Chapter 10 – Stay in Your Lane

-:-:-

Things were expectedly awkward for the first few minutes as the VKs seemed to give up on their original plans and followed Chad through the woods, all of them likely on edge despite Chad maintaining a harmless commentary as they want, the blond sure to shine his flashlight at certain plants and trees for their approval as he worked through the hike outline he'd literally thrown together that afternoon.

Lonnie was the only AK that seemed enthusiastic about talking to the transfer students, the Imperial City teen sure to compliment Evie's hair and style, immediately winning her points with Mal. Jane and Doug ended up huddling near each other, both seeming out of place, and Chad made a note to get them to talk to the others later.

Aziz was the one that surprised him most, because the other prince wasn't nearly as talkative as usual.

"What are you doing?" Chad whispered when the Agraben drew close enough. "I brought you along to be the charming. Someone has to be the charming one, and right now, that's you."

"What, me?" Aziz blinked, keeping his voice in a low hush, oblivious to the way Ben tensed beside Chad. "Chad, you're charming. You don't need me."

"The hell I don't," Chad murmured. "I'm an awkward baboon and you're like, the most inherently charming human I know. Go win Gil over or something. He likes everyone."

And getting Gil's fondness got Uma and Harry's in turn, even if they didn't acknowledge it.

Instead of doing any of this, Aziz decided to focus on the exact wrong part of the conversation. "Who said you were an awkward baboon?"

"Same question," Ben rumbled, his hackles seeming raised again. "Because they are wrong."

"Guys," Chad sighed. "You are fixating on the wrong thing."

"I feel like we're fixating on exactly the right thing," Ben countered. "Now who said that? Was it your grandfather?"

"I inferred it myself," Chad muttered. "Please don't give me a pep talk-"

"Too bad."

"Ben," Chad whined. He was whining now, that was what he'd been reduced to. "Tell Aziz to go be charming."

"Why was he your go-to charming guy anyway?" Ben asked, wearing an unhappy pout. "Aziz is right, you don't need him."

The Agraben sputtered. "That wasn't exactly what I said."

"I paraphrased," Ben sniffed, making Chad despair all over again.

At a loss, Chad turned to look over his shoulder and caught Harry's eye. "Hey Harry, why don't you come tell Aziz how dumb you think Tourney is?"

"What?" Aziz startled. "Tourney isn't dumb."

"That sounds like a fun topic you two could debate in a friendly way," Chad said with a grin. "Oh look, we're at the clearing. Let's look at fireflies and be friends in the clearing."

Chad was beginning to realize why he didn't have many friends back home.

On the bright side, at least Gil and Dizzy seemed amazed enough by the fireflies to let out sounds of appreciation, and Lonnie seemed to pity Chad enough to make a production of her own awe.

"These are bugs?" Gil asked, staring with a wide grin at the fireflies dancing around them.

"Lampyridae," Ben said, busting out the scientific name. "They combine oxygen with luciferin to produce their light."

"Neat," Gil chirped, then went to work trying to capture some in his hands. It was actually a pretty cute sight.

"Bugs," Evie said, her brow twitching as she huddled close to Mal's side. "You brought us to see bugs."

"Um- pretty bugs?" Chad tried. "They're friendly. They won't bother you if you don't want that to happen, so…" Chad trailed off somewhat hopelessly. "Maybe next time I can give you a tour of the ballroom or something."

Though that would be a very short tour.

"What's wrong with you?" Mal asked, narrowing her eyes at him while Uma pretended not to eavesdrop from nearby. "You're acting all weird."

"No, that's just my default," Chad said, shrugging helplessly. "Without the brainwashing, I mean. I just really want you guys to have a good first night."

"Yeah?" Uma hummed. "Did you know we were going to sneak out?"

Chad tensed for a moment, then felt his shoulders slump dejectedly. "I'd hoped you wouldn't."

"Because that would make things easier on you?"

