Chapter 20 – 1000% Effort

-:-:-

Evie stayed with them for about half an hour before making her excuses – the princess wanting to clean up their tea time before any of the others stumbled upon it and got worried, since they were all a bit paranoid by nature.

"Give him my number before he leaves," she told Jay before she pressed a kiss to both of their shoulders, and if Chad hadn't already been a flushed mess, that definitely would have taken him there, no question.

"We don't have to keep doing this," Chad said after she'd left and it was just him and Jay in what was unquestionably Jay's room – with its map of Auradon and Tourney posters and crimson draperies. "It's been nice catching up-"

"Then let's keep doing it," Jay said, running his hand through Chad's hair again, like he didn't know how nice it was. Chad found himself leaning into the contact on reflex, something seeming to settle in his chest when his hair wasn't yanked or scalp scratched or batted at the way Audrey liked to sometimes. "Want to hear what I've been doing?"

"Um- working out?" Chad said, because Jay was very dedicated to Tourney and the impromptu camps he and Carlos had organized for the Isle kids – something to keep them occupied while they got the adoption system up and running – required a lot of stamina.

"You know it," Jay said with a wink, flexing one of his arms for Chad's amusement, like the blond didn't know how buff he was. "But I've also been-"

"The camps," Chad interrupted, because he didn't want Jay to think he was completely unaware. "I saw the news segment they ran on it. The kids look really happy."

Jay didn't seem offended by the interruption or even surprised by Chad's words, a small grin settling on his lips instead. "They are," he said, continuing to rub small circles against Chad's scalp. "Would you like to hear some antics about our newest would-be Tourney players?"

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Chad admitted, and then Jay obliged him with the trials and tribulations of teaching a bunch of skittish orphans how to play a game just for the fun of it, and the end result was flag-Tourney because none of them liked violence all that much and were too scared to tackle, but it was worth it for the bright smiles they earned when one of the kids successfully grabbed a flag.

"Squeaky and Squirmy are not naturals," Jay said. "They aren't even close. In fact, saying that they're adequate would be generous, but damned if they aren't motivated when chocolate cupcakes are on the line."

"They sound like gentlemen after my own heart," Chad murmured, feeling his lips pull wide in a genuine smile.

It was weird, that he could have this. That he could cuddle against Jay's chest, sharing his air in a way Chad had only ever managed with his fake boyfriend. It worried him, how easily it came, how much he liked it, but Jay didn't seem to think much of it. Chad guessed they really were friends after all. Maybe now that Jay knew he had issues too, Chad's oddities were more understandable.

Chad was deliberating whether he should break the friendly air that had settled over them by asking about it when he heard new noise generate from downstairs, the arrival of someone, a couple people, which was enough to leave Chad tensing. What if it was Carlos? Or Mal? If Evie told Mal Chad was the event coordinator, maybe Mal wanted to yell at Chad for um- some reason. He didn't know.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked when Chad sat up, the blond looking out the window to see that only one car pulled up beside Jay's Moped.

"I should probably go," Chad said, shifting off the bed as he tried to track where the rest of the house's inhabitants were. They seemed to be downstairs, in the kitchen.

"You don't have to," Jay said, moving to sit up.

Chad didn't know how to explain the status quo to Jay. He knew the Agraben and Evie were willing to tolerate Chad out of sympathy, that they seemed to care for him to a certain degree, but that wasn't something that was going to translate to any of the others, and Chad didn't want to be around when they casually tore him apart.

Chad twisted his hands together, drawing closer to the window. The stairs ran by the kitchen, but he could probably climb down from Jay's room if there was a tree or gutter or something. Or maybe he could just hop down, it wasn't that far.

"It'd probably be better if I left," Chad explained. "The others wouldn't want me to be here."

"The others can suck it," Jay said, walking over so he could frown out the window with Chad. "They trust me. If I say you're cool, they'll accept it."

