Chapter 4 – The Fall Ball

-:-:-

The Fall Ball had been a necessary evil for as long as Chad had attended boarding school. In the beginning, he had to fend off advances from enthusiastic princesses for both himself and Doug so they could go together as bros, and while Doug had always accepted this arrangement, he did seem a little embarrassed by it.

"Chad's a good friend," he heard Doug explain to Mal during one of their nights in Ben's suite. "Before we started dating, he would turn down everyone who asked him just so he could go with me, going stag so I wouldn't feel alone." He let out a weary sigh. "He was always really sweet about it too – asking me to dance, taking pictures with me for my parents – he um, even gets me a corsage and stuff."

"No wonder you guys started dating," Mal hummed, making Doug flush in a rather brilliant way, and for once Chad wanted to abandon his strategy of not getting too invested so he could sweep Mal into a tight hug.

As it was, he made sure to finger her extra well before bed that night, murmuring about all the pretty faces Evie made whenever Mal went to town on her.

"I don't know what I did," Mal slurred, seeming somewhat out of it later. "But I will do it again."

"And I will ravish you appropriately," Chad said, earning an extra special twinkle in her eye.

"You know what's stupid about this ball?" Audrey huffed at lunch the next day, the princess smiling at the array of dresses Evie had designed for each of them. "Lack of flexibility. Everything's for two people. The tickets are sold in pairs, official photos are done only in pairs – everything defers to tradition and it's stupid."

"I'm working with the schoolboard to update that," Ben said. "Aside from our own personal situation, the rest of the students shouldn't have to conform to traditional standards that might not fit their lifestyle. It's a distant solution, though."

Which that meant for now, they were still stuck with the two-person issue.

In Chad's peripherals, he noticed Doug tense, a slight frown tugging at his lips. He knew the things Ben didn't say, that with their unconventional three-person relationship, one of them was going to be on the outs.

Evie was supposedly dating them for Chad. Doug was melancholy because he thought he was going to be the odd one out.

"Well," Chad said, clearing his throat. "Mal, would you take pity on a guy and be my partner-in-fancy-pants crime?"

Mal considered him for a moment, the rest of the table seeming surprised by this turn of events, before she broke into a wide smile. "I'd be delighted, Chadwick."

"You didn't have to do that," Doug said later, when they were showering afterschool. "Evie probably wanted to go with you."

"Douglass, you are going to that ball with our very pretty girlfriend," Chad interrupted. "You're going to wear the coat she makes you and take pictures with her and ask her to dance and I will hear no arguments."

"You're so good to me," Doug whimpered, pulsing pointedly against Chad's thigh, getting worked up by Chad's consideration because he was a sweetheart like that. "Could you um- fuck me, please? I need- please."

"Of course, Doug." Chad's pulse began to race as he took his time stretching Doug out, getting him nice and loose and whiny before he took him from behind, angling Doug towards the mirror so he could watch himself fall apart through the clear glass of their bathroom stall.

"You're so embarrassing," Doug whimpered, burying his face in the curve of Chad's shoulder, but the blond was unrepentant, working Doug over until he was entirely spent. "Chad."

"I've got you," Chad murmured, pressing Doug against the wall so they could trade soft kisses, the gentle hands that clung to him reminding Chad why he was doing this in the first place.

The day of the ball came too soon, but Chad distracted himself by getting ready with the others in Ben's suite. True to her word, Evie had made all of them something – dresses for Audrey and Mal and coats for the rest of them, garments that Chad made sure to compliment and appreciate until Evie was glowing with justified pride. He'd gotten a corsage and boutonnière for Doug and Evie, but he'd done the same for Mal as well, who took it with a weird look before she decided that his offering was satisfactory and broke into a smile.

"Disgusting sap," Audrey giggled when he helped her with the small clasp of her necklace. "You are such a mushy baboon."

Three weeks ago, she would have uttered the words with thick embellishments of derision. Now, she seemed fond or whatever, and Chad liked it as much as he feared for it. He enjoyed having Audrey as his friend, but he was afraid of what would happen when things changed.

But he could do nothing for distant possibilities except wait them out, so he pushed on.

"And you are a picture of elegance and refinement," Chad offered, earning a light blush and a distinct roll of her eyes.