"Because that would be a strike against you," Chad said. "And after three, that starts going on your permanent record, and that could lead to you getting sent to Juvie, and- I know this is an awkward transition," Chad said. "Or maybe I don't know, I could never know, but theoretically I realize it isn't exactly easy to believe that the people who allowed you to be imprisoned all your life are also willing to give you a shot at actually having a life. That the idea of us being kept in the dark for this long and realizing 'oh no, my bad' is kind of ludicrous, and it is, but that's also what happened. And even if I'm not going to get coronated anytime soon, I'd like to fix those mistakes. That's all."

"Because you're just so good," Uma said, the last word uttered with an unfathomable emphasis.

"Because it's the right thing to do," Chad said. "And I sort of know a thing or two about the right thing not happening, so if I can help, I'm going to."

Just like he would have hoped for this-Chad to get that kind of help.

Uma considered this with a tilt of her head. "And you brought these guys, why?"

"Because they're the best," Chad said, not really needing to think about it.

At that, both Mal and Uma gave him a doubtful look.

"These are the best?" Uma echoed. "Glasses and doe eyes over there look terrified of us."

"They're just shy," Chad insisted, giving Doug and Jane a supportive wave. "But once you get past that, they're definitely the best. They're both super smart and Jane's great at organization and dancing and Doug's a musician and he's half dwarf so he's stronger than you'd think and can also see in the dark."

Doug gave him a surprised look. "You know that?"

"Yes?" Was that a thing this-Chad hadn't known? Never mind, he needed to move on. "Evie, you should talk to Doug. He's from Hanover too – he could get you up to date with the current political climate."

"And she'd do what with this information exactly?" Mal countered, arms folding across her chest like an impenetrable thing.

"Use it when she talked to Queen Snow, I guess," Chad said. "She doesn't have an heir, which makes Evie technically next in line for the throne, assuming she passes her probationary period."

Mal and Evie just sort of stared at him, though Evie's gaze was substantially more shocked than Mal's. "Really?" the princess asked, not daring to believe it. "I could- I'm an actual princess?"

"Of course," Chad said, blinking in confusion. "Your mother's right to rule may have been stripped away, but your grandfather was still a king – that makes you qualified to lead. Assuming-"

"The probationary period," Mal interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Right, we get it. So if Evie behaves, she could be queen one day?"

"Same as the rest of us, yeah," Chad said. "So you should talk to Doug. His dad's a duke, and a member of the Central Council of Erebor."

"You know that?" Doug pressed, continuing to be amazed.

"Of course I know that." He turned to Ben. "Why wouldn't I know that?"

Ben tilted his head down, dropping his voice so only Chad could hear him. "You haven't really spoken to him before this year."

"Oh." Chad blinked. "Well, I'm going to fix that now."

One could not live their life with a lack of Doug. That was too sad to consider.

"Okay," Mal spoke up, getting his attention. "I'm willing to believe that you're on our side, but how do you know the rest of Sardinia's going to fall in line if you're not getting coronated when you're supposed to?"

"I don't," Chad replied honestly. "I can only believe in their goodness, and know that any that do try to make a move against you will be called out for it and punished accordingly." He shifted uneasily. "You're here because you deserve a chance to live your life the way you see fit, guys. And I'd like to help you do that however much I can."

Mal considered this with pursed lips. "I'm beginning to understand what Marnie meant about your generosity."

"It's well-deserved," Chad insisted, something twisting uncomfortably in his chest.

"We'll see about that," Mal declared, and then she was strolling off to check on Carlos, who'd been coaxed closer to the fireflies by a curious Jay.

So overall, it was probably not as bad as it could have been.

-:-:-

"Ben," Chad whined when the brunette scooped him into his arms upon immediately returning to their suite, Ben making a beeline for the bed and depositing Chad atop its soft covers as he got to work tugging the blond's shoes off. "I can get it on my own."

"I know," Ben rumbled, pulling off Chad's socks and tossing them to the side before he got to work on his own shoes. "I wanted to help." He ran a distracted hand through his hair, motioning towards Chad's crotch. "May I-?"