This was a thing Chad knew and may or may not be horrifically jealous of, but that was no one's business but his own.

"I appreciate that," Chad said, cracking the window open. "But-"

"Seriously?" he heard Mal's voice drift up from what must be an open kitchen window, her voice seeming to trail on the wind. "You spent all that time making these tiny sandwiches and you didn't even eat any of them? Why did you even bother?"

"I have to go," Chad said, a cold feeling of panic cutting through him. "I um- thank you, but I have to-"

"I can talk to her," Jay said, his hand sliding into Chad's which was enough to halt his retreat, since that wasn't a thing they did either. "It'll be fine."

"He couldn't have cried that much," Mal said, making Chad flinch.

"Please," Chad whispered. "Please."

Jay didn't say anything for a moment, then he sighed, stepping forward to wrap an arm around Chad's waist and drag him against his chest again, like it was becoming a regular thing.

"Okay," Jay said, making Chad slump with relief. "I'm going to teleport you to your car and then you can drive home – but for the record, you will always be welcome here."

It was super nice for Jay to make that invitation despite it being Evie's house, but at the very least he seemed to mean it.

"Thank you," Chad said, feeling his cheeks flush slightly. "I… thanks, Jay, this has been very nice."

"It's my pleasure," Jay said, seeming to mean it. "I had fun too. Now brace yourself," he said. "It's a little weird the first time, but I'll take us right to your car and then you can go."

"Okay." Chad nodded, and when Jay saw that he was ready, the Agraben allowed a flare of magic to surround them, the world flooding with red energy before it faded away again, revealing Evie's front drive. "Thanks," Chad said, already getting his keys out. "For everything."

"Also my pleasure," Jay said. "And can I know where you're staying? I won't tell anyone. I won't even tell Evie if you don't want her to know."

"I…" Chad couldn't fathom what Jay would want to do with that information, but he seemed very earnest, and if Chad didn't leave soon, Mal might catch sight of him. "Fairy Godmother's cottage," he said. "She's letting me stay in her guest room."

"Okay." Jay took this information in with a blink. "Okay, thank you. Maybe I can- I'll visit you, if you're not too busy," he said. "I'll text you. And um- you can start texting me again, please." He squeezed his arm, making Chad realize he'd never really let the blond go. "I like hearing from you."

"I like hearing from you too," Chad said, deciding to be honest since the Agraben was offering him the same. "I look forward to more stories."

"Back at you," Jay said, giving him one last grin before he finally let Chad go. "Have a safe ride home."

"You um," Chad said before wincing. "I mean- a safe walk, I guess, I-"

"Thank you," Jay said before he could start rambling. "I appreciate that, Chad, I really do."

"I- okay." Chad forced himself to leave before he could say something else stupid, retreating to the safety of his car before any of the cottage's other inhabitants realized he was there violating their relative peace.

All the while, he couldn't stop reviewing Jay's sincerity. The Agraben wasn't one to play with people's emotions now that he'd sworn himself to the side of good. Even Chad, who had hurt his friend once before, even if this would be a great opportunity to destroy him- Chad was pretty sure Jay was being honest, and if that was the case, he guessed he had a friend again.

He had Jay back, only it was his Jay, the one he knew he could keep.

That was a gift so remarkable he dared not dwell on it. If he did, it might disappear from his fingers completely, and he didn't think he could stand that.

-:-:-

Chad was at loose ends for the rest of the day. He'd spent the night before dreading the potential outcomes for the tea party and now that it was over, he wasn't sure what to do. Things had ended in what was possibly the best-case scenario, even if that resulted in a lot of crying on his part.

He had a friend again, maybe even two. Obviously, he couldn't cling to them too much or they'd go away, but Jay said he wanted to hear from Chad again so at least he'd have that harmless distraction. It was weird to think that Jay and Evie were proud of Chad for getting himself out of a difficult situation, but neither were people who would lie for the hell of it, not even to mess with him, who was easier to ignore than bother in their corner of the world.

