Chapter 21 – Jay

-:-:-

Chad was reluctant to wake up when his alarm clock went off the next morning, frowning as he curled Ben's hand closer to him, eager to soak up at least a few more moments of delicious contact before they had to get up and greet the day.

"I can hit the snooze, but only if you let go of my hand," Ben chuckled from behind him, nuzzling into Chad's hair.

"You and your logic," Chad groused, reluctantly letting go of the other prince long enough for him to end the infernal racket that was his alarm clock. "Whoever invented alarms is stupid."

"Noted," Ben laughed before re-wrapping his arm around Chad's waist. "Better?"

"Almost," Chad hummed, letting his fingers tentatively cover Ben's lanky ones. "Could you…?"

He trailed off with a flush, eyes closed as he urged Ben's hand lower, letting it settle between his legs. It had been a long time since he'd had this, though he couldn't remember why. Maybe they'd been busy. Fuck, he could feel Ben's hardness grinding against the curve of his rear, and Chad eagerly rutted back against it, trying to offer what encouragement he could.

Ben's body seemed to freeze for all of a moment, like the other prince was embarrassed or something, before he tentatively groped Chad, shifting his fingers in slow, deliberate movements before he tentatively rutted up against the blond.

"Yes," Chad gasped, biting at his bottom lip as he coaxed Ben's hand into his sweatpants. "Right there."

"Here?" Ben rumbled, firm hand cupping Chad's length through the material of his underwear, and the heat and strength felt so good that Chad couldn't help but shudder, felt himself getting wet and straining against soft fabric.

"R-Right there," Chad moaned as Ben's hand seemed to roam everywhere, determined to feel him out. "Ben," he whined, shuddering against the teasing onslaught. "Please."

Ben's hand stilled, his hips seeming to pull away from Chad for some reason. "Ben?"

"Yeah?" Chad's eyes fluttered open as he turned to get a look at the other prince, puzzled by his confusion, and came face to face with Jay of all people.

Jay, wearing his clothes. Jay, on the guest bed at Fairy Godmother's house, because he'd spent the night. Because he'd shared a bed with Chad in the real world, not the fake one, and Chad had urged his hand down his pants-

"I'm sorry!" Chad tugged Jay's hand away and sat up, cheeks flooding with humiliation as coherency slammed into him with a relentless brutality. "I'm so sorry, Jay- I didn't- I thought-"

"I was Ben," Jay finished, sitting up with an unreadable look.

"Please don't tell," Chad gasped, humiliated tears building in his eyes. "I promise, I didn't mean to. I'd never- nothing would have ever- please don't tell." He was crying now, because he couldn't help but be pathetic. "Please, Jay, please. It was an accident; I didn't mean to."

"Hey." Jay's voice was calm, easily cutting through the growing chaos of Chad's thoughts. "It's okay. Everyone has a crush on Ben. He's a cool guy."

Chad managed not to sob because a crush seemed so juvenile, but he was weak so he sort of ended up sputtering instead, which was not even slightly attractive.

"Please don't cry," Jay said, wrapping an arm around Chad's shoulders and dragging him against his side. "Please. It's okay for you to have normal, hormonal reactions. It's okay for you to have sex dreams and not be entirely coherent in the mornings. That's okay." When Chad sniffled uselessly again, Jay cursed, then dragged Chad into his lap. "Chad, please, give yourself a break. You are not the only person in the world with a hopeless crush on Ben, alright? I have a crush on that dude, but nothing is ever going to come from it so if anything, I relate to your position one hundred percent."

Chad paused, surprised by this confession. "You have a crush on Ben?"

"A hopeless, hopeless crush," Jay confirmed, a light flush spilling across the bridge of his nose. "He gets me hot and bothered all the time – that's what he gets for being so fucking nice and hot, it's a damn insult." Chad giggled, unable to help himself, and Jay lit up, happy to push on. "It doesn't mean I'm ever going to do anything about it. It doesn't mean I'm not happy for Mal or that I don't support her relationship. I support all of my friends' relationships – this just means I'm human." He nuzzled Chad's curls, petting comforting patterns against his hip. "You don't think I'm awful for liking Ben, do you?"