"Sure," Chad said, because even if he was surprised by the sudden offer, it wasn't like he wasn't entirely onboard. "Are you okay though?" Chad asked as Ben got rid of his footwear. Ben's response was to shove Chad's legs wide and start crawling between them, nuzzling up his inner thighs until he could mouth at Chad's groin through the fabric of his sweatpants. "Ben."

"I'm fine," Ben assured him with a growl. "Maybe confused why you think Aziz is so charming, but fine."

"He just um- is," Chad gasped when Ben dragged his pants and underwear down in one motion, flushing at the heated gaze that landed on his groin. "That doesn't mean you're not my favorite. I was just hoping he could make them feel more settled and- Ben," he trailed off with a croak when the brunette dipped low and began working his mouth around Chad. "Ben. Ben."

The other prince seemed to revel in the way Chad kept chanting his name, seemed to do his damnedest to coax more and more needy pants from him until he was an incoherent mess.

"Ben!" Chad croaked when he fell apart, chest heaving as Ben eagerly swallowed him down, seeming to register no kind of hindrance as he drank all Chad had to offer and continued to tease him until he was completely soft. Meanwhile, he worked a hand frantically between his legs, like he got off on this and Chad didn't blame him, because it really was a heady feeling.

"Did you ever kiss Doug in your old world?" Ben asked completely out of the blue, the brunette flopping down near Chad's hip and toying with his spit-slicked length with no real intent.

"What? No." Chad flushed at the prospect of it. "No, Doug dates Evie. They're super cute together."

Chad hoped they reunited here, even though he was slightly afraid they wouldn't. It had been Chad himself who had inadvertently drawn them together last time, and granted, eventually he would put the world back to rights, but in the meantime this version of Evie and Doug still deserved each other.

As though reading his mind, Ben let out a low rumble. "They'll find each other," he soothed. "If it's meant to be, they'll find each other. Don't worry, Chad."

"Thanks, Ben," Chad said, and what a life he led that he could be peptalked by the King of Auradon after receiving a blowjob from him.

That was just- what a life.

-:-:-

The results of the VKs' testing were revealed the next morning, Chad receiving a pardon from Fairy Godmother herself so he could be present for the process in order to help facilitate the VKs' transition. He got away with a lot of stuff on the basis of facilitating, and he would have been worried about it, but these guys were heroes who deserved the best, so Chad was going to do everything in his power to ensure he actually gave it to them.

The end results were not too terribly surprising. Evie and Carlos both qualified for Honors' classes while Mal, Uma, Jay, and Harry were recommended for Freshmen courses due to their lack of formal education. Fairy Godmother hired a private tutor to get them up-to-date before she would transition them into proper classes, though whatever extracurriculars they chose would be carried out with the rest of the school since those didn't require any previous training.

Dizzy, due to her young age, was actually slated to attend Auradon Junior Prep – the boarding school next door attended by younger royals before they came to Auradon Prep. That was no surprise, though Chad was a little shocked to find that Fairy Godmother thought Gil would be best suited for Junior Prep as well.

"There's no shame in struggling with something you've never had to do before," she explained to Gil. "But I would like to place you where you can most thrive, and I believe this will be the best choice. Of course, I'll be placing you in the same classes as Elizabeth after you two are caught up by your private tutors, so you won't be alone."

"So it's okay if I'm dumb?" Gil asked, his brows furrowed together.

"Young man, you are not dumb," Fairy Godmother said, her voice stern. "You are behind. There is a difference. Most of you haven't had access to materials required in a Sardinian education, but now that you do, it is our job to catch you up, not to judge you for what you have lacked." She turned her attention to Mal and Uma, who she'd correctly recognized as the leaders of the transfer students. "Do you find this course of action acceptable?"

"For now," Uma allowed with narrowed eyes, Mal nodding beside her.