"Have a good tea?" Fairy Godmother asked, pausing her work on her latest knitted blanket to give Chad her attention when he strolled in the door.

"Yeah, I think," Chad said, shifting nervously. "Evie sort of guessed why the Duke was arrested, though." Fairy Godmother's expression fell a little bit, so Chad rushed to move on. "She said she'd keep it to herself, but I think we might be friends now. Jay too."

Fairy Godmother took this in carefully, then shifted into a small smile. "I'm glad to hear that, dearie," she said, making a certain flare of warmth settle in Chad's chest. "You should invite them over here sometime – you're welcome to have friends over, if you'd like."

"Thanks, Fairy Godmother," Chad said, trying to come to terms with a pointed curl of hope. "Maybe I will."

-:-:-

Except replace 'maybe' with definitely because Jay literally wandered in through Fairy Godmother's backdoor the next morning, when Chad was waiting for his latest tray of muffins to come out of the oven – Fairy Godmother getting some gardening done in the relatively low temperatures of early dawn.

"Looks like I got here just in time," Jay chirped, shooting Chad a wink before collecting a cup of coffee for himself with an air of casual domesticity that threw Chad. "Cool if I join you for breakfast?"

"Sure," Chad said, blinking somewhat dumbly. He'd sent Jay a photo of the muffins baking as a tentative ice breaker, but he hadn't thought anything would come of it.

"Thanks!" Jay cheered, gaze focused on his mug as he added the appropriate amounts of cream and sugar. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I- planning," Chad said, still struggling to catch up. "There's a charity high tea coming up and Mal wanted me to host a few more mixers for the orphans, so um- I was going to get started on those." He paused when the timer went off and checked on the muffins, grinning when he saw that they were perfectly done. "I thought you had camp today."

"We trade off so we can take turns having a free day," Jay said breezily, gaze tracking Chad's baked goods as the blond removed them from the oven and started pulling them out onto the cooling rack. "I'm free today, and I was thinking maybe you should be too." Before Chad could reply – not that he had anything particularly articulate to respond with – Jay continued, "Fairy Godmother says you've been pretty much working non-stop since you got here."

"I mean…" Chad shrugged, keeping his attention on the muffins. "I don't have anything else to do until school starts."

"Right," Jay agreed, and he didn't seem mean about it. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take some time off. So, what do you say? Wanna play hooky with me?"

Honestly, Chad didn't know. It felt like too much too soon, but if Jay was offering, Chad knew he wouldn't be able to turn the other teen down, not when he was so desperate for company.

Besides, he'd missed Jay. All versions of him.

"Okay," Chad said, trying not to flush at Jay's celebratory cheer. He tried to divert his focus to something else in an effort to keep cool. "Want some eggs?"

"Sure," Jay said, propping his hip against the counter as he watched Chad bustle around the kitchen, happy to nurse his cup of coffee.

"So," Chad asked as he got out the eggs and some bacon, starting up his frying pan as he motioned for Jay to help himself to the muffins and fruit salad he had made earlier. "What did you want to do?"

"I think it will be a surprise," Jay declared before immediately launching into a distracting tale of Carlos' latest over analyzation of a text Jane had sent him, because sometimes the young De Ville's anxiety really got the better of him. Still, it was a humorous story that ended with the two of them happily together, as they should be, and by the time Chad was finished with the bacon and eggs, Fairy Godmother had joined them and offered her own two cents via the shenanigans some of the Auradon Prep students got into during summer school.

By the time they were finished, Chad had laughed more in one morning than he had in weeks, and both Jay and Fairy Godmother seemed delighted by this fact.

"I'll take care of this," Fairy Godmother insisted when Chad moved to gather the dishes. "You two go have a nice day and don't come back before dinner."

