Chapter 4 – Magic in the Air

-:-:-

The early morning interaction marked a notable change in their relationship. Now when Chad woke him up with pre-dawn wet dreams, Doug was more than happy to help him, trading kisses that steadily became less clumsy as time went on. Eventually, Chad got his hands on Doug as well, flushing a brilliant shade of crimson when he eased a hand into Doug's underwear, jerking him off in clumsy, inexperienced movements. Still, Doug relished it because it was Chad, and that was really all he needed.

"Could we share a shower together?" Chad asked shyly one night before bed, and Doug had to force himself to remain calm because he couldn't blow this with his excess enthusiasm.

"I would like that," Doug replied honestly, and that was how he got to see Chad in his truest form, how he got to help the blond undo the braids from his hair, how Chad fumbled for Doug's in turn.

They got into the shower and Doug was able to wash Chad's hair, and that might have been even more intimate than when they inevitably ended up rutting against each other, Chad moaning with his arms around Doug's shoulders while Doug curled his hands around the prince's hips, moving them together in perfect harmony, everything just so perfect.

"Doug," Chad would moan, his lips brushing against the curve of Doug's shoulder. "Oh, oh, I- this is, yes-"

"Agreed," Doug would murmur, filled with pride at Chad's pleasure, his incoherence, and then the blond would offer him a dopey smile that Doug had no choice but to kiss off his lips.

"And this is normal?" Chad would ask later, when they were getting dried off and Doug was brushing Chad's hair.

"Perfectly," Doug hummed. "Just a normal exploration of carnal pleasure between friends."

"I like this," Chad admitted tentatively, a pale flush spreading across the bridge of his nose. "Can we keep doing it?"

"For as long as you like," Doug confirmed, hoping the day of reckoning would never come, and based on the way Chad beamed at him, he was hopeful it wouldn't.

-:-:-

Doug accepted Aziz and Lonnie into his life with begrudgingly.

His amad thought it was hilarious, and as such was disinclined to offer Doug any amount of sympathy when he tried to explain that they weren't there for him, they were there for Chad. Which he didn't resent, honestly. Chad was the best, he deserved the best and objectively, Lonnie and Aziz were great people. Chad would be lucky to have them.

But Doug wasn't going to pretend they had any interest in him specifically beyond the niceties required of them to exert with someone Chad cared about, but that never really seemed to get through to his family no matter how hard he tried to communicate it. It didn't help that Aziz would, without fail, track Doug down after every Tourney game once he realized the musician was part of the band.

"Fancy meeting you here!" he would chirp every time, like it was their own kind of inside joke, and Doug found the guy so damn likeable that he wasn't even annoyed by the repetition. If anything, he thought it was endearing.

It must be a prince thing

Of course, Aziz's presence was only guaranteed because Chad sought Doug out after every game, Lonnie tagging along on his heels more often than not.

"Lonnie's going to cheer with me," Chad informed Doug with a pleased whisper, the words delivered seeming that of utmost importance. "We made signs. It's going to be great, Doug."

There was no missing the signs, either – bright, glittery things that said 'Aziz and Ben, for the win!' and 'Doug's Number One!', thus confusing most of the audience because there wasn't a Tourney player named Doug and most people wouldn't root for musicians in the marching band at a Tourney match. Chad did, of course, because Chad had been doing that much for years, encouraged by Doug's family that stood with him religiously during every game.

"I met your adad and amad!" Lonnie chirped after one of the games, Doug mildly distracted by the arm Aziz had hooked around his neck, the Tourney player seeming determined to make a nuisance of himself and rub his sweaty hair against the side of Doug's face. "They're really sweet."

"And the best!" Chad added, waving to the couple lingering back with Aziz's parents, the adults giving the lot of them a chance to bond despite the fact that Doug literally saw all these people every day.

"Did I miss anything?" Ben would hum when he bounded over, the Auradon prince just about always held back by an interview, or his parents, or Audrey.

"Not anything you can't be caught up on," Lonnie informed him sagely. "Come and meet Doug's parents."

"And re-meet mine!" Aziz cheered, which was how all of them ended up together, Aziz and Ben's cheeks flushed with the remnants of exertion as they shook hands with Doug's adad and amad, earning critical looks from his Uncle Dori.

