Chapter 27 – A Culmination

-:-:-

Chad spent the majority of the ride back to their apartment crying into Jay's shoulder, trying to get a hold of whatever vestiges of control he had left and failing miserably in the wake of the conflict of extreme emotions crashing over him.

"It's okay," Jay soothed, running hand through Chad's hair and having the other cover the palm Chad still had pressed against his chest, the blond trying desperately to ward off the pain growing there. "It's going to be okay. We're here for you, you're not alone. We're not going anywhere."

"Why?" Chad managed to croak halfway through it, Jay repeating the same words of affirmation until he felt like he was going to go crazy. "Why, though? N-No one else stayed."

"Because they were fucking stupid," Uma snapped from where she was cradling his other side. "You're worth more than anyone has ever given you credit for, and just because no one else figured that out doesn't mean we haven't. You're crew now, blondie, you're mine, and I do not forget what's mine."

"You can take my word for it!" Gil cheered – he, Aziz, and Harry sort of crouched by their feet, none of them wanting to stay separate in the wake of what had just happened. "There would have been a lot of times where it was easier for Uma to just get rid of me 'cuz I'm not smart, but she kept me around anyway! She even kept me and Harry out here, and we're not that useful."

"You're super useful," Chad sniffed, wiping at his cheeks frantically so he could give Gil his full attention. "You're sweet and supportive and Harry's passionate and loyal-"

"And you're kind and thoughtful," Uma pointed out, echoing the words Gil had said earlier, almost like they'd discussed this before. "You learned we were essentially homeless and demanded that we live in your penthouse. I wanted to pay you rent and you started crying. Chad, I know you've put us all up on pedestals for some damn reason, thinking there was no way you could ever be on our level, but you have always been our equal, you have always been worthy of our attention and friendship, and if you'd let us, we'd like to date the hell out of you."

"Which we probably should have asked before we started making declarations in front of half the young royals of Auradon," Aziz spoke up with a flush.

Predictably, Uma waved him off. "Heat of the moment. We can always play off the gossip as something else if Chad doesn't want to date us."

"Of course I want to date you," Chad sniffed. "I just- I'm a fuckup, though."

"No, Harry's a fuckup," Uma said over the first mate's responding sputter. "But we love him for that, just like I'm pretty sure you love him for that, like I'm pretty sure you love all of us but you're too afraid to say it."

Chad didn't know if what she said was true. Ever since his wayward crush on the other Ben had blossomed into something deeper he tried very hard not to look over his interpersonal relationships beyond anything that could be considered platonic. He had been so certain there could never be anything more. The mere prospect that there could be felt terrifying.

"What if I don't mean it?" Chad asked, his voice tight as new tears falling down his cheeks. "What if I don't love you enough?"

"The way Audrey didn't love you enough?" Uma countered, never one to back away from the harsher facts of life, making Chad flinch despite himself. "The fact that you're worried about there being a power imbalance, that you're worried about putting us in a position that you were stuck in – that already proves that you care. That you're this torn up about the prospect of hurting us… sweetheart, I know you wouldn't hurt us intentionally. We all know that. Just like we know you can't help but want to take care of us and make sure we're fed and happy and comfortable without expecting a damn thing in return. Because you're not used to getting it, you've been conditioned not to get it, but if you'd give us the chance, we'd like to give it to you."

It seemed too good to be real. Chad wasn't prince of everything, this wasn't the other world where he'd done everything right to justly earn their affections. Here, he'd made the worst first impressions, he hadn't done anything noble or grand of lifechanging, and yet they'd grown to love him despite this. Them, some of the people he most greatly admired, people whose attentions he had never considered himself worthy of earning.

They actually wanted to date him, for real. They actually wanted to love him.

They wanted him.

It was enough to leave Chad crying again, overwhelmed and overjoyed and still aching with the sting of Audrey's everything.

"I'll probably cry a lot," Chad managed in between gasps. "This isn't like, a sometimes thing – I'm always a mess. It might get annoying."

"We also have trauma, blondie," Uma replied evenly, like this was in any way equivocal. "You don't have a problem working around our issues, why would we care about yours?"