"Yes, ma'am," Jay said, offering her a lazy salute before he slipped his hand into Chad's, tugging him easily out of the house despite Chad not having a hat or sunglasses or even Jay's hoody to conceal himself. "Don't worry," Jay said, herding Chad towards an unmarked car Ben must have lent him from the Auradon Castle motor pool. "I've got it covered."

"Okay," Chad said, taking in the tinted windows and trying to relax as he slid into the passenger seat, watching as Jay expertly took the wheel. The radio station was on jazz, something Chad embraced because with Doug as his roommate, he'd come to appreciate the soothing sounds of trumpet in any capacity.

"Everything we're doing today is private," Jay informed him, looking especially cool in his red-rimmed sunglasses. "So don't worry. Turns out, you can pull strings when you're friends with the king of Auradon."

"I'm pretty sure helping save the entirety of Auradon at least twice might have helped," Chad offered, twisting his hands together in a nervous tell.

Jay paused, then barked out a laugh, like he hadn't expected that. "Maybe," he allowed, a blush spilling over the bridge of his nose.

Despite the confirmations of privacy, Chad still felt a little on edge when Jay pulled around the back of a small shopping boutique.

"We have the shop for the morning," Jay said, locking the car in an easy movement and waving towards the sales associate who was waiting for them at the back door. "They agreed to open up early for our use."

"O…kay," Chad said, trying not to twitch because Jay was still holding his hand, and even though that was a thing he enjoyed, he was surprised that the Agraben was comfortable to be seen doing it with him. "What are we shopping for?"

"Fairy Godmother said you weren't able to bring a lot with you," Jay explained easily, and Chad was beginning to wonder when Jay and Fairy Godmother had gotten so buddy-buddy. "So I figured I could get you some of the summer necessities. Evie and Carlos set me up with this spending account thing – bottom line, I have more money than I will ever know what to do with, so I figured – you know, presents." He offered Chad a comforting grin over his shoulder. "And hey, better me than Evie, right? She'd make you try on everything in the store."

"That's… very nice of you," Chad settled on as he took in the boutique, one of the higher end ones suited for people of the upper society, though it seemed to be entirely out of Jay's wheelhouse. "But I can get my own stuff, and I don't really need that much, so I um- haven't been."

"Right," Jay said, and then he was dragging Chad into a more secluded corner of the store near the accessories – woven hats and sunglasses and posh beach bags. "Now, I think that might not be true." Chad froze, because Jay was entirely correct, but he wasn't sure how Jay had come to this realization. Thankfully, the other teen continued, happy to explain it to him. "See, I bought into the excuses of you needing to study as to why you never joined us on fieldtrips and only came out with the team for dinner like, every once and a while. That seemed fair, but one time, I um- I caught you counting money in the locker room when I doubled back to get a bag Carlos left, and you didn't have much of anything."

Chad tensed, his cheeks flooding with a humiliated heat.

"At the time I blew it off as you not being responsible with your allowance or whatever princes have," Jay continued. "But Aziz made me realize that the spending money you Auradon kids get usually comes from your family, and your family…"

He trailed off when Chad's eyes began to get hot, his lips pulling low in a reflexive frown despite his attempts to remain neutral.

"They don't give you anything," Jay rightly deduced. "Anytime you came out with us, all that stuff you got for Audrey – you earned that yourself. You had to."

"It's fine," Chad said, because it was behind him, because there was nothing to be done for it. "I have plenty."

He hadn't taken any dress commissions since he'd returned, so maybe he didn't have much of anything, but Queen Belle kept sending him presents and Fairy Godmother took care of anything he could possibly need at home, so it wasn't like Chad was struggling for anything, not like how some of the Isle kids had been.

"You don't have enough though," Jay said, his expression stormy. "You deserve- Chad, you've been doing so much for all of us, helping out Ben and Mal, helping out the orphans – and you do all that for free. We – Evie and I – thought for sure Queen Belle had actually hired you, but she said you refuse to accept any kind of payment and funnel anything she tries to give you back into the Isle kids' programs."