"Just don't call him Sneezy," Chad informed Aziz, who took this information with a level of focus Doug would consider mocking were Aziz's own parents not right there.

"Hey, I have an idea," Ben said, and that was how they ended up dining in a private room at some nice Auradon restaurant, Ben's parents joining them for whatever reason. The distance between Central Auradon and Imperial City was too great for Lonnie's parents to visit her on a regular basis, but she regaled them with tales of their wonder, never seeming out of place by her lack of guardianship. If anything, it served to make Chad even more at ease, the blond not even fidgeting once because of his seemingly lack of family support.

Doug's parents had always been there for Chad to fill that void, and even if it wasn't the same, it was more than enough for Doug.

"Nice friends you've got here," his adad murmured pleasantly when they were leaving the restaurant. "Good work, you two."

"Aw, thanks Master Nori," Chad said, his cheeks flooded with a flushed look of delight.

And maybe that was enough for Doug to be settled with this whole 'friend' arrangement.

He just wished that they'd make less of an effort to keep him involved.

-:-:-

Because the problem was as such – Aziz and Lonnie, and even fucking Ben – were really good looking and very charming people. And Doug, even though he already had a One, even though he'd felt the longing and found his north star by way of Chad, he couldn't help but feel the stirrings of something towards the lot of them.

He tried to research the phenomena surreptitiously, but it simply didn't exist in dwarf culture. For dwarves, you found your One or you didn't, but either way, that was it. You just had the one. You could register an objective aesthetic appreciation for another dwarf, but it never stirred beyond that, because you had your One. That meant Doug's current issue was emanating from his human side, which was just his luck. Humans were creatures capable of great adaptability. They could develop appreciation for multiple people, but it rarely evolved into more. That was what made dwarven courtship superior – with dwarves, you knew and understood the commitment in an instant. Doug had mostly felt that with Chad, though it wasn't a surprise that it hadn't been definite because they were so young when they'd met.

But now he had these others, others that kindled feelings in him that were ultimately useless distractions, and what was worse, ultimately feelings that would never be reciprocated.

Because they only hung out with Doug to be with Chad.

And Doug didn't begrudge this, he just wished he'd stop getting invested in them so fucking much.

There was Ben and his incessant hair touching that Doug couldn't seem to stop if he wanted to, and then there was Lonnie on Academic Decathlon demanding study sessions that were accompanied with coy smiles. Lonnie who would drag Doug out into the sunshine while they worked through their flashcards, or reward them with trips to the park without Chad, which Doug almost never did, and sometimes they got ice cream and sometimes they rode the carousal and most of the time Doug was confused as to what he brought to the equation.

And Aziz-

They didn't have an excuse to hang out. They weren't in any of the same classes, they didn't share any extracurriculars. Aziz wasn't a huge reader, but he was interested in magic, in adventures, and so sometimes Doug would find his room invaded by the excitable Agraben prince babbling a mile a minute about this ancient map he'd discovered or a dusty tome on some kind of obscure magic, or he had a lead on El Dorado, and it actually was a lead this time, Doug, he promised.

With Aziz, Doug ended up in the library more often than not, and even if little ever came from their sessions, Aziz always seemed eager to come back for more. Maybe Doug was the best research partner he found, but that didn't explain the other meetings they had.

"Hello!" Aziz would chirp, knocking on Doug's window like he knew Chad was staying the night in Ben's suite for a sleepover – the Sardinian prince sent off with Doug's weighted blanket and his nightlight and the stuffed mouse Doug's amad had made for him, Ben given clear instructions in regards to Chad's nightmares and maybe Doug was mostly nervous about his One getting pulled away, but he couldn't be greedy. If Chad and Ben did end up dating, Doug needed to support them, because Chad deserved the best.

"What?" Doug was mostly confused when he opened his window, having been intent to spend the rest of his evening worrying over Chad's absence. "What are you doing, Aziz?"

"Taking Carpet for a spin," Aziz said, motioning to the flying carpet settled underneath him, the enchanted furnishing hovering innocently above the bushes outside their room. "Want to join me?"

"I… no," Doug said, pulse beginning to pick up speed because he was pretty sure he did want that, only he shouldn't. He needed to stay on hand in case Chad needed him, and Aziz shouldn't be bothering with him anyway.