"Everyone ready?" Ben asked when they were more or less settled. "Then get in here for a selfie. We need to commiserate ourselves in a way the official photographer won't allow."

"Atta boy, Benjamin," Mal drawled, but she appropriately squeezed in next to her boyfriend, Chad wrapping his arms around Evie and Doug's shoulders, feeling like there was no place in the world he would rather be.

They entered the reception area in style, meeting up with Jay and Carlos who were going stag, but had managed to coerce Jane and Lonnie into taking official photos with them. They all went two-by-two, Chad offering Mal his arm with an exaggerated wink before they waited to have their pictures taken, then waited again so Lumiere could formally announce them to the ballroom, because that was the sort of shit you did in a school that was mostly inhabited by young royals.

"Introducing his royal highness – Prince Chadwick James of Sardinia, and Lady Mal Bertha of the Moors," Lumiere called to the rest of the hall, Chad and Mal offering their very best smiles to the rest of the school as they descended the grand staircase.

"So I'm a lady now," Mal murmured into his ear, a smirk pulling at her lips.

"I thought it was a justified title," Chad replied, making her grin in delight.

Hanging out with Mal was not unlike hanging out with Lonnie, except she'd allow his flirtations with a hidden mirth that suggested he would be rewarded for them at a later date. They shot the shit together, critiquing people's outfits and making fun of Ben's gangly movements before they moved onto nicer topics, like the appreciation of their respective partners.

"I gotta hand it to Audrey," Mal said when the two of them watched Ben take the Aurorian princess around the floor, Audrey kind enough to allow him to lead. "She's fucking tough, man. I didn't realize it at first, with all the pink and high heels and shit, but she will cut a bitch."

"Without question," Chad hummed, making Mal break into a large smile. "Audrey is a relentless force of nature."

"One you thought didn't like you," Mal said, referring back to that first night they had switched partners.

Chad shrugged. "We've always had a bit of an antagonistic relationship, despite wanting the same things."

"And what things would those be?" Mal prompted, looking legitimately curious rather than probing Chad for weak points.

In fact, she hadn't seemed to be getting a feel for potential weaknesses for weeks, actually.

It was something to think about later.

"For her to date Ben," Chad said, seeing no need to hide it, considering how everyone (aside from Ben and Doug) seemed to know it already.

Mal quirked a thin brow at him. "Wouldn't that make you like her best friend or something? Since she loves him so much?"

Weird that Mal would make that designation, when love seemed so very foreign on the Isle, but she didn't seem to doubt this, or even offer it with any kind of mockery.

"Yeah," Chad said, his brows furrowing in consideration. "Come to think of it, she should have liked me more."

If she should be annoyed at anyone, it should be Doug for having the audacity to catch Ben's eye, but she'd never been outwardly mean to him, likely because Chad had never given her the chance to. Maybe that was why she didn't like Chad.

He shrugged again. "It doesn't really matter anymore though, does it?" he prompted. "We're friends now. That's… it's nice. I'm glad for it."

"Me too," Mal said without any hint of irony, tightening the arm she had hooked through the crook of his elbow so she could stand close to him.

"Um, speaking of friendship," Chad began, earning a certain look from her. "As Evie's best friend, you know if she's happy, right? She would have told you?" When Mal proceeded to stare at him blankly, Chad tried to elaborate. "You can be honest," he said. "I just… I want to make sure she's satisfied with the way things are going."

"Because you care about her," Mal surmised, trying to get a feel for the land.

"Exactly," Chad said. "She likes Doug, right? I mean, obviously she likes him-"

"Relax, blondie," Mal said, cutting Chad's babble off at the quick. "Evie thinks Doug is the bee's fucking knees. She thought that he just liked her for her looks when we first got here, because that's what most people coveted Evie for on the Isle, but he has won her over with his steady admiration for her brain." She said this with a grin that indicated she wholeheartedly approved, and the two of them lost a moment watching Doug guide Evie in elegant circles, both of them looking the epitome of happy. "I didn't get what you saw in him at first, but Doug- he sneaks up on you. Under that shyness, he's funny and earnest and…"

"Nice?" Chad offered, the adjective one the VKs tended to avoid on the basis of not experiencing it all that much before Auradon.