"I don't need it as much as they do," Chad insisted, feeling embarrassed. "I'm fine. I have all I need."

He'd tried to chip in for groceries or utilities with Fairy Godmother and gotten shut down with a stern look, so he mostly channeled his contributions to her into new yarn of baked goods rather than liquid assets.

"Could I get you presents, though?" Jay asked. "Because I want to thank you and you're my friend, and just- I want you to have nice things. Nice things that I got you."

He seemed stuck on this last point for some reason, but Chad tried not to dwell on it.

"You don't have to, though," Chad said, even as he was nodding. "You don't have to buy away your guilt-"

"I couldn't do that if I tried," Jay said, squeezing his hand. "Humor me? Please?"

Chad sighed. "Okay," he said. "But please don't tell the others. They'll think I'm taking advantage of you or something."

Jay scoffed. "You couldn't do that if you tried."

But Chad could do it to Ben, once upon a time. At least, an alternate form of him.

It wasn't worth thinking about. At the very least, the shopping trip proved to be an immediate distraction as Jay set about claiming clothes for Chad to try on. There was something about knowing Jay had selected things with Chad in mind that made them a bit more special. Most of the options were in Sardinia blue, but a few were crimson – Jay's color – and the other teen seemed just as bashful about handing them over as Chad was about trying them on.

The trip ended with an array of casual clothing Chad had been depleted of – khakis and jeans and colored pants, shorts and short sleeve button ups and jackets. There were a couple swimsuits and tank tops despite Chad insisting he didn't need either, but then Jay distracted him with sunglasses and shoes and-

"Jay," Chad groaned as the Agraben deposited the shopping bags in the trunk of the car next to a set of preexisting bags. "I promise, I don't need this much. And what are those?"

"Lounging clothes," Jay said. "Fairy Godmother said you've been wearing your slacks to work from home."

Chad flushed. "There's nothing wrong with slacks."

"There is when you should be comfortable," Jay muttered, holding up one of the new bags and rifling through them. "Congratulations, you are now the owner of funky pajama pants." He held up a set in light blue and crimson plaid, making Chad's breath catch slightly while Jay flushed under the heat of the afternoon sun. "There are also soft shirts, fluffy socks, and a couple of sweaters. Mal decided it was mandatory for each of us to have a host of comfortable clothing to retreat to should we need it, and I've decided that also applied to you." Before Chad could reply, his mind swimming with the thoughtfulness of it all, Jay pressed on. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry, we should go get food."

"Jay-" Chad began, because he hadn't eaten out in public in weeks, and he was pretty sure the last time had been with Audrey.

"In private!" Jay cheered, tugging Chad back into the car.

They ended up in a private room on the second story of a café, eating soup and sandwiches and drinking iced tea while Jay showed Chad a variety of texts he'd received from the others in the few hours he'd been with Chad. For whatever reason, he'd chosen to sit next to Chad in their private booth rather than across from him, making the entire affair seem more intimate than he'd likely intended.

"And here's Mal complaining more about wedding stuff," Jay said, sighing. "Are you sure you don't want to give planning the thing a shot? We could still keep your identity a secret. She wouldn't have to be involved."

Chad just sort of blinked at him. "It's her wedding, Jay," Chad pointed out. "I'm pretty sure she has to be a part of some of the planning process."

"True," Jay said. "Or, hear me out- I work with you. I've known Mal for forever – I know what she likes. I could help you narrow down options and then present the short list to Mal for her to choose. I could be your intermediary! Hell, I could even volunteer to plan the damn thing if you actually do the nitty-gritty amazing stuff your mind does like- inherently."

Chad flushed, and not just because Jay's arm was draped across the top of their seat, making it almost sort of curl around his shoulders. "You give me too much credit."

"According to Queen Belle, I could never possibly do that," Jay hummed, nudging part of the lava cake they were sharing closer to Chad. "Just think about it, if you'd like. You are totally worthy and capable of planning a badass wedding for Mal and Ben."

