Chapter 26 – The Ball

WARNING – references of non-graphic punishments in the first scene, see endnotes for more details.

-:-:-

Of course, it wasn't all fun and sex. Eventually, it was intimidating balls Chad hadn't helped plan at all, and while he knew the layout of Auradon Castle inside and out by this point – from its secret passages to the servant quarters to the emergency exits only known to a few – to say he was afraid would be a bit of an understatement. He knew he'd gotten used to people treating him with a casual sort of fondness not unlike what he'd received in the alternate world as prince of everything. He knew he sort of had friends that seemed to genuinely care about him, that the majority of his past interactions had been easy to maintain, but that was entirely because he was doing them with people who knew about his trauma. People that were willing to extend a measure of empathy or sympathy or pity, to take the time and think past the mask he'd worn during high school.

That was not going to be the case for most royals. Most were going to expect him to be Chad Charming, the doofy – if somewhat entertaining – airhead who was desperate for Audrey's affection. Some would be curious about his grandfather's arrest, others would likely pity or hate him for being Audrey's 'henchman'. Audrey hadn't made any public statements about their relationship ending, and Chad sure as hell hadn't said anything, so they'd likely also expect him to go on about her to some degree, and Chad wasn't looking forward to dealing with the fallout when reality diverted from their expectations.

"It's going to be okay," Jay said as Aziz's limo drew up to Auradon Castle. "We'll stick together, it'll be fine. We'll have some snacks, do some dancing-"

"And stick to the buddy system," Uma said, always one to have a definite plan of action. "We stick in pairs of two at all times."

"What if someone asks us to dance?" Chad pressed, because he knew no one would legitimately desire that, but dancing was a prime opportunity to pump someone for information, and they were all of a high enough social standing that it would be rude to turn down an invitation around the floor.

"Your buddy will take care of it," Uma said, seeming to think it would be that simple. "If you freak out and feel the need to retreat entirely, message the group chat. Having our information as up-to-date as possible is vital to the success of this mission."

Somehow, Chad's unease had transformed into a full-blown operation for managing a simple ball, prompting Uma to develop and have them memorize several backup plans. The VKs had been invited specifically by Ben because of their status as the heroes of Auradon, and the ball was supposed to be a prime opportunity for them to network with the young royals of Auradon and gather more support for the refugee programs. Chad had tried to warn them that they would likely be targeted by the more adventurous royals looking to emulate Ben for their own happy ending, something that Jay eventually had to break down for them when it didn't seem to get through.

"They're gonna flirt with you a lot," the Agraben explained from his own first-hand experience during their initial planning meeting. "We are something unlike anything they've ever experienced before, so they'll probably fancy a shot at trying to woo you. It happened to us a lot once we took the oath to be good."

"Fucking call me out, why don't you," Aziz muttered with a dark flush, ducking his head bashfully.

"Asshole, I couldn't get you to date me if I tried," Jay said, making Aziz flush more. "The whole 'son of my parents' villain' thing combined with the guy-thing-"

"I'm sorry," Aziz groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"None of that," Jay said, sliding Aziz into his lap with a squeak and immediately undoing his fly. "The point is, we got there, but the other royals aren't like you, who kind of understand us. It will be more of a status/thrill/romanticized notion thing for them."

"Jay," Aziz groaned when the Agraben slipped a hand into his underwear. "We are having a planning meeting."

"If you didn't like putting on a show so much, we wouldn't have to take so many breaks," Uma cheered, making no effort to criticize either teen before Jay got to work jerking Aziz off.

The day of the ball, they'd taken care of their sexual urges in the afternoon to take an edge off their anxieties (for Chad) and be a bit more relaxed (everyone else). By the time they finished getting ready and loaded into the limo though, Chad was back to swallowing a tight bundle of nerves, even though he was trying to school himself into his familiar mask of easygoing harmlessness. He hadn't used it in the other world that much because it wouldn't have been expected of him, and he hadn't bothered to use it since he'd come back because he hadn't been in public.