"Very nice," Mal said, not hesitating a second. "I can see why you love him so much."

Chad's chest felt tight, everything seeming to move a bit slower as he held onto his composure. "I… he's just a really special guy," he settled on lamely. "You know, like Ben."

Mal took the change of subject with a blink, before allowing Chad a pity smile. "Yeah, I guess he's not so bad, for an overly-earnest goody two shoes."

"He's your boyfriend."

"Hey," Mal huffed. "You make fun of him too."

But Chad wasn't dating Ben. He wasn't dating Mal, despite being her date for the dance. He wasn't dating Audrey, despite having sex with her on a regular basis.

It left him off balance, struggling for a response, though thankfully he didn't have to come up with one because Jay appeared as a timely distraction. "Hey boss, could I take you for a spin? I promise I got all my toe-stepping out of my system with Lonnie."

"It is a wonder you haven't been throttled yet," Mal murmured, rolling her eyes in a show of fondness before fixing her attention to Chad. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

"I'm a big boy, Mal," Chad replied, offering her a wink. "And I've got no intention of monopolizing you. Go forth, have fun – I'm gonna make a quick phone call anyway, see how everything's going back home."

"Nerd," Mal said, the others familiar with Chad's frequent phone updates, none of them privy to the fact that nine times out of ten, Chad didn't actually reach anyone, not even his father's assistants.

That would likely be the case this time too, but Chad motioned them off with a smile, deciding to take the opportunity to distract himself from his useless thoughts to duck outside and get some fresh air. He pushed a little ways into the gardens, finding a private nook walled off by hedges as he started the familiar process of uselessly calling Sardinia.

He was on attempt number two (he usually gave himself three shots before he called it a night) before he heard what could only be a small gaggle of girls laughing on the other side of one of the hedges, the group likely wanting to get some space to share delicious gossip in a relatively quiet area.

"What did I tell you?" one of the girls whispered. "Even an Isle girl knows Charming is useless. She chose to go to the ball with that half-dwarf mutt over an actual prince, that's how much Chad sucks."

"I bet they only keep him around for his looks," another girl giggled. "Or for sex. With a mouth like that, I bet he's great at sex."

"I mean, that's the only reason anyone would keep him around, right?" a different girl offered. "Why do you think Doug's friends with him? It sure as shit isn't because he's a sparkling conversationalist. Bet Chadwick gets on his knees and lets Doug fuck his mouth all the time."

"He'd have to, if he wanted to get any attention," the first girl laughed. "I heard even his dad doesn't like him."

"Aw, that's awful," a new girl said. "I bet he feels so lonely."

"It's probably a justified dislike," the first girl decided. "Maybe he's a real shithead. It would explain why he doesn't have that many friends."

"There's Ben," the new girl said. "He likes Chad."

"Ben wants to fuck Chad, we all know that," one of the girls said, like it was a universal truth. "That's why Audrey wanted to scratch his eyes out so much."

"She doesn't now, though," a different girl hummed. "In fact, those two- what, trios? Throuples? Whatever you call poly relationships, they seem to be getting really chummy lately."

"Chad even came with Mal," the second one whispered. "Not that she stayed with him. Even she gets asked for more dances than he does."

"Hey, if he's not dancing in bed, what's the point of asking him?" one of them cackled, prompting a round of laughter.

"Aw, man," the first one sighed, like she was rubbing away tears of mirth. "I wonder how long it will be before Doug and Evie dump him. Surely the sex can't be that good."

"It's probably just a matter of time now," the first one said. "Considering Chad's personality."

"Right," a different one cackled, and then they were moving on, off to cackle about newer, more interesting things.

It brought Chad to a halt, left him trying to steady his breathing when it seemed determined to come too fast and too shallow, his entire body flooding with the heat of humiliation.

People would always speculate, people would always say rude shit, but hearing his relationship be so casually analyzed – it hurt, hurt that Chad had traveled the same trains of thought himself, and knowing that it seemed to be a common consensus. He knew he was a piece of shit; he'd come to terms with that. He knew others knew that too, it shouldn't be this painful to hear them publicly acknowledge that.

And yet, it was.