"But-"

"No," Harry snarled, seeming unable to hold his silence. "No. Ye fucking order us food specifically so we can hoard it in our room or give some to our crew. Anytime I wreck a training dummy or break a mirror ye replace it without saying shit about it except asking if I'm okay, and if ye know I'm too mad to talk ye'll just make my favorite dessert or put up some videos of Gil and Uma."

"You don't mind explaining things to me multiple times," Gil said. "You helped me build a special hidey hole in our closet I can retreat to when things get to be too much. You never stand behind us and you always make noise so you don't accidentally sneak up on us and you share Fairy Godmother."

"You give me all the information I need," Uma said. "Because you know it will make me rest easier. You give me a breakdown of every ingredient that goes into a recipe, profiles on everyone we interact with. You don't care about my magic or our scars or our past or the fact that I enchanted your king to try and take down the barrier."

"To be fair, Mal did that too," Chad sniffed. "It doesn't really seem fair that she gets a pass and you don't."

"The point is, we all have trauma," Jay pointed out. "And you help work through ours with like, the epitome of no judgement, so if you cry or have nightmares or need to hide, we don't really care, we just want to be there for you. Because yes, there's a lot of bad stuff, but we're not going to let it get in the way of the good stuff."

"Aziz?" Chad asked, because until that point, the other prince had been quiet.

"Fuck, Chad," Aziz said, running a distracted hand through his hair. "You completely turned my life upside down. I was miserable, sobbing my heart out in a public park despite knowing I could get swarmed by paparazzi at any moment and you dragged me back to your apartment and made me my favorite drink. You cuddled me when I was too scared to ask for comfort, you made us see that we could love more than one person and the world wouldn't end just because it wasn't the go-to standard. Maybe we're greedy for wanting this, but mostly, I just think we're lucky, that the six of us could be fortunate enough to care about each other on such a deep level." A light flush dusted his cheeks. "I realize I might be a little presumptive with that-"

"Evil, Aziz," Uma muttered, undoing the top few buttons of his shirt and motioning for Harry to start biting up his neck. "We're not Auradon kids – we're from the Isle. We don't just sex up who the fuck ever. That kind of thing is the ultimate extension of trust. Most of us weren't allowed the liberty of exploring that part of ourselves on the Isle, it was too risky, so doing anything like that is a bit fucking deal. Practically akin to a marriage proposal."

"It is?" Chad asked, because in the other world, they seemed to trade off so easily. It had never seemed like a big deal, but then again, maybe things had also been different on a fundamental level.

"Oh yeah," Gil said, offering him an easy grin while Harry started marking up Aziz's collarbone. "We didn't say anything about it because we figured things were different out here, but that's why it was such a big deal to Harry when you helped him out during his flu."

"And Jay didn't help clarify things," Uma muttered. "Pulling us in for double dates and alluding that you two were interested in pursuing carnal relations beyond the scope of what a normal Auradon double date would entail."

Chad blinked, catching the moment Jay flushed in his peripherals. "Is that what he told you?"

"Jay," Aziz said, managing to pinch the other Agraben's knee while Harry worked up the curve of his neck.

"It was the only way I could think to get them to show up!" Jay said. "And with the way Harry was acting, I was pretty sure it wouldn't happen. I just- Chad seemed so excited at the prospect of setting Aziz up with you guys."

"For some damn reason," Aziz muttered. "I hated it, thinking Chad didn't want me."

"He didn't know he could want you," Uma muttered, combing a hand through the prince's dark locks. "That was beyond the scope of his understanding."

"He just wanted to set you up with some badass people to make up for Lonnie," Jay added. "It didn't occur to him that he was also a badass person, or that either of us could legitimately want to date him."

"Wait," Chad said. "This whole time, you guys- you wanted to date me?"

"Very much," Jay said. "Light, Chad, don't you remember that shit I said to you at the barrier celebrations?"

Chad was more impressed that Jay remembered that since he'd been so drunk, but- "You meant that? You weren't just teasing me?"

