Chapter 19 – A Tea Party

-:-:-

He was allowed enough time before the festivities began to retreat to his private room to change into the suit Duchess Belle had commissioned for him – something tasteful without being too flashy, paired with a light blue shirt that brought out his eyes because of course it was. There was just enough time to freshen up and scarf something down before he got back to the kitchens, where he spent the next few hours hovering between the prep stations and the manager's office where he could coordinate with all the different workers important enough to warrant an earpiece.

The event went off without a hitch. There weren't even the minor social tiffs you would expect from having so many high society people in one place. It was good, but bad for the distraction Chad had been hoping for, but he pushed that from his mind. It wasn't relevant. The evening was a success, that was what mattered. There were no security breaches, the vendors were paid and loaded out as planned. The guests trickled out and with that, cleanup began.

Chad didn't mind coordinating the collection of livery and the removal of decorations, the flowers transferred to different parts of the castle so they could be more appropriately enjoyed while the draperies and tablecloths were collected to be sent to the laundry and the chairs and tables carefully removed and sent back to storage – the floors looked over for spills, the bathrooms thoroughly cleaned until they were shining. Chad went through every item on his checklist and then lingered, because a good planner did not leave until the job was fully done. He waited for the ballroom to be emptied out, for the kitchens to finish cleaning all the dishware. He waited for the workers to clock out one-by-one until it was just him giving the ballroom one last look over. It never hurt to be thorough, and it was always better to leave a place cleaner than you found it.

That was what had Chad with his coat abandoned, sleeves rolled up and down on his hands and knees as he gently scrubbed at a stain on the marble that the cleaners had missed. It was an easy mistake given the intricate patterns, Chad didn't blame them. And he'd seen a few other spots on the floor he needed to touch up, so it wasn't much of an issue to move on to them too, because it wasn't like he had anything else to do.

He'd been maybe going at this for half an hour when a pair of very expensive dress shoes strolled into his peripheral vision.

"We appreciate your dedication, Chadwick," a voice murmured, one Chad recognized but struggled to place in his exhaustion. "But you can leave the rest of it for the maids."

"No." Chad shook his head, the words leaving a sense of dread in his stomach. "I'm almost done, grandfather, I promise."

It had been a while since Chad had to clean the entire ballroom on his hands and knees, but there was something therapeutic about it, along with a certain comfort that came from knowing he couldn't mess things up this time.

So he finished working on his stain, trying not to grin when it was wiped away because he shouldn't celebrate such stupid things, his grandfather didn't give him this punishment so he could be happy.

"Chad?" the voice pressed, and then the body was crouching next to him, revealing the worried expression of Duke Adam. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Chad insisted on reflex, confused at the duke's presence. "I'm almost done though, I promise."

He meant it this time; he really did.

"Chad," the duke said, seeming confused.

"I promise," Chad repeated, feeling a frustrated heat build behind his eyes, Evie's words seeming to echo unbidden in the back of his mind. "I'm helpful. I can be helpful. Just- a few more minutes."

"You're perfectly helpful, Chadwick," Duke Adam said, because he was kind, kinder to Chad than the entirety of Sardinia, and their kingdom was built on kindness. "But I think you can stop now."

"But…" Chad swallowed hard, his throat thick with emotion. "But it's not done. I can still- it's just a few more spots. I can- I'll finish the job. I can finish things." A low thrum of humiliation built in his stomach as he felt tears begin to leak from the corners of his eyes. "I can be useful. Please, I'm not entirely stupid."

"No one thinks you are," the duke said, and then he was dragging Chad into a hug, even though he was sweaty and gross and his hands were wet and they were on the floor of the ballroom because Chad couldn't have breakdowns in private like a respectable person. "There's not a person in this castle who thinks that."