Now, though, he just needed to not look like a pathetic mess, so dopey, relaxed grins were where it was at.

"What are you doing?" Jay murmured into Chad's ear as they drew closer to the castle.

"Trying not to look terrified," Chad whispered back. "I haven't had to do this in a few weeks."

"You don't have to do it now," Jay pointed out. "Just be yourself."

Just being himself had ended with him sobbing in Evie's garden, which was something he would definitely prefer to avoid repeating. He was pretty sure most of his peers wouldn't have the same patience available to dedicate to him.

"There a problem?" Uma asked, perpetually alert, which meant she didn't miss Chad trying to fall back into familiar safety measures. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Trying not to look terrified," Chad repeated, sighing as he gave up on the half-vague grin he was pretty sure he hadn't mastered anyway.

"Hold Jay's hand," Uma ordered. "And know that if anyone gives you shit today, we will punch them in the face. That is a promise."

"You can't just-"

"If they get punched by a hero of Auradon, they will probably look super shitty," Aziz spoke up innocently. "Just saying."

"Good point, baby boy," Uma said, making the prince flush. "You have earned yourself a tentacle ravishment when this is all over."

"Light," Aziz said, shivering next to a predatory looking Harry. "You are not helping my patience."

"Oh no," Uma drawled, the epitome of deadpan. "How wicked of me."

"That's it," Jay chuckled, sliding an arm around Chad's shoulder. "Get it all out now."

They left the limo in pairs, Uma taking Harry's arm while Aziz followed with Gil, the two of them walking with a companionable ease that indicated a solid friendship. As per Uma's orders, Chad held Jay's hand, though not before triple checking that the other teen was okay with it because there was going to be paparazzi and they'd probably be reported and published on a few gossip sites and-

"Chad, this is fine," Jay said, pressing a kiss to his knuckles before they exited the car. "What we do is none of their fucking business, and frankly, I'm okay with the entirety of Auradon seeing me get to hold your hand."

"Thanks, Jay," Chad said, instead of focusing on the way he said 'get', like it was a privilege, and Jay seemed to treat it as such as he stepped out of the limo, helping Chad out before they walked hand-in-hand up the steps of Auradon castle.

Getting to the ballroom was the easy part – they had a mission, clear guidelines, a goal. Arriving in the ballroom was where things got difficult, because now they had to mingle for an unforeseen amount of time until Ben gave a speech and then maybe there were fireworks and midnight ice cream or something before they all headed home. The Young Royal Summer Ball was always a bit more informal than the average ball, geared to allowing the young elite a chance to hang out in a semi-formal setting while indulging in some activities that would never be at a traditional gathering. This year they had a few different photo booths, and the grand doors of the ballroom were thrown open so the party could spill out into the back stone terrace where a brightly colored dance floor had been set up – blasting modern music through the speakers rather than the more traditional music that would be playing inside.

There would be trays with snacks and mocktails in fancy glasses and probably bubbles or colored sunglasses because Duchess Belle firmly believed in them getting the opportunity to just be kids, and with the tight media blackout surrounding the event, along with a strict no-photo policy (aside from the booths), they could cut back without having to worry too much about maintaining the reputations of their kingdoms at every possible moment.

"Aw, man," Uma said, grinning as she looked out onto the back terrace. "Now that looks like a party. Let's dance."

"After ye, captain," Harry said, his eyes shining with anticipation.

That was what found the six of them out on the dance floor, dancing to the modern music with enthusiastic spins and jumps, Chad safely cradled in the center of their group. They were joined by a few other royals from time-to-time – Princess Ruby for one, who was always down for a dance, and the preteen heirs of Arendelle, who never passed up an opportunity to party with their cousin. Everyone seemed more focused on dancing than questions, so Chad allowed himself to have a good time, happily busting a move with each of the others when he was given the chance.

Eventually they took a break to get snacks, the lot of them circling up in a shadowy corner of the ballroom to hydrate and trade treats while commenting on the various fashions of Auradon.