Princes were supposed to ask pretty girls on magic carpet rides. No unremarkable, greedy half-breeds.

Aziz's grin didn't falter though, like he could see into Doug's soul. "Are you sure? It might take your mind off Chad."

Doug felt himself flush. "I'm not worried about Chad," he insisted, mostly a lie. "But if he needs me-"

"We'll be just a magic carpet ride away," Aziz chirped. "Come on, I know you want to. I promise I'll take care of you."

Doug shuddered, knowing Aziz had no way of realizing the importance of those words in regards to dwarven courtship. He was just being nice, Doug was the one being weird, staring at handsome princes when he already had more than he could possibly hope for.

"Okay," Doug said, if only to stop Aziz from arguing and accidentally saying something else that would wreck Doug.

"Great!" Aziz cheered, holding out his hand to help Doug onto the magic carpet. "Now hold on. They're showing fireworks in Imperial City, and we need to get a good view."

"Imperial – that's at the most northern part of Auradon!" Doug sputtered as the carpet surged up, rocketing high into the evening air.

"Relax," Aziz soothed, settling a hand against Doug's lower back to help him brace against the shifts of the carpet. "With Carpet, we'll be there in no time. How do you think my parents are able to get to all my Tourney games? Agrabah isn't close, you know."

On one hand, his words made sense. On the other, Doug was still struggling to understand the facts compared to the logic he already knew. He ended up saying nothing as carpet bolted forward, though the physics of it didn't seem to register on Doug and Aziz. Distantly, Doug remembered Aziz mentioning something about Carpet's latent enchantments protecting its riders.

It was, of course, an exhilarating ride. Dwarves might be meant for working deep underground, but Doug's human half enjoyed the prospect of flight. Looking over the natural wonders of Auradon as they flew across the different kingdoms. It was almost insulting, how easily Carpet spat in the face of modern travel times.

"Careful," Aziz said after the second time Doug jolted, and it ended with him wrapping an arm around Doug's waist, holding him close so he was at less of a risk of falling off.

Of course Doug's brain chose that moment to blast 'A Whole New World' at the back of his mind on repeat, but this wasn't a date, and Aziz sure as hell wasn't trying to woo him. If anything, he'd likely been recruited by Ben to get Doug out of the way for the evening.

"Well?" Aziz said when they were reclining on Carpet, sprawling out on their backs as they watched fireworks go off above Imperial City from the top of some business building. "It's nice, right?"

"Very," Doug agreed, even if the show had nothing on Merlin's fireworks. "Do you do this with Lonnie?"

"All the time," Aziz hummed, not hesitating to respond to what could be an impertinent question. "She wanted to study tonight, though. Got those angry eyes if I so much as considered tempting her with the trip, because she would cave like a house of cards if given the opportunity."

"I can see why," Doug murmured as the fireworks show drew to an end. "It's a very nice experience."

"You think so?" Aziz asked, perking up with delight. "And we're just getting started."

"You don't have to-"

"No, you deserve the grand tour," Aziz said, and like that, they were off.

Aziz took him over the rolling hills of Apheliotia to watch herds of wild horses sprint across the countryside, and then they went to the west and saw the lights of Ahtohallan dancing in the sky, huddling close to preserve their warmth against the cool night air. They went to Maldonia and watched the fireflies dance through swampy meadows before eventually gliding around the outskirts of Neverland.

"I should take you guys to see the Lantern Festival in Corona when the time comes," Aziz explained as he guided Carpet over mystic forests. "Lonnie and I went last year, but I think it will be even better with company. It's fun to release lanterns from up high."

"And her parents are okay with this?" Doug asked. "Okay with you taking her all over Auradon?"

"They encourage it," Aziz hummed. "But my parents also had trackers put on both of us so they knew where we were going in case something happened. Better to be safe, you know."

"Oh." Doug hadn't thought of that, but of course Aziz would have some amount of foresight. He wasn't entirely irresponsible.

"I asked your parents too, you know," Aziz continued, his gaze fixed forward as he guided Carpet lower, into a thicket of trees. "They were okay with it since I have a tracker, though um- I guess I should make you a tracking bracelet too. Not that you have to wear it all the time, just for these trips-"

"Chill, Aziz," Doug said, because maybe somewhere down the line Aziz had noticed his scrutiny. "I get it. And thank you, my parents would likely appreciate that a great deal."