Because they pretty much confirmed how little Doug and Evie needed him, how his time was running out. How Ben only wanted him around for sex, so of course he pretended to give a shit about Chad's opinions, how else could you lure the stupid blond into your web of teenage hormones? It left him feeling terribly small, and with fumbled movements, he managed to put away his phone, sinking onto a nearby stone bench like it was some kind of saving grace. Mal had warmed up to him too, but she had openly admitted to enjoying the sexual gratification he could bring her, she didn't actually like him.

He was trying to steady himself, trying to regain his composure, at least enough to get inside and pretend that he was sick so he could retreat to his room and be properly miserable, when his hiding place was stumbled upon by a giggling Lonnie, Carlos and Jane being tugged along by each of her hands, the two of them seeming embarrassed but excited before their gazes fell upon the miserable sight of Chad Charming.

Upon seeing him, Lonnie's eyes went wide, her good cheer replaced by concern. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Chad sniffed, yanking out his obligatory handkerchief so he could pat at his cheeks. "Just- allergies, you know how it is."

"Uh huh," Lonnie said, not seeming to believe him. "I'm gonna go get Doug and Evie."

"No," Chad burst, shoving himself to his feet as a spike of anxiety shot through his chest. "No, don't bother them. I'm fine."

"Yeah, you are definitely not fine," Lonnie said as she nudged Jane in Chad's direction, the young Fae taking the prompt with a nod before she was wrapping an arm around Chad's tense shoulders. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Chad snapped. "I think I'm just getting sick."

"Did you overhear something?" Lonnie asked, getting straight to the point. "I know people like to come here to gossip."

"I have to go get Mal," Carlos said, already backing away. "She'll want to know about this."

"Guys, I'm fine," Chad pressed, wishing for once in his fucking life that he could actually be chill. "Don't bother the others. They can't do shit anyway, and they deserve to have a good time without having to deal with my bullshit."

Carlos didn't wait to slip away altogether, though Chad was more focused on Lonnie's sharp gaze, the other teen seeing through him in a way few others did. "What did they say, Chad?"

"Nothing-"

"What did they say?" Lonnie repeated, marching forward until she was cupping his face between her hands, a thing they very much never did. "I've heard some of the shit the girls at this school say about you, and let me tell you, all of it is petty, jealous, bullshit. They can't be you so they tear you down, now which garbage thing did you overhear?"

"I didn't," Chad insisted, tears building up in his eyes. "I'm just sick, Lonnie. I um- I need to go back to my room-"

"Did they say something embarrassing?" Lonnie pressed. "Something you thought was true?"

Chad flinched, and Jane let out a wounded sound, hugging him closer.

"Chad," Lonnie warned.

"It's stupid," he hissed. "If I tell you, you have to keep it from Mal."

"I'm not doing that," Lonnie replied, never one to bullshit him. "She deserves to know."

"She doesn't actually give a shit about me, Lonnie," Chad hissed. "None of them actually give a shit about me, because I'm a fucking asshole who's only good for sex."

"That's bullshit," Lonnie snapped. "You're good at a fucking lot of stuff, Chad. Don't let some petty, braindead nobodies make you think otherwise."

"It's just…" Chad whispered. "Doug doesn't actually like me-"

"What's going on?" Mal strolled onto the scene like someone ready to go to war, her eyes blazing green as Doug, Evie, Audrey, and Ben trailed on her heels, each of them seeming worried. Mal paused when she caught sight of Chad, the prince ducking his head to hide his face, trying and failing to wipe away his stupid tears, because he was supposed to be composed. "What happened?"

"He overheard some assholes talking shit about him," Lonnie replied, her expression set in a grim frown.

"What'd they say?" Mal asked, Doug and Evie trading places with Jane and Lonnie so they could cradle Chad between them.

"Guys, I promise, it doesn't matter," Chad murmured. "Please go back to the ball."

"We're not going anywhere without you," Doug pledged, earnest in a way that seemed designed to strike Chad at his core. "We want to know when you're upset too, Chad, it's not a one-way street."

Yes it was, because neither of them really wanted to date Chad, not for him, he only got things in roundabout, scheming ways because no one had a sincere interest in what meager things he could offer.

"I haven't gotten him to say much," Lonnie said, the Imperial City teen holding back with Mal and the others. "We could probably go track them down-"

"Don't," Chad croaked, because this was embarrassing enough as it was.