"It's nice," Harry would murmur when they were checking out some princess' dress. "Not as good as Evie's work, but still nice."

"Not like you're at all biased, huh, Harry?" Uma countered with a gleam in her eye, making her first mate mutter into the lip of his glass with an embarrassed grumble.

They hit up the photo booths afterwards – in pairs and then as a big group, all of them delighting in the different props and shimmering backgrounds.

It was when they were loading their prizes into Uma's purse that Mal made an appearance, Evie on her heels.

"Hey, you guys made it!" the queen to-be cheered, looking over their group and seeming a bit confused by Aziz and Chad's presence, though she managed to mostly hide it. "I'm glad Evie finally wore you down. You deserve fancy parties like the rest of us."

"We get it, Poser," Uma began with a roll of her eyes. "We're friends now and you think we're awesome."

"Awesome might be overselling it," Mal murmured with a mischievous glint, strong enough to have Uma roll her eyes all over again. "Jay, you loser, come dance with me!"

"Um." Jay shot Chad a worried look, but the blond nudged him on with an encouraging grin. He couldn't monopolize Jay, he deserved to spend time with his actual friends. "Okay, but just for one-"

"Three dances?" Mal interrupted. "Okay, if you insist."

And with that, Jay was dragged out onto the floor.

"Subtlety, thy name is not Mal," Uma drawled, prompting a giggle from Evie.

"She's still getting used to him having his own place," the princess explained as she tracked her friends' retreat. "The fact that she hasn't gotten to visit yet has put her a bit on edge, as little as she will admit it."

"Don't apologize," Uma ordered just as Chad was about to do just that. "It's your space and Poser hasn't been known to treat you well. She'll get an invite when she gets an invite and not a fucking moment before."

"Well said," Evie agreed with her own scattering of applause. "Though explaining Mal's… Malness was not the only reason I came over. Just wanted to warn you that Ben will definitely be asking you to dance – not only as a gesture of friendship, but to prove to the other royals that what happened at Cotillion has firmly been put to rest."

"That your way of telling me not to turn him down?" Uma asked, one brow quirked.

"Pretty much," Evie hummed. "He was following shortly behind me, so-"

"I think I um- need some fresh air," Chad said, his chest squeezing painfully. "Aziz?"

"Yeah, bud," Aziz said, settling a hand on Chad's shoulder. "Let's get back outside."

"Gil, go with them," Uma ordered, making Evie's lips turn down in the slightest frown. "Harry, you're with princess."

"Aye, captain," Harry said, making a show of offering Evie his arm, something with enough of a flourish that it pulled away from Chad's definite retreat.

By the time they were outside, Chad's heart seemed to be doing its damnedest to beat out of his chest. He knew, intellectually, that Ben would be here, that he would see him. He'd even specifically prepared for it, but just the mention of his name- The thought of it-

It left Chad panicked in ways he couldn't express.

"Want to dance?" Aziz asked, nodding towards the more casual dancefloor.

"It's probably safest," Chad admitted, knowing that lingering on the sidelines would only leave him as a sitting duck. He didn't want to dance, he didn't really want to do anything other than hide, but he had to remain calm. Or at least, seem to be calm. This was supposed to be a fun, laidback event. He couldn't act like a spaz, that would just make him more of a target for gossip.

Thankfully, Gil was there to get them pumped up. He was great at latching onto the easier things in life, great at maintaining a steady line of enthusiasm despite Chad's own falling mood. It was enough to get the blond grinning, however small, and Gil and Aziz seemed to take it as a personal challenge to raise Chad's spirits, busting out dopey dance moves until Malvin and Marsaili were jumping in on the action with their own spastic flails, which inevitably drew Ruby and James and a chorus of cheerful giggles.

It all seemed to be going well, or at the very least enthusiastically, until the music took a sudden turn from upbeat to a romantic slow dance. Fortunately, Chad wasn't the only one who drew to an awkward halt, because usually that type of music was reserved for later in the evening, after the younger royals had left.