"Of course I wasn't teasing you," Jay said, exasperated. "I've wanted to date you forever, but you were always so focused on Audrey that it was hopeless."

"But you didn't know about my grandpa until a few weeks ago," Chad said, hopelessly confused.

"Chad," Jay began, somewhat pained. "There were always glimpses of the real you under your mask. Your dedication and attention to detail and the cute way you nitpicked rules and your obsessive cleanliness and- yes, I didn't always want to date you for the same reasons I do now because I didn't know you, but I have always felt inherently drawn to you."

"And we all fucking knew it," Aziz said, Harry pausing his efforts so he could watch the conversation unfold. "We just thought maybe it was part of Jay's default flirtatiousness."

"Now you know otherwise," Uma declared. "And I wanna hear more about that grandfather thing later."

"Oh." Chad blinked. "It's um- not new, just- the reason he got arrested was because he abused me, but Duke Adam said we could keep that a secret from the public so um- that stays here."

"Fucking hell," Aziz said, his face crumbling. "First Audrey, then your grandpa-"

Chad flinched, but Uma was already cuddling him. "That's not your fault. Neither of their decisions are your fault, nor is it your fault that you were targeted. We know a thing or two about shitty family members, we get it."

"And we'll help you through that too," Gil said. "The same way we help each other."

Harry cleared his throat. "Which is but one of the many bonuses ye can get if ye date us, not that ye wouldn't have it as friends-"

"Smooth, Hook," Uma chuckled, causing the first mate to flush.

"I'm trying to seal the deal here," Harry muttered.

"Oh wow," Chad said, finally seeming to get it. "You'd actually be sad if I said no. You'd- you'd be…" And for whatever reason, that made him tear up, but he was pretty sure that was from happiness.

"Yes, sweetheart," Uma said, nuzzling his shoulder while Jay pressed kisses to his hair. "We would be very sad if you said no, but we'd understand and support that decision, and we'd never stop loving you because of it."

"Can I record you guys saying that?" Chad asked, thinking of the videos he did for Other Ben. "If you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Uma said. "In fact, I think we'd all benefit from some videos to reference when we're feeling low."

"And it's okay if I don't always have sex with you?" Chad added. "Because I'm demisexual, so um- even though we do have strong bonds and I am sexually attracted to you, my body's not always up for receiving attention, but I like giving it, or watching. That doesn't mean I don't care."

"Chill, blondie," Uma soothed. "We know. And that is perfectly okay. Princess forwarded us a bunch of articles and shit about the different types of sexuality for my crew to read. To be honest, labels aren't all that important to us – what matters is if you're comfortable and happy, and as long as that's happening, we're good."

"I wanna date you," Chad said, and it scared him, how true that was. "I care about all you guys, I'm just- I'm afraid of doing a bad job."

"You're not going to be Audrey," Uma said, getting to the root of the issue. "You couldn't be like her if you tried. And honestly, you're already a good boyfriend to us and you don't even officially have the title, so I wouldn't worry about things. Just keep doing what you're doing."

"Except, ye know, now ye can hold our hands in public and shit," Harry offered, ducking his head bashfully.

"What he said," Uma murmured, giving her first mate a fond grin. "So, everyone onboard for dating?"

"She asks, after she has publicly declared it," Jay drawled with an amused smile.

"You are welcome for that," Uma said, reaching over Chad to swipe at his head.

"I'm onboard!" Gil chirped, getting them back on track. "Harry is too."

"And me," Jay said, melting into Chad's side. "And so is Aziz."

"Aziz is so onboard he's about to bust out of his pants," Harry murmured into the sensitive skin just under Aziz's ear, making the prince whimper.

"We are having a heart-to-heart, Harry," Aziz whined.

"Which is what makes it so naughty, yeah?"

"I'm onboard," Chad said, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt. "I want this. I want to be your boyfriend. I want this to be forever."

A pause, and then Uma was smiling. "Done," she said. "Now let's leave the past behind and move on to a new, glorious future."