Chad might have choked on a laugh that morphed into a sob because that wasn't true. It wasn't true because sometimes Mal was in the castle and sometimes Ben was there and sometimes it was Evie who thought he was only capable of stealing people's ideas and Chad had- he'd broken Auradon but he'd also put it back together and he'd stood up to his grandfather and he couldn't help but wonder what it was all for.

He'd done the right thing, he knew that, it just hurt.

"It's okay," Duke Adam soothed, rubbing a hand down Chad's back. "It's going to be okay, son, we're here for you."

Chad just shook, helpless in the duke's grip as he allowed his grief to consume him. He wasn't the prince of everything anymore, he didn't have people to look after him. Fairy Godmother and Duke Adam were stuck with him out of obligation, but in truth, Chad was alone, and he'd always been that way.

It left him clinging to the duke's chest, humiliating himself through and through, but what did it matter? What did any of it matter? The world could survive without Chad.

He wished he could go back to cleaning the floor.

"Come on," the duke said, as though reading his mind. "Let's get you back to your room."

"Sorry," Chad murmured, because he shouldn't be bothering this man, he shouldn't be breathing his air. "I'm sorry. Can you tell my dad that- if you talk to him? Does he talk to you?"

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Chad," Duke Adam said, gently tugging him to his feet. "Come on, one step at a time."

"Okay," Chas murmured, because he had nothing else to do. He followed the duke into the secret passages dumbly, letting out a sigh of relief when they exited into the hallway that held his room. The duke led him to the door, then guided him inside, depositing Chad on his couch before taking a tentative seat next to him.

"Chad…" he began, trailing off when it was clear he wasn't sure how to continue.

"You don't- you don't have to do this," Chad sniffed, wiping at his cheeks. "Please don't waste your time on me."

"It's not a waste."

"I think a lot of people would disagree with you," Chad said, eyes feeling hot. "I can't do anything right."

The duke quirked a brow at him. "You just ran the most successful Summer Solstice ball we've ever had."

"But that doesn't matter," Chad pressed. "Because if anyone knew it was me who did it, they'd think I was taking credit for someone else's work. They think I'm too dumb and flighty to manage something like this because of all the- all the stupid stuff I did to try and make my grandfather like me, and I can't even say they're completely wrong. I am kind of dumb. I make bad choices."

"Chadwick," Duke Adam murmured, a comforting hand curling around Chad's shoulder. "Your grandfather did you a disservice. He made you fight for affection that should have been freely given – but nothing he said, either in that recording or in the past, was accurate. None of it was true. You're not dumb and you're not useless and you are worth my time- worth anyone's time and attention. You might not see that now, but it doesn't make it true, and… your peers might not see it now," he said, indicating that Mrs. Potts had told him about the Evie thing. "But your actions speak for themselves. You're a hardworking person, Chad. You're dedicated to the people of Auradon, and we are lucky to have you in the ranks of her protectors."

"Don't… don't oversell it," Chad sniffed, wiping at his cheeks.

"I'm not," Duke Adam insisted. "I, of all people, am not going to sugarcoat things. I know how difficult life is under the public eye, but you have my support, and if you stay true, I think you'll have the support of others as well."

Duke Adam wasn't going to play with his emotions by offering Chad false hopes. It was entirely too much effort on his part, even if Chad would one day be a part of the reigning council that ruled over Auradon. He'd never bothered with Chad before when he was spiraling, and he wouldn't do so now just because he was crying a few tears.

"And even if you were, by chance, lacking in intelligence on one particular subject," the duke continued. "That doesn't mean you're not perfectly capable, or even masterful, in others. There are many kinds of intellect, and even if you were lacking in all of them, that wouldn't invalidate you from being loved. The two have nothing to do with each other." His smile widened. "I happen to think you're perfectly loveable as is – no matter what mistakes you have made. You have a worth that's inherent. Everyone does, and there's not a thing anyone can say to detract from that."

There was- there was a lot to read into that. A lot to dwell on. A lot Ben's dad didn't have to offer at all, but he had.

Chad's worth was inherent.