"No," Chad said immediately, wiping away his tears with his overlong sleeves. "But-"

"No buts," Jays aid. "That means you can't possibly be awful for liking Ben either. It just makes you another victim of his charms."

Chad laughed at that, because the version of Ben he had fallen for was so rough around the edges. But he'd been endearing and sweet, and Chad could only be human. Weak. Vulnerable.

And apparently, Jay was too.

Who'd have thought it.

"Thank you," Chad said when his face was clear, his panic calmed enough so that he could flop his head against Jay's shoulder. "I'm sorry about that, though." He paused, a new thought occurring to him. "Why'd you play along?"

Maybe Chad had put him in an awkward position, and Jay had thought that was the best way to get out of it or something. But Jay didn't seem like the kind of person to be socially pressured into doing something.

"Because you're my friend?" Jay said, seeming flushed that he had to explain this. "I'd be honored to help you feel good."

"Oh." Chad blinked, because he guessed it really could just be that simple. "I'd be honored to help you feel good too," he said, and he didn't even feel bashful about it. "Are you still hard? I could jerk you off."

"Evil, Chad," Jay blustered, his flush darkening. "I mean- I um- I appreciate that-"

Chad shifted until he realized Jay was still hard, though granted, not as much as he'd been before, and the blond got to work slipping out of his lap, shoving the Agraben back down on the bed until he looked up at Chad with wide eyes.

"Do you want help?" Chad asked, gaze flickering down to the slight bulge between Jay's legs. "I'd like to return the favor."

"You don't have to feel obligated, though," Jays insisted, breath seeming to come faster. "That's- I'd still be your friend-"

"Jay, I know," Chad groaned, deciding to take some initiative and pulling the Agraben's pants down his thighs. "Now trust that I'd like to make you feel good. If you want, and only if you want-"

"I want," Jay said, seeming breathless.

Chad beamed at him. "Let me know if I cross any lines, then," he chirped, echoing Jay's words from the previous night before he pulled Jay's underwear down, flushing as he got an up-close view of the Agraben's length. "You're very pretty Jay," he said as he wrapped a tentative hand behind the sensitive flesh as it stirred more to life, happy to twitch beneath his fingers while Jay let out a wounded noise. "I'm just gonna-"

"Chad," Jay whined as the blond began to pump him in earnest, trying to reclaim part of himself.

Never in a million years did he think that he'd get his Jay beneath him like this, but he found it was a satisfying feeling. He might not ever have this with Ben again, but Chad found he enjoyed treating Jay almost just as much, liked how the other teen was incoherent and uncomposed for once as he whimpered and rutted eagerly into Chad's hand, growing bigger and wetter with each pump and grind.

This must have been the first time Jay did something like this, because it didn't take him long to get to his breaking point.

"Chad," Jay gasped, his cheeks flushed and lips parted as he dragged in desperate pants of air. "I'm gonna- I-"

"It's okay," Chad soothed, pushing Jay's shirt up his chest so it rucked up under his armpits, which would hopefully minimize the mess. "You can let go, Jay. I'd like you to let go."

"Chad," Jay croaked, biting down vicious on his bottom lip as he fell to pieces, pulsing hard in Chad's fingers as he spurted fresh beads of slick all over his chest. "Ah- ah," he whined as Chad pumped him through it.

It was only when he had nothing more to give that Chad started cleaning him up, making sure to be extra diligent, the way Ben always was with him, though maybe he might have done too good a job because Jay was halfway back to interested by the time he was done.

"Oh, boy," Chad blinked, teasing the head of Jay's length in careful movements. "I think we're gonna need to hit snooze again."