"Bet you're glad I invited you on that double date now, aren't you, Harry?" Jay smugly asked the first mate as he moved to undo Aziz's slacks.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry muttered as he coaxed a breathy moan from the prince. "Fucking brag about it."

"Don't worry," Gil hummed, looking blissfully content as he rested his head against Jay's knee. "He will."

-:-:-

Uma teleported them directly into the penthouse once they arrived in the safety of their private garage. It wasn't much of a surprise that they immediately parted to change into comfy clothes before they relocated to the living room so they could cuddle while Aziz and Harry put on a show for the rest of them.

"Good?" Jay asked as Chad curled against his chest- his boyfriend's chest, Uma perched in Gil's lap as though it was her own personal throne, her fingers neatly twined through Chad's.

"Very," Chad confirmed as Harry managed to coax that particularly lovely whine from Aziz's throat, his flush spilling down his chest and body trembling as the first mate teased him without providing any kind of proper relief.

"Harry," Aziz whimpered, his hands curled around the top part of the chaise lounge while his legs were spread wide, straddling the base of it while Harry continued to dote on him with light teases and compliments that left him twitching against his stomach. "Harry, please."

"We just need to get a look at ye, love," Harry said, his own cheeks coated in a dark flush. "You're so pretty like this."

"He's pretty all the time," Gil spoke up, making Aziz chew on his bottom lip to stifle a gasp.

"And so bashful," Uma purred, wearing a look of open delight. "What would you like, Aziz? How would you like him to make you feel good?"

"I wanna kiss him," Aziz said, blush intensifying at the admission. "And um… could I touch him? While he touches me?"

Uma's grin widened. "I think Harry would like that a lot, sweetheart."

And thus, Aziz was allowed to card his hands through Harry's hair and clutch onto his sweatshirt while the first mate stroked his length, he was able to sneak a hand under his shirt and trace the firm plains of his muscles until Harry started shivering.

"Like it when his majesty gets a hand on you, Harry?" Uma prompted with a knowing look. "You gonna make a mess in your pants?"

Harry flushed. "I will no-ot," he drew out with a groan, sending Aziz a startled look when the prince seemed to start toying with his nipples, the prince offering a shy grin in response. "Aziz."

"Like that?" Aziz asked, and maybe Harry was the one that ended up sprawled out on the chaise lounge, Aziz perched over him as he rucked Harry's shirt up under his armpits, all of them watching Aziz bite and pinch Harry's nipples until a telling wet spot strained at the groin of Harry's sweatpants. "I didn't realize you were so sensitive."

"It was mostly my doing," Uma declared, seeming proud of this. "Sort of a mix of punishment and reward for making me and Gil wait so long."

"Aziz," Harry croaked, his entire face red. "Please, love-"

"It's okay, Harry," Aziz soothed, capturing the panting first mate's lips in a kiss before he shoved Harry's sweatpants low, exposing a pretty, wet length. "I just need you to…"

He rutted them together in a tentative movement that left Harry crooning, and with the excitement of the evening it wasn't a huge surprise when both of them fell apart not long after, Aziz sure to continue teasing Harry's pert nubs while they moaned into each other's mouths.

"Note to self," Jay said, somewhat dazed. "Buy Harry nipple clamps."

"I don't know what those are, but I like the sound of them," Uma said before they descended upon their two boys, working to get them cleaned up before they could all properly cuddle together on the large couch.

Eventually, they got to the point where they had to bear witness to the greater fallout from the evening, which had them splitting up to look through their phones for any messages they may have missed during their break.

"I'm so sorry, Chadwick," Duchess Belle said when he answered her call. "I didn't know Benjamin had invited Audrey; I would have warned you otherwise." It was a thoughtful notion, though Chad was confused as to how she had realized that would have been something he wanted. "Fairy Godmother mentioned your breakup," she explained as though hearing the unvoiced question. "Though if I had realized how badly things had ended, I would have had the guards keep a closer eye on her. And I especially wouldn't have allowed her to bribe the DJ."

Oh, so that had been Audrey then. At least that was one question answered.

"It's done, now," Chad said, wincing at the still fresh memory. "Hey, at least no one asked about my grandfather, right?"