"If I didn't have to take credit for it…" Chad began, thinking it over. "And I wouldn't have to talk to them? Either of them?"

Jay canted a look at him, usual humor fading into something more serious. "Not if you didn't want to."

"I- maybe," Chad allowed, heart thumping in his chest. It hurt, the prospect of Ben getting married, even if Chad knew it was inevitable, even if the king was getting married to one of the coolest ladies he knew. It hurt, but he wasn't sure if distance would make things better. Mal wanted his help whether she knew it or not, and maybe contributing to things from a distance- maybe doing this for Ben could give Chad some kind of closure.

Chad would give Ben the world if he could. Had, in a way.

Would it really hurt less to keep his distance? At least if he was in charge of planning things, he could seat himself by Fairy Godmother and Queen Belle. Who knew where he'd end up otherwise.

"Okay," Chad said, making Jay pause. "I'll um- well, you'll do it, right?"

Jay stared at him for a hard moment, his expression unreadable. "I will," he said. "But only if you want, Chad. You don't have to agree now. I wouldn't stop hanging out with you."

Chad felt his cheeks heat. "I didn't think that," he insisted. "You wouldn't do that."

Jay seemed to relax, and maybe that made his arm fall slightly, had it actually pressing against the length of Chad's shoulders with a casual air he hadn't gotten since the other world.

"Just to be sure," Jay said. "Evie always says it's better to be painfully clear than to leave things a mystery."

"Evie is a wise woman," Chad said, hands fidgeting against his fork. "So I'm not surprised."

Jay took him to a movie after lunch. Even if it was the summer, a weekday post-lunch still left the theater mostly empty. They sat in the back just to be safe, Jay shoving up the armrest between them so they could both sit more comfortably.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like," Jay explained honestly. "But I figured everyone loves romantic comedies."

"You're not wrong," Chad said, holding onto Jay's explanation and trying not to dwell on the fact that the other teen had willingly brought him to a date movie.

He knew, distantly, that Jay was trying to make up for lost time. The Tourney guys got together to watch movies on the weekend every once and a while but Chad had never had the money for it, not when he needed it for school supplies and fabric and books. It was a good movie, filled with snark and quips and eventual happy endings. Halfway through it, Jay had grabbed Chad's restless hand and twined it in his own, but that was just so Chad would stop fidgeting, so Chad really needed to not make a big deal over it, even if it was really nice.

It reminded him of Ben. Other Ben, not his- this-

Alternate realities really were confusing sometimes.

"Where to now?" Chad asked when Jay got them back on the road, the Agraben steering them towards the less-inhabited parts of Auradon.

"Secret," Jay chirped, only half an hour later he had them changing into beach clothes in a park restroom, despite them not being anywhere close to the beach.

The answer to Chad's confusion came another fifteen minutes later, when Jay dragged him to none other than the Enchanted Lake.

"Ta da!" Jay cheered, urging Chad down towards the stone dais. "I know the last time you were here wasn't the greatest-" Since that was when Chad was taken hostage. "But I thought maybe we could make up for that? Spend some time floating in warm, magical waters?"

The last time Chad had actually been there was with Ben and the others, with the brunette begging Chad not to finish the book, not to go through with things, because what they had was supposedly so very perfect. He couldn't help but stare at the spot where the book had fallen, so close to the water's edge because Ben had attempted to ruin it, had been eager to undo Chad's work because he supposedly loved the blond so much.

And now it was all gone.

"Hey," Jay said, sliding in front of him until his line of sight was blocked off. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Chad shook his head, turning his attention back towards the water. "Yeah, we can- we can um- float."

"We don't have to do this," Jay said, his tone gentle. "You don't have to follow every suggestion I have. We could just as easily go back to Fairy Godmother's cottage."

"She said not to return before dinner," Chad said, shifting uneasily. It was an easy rule, he didn't want to break it.