He wondered why they never covered that in therapy, but it was likely due to his severe avoidance tendencies. That sounded about right.

"Thank you," Chad said, feeling… not better, but at least less depressed. "I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me."

"It's my honor," the duke said, a hard sort of edge to his tone, though it didn't seem to be aimed at Chad. "Will you be okay? Do you want me to contact one of your friends?"

Chad huffed out a bitter laugh before he could help himself and shook his head, trying to disguise the sound as a cough. "No. I'm fine, thank you. It's just… been stressful."

"I understand," the duke said, offering him a wry smile. "You're free to stay the night if you like. We can have breakfast sent up to you whenever you want before you head back to the cottage."

"Thank you," Chad said, relieved by no longer facing the prospect of making another trip that day. "For everything."

"It's my pleasure," the duke replied before leaving him, giving Chad one last shoulder pat before the blond saw him out.

It was, Chad guessed, sort of what a father-son conversation might be like. It was how his father had been in the alternate timeline, at least. And hadn't that been nice, to have real, coherent, and loving conversations with his father?

It was a shame about the cost, because Chad knew he likely wouldn't be getting anything like that ever again.

Ugh, that was enough wallowing for one night. Chad shook his head and grabbed his bag, making a beeline for the bathroom so he could get cleaned up and promptly pass out into what he hoped was a dreamless sleep. He hadn't had too many nightmares before he'd left, but his grandfather's attack combined with Ben's loss couldn't help but weigh on him, making his sleep more restless than he'd like.

But such was the way of things.

-:-:-

Chad hoped – somewhat feebly – that there would be no ramifications to Evie finding him out as the new event coordinator. It had been a firm hope, one Chad clung to when he drove himself back to Fairy Godmother's cottage where he was welcomed with open arms, Fairy Godmother requesting a full play-by-play of the event. Chad glossed over his conversations with Evie and Duke Adam and played up the minor squabbles he had settled for her amusement, and by the time he was done he felt like maybe the future wouldn't be so dark after all.

In truth, he got almost a full day of peace before Evie called him the next evening.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come over for tea?" she prompted, a thing she had never willingly done before. "Tomorrow afternoon, if you're available."

"I can't tell you any details about my grandfather's arrest, Evie," Chad lied, because while he technically could, he didn't want to.

"That's not why I'm inviting you."

"I also don't want to plan Mal's wedding," Chad continued. "I'm pretty sure Mal doesn't want me to plan it either."

"I'm not calling you for that either."

"…I don't want to talk about my breakup with Audrey."

"I want to apologize for my behavior at the ball," Evie said, cutting to the point when it became obvious Chad was forever suspicious of her invitation. "I just had a rather enlightening conversation with Duchess Belle about all your contributions to the past few events. I misjudged you, and I want to apologize in person."

That seemed an entirely Evie-like thing to do, but Chad couldn't help but bemoan the fact that Duchess Belle had maybe chastised Evie because her husband told her about Chad's dumb breakdown.

"To be fair, you had plenty of good reasons to doubt me," Chad said. "That was why I wanted to keep my involvement a secret anyway – it would distract from the events themselves."

"So she said," Evie replied, her tone unreadable. "So, would you join me for tea tomorrow?"

Chad wanted, desperately, to ask if they could just pretend they had tea. If they could lie to Duchess Belle and say they had a lovely afternoon together where they bonded and set aside their differences without actually going through the painstaking work of doing so, because Chad's heart could only take so much.

But. This was an olive branch, one Chad couldn't ignore even if he really wanted to.

"Okay," Chad said, heart hammering in his throat. "Could you text me your address?"

He'd never actually been to her cottage before.

"Sure," Evie said. "I'll see you tomorrow. We'll eat out in the garden."

"Great." At least that would keep them out of the way of the others. Chad hoped that the horde of people Evie hosted wouldn't be there, that Mal wouldn't be visiting. The mere concept of facing all those people again as himself – as needy and dumb and annoying instead of loved and cherished – it hurt too much.