Instead of 'Remedial Goodness', Chad and Fairy Godmother had worked together to design an 'Intro to Sardinia' class that would explain all the cultural differences between the mainland and the Isle, as well as inform the transfer students of their rights, the laws, and how to carry out basic necessities that most Sardinian citizens learned through experience – like shopping online or ordering food from a restaurant.

Again, this was all stuff Chad had heard Jay complain about struggling to learn on his own, so he thought maybe getting this set of transfer students briefed ahead of time would help them settle in better.

"Why are you here?" Mal asked when they trooped into their first Intro to Sardinia class.

"I got permission to spectate," Chad explained. "Sort of as moral support. Unless you guys need help or something. This is technically my study period, so I'll be working on my other class stuff while you guys learn."

"You know you don't have to babysit us," Mal said with narrowed eyes. "We can get around on our own."

"It's not babysitting," Chad said, his brows furrowed. "It's moral support. Whatever I can do to help-"

"Ugh," Mal groaned, letting her head fall back with a dramatic slump. "You're like a broken record."

Chad felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment. "Well, it's not like I'll be around all the time anyway," he said. "Ben and I will be off campus for our bowling class later, so you'll be on your own for lunch."

Which was good, because they'd get some much-needed alone time where they could be themselves without fear of Chad breathing down their necks all the time.

"Bowling?" Evie echoed, one brow quirked in interest. "What's that?"

"Ben's sports credit," Chad explained. "I already have mine covered with Tourney, but Ben needed something a bit more low-key. We don't have a bowling alley at the school, so we have to go off campus for it." At her blank stare, he elaborated, "It's basically a game where we take turns throwing balls down a long, wooden path to see who can knock down the most pins each turn. As of right now, we are both terrible."

"That game sounds stupid," Harry muttered from where he was pretending not to eavesdrop.

"Oh, it most certainly is," Chad agreed. "But you can wear your regular clothes while you play it and the bowling alley sells snacks, so overall, it's pretty chill."

"Sardinia," Uma muttered, like that fully encapsulated her distaste for seemingly useless pastimes, and Chad didn't blame her.

"Bright side, you guys will get to pick out your own PE credits after this," he said. "I think Fairy Godmother has a video covering all the different options so you can choose your favorite."

"Like we're not physically fit," Uma muttered.

"I mean, most Sardinian kids are too," Chad said. "But PE gives you a credit that's easier on the brain, where you can just kind of chill and have fun. Maybe try something new." He bit at his bottom lip nervously. "I think we have a sailing team. You guys could always sign up for that if you wanted."

Uma narrowed her eyes at him, but a small grin seemed to be tugging at her lips. "Now you're talking my language."

"We have dance classes too," he added for the other kids' benefits. "Just- think of it as an opportunity to do something you've never tried before. An opportunity to claim what should have always been yours."

"You are sickening," Uma declared. "But I think I could get used to it."

"Thanks, Uma," Chad said, feeling his cheeks flush. "I appreciate that."

-:-:-

Despite Chad's assurances for the VKs to indulge in activities they may have secretly desired, somehow fourth period found him with Ben and every transfer student loading into a familiar limo as they all set off for the bowling alley.

"We figured if you were doing it, it must be good," Mal allowed with a shrug, making a show of lazily looking over her nails while Uma rolled her eyes from her position across the car.

Ben didn't seem to know how to take this sudden change to his status quo, who'd gone from a week of guaranteed private time with Chad to having to suddenly share him all over again. This ended with him considering the others with narrowed eyes while he kept one arm firmly wrapped around Chad's shoulders.

Chad let him have his indulgences. He knew this version of Ben was afraid of making friends. He was afraid of losing Chad, though that couldn't happen if he tried, so Chad melted easily into his side while he reviewed the basic premise of bowling to Gil and Dizzy once more.