"Chad," Jay whined, but he'd done a good job of being Chad's friend without asking for anything in return, so if Chad could pamper him, he was going to do so.

"Don't worry," Chad said as he got back to work again. "I've got you."

-:-:-

He stripped Jay's shirt off for the second round so they wouldn't have to worry about ruining it, which granted Chad with a lovely vision of the Agraben half-naked, chest heaving and flush spreading down to his pectorals. Chad lost a few seconds staring at his dark nipples, pointed and smeared with his own release, something that made a distinct heat settle low between his legs.

"Chad," Jay moaned, mostly naked with his pants shoved down his thighs, his hair spread around his head like a sort of dark halo. If Chad was one to watch pornos, he was pretty sure this was what they'd look like, with Jay seeming almost as eager as the other version of Ben – so willing and pliant under Chad's hands. "Please."

"Come for me," Chad ordered, feeling emboldened by Jay's response. "I wanna see you fall apart again, Jay – you feel so good in my hand."

Jay whined, his length twitching hard in Chad's grip as new streams of clear slick spilled from the head of his length, dripping down in teasing shifts until they smeared against Chad's fingers.

"You like that?" Chad asked, grinning in delight. "Do you like compliments? Because I'm only telling the truth. How gorgeous you look right now is an undisputed fact."

"Chad." Jay's legs flexed wide, hips seeming to rut reflexively into Chad's hold as his length sputtered hard.

"Ben really is missing out," Chad said. "Ben and Mal. They'd be lucky to have you."

Jay bit down viciously on his bottom lip to keep a wrecked croon from spilling from his throat as he fell apart again, Chad eager to guide him through it. And maybe he worked a hand into his own pants, teasing himself once, twice, before he found his release as well, coming hard in his pants.

"Wow," Chad gasped, collapsing happily next to Jay's spent form as he gave the Agraben a few teasing pumps. "Thanks, Jay."

"You're thanking me?" Jay panted, head tilted back with a dark flush when Chad continued to tease him. "You- Chad."

"That is my name," Chad hummed, joint feelings of pride and satisfaction settling in his chest. He'd done this. He'd made Jay feel good. Made him speechless. "If we had more time, I'd clean you off in the bath." Jay whimpered. "But you've got to get to camp soon."

That was what had him reluctantly pulling away from Jay, had him grabbing up tissues so he could clean the other teen once more.

Jay cleared his throat, letting out tiny gasps when Chad worked to clean him. "Do you need help?"

"I took care of myself," Chad admitted with a bit of a flush. "Made a bit of a mess, but I don't mind."

"Evil, Chad," Jay groaned after Chad had finished his task, the blond working Jay's clothes back up his legs. "You can't say stuff like that."

Chad tensed, eyes going wide. "Did I do something wrong? I thought-"

"No, no," Jay interrupted, sitting up with a flush while his hand curled around Chad's. "You did everything right, just- that's my own dumb shit. I wasn't expecting you to be experienced with dudes."

"Oh." Chad flushed, because the only reason he had any kind of experience with guys, the only reason he was used to it and looked forward to it, was because of the alternate version of Ben. Otherwise he'd probably be freaking out. "I might have figured some stuff out," he admitted. "Does that bother you?"

"Fuck no," Jay said, so immediately it made Chad laugh. "I just feel bad for not returning the favor."

"Another time," Chad said, waving him off with a flush. "Come on, let's get cleaned up."

Little did he know, Jay was going to hold him to that.

-:-:-

As pleasant as their day and the morning that followed had been, Chad figured that would be the end of things. Jay had done his obligatory gesture of friendship – he'd gotten Chad presents and held him while he cried and hadn't freaked out when Chad had urged his hand down his pants. Overall, things were as good as they could be, were certainly more than Chad had ever hoped to receive, so he hadn't expected much from Jay going forward aside from the occasional text.

As was the case for most things in Chad's new life, he was not correct.

