space, giving him time to process instead of making him address everything in that exact moment.

It was a gift, and one Chad wouldn't overlook.

"Yes, captain," he murmured. "Thank you."

"You're the one that got through to Harry," Uma muttered. "So thank you." A beat, and then- "Any chance you want to talk about that breakdown you had earlier?"

"Nope," Chad sighed, feeling exhausted. "But you can ask Harry about it. I don't care if he tells you."

Chad was just too tired to do that much himself.

"Fair enough," Uma hummed. "Come on, let's get in a little of the floor show before the food comes."

And with that, she slipped her hand into his, tugging him along like it was nothing, like they'd done this a million times before.

They hadn't, and they wouldn't, but-

It was nice.

Chad clung to that.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Chad over there stubbornly clinging to the idea that all of this is temporary. It's all good – if Uma could wait for Harry, she can wait for Chad ;)

Thanks for the feedback, guys! The support is a gift, and not one I take lightly, especially when it comes to the belated sequel of one of my more popular stories. It is a large comfort :)

Story notes:

I don't know if I've reiterated it yet in this story, but I got Chad's last name, James, from the Roger's and Hammerstein musical 'Cinderella'.

Until next time