It was just one tea. Nothing big was going to come of it. Chad would go in, share some strained small talk with Evie – she would clear her chest and he would return to Fairy Godmother's cottage. It would be fine.

There was no need to worry about things beyond that.

-:-:-

There was a good chance he spent entirely too much time fretting over his outfit before he defaulted to one of his lighter blazers, button up shirts, and slacks, giving his shoes one last polish before he left the relative safety of Fairy Godmother's cottage and found his way to Evie's abode scenically off the beaten track. She'd told him to go around to the back when he arrived, which he gladly did, mildly afraid of who might answer if he used the front door. It was a relief to see that Evie was alone when he crossed around the side of the building, the princess making what seemed to be a few last-minute adjustments to the light fare.

This was- it was fine. They were just going to do the socially-acceptable least amount of talking and food consumption as possible before one of them would get called off by their busy schedules and that would be it. There was no reason for Evie to seek him out again and no reason for Chad to talk to her and the table was only set for two people so it was fine. It was all fine.

"Hey, Chad," Evie greeted, a perfectly tasteful fascinator perched atop her dark locks, the princess looking elegantly put together in the garden dress she had likely made herself. "Chamomile tea work for you?"

"Perfectly," Chad said, nodding his appreciation before he stopped to pull out her chair, as dictated by the decorum training drilled into him from the young age of three.

Evie showed only a momentary surprise before she followed his prompt, settling into her chair before he slid into his own, the princess wasting no time pouring each of them a cup of tea into a set of navy saucers.

"So," she began, offering him that perfect smile she used on the press. "How are you doing?"

Oh, they were really committing to small talk then. Okay.

"I'm good, thank you," Chad lied, sliding into his own charming grin because those were the rules Evie had nonverbally dictated to him. "And you?"

"Busy," Evie hummed, setting the teapot aside and offering him the cream and sugar so he could doctor his drink accordingly. "As you know, I've been helping Ben with the creation of the new refugee social welfare programs – specifically those for minors." Which Chad had also been unintentionally working on. "I'm mostly a consultant to offer first-hand experience as to what the children might need," she continued. "I start up classes at Auradon University come August though, and that combined with my business…"

"You're entirely occupied," Chad noted, doing his best to seem politely interested even if this was all information he knew.

"Exactly," Evie said. "What about you? Are you going to school?"

Because he might not be, because he was dumb. Or maybe they were expecting him to keep his head low forever. Who knew.

"I've got a full-ride to Auradon University for Tourney and Swords and Shields," Chad said. "Though I'll continue to help Duchess Belle as much as I'm able to."

"Why?" Evie prompted, which was not at all in line with the eventual apology Chad expected from her.

He supposed his understanding of her earlier doubt in him had made her bold.

"Because she asked me to," Chad settled on.

"And that's it?" Evie continued, somehow making this minor interrogation seem kind.

"That's it," Chad confirmed, taking a slow sip of his tea.

It was perfectly steeped. How appropriate.

"In that case, why won't you help plan Mal and Ben's wedding?"

Chad did not choke because Chad had willed himself into a relaxed state of numb detachment. "Because I'm me," Chad said. "And they're them." She already knew this for herself. "Besides, there's a different between planning a ball – events I've attended many times, and planning a wedding – an event I have never attended."

His grandfather always thought he was too much of an embarrassment to bring along to any of the weddings that required the presence of Sardinian royalty.

"That's a fair concern," Evie allowed, making Chad's shoulders relax slightly. "But you've already seemed to have risen to many complicated situations before. You handled those problems at the Summer Solstice Ball well enough."

"Thank you," Chad said, because he could be polite. "But there's a difference between that and positive thinking my way through the King of Auradon's wedding. Some things need to be left to the professionals-"

"You've already proven you're as good as any of them," Evie cut in, her gaze firm. "All those emails you sent about the refugee programs, the phone calls-"

"Common sense, Evie," Chad said, feeling his cheeks heat with embarrassment.