The VKs were understandably wary when it came to wearing other shoes, but Gil seemed enthusiastic about the brightly colored footwear which in turn dissolved Uma and Harry's reservations, and of course if Uma wasn't worried Mal wasn't going to be, so they got set up in their respective lanes in record time. The group was divided into two groups of five, leaving Chad and Ben with Uma, Mal, and Dizzy while the others set up shop beside them, Harry and Jay sending each other looks that seemed to be a mix of menace and flirtation.

"Don't worry about those two," Uma advised when they started picking out bowling balls. "They've always been like that."

"Honestly," Mal huffed, making it seem like her position near Uma was entirely coincidental. "Maybe they'll fuck now that we're actually in Sardinia."

"Don't think they'd ever play nice enough for that," Uma scoffed. "They wouldn't be able to choose who'd take the hit, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I know," Mal giggled.

"Um," Chad said, feeling his cheeks heat with embarrassment. "I'll have Fairy Godmother move up the module on safe sex practices for first period."

"Are there unsafe sex practices?" Uma asked, seeming intrigued by the prospect.

"Those sound like the best kind," Mal declared. "Let's try those."

"It's mostly in regards to sanitation, I think," Chad said. "And general health. Consent? That sort of stuff."

"Sounds like boring Sardinia stuff," Mal muttered. "I can't wait to hear Fairy Godmother talk about it."

"I'm taking Chad now," Ben declared before doing just that, grabbing Chad's hand and dragging him back towards their lane where Dizzy was waiting with her lime green ball.

"I love bowling," Dizzy whispered as she considered her shoes and flashy ball. "I don't even care what we do, this is great."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Chad said, then set about showing the others how to set up their digital scoreboards.

As to be expected with a new sport, the transfer students weren't all that good at it, which was actually fine, because Ben and Chad weren't that good at it either.

"Yay, Mal!" Chad cheered. "You hit a pin!"

"One," Mal griped. "I hit one pin."

"That's better than nothing, though," Chad pointed out.

Of course, as he was prone to do when he was feeling uneasy, Ben managed to fail to do even that much when it was his turn.

"Yay, Ben!" Chad continued to cheer. "You tried to hit the pins!"

"Are you just gonna cheer for us regardless of whether or not we succeed?" Uma asked, quirking a wry brow at him.

"It's not really about winning," Chad said. "It's about trying to win and then celebrating with lunch afterwards."

"Lunch?" Jay perked up from the other lane. "Did someone say lunch? Are we getting lunch?"

Chad laughed, a bubbly feeling of mirth growing in his chest. "Yeah, we'll go for lunch after we finish our games," he said. "My treat."

They ended up at some hole-in-the-wall Imperial City restaurant that Chad and Ben had come to absolutely adore, the owner kind enough to allow them a private room while they shared dozens of family-style platters all set on a big Lazy Susan so they could each try everything.

"Wow," Carlos muttered around a mouthful of noodles. "This is way better than the dumplings the Huns sell."

"I'm glad," Chad said, even if he was swarmed by the minor guilt of these kids growing up on garbage food, because that was what his grandfather had given them. "Lonnie swears that classic Imperial City food is the best there is."

"Lonnie's biased," Ben muttered. "Because Auradon food is the best."

"I can't disagree with that," Chad laughed, his cheeks tinged with a flush. "Since our kingdoms' food is pretty much the same. Hooray for butter and cream – am I right?"

Ben gave him a look of utter fondness so strong it made Chad feel bashful, but he didn't duck away when Ben leaned over to nuzzle his shoulder, letting out a low rumble that could be perceived as a per. "Yeah, I think you are."

"Sounds like we're trying Auradon food tomorrow," Uma declared and-

Yeah, that wasn't a bad idea after all.

-:-:-

Chad didn't see any of the others again until eighth period Tourney, where Jay and Carlos made a familiar return to the boy's locker room. Well, a return for Chad. It was their first time being there technically in this world.

"So you decided to give Tourney a shot?" Chad asked as they considered the rows of uniform lockers with a critical eye. "Cool, Aziz and I can show you the ropes."