"Okay," Aziz said, shoulders seeming to slump in relief. "Anyway, I figured this could be our last stop before we go back."

"Our last stop is a forest?" Doug asked, raising his brows.

Aziz laughed. "It's in the forest," he hummed, a fond grin on his lips. "My dad discovered this place during his adventuring days. They say it's only accessible through flight. Peter Pan and the fairies don't much bother with it though, which makes it our own private paradise."

"Makes what a private…?" Doug trailed off as the answer to his question was brought to him, the forest giving away to a glittering waterfall that seemed to glow in every color of the rainbow, all exuded in soft pastels that ended in a lake that seemed both iridescent and clear at the same time. There seemed to be fireflies here too, or at least something like them, and the entire effect was very breathtaking.

"Yeah," Aziz sighed as he drew Carpet over the glowing waters. "That's a common response."

"What… what is this place?" Doug asked, looking out over the private lake.

"My dad very creatively named it 'the Glowing Waters'," Aziz offered with a smirk. "It seems to be a natural well of Neverland's gentle magic. It has a soothing effect on most people. I visit it when I'm getting too worked up."

"I… yeah, I can feel that," Doug said, taking in the almost hum of magic filling the air.

"You think this is something," Aziz said, a sort of tease in his voice. "Wait 'til you get in it."

Doug froze. "You don't mean-"

As if on cue, Carpet dumped both of them into the water, Aziz's laughter following them all the while.

"Aziz," Doug hissed when he resurfaced, annoyance and embarrassment clinging to him like physical things. "What the hell are-"

He cut off with a gasp, the water's effects seeming to finally catch up to him. At once he was relaxed, filled with a distinct warmth of happiness that settled into his chest like a soft, easy presence, one Doug wanted to soak up forever.

"Good?" Aziz asked, swimming over to him with a small grin, completely unrepentant.

"Y-Yeah," Doug sighed, letting his head fall back so his hair could soak up more of the enchanted water.

"I'm glad," Aziz replied, seeming to mean it. "You work too hard, Doug. You need to take a break every once and a while."

"Maybe," Doug hummed, marveling at the way they seemed to effortlessly float in the bright waters. They weren't even treading water to remain buoyant, the water seemed to be doing all the work itself to keep their heads above the surface.

"Try definitely," Aziz declared, and then he was swimming closer, despite the fact that he'd already been close. "We know looking after Chad's important to you, and we'd never begrudge you that, but you need to look after yourself as well."

Outside the water, Doug would have tensed, but in its hold, he felt a brief swell of fondness that Aziz would think about him. "What does that mean?"

"It means just what I said," Aziz countered, but he was still smiling. "It means if you'd let us, we'd like to take care of Chad too."

"I…" It wasn't that Doug didn't trust them, it was just- Chad was delicate, was all. He deserved proper care.

"We know, Doug," Aziz said, as though sensing his train of thought. "We know."

He emphasized this by wrapping an arm around Doug's waist, dragging him forward into an easy kind of hug.

It was at that point Doug realized he was hard, something he hadn't even registered until said hardness was rutting against Aziz's royal thigh. And normally here he would panic, but in the shelter of the water, he knew there was no point in getting worked up over it.

Aziz blinked, a light flush spilling across his cheeks. "Hey, no worries," he said, squeezing Doug close and inadvertently dragging him against his leg. "I might have reacted that way my first time too. Our bodies respond strangely to the prospect of zero worries sometimes."

"Oh," Doug said, and that really was a comfort. "You feel good," he found himself offering, though he wasn't sure why.

Well, it was a compliment. Aziz deserved compliments too.

At that, Aziz's flush darkened. "Thanks, Doug," he murmured. "Do you want help with that, or do you want to get out of the water and wait for it to go away?"

Apparently Doug's response was to take Aziz's hand and guide it between his legs, rutting into it with a pleased sigh.

"Okay," Aziz said, sounding breathless. "Thank answers one question."

"This doesn't mean anything, right?" Doug asked, keeping his hand curled around Aziz's because he liked touching the other prince. "It's just a friend thing?"