"You're the first one who took what I knew needed to be done and actually made an actionable plan."

"What do you want from me?" Chad asked, because he'd come here for polite small talk and some tea and an apology and he'd gotten maybe one of those things.

"I want to know why you haven't been texting Jay," Evie said, making Chad's brain sort of stutter to a halt.

"…what?" Chad asked, because he didn't know how else to proceed.

"You used to text Jay every other day," Evie continued. "Tourney stats and kitten memes and shit. You'd send pictures of squirrels and the food you were eating and the presents you were getting Audrey whether he responded to you or not, and then a month ago your grandfather was arrested and those texts stopped."

It was true, Chad realized in hindsight. He'd forgotten about the nuisance he used to make of himself in an effort to believe he had friends, an effort to delude himself into some form of happiness.

"The texts stopped and suddenly you're planning parties and hiding out from the press and instead of being happy I invited you to tea, you look tired and sort of miserable."

"Well," Chad said when it became obvious she wasn't going to continue. "We're not really friends, are we?"

She didn't really want him here, and Chad didn't want to be her obligation.

"What happened, Chad?" Evie asked, her gaze sympathetic, kind. "What did your grandfather do to you?"

There was no public confirmation that linked the Duke's arrest to Chad himself. The general public had no idea what kind of crimes had been perpetrated. Chad laying low in itself couldn't be a clue, because that was just common sense in the wake of these kind of things.

"That's classified," Chad said, keeping his gaze neutral, though he was almost certain that he just looked tired.

"So he did something?"

"Whatever his actions were, they are classified," Chad repeated, shifting his gaze to the distance to admire the lush, open backyard Evie had managed to procure for herself. Plenty of room for magic expansion, if she so chose it.

Evie didn't let out a disgruntled noise like Mal would have. She was too composed for such things. "I'm worried about you."

Chad let out a small laugh that couldn't help but be bitter. "You don't give a shit about my feelings, Evie, and you're right not to."

That time, Evie did huff. "Ignore what I said before the ball."

"Why?" Chad asked, feeling frustrated as he turned his gaze back to her. "Why should I do that? That's your honest reaction to me. Why should that change because you've had one conversation with Duchess Belle?"

"It was more like a dress down."

"What?" Chad blinked, confused.

"A dress down," Evie repeated. "She and Mrs. Potts were not impressed with my behavior."

"I'm sorry," Chad said, an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. "I'll talk to them, let them know you were in the right-"

"I wasn't, though," Evie pressed. "I was actually in the wrong."

"By what you knew, though," Chad said. "As far as you knew, I was the flighty asshole who volunteered to be Audrey's henchman, the guy who led you on the first month you were here and constantly bothers your friend in a ploy to-"

Not feel so fucking alone.

But those were words Chad could not and would not say, so he swallowed them, returning his focus to his tea and the small array of dainty treats they most certainly weren't going to eat at this rate.

"In a ploy to what, Chad?" Evie asked, her tone gentle. When Chad didn't say anything, she pressed on, shifting topics, though it was no less devastating. "Why did you break up with Audrey?"

Fucking hell, did she pull no punches.

Chad opened his mouth, felt himself waver, then closed it, trying to instill some order to the growing chaos of his mind. "I realized something," he said, staring off into the comfort of the distance. He could imagine Jay and Carlos running Tourney drills for fun, and maybe they invited Gil and Harry to join them from time-to-time, making Doug act as the referee because he'd have the least amount of bias. "I realized there was nothing I could ever do that would make Audrey love me. I don't- Honestly, I don't think she's capable of it now, as she is."

Audrey had a lot of anger in her, most of it instilled from the unrealistic expectations of her grandmothers. Chad could relate to it, honestly he could, but she'd allowed her frustration with her situation to harden her heart into something impenetrable, and while on one hand that protected her from being hurt, it also prevented her from establishing any kind of real human connection.