With Jay's parting, the day had returned to its usual status quo – Chad contacting vendors and assistants and other staff members to create the outlines for the newest events under his oversight. Cogsworth sent his regards for a ball well handled by way of an obnoxiously grand gift basket that Fairy Godmother wouldn't let Chad donate, and the two of them were going to indulge in some of the offered chocolates after dinner.

He and Fairy Godmother were in the process of creating said dinner when there was a knock on the door, and despite Chad's reservations, Fairy Godmother sent him off to answer it with a pleased smile.

This confused Chad for all of two seconds until he opened the door to reveal Jay, a duffle bag hooked over his shoulder and color-coordinated lounging clothes dressed on his frame. Chad himself was wearing some of the gifts Jay had gotten him – the blue and crimson plaid pajama pants paired with an overlarge long sleeve t-shirt since he didn't have any video conferences that day.

"Looking good," Jay greeted with a flutter of his fingers. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Chad said, hastily moving to the side when he realized he'd just been standing there.

"Thanks," Jay said, depositing his bag at the foot of the stairs before he wandered into the kitchen. "Need help with anything?"

"If you could grate the cheese, that would be most appreciated," Fairy Godmother chirped, and then Jay got to work, despite the fact that Chad was very much still in the entryway, wondering what the hell had just happened.

Well, it wasn't like he was going to say no to more company. May as well roll with it.

With a shrug, Chad re-locked the door and joined the others in the kitchen, grinning at the way Jay considered the grater and his block of cheese with a narrowed focus.

"Always a pleasure to have more company," Fairy Godmother sang as Chad settled back behind the cutting board. "Do you have any new stories for us tonight, Jay?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Jay said before launching into a story of Squeaky and Squirmy's latest misadventure.

It wasn't- it wasn't like the other world, but this was better, Chad thought. Because this little slice of happiness, he was pretty sure he'd get to keep it. He wasn't afraid of it, so he latched onto it gratefully, chiming in on Jay's stories every once and a while just to see the other teen laugh.

Yeah, things were pretty good. At least for now.

-:-:-

Dinner was easy, but Chad wasn't surprised. Jay had a natural charisma about him that made it easy to listen to him talk, made every story more interesting than Chad could have ever sold it, so by the time the meal was over, the kitchen still seemed to echo with the sounds of their laughter, filling Chad with a pointed feeling of warmth deep in his chest.

Post-dinner they moved to the living room, where Jay had no issues joining them once more – reclaiming his project from the night previous as they got to work, watching what had become 'their usual shows' by way of the soap operas Fairy Godmother saved up during the day, and they had a lot of fun spitballing potential storylines while they worked on their projects.

"I think it's the evil cousin," Jay hummed knowingly. "I'd bet my life on it."

"They don't have a cousin," Chad giggled, sharing an amused look with Fairy Godmother.

"Yet," Jay sang before they all devolved into another string of giggles.

"Do stay the night," Fairy Godmother tutted in Jay's direction when they broke apart for the evening. "I insist."

"Well." Jay flushed, like his duffle bag wasn't already at the foot of the stairs. "If you insist."

Chad was happy to herd Jay up towards his room, closing the door behind them and grinning at how Jay flopped himself across his bed. "So, what would you like to do?" Chad asked as he hovered by his desk. "Reading? TV? Making out?"

"Evil, Chad," Jay sputtered, his flirtatious disposition entirely abandoned so he could look up at Chad with wide eyes. "You can't just say that."

"Sure, I can," Chad hummed, walking over to the bed and, when Jay didn't react, moving to straddle the other teen's legs. "We're adults, we can be entirely honest about friendly acts of intimacy."

"Chad," Jay whined, reflexively rutting up against Chad's groin. "I um… I mean, I'd like- I always enjoy-"

"Sit up so you can kiss me, Jay," Chad ordered, grinning when the Agraben moved to do just that.