"That's it," Evie declared, her tone hard, and then she was pulling something out of her purse, a small mirror that seemed to be cracked around the edges. "Magic mirror, what did Chad overhear?"

Chad was so thrown by the fact that Evie had a piece of her mother's magic mirror that he didn't protest when the small compact started playing back the awful conversation he'd heard, at least until they got to the part about Doug fucking his mouth, because that was when his boyfriend tensed horrifically.

If Chad had been embarrassed before, he was humiliated by the time the conversation finished playing out, hot tears pouring down his cheeks as he buried his face in his hands, doing his damnedest to hide himself from their pitying looks.

"Chad, baby – look at us, please," Evie murmured, nuzzling his shoulder. "Doug and I aren't going to dump you, okay? Nothing they said was right."

"Nothing," Doug insisted, jumping onboard in an effort to follow Evie's whims. "You have an awesome personality. You're funny and thoughtful and try so hard to take care of us – and the only reason they can't see that is because they're jealous."

"That's what I said," Lonnie muttered.

"Well, it's true," Ben spoke up, striding forward until the other three were curled around them, forming an awkward sort of group hug with Chad in the center. "All of us like being with you, but that's not why we want you around. We like you and we trust you, and you're funny and good looking and charming."

"Asshole," Audrey spoke up, getting an annoyed look from Mal before she continued with, "If we just wanted sex, we have other, very attractive people we could do that with. The thing is, none of them are you, who is snarky but sweet and tries so very fucking hard for us because no one tries for you."

"They were right about one thing," Ben spoke up before Chad could formulate a reply. "We- our respective trios, have been drawing closer together, and that's not just because of sex. Though um- I might have used that as a gateway to make you see our potential."

"Ben," Evie interrupted, nuzzling Chad close. "Do you three want to date us?"

"Yes," Audrey huffed. "We like you guys – all of you guys, and if anyone says shit about you, we want to be there to protect you and cuddle you and inform you how fucking wrong they are. There's nothing wrong with being shy," she aimed this at Doug. "You're not a fucking gold digger-" she aimed that at Evie. "And only an idiot wouldn't know Chad is fucking sweet as honey. We are not idiots. We know you guys are awesome, and if you'd take pity on us, we'd really like to date you."

"What she said," Mal murmured, offering that mischievous little smirk of hers.

Chad didn't know what was going on. He didn't know what was happening. They liked him? Or what they thought they knew of him. But Audrey knew him, knew the lengths he went through for Doug, and liked him anyway? Maybe she saw a kindred spirit in him or something. All he knew was that Doug liked Ben and Evie liked Mal and this had been coming together in slow motion for weeks now, so he probably shouldn't fight it. At the very least, maybe Doug wouldn't want him to bow out now. Not when he could have Evie and Ben, all for the price of tolerating Chad from time to time.

"Is that something you guys would want?" Ben asked, looking so very hopeful.

Chad sniffed, sharing a look with Doug and Evie, who seemed equally hopeful, if substantially more tentative about accepting.

"I um- think we'd like that," Chad declared, surprised at the way the others lit up.

"Then let's show those damn assholes who's boss," Mal said, wiping at his face. She murmured a spell under her breath and Chad felt his tears disappear in a burst of light, leaving him dry-eyed and off balance, as though he hadn't broken down at all. "They don't get to break us," she said. "And we are fucking catches."

"Yep," Audrey hummed, hooking her arm through Doug's, Ben offering his elbow to Evie, and together they walked back into the ball, stirring an interest but not seeming to regret it.

Later, Ben would throw an arm around Chad's shoulders, would lean over and kiss Audrey before he did the same to the blond prince. Later, Mal would kiss Doug on the cheek and Evie would trade chaste kisses with Audrey and they didn't give a damn who saw them, they did it and they were happy.

"Let 'em talk," Audrey declared with a toss of her hair, the petite princess standing determinately next to Chad, as though intent to guard him from the rest of the world. "They always will, and most of them will be wrong. We just have to remember that, blondie."

"Thanks," Chad murmured, curling his fingers through hers, and for once she dropped her harsh appearance to give him a gentle smile, a soft expression that made her seem like her mother's daughter, made her a caregiver just as much as she was a warrior.