He probably shouldn't cheat on Chad by doing other friend things behind his back, but for all Doug knew Ben had the blond caged against his bed at this moment, was slowly taking him apart the way his beastly heart seemed to have always desired.

"Yeah," Aziz said after a pause. "It's a friend thing. Um- can I…"

"What?" Doug asked as he began to pick up a steady pattern. "Can you what?"

"A-Actually touch you?" Aziz asked. "I mean, if you-"

Doug cut him off by unzipping his pants, pushing them open and coaxing the prince's hand into his underwear.

"Doug," Aziz said, tone stricken. Maybe Doug had misinterpreted him, maybe he'd been too forward, he should have asked for clarification-

But then Aziz was wrapping his hand around Doug, flooding him with a different sort of heat as the prince began to tentatively pump him up and down. After the second time Aziz shuddered, Doug reached between them on a whim and discovered that the other prince was hard as well.

"Doug," Aziz whimpered, though he didn't stop the musician from undoing his pants, from pressing Aziz's clothes out of the way so their lengths could rut together in an enchanted lake. "Light, Doug."

"Yeah, I feel good too," Doug panted, pumping them together.

It was likely hormones and the magic water that had them falling apart faster than they normally would have. Aziz was panting against the curve of Doug's neck when he found his release, and Doug could feel him, felt him, until the other prince was boneless, gasping into his hold.

Carpet seemed to scoop them up after that, deciding they were done, and Doug finally got a look at Aziz's flushed length hanging out of his clothes, his wet shirt rucked up his chest, exposing a defined abdomen.

"Light," Aziz panted, flushing darker when he noticed where Doug's gaze lingered, and the dwarf said nothing as he straightened his own clothes. As the water faded away, so did his lack of inhibitions. He shouldn't have done that, but it was over now, and Aziz had agreed it was a friend thing. It was the best possible result.

"Are you okay?" Doug asked when Aziz struggled to push himself up. "Do you need help?"

"Um- maybe?" Aziz tried, which led to Doug tucking him back inside his clothes, at least until Aziz seemed to get worked up again, and then Doug pulled the prince into his lap, beating him off in expert, friendly movements.

It wouldn't do for their driver to be distracted because of his hormones.

"Doug," Aziz moaned, clutching onto his wet clothes as his hips stuttered into Doug's hand. "Doug."

"I've got you," Doug said, flushing at the belated realization that he had returned Aziz's statement from earlier – Aziz would take care of him, Doug would reciprocate, but-

That was a dwarven thing, and right now, they were convalescing very much as humans did.

Ultimately, it meant nothing.

-:-:-

Aziz was quiet when Carpet pulled up to Doug's window, both of them mostly dry by this point. The Agraben had remained in Doug's lap for the duration of the flight, seeming exhausted after his second release.

"Hey," Doug said when he noticed Aziz nodding off at his window. "You wanna spend the night?"

He was afraid Aziz wouldn't make it back to his dorm room on his own.

Aziz blinked in surprise. "If you don't mind."

"I don't," Doug said, using his dwarven strength to easily gather Aziz into his arms, carrying the prince back into his bedroom.

"Carpet will see himself home," Aziz explained as the enchanted rug flew off, and Doug shrugged, shutting the window with a lazy hand before he carried Aziz to the bathroom. "You um- you don't have to- I can walk."

"You look like you're about to pass out," Doug said as he started up the tub, setting Aziz down on the closed lid of the toilet. "You can borrow some of my stuff to sleep in."

By hobbit terms, that was practically a proposal in itself, but again, by human standards it was quite normal.

Aziz didn't argue this, nor did he fight Doug when the musician helped him out of his damp clothes, the prince flushing in minor embarrassment now that the enchanted waters weren't there to keep them from being self-conscious. Doug countered that with a fine layer of bubbles before he eased Aziz into the bathtub, letting him soak there while Doug worked through a quick, efficient shower. He tried not to feel self-conscious of the gaze on him – the stall's glass by no means opaque – but he reminded himself that Aziz was likely just curious. Doug was, by nature, quite muscular due to his dwarven genetics, which few expected given his nerdier countenance.

He tried not to think of it as he efficiently washed his hair, wrapping a towel around his waist before he went to check on Aziz.