Kissing Jay was different than kissing Ben of course, the other teen entirely more tentative than Chad had been expecting. Chad had seen Jay kiss Lonnie before back when they were dating, he knew the Agraben could be in charge and confident, but here and now he seemed unsure. Maybe he hadn't kissed a dude before, maybe Chad was his first, but despite that, he still seemed to enjoy things, settling his hands on Chad's hips and rutting them together in slow, easy movements while they traded kisses that became progressively more fluid.

"Chad," Jay gasped as he urged the blond closer to him, Chad obliging with a happy smile. "Chad."

"I'm here, baby," Chad murmured, nuzzling the sensitive spot just under Jay's ear, the way Lonnie had that one time after a Tourney game. "You're doing such a good job for me. Feel so good. Are you getting nice and wet?"

"Chad," Jay croaked, stricken, like Chad's words hurt him, like he wasn't prepared for such a thing.

"I need to check," Chad hummed, wasting no time easing a hand into Jay's pants and palming the warm flesh that strained against his underwear. "Oh, you are getting wet." He gave Jay a deliberated squeeze, grinding down his palm and reveling in the way his length seemed to twitch, urging new beads of slick to stain his clothes. "Yeah, Ben would like this."

"Fuck," Jay hissed, throbbing in Chad's clutches again. "Please, Chad- please."

"I don't know," Chad hummed, continuing to tease Jay. "I think I want you to soak these bad boys through. I think I want you to get them sopping wet so I can peel them off and get a feel for what Ben's missing."

Jay shuddered beneath him. "I don't think I can last that long."

"You could try, couldn't you? For Mal?" Chad asked, earning another strangled sound from Jay.

Chad helped, of course, helped Jay out of his shirt so he could start sucking on his neck, so he could kiss down his chest and start biting at his nipples while he continued to fondle his length with insubstantial touches.

Jay held on as best as he could, getting more and more flushed as time went on. "Chad, please Chad," he panted, hips rutting up into his hand. "Please, I'm so wet, I'm already so wet-"

"You really are," Chad agreed, feeling himself twitch hard within the confines of his clothes. "Can you imagine what Ben would think of you waiting like this? Leaving this for him to find – he'd growl and strip you down right there in front of everyone."

A shift of his hand, and Jay fell apart, biting down hard on his lips as he spurted hot beads of slick within the soaked fabric of his underwear.

"Like that?" Chad asked as he rewarded Jay with gentle kisses. "They might give it to you, if you asked. Mal likes you."

"Let's not get crazy," Jay panted, whining when Chad continued to fondle the mess of his groin. "Chad."

"It's okay," Chad soothed, pushing Jay back so he was sprawled across his bed once more. "You did great, Jay. Allow me to reward your patience."

"Chad?" Jay asked, breath hitching when the blond dragged off his underwear, going painfully still when Chad nuzzled his groin before the blond started licking him clean. "Light, sweet- fuck."

"I've got you," Chad soothed, continuing to lap up Jay's flavor, and maybe he had never expected to do this, but getting it now, having Jay panting underneath him while Chad coaxed him back to life- It was nice.

And then Chad got his mouth around Jay, who was a little smaller than Ben, and Chad got to feel connected to him in an entirely new way.

Jay lasted even less time than he had when Chad was jerking him off.

"You should not know how to give blowjobs," Jay panted when Chad pulled off him with a wet pop. "How?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Chad rasped.

"Can I will my way into your pants?" Jay asked. "You're not the only one who um- who knows how to- I just want-"

"You can blow me," Chad said, somehow managing the words without being flustered, and it was sort of flattering how fast Jay crawled between his legs, nuzzling eagerly at his groin before he licked Chad into his mouth and hot damn had he not been lying.