"Some preteen bribed the DJ, I bet," Malvin declared, running a sweaty hand through his curls. "Gotta admire their gumption, I suppose."

"May as well take advantage of it," Marsaili said before snagging James' hand and dragging him off to another section of the dancefloor.

Chad paused when Malvin split off with Ruby, because it was just three of them, and he was about to consider maybe hiding in the bathrooms or something when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

"Chaddykins," Audrey purred into his ear. "There you are, sweetie."

Chad froze, feeling disconnected because as much as he'd worried about Ben, he hadn't even thought about Audrey. He hadn't realized that Ben would be nice enough to pardon her from her house arrest to allow her to come to the ball. He hadn't considered the possibility, but now that it was here he felt like he was in some kind of nightmare, because Audrey only did this when she wanted to stake a claim, when she wanted to make a statement, and never because she genuinely cared about him.

She was there, so close, as beautiful as he'd remembered her, as shining an idea as he'd always wanted her to be. She was still his perfect pink princess but he understood the discontent that rested behind those innocent features, and it was enough to have him flinching away on reflex, breaking out of her hold and retreating until he collided with Gil, who didn't hesitate to place a steadying hand on Chad's shoulder.

Between one moment and the next, Aziz was standing in front of Chad, blocking him from Audrey's view.

"What do you want, Audrey?" Aziz asked, keeping his voice low and seemingly civil, though there was a certain tension to his shoulders.

"To dance with my boyfriend, obviously," Audrey said, a slight edge beginning to creep into her otherwise dignified tone. "Get out of the way, Aziz, we need to make the most of this before I have to go back home."

"Chad broke up with you," Aziz reminded her quietly. "Just because you're pretending that didn't happen doesn't mean it's not true."

"That was just a misunderstanding," Audrey insisted with an annoyed huff. "My sweet Chaddieboy had a moment of doubt, but I'm not letting him go that easily. True love is something you work for."

The statement hit Chad in a delicate place, making something fundamental crack inside him. He didn't know how she could throw those words around so easily, didn't know how she could berate him and hurt him and use him and then try to claim him when he knew without question that he could change the entire world and still, she would not love him.

But more than that was the thought that she wouldn't let him go, that she'd keep finding him, that she'd track him down and drag him back the way she had every time he'd tried to sneak away from her in her possessed state, and sometimes it'd be like a game and sometimes she'd drag him by his hair and every time there would be some kind of punishment that varied from being target practice to being forced to wet himself or crawl around like her dog and back then it had been fine because he knew she hadn't meant it, he knew she wouldn't have done it if she could help it, except Other-Audrey proved that she most certainly would.

Belatedly, Chad realized he was crying, his vision blurred and face hot as helpless tears poured down his face. He shoved a hand to his mouth, horrified that he might start sobbing, and shuddered into Gil's hold, who'd moved to wrap his arms around Chad's waist in a sort of protective measure when the prince had started shaking.

"Never leave me, Chad," he could hear her purr into his ear. "I can leave you, I can go where I please, but don't you ever leave me."

"Chad," Audrey – the real Audrey – exclaimed, the word coming out in a familiar chastisement, like the princess was greatly put upon. "Stop crying. You don't have to be a baby about this, I know you're sorry."

"Sorry?" Aziz echoed. "Are you fucking- You traumatized him, Audrey, just leave him alone. He doesn't want to date you anymore."

"What? You think you know shit just because Lonnie dumped you, Aziz?" Audrey challenged, and slowly but surely they were garnering attention from the rest of the dance floor, the other young royals coming to a halt and turning to watch the spectacle unfold. "You're alone so the rest of us need to be miserable?"

"That doesn't have a thing to do with this and you know it," Aziz said, getting heated now. "You've always treated Chad like shit. We all know it, and he always willingly came back to you despite that. You don't get to drag him down now just because he's making a healthy choice for himself."