"She would understand if you wanted to go back," Jay said. "We could hang out in the living room, maybe watch some Tourney-"

"No, you- you wanted to do something nice for me," Chad said. "I don't- I'm not going to ruin that."

"You wouldn't ruin that by being sad," Jay said, moving in front of him again, both hands shifting to brace against Chad's shoulders. "You face this shit when you're good and ready and not a moment before."

"I'm ready," Chad insisted.

"No, you're not," Jay said, his brows set. "I'm sorry, I should have thought this through better. Who knows what shit Audrey did to you while she was possessed by that scepter."

Chad flinched. "It wasn't- it wasn't that bad."

"There wouldn't be anything wrong with you if it was," Jay said, bring Chad's world to a halt. "I know you wanted to protect Audrey, but it isn't going to do you any good to ignore the traumatic acts that might have happened when you were being held hostage."

Chad floundered, one hand fumbling for Jay's fingers, if only to feel a bit more grounded. "It wasn't that bad," he repeated. "But um- maybe she- she threatened a lot of stuff and that was… that was scary."

Chad had been in Audrey's clutches for about seven hours. She couldn't spy on Mal for all of them. Sometimes she wanted to test the depths of his affection, and even though he'd been eager to please her at the time, there were moments where things had gotten intense.

It had been a long seven hours. The two of them he spent locked in the closet were probably the best, for all that he'd been terrified out of his mind.

Belatedly, he realized he was shaking, and he found himself fumbling towards Jay, curling into him with a tight hug in a desperate bid for comfort. The Agraben relented to him easily, dragging Chad close as he trembled, trying not to stare up the hill, where Audrey had taken him, or down at the shore, where Ben had begged.

"She can't get me, right?" Chad asked, feeling desperate. "She can't- I don't- I don't want to see her again." He felt his eyes fill up with moisture again, for all that he'd known things were done with Audrey, he hadn't realized the extent until this moment. "I don't want- Jay."

"You don't have to see her," Jay soothed, running hand down Chad's back. "I'll talk to Evie, maybe we can get a restraining order set up or something. No one would blame you for it."

Chad let out an ugly sound that was suspiciously close to a sob. "I wanted- I wanted her so much," Chad sobbed. "I did so much for her, and now I don't- I wasted so much time."

"It's okay," Jay soothed, nuzzling Chad's curls. "It's okay, Chad. You figured it out. You realized you deserved better and you got out. It doesn't matter how long it took, what matters is that it happened."

"I just feel stupid," Chad croaked. "Or- stupider, I guess."

"You're not stupid," Jay hissed. "She took advantage of you. You were desperate for your own happily ever after – I get it. I felt the same way when I came over."

"And you got it," Chad sniffed, wiping pitifully at his cheeks. "Just like you deserve."

"Well..," Jay began, one hand shifting to cup Chad's jaw, offering the blond an understanding smile as he helped the prince wipe his tears away. "I would say I'm almost there."

"You're missing something?" Chad asked with a blink, because Jay seemed to have everything worked out. "Is it Lonnie?"

Jay froze, seeming surprised. "Not, it's not Lonnie," he said, continuing to rub small circles on Chad's cheek. "It's actually-"

"Jay?" Carlos' voice called from up the path, and it was enough to jerk Chad's head out of the Agraben's hold, the blond looking up to see Carlos and Jane just up the path in their own swimming attire, staring down at them with twin looks of confusion. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great, Carlos," Jay said, detangling himself from Chad and shifting easily to stand in front of the blond. "I thought you guys had a meeting with Ben and Evie."

"Ben had to cancel," Carlos said while Chad frantically tried to compose himself. "So we rescheduled for tomorrow. Figured we'd get in some private time while we could."

"Then don't let us bother you," Jay chirped, reaching an arm behind him so that it wrapped around Chad's waist. "We'll just get out of your hair."