"G-Good boy," Chad said, placing a reassuring hand on the top of Jay's head as he got to work. "Your mouth feels so good, baby, you look so sweet-"

Jay moaned around his length, making Chad shudder, but it was worth it in the end because Jay came just from rutting against the mattress, came with Chad's length in his mouth, and Chad was a part of that. A friendly, supportive part of that.

"Ugh," Jay groaned when they were done later. "You are killing me."

"But I'll always bring you back," Chad hummed. "Hey, wanna share a bath or something? It's not huge-"

"Yes." Jay didn't even hesitate, and Chad giggled as he was dragged into his own bathroom, Jay not so much as pausing for them to collect a change of clothes.

So all in all, it was a nice evening.

-:-:-

It seemed that once they fed him, Jay was happy to keep coming back. Happy to partake in the Chad/Fairy Godmother evening traditions, always eager to retire to Chad's room at the end of the night, blushing with an air of bashfulness whenever Chad took charge, which was flattering in its own right. When Chad asked Fairy Godmother if the added company bothered her, she sent him an amused look and informed him that she welcomed Jay's presence, and he could come over whenever he liked.

Which was good, because Jay seemed to feel the same way.

Two days became four, became a week, and suddenly evenings with Jay became Chad's new normal that ended with healthy sexual explorations between friends. It was hard for Chad to say no when Jay bit at his lip like that, despite the fact that Chad would never turn him down anyway.

"You know," Jay spoke up one night when they were working on dinner. "I got an offer to Auradon University."

"Didn't you get an offer from everybody?" Chad asked, distracted as he chopped the onions. "They all wanted you on their Tourney teams, but I don't blame you for picking Sherwood Forest, they do have the best program."

"Right," Jay said, fidgeting with his sauce pan. "You got recruited to the Auradon University team, right?"

"Yeah," Chad said. He'd gotten a few offers, though not as many as Jay, despite his supposed talents. Most likely assumed he would be going straight to Sardinia University, but his grandfather was on the board of enrollment there, so that had stopped being an option for him a long time ago. "And their Swords and Shields team." He offered Jay a grin. "Guess we'll be going head-to-head at some point, but not this year, right?"

"What?" Jay paused, giving him a surprised look.

Chad felt himself flush, because now he had to own up to shamelessly eavesdropping during the barrier celebrations. "I mean, you and Gil were gonna travel the world, right?"

"We were," Jay said, details seeming to come back to him. "But we decided to um- save that for a summer thing so we wouldn't fall behind in school. We'll set out next May."

"That's awesome," Chad chirped. "Be sure to take lots of pictures. And wear sunscreen! People forget sunscreen, but it's important."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jay chuckled, making Chad grin. "Anyway, I was thinking about going to Auradon University instead of Sherwood."

Chad paused. "What? Why? Sherwood has the best program."

"Right," Jay said. "And that's what I thought too, but all my friends are here. They're all going to Auradon University. Even Ben and Evie are taking light course loads from them. I just thought maybe the universe is trying to give me a hint or something."

"Well," Chad began, trying to organize his thoughts. "Auradon University is the second-best Tourney program. So you're really not losing anything. And hey, maybe your presence will be enough to push it over the top."

"Maybe," Jay said, offering him an appreciative smile. "If I do stick around, though, I was thinking of getting a place of my own. Not that I don't love Evie's, there's just a lot of people there. And they're great people-"

"Hey, I get it," Chad assured him. "Sometimes you need space to yourself."

"Right," Jay said, his shoulders slumping in relief. "Except maybe not entirely to myself." At Chad's inquisitive look, Jay continued, "I was wondering if maybe you'd want to be my roommate? I've really enjoyed reconnecting with you, and with both of us on the Tourney team…"

"I… yeah," Chad said, feeling his cheeks flush. In truth, he hadn't thought much as to his future rooming situation. His scholarships covered room and board, so he would likely be in the Freshmen dormitories. "I mean, I'd like that."