"No matter what I did," Chad said. "No matter how dedicated I was, no matter what I offered her – she would never see me as anything more than a gopher, and I- I just-" Chad felt himself tear up and squeezed his eyes shut with a humiliated flush, trying to stave off that particular shame. "That used to be enough for me, you know?" Chad said, even though Evie didn't. Even at her peak outcast status, Evie had been surrounded by people who genuinely loved and cared for her. "I didn't mind. I was happy with what I got, I knew it was more than I deserved. I just- I um-"

"You were tired of being hurt," Evie offered, and when Chad met her eyes, there was nothing but sincerity and understanding in her gaze.

"Right," Chad said, his voice tight. "So when she suggested we break up, I agreed with her, because I think being alone is better than that."

It hurt to admit, because Chad had spent so much of his life alone that he'd been desperate to avoid it. He'd fought and begged for scraps, and then he'd rearranged the entire world in an effort to get more, and the cost had been devastating.

"That's a very healthy choice," Evie said, reaching over to give his hand a gentle squeeze, the way she would have in the other world, the way she never had here. "I'm proud of you for making it. I know it must have been very hard."

"It was," Chad whispered, his eyes hot with moisture.

Evie had no idea how long Chad had fought for Audrey's attention. He'd seen the same publicity photos as everyone else of young Ben and Audrey hanging out together, looking like the height of refinement. Chad had seen that and thought her, she had to be perfect because she was with Ben. And Chad, despite knowing he was not suited for the best, had fought hard to win her attention and his grandfather had encouraged him, knowing in the end that Chad would only ever fail.

It wasn't really fair to either of them, in hindsight. For Chad, Audrey had been a princess on a pedestal, an ideal more than a person. It was why he'd let her hurt him for so long. Why he thought he deserved it.

Belatedly, Chad realized he was crying, his vision blurring as hot tears spilled down his face. "S-Sorry," he said, feeling embarrassed. "I'll just go. I'm so sorry for bothering you, Evie, I didn't mean to-"

"Chad," Evie interrupted, her hand firm on his shoulder. "You don't have to apologize for hurting, and you're not bothering me. You don't bother Jay when you text him either, as much as he denies it."

"Yes I do," Chad gasped, pressing a hand to his chest to mitigate the growing pain. "We're not even friends. I just pretend we are so it doesn't hurt as much."

"You're friends," Evie said, and it was kind of her to lie, kind of her to wrap an arm around Chad's shoulders while he pathetically wept. "Is that what your grandfather told you? That you were a burden?"

Chad flinched, unable to help himself, and pushed away from the table, retreating a few steps and fumbling for his handkerchief so he could get some kind of control. "I told you I didn't want to talk about that."

"Chad." Evie seemed tired, more from the weight of her experience than anything else. "We, of all people, understand the damage that comes from abusive family members."

"But that's expected," Chad said, even though that was horrible. "You're from the Isle. I'm from- no other Auradon royal has dealt with this because their families aren't broken. It's just mine, and I don't even know what I did wrong."

"Nothing, likely," Evie interrupted, making Chad's world come to a grinding halt. "That's usually the way these things go. It's a reflection on the abuser, not the victim." She took one step forward and then, when she realized Chad wasn't backing away, took another, until she could hold onto his free hand. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why didn't- why didn't anyone notice?" Chad croaked, half hiding behind his dumb handkerchief. "Why didn't anyone help?"

"Because they didn't know to look," Evie offered, and at least this was apologetic, like she knew the answer was unsatisfactory, but it was also the only one she had. "That doesn't mean you didn't deserve help. That doesn't mean you deserved the abuse."

"I'm pretty sure I did," Chad croaked. "I'm dumb and needy and cry a lot."