"Do you guys all just change together?" Jay asked, discreetly looking over the other students getting into gear to Chad's right, further down the line. He'd taken a locker near the end out of habit, though Aziz had given him a strange look for it before claiming the one beside him, acting as a buffer from the rest of the team.

"Generally, yeah," Chad said, watching the way Carlos' shoulders hunched with an unhappy look. "But you can always change in the bathroom stalls if you prefer. And these lockers are empty, if you'd like to use them to store your stuff," Chad said, motioning to the two lockers to his left.

Jay took this invitation with a blink, then nodded, tugging Carlos off to the bathroom stalls to change, just as he had back in Chad's old world.

Malvin – the prince of DunBroch – scoffed from Aziz's other side. "Didn't take them for prudes."

Chad shot him a look that he hoped was more reproachful than strict. "It's a completely different culture," he murmured. "They're still adjusting."

"Maybe they have scars," Aziz offered. "Whatever it is, they shouldn't have to sacrifice their comfort for your judgement."

"Eager to chime in, love?" Malvin drawled, offering Aziz a playful look. "Happy to help settle the transfer students now that Chad has marked you as the best?"

Chad tensed, feeling his cheeks heat because he was pretty sure he'd only declared that much on the night hike, which made him wonder how Malvin knew about it.

"He's just trying to help, Malvin," Chad spoke up when he noticed that Aziz was embarrassed as well. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad."

"That's 'cuz you're sweet," Malvin said, not seeming bitter about it before he shot Chad a wink. "Still, that was an odd lot ye picked. Aziz and Lonnie, I get. But Orison? Jane? Not exactly the welcoming type."

"I didn't even know who that Doug guy was before this morning," James – the prince of Deep Jungle – spoke up from across the aisle.

"Which begs the question how yeknew who he was, aside from being Dopey's kid," Malvin pressed. "Imagine that. Dopey having a kid."

"His name is Duke Ori, son of Cori," Chad said, feeling justly defensive over Doug. "And he's the Head Scribe of Erebor. The dopey nickname was supposed to be a joke."

"Did your mom tell you that?" James asked, seeming genuinely curious, reminding Chad that he did, in fact, have a mother in this dimension. He might have forgotten about that.

"Yes," Chad decided to lie. "I played with him when we were kids, but my grandfather…"

Malvin made a face. "Awful shit, that all is," he grumbled. "That he could do something like that to ye."

Chad shrugged, feeling awkward. "It is what it is," he said. "I'm just glad Duke Adam managed to break the enchantment."

Otherwise, Chad would still be a prisoner in his own body, would likely still be dating Audrey.

He shivered, making a face.

"Makes me wonder how he did it," Malvin hummed.

It was a secret many had asked, though aside from those that had been in the drone room, no one knew the true answer.

"Auradon secret," Chad waved him off, just as he had every other time this conversation had come up. "Thanks for your concern, though."

"Right," Aziz huffed. "Concern."

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Aziz is not having it, team. Not at all.

Story notes:

Ben over there, giving Aziz a side eye. He does not like this competition.

The lightning bug stuff was… mostly accurate – it's got that going for them, at least

Hanover is my name for Charmington – Queen Snow White's kingdom, because it actually sounds like the real name of a country. Erebor is a dwarf kingdom borrowed from Tolkien's Middle Earth, because I'm a nerd and we need more kingdoms of mythical creatures, in my opinion.

I knew what you guys were all looking for with this story. Secret bowling team bonding shenanigans – it's what all the readers want ;D

So, I have a fondness for Tolkien's Middle Earth, and a personal headcanon where Doug is the son of Dopey, aka, Ori of the brothers Ri from the Hobbit. Hence the last name Orison, as dwarves generally introduce themselves as the son/daughter of their parent (ex: Thorin, son of Thrain, making the formal name Thorin Thrainson).

Malvin and James are original characters invented to round off the AKs. Deep Jungle is Tarzan's territory, as decreed by the Kingdom Hearts' games, I believe.

Until next time :)