"On that note," Fairy Godmother said, speaking up for the first time since the conversation had changed. "I've been working with your father to get your housing situation settled for school, Chad. You're always welcome here, of course, but I thought perhaps you might like your own space. We found a nice penthouse apartment that caters to royals, so the security should be more than adequate when you want to get away from it all." She gave him a soft smile. "Your father, of course, will pay for everything."

Chad blinked sort of dumbly, because his father hadn't done anything like that for him… ever. "Are you sure?"

Something in Fairy Godmother's expression hardened, but it didn't seem to be the doubt Chad had in her. "Yes, sweetheart," she said. "I'll show you the paperwork myself. And again, I'm not rushing you out the door – your presence will be required at least twice a week for family dinners – but if you and Jay would like a little privacy…" she said this as though she knew what they got up to behind closed doors, and considering the amount of noise they made, she probably did. "I thought this was a nice compromise."

"I'll pay rent," Jay offered, a dark flush spilling across the bridge of his nose.

"You'll do no such thing," Fairy Godmother tutted. "You will hold onto your hard-earned money and both your names will be on the lease. It will be your home, not a temporary place to rest your head."

"Home," Jay echoed, taking the words in with a swallow. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Fairy Godmother said, fluttering over to Jay and giving his head a fond ruffle. "For being such a good friend to Chad. You're always welcome here, Jay, though if you ever break Chad's heart-"

"I won't," Jay hissed, embarrassed enough to make Chad laugh, and what the hell, he went ahead and took a picture of Jay's expression, made all the sweeter by the way Fairy Godmother beamed in the background.

-:-:-

"There's a pool?" Jay asked, looking out onto the terrace with an expression of awe, taking in the wall garden hanging next to the glass doors that led out onto the patio and the extensive wooden pool deck, complete with sun loungers and a covered wet bar, a barbeque and a hot tub to seal the deal, because some royals really did need everything.

"Swimming is a great form of exercise," Fairy Godmother chirped as they took in the outdoor space. The building had been designed with the utmost privacy in mind, so even if they were technically outside, there wasn't anyone who would be able to see them. "Your father's assistant has informed me that they've already vetted someone to maintain this space – though of course if you'd like to take care of the garden yourself, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"I'd like that," Chad admitted with a flush. He'd gotten too used to maintaining the garden at Fairy Godmother's cottage. It left him aching to bury his fingers in warm dirt, perhaps the only time he'd willingly get himself messy – the prospect of kindling something to life too strong for him to ignore.

"Your suite comes complete with four bedrooms, a study, a private gym, laundry room, and a handful of lounges outside the main living space," Fairy Godmother explained as she ushered them inside. The private entryway of the penthouse led to a combined living room/lounge/kitchen, with additional hallways splitting off of that. There was also a private dining room and pantry attached to the kitchen, though Chad wasn't sure how much they'd make use of it. "Do you like it?"

"It's big," Chad said, looking over the space – stylish and high end, something that almost seemed to be out of a magazine. "And very… fancy."

Fairy Godmother's cottage might be on the smaller side, but there was no question that it was a home, a place that was designed to take messes and hold projects and gladly welcomed their aching feet after a long day of work.

The penthouse felt a bit like living in a magazine, and Chad feared for the places it might take him.

"Yes, it is a bit impersonal, isn't it?" Fairy Godmother said, looking over the artfully selected knickknacks. "Don't worry, I have recruited reinforcements to fix that particular issue. The building manager has already given us the okay to paint as we will, and she'll be sending up a team to collect all the furniture to be sent to storage, assuming you would like to live here."

"They'll take the furniture?" Chad asked, tearing his gaze away from a sleek-looking couch he was sort of afraid to sit on.

"Yes," Fairy Godmother chirped. "You two deserve to have your own space, and that includes a home with furniture you are actually comfortable with. So we will be doing some shopping, but no worries, your father will be covering that as well."

"That's nice of him," Jay said, likely feeling awkward by his happenstance of benefiting from the generosity of Chad's father.