That night they retreated to Ben's suite, though instead of their usual passionate couplings, they took things slow and easy, Mal seeming determined to shower Chad with compliments while they lazily made out.

"You take such good care of us," she murmured. "You're so determined to do what's right, even if it costs you. You're funny and sweet-"

"Mal," Chad whined, because this had bypassed embarrassing a while ago.

"Hush," she tutted. "I want to dote on my boyfriend, he's a cutie patootie."

Chad, appropriately, hushed.

When asked like that, how could he not?

-:-:-

Normally, Chad's very favorite place to be was cuddled in bed between his friends, even if he wasn't next to Doug, because at the very least he could take comfort in the fact that Doug was being treasured and cared for the way he should be. That night, however, he felt uneasy, restless, so he waited in bed as long as he could before he snuck out to hide in Ben's office, starting up the coffee maker the brunette had hidden behind one of his false bookcase shelves that they weren't supposed to know about. Like Chad would miss an opportunity for coffee.

He didn't maintain his meager grades by not being caffeinated, was his point.

He ended up downing one full cup before getting halfway through another by the time he got company, Evie lingering in the doorway with a small look of fondness.

"You okay?" she asked, not hesitating to cross to him, and Chad pulled his feet up so she could sit next to him on the window seat.

"I'm good," Chad replied on reflex, a response that he never really put much thought into, seeing as it didn't actually matter if it was true or not. "Just…"

"A lot happened yesterday," Evie said, curling a hand around his ankle as a sort of grounding point. "A lot of changes."

A lot of stupidity, too.

"I promise I'm not usually that big a baby," Chad said, trying to distract himself from the new partners they'd acquired entirely by accident. "People say shit all the time, that- it just hit me in a sore place, I guess."

"You're not a baby for being sad when people are mean to you," Evie said, her tone even but firm. "Whether it was an indirect attack or not. People used to talk about us too, until you threatened them into giving us a fair shot."

Chad supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Evie had figured that out, or maybe Mal had just told her instead. "Did the magic mirror show you that too?"

"Mal wanted to see it for herself," Evie confirmed. "We also saw the others things you did over the years, to protect Doug and Jane and Lonnie."

Lonnie didn't need Chad's protection, not really, she was a warrior in her own right, but sometimes it took royalty to deal with royalty, especially when Lonnie was getting stiffed from clubs and committees she was entirely qualified to be on but got overlooked for because her parents were generals instead of kings.

"I'm sorry," Evie said, taking Chad by surprise. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it."

"Are you sorry for spying?" Chad asked, keeping his tone neutral, non-accusatory.

"No," Evie replied simply. "You need to understand, most of the stuff we got here was too good to be true. The Isle didn't work anything like this, so it was difficult to trust that what we got was really ours, no strings attached. The magic mirror helped us get a feel for you guys, helped us realize that you were exactly as you presented yourselves to be."

Chad supposed that made sense. It was difficult to give trust after a lifetime of being taught that such things were not only useless, but potentially dangerous. He couldn't fault Evie for that, but-

"What else did you see?" Chad asked. "In the mirror?"

Evie considered him for a moment, looking unfairly pretty in the long-sleeved shirt she had borrowed from Ben, the thing entirely too big for her, hanging off one shoulder, revealing an array of bruises Audrey had given her the night before. "Mal wanted to know why Audrey was suddenly being nice to her."

Chad winced, vaguely remembering how that conversation had gone, the candid, supposedly private thing showing off the truest forms of Chad and Audrey's personalities. "Evie…"

"She knows Audrey likes her now," Evie said. "For real. I spied on that too. I… I might have known they were going to make a move on us before they actually did, because I did more spying than Mal knew about." She ducked her head, a light flush spreading across her cheeks. "I've always liked Mal. I've always been attracted to her passion and protective nature and her strength. I just- I knew I could never have her."

"Because you're supposed to marry a prince," Chad said, trying not to feel bitter.

Evie winced. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "It wasn't fair, why I targeted you. But I… I'm glad I did," she said, expression earnest. "Chad, we meant everything we said yesterday. You're so sweet and thoughtful, even if you don't seem to think so, and I know you only started dating me for Doug, but I'm really happy being your girlfriend."