"You're kind and determined and made sure every Isle kid was given their own pair of high quality, colorful socks," Evie countered, like this meant anything. "You can't live your life by your grandfather's definition of you, it's a losing game. Take it from me, I know from experience. The moment I stopped thinking about my mother's toxic expectations, the happier I was."

"But you've always been amazing," Chad sniffed. "You're poised and smart and really, really talented."

"You're also very talented," Evie said, squeezing his hand. "You just haven't been allowed to see that yet."

It felt like he was back in some kind of bizzaro world. He wasn't used to this version of Evie being nice to him, fighting for him. She'd gone from thinking he'd stooped to take credit for something to becoming his champion and Chad didn't know what to make of it.

This wasn't something Chad was allowed to dwell on though, because a few seconds later the back door to Evie's cottage swung open to grant the exit of a worried-looking Jay.

"Hey, Mal said you'd invited Chad over…" the Agraben trailed off when he processed the pitiful picture Chad made, making the blond want to jerk away and retreat back to his car, but Evie's hands held true.

"That thing I suspected?" Evie said, making both Jay and Chad tense. "I was right."

Jay paused for a moment, letting that information settle before his shoulders slumped. "Ah, hell," he said, and then he was striding forward, seeming to hesitate beside Chad before Evie more or less shoved the blond prince into Jay's arms.

"I'm sorry, bud," Jay said, not objecting despite the fact that they weren't friends. "That's fucking awful."

"Jay," Chad said, because he didn't know what else to do. They'd never hugged here before, that was an other-world thing, when Chad had been important and loved by the majority. "I-"

"It's okay," Jay said, running a hand through Chad's curls. "This explains a lot of your behavior."

"Please don't tell," Chad wheezed, his voice small. "Please."

"We won't," Evie said. "This was our own private theory anyway."

"And you broke up with Audrey because she was doing the same thing?" Jay pressed, wrapping a steady arm around Chad's waist despite the fact that was a thing they didn't do.

"Yeah," Chad gasped, giving in and leaning into Jay's shoulder because he'd missed it. He'd missed contact. He missed being held and cherished and taken care of.

"Proud of you, buddy," Jay said, hugging him close. "That must have been so fucking hard, and you got out of there yourself. You did that, and you should be proud."

"It's a work in progress," Evie said, petting the top of Chad's head. "Why don't we take him up to your room while the others are still out?"

"Yeah, I think tea's done for the day," Jay agreed, and neither of them seemed to think much of dragging Chad into their cozy cottage, of showing an outsider their home.

Jay didn't even hesitate to herd Chad so that he was perched on the edge of his bed, the Agraben keeping one firm arm wrapped around his waist while Evie took his other side, her fascinator removed so it wouldn't get in the way.

"So… cuddles?" Jay asked. "You okay with that?"

Chad flinched. "You don't- you don't have to pity me, Jay. Just- I'll wash my face and go-"

"He'd love cuddles," Evie said, more or less shoving Chad against Jay's chest again.

The blond flushed, but Jay didn't bat an eye as he transitioned them to sprawl out on his bed, allowing Chad to cuddle against his chest the way he used to with the other Ben.

"I've missed your texts," Jay said before Chad could get embarrassed by this position. "Tell me what you've been getting up to these past few weeks. Did you bake anything new?"

"I've mostly been organizing events," Chad admitted, settling in when he realized there was no escape, not that he really wanted to in the first place.

"Sounds like that could lead to a whole host of fun stories," Jay said, rubbing a hand up his back. "Share some with me."

"Okay," Chad said, because he'd missed talking to Jay. "Okay."

He didn't miss the way Evie shut the door to allow them privacy, or when she settled loosely behind him, offering her own gentle comfort and commentary as Chad worked his way through the more entertaining planning faux pas.

It wasn't how he'd expected the tea to end, though he wasn't sure he regretted it.

He wouldn't know until later though, as was the case with most things.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

I didn't forget to update!

I mean, I almost did, but I didn't, and I feel like that counts for a lot ^_^

Until next time