Before Carlos could reply, Jay teleported them back to his car, trying not to sigh at the sight of Carlos and Jane's Mopeds parked just down the road.

"Sorry about that," Jay said, turning to pull Chad into another hug. "I should have put proximity charms on them or something. If I'd known anyone else was visiting the lake today, I wouldn't have brought you."

"It's okay," Chad sniffed, already feeling a bit better. "It was a nice thought, I appreciate it."

Jay sighed, and Chad wasn't sure if it was because the other teen didn't entirely believe him or if he was just annoyed with the situation in general. "Why don't we go back to Fairy Godmother's house?" he said. "We can unpack your new clothes."

"We've spent the whole day together," Chad pointed out as Jay tugged him back towards the car. "You don't owe me anything else. You could just drop me off. I had a good time."

"But if, you know, I wanted to stay, I could do that, right?" Jay pressed. "Because I would like to stay."

Chad didn't know why, but he had a feeling Jay wanted to make the whole Carlos/Jane thing up to him, as though that had ever been in his realm of control.

"Okay," Chad said, turning the radio back on as they returned to Fairy Godmother's house.

They got there and Fairy Godmother made no comments about their early return, simply happy to see both of them. Jay helped Chad sort the clothes into piles to be laundered and dry cleaned, and they started the first set of laundry before dinner, which Jay stayed to help him make.

It was weird. Domestic. Comforting.

Chad was afraid of how much he liked it, but Jay was just trying to be nice, so Chad figured he could go ahead and enjoy the nice thing.

And then after dinner Jay just… didn't leave. He wound new balls of yarn for Chad and Fairy Godmother while they worked on their respective projects, and afterwards Fairy Godmother got him started with his own set of knitting needles, and maybe the loops were a little uneven at first, but Jay's dexterous fingers quickly got into the flow of things.

"You could stay the night if you'd like, Jay," Fairy Godmother offered after their nightly shows had ended. "It's always a pleasure to host company."

"I think I'll take you up on that," Jay chirped, and that was how the other teen came to use Chad's bathroom, came to borrow some of his clothes before he plopped himself down on the foot of Chad's bed. "We can just share, right?" he said, motioning to the modest full-size bed.

Technically two people could fit on it, but the people in question were Chad and Jay, who were both rather muscular humans as it was. Chad should say no, should offer to sleep on the floor or the couch, but in truth he'd missed sharing his bed with someone, and if Jay was offering, Chad wasn't sure how he could be expected to say no.

"Okay," Chad said, turning on the nightlight Fairy Godmother had gotten him after his third night terror before dimming the lights and sliding into the guest bed after Jay.

"Do you like cuddling?" Jay asked, opting for the direct route. "Because we have always liked cuddling, but if you want space-"

"I like cuddling," Chad said, feeling his cheeks heat with embarrassment.

"Cool," Jay said, without any kind of judgement. "Let me know if I do anything you don't like. For real."

"Okay," Chad promised, pulse jumping when Jay curled around his back, just like Ben had- old Ben, and now Jay was- his Jay-

Immediately, he found his body relaxing, everything seeming to sort of slot into place.

"G'night, Jay," Chad mumbled, his hand curling on top of Jay's own.

"Goodnight, Chad," Jay murmured into Chad's curls, the warm feel of his body the last thing Chad processed before he drifted off to sleep, easier than it had been in weeks.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Jay is just- he is trying so hard. He is going to continue trying so hard, but in this moment, all the effort is going in, baBY.

Story notes:

I'd like to state here and now that Evie didn't explicitly say that Chad cried, it's just that she and Mal have known each other for way too long, and Mal's way too good at reading between the lines for her to miss that. Just in case you were feeling mad at our lady, Eves.

Chad sitting there, surprised Jay will let people see them holding hands. Jay sitting there, wanting everyone in the world to see them holding hands and assume they're dating because this is his chance and he is not blowing it.

Until next time :)