"Evie," Chad said, his heart seeming to tense in his chest. "I… I really like you too," he admitted. "I tried not to get too attached because Doug likes you so much, and I don't ever want to get in his way."

"I know," Evie said, smiling brightly. "We all know, but Doug cares about you too. He wants you to be happy."

Chad didn't doubt that, because at his core, Doug was good, he just didn't think the other teen cared about Chad nearly as much as Chad cared for him.

"My point," Chad continued, trying to move past that jumble of emotions. "Is that I really like you too, and I'm glad to be your boyfriend."

"Good," Evie giggled, standing up and relieving him of his coffee cup so she could set it on Ben's desk, confusing Chad for all of a moment before she settled into his lap. "Because we are dating, so things would be weird otherwise."

"And you actually like Doug?" Chad asked, because even if he'd voiced the question to Mal, if they were being honest, he needed to ask Evie herself.

"Very much," Evie said, not seeming offended by this question. She leaned forward and claimed his lips in a kiss, not seeming to mind his coffee breath in the slightest. "Could you tell me what kept you from sleeping in?"

"Anxiety, I guess," Chad replied, unused to answering questions honestly, but if Evie was asking, he supposed he could provide a truthful answer. "Just… this seems too good to be true."

"That's fair," Evie said. "But also wrong. You seem to think that you're an asshole, but in your private moments you're resourceful and calculating and thoughtful, and you won Mal over with that, the same way you won over Ben and Audrey."

She seemed so certain when she said it, though Chad himself was not entirely convinced.

It was a problem for a later day, though.

"Are you going to keep using the magic mirror?" Chad asked, making her tense. "I understand why you used it, but part of a relationship is trust and privacy-"

"I haven't used it in a while," Evie admitted. "At least, not to gather information." She paused, dropping her voice low. "I um, might have used it to watch you and Doug have sex, though."

"Evie," Chad sputtered, a cross between embarrassed and amused.

"You guys are so cute!" she insisted. "I know it's a violation of privacy-"

"I mean," Chad laughed. "You know you can watch at any time; we don't mind putting on a show."

"Yeah," Evie sighed. "But Doug doesn't dress up in his cute lingerie when I'm there."

That in itself perked Chad's interest. "That doesn't mean he won't. Say the word, Evie, and he'd be all for it. Where do you think Ben got the idea in the first place?"

"Holy shit," Evie breathed, reaching into her bra and pulling out the magic mirror. "Magic mirror, please show me where Ben got the idea for dressing up like a sexy bitch."

"Yes," Chad murmured, repositioning Evie so that her back was against his chest, his chin hooked over her shoulder so he could watch this from an outside perspective. "This is where it's at."

-:-:-

"We have found a new use for the magic mirror," Chad informed Audrey when she stumbled upon Chad and Evie in the office, Chad's hand safely between Evie's legs as he got her properly worked up, the two of them reviewing the aspects of their past orgies that they hadn't gotten to see.

"Now that's the kind of spying I can get behind," Audrey cackled, prowling her way over to them so she could start properly biting up Chad's neck. "You realize that thing's going to have to be confiscated though, right?"

"I know," Evie gasped, mouth falling open when Audrey's hand moved to join Chad's. "N-No one should um- have this kind of power. I know that now."

"Excellent," Audrey huffed. "In that case, let's give this bad boy the proper sendoff it deserves."

As you could expect, things sort of devolved from there.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

This, ladies and gentlemen, is called having priorities ;D

Story notes:

I don't know what it is about the concept of a 'fall ball' that tickles me so, maybe it's the dumb rhyming name, but like, if I have to have an obligatory random ball event thing in a story, you can almost bet it's going to be a Fall Ball ;D

It's my personal opinion that 'Charming' is more of a nickname rather than an actual last name. I got James from the Cinderella Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, where they have a song entirely dedicated to listing out the very long name of prince charming, which ends in James

Admittedly, I have a tendency to forget that the magic mirror is a thing in Descendants 1, and as such, I don't use it much in stories. I figured I would give it a try this time around, though.

Chad. Chaaaaaaad. Please use your words. It will help you so very much, you munchkin.

Until next time :)