"You don't need to try and make light of this," the duchess murmured, her voice kind. "I realize this was the kind of scene you were trying to avoid, but what happened wasn't your fault. I'm already working with Queen Snow to get ahead of the public response, and while we can't control every opinion, we'll make sure that your new relationship is covered in a positive light."

"I- thank you, your ladyship," Chad said, overwhelmed by her generosity. "I can't thank you enough."

"This isn't a favor, it's my duty," Duchess Belle said, making Chad pause at the passion in her voice."The truth is, I failed your mother all those years ago. She was a wonderful woman, and we allowed her son to be hurt due to our own grief. A few dinners and luncheons couldn't make up for that, even though I thought it was enough. You're so much like her, Chadwick. Your mother would be so proud of the young man you have become."

"Do you really think so?" Chad asked, because he'd never met his mother. They didn't have many pictures of her back at the castle, he didn't really know much of anything about her at all, except that she'd apparently been so wonderful that her loss had sent his father spiraling into depression.

"I know so," Duchess Belle said without an ounce of hesitation. "And no one – no ex-girlfriend or wicked grandfather – will ever change that. You can quote me on it."

Chad gasped, too tired to tear up but still overfull with a certain amazed happiness. It was times like this that he was glad he'd put the world back in order, because things might have seemed fine in his Other World, but it didn't have the light that was Duchess Belle, and that would forever in itself be a crime.

"Thank you," Chad said, trying to urge as much sincerity into the words as possible so she would never doubt them. "I know this is probably out of line, but I love you, Duchess Belle."

"I love you too, Chadwick," she said, voice rife with fondness. "And you are always welcome at Auradon Castle – you and your partners both. We have a suite for you in the royal quarters whenever you need it."

And maybe at that point Chad got a little bit shaky, but thankfully Harry was there to hold him up, to cuddle him close until Chad could fully process the conversation.

There were other things, of course. Despite the tight regulation around digital devices, some young royal had still managed to capture a photo of their standoff with Audrey. Chad could only be grateful that it wasn't a video, could only be grateful that Audrey looked angry rather than tearful, which would make it seem less like they were attacking her.

In the picture, Uma was squaring off against the princess with Aziz at her shoulder, Harry flanking her other side – the lot of them acting as a defensive wall while Jay and Gil comforted Chad. Jay was close enough that their foreheads seemed to be tilted together, one of Jay's hands cupping Chad's cheek while the other covered the palm on Chad's chest, and if the blond had doubted Jay's commitment, that photo would have sealed the deal, because there was no hiding the open concern and genuine affection in Jay's eyes while he tried to hold Chad together.

Chad himself… well, it wasn't great for the united kingdoms to see him have a breakdown, but at least he looked sort of artistically sad rather than like the pathetic mess he'd felt like.

"Okay, so some schlubs tried to critique us for having a group relationship – acting like we're all crazy or whatever, right?" Uma spoke up as she flicked through her phone, the captain walking a steady path up and down their living room. "But for the most part, people aren't having it. My crew's yelling at people, our fans are arguing for us – all the VKs and your friends at Auradon Prep and their families are stepping in to defend us – even Fairy Godmother has given an interview talking about what a lovely couple we are, and how we'd been keeping it private to avoid this kind of outcry."

"Which is awfully generous of her, considering the fact that we just got everything figured out," Aziz said, scrolling through his own feed. "Get this – when the whole criticizing polyamory thing didn't take off, there were some arguing why Chad would have dumped Audrey in the first place, and man has that just sort of… exploded."

"Exploded?" Chad asked from his perch in Gil's lap. "How so?"

"Your classmates are coming out with stories about how she treated you," Uma replied. "Or, more accurately, about her mistreatment of you. Most are confused that you stuck with her."

"And all of those are supportive of your breakup," Jay added. "The common statement being that people shouldn't give you shit for making a healthy choice."

"Which is what I fucking said," Uma muttered under her voice before moving on.

Eventually, Aziz had to pause checking his social media to take a video call with his parents.