Chad didn't blame him, he was still struggling through that himself. "I've never picked out any furniture before," he said eventually, just so he could break the silence.

Fairy Godmother beamed at him. "Now's a good time to start."

-:-:-

Fortunately, when Fairy Godmother said 'reinforcements', she really meant Evie in full planning mode. Chad could throw together an event with some basic guidelines, but designing his home space was an entirely new prospect for him, so he was eager to follow her lead. Evie was the one that sat them down and asked them about colors, that showed them pictures and got them to commit to the style of furniture they liked.

Jay's bedroom ended up with a real Agrabah feel – luxurious draperies combined with extra pillows and rich colors. Chad's room had a more whimsical feel to it – prominently sporting Sardinian blue, but with added splashes of gold and pink for Fairy Godmother that made him smile hopelessly every time he looked at the accents. Pink might be Audrey's color too, but this felt right, like he was reclaiming it for himself, and he loved it. Everything had its place, everything was tidy, but there was enough color and pictures and homemade blankets to make it actually feel like a room he could live in.

The rest of the apartment became a bit of a rainbow, both Chad and Jay happy to feature the colors of all their – well, all of Jay's friends. The living room was distinctly Mal's – with its plum accent wall and rich velvet couch littered with green cushions. Jane was present in the kitchen with light cabinets and pink kitchen accessories. They did the dining room over in Hanover blue and red and one of the lounges in Carlos' black and white. The study they dedicated to Ben, making Evie smile at the custom blue and yellow desk chair and curtains they put up, and the pirates were given the storage system in the gym – bright colored cubbies in teal and purple for Uma, brown and gold for Gil, and red and white for Harry. The lounge by the study Chad dedicated to Doug, countering the mossy green that was Doug's family colors with the navy and silver of Erebor – the dwarf kingdom his family was from.

The end result was probably a bit of a monstrosity, a complete explosion of colors done as tastefully as possible, and Chad absolutely loved it. He couldn't help but beam hopelessly at the fabrics Evie had custom designed for them – the materials showing up in specially-ordered chairs and pillows, in curtains and couches and there were even quilts and throw blankets and brightly colored rugs, and as if that wasn't enough, Evie and Fairy Godmother worked together to create dozens of different photo collages that they hung around the penthouse. Pictures of the Core Four in all their different activities, pictures of the pirates exploring Auradon. Pictures of Ben and Chad when they were kids, of Fairy Godmother and Jane. Pictures of Ben and his parents.

A picture of Chad's mom, one he hadn't seen before, and that caught him so off guard that he couldn't help but stop and stare until Jay pulled him into a hug, reassuring Chad that his mom deserved the very best place of honor.

By the time they were done, the penthouse was exactly to Chad's specifications – clean and colorful and homey, and the lot of them broke in the kitchen with eager fervor, Chad insisting on cooking up satisfying meat pies that even Evie scarfed down – to hell with manners.

"Thank you, Evie," Chad said when the two of them were working side-by-side to clean the dishes. "I can't thank you enough. This is amazing."

"I felt that way too when I first got my cottage," Evie chirped, bumping her elbow against his. "You deserve this Chad, and I'm more than happy to help."

To avoid sounding like a broken record, Chad moved on, feeling his cheeks flush darkly. "You're welcome any time," he said. "But if you could keep this a secret from the others- at least for now-"

"Say no more," Evie hummed. "You share this space when you're ready and not a moment before then."

"Thank you," Chad said, smiling in relief, smiling because he'd finally had a space that was distinctly his own, and better than that, he got to share it with Jay, which was pretty cool in itself.

Things really were looking up.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Yes, Jay *did* decide to take the Ben way out of things. Here's to not-so-great minds thinking alike.

No joke, according to Google shopping there are 'gift trunks' filled with expensive chocolate that go for upwards of $559.99. Crazy talk, my peeps. Crazy.

Until next time :)