"A healthy choice?" Audrey spat. "Dating Jay is a healthy choice?" Her gaze shifted over Aziz's shoulder, pinned to Chad's miserable expression. "He's only going to use you, sweetheart. He'll enjoy the novelty of fucking the ass he's been staring at for the past few years and then he'll toss you to the side the way he does with everyone else. Jay's a free spirit, you have to know he doesn't actually like you."

Chad sobbed into his hand, squeezing his eyes shut to block his view of her as his other hand fumbled to press against his chest, trying to stave off the pain growing there. He could feel the phantom ache of that dark magic being ripped from him, leaving him staggered, breathless as he tried to push forward. Tried to keep breathing.

"That's rich coming from you," Aziz growled. "Just go away-"

"I deserve a chance to win back my boyfriend!" Audrey insisted.

"Newsflash," Uma interrupted, because between one breath and the next she was there – she, Jay, and Harry materializing in a swirl of energy. "He's not your fucking boyfriend anymore, he's ours, and if you don't back the fuck off right now, we'll get a damn restraining order against your psycho ass."

"Chad?" Jay murmured, the Agraben closing in to cradle Chad's front, wiping his tears away while Chad trembled in his grip. "Are you okay?"

"H-Hurts," Chad croaked, patting a shaking hand against his chest. "Jay."

"I'm here," Jay urged, cupping his cheek and looking at Chad like he was worth something. "We're here for you, Chad, and it's okay. It's okay to hurt. We're happy and proud to be here with you and literally nothing she said is true. We love you, okay? We love you so fucking much."

"We really do," Gil murmured, making Chad look up at him with wide eyes. "We know you're struggling to believe that, but you're very kind and thoughtful and definitely worthy of our attention."

"And that will not change no matter how many breakdowns you have, or where you have them," Jay continued to murmur. "Just hold on for a few more minutes, okay? We're gonna get out of here, but first Uma's going to rip Audrey a new one."

"What do you mean 'ours'?" Audrey snarled. "Are more of you assholes using him?"

"It means what if fucking sounds like, you dick," Uma snapped. "Chad's not just dating Jay – he's dating us, because we are dating each other, because fuck Auradon and its dumb default of monogamy. And that you would dare to come here, to try and make him come running after all the bullshit you put him through-"

"I was possessed by the scepter-"

"We all know you fucking hurt him outside of that," Uma growled. "I know that and I haven't watched him follow you around for years. You treat him like a backup, you get mad at him for caring about you, for not being Ben, you belittle him and use him and discard him as it suits you, and it's not going to happen anymore. He broke up with you and he's with us now." She took a menacing step forward. "Which means he's mine, and I've got issues with people who hurt what's mine."

Chad wasn't sure what happened after that, he couldn't really see Audrey, but when she next spoke, her voice was full of tears. "I didn't mean for this to happen," she insisted. "The scepter got me all messed up-"

"Save the crocodile tears, princess," Harry drawled. "No one's buying it."

Further conversation was interrupted by the crowd parting to their left, and Chad risked glancing in that direction to see the familiar visages of Mal and-

"What's going on?" Ben asked, perfectly composed and noble and solid because he'd been groomed to be king all his life, because he'd had a mother to support him, had Mal to keep him grounded.

"Nothing important," Uma declared, her tone resolute. "But I think we're about partied out for the evening. Thanks for the invitation, your majesty, we really appreciate it."

"Uma-" Mal began to speak up, but the captain and Jay were already working to teleport them away in one swift movement, landing them in Aziz's limo and startling the shit out of their driver.

"Well," Uma sighed when they settled in, Jay wasting no time to pull Chad into his lap. "That probably could have gone worse."

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Like, maybe, but most likely not.

Story notes:

WARNING – references of non-graphic punishments – Chad has a brief moment where he thinks back on the punishments Audrey gave him in her possessed state, and while he was afraid, she never did anything that caused any lasting physical damage. They're still not the most pleasant, so I didn't want anyone to be blindsided by it.

I also belatedly realized this chapter is only one scene long, so if you want a heads up for when this might happen, it's the second time Chad goes out to the outside dance floor.

Until next time