The prince was flushed, which Doug didn't realize the reasoning for until he pulled him out of the water and saw he was worked up again.

"Like baths?" Doug asked as he pulled Aziz into his lap a second time, and the prince didn't answer, too busy moaning in his arms when Doug jerked him off yet again.

By the end of it, they were both entirely exhausted, so Doug dried and dressed Aziz as quickly as he could before carrying him into bed. He wasn't sure if this was how most human friendships were carried out, but Aziz wasn't making a big deal of things so maybe causal intimate dalliances were a regular thing for them.

Doug was used to sharing a bed with Chad, so he didn't hesitate to do the same with Aziz, tucking the prince against his side before he turned off the lights with his remote, settling them into a comforting darkness.

He was almost asleep when Aziz cleared his throat, curling a tentative arm around Doug's waist. "Sorry I made things weird."

"Normal human responses, Aziz," Doug assured, giving his hand a few pets. "You don't have to apologize for that."

"Still," Aziz grumbled. "Could we not tell Lonnie about this?"

"We're not going to tell anyone about this," Doug said, and that made Aziz tense for a second before his body seemed to entirely relax, comforted by the firmness in Doug's tone.

Chad did that too, sometimes, like he was grateful one of them had a plan. Aziz likely felt the same way.

So obviously it wasn't a big deal, and that was what Doug dwelled on as he went to sleep, comforted by the fact that he wouldn't have to do so alone like he'd feared.

-:-:-

Doug woke once, briefly, in the early hours of the morning. He wasn't sure what had roused him, but when he blinked through the pre-dawn darkness, it was to see Chad hovering uncertainly at the foot of his bed, weighted blanket and stuffed mouse clutched to his chest.

Ah, so sleeping at Ben's hadn't worked out so well after all.

Doug didn't hesitate to hold up his arm, beckoning Chad closer with a lazy hand.

The blond did hesitate, though, and it took Doug a second to realize it was because of Aziz's presence.

Before Doug could try to stumble his way through an explanation for that, Chad crawled into bed, curling himself under Doug's arm and dragging the weighted blanket over all three of them. He set Doug's nightlight onto the bedside table and then turned back towards Doug, promptly falling asleep between one breath and the next.

Doug laid there for a few seconds, contented by the presence of his One and Aziz, who was not his One, but was… he was good, was all. Nice.

And, a distant part of him noted, exactly where he should be.

Doug didn't have time to process that statement before he was drifting off again, surrendering to the void.

-:-:-

The next time Doug woke up, it was to see Ben sprawled across Aziz's back, more or less draped atop him like a blanket. The lot of them had definitely slept in based on how bright the room was, but that wasn't enough to prompt Doug into waking the others that were very much asleep.

This was a normal thing, no need to make it a big deal, but he didn't want to be the one to have to face things if they did get awkward.

No, that privilege went to Lonnie, and Doug wasn't sure how she got into their room though he strongly suspected that the answer laid in Imperial City seal magic that had her chuckling from the foot of their bed, taking pictures of them with a bright smile.

"Wake up, sleeping beauties," she cackled, voice bright. "You're sleeping the day away!"

"Hi, Lonnie," Chad yawned, legitimately pleased to see her. "Do you wanna join us?"

"Next time," Lonnie declared. "But for now, there's brunch."

"Ah, yes – waffles!" Chad cheered, waking up with a stretch. "Doug, come on – there's waffles."

"Okay," Doug hummed, nudging a flushed Aziz into an equally flushed Ben's arms, resulting in their bashfulness compounding in a rather terrific way.

The princes ended up borrowing Chad's human clothes, both of them looking smart in Sardinian blue.

"Were those Doug's pjs, Aziz?" Lonnie asked as they strolled out into the hall in formation, Chad sliding on the last of his jewelry as he babbled to Doug about his and Ben's sleepover.

"Shut up, Lonnie," Aziz hissed, and that seemed to be that.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Doug doesn't have feelings at all. Attraction to other people? Never heard of it. Doesn't exist.

I found Apheliotia on a fan map – it's my stand in for Greece. Ahtohallan is from Frozen 2.

The Glowing Waters is made up for the purposes of this story. You can tell how important it is by how much effort I put into naming it ;)

Until next time