"Mama, baba," Aziz greeted, trying his damnedest to pretend that things were absolutely the same as normal. "How are you?"

"Don't 'mama' and 'baba' us," Sultana Jasmine said, her tone the epitome of unimpressed. "Fairy Godmother gets to know about your new relationship but I have to find out secondhand from your sister? Who found it out from an acquaintance?"

Aziz winced, and Chad decided to take pity on him, sliding next to the other prince and offering Aziz's parents a shy wave. "That was mostly my fault," he said, making Aziz blink. "We were taking things slow to keep from freaking me out. We actually didn't start officially dating until tonight, but Fairy Godmother was kind enough to cover for us to make it all seem less haphazard." Which might undermine the sanctity of their relationship to her somewhat, but it needed to be said. "Aziz would never intentionally leave you out of the loop, Sultana Jasmine. He loves and respects you guys too much to do so."

Sultana Jasmine considered him for a moment before her expression melted into a smile. "I'm glad to hear that," she said. "And I'm glad that Aziz has found new people to entrust his heart to."

"Both of us are," Lord Consort Aladdin added. "Though we do hope you know what you're getting into. You know how the press can be when greeted with unique concepts it hasn't addressed before."

"We know, dad," Aziz said. "We understood the risk, but this- it feels right. It feels better than being with Lonnie ever did, as much as I cared for her."

"We're very happy with each other, Sultana Jasmine, Lord Consort Aladdin," Chad spoke up, feeling his cheeks heat in a light flush. "We understand that Aziz is a treasure, and we will never forget his value."

"We talking about treasures?" Uma drawled leaning over the back of the loveseat to stare over Aziz's other shoulder. "Long story short, your majesties, Aziz is one of us, and if anyone fucks with him-"

"You will not give us any details," Lord Consort Aladdin said with a wide grin. "So as to give us plausible deniability."

Uma cackled. "We'll take care of him. And I know you probably don't immediately trust the word of a bunch of VKs-"

"I trust the heroes of Auradon," Sultana Jasmine interrupted. "But more than that, I trust the ones my son has given his heart to."

"With that said, there is an obligatory 'meet the parents' phase you're supposed to take before moving in with each other," Lord Aladdin chirped, making Aziz groan in his seat. "Yeah, think we didn't know about that? Fairy Godmother called us as soon as you started showing up for family dinners."

Aziz flushed. "I wasn't dating them then!"

"But you were in the process of getting there," his mother said, making Chad flush with secondhand embarrassment. "At least, that was the feeling you gave her. We've had many conversations about it, since my own son-"

"I thought the poly thing would freak you out!"

"Do you know how many weird adventures we've gone on?" Aziz's father pressed. "We're not that old school, Aziz."

"We'll give you a pass this time," Sultana Jasmine said, cutting off the argument before it could get started. "But we will be having your partners over for a visit before school starts again – assuming that works with your schedules Captain Uma, Prince Chadwick."

"I can make that work," Chad said, shifting uneasily at the prospect of meeting Aziz's parents, despite the fact that he'd definitely talked to them before, and had even gotten one pity dinner out of them after a Tourney game that had taken place on Chad's birthday. His father hadn't come, which wasn't a big surprise, but he'd been hoping…

Well, at least he'd spent his birthday with other people. That had been a nice change of pace.

"Me too," Uma said, and if Chad wasn't mistaken, she was also blushing. "Just send Aziz the deets and we'll make it work."

"Lovely," Sultana Jasmine said, seeming to mean it. "We look forward to meeting you."

"Likewise," Uma admitted with a grin.

And Chad, maybe he got lost watching Aziz watch Uma interact with his parents, the prince's expression full of a distinct awe that Chad must have been missing all these weeks, or maybe Aziz was just being more open about it now because they didn't have to hold back. They didn't have to fight part of themselves anymore, they could just have this.

Which, in truth, was sort of terrifying, but for the most part was entirely liberating and lovely.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Everyone who was bracing themselves for drama – hope you enjoyed last chapter!

As for how everyone else is going to take this… next chapter, you shall see ;)

Until next time :)